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God is constantly at work in our life,

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continually building faith in us and bringing us

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to spiritual maturity.

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And that's what I want to speak about

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today, friends, God and spiritual maturity.

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Because once you get a taste of the

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life of faith, you don't want anything more

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to do with a life of sin.

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You just want to keep going deeper with

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God.

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If you've ever been around a real man

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of God, you know it.

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He stands out in 2 Kings 4.9.

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We have the account of the Shumanite woman's

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encounter with the prophet Elijah, where we read,

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And she said unto her husband, Behold now

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I perceive that this is a holy man

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of God, which passes by us continually.

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This reminds me of a Dr. Olford was

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invited to preach at a Baptist church in

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Dallas, and the pastor of that church told

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a seminary intern to go and pick up

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Stephen Olford at the airport.

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The intern asked to see a photo of

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Dr. Olford so he would recognize him at

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the airport.

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The pastor replied, No need for that.

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Just go to the airport terminal and wait

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for the passengers to get off the plane

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and then look for a man who has

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God all over him.

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Well, this young man went to the airport

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and did what the pastor told him to.

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And as soon as Stephen Olford passed by,

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he knew it was him.

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Every time I was around Stephen Olford, it

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was a transformational experience because he made me

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more thirsty for Jesus.

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He made me long to be more holy

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for Christ.

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This whole matter of men on the move

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for God and men being used of God

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reminds me of what Adrian Rogers once told

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me.

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Adrian Rogers always made me think of Jesus

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because when I was with him, I felt

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like I was with Jesus.

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But he said something to me that still

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sticks out in my memory.

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We were at the funeral of Stephen Olford,

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which was held at Bellevue Baptist Church and

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Dr. Rogers conducted the memorial service.

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After the service was over, I was standing

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in the hallway with Adrian Rogers and he

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asked me a question.

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He stood there with his arms folded across

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his chest and a serious look on his

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face.

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And he said, Do you know what concerns

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me?

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I answered, No, Dr. Rogers.

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What concerns you?

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In his deep, booming voice, he said, What

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concerns me is I see God calling up

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men like Sidlo Baxter and Stephen Olford, and

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I look around and I don't see any

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comeuppers.

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What he was saying was our churches don't

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lack educated men or professionals in the pulpit,

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but where, oh, where is the man of

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God endued with the Spirit of God who

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will take the book of God and go

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preach the Son of God to a perishing

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world?

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Adrian Rogers and Stephen Olford were men who

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had an excited and elevated air of anticipation

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about them, an expectation of what God was

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about to do through them.

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You could just sense that by being around

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them.

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They were men on the move for God

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because they were men completely sold out to

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God.

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They had tasted something that most men had

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not, and they had experienced something that few

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men had, an intimate, vital walk with God.

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They had seen God at work in the

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life of His people.

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They had tasted His goodness, and they wanted

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more of it.

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They longed to have more of God, and

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they longed for God to have more of

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them, and that was the key, friends.

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R.

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A.

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Torrey was teaching some Bible students at Moody

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Bible Institute, and he told them, If you

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want more of the Holy Spirit, then let

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the Holy Spirit have more of you.

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Well, let me make one thing perfectly clear,

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friends.

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We have to long for more of God,

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to be used more of God.

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We have to be willing to undergo change

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and be emptied of self so Christ can

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rule and reign on the throne of our

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life, and we need to be aware that

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God is active in our life each day,

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working continually at work in us, building faith

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in us, and teaching us His truths in

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order to bless us and bring us to

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spiritual maturity.

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God invites us to participate with Him in

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His work so we can experience Him in

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a deeper way.

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He will prepare us like He did Joseph.

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He will purge us like He did Jonah.

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He will prune us like He did Peter

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to make us more fruitful and useful to

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Him.

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God will bring us to more and more

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spiritual maturity so we can enjoy Him more

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now, and when He calls us home, we

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can enjoy Him even more forever and ever.