Pillars of Faith

A Piece of the Puzzle

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Donnie Shelton

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Series Code: POF

Program Code: POF000029A


00:24 And we welcome you once again to, Pillars of Faith.
00:28 A word for today in today's work-a-day world.
00:33 My name is C.A. Murray and it is my privilege, my pleasure,
00:35 to welcome you to session number four with pastor Donnie Shelton
00:40 of, Touching Hearts Ministries, who has been going through
00:43 a series, Faith Leading To A Closer Walk With Jesus.
00:48 And each sermon has been power packed,
00:50 information filled, and Spirit filled,
00:53 as the man of God has lifted up the name of Jesus.
00:55 And we are so happy that Donnie has taken time from
00:58 his busy schedule to be in this desk on this day
01:02 to talk to us about the things of God.
01:05 The first sermon in this series,
01:07 Faith Equals Knowledge Times Light.
01:11 And I liked that title when he told me.
01:13 Just a great title.
01:15 Number two, My Grace Is Sufficient For Thee.
01:17 Certainly a true statement if ever there was one;
01:20 that the grace of God is sufficient for each of us
01:24 who walk the road to glory.
01:25 Followed by, The Gift of Eternal Life.
01:29 A powerful, powerful thought on yesterday.
01:32 And then today's message, A Piece of the Puzzle.
01:37 And we are excited to hear what God has planned
01:40 for us through His servant this day as he preaches,
01:43 A Piece of the Puzzle.
01:46 I just wanted to mention again that Donnie is the president of,
01:50 Touching Hearts Ministries;
01:51 ably assisted by his wife, Brenda.
01:53 And together they make a powerful team, a powerful duo,
01:56 for the cause of Christ.
01:57 And Donnie preaches with passion and with power.
02:00 He loves the Lord and loves the Word of God.
02:03 And when he stands in the desk, we expect no less
02:05 than a blessing from the Lord.
02:07 So we're going to pray now.
02:08 And then the next voice you will hear will be that of
02:10 Pastor Donnie Shelton of Touching Hearts Ministries.
02:12 The message, A Piece of the Puzzle.
02:15 Shall we pray.
02:16 Father God, how we love You and praise You for this opportunity
02:20 to hear a word from You.
02:22 We ask that You would bless Your servant,
02:24 speak to him and through him so that we may hear
02:28 a word from the Lord.
02:30 We thank You, Father, that You're always ready to instruct,
02:33 to teach, and we know that there are those who have
02:36 given their heart to listening and to following.
02:39 Please, dear Lord, this day may we hear and may we do.
02:44 And we thank You, dear Father.
02:46 In Jesus' name, amen and amen.
02:50 And now Pastor Donnie Shelton.
02:56 Thank you so much Pastor C.A.
02:58 And again, what an honor, what a privilege it is
03:02 to be here today on this wonderful program,
03:05 Pillars of Faith.
03:07 I never want to skip an opportunity
03:10 to be able to preach the lovely Jesus to His people.
03:16 I was called 14 years ago out of the field of radiology,
03:21 which I'd been in for over 30 years.
03:24 And God called me in to this ministry,
03:27 Touching Hearts Ministries, to reintroduce Jesus
03:32 to His people.
03:33 And what an honor and a privilege it has been.
03:37 I want you today to get your Bibles out
03:41 and I want you to read with me in Ephesians 2:20-21.
03:48 Again as Pastor C.A. said, A Piece of the Puzzle,
03:53 is the message for you today.
03:56 Ephesians 2:20-21, I want you to read with me.
04:02 "...and are built upon the foundation of the apostles
04:06 and prophets, Jesus himself being the chief corner stone;
04:12 in whom all the building fitly framed together
04:17 groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord."
04:21 We're talking today about God's church; Jesus Christ's bride.
04:28 What is the church?
04:30 Everyone that has accepted the invitation
04:36 to join the church through Jesus Christ.
04:41 And once we become a member of God's church,
04:45 we go to work for Jesus.
04:48 Jesus said, "There's a harvest out there.
04:51 And I need laborers and I need workers.
04:54 I need as many workers as possible to bring folks in
04:59 before I come to get My church."
05:02 So we want a big church.
05:04 What is the church?
05:05 Everyone that is born again,
05:09 that's been washed in the blood of Jesus.
05:12 And as I always say, wrapped in His righteousness
05:15 and then filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
05:18 That is God's church.
05:20 Now listen to this.
05:22 Old Testament prophets, they laid the foundation
05:26 of the work of Jesus.
05:28 We today as Christians help make up the foundation
05:33 of the church.
05:35 We are all a part of the puzzle in laying the foundation
05:42 of the church, but Jesus is the cornerstone
05:47 of the foundation.
05:49 All of our messages, pastors out there,
05:51 all of our messages need to be centered,
05:55 and through, and in, and around Jesus,
06:00 because He's the cornerstone of the foundation.
06:03 It is through Jesus Christ that I will be in the kingdom.
06:07 My faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God,
06:12 that's why I will be in the kingdom.
06:14 Not because of my own merits.
06:16 I can never work my way into heaven.
06:19 It is a free gift.
06:20 Let's go a little bit further here.
06:22 But I today want to be a part of God's church.
06:25 And being a puzzle and a part of God's church,
06:29 I know that I have a work to do,
06:31 just like the prophets and disciples did.
06:34 Now, let's go a bit further.
06:36 Christ Himself holds together the various parts
06:41 of this spiritual house.
06:43 And Jesus unifies the church.
06:47 The church is built upon Jesus.
06:51 No other name but Jesus.
06:54 Let's go a bit further.
06:56 He is the cornerstone.
06:58 What is a cornerstone?
07:00 A stone representing the starting place
07:04 in the construction of the building.
07:07 The foundation on which something is developed.
07:12 Christ was the beginning of the central point,
07:18 the cornerstone of the church.
07:21 And the church is developed through our High Priest,
07:25 Jesus Christ.
07:27 We are all a puzzle that makes up this church.
07:32 And let's talk about that.
07:33 Let's turn to Ephesians 4:16.
07:37 Get those Bibles out.
07:38 Ephesians 4:16
07:42 Here's what the Bible says.
07:44 "From whom the whole body," the church,
07:48 "fitly joined together and compacted
07:52 by that which every joint supplieth, according,"
07:56 now listen, "to the effectual working in the
07:59 measure of every part..."
08:01 What's every part?
08:02 That's us.
08:03 "...that makes up and increases the body
08:06 unto the edifying of itself in love."
08:09 Once we expect...
08:12 Maybe I better put it this way.
08:14 Once we step out for Christ and accept Him as our
08:17 personal Savior, we become a part of the church.
08:21 We are a piece of the puzzle.
08:24 And all of these puzzles fit together with all the
08:28 different talents that are in the church today.
08:31 The singers, the preachers, the elders, the deaconesses.
08:34 All these fitted together make a strong and unified church,
08:39 again, which is centered around Jesus Christ.
08:43 Now once we step out for Christ, our life will change.
08:48 When Jesus comes into your life, there will be a change.
08:53 And once that change takes place, you will look at Christ
08:56 and say, "Lord, what would You have me do
09:00 as part of working in, and through, and in this church?
09:04 What do You want me to do?"
09:05 Now Christ may call you into a ministry.
09:10 Now when He does, you may even leave your job
09:14 in radiology like I did.
09:15 I just left my job and stepped out into this ministry.
09:18 Now I had... Radiology was my life.
09:23 I'm not like my cousin Kenny. I never was a carpenter.
09:25 I'm certainly not like Danny that can sing; a musician.
09:28 So when I left radiology, I left the only thing
09:31 that I knew how to do.
09:32 But God said, "I want you to preach the lovely Jesus Christ."
09:36 So I stepped out into this ministry.
09:37 In other words, I stepped out of my comfort zone.
09:42 I was comfortable in radiology because
09:44 I knew what I was doing.
09:46 So I stepped out in faith.
09:50 I didn't know where God was going to take me.
09:52 I really didn't know exactly the depths of what I would be doing.
09:56 But I trusted in God. I put my faith in Him,
10:00 That whatever I needed He would supply.
10:03 Well let me give you a "for instance" of that.
10:06 Growing up as child, there were eight of us in our family.
10:11 And when I was about 8 years old, I guess, maybe 9,
10:14 we moved from town out into the country.
10:17 And this little red house that we all moved into,
10:21 it had three acres of grass that needed to be cared for.
10:25 Now what my dad did is, he went out and he bought
10:30 a twenty inch push mower.
10:34 A twenty inch push mower to mow three acres.
10:39 He bought this push mower and a big can of gas.
10:43 And he would leave early in the morning,
10:45 and he would say, "Boys, when I get home I want this
10:49 three acres finished with this twenty inch power mower."
10:54 Now it looked impossible.
10:56 It looked overwhelming.
10:58 How are we possibly going to mow three acres of grass
11:02 in eight hours with a twenty inch push mower?
11:04 So what my brothers and I did, we formed a line
11:08 and we would take this push mower and we would run
11:11 around this three acres as fast as we could.
11:14 When we finished a lap, the next brother would
11:17 grab the push mower and then he would push it.
11:20 And that went on and on and on until all the
11:22 three acres were finished.
11:23 What I'm saying is this.
11:25 It was a job.
11:27 It was uncomfortable.
11:29 It looked impossible. But we did it.
11:32 My dad supplied this twenty inch power mower,
11:35 and he knew that's what we would need to finish the job.
11:39 If we had twenty acres, maybe he would have
11:41 gotten us a bush hog, I don't know.
11:43 But I'm saying this, that three acres to me was a
11:46 ministry that looked like it was overwhelming, it was impossible,
11:49 I couldn't possibly do it.
11:51 But my dad supplied exactly what I needed.
11:53 If God is calling you today, if you've joined the church,
11:57 and you're piece of the puzzle is calling you into a ministry,
12:00 He will supply exactly what you need.
12:04 Praise God. Let's go a bit further here.
12:06 Now, let's put this together again.
12:08 Each of us has a work to do.
12:12 As we continue to build on the foundation,
12:15 we all have a work to do.
12:18 We all have a piece of the puzzle which
12:21 fits into this foundation.
12:23 And I wrote this here, I didn't want to
12:24 forget this, folks, friends.
12:26 Through Jesus we are able to work together.
12:31 Every member is a working member so that the church,
12:35 the finished product of the puzzle, may continue to grow
12:39 in Christ who is the cornerstone.
12:41 We are apostles.
12:46 When we accepted Christ and we joined the church of God
12:52 and became a piece of the puzzle,
12:54 we became apostles.
12:57 Just like the apostles in the New Testament.
13:00 Listen, what is an apostle?
13:02 We became an apostle, which is an advocate,
13:08 a supporter, a promoter, a backer, a friend,
13:14 a booster, a person who initiates a great reform.
13:21 "Well, Donnie, what's a reform?"
13:23 Well, improvement or correction of what is
13:27 corrupt and defective.
13:30 That is why God raised 3ABN.
13:34 Three Angels Broadcasting.
13:36 He raised this television station to reach the world
13:40 with the undiluted message.
13:43 Not only that Jesus Christ is Lord,
13:45 but that His Ten Commandment law is still alive.
13:50 And that fourth commandment is still in effect.
13:53 He needed someone to push this message across the world
13:57 before His return.
13:59 And He decided to raise 3ABN.
14:04 Danny Shelton is an apostle that God chose.
14:08 And through Danny, through the power of the Holy Spirit
14:11 instilled in Danny, God is raising this ministry
14:15 to reach the world with truth.
14:17 Praise God.
14:18 Now in this reform, it means to make things better,
14:24 to improve by removing the false.
14:29 Through this ministry, God's message of truth is correct.
14:35 It has rectified, it has reclaimed the truth,
14:39 it has redeemed the truth.
14:40 And through God, the truth is cleansed and restored
14:44 in the church.
14:46 And then the church takes the message of truth
14:48 that Jesus Christ is Lord,
14:50 that the Ten Commandment law is still in effect.
14:53 And the church will grow.
14:56 It will grow, but it needs workers.
14:58 It needs laborers like you and I today.
15:01 Don't you want to become a part of God's church,
15:05 a piece of the puzzle?
15:07 Let's go a bit further here.
15:08 Now today let's read this.
15:11 "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Rise early in the morning
15:15 and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him,
15:19 "Let My people go, that they may serve Me."'"
15:25 So Moses was an apostle.
15:27 He was part of the puzzle.
15:30 Through Moses, God's people were delivered
15:34 out of Egypt.
15:35 They were delivered out from underneath the thumb of Pharaoh.
15:39 So he was a part of the puzzle.
15:40 Daniel was a part of the puzzle.
15:43 Every apostle and disciple that we read through the whole
15:48 Old Testament and New Testament were disciples of Jesus Christ.
15:53 Let's go a little bit further here.
15:54 Here's what I wrote down.
15:56 I wanted to share this with you today.
15:57 Fourteen years ago the Lord called Brenda and I
16:01 into this ministry, Touching Hearts.
16:03 God Himself gives us the message.
16:07 He gives us His grace.
16:09 He gives us His mercy.
16:11 And then He fills us with the Spirit to deliver the messages
16:14 that He wants His people to hear.
16:17 Now you're saying today, "Well, how much money
16:20 do I need to become a disciple?
16:23 How much fame do I need?
16:25 Do I need a high IQ to become a disciple?"
16:28 "Listen, what mountain are we to climb,"
16:31 we might say in our hearts, minds, and souls.
16:33 "How much wealth must I possess?
16:36 What level of intelligence must I have
16:39 to become qualified to become an ambassador of Christ?"
16:44 "What level of spirituality must I obtain before I can hear
16:49 the voice of God?"
16:51 Let's put it this way.
16:53 Here's what I wrote down today, listen.
16:55 Now let's think about that one.
16:57 How spiritual was Saul, later known as Paul,
17:01 as he was on the road to Damascus with the mission of
17:05 dragging Christians in chains to the so-called
17:08 spiritual leaders of the day?
17:09 Was he spiritual? No.
17:12 But did God call Him? Yes.
17:15 God had a job, He had a ministry for Paul.
17:19 And He called Paul.
17:21 And God's mercy and God's grace shined upon Paul.
17:25 And then as I always say, then He filled Paul
17:28 with the power of the Holy Spirit.
17:31 And here's what Acts 9:1-2 says.
17:35 Read this with me now.
17:37 Acts 9:1-2
17:39 Here's what the Bible says.
17:41 "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter
17:46 against the disciples of the Lord,
17:48 went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters
17:52 to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any
17:56 on his way, whether they were men or women,
17:59 that he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem."
18:02 But here's what happened on Saul's journey.
18:06 And as Saul journeyed, a light shined about him
18:09 and he heard a voice say,
18:11 "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting Me?"
18:17 Christ was saying, "When you injure My people,
18:19 you're assaulting Me as well."
18:22 Did Jesus speak to Saul? Yes.
18:25 And the first thing he said was, "Who are You?"
18:28 And He said, "I'm Jesus."
18:29 And then Saul said, "Lord, what would You have me to do?"
18:33 Praise God. And you know what?
18:34 Maybe that's the first question
18:37 we need to ask Jesus when we join the church.
18:40 "What would You have me do?"
18:42 Alright, let's go a little bit further here now.
18:44 So we find that it is not just the children of the King
18:47 that can hear God's voice.
18:49 God's voice penetrates into the inner soul
18:53 of the lost and the redeemed.
18:56 What are the redeemed?
18:58 The freed, the rescued, the recovered property
19:02 by someone paying the price, the debt that we owed.
19:06 And that was Jesus Christ.
19:07 And here's what I wrote down here as well.
19:09 Saul, Saul, listened to the Word of God.
19:14 He obeyed God.
19:16 He became an apostle.
19:18 And therefore, He was blessed by God's grace.
19:21 He began a ministry.
19:23 Listen, Satan stole the lost.
19:26 Jesus recovered His property and paid with His own blood
19:31 and with His own life to save the lost.
19:34 Let's go a little bit further here now.
19:36 "How many years, Donnie, of college, how many degrees
19:42 do I need to get the attention of God,
19:45 that I might become an apostle?
19:48 Must I be an elder to become an apostle?
19:50 A deacon? A deaconess?
19:52 Or should I give more than ten percent of what I make
19:56 to become an apostle?"
19:58 Now before we go any further,
20:00 let me make this perfectly clear.
20:02 One cannot earn or work or buy the privilege of being called.
20:08 For we are called by God's loving grace
20:11 to preach, to teach, and most of all to live
20:16 the life of Jesus Christ.
20:18 Here's what it says in Romans 1:1-6.
20:23 Open the Bible.
20:24 Write these Scriptures down.
20:26 Listen very carefully.
20:28 Romans 1:1-6
20:31 "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,
20:37 separated unto the gospel of God...
20:41 ...among whom ye are also called of Jesus Christ."
20:46 Who's ye? You.
20:48 Me. I'm called to be an apostle.
20:52 A worker in the church.
20:53 I'm a piece of the puzzle.
20:55 Listen, "...among whom are ye also called of Jesus Christ.
21:00 To all that be in Rome..."
21:02 Or all that be in the world.
21:04 "...beloved of God, you are called to be saints."
21:10 Called to be saints; workers in the church.
21:14 A piece of the puzzle.
21:16 Those that are grace given and faith driven,
21:21 grace given and faith driven,
21:25 you are asked by the Lord, not only to become
21:27 a part of the church, but saying, "You know what?
21:29 I've got a work for you to do.
21:31 Will you to that? Will you do that for Me?"
21:33 Let's go a little bit further here.
21:34 Now, we're going to talk about something.
21:36 We're going to talk about the gold rush of 1849.
21:39 And you're going to say, "What in the world
21:41 does the gold rush of 1849 got to do with Scriptures?"
21:45 Well let's talk about it just a little bit.
21:47 Let me read you a little bit of history here.
21:49 And the gold rush of 1849 changed the history of America.
21:54 Two men living in California, they were building a sawmill
21:59 and they discovered flakes of gold in the water
22:03 that they used to run their sawmill.
22:06 Every day after that, the men sifted through the water
22:10 and took the gold, and put the precious golden flakes in bags.
22:15 And you know what they did with them?
22:16 You know what they did with them?
22:18 They hid them.
22:20 They hid this gold.
22:22 They did the best they could to keep their wealth a secret,
22:27 but somehow some way the secret got out.
22:33 And at that time in California,
22:35 the population was, oh, a thousand or so.
22:38 But in one year, at the discovery of this precious
22:42 treasure, there were over 100,000 people in California
22:49 digging for gold.
22:51 The secret got out.
22:54 "So what are you talking about, the secret got out?
22:56 Where are you going with this, brother Donnie?"
22:58 Well let me read you this.
22:59 The Adventist message, which I love,
23:05 the Adventist message up until 1984, I feel,
23:11 was the best kept secret to mankind.
23:16 "How do you know?"
23:17 Well we only had four million members there in 1984.
23:21 Right around that four million mark.
23:23 But praise God, in 2014 it has increased, this message,
23:29 we now have eighteen million.
23:33 The secret got out.
23:35 Praise the Lord, the truth got out.
23:37 And I believe this with all my heart,
23:39 I believe that 3ABN, their ministry,
23:44 their grace given and their faith driven ministry,
23:47 has been an enormous part of getting the undiluted truth
23:52 out to the world.
23:54 That God has blessed this ministry.
23:58 And it is taking the truth of the gospel of God to the world.
24:04 We now have over eighteen million members
24:09 in this Adventist movement.
24:12 Praise God.
24:13 Let's go back to this 1849 gold rush.
24:15 Now listen.
24:17 These men that rushed out to California
24:21 to get all this gold, they were called rushers.
24:26 They were men from all over America and other countries.
24:29 And they sold all that they had.
24:32 They mortgaged their homes, they left their families,
24:35 to seek fame and wealth.
24:39 Now after arriving in California,
24:42 each man staked out his own claim of land,
24:46 and he filed a certificate claim which stamped ownership.
24:51 And that land became his.
24:53 And if there was gold on that land, it was his.
24:58 And you know what this reminds me of?
25:01 Go to your Bibles again to Matthew 13:44.
25:05 This gold rush... Wow!
25:07 Matthew 13:44
25:10 "The kingdom of God," the kingdom of heaven,
25:13 the kingdom of my Lord, "is like unto a treasure
25:17 hid in a field; the which when a man hath found this treasure
25:22 he hideth it, and for the joy thereof he goeth and selleth
25:28 all that he hath, that he might buy that field."
25:32 Listen to this.
25:33 Heaven is offered unto every man and woman.
25:37 Everyone, the Bible says, has the opportunity
25:42 to either accept our Lord's offer or refuse it.
25:47 Our inheritance; heaven, eternal life,
25:52 was bought with a price.
25:55 A price much more expensive than the billions of dollars
25:59 exhumed in ounces of gold in California in the late 1800s.
26:03 Our piece of real estate that is stamped and sealed is heaven.
26:10 I didn't buy it.
26:12 The life of Jesus bought it for me.
26:15 Now that being said, we too, as the rushers,
26:21 must sell all that we have; our time, our interests,
26:27 our worldly desires, and give them to Jesus.
26:31 At that moment, our offering, we become apostles,
26:36 as was spoken in Romans the first chapter.
26:41 Are you with me so far?
26:42 Let's go a bit further here.
26:44 Oh my, most of us want heaven.
26:47 But we're not willing to give up the worldly desires
26:51 and wants and pleasures.
26:53 We have to sell it, get rid of it,
26:55 give it away, throw it away.
26:58 Let's go a bit further.
26:59 Oh, most of us want heaven.
27:01 We want to be apostles.
27:03 But we do not want to submit and commit to the Lord.
27:08 Because to be an apostle, it takes effort on our part.
27:15 And it maybe, it might just cost us a little more
27:18 than what we want to pay.
27:20 Are you with me?
27:21 Again, remember, the land of the rushers was theirs
27:25 because they claimed the land with a certificate of ownership.
27:29 It was stamped and it was sealed,
27:32 and it was shown that they were the land owners.
27:36 They were sealed.
27:37 They had a certificate.
27:38 "Donnie, where are you going with this?"
27:40 Listen very carefully.
27:42 Get your Bibles back out.
27:43 If you've closed them, open them back up.
27:46 In Ephesians, that parcel of land,
27:49 that is part of my inheritance in heaven
27:54 which was purchased with and by the blood of Jesus.
27:59 It has been sealed, it has been stamped.
28:03 I have ownership of this piece of property
28:06 in heaven through Jesus Christ's blood.
28:09 I've been adopted through Jesus Christ.
28:12 I'm a part of the family.
28:14 I'm a child of the King.
28:16 Now, let's go on with it.
28:18 Listen very carefully.
28:20 Ephesians 1:13-14
28:25 I'm going to wait.
28:26 I want you to read this with me.
28:28 Get ready.
28:30 "...ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise..."
28:35 Did you hear what I just said?
28:36 "...ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
28:40 which is," listen, the Holy Spirit, "which is the earnest
28:46 of our inheritance until the redemption
28:49 of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory."
28:53 Ephesians 1:13-14
28:57 Read it one more time just in case it flew by.
29:01 "...ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
29:03 which is the earnest," the down payment,
29:06 "of our inheritance until the redemption
29:09 of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory."
29:14 Now, let's break that Scripture down together.
29:20 Once we accept apostleship, we are sealed, praise God,
29:29 with the Holy Spirit, which is the earnest,
29:34 the down payment, of our inheritance.
29:38 Let's read, "earnest," here.
29:40 It's the down payment laid down that will hold the property,
29:45 the inheritance.
29:47 God's assurance to us of this promised future
29:52 of eternal life and the things of heaven
29:55 by sealing us, stamping us, with the transforming power
30:01 of the Holy Spirit.
30:03 I can tell you because of experiences in my life.
30:07 Once the power of the Spirit comes into your life,
30:12 transformation begins to take place.
30:17 That old character, that old Donnie Shelton,
30:20 with all of his faults and his shortcomings,
30:22 they start to die out.
30:24 They go down into the grave and a brand new Donnie is raised up,
30:28 through the power of the Holy Spirit.
30:33 Once the Holy Spirit takes control of our life,
30:38 things begin to happen.
30:40 The places we use to go to, we don't go there anymore.
30:43 That bad language we had, it's gone.
30:46 Those evil thoughts begin to dissipate and leave.
30:50 We think good thoughts.
30:51 And for maybe once in our lives, finally we put somebody
30:55 in front of us and before us.
31:00 We love people.
31:01 Why? Because the power of the Holy Spirit
31:04 and the power of trans...
31:08 I going to lose it here yet.
31:10 I tell you...
31:12 Our church has gotten use to this.
31:14 I'll be right in the middle of a sermon and start to cry.
31:17 I feel so unworthy to be a part of God's church,
31:21 a piece of the puzzle, to be able to bring the gospel to you.
31:27 But I'm like you, I had to let that old life pass,
31:30 and all those guilts and all that low self-esteem.
31:33 I have to let it go.
31:35 And as I said a few sermons ago, you can't unscramble eggs.
31:38 And when God takes your sins and casts them
31:42 into the depths of the sea, don't become Christian
31:45 sea divers and swim down and dig them back up.
31:49 God has cast them away from you.
31:52 So sometimes it's just an overwhelming thing
31:55 that God has allowed me to preach His love and His grace
31:59 and mercy to you.
32:01 And sometimes I just lose it.
32:03 And I can't apologize.
32:04 Like I said a couple of sermons ago...
32:07 I love Mollie Steenson, Pastor Hal's wife.
32:10 What an incredible person that loves Jesus Christ.
32:13 And I apologized once in the middle of a sermon.
32:15 I said, "I'm sorry."
32:17 And after the sermon she said, "Don't you ever, ever, ever
32:21 apologize for loving Jesus Christ.
32:24 If you want to cry, you go ahead and cry."
32:27 So praise God. Let's go a bit further here.
32:30 Wow, listen to this.
32:32 There is a picture puzzle that must be completed
32:37 before God comes to claim His own.
32:39 We have to finish this picture.
32:41 As these puzzles fits together, there's a picture.
32:44 What is it? God's church.
32:47 God's bride.
32:49 So there is a picture that must be completed
32:51 before God comes to claim His own.
32:54 Each one of us...
32:55 We're going to go over this over and over and over
32:59 and over again.
33:00 Each one of us, as apostles, we have a work to do.
33:08 Either by preaching, teaching.
33:11 But the most significant is living the life of Christ.
33:17 Each one of us, let's say it one more time,
33:20 represents a piece of the puzzle.
33:22 And when all join hands in unity...
33:26 Hear what I said?
33:28 ...and in our efforts to take the undiluted message
33:31 of our Lord and Savior to the world,
33:33 that's, listen, when the picture puzzle will be complete.
33:38 And the picture that is shown is God's bride.
33:43 The bride of Jesus Christ.
33:45 His church in whom He loves.
33:48 So let me say this to you today.
33:51 Once you've joined God's church, or you're born again,
33:55 washed in the blood, you become a part of the church,
33:58 you're a piece of the puzzle.
33:59 Now you may say, "Donnie, the only thing that bothers me,
34:03 I'm really worried, would I be able to continue my walk
34:08 through Christ and in Christ when times get tough?
34:12 Will I be able to do that?"
34:14 Let me calm your nerves.
34:18 Once you accept Christ, He will deliver you
34:21 through His power, that no matter the storm,
34:25 you will be victorious through Jesus Christ.
34:28 Here's what Martin Luther King, Jr. said.
34:30 Now Martin Luther King, Jr., I loved him.
34:33 Now he was assassinated, you know, in 1968.
34:37 But what a man of God.
34:39 He had quotes here and there, and I loved every one of them.
34:42 Let me read one of His quotes to you today.
34:45 Martin Luther King, Jr., a man of God,
34:50 "If you cannot fly, then run.
34:57 If you cannot run, then walk.
35:01 If you cannot walk, then crawl.
35:06 But whatever you do, keep moving forward."
35:13 Even if it's a slow pace, keep moving forward
35:17 for Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
35:22 I did a sermon, oh, a few months ago.
35:24 It was called, Paddling Upstream.
35:28 Once we get in the boat...
35:31 ...and we start paddling for Jesus Christ,
35:34 the boat is the church, we start paddling for Christ,
35:40 we're usually going upstream.
35:43 We're going against the current of what the world teaches,
35:48 and we're paddling upstream.
35:51 We have to continue to fly, to run, to walk, to crawl,
35:59 to keep that paddle going right on upstream,
36:03 fighting these evil currents.
36:06 Now, as we're going upstream,
36:09 we find that there's no stopping point.
36:13 You don't stop to rest as you paddle upstream.
36:17 "Well Donnie, why not?"
36:18 If you ever stop paddling, you start going back downstream.
36:24 And you may end up at the starting point.
36:26 I don't want to go back there.
36:28 I don't want to go back to that old life. Do you?
36:30 So once I grab that paddle, God's Word, His truth,
36:35 and I paddle forward and I move forward,
36:38 and no matter how tough the current becomes,
36:42 I will continue to paddle forward because there is
36:46 no stopping point for Jesus, there's no resting point.
36:51 You'll have plenty of time to rest when you get to heaven.
36:56 Praise God.
36:57 I tell you, it's all I can do to control myself.
37:00 I'm liable to shout. If I do, I guess I just will.
37:04 You know, we get so excited over basketball games,
37:07 and baseball games, and basketball games,
37:09 and sometimes we find ourselves shouting.
37:11 But it seems like if we get excited for Jesus Christ,
37:14 well we might be a little weird or something.
37:16 But it's okay.
37:17 You can be excited for Jesus.
37:19 You can raise your hand and say, "Oh thank You, Jesus."
37:21 You can say, "Amen." You can say, "Praise God."
37:23 I want you to be happy in serving Jesus Christ.
37:28 Now, Acts 7:54, 58-60.
37:36 Here's what the Bible says.
37:39 "And when they heard these things,"
37:41 oh my, "they were cut to the heart,
37:45 and they gnashed on him with their teeth."
37:48 Verse 58 says, "And they cast him out of the city,
37:52 and they stoned him."
37:55 We're talking about Stephen here.
37:57 "And they stoned Stephen, who was calling upon God,
38:01 and saying, 'Lord, receive my spirit.'
38:05 And he knelt down, and he cried with a loud voice,
38:08 'Lord, oh forgiving Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.'
38:15 And when he had said this,"
38:17 the Bible says that, "he fell asleep."
38:21 As we see this incredible showing of faith in God,
38:27 it encourages me as I read the Scriptures.
38:31 Listen, what encourages me about this illustration
38:35 in God's Word is the dedication to the cause of Christ
38:40 even unto death.
38:42 Stephen, even in the face of evil, going upstream,
38:47 against the world, as it were, he stood his ground
38:50 and he did not waver.
38:52 Praise God. Faith unwavering.
38:55 He stood his ground.
38:57 He never wavered.
38:58 Even under extreme pressure from the whole Jewish nation,
39:02 Stephen, while on his knees, being stoned to death,
39:05 He drew a line in the sand using his own blood.
39:12 "What do you mean by that, he drew a line in the sand?"
39:16 He was saying this, "World, I'm going to draw a line right here.
39:22 Now world, you stay on that side of the line.
39:26 Don't come over into my world that I share with Jesus.
39:30 World, you stay over there.
39:33 I will stay over here on this side of the line
39:36 living and walking with Jesus Christ."
39:40 Faith unwavering.
39:42 We need to do that in the world today.
39:45 Let's draw a line and say, "I'm not going to cross
39:48 this line and go out into the world ever again.
39:51 I'm staying on this side of the line where the redeemed live
39:54 over here, through the power and the blood of Jesus Christ.
39:58 I will not cross that line and go back into the world.
40:02 You have to make that determination in your mind
40:05 and say, "Under no circumstances will I buckle, because Christ
40:10 will hold me up."
40:12 Praise the Lord. Let's go a bit further here.
40:13 Now, let us not forget who was watching this event.
40:20 His name at that time was Saul.
40:23 Later known as Paul.
40:24 He witnessed this outrageous vicious murder of Stephen.
40:30 And I went through my mind, this is what went through my mind;
40:33 surely and without question this picture of the execution
40:38 of Stephen must have crossed Paul's mind,
40:42 I mean, it may have, as he was cast out of cities,
40:45 as he was thrown into prisons, as he was cursed and spat upon.
40:49 Thrown out of city after city after city.
40:52 All because he was preaching the resurrected Christ.
40:58 Will we ever be executed like that?
41:01 Well let's talk about that a little bit.
41:03 Remember, you drew this line.
41:06 That no matter what, under extreme pressure,
41:09 I will not buckle.
41:10 I will stay on this side of the line
41:11 in my world where Jesus lives.
41:13 I will not go back into the world.
41:16 Now, Matthew 10:17.
41:18 "But beware of men, for they will and they shall,
41:24 deliver you to the councils, and they will scourge you,"
41:28 they will whip you, they will beat you, "in their synagogues."
41:32 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
41:36 But he that endureth to the end shall be saved."
41:43 That is a promise from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
41:49 If you'll remain faithful under extreme duress and pressure,
41:57 and stay faithful on living on this side of the line
42:01 and not going back into the world, God promises,
42:05 Jesus Christ promises, the Holy Spirit promises,
42:08 "If you will remain faithful, that you will be saved
42:13 when I come to receive My church unto Myself."
42:19 Now, let's go a bit further here.
42:22 I'm going to bring my cousin, Danny Shelton,
42:25 into this a little bit.
42:26 You know, we grew up together, played hide-n-seek together,
42:31 we played baseball together, we played and had a great time.
42:37 Now that we've gotten older, we may not play together anymore,
42:40 but we certainly pray with one another.
42:42 Praise God for that.
42:44 Let's go a bit further here.
42:45 An allegory to the experience of Stephen
42:48 is when I was in grade school and I was involved
42:52 in an altercation with another boy,
42:54 one of us would take our finger and bend down in that sand
42:59 and draw a line, therefore separating us
43:03 in our thoughts, in our ideas.
43:07 The line was a distinguishing symbol
43:10 of our stance on the issue.
43:12 The ground I stood on was mine.
43:16 The line, again, was a distinguishing line
43:19 between my thoughts and the other boys thoughts,
43:22 his motives, goals, and determination.
43:25 "Now Donnie, where did you get this story from?"
43:27 I got it from my cousin Danny.
43:29 Oh, it must have been eight, nine, ten years ago
43:31 when he was speaking right here in the worship center,
43:34 he bought up this illustration of drawing that line.
43:36 And I've never, ever forgotten that.
43:39 Thank you, Danny.
43:40 Now, note here, by drawing the line in the dirt,
43:44 not only did I let the other boy see where I stood...
43:48 Now remember, this is Danny talking.
43:52 Listen.
43:53 ...but all those around me, they knew where I stood.
43:58 When confrontation appears, confrontation draws crowds.
44:02 The world today needs to know where you stand
44:08 in your relationship with Jesus.
44:12 If you profess to be a Christian,
44:15 they will be watching you.
44:18 Believe me, they watch you.
44:19 They want to know if there's a change.
44:22 They want to know if you waver in your faith with Jesus Christ.
44:26 So once we say, "I've accepted Christ,"
44:28 we need to live the life of Christ,
44:30 through the power of the Holy Spirit.
44:34 Now here's what Joshua did.
44:36 Joshua 24:14-15
44:39 "Now therefore serve the LORD..."
44:44 Stay on this side of the line.
44:47 That's what Joshua is saying.
44:48 And he says, "...serve Him in sincerity and in truth.
44:54 And put away the gods which your fathers served
44:57 on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt;
44:59 serve God."
45:01 And here's where what Joshua did, just like Danny,
45:05 here's where he drew the line.
45:07 And let's read together what the Bible says.
45:10 Listen carefully.
45:11 Joshua said, "...but as for me and my house,
45:16 we're going to serve God.
45:18 Whatever the world is doing out there,
45:21 I guess that's their business.
45:23 But in my home, in my family, in my life,
45:28 on this side of the line, we're going to serve God."
45:32 Now Joshua stood not only before the people,
45:36 but was in the midst of them as well.
45:40 Joshua drew a line.
45:44 He drew a public line and he let everybody know;
45:48 the elders, the priests, and all the families that were
45:51 represented, that he would not tolerate worldliness
45:56 on his side of the line.
46:01 Are you with me so far?
46:03 If he was on the north side of the line,
46:06 he wasn't going south.
46:07 He was staying on the north side of the line.
46:11 Now even as we stand in the midst of the church today,
46:15 even in the church if we're not careful,
46:17 the old devil tries to bring in confrontations.
46:20 And sometimes things become a little bit uncomfortable.
46:24 The church needs to band together in unity
46:28 and all to come together as one, and bow down and say,
46:33 "Oh God, if there's any type of spirit that doesn't belong
46:38 in this church, as we continue to build the church,
46:41 then, God, cast it out."
46:43 We all need to be of one spirit.
46:46 What's that? The Spirit of God.
46:48 The spirit of righteousness in our churches today.
46:51 We need to band and stay strong,
46:54 and move forward through Jesus Christ.
46:57 Now, we don't want to be liberal, not conservative;
47:01 you're too tolerant, you're too comfortable,
47:04 you're narrow in your opinion,
47:06 very generous in the scope of things.
47:09 Listen, folks, we need to be a conservative group of folks
47:13 that trust in God, and that every decision that we make,
47:18 every move that we make, we fall on our knees
47:23 to the heavenly Father, and say, "Oh God,
47:26 we need Your help in this matter."
47:28 Even in the smallest of matters.
47:31 We need God's help in every decision that we make today.
47:35 Praise God for that.
47:37 Now, right is right, and wrong is wrong.
47:44 Let's not try to make wrong right and right wrong.
47:47 Right is right, and wrong is wrong.
47:51 Listen, we must not be swayed with just any wind of doctrine.
47:58 Whether a person is wealthy, or they're prominent,
48:01 they're a businessman, their dad was a pastor,
48:05 we need to be stable and solidified in God's Word.
48:12 What does God's Word say about this matter or that matter?
48:18 And once we read what the Bible says, and the Bible is
48:21 always right, we need to adhere to that.
48:25 Don't try to rationalize.
48:27 Take something that's wrong and make it right,
48:29 or take something right to make it wrong.
48:32 You do and adhere to what the Bible says.
48:38 My faith rests in the one who wrote the Bible,
48:42 through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
48:44 Now, there are many people that may be hearing this
48:50 message today, you don't know Jesus.
48:54 And you're this close in making that decision.
48:59 Well, my friend, again let's go back to the Bible.
49:02 The Bible says right now, the thought has crossed your mind,
49:09 "I want to fall before Jesus Christ and I want to
49:12 become a member of His church, a piece of the puzzle,"
49:15 today is the day of salvation.
49:18 If the Holy Spirit is calling you, even now as we speak
49:22 you fall to your knees and say, "Oh God, cleanse me from
49:24 all unrighteousness.
49:26 Wrap me in Your righteousness.
49:27 Lord, wash me in Your own blood,
49:29 the blood that spilled from Calvary.
49:31 And God, fill me with Your Holy Spirit."
49:33 And God, again as we've said over and over,
49:35 is no respecter of persons.
49:37 He loves everyone and He wants you in the kingdom, folks.
49:40 Let's go a bit further here.
49:41 Now listen very, very carefully.
49:43 Matthew 9:37-38, read this with me in your Bibles.
49:47 Matthew 9:37-38
49:49 "Then saith he unto his disciples..."
49:51 His apostles, the chosen, the called.
49:54 Here's what Jesus said.
49:56 "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few."
50:03 Oh Jesus said, "Oh My friends, pray ye for the
50:06 Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers
50:10 into the harvest."
50:13 Now let's break that down a little bit.
50:14 Jesus traveled in His life here from one city to the next
50:20 preaching and teaching, healing the sick,
50:22 He cast out demons, and saved hundreds and thousands
50:25 of lost souls.
50:28 One day, Jesus was either standing on a hill...
50:33 This just came to my mind.
50:35 He was maybe on a dusty road, He may have been sitting
50:39 by a slow moving stream, in any case,
50:42 He looked at His disciples and He scanned the hundreds
50:46 of tired and weary souls who seemingly were constantly
50:50 around Him in hopes of maybe getting some food,
50:53 maybe some healing.
50:55 "There is so much to be done," He said.
50:59 "So many need to hear the gospel.
51:01 So many need touched by the Holy Spirit.
51:04 Yet," He said, "there are so few who are willing
51:08 to go out into this vast harvest of people
51:12 and reap the souls for My Father."
51:16 You hear what He's saying?
51:17 "If you are apostles, if you've been redeemed,
51:23 if you're living on this side of the line,
51:25 get out there and win souls for My Father."
51:30 We will be equipped by the Spirit.
51:34 He will guide us, He will direct us.
51:37 But first, we must spend time in God's Word.
51:42 As we read these words, these Bible truths,
51:46 our faith is encouraged, it's fortified, it's solidified.
51:51 And then God says, "Get up off those pews and go out there.
51:57 The harvest is plenty.
51:58 I want you to reap as many souls as you can.
52:02 Bring them into the kingdom
52:03 before I come and get this church."
52:07 Praise God. Let's go a bit further.
52:09 Now, once we have accepted our work...
52:14 Let me say that a little more slower.
52:17 Once we have accepted apostleship, our work
52:22 has just begun.
52:24 We that have been saved by God's amazing grace
52:27 can be lost if we don't that this grace to the world.
52:31 You can't hide it under a bushel basket.
52:35 Once you've received the light, don't try to cover it up.
52:38 I can tell you this.
52:39 When I found Jesus, I wanted to share it with everybody
52:43 that I ran unto.
52:46 I wanted to share it with enthusiasm and power.
52:50 Because I felt so unworthy.
52:53 I lived in the world of sin.
52:55 And God forgave much.
52:59 A whole bunch of sins.
53:02 I'll say much, it was a whole bunch.
53:04 And He washed me clean.
53:06 I feel so joyful that Jesus chose me.
53:10 He went out into the world and found me.
53:14 I am a piece of the puzzle now, through His grace.
53:18 Nothing that I did. I didn't work for it.
53:20 It's a gift.
53:22 I'm a piece of the puzzle.
53:23 I'm an apostle.
53:24 And now I'm a laborer.
53:26 I want to tell everybody about Jesus Christ.
53:31 And the Bible says this, once you accept Christ...
53:34 Now listen, "For if they..."
53:38 This is in 2 Peter 2:20-22.
53:42 "For if they have escaped the pollutions of this world
53:45 through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus,
53:48 if they are again entangled," if they backslide,
53:52 if they've overcome, "the latter end is worse
53:55 than the beginning."
53:56 Once you accept Christ, we talked about it a while ago,
54:00 continue moving forward.
54:03 Fight those difficulties with the paddle of God's Word.
54:07 Don't stop as you go upstream.
54:09 You'll start sliding backwards and going backwards.
54:12 And you'll end up in a worse state than you were
54:16 before you accepted Jesus Christ.
54:18 That's what the Bible is saying.
54:20 Listen, is there a cost?
54:25 Is there a cost in accepting God's invitation?
54:30 Just lay your burdens upon His shoulders and give Him a chance.
54:35 What do you say?
54:37 Take all of your burdens, all of your doubts,
54:41 all of your fears, and put them on God's shoulders.
54:45 He's got some broad shoulders.
54:47 He's holding the whole universe up on those shoulders.
54:51 You can trust Him.
54:53 He loves you.
54:54 He loves you with an everlasting love.
54:56 And I always use Jeremiah 31:3.
54:59 That no matter who you are, where you came from,
55:02 or where you're going, Jesus Christ loves you
55:05 with an intense love.
55:07 Now let's go a bit further.
55:10 I always like to end with an alter call.
55:16 You've just heard the Word of God.
55:20 You have maybe for the first time in your life have found out
55:24 that there is a God, the only God, that created this universe.
55:30 The moon, the stars, the trees, the flowers, the birds,
55:34 the bees, the grass, the fields.
55:37 God created all things.
55:39 And this magnificent God, who is much higher than we are,
55:45 that this God looks down upon you today,
55:49 and He loves you.
55:51 "How do you know that He loves me?"
55:53 Because you are listening to this message.
55:56 And it is the day of salvation.
55:59 God is giving you a chance right now, my brother and sister,
56:03 to accept Him, to join the church,
56:07 to be redeemed, to be washed in His blood,
56:09 to become a part of the family, to be part of the bride
56:14 who Jesus Christ is coming after.
56:16 And very, very soon, by the way.
56:19 So God took the opportunity to give this message to you.
56:26 It's not just His opportunity, it's your opportunity today
56:31 that Jesus Christ, through His...
56:34 Listen.
56:36 Because the Father said, "I have a world down there, Jesus,
56:40 and they need You.
56:41 I'm taking My heart out," God said,
56:44 "and giving it to the world."
56:46 What was His heart?
56:47 Jesus Christ.
56:48 He gave Jesus to the world, that you might be saved
56:52 through Him, through His blood, through His sacrifice.
56:57 God is intensely in love with you.
56:59 He wants you to have eternal life.
57:01 And Jesus wants to walk with you on the
57:03 streets of gold in heaven.
57:04 So my friend, right now fall on your knees.
57:10 Be yourself.
57:11 God can see through you anyway.
57:13 Take off that mask.
57:14 And say, "Oh God, I'm giving my life to You.
57:18 And through faith I'm praying, through Your blood,
57:21 that You are accepting me today.
57:23 And that when You come, I will be in the kingdom."


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Revised 2017-01-04