Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW200029S
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my word 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello and welcome to another 3ABN Today Family Worship 01:13 and happy Sabbath. 01:15 I'm so excited that you could join us 01:17 for these wonderful Sabbath hours 01:18 as we prepare to study the Word of God. 01:21 I want to introduce the panelists 01:24 that I have with me. 01:26 Before we go to the topic, we have John Dinzey. 01:29 Pastor John Dinzey, it's great to have you here. 01:32 Oh, it's a blessing to be here. 01:33 And it's a wonderful topic, important for these days. 01:36 And I really am looking forward to it. 01:38 I would say it's relevant. 01:40 Relevant. 01:42 We have Brother JD Quinn. 01:44 It's great to be here. 01:46 It's good to be here to speak on this particular topic 01:49 that Johnny just mentioned. 01:50 Yes. 01:51 Yes, sir. 01:53 And we have Dee Hilderbrand. 01:55 It's a joy to be here 01:56 with all these wonderful scholars. 01:58 We'll see how it goes. 02:00 And I am excited about the topic also. 02:02 Yes, yes. 02:03 So without further ado. 02:05 It applies to our lives. 02:06 That's right. 02:07 Relevant Christianity. 02:09 That's what we'll be discussing. 02:10 But before we jump into the Word of God, 02:13 Brother Dinzey, 02:14 if you would have a prayer for us. 02:16 Sure. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. 02:18 Our loving Heavenly Father, we want to thank You, Lord, 02:21 because You are wonderful. 02:24 We praise Your name 02:27 because of Your wonderful care for us. 02:29 We know that while we roam on this earth, 02:33 not everything will be great, 02:34 not everything will be wonderful. 02:35 There will be trials and problems and difficulties. 02:39 But we thank You that Jesus has told us be of good cheer, 02:42 I have overcome the world. 02:44 And so we pray that as we share together, 02:48 Your Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak, 02:51 and things that You will bring to our remembrance that, 02:55 You know, Your children need to hear. 02:57 We pray for Your blessing upon us 02:59 and upon all those that are joining us 03:01 wherever they may be. 03:03 We ask You Heavenly Father in Jesus' name. 03:05 Amen. 03:06 Amen. 03:07 Amen. 03:09 So I just want to go around the table here. 03:12 And when I introduced the topic, 03:14 relevant Christianity, 03:16 what came to mind, starting with you? 03:19 Well, in today's society, things are changing at, 03:24 you can say a fast pace. 03:26 And every new generation apparently 03:29 looks at the old generation, and thinking they're outdated, 03:32 they're no longer and things they say, 03:35 the way they do things. 03:37 Oh, we don't do things that way anymore. 03:39 But Christianity really is different in the sense 03:44 that it's supposed to be relevant all the time. 03:47 So I think the topic is well chosen 03:51 and the Lord has, 03:52 has been involved in the selection of it. 03:54 Because really, as Christians, 03:57 we need to be able to be relevant, 04:00 to be able to communicate with society at large. 04:04 Praise the Lord. 04:05 So that the message goes throughout the hands of time. 04:09 That's right. That's right. 04:10 I remember. 04:12 I remember a story that a pastor told once 04:13 where he was, 04:16 he was invited to participate in a television program 04:19 and he went out and he got his best tie. 04:22 And so, when they were getting ready for the program, 04:26 they kept looking at his tie, 04:28 and wondering if anyone should say anything about this. 04:31 And just before the program started, they said, 04:34 "Hey, Pastor, we want to give you 04:36 a tie for today's time." 04:38 You know, apparently the tie was really outdated 04:41 and it would have been an embarrassment to him, 04:43 so they helped them out. 04:45 So wonderful. 04:46 We need help, every one of us needs help. 04:48 Yes, yes. 04:49 Indeed. Amen. 04:50 Amen. And Brother JD? 04:52 Well, I was thinking about just the daily application 04:54 of who we are in Christ today. 04:58 Has this changed? 05:00 No. 05:01 Maybe some, maybe some colloquialisms 05:05 have changed over the year. 05:07 But the words of Christ have not changed. 05:11 And so our responsibility as a Christian, 05:15 or at least I try to do this myself 05:17 to be effective in my daily communication 05:21 with whomever comes my way. 05:24 Amen. 05:26 You know, to me, I immediately went to the fact 05:29 that if I'm not making a difference, 05:33 then I'm not really a follower, 05:35 I need to be making a difference 05:37 in somebody else's life. 05:39 That's how I'm a real Christian, 05:42 I'm making a difference. 05:44 And not only in your family's life 05:46 and your work life, 05:48 in all aspects of your life, 05:49 if you're not making a difference for Christ, 05:53 then you're invisible as a worker for Christ. 05:57 Amen. 06:01 How did you end up in the church? 06:03 Let's talk about that a little bit. 06:07 Dee, how'd you end up in the church? 06:08 Well, you know, 06:10 I was raised in a Christian home. 06:15 But it felt like it was in, it was in name only. 06:21 And so, I was presented with a vision of God to me 06:27 that I think as a child, 06:29 I realized I'm lost because, to me, 06:34 the picture of God was, I love you, 06:37 but I'm going to burn you forever. 06:38 So He became, to me, that's like a monster 06:43 I don't understand it. 06:44 So I drifted away from the church. 06:46 I didn't want to be a Christian, 06:48 because I looked at Christians, 06:52 because I hadn't been told, 06:53 hadn't been shown how to look to Jesus 06:55 instead of people. 06:57 And my husband had been raised as Adventist 07:01 but he left the church for other reasons. 07:03 It was quite legalistic back then. 07:06 But God got a hold of us, the Holy Spirit, 07:08 and we felt like we needed to go back to church. 07:11 And it was like, well, 07:13 what church are we going to go to, 07:14 and my husband says, 07:15 "Oh, we'll just visit different churches 07:17 and see which one we like." 07:18 Knowing full well that he was going 07:19 to be an Adventist. 07:21 But we went to different churches and visited. 07:23 And pretty soon we were visiting 07:25 this Adventist church that had Bible studies. 07:28 And we went to Bible studies, and all of a sudden, 07:30 I was like, oh, this is what the Bible says, 07:33 Jesus does love me, there is a hell, 07:36 but I it's not meant for me. 07:39 And He's not going to torture people for eternity. 07:42 And there is this loving God and He believes in freedom 07:46 and Christianity is real. 07:48 He became, He became real in my life. 07:52 So that's, God led me down this path. 07:56 And He kept me safe all that time, 07:58 because He knew at the end, He was going to get me back. 08:01 'Cause He's a loving God. 08:02 That's right. Yes, yes He is. 08:05 So when I was looking at the topic, 08:06 like relevant Christianity, and I was, 08:08 I was thinking about this topic and praying on it. 08:11 What came to my mind about this was relevant. 08:16 First off, when you say relevant, irrelevant, 08:20 it's kind of implied, right? 08:22 So relevant Christianity would be one 08:24 that is practical Christianity, 08:27 one that is not just the mere profession 08:30 of being a Christian. 08:32 So you know, you have maybe some people, 08:33 they say, you know, I'm a Christian, 08:36 but then they're at the bar, like, 08:37 every night or even one night or even, you know, 08:40 whatever the case may be, so it's, 08:43 they're Christian in name only. 08:45 Whereas, you know, relevant Christianity is, 08:48 and when I was thinking about this outline, 08:51 is being a Christian, living out your faith 08:56 and reflecting the character of Christ to others. 09:00 So, that's kind of along the lines 09:02 of where we're going. 09:04 So when, when I heard you saying that, you know, 09:06 when you were growing up, 09:07 you didn't have that that real experience. 09:11 In name only. 09:13 Yeah, yeah. 09:14 In name only. 09:15 What about for you, JD? 09:17 I was raised in a Christian home. 09:19 In fact, I was raised a Seventh-day Adventist. 09:22 My mother was a Methodist. 09:23 My father came from the Adventist background. 09:26 Whenever... 09:28 I don't think that they went to church 09:30 before I was born. 09:32 Whenever I was born, they decided we want to raise 09:34 our child as a Christian. 09:36 So I don't know if they flipped a coin, 09:38 or who won but anyway we started going 09:40 to Adventist Church as a youth. 09:42 And I was very fortunate, 09:44 I got to go through our schools, 09:45 I say our schools, 09:46 Seventh-day Adventist school system. 09:48 Regretfully I say I probably slept 09:50 through the whole thing. 09:52 And I love sports. 09:53 And so I was playing, mainly playing sports. 09:55 And as time went by one thing 10:02 that I noticed, 10:03 not one day went by in my life 10:06 that I wasn't praying to the Lord. 10:09 Always I understood some basics. 10:13 I don't know how important they were. 10:15 The good news is, is that he never gave up on me. 10:19 And then the way He manifested it, 10:22 I met my wife, Shelley, she let me know. 10:25 Hello, my name is Shelley. 10:27 And if you don't go to church, I'm not interested. 10:32 I made a minor decision then. 10:34 Okay, she's blond, blue eyed, I made a minor decision. 10:38 She looked pretty, I'll go to church with you. 10:41 Knowing that probably down deep in my heart 10:44 that's what I've always wanted to go to church 10:47 to get back into the court system. 10:50 She came out of a Sunday system. 10:52 Okay. Okay? 10:54 And there was one day 10:55 when we were making a major decision 10:58 of kind of a business decision, 11:01 she brought up 11:04 that she was no longer passionate about 11:07 what we were working on. 11:09 And this shows you how God never gives up on you. 11:13 If there's a little bitty tiny tear there, 11:16 He's going to slip in as the enemy can slip in. 11:19 Okay. 11:20 And I says, well, Shelley, 11:22 what are you gonna do about the Sabbath? 11:24 We never mentioned the Sabbath. 11:27 Well, that was done away with, 11:29 that was done away with years and years ago. 11:32 And I just said, umm, she ran upstairs to her office. 11:37 And now I want to exaggerate here, 11:38 but not much. 11:39 For seven days, she studied the Sabbath out. 11:43 She came down those stairs, and she says, wow, 11:47 I am wrong about the Sabbath. 11:52 That was probably one of the ah-aha moments 11:55 in my life because I didn't know. 12:00 I slept through it. 12:02 And that was our walk. 12:05 She joined the church, I joined a little bit later. 12:10 The good news is please, please, please hear this. 12:14 He never, never, never gave up on me. 12:18 And I was very fortunate that time was on my side. 12:24 It's important that you hear that because I didn't know 12:28 I was racing against time, but I could see the years 12:31 go by and my heart was missing something. 12:35 So thank You, Lord, that I had the time on my side, 12:38 I met the right person at the right time in my life 12:42 and other things opened up that this is by far 12:47 the happiest days in my life. 12:49 Because all the dots are dotted, 12:52 all the I's are dotted, all the T's are crossed. 12:55 Amen. 12:57 Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. 12:58 Pastor Dinzey? 13:01 Well, I was born into a Christian home. 13:07 However, when I was about one year old, 13:10 my mother and father separated. 13:13 And sometime afterwards, she stopped going to church. 13:18 But she would always take me to church, 13:22 she would go up to the door, 13:24 and said, I'll see you later, son. 13:26 So she took me every Saturday, every Sabbath to church. 13:31 And so it was, I was brought up in the church per se. 13:36 Of course, the time comes 13:38 when you begin to ask questions. 13:41 So I decided to, I said, you know, 13:43 why do we go to church on Saturday? 13:46 Why do we eat this way and not that? 13:49 Why do we eat this and not that? 13:50 Because the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes that. 13:53 For example, that we should not eat 13:55 what the Bible calls, it used the term unclean meats. 14:00 So why don't we eat pork, 14:01 and shrimp and these other animals, 14:05 and though. 14:06 And so, I had some questions. 14:09 For some reason, I thought, 14:11 I'm just going to get information on my own. 14:15 And if I have a question, then I'll ask the pastor, 14:17 I asked one of the elders, I asked somebody 14:19 that I have confidence in. 14:21 So I went to the local Seventh-day Adventist 14:23 bookstore, and I began to look for Bible studies. 14:26 Let's see which one should I get? 14:28 And I bought one or two different series 14:30 of Bible study guides. 14:33 And I just opened the guide and began 14:36 and went subject by subject 14:39 looking and studying. 14:43 And the Lord blessed. 14:45 My questions were answered as I went through 14:48 the study guides and reading the Bible. 14:50 My questions were answered, I understood. 14:53 But I have to say looking back there it seems to be for me 14:58 a conscious understanding that God does exist. 15:04 So when people said, God is here with us. 15:08 I'm over here like wondering, "Okay, now, where is He? 15:11 Where could He be if He's here? 15:13 Oh, maybe He's over there." 15:15 You know, because we can't see Him, 15:16 but maybe He's here somewhere. 15:19 But I, so I know He's here. 15:22 And so that's the way I looked at God that He was real, 15:26 that He would talk to you if you need to talk to Him, 15:28 and that He was there for you. 15:31 And it's been, many things have happened in my life 15:36 that I know, God is real. 15:38 Amen. Amen. 15:39 Amen. Amen. 15:40 I love the fact that you said that you asked questions. 15:43 You know, because I think that a lot of times 15:46 people go through life, and they're like, 15:48 well, I'm this faith, because my mom was this, 15:51 or I'm this because my grandma was this or, 15:54 you know, and people don't ask questions, 15:56 but tend to keep things out of tradition. 15:59 So that asking questions is crucial. 16:02 I know for me, in my life, I was, well, 16:05 when my mom was pregnant with me, 16:07 she got re-baptized by Pastor Murray actually. 16:10 And so she was coming back to the church. 16:14 And I remember growing up, and she would read devotions, 16:17 she would have devotions morning and night, 16:20 and she would read these devotionals to me, 16:22 and had me in church and all of these things. 16:26 And, but then I remember coming to the age of 14, 16:29 deciding that, you know, I just kind of wanted to go off 16:32 and do my own thing, because I felt like, 16:34 the word didn't apply to me, 16:36 or the message didn't apply to me. 16:38 And I couldn't have been, like further from the truth, 16:41 because it's applicable to everybody. 16:44 But I strayed and I strayed for about 14 years. 16:49 And I just remember, like, towards the end of that, 16:53 and I've shared my testimony in other places, 16:55 but I remember towards the end of that, 16:58 just realizing, you know, they say hindsight is 2020 17:02 just looking back at my life and seeing God's hand, 17:05 on my life, even through the horrible decisions 17:07 that I've made in my life, 17:09 I've seen how He's protected me, 17:11 in different situations, I've seen how He didn't allow 17:14 the enemy to take me out in my sins as he tried to, 17:19 and he would have loved to have done. 17:22 I've seen God's hand of protection 17:24 throughout my whole life. 17:26 And I also saw the fact that, you know, 17:29 God wants to use anybody who's willing to be used, 17:34 you know, I think about Paul, Paul, when he was Saul, 17:38 he was persecuting Christians and all kinds of stuff 17:41 like he was, he was going, 17:45 he was pretty, pretty bad on the, 17:47 you know, on the wrong side. 17:49 And he went on to do amazing things for God. 17:53 You know, and before we go further, 17:56 I want us to take a look at Ephesians 2:8-9 18:00 because we're gonna be talking about a lot of action items 18:03 if you will. 18:05 But we want people not to get confused. 18:07 This is not a save by works type of thing. 18:11 So we want to look at Ephesians 2:8, 9, 18:16 does anybody have that? 18:18 Okay, you want to read it for us? 18:20 "For by grace, 18:22 you have been saved through faith, 18:24 and not of yourselves. 18:26 It is a gift of God not of works, 18:29 lest anyone should boast." 18:32 And this gets quoted to me a lot by other family members 18:35 about I'm saved by grace. 18:37 Yes, you are. 18:39 But what does that mean? 18:41 If you're saved by grace, what does that mean? 18:43 Does that mean you just sit in the pew? 18:46 No. 18:47 So to me, 18:49 it is a gift of God by His grace, 18:52 but even God's grace, 18:55 God's grace. 18:59 God put action behind His grace, 19:01 He put commitment behind His grace. 19:05 So that's it. 19:07 I'm His example, I mean, He's my example 19:10 of what I need to do. 19:12 Yes, grace, praise God for His grace. 19:15 And I'm not saved by works. 19:16 Amen. 19:18 Amen. 19:19 That's true. 19:20 What were you gonna say, JD? 19:22 Well, I just think that, I think all of the stories 19:23 that you heard here all four stories you could see 19:26 the grace of God at work. 19:27 You know, because I think that, especially three of us, 19:33 I'm excluding you, because I'm not sure. 19:36 But I know the three of us, boy, you know, 19:38 we went some stupid stuff. 19:41 As you look back at that... 19:42 Oh, dangerous. 19:44 Saying able to say, 2020 and thank you, 19:47 thank you 1000 times to Jesus. 19:49 Amen. Amen. 19:50 I had people praying for me all the time that I was lost, 19:53 and we probably, we all did. 19:55 That's right. 19:56 And yet that those prayers were action. 20:01 They were doing something practical 20:04 because prayer is practical, prayer does work. 20:07 It is action. 20:08 Yes, it is. 20:10 And, you know, there's also the, like, 20:14 when I look at my life, 20:16 my mom was the one that was praying. 20:18 But then my dad also poured out love, 20:20 and my mom poured out love. 20:22 But I really saw the Christian principles 20:24 in my mom's life. 20:26 And I saw her living that. 20:28 And for me, that made, 20:29 that made a huge, huge difference. 20:31 Amen. Amen. 20:32 You have to make a commitment. 20:35 When being a real Christian, and having love, 20:41 there has to be commitment behind the love. 20:44 Love is not real without commitment 20:46 to my point of view, 20:47 God loved me so much, He made a commitment 20:50 of sacrificing His own son. 20:53 Now what kind of commitment is that? 20:55 Even in our secular world, marriage, 21:00 we have marriage and when we get married, 21:04 we still give vows. 21:06 And you fall in love first, 21:08 you don't walk up to a total stranger 21:10 and go get married and give these vows, 21:11 you fall in love first. 21:13 And once you fall in love, you want to be married. 21:16 And when you want to be married, 21:17 you say to them, for better or worse, 21:20 in sickness or in health. 21:22 But the problem with a lot of marriages, 21:25 they say the words, 21:27 but there is no commitment behind it. 21:29 There is no action behind it. 21:31 It's an emotion only. 21:34 And to me, love is an emotion. 21:37 But to make it real, to make it impact somebody 21:43 to be what it should be, 21:46 it has to have commitment and action behind it. 21:49 Yes, it's also a principle. 21:51 It's a principle and it's a decision. 21:54 And it's so much more than just an emotion and emotion, 21:58 love where it is just an emotion is an empty love, 22:02 that you cannot stand on, you cannot depend on. 22:05 So our marriages would be in better shape 22:07 if we had commitment, but our Christianity, 22:11 our Christianity, accepting God's grace, 22:14 and His love has got to have commitment 22:16 behind it and action. 22:18 And with commitment and action has to come sacrifice too, 22:22 it's part of it. 22:23 One thing I'd like to throw out there real quick, Johnny, 22:26 is that it's kind of like a seed. 22:29 You know, good seed was sown in my life. 22:33 I don't know what kind of ground 22:34 it fell on for a while. 22:36 But I do know that there was a mighty wind 22:38 that kept blowing this seed until it finally 22:42 fell on fertile ground 22:44 and when it fell on fertile ground 22:47 the root system started taking hold. 22:50 And then you just pray that the fruit 22:53 that you start producing is sweet. 22:55 You hope and you pray that the fruit 22:57 that that is produced is everlasting 23:00 in someone's life. 23:02 And, but here again, He's the one, 23:07 that's with the capital H, 23:08 He is the one that never gives up. 23:12 Because that wind then have to blow that seed, 23:15 He could have just left it right there in that old barren, 23:18 unfertile place. 23:20 Yes. Yes. 23:21 You know, I believe that God in some way or another, 23:26 He works in each person's life. 23:30 To, you know, 23:31 we use the illustration of the seed, 23:33 plants the seed, waters the seed 23:36 to draw us to Him. 23:39 Every person has this, 23:40 the person has a choice to decide 23:43 what am I going to do with what I just heard, 23:45 what I just saw, that is an obvious evidence. 23:51 Something that moves you towards doing good, 23:55 moves you towards knowing God, 23:57 you will hear things from people, 24:00 you will see things in nature, 24:01 you will see even a thought may come into your mind 24:05 to do something good, to do good instead of evil. 24:09 And each person is molded and shaped by these things 24:15 whether they will be more inclined to follow the Lord 24:19 or to choose the other way because everyone has a choice. 24:23 And that's the wonderful thing about God. 24:25 Every person can be saved. 24:27 Amen. 24:29 And the verse says, 24:30 for God so loved the world and this love, 24:34 for God so loved the world, somehow that love is like a way 24:38 that just goes over everyone. 24:41 Doesn't the wind blow on everyone? 24:42 You're going to ask anybody in the world. 24:44 Have you ever felt the wind blow? 24:46 Well, yes, I have. 24:47 In the same way, somebody has felt 24:50 the wind of God's love in one way or another, 24:53 some kind deed that someone did. 24:55 That makes them wonder about doing. 24:57 I remember a person that, oh, you're a Christian. 25:01 Yes. 25:02 And we work together. 25:03 He says, well, I'm sorry, I just, I don't believe in God. 25:07 I said, my, okay, maybe someday we can talk about this. 25:11 And so we would talk and his name is Jim, 25:15 I still remember his name. 25:17 Anyway, one day, he comes and he says, you know, 25:23 I had a girlfriend once, and she was a good person. 25:26 And she said, "Hey, Jim, 25:28 you're gonna have to decide it's me or the drugs?" 25:32 And he says, "Well, if that's the choice I have, 25:35 I'll take my drugs." 25:36 So off he went, and he walked with a little bit 25:39 of a staggering type of walk. 25:43 And the drugs affected him. 25:44 But anyway, one day, one weekend, 25:46 he comes after it was a Monday, 25:48 he comes from whatever happened to him that weekend, 25:52 now I am curious, what happened? 25:56 He said, hey, he came directly to me. 25:59 "Hey, I just want you to know that something happened to me 26:05 this weekend that makes me wonder, 26:09 maybe God does exist." 26:11 He didn't say much after that, he said, 26:13 "I just wonder, I just wanted to let you know that." 26:16 And I said, "Thank you, thank you for letting me know." 26:18 So I mean, I see this evidence, 26:21 God has been working in people's hearts 26:23 and minds in different ways. 26:25 And people have to make choices. 26:28 But he came to you because he saw the Christianity 26:34 and knew that was real. 26:36 So he wanted to share that with you. 26:38 Yes, he did. 26:39 So God uses, the Holy Spirit does entice everyone. 26:45 But once you are a lover of the Lord, 26:48 once you become His disciple, He wants to use you to plant 26:52 those seeds to let the Holy Spirit 26:55 use you to plant more seeds and to draw more unto Him. 26:58 So you become like James 1:21-27 says, 27:04 you're not just a hearer, 27:06 we have to hear the Word first. 27:07 We have to have the spirit blow over the top of us, 27:11 be filled with His love first. 27:13 But once we do that, He wants us to become doers. 27:17 You got, one of you got that? 27:19 We're gonna go there in just a second. 27:21 But, you know, they say a picture 27:22 is worth 1000 words. 27:24 Well, imagine in Christian 27:25 who reflects the character of Christ. 27:27 Oh, yes. 27:28 And not just speaking it, but doing it. 27:32 And so now segueing into that verse 27:34 that you're talking about or those verses rather, 27:37 James 1:21-27. 27:40 Would anybody like to read that? 27:42 Well, I can read that first, I mean, that first five words, 27:45 boy, it's powerful. 27:46 "Therefore lay aside all filthiness 27:48 and overflow of wickedness, 27:51 and receive with meekness the implanted word 27:54 which is able to save your soul." 27:56 My goodness. 27:57 Just looking at that in a different way today, 28:00 thank you, Jesus. 28:01 "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, 28:03 deceiving yourself. 28:05 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, 28:08 he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror. 28:12 For he observes himself, then goes away 28:15 and immediately forgets what kind of a man he was. 28:18 But he who looks into the perfect 28:20 law of liberty, and continues in it, 28:23 and is not a forgetful hearer." 28:25 I think that's speaking to most of us. 28:27 "But a doer of the word, 28:29 this one will be blessed in what he does. 28:33 And if anyone among you thinks that he's religious, 28:35 and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, 28:39 this one's religion is useless." 28:42 Relevant Christianity. 28:43 Amen. 28:44 "Pure and undefiled religion 28:46 before God and the Father is this: 28:51 to visit orphans and widows in their time of trouble, 28:56 and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." 28:58 Amen. 29:00 Wow, wow, wow. 29:01 Thank you, Jesus. 29:03 There's a lot in that. 29:04 A lot in that. 29:06 He put the saving of yourself first. 29:08 And to save your own soul, He put you, 29:12 you have to put yourself in a relationship 29:15 with God first. 29:17 And once you're in that relationship, 29:19 once you're saved by grace, once you have the love in you, 29:22 then you need to do something with that, 29:24 you cannot just go to church one day a week 29:27 and sit in the pew. 29:28 And you can't give what you don't have. 29:30 That's right. 29:31 So you have to develop that relationship. 29:32 Absolutely. 29:34 You know, it's very interesting the way 29:35 you're expressing yourself because it makes you think 29:40 that there's some resisting going on. 29:43 I was thinking of, I'll look it up. 29:47 Maybe somebody can look it up for me, 2 Corinthians 5:14. 29:52 In the King James it says, 29:54 "The love of God constraineth me." 30:00 2 Corinthians, what? 30:01 Chapter 5 verse 14. 30:03 I think you'll have it as... 30:04 "For the love of Christ compels us 30:07 because we judge thus that if one died for all, 30:11 then all died." 30:13 Okay, so the New King James uses the word 30:15 compels us, compel, 30:18 I don't think communicates the exact beauty 30:22 of what the love of God really does in us. 30:27 Because when you say compels us, 30:29 it means you have no choice. 30:32 You see, you're compelled, you must do it. 30:34 But you can't help yourself. 30:36 I think of it the other way, you can't help yourself. 30:38 So it's that the love of God moves us forward, 30:42 we still have a choice. 30:43 We still have a choice, 30:45 the love of God moves us forward, 30:46 moves us in the direction 30:48 to share Christ to do something. 30:50 And we have to choose. 30:52 So when something happens that you see a need, 30:56 in your mind is that love of Christ, 30:58 I got to do something. 31:00 I want to do something, you know. 31:02 And so, there's that other verse that says, 31:05 "Let your light so shine before men 31:09 that they may see your good works 31:10 and glorify your heavenly Father." 31:12 That means stop resisting. 31:15 Stop resisting. 31:16 That's right. 31:18 Let that light, let the light shine. 31:19 So I think, unfortunately, we do a lot of resisting, 31:23 because wonderful thoughts come to our mind, 31:25 I should go and talk to the neighbor, 31:28 I should go and take something to the neighbor. 31:30 I should go and mow the neighbor's lawn. 31:32 But some things I know, 31:35 he'll probably not be happy about that or I'm tired. 31:38 I mean, we do some resisting. 31:41 And so I want to put before, 31:45 those that are listening to consider 31:48 that these wonderful things, these ideas, 31:50 these thoughts about doing something good... 31:52 Are from God. 31:54 Is a message from God to do something. 31:56 Amen. So it's not us. 31:58 No. It's from God. 31:59 He may have planted a seed and hope, 32:01 there's an open window in that person. 32:03 And if you go right then in there to do something, 32:06 God will open an opportunity for you to share, 32:09 because we're so afraid that we'll make somebody angry 32:14 or they'll, well, I don't know, 32:16 offend them that we're afraid to share. 32:18 But we don't consider that God may have opened 32:20 that window and planted that seed and the Holy Spirit 32:23 is prepared the way first, we just have to walk it. 32:25 That's right. 32:26 You know, I've been, 32:29 I've been using this word a lot lately. 32:31 And I love to be involved in a divine appointment. 32:36 Because a lot of times selfishly, 32:39 I don't want, I'm tired. 32:42 Today, it's been a long day. 32:44 I'm just not up to it. 32:45 But an appointment has been set up divinely. 32:49 We have no idea that the person over here 32:51 that we're talking about may be pleading, 32:55 may be begging for a visit. 32:58 And it just so happens 32:59 that you were at the right place 33:01 at the right time to see this divinely fulfilled, 33:05 if you would take that step. 33:07 But so many of us are tired, 33:11 overworked, too much going on. 33:15 And it's so easy to talk ourselves out of it. 33:17 Oh, Jason lives down the street, 33:19 he'll take care of this, you know, 33:21 and then that time comes and that time goes. 33:25 Now, I don't know, 33:27 I think that there's an accountability 33:29 in here someplace, help me if I'm wrong, 33:32 because you just, you just was given a test. 33:37 And you might have come up with a D minus. 33:39 Okay. 33:41 And so we need to pay more attention to the opportunities 33:44 as they come along instead of just being. 33:48 We need to be willing to use our talents too. 33:50 See God, we need to use the talents 33:52 God gives us not want somebody else's. 33:57 God gave me a talent of helping, 34:00 I can't sing, I can't preach, 34:02 I can't write, I can't do a lot of things. 34:05 But, boy, can I work and I can organize. 34:08 So He gave me a talent, I need to use it for Him. 34:13 And a joy comes from that. 34:17 So when I quit wishing I could sing 34:21 and couldn't and started focusing on the talent 34:24 God did give me. 34:26 Sometimes at church, 34:27 I'd complain grumble, grumble, grumble. 34:29 Somebody didn't do this 34:31 and somebody didn't do that and they should have. 34:32 And I have to do it for him. 34:34 And I finally said to myself, well, 34:36 God put you here for a time such as this, 34:38 so you'd be here to do that. 34:40 So quit grumbling about it, and just do the work 34:43 that He put on you. 34:45 And, you know, that relieves me from a lot of things. 34:48 It relieves me from resenting anybody 34:50 for not doing what I thought they were supposed to be doing. 34:53 And it gave me a joy. 34:55 So a lot of times how we look at 34:58 what God has given us makes a difference. 35:01 And when you, when you're willing to commit 35:06 your action of doing what God has given to your hand 35:10 to do with the talent that He gave you, 35:13 it does fill you with joy, 35:14 but it also fills you with a peace. 35:17 And it gives you, I don't know, it gives you a lot of things. 35:20 And sometimes it's sacrifice because... 35:26 And one of your things here, it says, 1 John 3:18. 35:30 Yep. 35:32 I hope I didn't jump. 35:33 No, that's all right. 35:34 I'm all right, I had just turned there too. 35:36 You're right on time, Dee. 35:37 Can you? Oh, okay. 35:38 Absolutely. 35:40 So 1 John 3:18 says, 35:42 "My little children let us not love in word or in tongue, 35:46 but in deed and in truth." 35:48 That's right. 35:49 So I have been, I was in foster homes. 35:55 And so I never did get to take 35:57 in a foster child and raise them like, 35:59 I thought I might do get into that. 36:01 But there is a shelter in a local town. 36:05 And they have teenagers there. 36:06 And these are foster kids, and also kinds of, 36:10 all kinds of issues. 36:11 So I, after I went part time, I started volunteering there. 36:17 Well, this is a difficult thing to do. 36:19 And not everyone can do it. 36:22 But I can't go, I wouldn't be good at hospice. 36:25 I wouldn't be. 36:26 There's other things that I wouldn't be good at, 36:29 but I can do this because I can take it. 36:31 These kids are angry, and they're very hurt 36:35 and they're very damaged. 36:36 And you can't go in there. 36:38 If I went in there and said, "Can I pray for you? 36:40 Can I tell you about Jesus?" 36:42 They'd probably spit in my face and say bad words. 36:45 But I can and it's a sacrifice to go there 36:49 because I'm putting up with stuff 36:52 that is not a normal part of my life. 36:56 So it is a sacrifice of time and it is a sacrifice 36:59 of what I really want to do. 37:02 But if I can make a difference in one person's life, 37:07 if I get even, 37:09 and you would get an occasional opportunity, 37:12 they would bring something up that you could talk about or, 37:15 and that's practical Christianity, 37:18 that's trying to make a difference 37:21 in someone else's life. 37:24 And you're addressing, you're meeting the needs, 37:26 you're getting to know them, you're building that, 37:28 it's Christ method, getting to know them, you know, 37:30 finding out what their needs are, 37:32 meeting those needs. 37:33 And then, you know, leading them to Christ. 37:36 We have a... 37:37 I'm sorry to interrupt you. Oh, no. 37:38 I have to just praise the Lord for the things 37:41 I've seen in Sister Dee. 37:44 Just recently, it's been a while 37:46 that I have the opportunity to do that, 37:47 we were helping somebody move. 37:49 And she... 37:51 Whenever there's a move taking place, Dee is there. 37:55 And she has, let's do this, let's do this. 37:58 Can you help, you know, 37:59 and she's involved, she carries. 38:02 I mean, what a blessing. 38:04 And I, and just before everything was over, 38:06 I said, "Now who drove the truck?" 38:09 "I drove the truck," she said. 38:11 I've been doing it for 20 years. 38:15 So there are three, five ladies that, wow, 38:19 when there's moving to be done, 38:21 I say, they put the men to shame. 38:24 And so, I praise the Lord for people 38:27 that see an opportunity for ministry 38:29 and do something because they are helping 38:32 someone but at the same time, 38:34 they are blessed helping as well. 38:36 And it's a great witness. 38:38 Dee turns into the general, she turns into a general. 38:41 Okay, we need to do this, this, this. 38:44 And she's really, she's really good at it. 38:47 It's interesting, because sometimes 38:48 she'll hesitate to see 38:50 if anybody wants to take the lead and if they don't, 38:53 she'd go, okay, let's do it this way. 38:56 It's great. 38:58 Someone said this was actually a compliment. 39:00 But somebody said something to somebody about 39:02 "Oh, Dee is helping us pack up." 39:04 And they said, oh, that must be like having a... 39:08 What's the guy in the army that... 39:09 General? 39:10 Not a general but it's the guy, the guy that trains the... 39:14 Oh, the drill sergeant. 39:16 They said, "There must be like having a drill sergeant 39:19 in your house." 39:20 But you know, God has softened. 39:23 I actually, I'll say, oh, I'm sorry, 39:24 I did that and I've tried to soften, 39:28 organized but He's grown me in this too. 39:32 So He will grow your talents. 39:34 Amen. 39:36 You know, I don't know why I want to share this, 39:38 but I'm going to share anyway. 39:41 I'm sorry, I thought you're gonna jump in. 39:43 No, I... 39:44 Something recently happened to me 39:46 that I saw myself giving something away 39:49 that I never thought 39:51 I would have to give away or even, 39:52 you know, anyway, 39:54 we were in this produce store in Chicago. 39:57 And we were putting our things and usually when you are there, 40:01 there are a couple of individuals, 40:03 guys that are just looking for an opportunity 40:05 to make some money. 40:07 So they'll say, "Hey, you need help with that." 40:09 And sometimes I say yes, sometimes I say no. 40:12 And this time I said, 40:13 "Oh, no, that's okay, I think I've got it." 40:15 I think it was almost done. 40:16 And so one of the two guys that was doing that, 40:19 for some reason, I picked up something 40:21 and I saw him and he's trying to, 40:23 he's squeezing his stomach to try to pull his belt, 40:28 you know, tighter and I looked at him for a while. 40:33 And then I looked, it's almost like the Lord said, 40:34 "Take a look at that guy, he's struggling." 40:37 And he was, you know, 40:39 and he's trying to put his belt on, 40:43 you know, better, but I looked and I said, 40:46 "Are you having trouble putting that on? 40:48 Do you not have any?" 40:50 "Yeah, I'm having trouble." 40:52 And I took here, you can take my belt. 40:55 So I never thought I would give anybody a belt. 40:57 Wow. 40:58 And so at that time, of course, 40:59 you have to ask yourself as it's coming out, 41:01 I say, I think my pants will stay on. 41:06 Because I'm going to be without one. 41:08 So I took it off, and I was fine. 41:11 And so, let me know if it works for you. 41:13 He put it on and oh, it works great. 41:15 Thank you very much. 41:17 He was very grateful. Oh, praise the Lord. 41:18 And after I was done, I was like, wow, 41:20 I never thought that would make, 41:21 you know, yeah, a belt. 41:23 Yeah. 41:25 And so, somehow, 41:26 I know God was involved in that process, 41:28 He was very grateful. 41:29 Because really, that belt, when he took it off, 41:31 I saw there was really no more place 41:34 where he can make another hole to put his belt on. 41:38 I mean, he was struggling for a little while 41:40 trying to squeeze his stomach a little skinnier 41:42 to put that belt on. 41:44 But you never know what kind of need you will see. 41:46 But that's practical for Christianity, 41:48 because you paid attention. 41:50 You could have just glanced away or not 41:52 really looked at the person. 41:55 And so that's practical Christianity 41:57 when you're paying attention to your circumstances 42:00 and needs around you. 42:02 Yes. 42:04 There are. Not just at home. 42:05 There are needs all over. 42:06 And we think some, 42:08 most of the time is something like this. 42:11 But there are other things 42:12 that the Lord brings before us to do. 42:15 And sometimes it's just a phone call. 42:17 Sometimes it's just, you see somebody that's by themselves 42:21 and not just to go over to talk to the person. 42:24 And listening. 42:25 Yeah, and listening, listening. 42:27 I went over to, I went to, 42:29 normally my routine Sunday afternoons, 42:31 go fill up with gas. 42:33 And so I went to the service station, 42:36 and I was pulled up, 42:38 stepped outside the car, getting ready to take the, 42:42 you know, take it off the handle. 42:45 And I noticed that this van was just coming up 42:48 and he was not in any lane. 42:51 Now that's kind of interesting. 42:52 And then he pulled around as I'm getting ready to attempt 42:56 to take out the faucet. 42:59 The gas. 43:01 Yeah. 43:02 Whatever. 43:03 Thank you, Lord, for good means humility. 43:07 Anyway, they pulled right up in front of me 43:10 on the opposite side. 43:12 And the gentleman hesitantly rode, 43:15 he's wandered out. 43:17 And there was something tender about his looks. 43:21 And it seemed like he was stepping outside 43:23 his comfort zone. 43:25 And he says, "Do you live close?" 43:27 And I thought, well, "I live close, yeah." 43:30 And I thought he's gonna ask me for directions. 43:32 And he says, "My wife and I are hungry." 43:38 And then he rolled down the back window, 43:40 she was a nursing mother in the back there. 43:44 And I didn't have too much money on me. 43:48 But I just pulled out my money and I say, "Here, take this." 43:51 And he took off his ring. 43:53 He says, "Here, take my ring." 43:55 I said, "I can't take your ring." 43:57 I said, "This is a gift." 44:00 And so then he didn't know what to do. 44:03 I mean, bless his little heart. 44:06 And then I heard his wife as they were pulling off, 44:10 "God answered our prayers, honey." 44:11 Wow. 44:13 Praise the Lord. 44:14 And so I'm sitting there, you know, 44:16 and you're trying to connect the dots here. 44:20 I mean, there's so much stuff going on was I just taken, 44:24 you know, I was this and, boy, 44:27 when she said that that was just kind of like 44:28 the icing on the cake, you know. 44:30 Yeah. Praise the Lord. 44:31 Yes. 44:33 You know, God answers prayers, honey. 44:34 Man, that's, that's incredible. 44:35 So you never know when you're going to be used 44:37 or who's going to use you, you know, 44:39 you just step out and just be who God made you to be. 44:44 Absolutely. 44:45 Let's look at 1 John 4:16, 44:49 as we're talking about practical godliness 44:51 and practical Christianity. 44:53 1 John 4:16. 44:56 And it says, "And we have known and believed 44:59 the love that God has for us. 45:01 God is love and he who abides and love abides in God, 45:05 and God in him." 45:07 Then I want to look at Acts of the Apostles, page 560. 45:11 And it says, "True sanctification 45:12 comes through the working out of the principle of love, 45:17 the life of him in whose heart Christ abides 45:21 will reveal practical godliness. 45:24 The character will be purified, 45:26 elevated, ennobled and glorified. 45:29 Pure doctrine will blend with works of righteousness, 45:33 heavenly precepts will mingle with holy practices." 45:37 That's powerful, because I mean it's... 45:40 Essentially it's not just be a hearer of the word, 45:43 but you need to be a doer as well 45:46 as you're seeing love being displayed. 45:50 And love is a powerful motivator. 45:52 I don't know about you guys, but I'm sure that you, 45:56 I'm sure you've done some interesting things for love. 45:59 Maybe you've driven across the country, 46:01 maybe you've driven seven hours. 46:03 I've gotten in the car and gone seven and a half, 46:06 eight hours, whatever the case may be. 46:09 There's long distance stuff and all of that. 46:12 You do some interesting things for love. 46:15 Now, this was in the past, 46:17 but you do some interesting things. 46:19 Heavens will dare if you do it today. 46:21 Maybe five hours of driving, that's it. 46:26 Dee, you look like you're gonna say something. 46:28 No, I just, you're absolutely right. 46:30 That is the love that really has power behind it 46:34 because you're willing to sacrifice 46:36 or step out for that. 46:38 Yes. 46:39 And like I said before God, 46:43 God put real commitment behind His love. 46:47 And that's what He wants us to do. 46:50 Practical godliness. 46:52 The one I get caught in sometimes is Romans. 46:57 Yes. 46:58 Other when I, I, my good intentions. 47:01 Yes. 47:03 I really, really want to be a real Christian. 47:06 I don't want someone, I remember sometime, 47:09 one time when I moved from an apartment. 47:12 And I was having a conversation with the man 47:14 that lived next door to me as I was moving out. 47:17 And some, I said something, he goes, 47:19 "Oh, I didn't know you were a Christian." 47:20 And I'm like, "Oh, my heavens, 47:23 I've lived here for 8, 9, 10 months. 47:27 And this man didn't know I was a Christian, 47:29 how could he not know?" 47:30 And I had to think about how did he not know 47:35 because my actions were not unchristian like. 47:39 I wasn't having wild parties or anything. 47:41 But here's a neighbor that did not know 47:44 I was a Christian. 47:45 That was heartbreaking. 47:47 That was many, many years ago. 47:48 Thank goodness. 47:49 Yes. Yes. 47:51 But that's heartbreaking. 47:52 I'm glad that you brought up Romans, 47:53 you wanted to say something? 47:55 You know, I have to say this. 47:56 I know I may have shared this in another family worship. 48:01 But the Lord is teaching us day by day. 48:06 And one of the lessons He taught me that there's, 48:10 there's a reason why you do good things, 48:12 and do good things for the sake of doing good things 48:16 to bring honor and glory to the Lord. 48:18 I remember when I was very young, 48:19 I was still in high school then. 48:22 There was a... 48:24 I was sitting in the bus in Chicago, you know, 48:28 and somewhere near the end, 48:30 not at the end somewhere near the end. 48:32 And somebody comes in, into the bus 48:36 and put in something I think or just, 48:41 I can't remember if he put something in 48:42 because I wasn't paying attention at that moment. 48:45 What I do remember is lifting up my eyes, 48:46 as I heard him say, does anyone have 45 cents, 48:52 whatever it was, 35 cents, 45 cents. 48:55 And he looked at everybody in the bus. 49:00 And so when he said that I did this, 49:03 looking up to the sky, 49:04 you know, how you look up to the sky to figure out, 49:06 to try to figure something out. 49:08 And I asked him, I said, "Do I have 45 cents?" 49:10 And I had not even began to look, but he's, 49:14 once he saw me he started walking towards me. 49:19 And so as he was talking, I put my hand in my pocket. 49:22 And sure enough, I had it. 49:24 I didn't have much money then. 49:26 Not even today I would say. 49:28 But anyway, he walked straight toward me 49:32 and I gave him the money. 49:35 He turned around and went and paid for the... 49:39 The toll. The toll of the bus. 49:42 Well, yeah, whatever he had to pay to get in. 49:45 And he sat down. 49:46 And so after he sat down, I'm like, 49:49 why he didn't even thank me. 49:52 And so there the Lord began to teach me the lesson, 49:56 like, did you do it to get a thank you. 49:59 So thank you really make it worth your while. 50:02 No. 50:03 And does the thank you really mean 50:05 that you'll do it again? 50:06 If somebody thanks you or you won't do it again 50:08 if this one person decides not to give you a thank you. 50:11 So that, before the bus trip was over and I got home, 50:15 I, it was fixed in my mind 50:17 you don't have to get a thank you. 50:18 Yeah. 50:20 That was like a loving rebuke right there. 50:21 Yeah, the Lord, it was a loving rebuke. 50:23 He said, you don't have to get a thank you. 50:25 Just the fact that you help someone 50:27 is a blessing to do so. 50:29 I mean, and I don't know, you know, the Bible says, 50:32 there's some, you know, it says, 50:34 be careful to entertain strangers, 50:35 because some have entertained angels unawares. 50:38 I don't know, maybe that was an angel. 50:41 He didn't give me a reason not to think he was an angel 50:44 except that he didn't say thank you. 50:46 But anyway, it was a good lesson for me. 50:50 And since then, if they say thank you, 50:53 wonderful, if they don't, that's wonderful too, 50:55 I'm okay with that. 50:56 The fact is to do something to help somebody 50:59 and make somebody's day a little better. 51:01 I want to go to Matthew Chapter 25. 51:03 And then if we have time, we'll go back to Romans. 51:07 But Matthew Chapter 25, 51:09 because what you're saying is you know about 51:12 how you could possibly be entertaining angels, 51:14 I want to read this. 51:17 Let's start in verse 31 and then we'll go down. 51:21 "So when the Son of Man comes in His glory, 51:24 and all the holy angels with Him, 51:27 then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 51:29 All the nations will be gathered before Him, 51:32 and He will separate them one from another, 51:34 as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 51:37 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, 51:40 but the goats on the left. 51:42 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 51:44 'Come, you blessed of My Father, 51:46 inherit the kingdom prepared for you 51:48 from the foundation of the world: 51:50 for I was hungry and you gave Me food, 51:53 I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, 51:55 I was a stranger and you took Me in, 51:58 I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, 52:02 I was in prison and you came to Me.' 52:05 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, 52:07 when did we see You hungry and feed You, 52:09 or thirsty and give You drink? 52:12 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, 52:14 or naked and clothe You? 52:16 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 52:19 And the King will answer and say to them, 52:22 'Assuredly, I say to you, 52:24 inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these 52:27 My brethren, you did it to Me.' " 52:29 That's powerful. 52:31 But I don't want to stop there. 52:32 Because this, you know, as we go on, 52:34 we get to see the other side of things. 52:37 You know, here, when they fed somebody, 52:40 they were doing it to Christ, when they clothed somebody, 52:42 they were doing it to Christ, 52:43 when they gave them something to drink, 52:45 they were doing it to Christ. 52:48 Picking up in verse 41, 52:49 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 52:52 'Depart from Me, you cursed, 52:55 into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil 52:59 and his angels: for I was hungry 53:01 and you gave Me no food, 53:03 I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, 53:06 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, 53:09 naked and you did not clothe Me, 53:12 sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 53:15 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, 53:18 when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger 53:21 or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 53:25 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, 53:27 I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it 53:30 to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 53:35 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, 53:37 but the righteous into eternal life.' " 53:40 Amen. 53:41 That's why when you have those people 53:45 that you maybe give money to, 53:47 or you do this for, and you wonder if it's a scam 53:49 or not, you know, that's not my responsibility. 53:54 It's no, no, it's not our responsibility. 53:56 Ours is to give when the Lord prompts you to, 53:59 when the Holy Spirit prompts you to, 54:01 yours is just simply to give without a thank you. 54:04 I think most of us, 54:06 I'm uncomfortable with people thanking me 54:10 because I'm doing it for the Lord. 54:14 Whatever I'm doing, 54:16 I'm, because God gave me the love to do it. 54:19 When we do good deeds, 54:21 it's God's love that is helping us 54:23 do that from the relationship we have with Him. 54:26 Yeah, yeah. 54:27 Which is important, 54:29 because that really speaks to motives. 54:30 You know, what are you doing? 54:32 Or are you only helping people who can help you? 54:34 Or are you helping people who can return the favor? 54:38 Or are you helping those that are less fortunate 54:42 who might not reciprocate that but you're, you know, 54:45 so it really speaks to the motive. 54:48 And love is an excellent motivating, 54:51 motivating factor. 54:53 If I have a moment, I can read this here, 54:55 Christ Object Lessons, page 331. 54:57 Nice. 54:59 "Many whom God has qualified to do excellent work 55:03 accomplish very little, because they attempt little. 55:08 Thousands pass through life as if they had no definite 55:13 object for which to live, no standard to reach. 55:16 Such will obtain a reward proportionate to their works. 55:20 Remember that you will never reach 55:22 a higher standard than you yourself set. 55:26 Press with determination in the right direction, 55:28 and circumstances will be your helpers, 55:31 not your hindrances." 55:32 Amen. Very nice. 55:34 Amen. Amen. 55:35 And our standard should be Christ standard 55:38 and to be like Jesus because ultimately, 55:42 He is the ultimate standard. 55:44 He is the ultimate standard. 55:46 So, you know, relevant Christianity, 55:48 practical Christianity not being a Christian 55:52 by just professing your faith, but living it out, you know. 55:56 Love with action. 55:57 Yes, love with, I love that, love with action. 56:00 That's very, very important. 56:02 And be doers. 56:03 Be doers. 56:05 Commitment, that commitment. 56:07 And all of that comes from the Lord. 56:09 You know, we don't believe you're saved by works 56:11 but that relationship that you have with Christ, 56:14 that love that you have for Christ 56:16 and that love that He instills in you, 56:18 motivates you or compels you to want to do something 56:24 for others because ultimately, you're doing it for Christ. 56:27 Amen. Yes. 56:28 Amen. Any final thoughts? 56:30 I have one, short one. 56:32 And that is God will give you an opportunity 56:37 to do something, 56:40 and is coming before you very soon. 56:42 Amen, amen. 56:43 JD? 56:45 Well, I'm just very, very thankful that God 56:47 never stopped chasing me down. 56:48 And, you know, 56:50 you just pray that please allow me to be fruitful, 56:53 and that I will hear that voice. 56:55 Yes, yes. 56:56 I'm just grateful God keeps working on me 56:58 because I fall short. 57:00 And that's what breaks my heart is when I let Him down 57:03 and He keeps growing me and forgiving me 57:05 and loving me with real love and practical love. 57:08 Amen. 57:10 When you fall short, 57:11 you get back up and God forgives. 57:14 He wants to spend eternity with each and every one of us. 57:17 Amen. 57:18 And there's nothing good that we do in our own strength. 57:22 You know, we can do all things through Christ 57:24 who strengthens us. 57:25 And that's important to remember. 57:27 Very important to remember. 57:29 Well, we've reached 57:30 the end of another family worship. 57:32 Until next time, God bless. |
Revised 2020-10-26