031: Stan Isbell - With Gladness and Singleness of Heart

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Welcome to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. I'm Levi. And I'm Chris. Thank you so much for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help each one of us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post at the start of each week for you to listen with a short intro beforehand to kind of set the stage for the talk you're about to hear. And now let's hear more about this week's talk. This week's class is by a brother, Stan Isbell from North Houston, Texas. He's giving this class at the Midwest Bible School in the year 2014. It's titled With Gladness and Singleness of Heart. Not clear on what part of his series it is. There's only one talk posted on Christadelphian Bible Talks. This is a really, really good class. It talks a lot about the early ecclesia in Acts 2 and the right attitude we should have in preaching. I really benefited from this. Stan does have a very unique style. It says a lot of, I don't know, I guess not outrageous, but just, it just has a really good style. So I enjoyed it knowing him and found this class to be really encouraging. He gives a list of how we can preach more effectively kind of in the back half of the class. And then he uses a, he uses an object lesson you can tell, which from what I gather I think is two cups of water that he's splashing towards each other, demonstrating how we fail at listening and properly listening.

2. 1:47

   So this is a, this is a great class. I'm going to include the reading in the podcast. So you'll hear the reading of Acts chapter two before. You can, you can skip forward in your podcast app if you want to skip that part. But I found it helpful to have that read before, before Brother Stan begins. So thanks again for listening. Please keep your suggestions coming. We really do live off those and we thank you for all your support. Let us know if you have any questions at all. In the meantime, here is Stan Isbell with gladness and singleness of heart.

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   Brother Stan has asked us to read the God or the Acts of the Apostles chapter two and Brother Jordan Kennedy from the Paris Avenue Ecclesia will read that for us.

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   Reading from Acts chapter two. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

5. 3:05

   And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

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   And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And now hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born, Parthians and Medes and Elamites and the dwellers in Mesopotamia and in Judea and Cappadocia and Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia in Egypt and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians.

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   We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words.

8. 4:22

   For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass, in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

9. 4:46

   And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come.

10. 5:09

    And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.

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    Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

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    Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad. Moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

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    Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne.

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    He, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

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    For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

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    Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

17. 7:42

    For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

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    And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

19. 8:34

    And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to the ecclesia daily, such as should be saved. Brothers and sisters, Brother Stan Isbell will be speaking this evening, and his address is entitled, With Gladness and Signleness of Heart.

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    Brother Stan. Thank you. Thank you very much, Brother Paul, and good evening, brothers and sisters. Brothers? Let's do better. Good evening, brothers. Ah, good. I love it. Yeah. Thank you. That was good.

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    That chapter began the quest of the arrowless bowman upon the white horse. And it is a glorious chapter, as we all attest it to. And there we are. Okay.

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    The good news is exactly that. It's absolutely, it's indescribable news. The gladness that those disciples had, in the beginning, in the first ecclesia, it's just, it was never to be repeated. The newness of understanding and seeing the resurrected Christ, of passing the joy on from eyewitnesses who touched and handled him upon his resurrection.

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    It was just something that couldn't be contained. These men and women just could not contain it. And it spread like viral, we use the word today, all through Jerusalem. And on the day of Pentecost, of course, there were those from, those Jews from all parts of the world who heard the gospel in their own tongue.

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    they continued, they continued, 3,000, 4,000, and on. With gladness, in verse 46, they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness, singleness of heart. In verse 45, they sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all. Now, you know what kind of attitude that takes to dump your retirement fund or your collection, your money that you depend on for tomorrow and make sure everyone else in the body is fed.

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    Would it work today? No, probably not. It began to fall apart with Ananias and Sapphira. Barnabas had given land. Ananias and Sapphira said, ooh, Barnabas was probably praised for his gift. Maybe we can do the same. And from there, the, the virgin bride of Christ was impregnated. And by the end of the gestation period, Constantine was rising.

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    First love and unity in the ecclesia, Acts 4 and 4, we read, Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed, and the number of men was about 5,000. In verse 31, And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

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    It's a repeat of the day of Pentecost. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul. Neither said any of them that all of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things common, and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

28. 12:58

    They really believed. There can be no doubt. They believed it to the point to where they were able to overcome their inner fears of insecurity for tomorrow. They were able to apply the commandments of Christ. Take no thought for tomorrow, for sufficient is the evil of the day thereof.

29. 13:27

    Neither was there any among them that lacked. For as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet, and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, which is being interpreted the son of Consolation, a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, and having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

30. 13:57

    They were joined together in a common hope, facing a common enemy. The ecclesia is now strengthened in faith. They rejoice in the atmosphere of true unity and reveal their feelings by wholeheartedly assisting the practical needs of others. They sought those needs out.

31. 14:25

    We read in 2 Corinthians 5, 16 through 21, So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.

32. 14:42

    All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us.

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    We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God which is the righteous works of God. It's energy. It's not just an abstract concept or an idea. It's an energetic doing just as we see in the first century ecclesia.

34. 15:34

    If you turn with me to Proverbs chapter 24 in your Bibles I'd like you to read with me in verse 11 and 12. I guess we could back up to 10. If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small. But 11 and 12 deserves focus. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death and those that are ready to be slain if thou sayest behold we knew it not.

35. 16:04

    Doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul doth not he know it? And shall not he render to every man according to his works?

36. 16:18

    What's he saying brothers and sisters? If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death and those that are ready to be slain if we hesitate if we hesitate to deliver them that are drawn unto death and they're all around us they're everywhere you don't have to go very far to find somebody that's being drawn to death and if we say some excuse behold I didn't know that they were dead men walking I didn't understand that they didn't have the truth Doth not he that pondereth the heart pondereth the heart consider that?

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    Sure he will he looks upon us we need to learn how to profess these things this glorious gospel out of Elphus Israel page 159-160 Dr. Thomas says the church was associated with the apostles in the ministry of reconciliation and he says by the church I mean not that multi-formed thing called the church by the world in these times but that one undivided body of disciples keep that in mind brothers and sisters it's the singleness of heart we're after it's the true unity collected together by the personal labors of the apostles and evangelists and all through subsequent generations who should believe and practice the same truth it's a power it's an intellectual power that affects the psyche of every human being that grasps it he goes on to say to this one body energized by the one spirit and perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment and styled the bride is committed the work of making known the manifold wisdom of God as contained in the word and of inviting the world to be reconciled to God no member he goes on to say of this body is exempt from the obligation of cooperating in this work it is the duty and privilege of everyone in his own sphere to endeavor to turn men to righteousness for there is no distinction of clergy and laity isn't that one of the best quotes you've ever read in your whole life I mean it just it just breathes with commitment personal ecclesially fraternally it breathes with commitment of the one body and we wonder why aren't we more unified why don't we have

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    unity and I'm not here to condemn you I am here to encourage you because the first time I ever brought one young man through the first principles after watching brother Howard go through the plan and the principles with others that I would bring to him the first time that we had the baptismal hymns the water and the blood and the readings and that young man who told me the first time I met him I'm a Catholic I'll never be anything else and he went down in the waters my heart just absolutely nearly burst out of my chest with excitement I thought oh my goodness because I think I was able to comprehend what I wasn't able to comprehend when I was younger and baptized I could see the process from the beginning to the burst and it was so exciting I told myself I got to go out and do this again this was just fabulous so as clumsy and awkward and failing after failure after failure we proceeded with much prayer for help because we knew we were incapable of doing this but it became a personal ministry and like I say there were so many failures and brothers and sisters I'm here tonight because most of my talks just almost go to this place it's just like a gravitation to helping I've had so many people come to me over the past two days asking well I'd like to be able to talk the truth to people but I just get cold feet I just don't have answers I've gotten to a point brothers and sisters where I know how to turn people

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    off in the cold contact conversation so that if I get rebellious in my head or I don't want to teach the truth I know how to run them off I know how to run them off and I know what attracts them it was taught to me it was not my idea it was taught to me by brother Howard Phillips I want to show you a quick chart that I believe depicts the process of true repentance or changing our assumptions from A to B simply assumption A would be these things that we grow up with ideas which have been we have been indoctrinated with we have accepted from mom and dad tradition the voice of the collective world they form the basis of our behavior and the problems that come along with that behavior that lead to strained and broken relationships it's simply the nature of sin in us manifesting itself because we are self indulgent nature S-I-N sin it's an acronym it's a self indulgent nature that we bear and it's very difficult to control James tells us about the tongue and if we could learn to govern the tongue like the helm of a ship or the horse bridle we'd be much better off in our relationships but that is not an easy thing to do and it's not easy to do with strangers to whom we want to express the great news and we do want I know I know you do want to see some success in your preaching efforts on an individual level as well as ecclesially so this assumption A represents these ideas that basically the world has grown up in

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    and it's a false Christendom assumption B we'll call the truth those are the simple fundamental principles of the statement of faith that we hold so dear and that has been our foundation as a unified body in Christ so what we want to do is get from assumption A to assumption B so can you just turn off the switch in a person's mind who believes assumption A and so that they will believe assumption B just run them through the lessons real quick nine months five years however how long it takes well no you and I both are not that naive to know that assumption A leads to behavior A it just it's automatic our thoughts and ideas will manifest into our behavior that's why it's so important to keep reading the word of God meditatively prayerfully reflectively thinking and talking and socializing with our loved ones in Christ so that it's constantly on our mind but if we're still under assumption A it leads to behavior A and bad habits that behavior as brother Jim mentioned character is built over time yes we make mistakes we sin but the character is what is going to be brought to the judgment seat these this character based on assumption A and behavior A you see where this character goes from bad habits to a dysfunctional person to ultimately getting diseased because a dysfunction person who gets high stress levels can't get along with people it starts he breaks down from his false assumptions into his behavior his emotional and it is a vicious circle and what happens he'll have a heart attack it happens we know the scriptures

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    confirm these ideas life we reach a life and death and it's an instinct now life or death well if we're of the sort of mind that says who cares I'm just going to keep drinking myself down more alcohol more drugs whatever that I've been doing in the past that's led me down this road to the pit to the grave I'm going to keep doing it I don't care and you got people like that all through the world and they terminate but on the other hand if they reach a life death instinct and they say hmm no I don't like the prospects of leaving my family behind I don't like the prospects of dying I want to live and it becomes an emotional thing now because they're afraid fear kicks in well there's obviously you know faith because faith comes by the hearing and the hearing by the word of God but when the fear of dying kicks in you know I thought when I got hepatitis C I said oh I can do this I can slide right on out of the picture that's the most selfish thing in the world but that's just my nature but when you realize and your doctor says you ever seen anybody die from liver disease no it's horrible well then that's when fear kicks in don't want to die of liver disease want to live what happens it becomes an emotional reversal of that process that was leading to the grave somebody offers me help I took it some say no I don't need help I can do this I'll get through this what happens after the emotional

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    energy wears off this emotional reversal it's like it's like drinking and having a car wreck I'm never touching this stuff again well after your mind which causes the memories the horrific memories of even somebody dying in your car wreck once those memories fade away so do the emotional stirrings that caused you to want to reverse and you might take another little sip or you might get back into a habit that led you into where you were before so this habitual cycle of returning to where we were because the repentance was based on emotion the desire to stop going down towards the grave was based on feelings from memories that were vivid as though they were yesterday but once the memories fade the desires grow strong for the old man of the flesh and then ultimately enough of those cycles and we end up in the grave can we deliver someone from the bondage of death of course we can we read that in the first of in Acts the ministration of reconciliation has been delivered to us and we have to show that we really really believe it and love the truth so if it happens again and a person says yes to an offer of help instead of no that led them into the habitual cycle and their prayer is heard perhaps by God who knows every individual that will respond to him on the face of the planet we are here this is where we come in this is where God knows our heart as well as the heart of the individual in the world wherever they are he knows how to intersect

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    these two minds the empty mind the one emptied of his word and the full mind the one that is full of his word and willing to share it and a mental reversal is in order but notice what happens not only are we here when the offer of help and that's what we do we offer to help brother Jason gave a wonderful Bobis gave a wonderful devotion last night I was very blessed to be able to hear it he brought out some wonderful ideas to the teens and those are ideas that I believe we can use ourselves so I've got it filmed and we'll put it up on Rugby Christadelphian for anybody that might be interested but I want you to notice angelic ministration occurs when as we saw the other night from Daniel's vision from the day thou settest thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself I have come for thy words and I believe that angelic ministration occurs and those angels know full well if we're going to open our mouth well I say full well if we have a reputation of opening our mouth at the right time and they can depend on us to tie loose ends they can go through an incredible complex logistical almost nightmare to you and I to get an individual across our path and you can almost smell the work of the angels like we talked about Yolanda the first night you can almost sense it as it were so here's where the assumptions have to change through the intellectual process of a simple education in the first principle setting up an evening would you like

44. 33:07

    to sit down and do the readings would you like to sit down and discuss current events about what's going on in the world today a simple request making it easy for them and tell them you're under no obligations I just enjoy sharing what I have found about the Bible with others if they say yes and they go through changing intellectually on a level of the mind those false assumptions to the truth through the scripture and they see the authority of God's word being the inspired record of his principles and they're not taking your word for it they're taking his word for it and their understanding about sin nature and demons and devil and Satan and all of our first principles that we hold and they understand these things and it takes time but they start to see a behavior change in them and Yolanda expressed that many times oh this lady at work if I hadn't been studying six months ago I would have taken her head off and you slowly see a change because behavior stems from the intellectual understanding and comprehension of these things these wonderful truths of the gospel decisions now can be made with the future in mind Christ coming preparation for in their lives they can make decisions that are more that are that are clear to them and it's so important to be able to get out of that fog that enables you to see just about an inch in front of your nose it's so important to be able to have clarity of time and space when you can look at the world heading into World War III

45. 35:16

    Armageddon and fear is just simmering inside of you if you can alleviate that fear in people and the fear of death to which they have been held in bondage all their lifetime you're better than any doctor you're better than any system of doctors brothers and sisters you've got a glorious gift a skill set of just basic fundamental first principles but I understand it's not that easy but you give people hope you give people happiness you give people help like Connie our next door neighbor who was afflicted with uterine cancer and she's walked in the door for bible class after radiation and chemotherapy she looked like a zombie skinny dark eyes you've been there you know what that disease does to people your loved ones my loved ones and they would leave and I would say Wendy she's not going to make it observation again observing that evidence Wendy says we just need to pray for her and now she's in remission of course she's a sister and baptized health comes by God's healing hand especially to those who are heirs of salvation and the angels have been commissioned and assigned to minister to them and life above all things not just normal life not just natural life for which we prayed for her but eternal life at Christ coming in God's kingdom six ways to make people like you now you're going to say oh wait a minute hold on maybe I don't want people to like me I like being alone and isolated I'm sorry we don't have a choice principle one become genuinely interested in other people get outside yourself I know you are

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    God's gift to humanity but we have to get outside of ourself and listen to people and show them through our body language which will actually speak 80% of what's in your head the other 20% will come out of your mouth and they'll hear that too but the 80% if they know how to read body language we're in trouble because body language screams that we are not interested in them it screams with red flags beacons and sirens going whoop whoop whoop whoop and they go you know I got something I really got to do a heavy load of scheduling appointments and the puffery comes up and they're gone principle two smile it's easy you know it takes less muscles right than a frown walk around dour sour I've got the good news yeah I can see that well I'd hate to see you with bad news principle three remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest most important sound in any language repeat their name first contact you'll remember their names the older I get the worse I get about what's your name I bet I've asked almost all of you new people that I've met what's your name three times already I'm sorry I apologize for that but a person's name is something that they like to hear you say it's simple psychology it is fundamental techniques in handling people principle one don't criticize condemn or complain in their presence go in the closet and shut the door then scream out all you want to complain condemn whatever criticize but don't do it in front of people principle two give honest and

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    sincere appreciation instead of sitting there with your Bible like you know turn to Romans chapter 12 you there yet you need to learn to find your books of the Bible I know I'm exaggerating but our body language can say that so we need to reverse that and understand that we're going to be screaming out at them I don't have time for this I got things to do that's our own nature we should say can I help you find it I know it's not easy I have the same trouble I sometimes wonder where Zephaniah is you know or Zedekiah I'm still looking for that book but we need to encourage them make them what you're doing is painting an image in their head they've never had before you're painting an image of them as a Bible scholar and you know what they feel they don't feel like they can even find the first book of the Bible I met a man one time who when I said turn up to Genesis he said what's Genesis and I thought oh no he is really deficient and I probably revealed it through my body language but people are woefully ignorant Christendom has just destroyed their their their confidence to believe that they in themselves that they can actually understand the Bible you know that was one of their tricks Christendom that's to keep them infantiles that's to keep the masses in the churches little kids subject to their whims the clergy the stork like men who own the word of God because we I'm sorry and then they abuse the kids you know sometimes adults you got to

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    give honest and sincere appreciation principle three is arousing the other person an eager want you want to make the scriptures pleasing to them exciting to them if they need a easier translation than the King James at first give it to them let them read the wonderful stories of creation and David Samson and all of these glorious stories where God was engaged with the human race you want them to want to read their Bible make them excited about it make it one of the most interesting things you can think about how you can do that and as with children so with adults principle four be a good listener encourage others to talk about themselves principle five talk in terms of the other person's interest initially brother Howard I would watch him and he would first time he ever met somebody he would start talking to them about anything that they were interested in he said what do you do for living what do you do for hobby what do you like to do for fun he would just show interest in that person he didn't just jump right into the Bible how long you been reading the Bible you go to church what's your religion he didn't do that it's a human interest engagement and that shows them that you're interested in them not just selling your product which is really what it's going to look like at first that's really what they're going to think you're trying to convert me you're trying to convince me you're trying to sell your product and maybe we are and maybe we need to learn how to sell our

49. 44:28

    product the truth in the right way that shows that person we are so interested in you and your welfare and your life that I'm willing to give up two three hours a week so that you can understand the book and you can understand God so we also want to consider their family understand them and so on very important principle principle number six make the other person feel important and do it sincerely because they are important if they're going to take time from you and if God has sent them by the arrangements of the angels they're important extremely important they're the ones that God is sending us to to to preach to when people to our way of thinking principle one the only way to get to the best of an argument is to avoid it get off stay away from controversial subjects I know it's easy that's the first thing we want to talk about is we don't believe in the trinity we don't believe in Satan no we don't believe in going to hell or heaven what do you believe controversial subjects it's interesting if our young brethren single brethren who some of which are looking for a mate when they come to Bible school they're like a sister and they approach the sister to woo her in a confident way but do you suppose that he's going to talk about everything that they disagree on if they did we wouldn't have much of a Sunday school left would we we would have no future of a Sunday school well think about it it's the same way we are whooing a bride for Christ just like

50. 46:29

    Eliezer Abraham's servant go get a bride for Isaac I'm not letting my son go there you bring her here and he goes and he woos a bride and that that whole chapter is a type of Christ's bride we're doing the same thing we are Eliezer we're seeking so we don't want to get into an argument and if they say what do you think about the devil you know the devil the other today I can't just see the devil I just feel like Satan's bugging me you know we'll get to that we'll get to that topic and you want to hear what God says my my word is an opinion I mean yeah right I raised the value of my opinion real high but it's still my opinion and you don't want my opinion you want God's word so could you could we defer that question until later sometimes they'll bug you to death wanting to know I want to know I need to know and then you give it to them and you give it to them lightly and you say maybe well let's study the nature of man and see where that takes us okay and you'll be a surprise you can navigate the class it's like you're in the driver's seat but you have to do it intellectually not by the person who's sitting in the passenger seat looking out the window saying stop stop stop why well I just saw something up there interesting and I thought you know we could stop and look at it you scared me to death you drive the car of the class of the introduction you drive it

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    not get into an argument don't let them bait you and they will they'll bait us with controversial subjects principle two show respect for the other person's opinions never say you're wrong oh I love this one this is so important you know we go into a we go into an introduction to a stranger and we go in with this attitude of I'm right and everybody together right that's exactly how we go in and you know we don't have to say it we're already screaming it with body language so in order to avoid that you have to go in and recognize that I'm I'm thinking that you know but you know why we think that because it's true in most cases probably 95 99 percent of the time when you talk to somebody in the world about the Bible you are right and they are wrong so why wouldn't we think that way it's the right thing to think but how do you keep it disguised how do you keep it disguised knowing we're right and this affects every kind of meeting we might have with somebody on the other side of a line who believes differently and it's really interesting because thank you brother Paul for the glasses this is us okay this is the other person whose beliefs are different from ours well we want to convince them that we have the truth because we're right they're wrong and so we go to them and we say well regarding the devil I have researched and understood that through scripture the devil is really only the flesh well that's not what I read I read that the

52. 50:15

    devil is really a supernatural fallen angel I don't think that's exactly right but yes it is no it's not yes it is and what's created a mess this is us remember empty ourselves there's something in the Bible about that about emptying ourselves and we listen and show respect to the person's beliefs I know that's hard because it's such a lie it's such a hideous lie and I don't even like to listen to lies but for the salvation of an individual you're willing to do it so you say well tell me what is it that you believe about that issue whether it's the devil or whether it's resurrectional responsibility or whether it's with your spouse well I think this and this and thus and thus and you say and you say really and you make sure your body language is listening 100% you're not sitting there formulating your thoughts you're not sitting there wondering let's see how am I going to debate that what's that verse oh what is that verse I'm trying to all the while they're thinking you listen you listen and then you stop them and say wait just one minute I want to be sure that I'm hearing you correctly I don't want to I don't want because I hear selectively my wife tells me that all the time I hear select I hear what I want to hear so tell me is this what you said and they say yeah yeah it is all right nobody's ever listen to me that closely except my psychiatrist and he charges me $150 an hour and so they you say well tell me tell me

53. 52:24

    some more so they say okay well this is this is how I think and this is what I think scripture says and this is really where I've always thought so and you say okay hold on wait a minute I think I got it but let me just feed it back to you out loud audibly is this what you're saying thus and this about that and they say why yes that's right and you know they start to open up and what you're doing is hearing their argument and learning it better than they know it themselves and they go on and they continue and they say wow you know this is how I think the Bible is about the atonement about Jesus Christ and such as that and you are listening and you're feeding it back to them so they know you're listening and so you're feeding it back and you're saying yeah this and this and that is that what you mean and they said yeah and this and you're saying this you're building something you're building a relationship and they say thus this and thus and that and this and that and it and you say wow we've been at a long time is that about everything you believe and this might take a little process of time and they say and you say you say to them is there anything else and they say well yeah I wasn't going to say anything about it but that you mean to say all these years it's been just that and they say yeah you mean that's been at the bottom of all of that yeah that right there and they've opened up to

54. 54:28

    you in a way that they don't open up to normally everybody and you know that something has connected when you have finally listened to someone and you have heard their beliefs instead of trying to fill them up with yours because remember we set ours over here to the side and you don't have to worry your beliefs aren't going to run off they're not going to run away you're not going to forget them you're not going to compromise your beliefs they're still here and then after they've emptied themselves you'll be able to fill their life up with the truth and I think that really really helps them to know that you are truly genuinely sincerely interested in their life and in them as a person but the battles sometimes start with that I'm right you're wrong I need to check my time Paul where we at who if you're wrong admit it quickly and emphatically if if we're wrong we have to be big enough to say I was wrong I'm sorry I made a total mistake I didn't have my scriptures in line so we consider that so principle four begin in a friendly way principle five get the other person saying yes yes be positive not no principle six let the other person do a great deal of the talking let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers instead of just giving them the answer every time give them some questions in verses say look this up and see what you think come back to me let them find it they buy into it into the scriptures principle eight try

55. 56:30

    honestly to see things from the other person's point of view as we've demonstrated principle nine be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires appeal to the noble motives that they can indeed be king priest in the kingdom of God that's the most noble motive you have a compassion you tell them you have a skill set God is no wonder we've been brought together I believe God is really interested in him having you in his kingdom as a king priest a judge take advantage of it dramatize our ideas throw down a challenge sometimes to them and you'll know you'll be able to better determine which challenge so we lead we lead others to perform with praise honest appreciation not insincere but they'll know that if it's insincere call attention to people's mistakes indirectly talk about our own mistakes before criticizing the other person we ask questions instead of giving direct orders we let the other person say face don't embarrass people it's it's just the worst thing when we in criticize and embarrass someone and and it's easy to do even accidentally and we wouldn't do it on purpose nobody in here would but sometimes we do it praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise we give another person a fine reputation to live up to we use encouragement we make the fault seem easy to correct make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest Paul says for though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ yet have you not many fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the

56. 58:23

    gospel we are planting a seed almost like a midwife Paul said he was a father of those who he had begotten through the gospel like Timothy and in closing I've got about four five slides here that this is what brother Howard introduced he was a sign painter an artist and and they were his these are not the ones he did these are more electronic art but these graphics what he showed us on the first chart first thing he ever pulled out of the bag was his charts and they were like so that he showed us the development of the Bible how that they were made from the skins of animals they were cured they were put into scrolls 15 30-foot rolls written in Hebrew and sealed in clay jars actually this one came next they're out of order the slides and I apologize but but papyrus or paper was developed, and the Greeks wrote the New Testament and just shows some of the basic knowledge of the Bible and how the Greek for the word testament, diethik, a will, Hebrew, a covenant, original Bible, had no chapter or verses.

57. 59:33

    These are simple things that are very simple. We already all know them, but it grasped their attention, and the third one was the Holy Bible, and a few more of the themes, and the history book, Advice for Good Living, and these various things, and I'll have these for you if you're interested, and I added a new one that Brother Howard didn't have.

58. 59:57

    What he did have was this little piece of microfiche film. Some of you may remember the National Cash Register Company actually printed it out, and it was only about that big, and it was a piece of film that had tiny little dots, and each one of those dots was a page of the Bible, and there were 1,245 pages on that tiny little film.

59. 1:00:18

    This was long before they were able to put so much data on the chip now, but it was interesting, quite interesting. So you show them things that the Bible has been preserved, and you build up the credibility of that wonderful book, and then he rolled out a 7,000-year plan that was just, to me at that time, it put a bookend on the end of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in time, and I thought, Oh, that's great.

60. 1:00:50

    You can just prove that to me, and he did, but that plan, when it rolled out, it was so impressive. He rolled it out on the floor of the home we were in the first time, and I thought, Oh, that's order. That's divine order, and it has to be of a higher intellect to be able to put together such a glorious plan.

61. 1:01:09

    So the 7,000-year plan, we've used it ever since, and successfully, I might add. This is just my personal ministry and how it's developed over the years. I haven't been keeping count of the number of baptisms, which is a silly thing to do, of course, but there's been a lot of people baptized because we've employed the methods that you've seen, and tonight, and if it can work for me, it can certainly work for you, and I really appreciate your time tonight and for allowing me to share that with you because I believe that's really what helps an ecclesia get true unity and to serve God with gladness and singleness of heart is reaching out.

62. 1:01:59

    If we don't keep reaching out, we start turning inward and biting and devouring each other over little issues that are not worth fighting over, but sometimes they are worth fighting over because it has to do with our foundation, and that foundation's what you're trying to put under somebody else to build, but don't bulldoze their house down.

63. 1:02:23

    Let them move out into one that you can show them they can build in a beautiful way that's reliable. Thank you. Thank you for listening to the Good Christodophie Talks podcast. Please subscribe for new episodes and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or whichever service you are listening from to help people find the show when they search for it.

64. 1:02:54

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65. 1:03:16

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