Class 3 from this series was used in GCT Episode 392.
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I feel like, I feel a little
guilty, like I’m afraid I’ve
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I feel like, I feel a little
guilty, like I’m afraid I’ve
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been having a much better week
than you’ve been having.
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I’ve been receiving so much
behind the scenes that you guys
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haven’t, haven’t seen, you know,
with the, with them broadcasting
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the classes.
I’ve had texts from people in
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San Diego, have had Texan people
in Washington, DC, texts from
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people in Ontario and Texan
people in Texas all over,
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literally all over the country
who are, you know, watching the
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class and had, you know, given
positive along with all the
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positive input you guys have
been giving.
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So that’s been really enjoyable.
And I’ve also been, you know,
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getting the benefit of reading
the things that everyone has
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been submitting at the end of
each class.
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And, and you know, that’s,
that’s been, that’s been the
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highlight, frankly, laying in
bed at night with just kind of
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reading what everyone has has
said, like, like these gems from
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yesterday.
I asked if anyone would share
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any experience from their life
where they noticed that God was
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trying to teach them to trust
him.
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And someone wrote and they said,
as our children got older and
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made their own decisions, I
found that I had to pray and
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wait.
Pray as we wait for them to
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return home from a night out
with their friends.
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Pray for help and guidance as
they pull away and refuse to
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talk.
And then after many long
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sleepless nights, our kids
returned to us and we can talk
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and reason together and we’ve
got back into the conversations.
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Another person who wrote and
said I was very successful in
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school, top of my class concepts
came easily, always had good
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grades, helped my classmates.
And yet I was unable to find a
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job in my field for an
agonizingly long time.
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When I did find it, it was not
what I’d expected my hard work
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would have earned me.
I really struggled with
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decisions to stay or leave
because I was afraid to be a
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burden on my family.
And yet at every turn, God
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answered my prayers.
My most common prayer became I
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don’t know what to do, but my
eyes are on you.
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Or like this one here.
I’d asked if anyone was brazen
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up, brave enough to share some
of the tough questions of life
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that had rocked their faith, and
they said there was a divorce in
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our ecclesia years ago and it
divided the ecclesia.
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I was young, dumb, dumb and
happy, and when the angels
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decided to introduce us all to
the in the area to know how
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complicated life can be, I was
so disappointed in people for
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choosing the wrong side.
Not really that they’re
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realizing that there are no
right sides in eclusional life.
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To see your Sunday school
teachers be so needlessly cruel
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in a situation where everyone is
already hurting was shocking.
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Like crossing the road to kick
the man who’ve been beaten and
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robbed.
How could all those lessons be
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right when the teachers were so
wrong?
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And I, I picked the easy ones
for you guys to hear.
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I mean, it, it’s been really,
really interesting and really
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loving and, and helpful to, you
know, have so much talk.
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It’s, you know, it’s, it’s as
you can imagine, it’s
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emotionally and spiritually
draining to, you know, be open
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to to get up, to talk about
things that in front of 200 of
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your friends that you really
only have ever talked to your
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wife about.
But it’s been very encouraging
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to be here and to hear everyone
who’s surprise, surprise
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experienced similar things in
their life.
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I’ve been fortunate enough to
have had three brethren in my
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life.
We’ve acted as mentors.
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You probably know Brother Bob
Lloyd and Brother Ken
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Somerville.
They’re all they’re all passed
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away now, which tells you how
old I am.
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Some of this vice advice I
managed to follow, and some I
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have not.
Some of you might have known
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that the third brother, Brother
Wilfred Alene of the Handsworth
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Ecclesia in Birmingham.
Wilfred came into my life at the
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crucial age of 30, when I was
slowly, painfully, resistingly
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transitioning into an adult.
And I distinctly remember a late
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night conversation by a fire
where Wilford talked to me in
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his Guyanese accent.
And he said, don’t worry about
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being the teacher at the Bible
school, don’t worry about being
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the recording brother of the
ecclesia, don’t worry about
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being the chairman of the
committee.
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Just be.
And for 30 years I’ve been, you
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know, remembering that.
Just be.
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Just live your life quietly,
doing the best you can to serve
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the Lord where you are at that
moment.
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Focus on what you can do now,
not what you can do later.
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Don’t be overly concerned with
making great plans to tackle
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some massive spiritual project.
Instead, focus on what you can
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do today that’s useful.
The useful, not the great.
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That’s been my mantra in the
past year while preparing these
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classes.
They may not be great classes,
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but hopefully they’re useful.
I always used to feel that we’re
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required to rise up to some
major challenge in our life to
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serve our Lord.
And it’s a it’s a reasonable
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conclusion to come to if you
grew up reading the Bible.
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I realize now as I get older how
much of my worldview was
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established in Sunday school.
So if your opinion on what the
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the Bible is about was also
formed by flannel graphs, then
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you also have a natural
inclination to assume that it’s
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it’s all about performing some
great deed.
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I was happy and surprised to
learn when I grew up that
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quicksand didn’t play as big a
role in my life as it did when I
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was watching TV as a kid.
You know, all the time they were
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falling into quicksand, you
know, and all the time these
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flannel graphs were talking
about lions and tigers and bears
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and and jail sentences and, you
know, being burned at the stake.
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We had some nasty flannel
graphs.
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I remember once Noah spent 70
years building with his own
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hands a 450 foot long arc.
Moses parted the Red Sea.
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David kills a giant after
warming up with a lion and a
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bear.
And Paul.
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We talked about Paul whipped,
beaten, stoned, shipwreck,
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robbed, starved and dehydrated
Paul.
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And Jesus allowed himself to be
beaten and hung on a cross until
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he stopped breathing.
And Jeff flew all the way to
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Fort Wayne, IN and coach, I
mean, it was tough, but I made
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it.
You know, I realize I’ve lived a
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large portion of my life feeling
inadequate as a servant of
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Christ.
Like I’m just not doing enough.
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I’m falling short of what I’m
supposed to be doing, not living
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up to my Sunday school version
of what it means to be a servant
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of God.
And I realize now I couldn’t
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have been more wrong.
I’ve come to believe that God
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doesn’t expect me to slay
giants.
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He just wants me to be polite.
He just wants me to not gossip.
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He wants me to not be
judgmental.
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He wants me to care for the
destitute, the lonely, the
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widowed, the needy.
God isn’t looking for the great.
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He’s looking for the useful.
And he made that clear from the
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very beginning.
Remember the example of Abraham
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we’ve been talking about a week
long.
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The defining point of Abraham’s
life wasn’t him taking 318 of
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his men and hunting down A5
nation army and that overthrown
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Sodom and Gomorrah.
The defining point of his life
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wasn’t climbing Mount Moriah
with his son and and some wood
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and and matches and and a knife
in his hand only to be spared to
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have to sacrifice his son at the
very last moment.
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The defining point in his life
is just trusting in God,
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standing all alone in the middle
of night in the field and
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believing that what God had
promised him was going to come
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true.
That’s all God wants from us is
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for us to trust Him, to believe
that He actually does exist.
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And He does reward those who
seek Him.
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There are 3148 named characters
in the Bible.
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That team that won last night
knew all their names.
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If you only count the primary
characters who who play an
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important part in the story,
it’s 94.
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Four thousand years of history
being told through less than 100
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people.
What makes me think I’m going to
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be one of those 100?
Why not just be one of the
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millions of others who who lived
during those 4000 years?
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Honest, hard working, caring,
compassionate people.
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I spent so much of my life
worried that I’m not reading
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enough and not attending enough
classes.
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I’m not studying enough.
You know, study to show thyself
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approved my formative years as a
Christian.
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We’re sitting in a small Sunday
school room beneath a sign just
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like this one.
It was covered in dust and had
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it fallen once or once or two
times and it had a chip in it
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right.
Constantly reminded that I have
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to spend more time studying the
Bible.
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Consider these words.
This is obviously from the King
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James Jesus version because
that’s the one Jesus used study
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to show thyself approved unto
God a Workman that needeth not
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to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth.
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These are strong, active,
aggressive words, right?
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Study.
You have to have your nose in
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the word approved.
No one likes the sound of being
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not approved, right?
A Workman.
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It’s all about work.
You have to work Ashamed.
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If you don’t do this, you’re
going to be ashamed.
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You’re going to feel ashamed
rightly.
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I don’t know what dividing is,
but you have to do it right.
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Has to be rightly done.
And truth, the big one, the one
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single word that has defined my
life for 60 years.
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Not hope, not grace, not
forgiveness, not peace, not
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love, not mercy, not Jesus, but
truth, the most important thing.
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And there’s only one way to the
truth and it’s through constant
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and never ending study for the
rest of your life and, and, and
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and now, just for kicks, let’s
consider what my life would have
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been like if we’ve been reading
the message instead of the King
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James.
Concentrate on doing your best
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for God work.
You won’t be ashamed of laying
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out the truth, plain and simple.
Concentrate.
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Focus on these things.
Have these things as your goal.
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Do your best.
These are action words, things
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you can do.
Don’t be ashamed.
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Do something good, something
that pleases God, something
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plain, something simple.
The truth is plain.
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The truth is simple.
The truth doesn’t require a PhD
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to figure it out.
The truth doesn’t require a
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lifelong dedication to study to
understand it.
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The huge majority of Christians
through the past 2000 years
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never owned a Bible.
They never owned a single book
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because they couldn’t read.
Yet somehow we’ve come to look
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for academic mastery as a
prerequisite to be a part of our
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community.
It feels like our community has
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spent way too much time
concentrating on the statement
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of faith and not enough time
concentrating on the
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commandments of Christ.
We need a little less Martha
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running around back and forth,
going back and forth busying
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yourself with The Dirty dishes
in the kitchen, and more Mary
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being there for Jesus.
Consider with me, just for a
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moment, the commandments of
Christ.
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We aren’t called to build the
giant temple of gold.
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We aren’t being called to fight
an army of heathen.
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We aren’t even called to
memorize the Bible.
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We’re being called to love our
enemies.
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We’re being called to love your
neighbor as yourself.
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We’re being called to be humble,
to be patient, to be gentle, to
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be meek, to be kind hearted, to
be compassionate, to be
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merciful, to be forgiving, to be
sincere, to be temperate, to be
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washful, to be vigilant, to be
brave, to be joyful, to be
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courteous, to be strong, to be
humble.
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Literally, that is only four of
the 53 commandments of Christ
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that we have written in that
little book yet I don’t think
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I’ve ever read it.
I don’t think I’ve ever cracked
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it open.
I saw it and so I know all that.
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Let me focus on clause 22.
Of course, all these are in the
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Bible and we spend a lot of time
reading the Bible and I’m about
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to hit this button and share a
slide that I’m most nervous
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00:15:23,160 –> 00:15:27,080
about.
So please put your cameras away.
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00:15:34,760 –> 00:15:38,920
I truly and honestly believe
it’s essential that we have
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regular daily contact with God’s
word, daily contact with God’s
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word, in order to become more
like Him.
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But just some, not a lot.
Bible study is vital to
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00:15:51,720 –> 00:15:55,280
understanding God, but the whole
point is just be.
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Just be more like God, not spend
your whole life studying how to
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be more like him.
It’s not rocket science, people,
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00:16:10,480 –> 00:16:15,600
it’s simple, it’s plain.
Consider this first.
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Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly teaching and
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00:16:19,120 –> 00:16:23,800
admonishing one another and all
wisdom, singing songs and hymns
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and spiritual songs with thanks,
thankfulness in your hearts.
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That’s the purpose of the Bible.
That’s what doing the Bible
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00:16:32,840 –> 00:16:36,080
readings are supposed to do to
us versus the Basque and the and
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the richness and the beauty of
the simple truth.
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Don’t worry about, you know,
what that word is in Hebrew,
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what that word is in Greek.
Sing songs, sing hymns, sing
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spiritual songs.
Allow thankfulness to seep into
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your heart.
Don’t feel guilty because you’re
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not doing more.
God has blessed us with so much
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that we can’t help but feel
thankful.
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Fill your life with love.
Fill.
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Fill your life with goodness.
Let that goodness overflow and
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00:17:09,240 –> 00:17:13,119
fill other people’s hearts.
Make their day better.
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Let them see Jesus and the love
that you show.
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00:17:29,650 –> 00:17:31,330
Here’s some familiar words to us
all.
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If I speak in the tongues of men
and of angels, but have not
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00:17:36,120 –> 00:17:39,760
love, I’m a noisy gong or a
clanging symbol.
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00:17:40,240 –> 00:17:43,640
If I have prophetic powers and
understand all mysteries and all
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knowledge, and if I have all
faiths, those remove mountains
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but have not love.
I am nothing.
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At the end of the day, it’s not
about how much you know, it’s
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about how much you love.
Because love never ends.
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00:17:57,840 –> 00:18:00,000
As for the prophecies, they’re
going to pass away.
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00:18:00,200 –> 00:18:01,800
As for the tongues, they’re
going to stop.
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They’re going to cease.
As for knowledge, it will pass
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away.
At the end of the day, knowledge
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passes away, but love lasts.
That’s what’s really important.
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At the end of the day, it’s all
about love.
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That’s what we need to fill our
lives with.
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That’s what our life should be
about.
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00:18:24,280 –> 00:18:26,840
We need to share God’s love with
other people.
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00:18:27,040 –> 00:18:29,640
Oh no man, anything except to
love each other.
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00:18:30,240 –> 00:18:32,920
For the one who loves another
has fulfilled the law.
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Done.
Love does no wrong to a
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neighbor.
Therefore love is fulfilling the
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00:18:40,520 –> 00:18:42,240
law.
So fill your minds with good
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things.
Don’t save any room for anything
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00:18:44,520 –> 00:18:46,320
else.
Don’t waste any time trying to
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00:18:46,320 –> 00:18:48,320
sweep out the bad habits.
They’re just going to return
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00:18:48,320 –> 00:18:52,080
with seven of their friends.
Just fill your life with good,
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00:18:52,920 –> 00:18:56,040
fill your minds with good.
Whatever is true, whatever is
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honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is
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lovely, whatever is commendable,
if there’s any excellence, if
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00:19:02,560 –> 00:19:06,920
there’s anything worthy of
praise, just think about those
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things.
I started out this week telling
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you to don’t do the Bible
readings, but do the Bible
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00:19:14,760 –> 00:19:17,280
readings.
Stop thinking that you’re
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00:19:17,280 –> 00:19:20,320
serving God by simply following
a daily reading plan and start
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00:19:20,320 –> 00:19:23,040
filling your life with the kinds
of things that are written about
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00:19:23,040 –> 00:19:27,200
in that daily reading plan.
Do the readings.
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00:19:27,200 –> 00:19:28,840
That’s what James is telling us.
He says.
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00:19:28,960 –> 00:19:33,400
Be doers of the Word and not
studiers only.
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00:19:35,800 –> 00:19:38,000
I love how the message translate
that, he says.
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00:19:38,360 –> 00:19:41,840
And James too, he says, Dear
friends, do you think you’ll get
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00:19:41,840 –> 00:19:45,440
anywhere with God if you learn
all the right words but never do
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00:19:45,440 –> 00:19:49,840
anything?
Does merely talking about faith
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00:19:50,200 –> 00:19:52,200
indicate that a person really
has it?
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00:20:00,270 –> 00:20:03,950
The faith that we proclaim to
have, that that faith raised,
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00:20:04,270 –> 00:20:08,750
that God raised Jesus from the
dead and through death forgives
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00:20:08,750 –> 00:20:12,630
our sins, that that faith has to
have some kind of effect upon
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00:20:12,630 –> 00:20:14,510
us.
It has to motivate us.
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00:20:14,510 –> 00:20:17,670
It has to inspire us.
It has to lead us into action.
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00:20:18,000 –> 00:20:20,480
When we keep reading in James,
we read if her brother and
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00:20:20,480 –> 00:20:23,440
sister is poorly clothed and
lacking in daily food and one of
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00:20:23,440 –> 00:20:26,240
you says to him, oh go, go in
peace, God bless you, you know,
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00:20:26,240 –> 00:20:29,760
be warm, be filled without
giving them the things needed
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00:20:29,760 –> 00:20:33,480
for the body.
What good is that so awful?
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00:20:33,560 –> 00:20:37,680
Also faith itself by itself, if
it doesn’t have works is dead.
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00:20:39,440 –> 00:20:43,800
It’s dead.
Faith in God’s ability to extend
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00:20:43,800 –> 00:20:48,120
His mercy to us and justify us
in his sight without actions
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00:20:48,280 –> 00:20:51,040
that are prompted and motivated
out of appreciation for that
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00:20:51,040 –> 00:20:55,760
kind of great gift is dead.
If you really believe that, but
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00:20:55,760 –> 00:20:59,480
don’t do anything about that,
it’s useless.
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We have to act.
We have to produce something
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00:21:02,160 –> 00:21:04,920
good out of our lives.
We can’t just expect God to
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00:21:04,920 –> 00:21:08,040
remove all the bad from our
lives and and like what He sees.
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00:21:08,560 –> 00:21:11,600
We actually have to make
something good out of our lives.
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00:21:11,600 –> 00:21:14,800
So when he removes the evil,
there’s something that remains.
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00:21:16,520 –> 00:21:19,920
We have to do some good.
Was not Abraham our father
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00:21:19,920 –> 00:21:22,200
justified by works?
We now for up his son Isaac on
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00:21:22,200 –> 00:21:24,480
the altar.
You see that faith was active
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00:21:24,480 –> 00:21:27,840
along with his works and faith
was completed by his works.
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00:21:28,080 –> 00:21:30,680
A person is justified by works,
not by faith alone.
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00:21:31,000 –> 00:21:36,440
God wants us to do something
with our lives, not spending our
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00:21:36,440 –> 00:21:38,200
whole life just worrying about
sin.
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00:21:38,400 –> 00:21:42,120
He’s taking care of that, but
doing something good and
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00:21:42,120 –> 00:21:45,320
productive, doing something
useful.
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00:21:47,720 –> 00:21:51,160
For as the body apart from the
Spirit is dead, so also faith
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00:21:51,520 –> 00:21:56,240
apart from works is dead.
God’s given us this life for
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00:21:56,240 –> 00:22:00,160
this purpose.
We’ve been made alive.
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00:22:00,280 –> 00:22:05,080
We were dead in our sins, and we
gave us a new life specifically
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00:22:05,080 –> 00:22:08,280
for the purpose of serving Him
with good works.
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00:22:10,560 –> 00:22:14,360
It is the useful, not the great,
that God wants from us.
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00:22:14,520 –> 00:22:17,520
He isn’t calling us to slay
Dragons and defeat armies.
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00:22:17,880 –> 00:22:21,640
He’s chosen us for our weakness,
to show forth His strength.
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00:22:22,200 –> 00:22:26,760
He simply wants us to find
useful, encouraging, uplifting,
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00:22:26,920 –> 00:22:32,120
helpful things to do for the
people around us to reflect some
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00:22:32,120 –> 00:22:33,880
of the love that He has given
us.
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00:22:36,000 –> 00:22:38,960
What do you do in your life
that’s useful?
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00:22:40,600 –> 00:22:44,040
That should be an easy question,
but for me it wasn’t.
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00:22:45,800 –> 00:22:48,320
It’s definitely a lot easier
than what do you do in your
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00:22:48,320 –> 00:22:49,200
life?
That’s great.
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00:22:50,840 –> 00:22:54,000
But maybe we’ve been too focused
on Bible classes and Bible
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00:22:54,000 –> 00:22:56,600
studies and Bible seminars and
Bible schools and Bible reading
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00:22:56,600 –> 00:22:59,120
and Bible bingo.
We haven’t spent as much time
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00:23:00,040 –> 00:23:04,800
that we should have on doing
something useful for someone
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00:23:04,920 –> 00:23:09,160
right next to us, something
helpful for someone, something
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00:23:09,160 –> 00:23:12,520
kind for someone, something for
someone.
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00:23:17,980 –> 00:23:20,780
I remember a story from when I
was a child that you might find
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00:23:20,780 –> 00:23:23,140
helpful.
It’s kind of politically
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00:23:23,140 –> 00:23:25,060
incorrect now.
But yeah, if you remember, I’m
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00:23:25,060 –> 00:23:29,940
from the 70s and I grew up in
the country, and it’s a story
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00:23:29,940 –> 00:23:33,380
about a young boy and a big man
who go into the woods hunting
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00:23:33,380 –> 00:23:36,240
together.
And the boy says, when I get
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00:23:36,240 –> 00:23:38,080
bigger, I’m going to shoot a Big
Bear.
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00:23:38,720 –> 00:23:41,800
And the man says, there’s small
bears in the forest, too.
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00:23:41,800 –> 00:23:48,280
You know, it feels like we often
spend our whole life preparing
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00:23:48,280 –> 00:23:50,880
to do something really big for
the Lord.
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00:23:51,640 –> 00:23:54,760
We’re waiting until we’ve honed
these amazing skills and
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00:23:54,760 –> 00:23:56,840
developed a deeper
understanding.
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00:23:57,080 –> 00:23:59,960
We look at people around us who,
you know, are rescuing children
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00:23:59,960 –> 00:24:02,320
from human traffickers and
feeding babies.
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00:24:02,320 –> 00:24:05,520
And, and we think, you know,
maybe when I retire, if I have
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00:24:05,520 –> 00:24:08,680
enough money and enough time,
I’ll do something like that.
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00:24:08,680 –> 00:24:10,640
I’ll do something big.
I’ll do something good.
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00:24:12,120 –> 00:24:14,640
In fact, the matter is that you
have something you can
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00:24:14,640 –> 00:24:17,720
contribute right now.
No matter where you are in your
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00:24:17,720 –> 00:24:20,920
life, no matter your age, no
matter your finances, no matter
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00:24:20,920 –> 00:24:23,840
your intelligence or your
spiritual understanding, you
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00:24:23,840 –> 00:24:25,800
were put on earth to make a
contribution.
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00:24:28,000 –> 00:24:31,480
God didn’t create you simply to
consume resources and take up
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00:24:31,480 –> 00:24:35,520
space.
You were created to get stuff
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00:24:35,520 –> 00:24:38,360
done.
God designed you to make a
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00:24:38,360 –> 00:24:41,960
difference with your life, and
God wants you to give something
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00:24:41,960 –> 00:24:45,520
back to those around you.
You can’t just sit back and
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00:24:45,720 –> 00:24:49,920
watch others do it.
I have many favorite sayings
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00:24:49,920 –> 00:24:52,560
from Pastor Rick Warren.
You’ve probably noticed them,
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00:24:52,560 –> 00:24:54,440
some of the some some of them
this week.
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00:24:54,720 –> 00:24:58,960
But one of my favorites is study
without service leads to
368
00:24:58,960 –> 00:25:04,120
stagnation.
Study without service leads to
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00:25:04,120 –> 00:25:05,880
stagnation.
The whole reason we study the
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00:25:05,880 –> 00:25:08,920
Word of God is to learn better
how to serve those around us.
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00:25:09,520 –> 00:25:12,520
But if we never put that service
into action, we never mature.
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00:25:12,600 –> 00:25:16,320
We never grow, we never become
who God wants us to become.
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00:25:16,480 –> 00:25:25,160
We stagnate, we plateau.
I got baptized in my ecclesia.
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00:25:25,160 –> 00:25:27,200
It was considered young.
It was considered kind of
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00:25:27,760 –> 00:25:30,440
uncomfortably young.
It was 16, which I don’t think
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00:25:30,440 –> 00:25:33,040
is that young, but I got
baptized at 16.
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00:25:34,720 –> 00:25:36,480
Pretty sure I plateaued about
30.
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00:25:41,640 –> 00:25:43,840
Don’t look for another Bible
study in your ecclesia.
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00:25:44,720 –> 00:25:47,160
Look for an opportunity where
you can serve.
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00:25:47,960 –> 00:25:51,240
Exercise your muscles.
Serving is the opposite of our
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00:25:51,240 –> 00:25:53,840
natural inclination.
You normally look to ecclesia to
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00:25:53,840 –> 00:25:55,800
meet your needs.
I think we should look to the
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00:25:55,800 –> 00:25:57,800
community to see what needs need
to be met.
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00:25:59,360 –> 00:26:01,680
I love to talk about gifts.
I talk about gifts a lot and
385
00:26:01,680 –> 00:26:04,520
whenever I do, I can literally
see people shifting in their
386
00:26:04,520 –> 00:26:05,720
seats, right?
We get a little bit
387
00:26:05,720 –> 00:26:08,200
uncomfortable when we touch
talking, talking about gifts.
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00:26:08,640 –> 00:26:12,120
I believe that God gives every
one of us a gift.
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00:26:13,160 –> 00:26:15,920
Not every one of us gets the
same gift, but every one of us
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00:26:15,920 –> 00:26:21,640
gets a gift.
In whatever way you’ve come to
391
00:26:21,640 –> 00:26:24,480
understand the verses about
gifts in the New Testament, I
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00:26:24,480 –> 00:26:28,240
don’t think you can deny them.
You may not believe in the Holy
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00:26:28,240 –> 00:26:31,560
Spirit gifts.
We may not no longer have gifts
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00:26:31,560 –> 00:26:34,520
like healing or the gifts of
tongue, but the Bible speaks
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00:26:34,520 –> 00:26:36,160
about all different kinds of
gifts.
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00:26:36,920 –> 00:26:40,000
Administration.
What it takes to run a Bible
397
00:26:40,000 –> 00:26:44,120
school.
Exhortation What it takes to get
398
00:26:44,120 –> 00:26:47,400
upfront and encourage people
giving.
399
00:26:47,600 –> 00:26:51,080
The gift of giving.
What it takes to be able to
400
00:26:51,080 –> 00:26:54,640
realize that you can live
without $5000 and you can give
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00:26:54,640 –> 00:26:58,680
that to someone who can use it.
The gift of knowledge.
402
00:26:59,600 –> 00:27:02,360
The gift of leadership.
Gift of mercy.
403
00:27:02,360 –> 00:27:04,840
The gift of service.
The gift of teaching.
404
00:27:04,840 –> 00:27:08,240
The gift of wisdom.
I believe that the power of God
405
00:27:08,240 –> 00:27:11,240
through His Holy Spirit is a
fundamental part of my life and
406
00:27:11,240 –> 00:27:14,560
a fundamental part of your life.
If I didn’t believe that the
407
00:27:14,560 –> 00:27:18,200
Holy Spirit was still at work
and the ecclesia today, then why
408
00:27:18,200 –> 00:27:21,880
would I pray before an
exhortation for God to be with
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00:27:21,880 –> 00:27:24,440
the speaking brothers so that
His words may be your words?
410
00:27:24,720 –> 00:27:27,040
Are we just saying that?
Do we really believe that the
411
00:27:27,040 –> 00:27:31,840
Holy Spirit is going to help
that person exhort us with the
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00:27:31,840 –> 00:27:34,040
message God wants us to be
exhorted with?
413
00:27:37,600 –> 00:27:40,480
I believe that God does give us
gifts.
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00:27:41,160 –> 00:27:44,400
We don’t get them all.
We all get different ones.
415
00:27:45,040 –> 00:27:48,040
Ephesians says grace was given
to each one of us according to
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00:27:48,040 –> 00:27:51,800
the measure of Christ’s gift.
God planned it that way so we
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00:27:51,800 –> 00:27:55,200
would feel the need for each
other, so we would we would
418
00:27:55,200 –> 00:27:57,360
realize each other have
benefits.
419
00:27:58,000 –> 00:27:59,800
You don’t earn the gifts you’re
given.
420
00:27:59,800 –> 00:28:02,200
You don’t deserve them.
You can’t choose them.
421
00:28:03,040 –> 00:28:08,120
You’re you’re given it as a gift
and it’s an integral factor of
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00:28:08,120 –> 00:28:10,560
who you are.
Your gifts are influenced by
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00:28:10,560 –> 00:28:13,680
your passions.
The Bible uses a nicer term for
424
00:28:13,680 –> 00:28:15,280
passion.
It uses the term heart.
425
00:28:16,600 –> 00:28:20,240
Heart is that that bundle of
desires and hopes and interests
426
00:28:20,240 –> 00:28:24,080
and ambitions and dreams and
affections that each one of us
427
00:28:24,080 –> 00:28:26,880
have.
There are things that you love
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00:28:26,880 –> 00:28:28,880
to do.
What does Peter love to do?
429
00:28:30,480 –> 00:28:32,640
We know what Peter loves to do.
I love to play.
430
00:28:33,960 –> 00:28:37,880
He loves music.
These are things that you love
431
00:28:37,880 –> 00:28:39,160
to do and what you care most
about.
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00:28:39,360 –> 00:28:42,600
Now, the problem is you think
that I love something kind of
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00:28:42,600 –> 00:28:44,720
weird, and that’s not.
I can’t really serve God with
434
00:28:44,720 –> 00:28:46,680
that.
Whatever God gave you, you can
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00:28:46,680 –> 00:28:54,760
use to serve that, whether it’s
turning wood or I couldn’t think
436
00:28:54,760 –> 00:28:56,880
of a cute turn or phrase there
or turning a phrase.
437
00:28:56,880 –> 00:28:58,320
Oh, that’s a good one.
Good job, Jeff.
438
00:29:04,920 –> 00:29:07,720
Your heart reveals the true you,
right?
439
00:29:08,320 –> 00:29:12,400
Your heart determines what you
say, what you do, why you feel
440
00:29:12,400 –> 00:29:15,440
the way you do.
Got to want you to use your
441
00:29:15,440 –> 00:29:20,960
natural interest to serve Him.
God wants you to do what you
442
00:29:20,960 –> 00:29:24,080
feel most passionate about.
When you’re serving God with
443
00:29:24,080 –> 00:29:26,800
passion, you’re going to be very
enthusiastic about it.
444
00:29:26,920 –> 00:29:29,160
You’re not going to have to drag
yourself out of bed in the
445
00:29:29,160 –> 00:29:31,320
morning to do it.
You’re going to do it for the
446
00:29:31,600 –> 00:29:35,080
sheer enjoyment of doing it, and
you’re going to be effective at
447
00:29:35,080 –> 00:29:38,240
it.
Few people excel at things
448
00:29:38,240 –> 00:29:41,720
they’re not passionate about.
When you do what God wanted you
449
00:29:41,720 –> 00:29:48,080
to do, you get good at it.
Now, not all these gifts are
450
00:29:48,080 –> 00:29:50,280
things that you would consider
spiritual.
451
00:29:52,080 –> 00:29:55,400
For example, I love
spreadsheets.
452
00:29:56,880 –> 00:30:00,400
I just love them, right?
That the OCD part of my brain
453
00:30:00,600 –> 00:30:04,040
really connects with the beauty
and the symmetry of everything
454
00:30:04,040 –> 00:30:07,800
being all lined up and perfect
little rows and columns.
455
00:30:09,080 –> 00:30:12,200
And I love math.
So a spreadsheet is like this,
456
00:30:12,600 –> 00:30:16,760
this love child of math and OCD,
you know, it’s, it’s a, it’s the
457
00:30:16,760 –> 00:30:19,120
perfect recipe for my happiness,
right?
458
00:30:19,720 –> 00:30:22,080
And I’m pretty sure you’re not
going to find a Bible verse that
459
00:30:22,080 –> 00:30:26,480
talks about that kind of a gift.
It’s clearly not a spiritual
460
00:30:26,480 –> 00:30:31,160
gift, but I love it and I find
ways that I can use it to serve
461
00:30:31,160 –> 00:30:33,480
God.
I can use it to help others.
462
00:30:33,800 –> 00:30:36,680
Abilities are your natural
talents you’re born with.
463
00:30:36,680 –> 00:30:39,440
Abilities are are also given to
us from God.
464
00:30:39,640 –> 00:30:42,560
And every one of your abilities
can be used for God’s glory.
465
00:30:43,520 –> 00:30:46,680
God has a place where your
special passion can shine.
466
00:30:46,680 –> 00:30:50,520
You just have to find it.
Your abilities are not given to
467
00:30:50,520 –> 00:30:52,000
you just to learn, earn a
living.
468
00:30:52,240 –> 00:30:54,360
God gave them to you so you
could help other people.
469
00:30:55,120 –> 00:30:56,800
He wants you to find a good use
for them.
470
00:30:57,360 –> 00:30:59,720
And everyone is different so
your service is going to be
471
00:30:59,720 –> 00:31:01,160
different than other people’s
service.
472
00:31:01,680 –> 00:31:04,480
Don’t compare what you do with
what they do.
473
00:31:05,040 –> 00:31:07,600
That’s going to make you feel
dissatisfied with what you know,
474
00:31:07,600 –> 00:31:09,240
what you are, what God has given
you.
475
00:31:10,400 –> 00:31:13,040
No one likes to give a gift to
someone have them not enjoy it.
476
00:31:13,680 –> 00:31:15,920
It’s the same way with God.
There’s there’s no need being
477
00:31:15,920 –> 00:31:17,920
resentful or jealous of others
gifts.
478
00:31:18,200 –> 00:31:19,520
They thought that person’s not
you.
479
00:31:20,600 –> 00:31:22,360
They may have troubles that you
don’t want.
480
00:31:24,000 –> 00:31:25,640
They don’t have the same gifts
you have.
481
00:31:27,000 –> 00:31:29,880
And it’s obvious to me that God
loves variety.
482
00:31:30,880 –> 00:31:33,320
How else can you explain the
duck billed platypus, right?
483
00:31:33,800 –> 00:31:37,240
God designed introverts and he
designed extroverts.
484
00:31:38,040 –> 00:31:41,200
God designed people who love
routine and people who love
485
00:31:41,200 –> 00:31:44,280
variety.
God designed some people as
486
00:31:44,280 –> 00:31:47,320
thinkers, other people as more
touchy feely.
487
00:31:48,200 –> 00:31:51,680
God designed people who work
best on individual assignment
488
00:31:52,000 –> 00:31:54,080
and he designed people who work
best on a team.
489
00:31:55,360 –> 00:31:59,120
Your personality is going to
determine you know how you how
490
00:31:59,120 –> 00:32:03,440
you work and and and where you
you use your gift and your
491
00:32:03,440 –> 00:32:08,120
abilities. 2 people might have
the same gift but there are
492
00:32:08,120 –> 00:32:10,640
different personalities.
Allow them to express that in
493
00:32:10,640 –> 00:32:14,280
different way.
One thing that affects what you
494
00:32:14,280 –> 00:32:16,640
do with your ability is your
experiences that you live
495
00:32:16,640 –> 00:32:20,240
through.
You’ve been shaped by all the
496
00:32:20,240 –> 00:32:22,240
experiences in your life that
brought you to where you are
497
00:32:22,240 –> 00:32:24,360
today.
God allowed them to happen to
498
00:32:24,360 –> 00:32:27,480
you in order to mold you, to
change you, to develop you.
499
00:32:29,480 –> 00:32:31,480
Many types of experiences affect
us.
500
00:32:32,280 –> 00:32:35,680
Our family experiences, our
educational experiences, our
501
00:32:35,680 –> 00:32:38,920
work experiences, our spiritual
experiences, our eclesial
502
00:32:38,920 –> 00:32:42,320
experiences.
But there’s one type of
503
00:32:42,320 –> 00:32:47,440
experience that affects us more
than any other painful
504
00:32:47,440 –> 00:32:50,400
experiences.
I’ve heard plenty of those this
505
00:32:50,400 –> 00:32:53,640
week.
I’ve sat with people at lunch
506
00:32:53,640 –> 00:32:58,600
and at breakfast and at dinner
who told me the unbelievable
507
00:32:59,800 –> 00:33:02,680
painful things that have had the
traumatic things that happened.
508
00:33:02,840 –> 00:33:05,000
Things that some of them I don’t
think I’ve even realized yet.
509
00:33:06,800 –> 00:33:09,720
You’re probably going to be most
effective in serving the needs
510
00:33:09,720 –> 00:33:13,320
of others, an area that you’ve
had a painful experience in the
511
00:33:13,320 –> 00:33:17,080
past.
God intentionally allows you to
512
00:33:17,080 –> 00:33:21,360
go through painful experiences
in order to equip you to help
513
00:33:21,360 –> 00:33:24,240
others.
That’s what Corinthians says.
514
00:33:24,240 –> 00:33:27,160
God comes alongside us when we
go through hard times, and
515
00:33:27,160 –> 00:33:29,760
before you know it, He brings us
a lot, brings us alongside
516
00:33:29,760 –> 00:33:32,600
someone else who’s going through
hard times so that we can be
517
00:33:32,600 –> 00:33:35,440
there for that person just as
God was there for us.
518
00:33:37,440 –> 00:33:40,640
Experiences in your life haven’t
simply happened to you randomly.
519
00:33:40,640 –> 00:33:45,360
It didn’t just happen by chance.
God brought them into your life
520
00:33:45,560 –> 00:33:49,040
because He knew that you could
handle them and He wanted you to
521
00:33:49,040 –> 00:34:01,430
learn something by them.
I’ve been so impressed with Lynn
522
00:34:01,430 –> 00:34:03,990
sitting next to Pat today all
week long.
523
00:34:15,270 –> 00:34:18,989
For God to use your painful
experiences, you have to be
524
00:34:18,989 –> 00:34:22,949
willing to share them.
Happy, willing to open up
525
00:34:23,960 –> 00:34:26,880
honestly talk about your
failures and your fears and your
526
00:34:26,880 –> 00:34:34,810
faults.
People are always more
527
00:34:34,810 –> 00:34:37,969
encouraged when you share how
God’s grace helped you and your
528
00:34:37,969 –> 00:34:41,250
weakness than when you brag
about your strengths.
529
00:34:44,370 –> 00:34:49,570
Experience is not just what
happens to you, it’s what you do
530
00:34:50,170 –> 00:34:56,560
with what happens to you.
So take your gifts and take your
531
00:34:56,560 –> 00:35:00,680
abilities and your passions and
your experiences, your painful,
532
00:35:01,320 –> 00:35:07,760
ugly, dirty, sad experiences and
do something good with it.
533
00:35:09,520 –> 00:35:13,680
Do something useful.
It really is that simple.
534
00:35:15,080 –> 00:35:18,360
And I can literally hear you
thinking, oh, what am I going to
535
00:35:18,360 –> 00:35:24,320
do?
What you do is a byproduct of
536
00:35:24,320 –> 00:35:28,280
who you are.
So maybe I should say, instead
537
00:35:28,280 –> 00:35:32,160
of saying go do something, I
should say, be something.
538
00:35:34,600 –> 00:35:38,600
Be the kind of person that
assumes the best about other
539
00:35:38,600 –> 00:35:43,040
people.
Be the kind of person that
540
00:35:43,040 –> 00:35:46,480
doesn’t cast other people in a
negative light.
541
00:35:48,560 –> 00:35:52,560
Be the kind of person that
listens to other people’s ideas.
542
00:35:54,400 –> 00:35:56,640
Be the kind of person that keeps
their promises.
543
00:35:58,560 –> 00:36:00,440
Be the kind of person that’s oh,
Jeff.
544
00:36:01,400 –> 00:36:04,120
Be the kind of person that’s
generous with their time.
545
00:36:07,120 –> 00:36:10,200
Be the kind of person that
doesn’t say, well, let me know
546
00:36:10,200 –> 00:36:14,400
if you need anything, but
instead says I’m coming by on
547
00:36:14,400 –> 00:36:20,320
Thursday to mow your lawn.
Be the kind of person that takes
548
00:36:20,320 –> 00:36:23,640
their dog to the hospital to
visit people who are lying on
549
00:36:23,640 –> 00:36:29,920
their beds, lonely and scared.
Be the kind of person that sews
550
00:36:29,920 –> 00:36:34,200
A quilt for a newborn so their
parents can bring them home in
551
00:36:34,200 –> 00:36:38,800
something handmade.
Be the kind of person that
552
00:36:38,800 –> 00:36:44,520
brings cookies to the office.
Be the kind of person that sends
553
00:36:44,520 –> 00:36:48,880
a care package to a soldier
who’s far from home.
554
00:36:51,800 –> 00:36:55,800
Be the kind of person that drops
off some packs of socks at the
555
00:36:55,800 –> 00:36:59,720
shelter.
Be the kind of person that
556
00:36:59,720 –> 00:37:02,120
washes their neighbor’s car when
they’re at washing theirs.
557
00:37:04,960 –> 00:37:07,920
Be the kind of person that lets
someone go ahead of you in the
558
00:37:07,920 –> 00:37:12,640
checkout lane.
Be the kind of person that picks
559
00:37:12,640 –> 00:37:16,200
up litter.
Be the kind of person leaves a
560
00:37:16,200 –> 00:37:21,640
large tip.
Be the kind of person that
561
00:37:21,640 –> 00:37:24,320
leaves a positive comment on a
blog.
562
00:37:27,520 –> 00:37:30,240
Be the kind of person that
learns people’s names and calls
563
00:37:30,240 –> 00:37:35,480
them by their name.
Be the kind of person that gives
564
00:37:35,480 –> 00:37:40,160
blood.
Be the kind of person that
565
00:37:40,160 –> 00:37:43,880
volunteers at the animal shelter
picking up you know what?
566
00:37:46,880 –> 00:37:49,280
Be the kind of person that let
others go in front of you in
567
00:37:49,280 –> 00:37:53,760
traffic.
Be the kind of person who visits
568
00:37:53,760 –> 00:37:56,960
with the cleaning staff or the
grocery bagger.
569
00:37:59,760 –> 00:38:02,080
Be the kind of person that gives
away the vegetables they grew in
570
00:38:02,080 –> 00:38:06,800
their garden.
Be the kind of person that gives
571
00:38:06,880 –> 00:38:09,720
restaurant gift cards to the
unhoused.
572
00:38:12,160 –> 00:38:15,160
Be the kind of person that
donates books to the library.
573
00:38:16,080 –> 00:38:20,360
Good books.
Be the kind of person that holds
574
00:38:20,360 –> 00:38:22,480
the door for the people behind
you.
575
00:38:25,440 –> 00:38:28,720
Be the kind of person that talks
to that awkward person standing
576
00:38:28,720 –> 00:38:34,400
over in the corner.
Be the kind of person who speaks
577
00:38:34,400 –> 00:38:36,240
up for someone being treated
wrongly.
578
00:38:37,880 –> 00:38:40,960
Be the kind of person that takes
the time to write a great review
579
00:38:41,080 –> 00:38:43,600
when it’s appropriate.
Be the kind of person that makes
580
00:38:43,600 –> 00:38:47,760
friends with the new employee.
Be the kind of person that
581
00:38:47,760 –> 00:38:51,600
shaves the shares the leftover
lasagna in the refrigerator.
582
00:38:53,560 –> 00:38:56,440
Be the kind of person that lends
their tools to somebody.
583
00:38:59,440 –> 00:39:01,880
Be the kind of person that lets
people crash on your couch.
584
00:39:03,800 –> 00:39:07,040
Be the kind of person that plays
hoop with the kids at the after
585
00:39:07,040 –> 00:39:11,040
school program.
Be the kind of kid person that
586
00:39:11,040 –> 00:39:13,080
tutors their neighbor’s kid in
geometry.
587
00:39:15,480 –> 00:39:18,760
Be the kind of person does pro
bono work for a non profit.
588
00:39:20,920 –> 00:39:23,560
Be the kind of person that
shares positive books that they
589
00:39:23,560 –> 00:39:27,320
found helpful.
Be the kind of person that calls
590
00:39:27,320 –> 00:39:29,560
someone they haven’t talked to
in a long time.
591
00:39:32,040 –> 00:39:35,000
Be the kind of person that sends
flowers to someone in the
592
00:39:35,000 –> 00:39:38,520
hospital.
Be the kind of person that
593
00:39:38,520 –> 00:39:41,440
babysits so the young couple can
have a date night.
594
00:39:43,640 –> 00:39:46,280
Be the kind of person that
always offers a cup of tea.
595
00:39:48,760 –> 00:39:51,880
Be the kind of person that says
good morning and means it.
596
00:39:54,640 –> 00:39:58,400
Be the kind of person that gives
their seat to the elderly or the
597
00:39:58,400 –> 00:40:02,720
pregnant.
Be the kind of person who helps
598
00:40:02,720 –> 00:40:04,920
a mother carry her stroller up
the stairs.
599
00:40:06,280 –> 00:40:10,480
Be the kind of person that pays
for the coffee for the person
600
00:40:10,480 –> 00:40:13,400
behind you.
That’s all you have to do.
601
00:40:14,760 –> 00:40:17,680
God’s not really expecting you
to cure the common cold.
602
00:40:18,800 –> 00:40:21,360
He’s not planning some huge
challenge you’re going to have
603
00:40:21,360 –> 00:40:24,800
to tackle.
What God has planned for your
604
00:40:24,800 –> 00:40:29,360
future doesn’t require years and
years of study to prepare for.
605
00:40:32,600 –> 00:40:38,360
We’ve all read the verse due to
others as you would have them do
606
00:40:38,360 –> 00:40:44,600
to you.
Maybe we just need to see one
607
00:40:44,600 –> 00:40:47,560
more bumper sticker and just do
it.
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