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Speaker 1: The fact that Israel exists, the fact that it's in

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Speaker 1: the news, the fact that it's in the headlines, the

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Speaker 1: fact that we're talking about it today. It's proof that

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Speaker 1: God exists. It's proof that the Bible is true. It's

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Speaker 1: proof that the prophets are real, and they're true, and

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Speaker 1: they're literal. We ought to pay attention to them.

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Speaker 2: How should Christians respond as wars and rumors of wars

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Speaker 2: continue to dominate the Middle East? And what is God

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Speaker 2: doing spiritually throughout Israel and her neighbors in the midst

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Speaker 2: of conflict, uncertainty, and growing hostility towards both the Jewish

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Speaker 2: people and the Christians who love them. Hi, and Welcome

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Speaker 2: to Inside the Epicenter with Joel and Lynn Rosenberg. This

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Speaker 2: is a podcast of the Joshua Fund, a ministry to

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Speaker 2: bless Israel in her neighbors in the name of Jesus.

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Speaker 2: In today's special episode, Joel shares a timely message from

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Speaker 2: our recent visit to a wonderful church in Aurora, Colorado.

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Speaker 2: We had a chance to visit Joel's family in the area,

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Speaker 2: gather together some of our wonderful Joshu Fund donors to

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Speaker 2: thank them and update them and the pastor of this

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Speaker 2: church in Colorado served on our board and invited Joel

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Speaker 2: to teach. So that's always such a wonderful invitation, and

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Speaker 2: we were glad to be having this time in America

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Speaker 2: just to get some fresh air and to be a

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Speaker 2: little bit outside of the region. So we're going to

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Speaker 2: share this sermon with you today, where Joel explored how

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Speaker 2: believers can faithfully navigate both the geopolitical realities and the

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Speaker 2: spiritual realities which are shaping the epicenter while Israel continues

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Speaker 2: to face unprecedented ideological attacks and military attacks. Joel explains

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Speaker 2: why this difficult season has also created an extraordinary openness

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Speaker 2: to the Gospel among both Jews and Muslims, so everyone

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Speaker 2: really in the epicenter. From scripture and remarkable stories from

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Speaker 2: Joshua Funds twenty years in ministry, Joel challenges Christians to

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Speaker 2: respond with prayer, with humility, confidence in God's word, and

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Speaker 2: a renewed commitment to the Great Commission. So here is

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Speaker 2: joel sermon.

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Speaker 1: We are living in challenging times. I think it's fair

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Speaker 1: to say President Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin net

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Speaker 1: Yapu at the White House this week this past week

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Speaker 1: talking about what are the geopolitical realities in the Middle

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Speaker 1: East right now, in that very tense corridor between Tel

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Speaker 1: Aviv and Tehran, between Israel and Iran and all the

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Speaker 1: neighboring areas. What are the geopolitical realities in the Middle East,

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Speaker 1: and how do we work together the United States and

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Speaker 1: Israel to win this war.

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Speaker 3: That's an important conversation to have.

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Speaker 1: Had, and we need to be praying for God to

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Speaker 1: grant wisdom and unity to our leaders in both countries.

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Speaker 1: I'm a dual US Israeli citizen, as my mom well,

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Speaker 1: oh no it's not my mom. My parents are just

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Speaker 1: as Americans and God bless them. But my wife and

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Speaker 1: I are duel Israeli citizens and US and as our

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Speaker 1: sons four sons, and so we're really praying for both leaders.

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Speaker 1: You know, we have a bullseye on the front and

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Speaker 1: the back as Americans and Israelis, especially these days. But

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Speaker 1: this morning, as important as the geopolitical realities in the

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Speaker 1: Middle least are a region I call the epicenter. I

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Speaker 1: want to talk about the spiritual realities in the region.

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Speaker 1: I want to talk about how do we work together

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Speaker 1: to win the war to advance the Gospel to make

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Speaker 1: sure that everyone in that televive to Tehran corridor has

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Speaker 1: a chance to hear the good news of salvation, the

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Speaker 1: good news of peace, of hope, of light, of freedom

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Speaker 1: in Christ, and have an opportunity not only to hear

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Speaker 1: the good news the God's plan of salvation in their

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Speaker 1: heart language, but to be able to make a decision

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Speaker 1: for or against Jesus, hopefully.

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Speaker 3: For that's what we want to talk about today.

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Speaker 1: I like to therefore, you know, I guess in the

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Speaker 1: sense of what I'm saying is I'd like to talk

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Speaker 1: about how do we navigate How does the Church navigate

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Speaker 1: talking about war, rumors of war, and the Gospel in

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Speaker 1: these critical days?

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Speaker 3: How does the Church provide.

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Speaker 1: Hope and light and the peace of Christ to a

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Speaker 1: region filled with discouragement, darkness, violence and fear. You know,

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Speaker 1: since October seventh, twenty twenty three, Israel has been under

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Speaker 1: tack that particular day, and Len and I we live

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Speaker 1: in Israel. We were there that day when all hell

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Speaker 1: broke lose. That's not a euphemism, that's not an analogy.

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Speaker 1: All hell broke loose against us as five thousand Hamas

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Speaker 1: terrorists stormed into Israel and butchered Jews on that border,

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Speaker 1: murdered them, raped them, slaughtered them, beheaded them, set whole

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Speaker 1: families Holocaust survivors, set their homes on fire, and.

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Speaker 3: They burned alive in those homes.

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Speaker 1: Twelve hundred Israelis were murdered that day. It was the

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Speaker 1: worst day, the biggest day of slaughter of Jewish people

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Speaker 1: in a single day since the Holocaust. That was just

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Speaker 1: three years ago, and that would have been bad if

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Speaker 1: it was.

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Speaker 3: A one day event. But for three years.

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Speaker 1: We've been going through what we would you know, overall,

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Speaker 1: called the October seventh War. We've been engaged in a

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Speaker 1: seven front war, which is one front that day, Hamas

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Speaker 1: and Gaza, but it expanded Haasbah, the terrorist group in

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Speaker 1: La Been on the Hutis, the terrorist group in Iran,

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Speaker 1: terror groups in the West Bank, terrorist groups in Syria,

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Speaker 1: and then Iran itself, the head of the octopus, the funder,

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Speaker 1: the fuller, the advisor, the director of all this terror.

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Speaker 1: The Reignian regime itself began launching hundreds and hundreds and

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Speaker 1: hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and suicide drones at Israel.

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Speaker 1: All these seven fronts were all designed to destroy Israel,

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Speaker 1: to annihilate Israel and the Jewish people, and create a

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Speaker 1: genocide against us.

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Speaker 3: Lynn and I have lived through every moment of this war.

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Speaker 1: We have staff, including one of our dear brothers who

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Speaker 1: were with us, on the staff of today who directs

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Speaker 1: Lynn's in my office. We have people who you know,

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Speaker 1: including him, who've served in the Israeli military during this time.

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Speaker 1: All the three of our four sons have served in

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Speaker 1: the military, one of them serving right now as a

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Speaker 1: commander in the IDF. So this has been brutal and

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Speaker 1: it's been exhausting. At the same time, we've also been

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Speaker 1: fighting an eighth Front, a highly funded, highly orchestrated, in

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Speaker 1: design campaign of propaganda. The Eighth Front, designed to win

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Speaker 1: not the land, but the court of public opinion, through

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Speaker 1: social media, through broadcast media, through print media, through every

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Speaker 1: possible kind of propaganda, has been attacking Israel, Jews, and

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Speaker 1: the Christians who love them both.

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Speaker 3: Okay, it's been a firestorm, and we've.

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Speaker 1: Got people who call themselves Christians, podcasters, influencers. Think of

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Speaker 1: two Cansas Owens, who's called Israel a demonic country, hasn't

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Speaker 1: called the Iran a demonic country hasn't called any of

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Speaker 1: these terror groups demonic, calls Israel defending itself, defending ourselves perfectly,

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Speaker 1: but she calls us a demonic country. Tucker Carlson says that, well,

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Speaker 1: I'll just quote him without characterizing it. He says that

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Speaker 1: Christians who believe that God has a plan on purpose

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Speaker 1: for Israel, who might call themselves Christian zionis you don't

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Speaker 1: always have to use that term. But that he says

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Speaker 1: that we have a brain virus, that we believe in heresy,

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Speaker 1: and that he says he hates and despises Christians who

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Speaker 1: love Israel more than any other people on the earth.

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Speaker 1: This is a person who calls himself a Christian. We

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Speaker 1: can disagree theologically on whether God has a plan on

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Speaker 1: a purpose for Israel today he does. I don't have

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Speaker 1: any problem with engaging people who disagree or don't understand

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Speaker 1: what does the scriptures teach and the Old Testament of

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Speaker 1: the New about Israel and his love for Israel and

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Speaker 1: the Jewish people. This is the God who calls himself

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Speaker 1: the God of Israel two hundred times, including in the

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Speaker 1: New Testament, a god who calls himself the God of Abraham,

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Speaker 1: Isaac and Jacob, not just in the Old Testament, but

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Speaker 1: in the New Testament. The God who says Zion the

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Speaker 1: mountain in the middle of Jerusalem, Zion is his He

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Speaker 1: loves Zion. He's gonna bring his people back to Zion.

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Speaker 1: He's going to restore Zion, He's going to redeem Zion.

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Speaker 1: Yet people say, I hate Christian Zionists, I hate Zionism.

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Speaker 1: They try to demonize the word, they try to demonize

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Speaker 1: the group. But hundreds and hundreds of times God talks

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Speaker 1: about his love for Zion. He uses it not just

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Speaker 1: as a mountain in Jerusalem, but it's synonymous with Jerusalem.

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Speaker 1: It's synonymous with Israel and the Jewish people. Any problem

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Speaker 1: engaging people on this topic, and that's a big part

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Speaker 1: of what the Joshua Fund does. But some people are

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Speaker 1: trying to demonize, and this is a problem, it's part

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Speaker 1: of it. So in other words, as bad as it is,

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Speaker 1: so much of the world hates Israel and the Jewish people,

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Speaker 1: but they're directing their attacks increasingly at Christians who love Israel.

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Speaker 1: Why because we are a larger group. We are The

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Speaker 1: reason that the United States stands with Israel is not

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Speaker 1: because of the Jewish lobby.

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Speaker 3: Jews are two percent of the population.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I'm in one of those, you know, But

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Speaker 1: Evangelicals they're sixty million, right, And there's many people who

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Speaker 1: aren't Christians who love Israel, who see Israel as a

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Speaker 1: faithful and valid important ally imperfect though we are. So.

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Speaker 1: The bad news is we're under tack from eight different fronts,

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Speaker 1: basically every possible direction.

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Speaker 3: That's the bad news.

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Speaker 1: The good news is that three years of relentless, intense

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Speaker 1: and exhausting war has created the most spiritually open environment

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Speaker 1: and curious environment in the history of Israel and the

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Speaker 1: Muslim world. This is amazing. More Jews and more Muslims

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Speaker 1: are asking questions about God, about the Bible, and about

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Speaker 1: who Jesus is than ever before in human history.

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Speaker 3: This is exciting. In the last fifty or sixty.

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Speaker 1: Years since I've been around, I was born in nineteen

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Speaker 1: sixty seven, more Muslims and more Jews have come to

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Speaker 1: faith in Jesus as Messiah, as King, as Savior than

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Speaker 1: any other time in human history. There's no other time

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Speaker 1: in history that there have been a million Jewish followers

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Speaker 1: of Jesus on the planet.

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Speaker 3: That's right now.

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Speaker 1: Most live in the United states, some in Israel and

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Speaker 1: Europe and Central and South America and elsewhere, but we've

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Speaker 1: never had Like when I was born in sixty seven,

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Speaker 1: there were maybe two thousand Jews on planet Earth who

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Speaker 1: believe that Jesus is the Messiah. That was fifty nine

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Speaker 1: years ago. Now we're at a million. That's a huge growth.

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Speaker 1: Now we're heading towards Romans eleven twenty seven, where all

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Speaker 1: Israel will be saved.

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Speaker 3: We're not there yet.

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Speaker 1: There's fifteen or sixteen million Jews in the world, so

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Speaker 1: we got a ways to go. But wow, wow, why

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Speaker 1: is Satan so on the offense against Israel and Jews

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Speaker 1: and Christians who love them both because Jews are coming

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Speaker 1: to faith in Jesus. He can't stand it. He hates

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Speaker 1: Israel and Jews as they are because God has chosen

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Speaker 1: us in our imperfection, to love us, bless us, and

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Speaker 1: make us a witness to the rest of the world.

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Speaker 1: Do you realize that the fact that Israel exists is

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Speaker 1: one of the greatest apologetics that God is real, that

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Speaker 1: the Bible.

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Speaker 3: Is true in all of human history. You may not be.

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Speaker 1: Happy with Israel, with what it's current government does, or

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Speaker 1: whoa who is Okay.

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Speaker 3: Join the crowd.

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Speaker 1: That's not evil to criticize Israel or to have a

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Speaker 1: problem with her government actions that they take, statements that

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Speaker 1: they make, that's jitimate. We got our own problems with

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Speaker 1: our own governments locally, nationally, internationally. That is not a

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Speaker 1: problem to demonize, To delegitimaize, to want to see the

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Speaker 1: destruction or the harm of a country or.

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Speaker 3: People, that's a problem.

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Speaker 1: It's a problem to God, especially when it's the group

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Speaker 1: of people God has chosen to say.

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Speaker 3: I'm doing something with this group.

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Speaker 1: They don't all get it yet, but I'm bringing them

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Speaker 1: to myself.

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Speaker 3: Okay, But the.

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Speaker 1: Fact that Israel exists, no other book in the world

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Speaker 1: besides the Bible said that Israel would become a sovereign

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Speaker 1: country again in the last days of history than the Bible.

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Speaker 1: And hey, I can understand for nineteen hundred years people like, Oah,

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Speaker 1: whatever I guess the Bible isn't true. You can't take

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Speaker 1: these things literally because you know where's Israel Jews coming

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Speaker 1: back to the whole end.

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Speaker 3: You gotta be kidding me.

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Speaker 1: That's not going to happen, never happening, It can't happen.

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Speaker 1: And then it happens in nineteen forty eight, God says

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Speaker 1: in the scriptures, can can a nation be.

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Speaker 3: Born in a day? People like, no, oh, what about

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Speaker 3: May fourteenth, nineteen forty eight, Oh well, yeah, okay.

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Speaker 1: The fact that Israel exists, the fact that it's in

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Speaker 1: the news, the fact that it's in the headlines, the

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Speaker 1: fact that we're talking about it today, it is proof

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Speaker 1: that God exists.

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Speaker 3: It's proof that the Bible is true.

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Speaker 1: It's proof that the prophets are real, and they're true,

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Speaker 1: and they're literal.

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Speaker 3: We ought to pay attention to them.

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Speaker 1: Now, this spiritual environment, it's very interesting what Satan and

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Speaker 1: Man has planned for evil against Israel and Jews and Christians.

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Speaker 3: God is turning for good.

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Speaker 1: From the book of Genesis, we've learned that as a

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Speaker 1: principle of God.

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Speaker 3: But it's happening now, and I.

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Speaker 1: Like to call that that God likes to put the

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Speaker 1: Jew in jiu jitsu, the energy that the enemy is

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Speaker 1: attacking Israel with.

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Speaker 3: God just takes it and he jiu jitsu. Is it

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Speaker 3: jiu jitsu? The jiu jitsu.

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Speaker 1: He's just flipping a around. What's happening. More Jews and

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Speaker 1: more Muslims are starting to think, maybe I'm on the

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Speaker 1: wrong team. If we're an environment of death and destruction

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Speaker 1: and I don't know what's going to happen in my

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Speaker 1: life today, tomorrow, next week.

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Speaker 3: I need to know that. I know that, I know

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Speaker 3: that I'm going to heaven when I die.

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Speaker 1: I need to find the peace that passes all understanding

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Speaker 1: in this life.

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Speaker 3: I need to know God.

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Speaker 1: I need to know his wisdom, I need to know

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Speaker 1: his forgiveness, I need to know his joy. And I'm

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Speaker 1: not sure I'm on the right team. I'm not sure

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Speaker 1: i know the right God. So people are asking and

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Speaker 1: Israeli man recently asked men this happens all the time.

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Speaker 1: I'm using one example, and Israeli asked me, so, what

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Speaker 1: does it mean exactly to be an Evangelical. That's a

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Speaker 1: Protestant thing, right, I said, Well, most Evangelicals are Protestants,

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Speaker 1: but you can be an evangelical Roman Catholic. You could

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Speaker 1: be an evangelical Greek Orthodox.

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Speaker 3: It's the.

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Speaker 1: Key is that you have to be born again. And

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Speaker 1: he's like, what orn again? What does that mean? I said, Oh,

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Speaker 1: answered in question's never been asked that one before. Okay,

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Speaker 1: let's talk about that. So we talked about John chapter

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Speaker 1: three we need to be born again. That's what Jesus said.

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Speaker 1: That we do not making up phrases. This is what

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Speaker 1: Jesus said. He said, well, how would you do that?

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Speaker 1: How would you become born again? I'm like, oh, that's

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Speaker 1: an awesome question. Let's talk about that. That's happening. Why

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Speaker 1: is that happening. It's happening because the war is on.

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Speaker 1: Because things are weird, things are crazy. The nations of

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Speaker 1: the Middle East, including Israel, mainly Israel, are being shaken

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Speaker 1: as never before. Lynn was at her hairdresser the Thursday

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Speaker 1: before we came to the States, just a couple of

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Speaker 1: weeks ago. She's gone to this guy for many, many

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Speaker 1: years and he just you know, he's cutting her hair

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Speaker 1: and he says, isn't the world crazy? I mean, things

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Speaker 1: are crazy.

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Speaker 3: Right now, don't you think so?

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Speaker 1: And she's like yes, And she's like, who do you

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Speaker 1: think is the Messiah?

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Speaker 3: What do you think about the Messiah? I mean, things

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Speaker 3: is creaty.

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Speaker 1: Don't you think he has to be coming back or

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Speaker 1: or even say coming back coming? Don't you need the

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Speaker 1: Messiah is coming. My wife has known this guy for years,

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Speaker 1: this Israeli Gud. He never talks about the Messiah.

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Speaker 3: Why is he doing it?

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Speaker 1: Because the world is crazy, the Middle East is crazy,

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Speaker 1: and it's stirring questions. Twenty years ago, God did something

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Speaker 1: crazy in our lives.

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Speaker 3: God asked us to start.

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Speaker 1: A ministry to bless Israel and her neighbors in the

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Speaker 1: name of Jesus. To raise funds from Americans, Canadians, Christians,

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Speaker 1: other places all over the world and invest them to

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Speaker 1: strengthen the church in Israel and the Muslim world, the

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Speaker 1: region we call the Epicenter. To strengthen the church, to

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Speaker 1: fulfill the Great commission, to preach the Gospel, to make disciples,

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Speaker 1: to care for the poor and the needy, orphans and widows,

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Speaker 1: people traumatized by war and terror. To educate the church,

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Speaker 1: to understand God's love and plan from the scriptures, from

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Speaker 1: Genesis through Revelation, his heart, his plan for Israel and

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Speaker 1: for her neighbors. To understand that God is not an

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Speaker 1: either or God. He doesn't love either Israel or the

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Speaker 1: Arabs or Iran. No, He's a both and God. He

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Speaker 1: loves both. Jesus commands us to love our neighbor. And

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Speaker 1: you say, well, you know, those Arabs are not our neighbors,

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Speaker 1: They're our enemies. So Jesus says, well, then love your enemies.

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Speaker 1: Oh come on, Lord, that's covering everybody. Now we've covered

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Speaker 1: everybody exactly. God loves the Palestinians, he loves the Lebanese.

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Speaker 1: He loves the Syrians, and the Jordanians, the Iraqis, the Egyptians,

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Speaker 1: the Golfees, the Iranians, say, this is who God loves.

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Speaker 1: He loves all people. For God so loved the world,

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Speaker 1: not just Israel, of the world. And that's what he

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Speaker 1: called us to do. And we were like, what, to

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Speaker 1: our knowledge, a ministry like that, a spiritual venture capital

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Speaker 1: fund if you will, to invest in the church and

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Speaker 1: God's work of advancing the kingdom in the epicenter, to

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Speaker 1: our knowledge, didn't even exist twenty some years ago.

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Speaker 3: And for some reason that only.

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Speaker 1: God really knows, in his humor, he asked Lynn and

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Speaker 1: me to start such a ministry. Now, sometimes God asked

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Speaker 1: people to do something they would love to do, but

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Speaker 1: they're pretty sure they don't know how to.

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Speaker 3: Do it, and they're pretty sure they're not qualified to

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Speaker 3: do it.

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Speaker 1: I think of people like Nehemiah, right, he was the

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Speaker 1: cup bearer for the King of Persia, and he but

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Speaker 1: he you know, he had no other job than to

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Speaker 1: pour wine for the king and make sure that he

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Speaker 1: drank it first and.

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Speaker 3: That wasn't poisoned. It's a job.

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Speaker 1: Somebody's got to do it, and either he's gonna die

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Speaker 1: or the king's gonna die, so it has.

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Speaker 3: To be him. So that was his job.

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Speaker 1: But he was Jewish, and he was He kept hearing

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Speaker 1: stories that Israel was in the ruins, that Jerusalem was

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Speaker 1: in ruins, the walls were burned and destroyed, and the people,

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Speaker 1: the Jews, the few Jews that were still living there,

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Speaker 1: were living in sadness and in darkness. Somebody needs to

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Speaker 1: come and help these people and rebuild and rebuild those

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Speaker 1: walls and rebuild that society.

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Speaker 3: He started praying about it.

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Speaker 1: I didn't think it was gonna be him, but then

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Speaker 1: God opened that door, So it's going to be you.

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Speaker 1: Was he qualified for that? Never had any leadership experience.

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Speaker 1: He'd worked next to a king, But that doesn't make

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Speaker 1: you a leader any more than working at McDonald's makes

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Speaker 1: you a hamburger. You know that doesn't Just because you're

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Speaker 1: in the next to a leader doesn't mean that you

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Speaker 1: are one. What about Peter, Peter? Sure, I'll jump out

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Speaker 1: of the boat and walk on water. You know, help right, sure,

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Speaker 1: I love to live like Jesus. I want to follow Jesus.

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Speaker 3: I want to let me walk on water. You know,

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Speaker 3: was Peter really qualified? Maybe not?

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Speaker 1: What about Timothy Timothy who was working with Paul, being

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Speaker 1: trained by Paul, watching Paul lead Paul minister Paul pastor.

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Speaker 1: But then Paul signs Timothy to be the pastor of

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Speaker 1: the church in Ephesus, one of the darkest, most idolatrous,

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Speaker 1: most blasphemous pagan.

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Speaker 3: Cities in the region at the time.

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Speaker 1: Like Timothy was fell a young he felt unqualified. He

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Speaker 1: is like, I want to serve Jesus, but you got

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Speaker 1: to be kidding me. You're sending me to Ephesus to pastor.

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Speaker 1: I think that's your job, Paul, not mine. Now those

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Speaker 1: are people who are like, I want to serve the lorld,

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Speaker 1: but I don't know. I don't think I'm qualified. I

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Speaker 1: don't think I'm capable. They're not resistant, they're just terrified.

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Speaker 1: Now other times God, and we see it in the scripture.

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Speaker 1: We see that God asks people to do things that

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Speaker 1: they definitely don't want to do, and they definitely are sure.

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Speaker 3: They're not qualified, and they're not going to do it.

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Speaker 1: Jonah, you will go and preach judgment to the worst

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Speaker 1: enemies of.

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Speaker 3: Israel not gonna do it? Or is George H. W. Bush?

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Speaker 1: You's a nat yannadt wouldn't be prudent out of this

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Speaker 1: ginc nat gyanadut nat get right. Okay, that was more

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Speaker 1: Diana Carvey, but still Jodah must have seen that episode

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Speaker 1: you'ren of Saturday Live back in the day. I'm not

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Speaker 1: doing that and you can't make me. And the Lord's like, really, okay,

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Speaker 1: let's see about that.

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Speaker 3: What about Gideon.

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Speaker 1: Gideon hiding in a wine press while the Median army,

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Speaker 1: which was the main enemy of Israel of the day

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Speaker 1: was was attacking and taking all the food and taking

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Speaker 1: all the livestock, and he's hiding in a wine press

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Speaker 1: threshing some wheat, and the Angel of the Lord appears

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Speaker 1: to him and says, the Lord is with the old

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Speaker 1: valiant warrior. He's like, huh, it's looking around. Can't be

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Speaker 1: me the Lord with me? To think, so I'm so

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Speaker 1: valiant warder. And then the Angel lays out, You're gonna

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Speaker 1: lead the armies of Issuel and go fight and defeat

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Speaker 1: the Midianite.

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Speaker 3: He's like, God, do things? Are you insane? I'm paraphrasing.

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Speaker 3: Go read the story.

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Speaker 1: He didn't, you know. He was like, no, I can't

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Speaker 1: do that. What about Moses? I mean Moses, aside from

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Speaker 1: the apostle Paul and of course Jesus himself, who was God,

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Speaker 1: but Moses, the greatest leader in human history, the greatest

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Speaker 1: spiritual leader, a man that was a personal friend of

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Speaker 1: God from heart to heart. God spoke to him directly.

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Speaker 1: Moses like, I'm not doing it, and you can't make me. Really,

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Speaker 1: Moses was so opposed to doing what God told him

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Speaker 1: to do. Go save the nation of Visuel. Go bring

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Speaker 1: hope to the people of Visuel. Go bring the people

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Speaker 1: of Visuel out of slavery, out of darkness into the

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Speaker 1: promised Land.

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Speaker 3: I'm not doing it. I can't do it, not gonna

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Speaker 3: do it, and you can't make me. I'm paraphrasing. You

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Speaker 3: know the story, Go read it.

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Speaker 1: God is so upset with him, he eventually is like,

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Speaker 1: I mean, the text tells us God's.

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Speaker 3: Anger burned at Moses.

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Speaker 1: A few verses later, God's ready to kill Moses. So

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Speaker 1: there's two type of people.

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Speaker 3: In the world. People are like, I want to serve

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Speaker 3: the Lord, but I can't.

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Speaker 1: I don't know how. I'm not qualified, I'm not capable.

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Speaker 1: And then there's people like, I'm not doing it now.

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Speaker 1: I'd like to think that Lenn and I were in

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Speaker 1: the former category, not the latter category. But we were

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Speaker 1: still feeling very ill equipped by this calling. In many ways,

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Speaker 1: we felt like Timothy, I'd like you to turn if

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Speaker 1: you would like. Oh, he's finally turning into the scriptures.

437
00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,320
Speaker 3: That's good. First Timothy Chapter four.

438
00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:47,080
Speaker 1: Let's look at the the last section of First Timothy

439
00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:49,800
Speaker 1: Chapter four. I'm reading from the New American Standard Bible

440
00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:58,720
Speaker 1: we're gonna be getting in verse eleven one. Timothy Chapter four,

441
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,880
Speaker 1: beginning in verse one, Now, Paul is writing this first

442
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,680
Speaker 1: letter to Timothy, whom he's assigned to be the pastor

443
00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:10,159
Speaker 1: of this wonderful congregation. In f says, but Timothy is

444
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:14,119
Speaker 1: feeling intimidated, he is feeling overwhelmed, he is feeling too young,

445
00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:15,520
Speaker 1: he's feeling ill equipped.

446
00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:17,280
Speaker 3: Who equipped him?

447
00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:20,440
Speaker 1: Well, that would be the apostle, Paul, the greatest apostle ever.

448
00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:25,480
Speaker 1: But whatever, hashtag whatever, like this is how he felt.

449
00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:29,879
Speaker 1: And it's not hard to understand why he felt that way.

450
00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:34,960
Speaker 1: And this letter is Paul just reinforcing things that Timothy

451
00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:37,480
Speaker 1: already knew, giving him some advice, giving him some counsel

452
00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,879
Speaker 1: how to do this right and what to focus on.

453
00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:43,040
Speaker 1: And in this section he finally gets to the sort

454
00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:48,359
Speaker 1: of personal challenges that Timothy's really facing. Verse eleven, Paul writes,

455
00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:52,200
Speaker 1: prescribe and teach these things. What things, well, the things

456
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:55,840
Speaker 1: he's written about for four you know, four chapters so far,

457
00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,680
Speaker 1: but also the things that he Paul had taught Timothy

458
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,720
Speaker 1: to teach others. Prescribe and teach these things the Word

459
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:06,400
Speaker 1: of God. Verse well, let no one look down on

460
00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:08,400
Speaker 1: you because of your youthfulness.

461
00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:13,560
Speaker 3: Pause that for a moment. Timothy didn't start the church.

462
00:26:14,080 --> 00:26:17,000
Speaker 1: He didn't plant the church at Ephesis, the apostle Paul

463
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:21,600
Speaker 1: and his colleagues had preached the gospel, made disciples, pastored

464
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:23,359
Speaker 1: there for a while, moved on to do it in

465
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:27,760
Speaker 1: other places, and now had sent Timothy there. So who

466
00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:30,400
Speaker 1: was looking down on Timothy because of his youthfulness? Well,

467
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:34,639
Speaker 1: probably the older believers in the congregation. Almost everybody in

468
00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:39,080
Speaker 1: the congregation was older than Timothy. But the number one person,

469
00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:42,280
Speaker 1: I think who was looking down on Timothy's youthfulness.

470
00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:45,400
Speaker 3: Was Timothy all.

471
00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,120
Speaker 1: Right, but Paul tells him, don't let anyone look down

472
00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:55,480
Speaker 1: on you negatively because you're young. God doesn't discount young

473
00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:59,200
Speaker 1: He you know, older, wiser, that has his place amen

474
00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:04,159
Speaker 1: generally speaking. But God loves to recruit young people to

475
00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:07,119
Speaker 1: do crazy task that older people might not be willing

476
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:11,840
Speaker 1: to do. Let no one looked down on your youthfulness,

477
00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:16,840
Speaker 1: but rather in your speech, Timothy, in your conduct, in

478
00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:21,080
Speaker 1: your love, in your faith, in your purity, by the way,

479
00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:24,920
Speaker 1: your love, your love for God, your love for Jesus

480
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,760
Speaker 1: as God, your love for the Word of God, your

481
00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,679
Speaker 1: love for the church that He is establishing and he

482
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:32,720
Speaker 1: will build and the gates of hell shall not prevail

483
00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:35,960
Speaker 1: against it. Your love for people the believers, your love

484
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:39,040
Speaker 1: for people who are lost and need to know Jesus

485
00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:42,840
Speaker 1: and can know Jesus if you'll just preach the gospel

486
00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:46,080
Speaker 1: and preach the word to them. Let's your love, your faith,

487
00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:48,960
Speaker 1: your speech, your conduct, your faith, your purity, all of it.

488
00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:55,520
Speaker 1: Show yourself as an example of those who believe. Timothy,

489
00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:59,040
Speaker 1: you know how to follow Jesus. You love Jesus. You've

490
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,320
Speaker 1: given your life to Jesus, you've been through hard things

491
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:05,720
Speaker 1: with me. Paul right is basically saying, you know how

492
00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:10,840
Speaker 1: to do this, Be this, be this, and set an

493
00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:15,040
Speaker 1: example for the people to see. Oh, that's how you

494
00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:19,240
Speaker 1: follow Jesus. If you're a young person, if you're middle aged,

495
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:24,200
Speaker 1: if you're old, set an example for them Verse thirteen.

496
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:28,320
Speaker 1: Until I come, And he doesn't say I'm coming next Tuesday.

497
00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,119
Speaker 1: Paul's like, I'll get there. But until I come, you know,

498
00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:34,280
Speaker 1: do the work that God has called you to do,

499
00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:39,040
Speaker 1: which is what give attention to the public reading of scripture,

500
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:44,960
Speaker 1: to exhortation, to teaching. What's exhortation, it's it's well on

501
00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:46,600
Speaker 1: the one hand, on the sort of one side of

502
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:50,560
Speaker 1: the coin, it's challenging people to walk with the Lord

503
00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:53,600
Speaker 1: and to resist and turn away and repent from sin.

504
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:58,120
Speaker 1: And also to it it's a word of encouragement to

505
00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:03,120
Speaker 1: give courage, strength inspiration to people to turn away from

506
00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:04,000
Speaker 1: saying and walk with.

507
00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:05,160
Speaker 3: The war and teach them.

508
00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:10,280
Speaker 1: Teach them what the latest self help book now, teach

509
00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:14,280
Speaker 1: the word, read it publicly, let people hear it. Faith

510
00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:17,120
Speaker 1: comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.

511
00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:20,240
Speaker 3: Read it to people, let them hear it.

512
00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:32,680
Speaker 1: Then explain it, teach it, encourage them, exhort them.

513
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:36,600
Speaker 2: The verse for today comes from One Timothy, chapter four,

514
00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:41,479
Speaker 2: verse sixteen. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching.

515
00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:45,880
Speaker 2: Persevere in these things, for as you do this, you

516
00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:50,240
Speaker 2: will ensure salvation, both for yourself and for those who

517
00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,800
Speaker 2: hear you. Will you join us in praying for believers

518
00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:57,440
Speaker 2: throughout Israel and the Middle East as they faithfully proclaim

519
00:29:57,520 --> 00:30:02,960
Speaker 2: the Gospel in the middle of warction, and uncertainty. Ask

520
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,840
Speaker 2: God to strengthen local churches, to protect the pastors and

521
00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:10,880
Speaker 2: ministry leaders, and to continue drawing both Jews and Muslims

522
00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:14,480
Speaker 2: to faith in Jesus the Messiah. Pray with us that

523
00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,760
Speaker 2: Christians around the world will also boldly be sharing the

524
00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:21,880
Speaker 2: hope of Jesus Christ with family members, friends, neighbors.

525
00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:22,080
Speaker 3: And co workers.

526
00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:25,960
Speaker 2: And ask the Lord to replace fear with faith and

527
00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:30,040
Speaker 2: to empower his people to faithly obey the Great Commission

528
00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:34,000
Speaker 2: wherever they are. And please, finally, pray for the Joshua

529
00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,440
Speaker 2: Fund for jol and I and our ministry partners and

530
00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:39,840
Speaker 2: our staff and our board as we continue in our

531
00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:44,840
Speaker 2: efforts to strengthen churches, equip pastors, provide care for those

532
00:30:44,840 --> 00:30:48,520
Speaker 2: in need, and educate believers about God's heart for Israel

533
00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:52,880
Speaker 2: and her neighbors. Ask God to provide wisdom, protection, and

534
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:57,040
Speaker 2: abundant resources as we seek to advance the gospel all

535
00:30:57,080 --> 00:30:59,040
Speaker 2: throughout the epicenter.

536
00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:08,160
Speaker 1: Verse fourteen, don't neglect the spiritual gift within you, Timothy,

537
00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:12,400
Speaker 1: which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance, with laying

538
00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:16,600
Speaker 1: on of hands by the presbytery. Now guessing you're not Presbyterian,

539
00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:19,320
Speaker 1: so that terms sometimes there's a little foggy to people.

540
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:23,360
Speaker 3: It basically means the elders, the overseers. Look, timmy, I

541
00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:25,560
Speaker 3: didn't just send you out there on a whim.

542
00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:31,680
Speaker 1: God through the elders, Paul saying myself being one of them,

543
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:36,120
Speaker 1: we recognized that God had done something in you.

544
00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:38,680
Speaker 3: It was a gift in you. We could see it.

545
00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:43,120
Speaker 1: We understood it prophetically that God had put a gift

546
00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:45,720
Speaker 1: in you, a gift of teaching the word, a preaching

547
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:47,560
Speaker 1: the gospel, of making disciples.

548
00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:48,840
Speaker 3: You can do this.

549
00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:51,360
Speaker 1: It's not just Paul who's told them he can do it.

550
00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,360
Speaker 1: WHI should have been enough, the greatest apostle ever says.

551
00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:54,800
Speaker 3: You can do this.

552
00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,960
Speaker 1: I can help you follow Jesus reach the word, but

553
00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:01,240
Speaker 1: the elder's lad hands on him. That's an Old Testament

554
00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:05,040
Speaker 1: thing of just sort of conveying their trust, their confidence,

555
00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:07,080
Speaker 1: and praying for that young man to be blessed and

556
00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:12,080
Speaker 1: walk in the Lord. Don't neglect that, Timothy, don't neglect that.

557
00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:14,719
Speaker 1: It wasn't just one person. It was a group of

558
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:18,160
Speaker 1: men of God filled with the spirit, who knew this

559
00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:20,400
Speaker 1: was your calling and sent you to go do this

560
00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,560
Speaker 1: verse fifteen. Take pains with these things. I mean the

561
00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:28,560
Speaker 1: take it seriously, even though it's hard. Take pains with

562
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:33,080
Speaker 1: these things. Be absorbed in them, so that your progress

563
00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:37,320
Speaker 1: will be evident to all. God is not looking for

564
00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:41,360
Speaker 1: perfect people. He is looking for progressing people, people who

565
00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:45,720
Speaker 1: are making progress in their faith, that they're walking with

566
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,080
Speaker 1: Jesus a little closer, a little more faithful today than

567
00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:50,640
Speaker 1: they were last week, than they were last month, than

568
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:51,640
Speaker 1: they were last year.

569
00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:53,240
Speaker 3: We will all have our up.

570
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:57,240
Speaker 1: And downs, but let your progress in the faith be

571
00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:01,400
Speaker 1: evident to all. You're gonna make mistakes, Timothy, and I

572
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,720
Speaker 1: put this in the context of Lynn and me looking

573
00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,880
Speaker 1: at these scriptures feeling like Timothy, feeling a little too young,

574
00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:08,960
Speaker 1: a little in qualified. How are we going to start

575
00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:10,680
Speaker 1: a ministry to reach Israel and our neighbors in the

576
00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:15,320
Speaker 1: name of Jesus. That's crazy, Like reaching Israel alone is

577
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:19,040
Speaker 1: super hard. If it was easy, it would already be done.

578
00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:21,360
Speaker 1: That was two thousand years ago that the Messiah game

579
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:21,760
Speaker 1: and he.

580
00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:25,880
Speaker 3: Came to his own. His own received him. Not reaching

581
00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:26,560
Speaker 3: the Muslims.

582
00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:31,440
Speaker 1: Uh, Lord, have you noticed there's kind of radical killer Muslims.

583
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:33,200
Speaker 3: Most aren't, but some are.

584
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:36,160
Speaker 1: And you know, we want to have a ministry to

585
00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,680
Speaker 1: do work with both, the church in both, like one

586
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:42,560
Speaker 1: has enough spiritual warfare for an eternity.

587
00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:43,360
Speaker 3: You want us to.

588
00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:46,760
Speaker 1: Mix these two, like these are two great tastes that

589
00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,160
Speaker 1: don't taste great together. Lord, this is not a Reese's

590
00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:49,960
Speaker 1: peanut butter cup.

591
00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:53,200
Speaker 3: This is you know, the spiritual warfare is off the charts.

592
00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:55,840
Speaker 1: Just to reach Jews and Muslims, I mean, to one

593
00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:59,280
Speaker 1: or the other, you put that together. That's but the

594
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:03,080
Speaker 1: Lord is saying, listen, don't you know I'm gonna quote

595
00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:05,760
Speaker 1: ratitude here rather than the scriptures just for a moment,

596
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:08,280
Speaker 1: if you'll let me. Don't get fancy with the spices,

597
00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:13,680
Speaker 1: do what you know, you know the word, do it

598
00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:17,680
Speaker 1: take pains with us, be absorbed in it. You're gonna

599
00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:20,560
Speaker 1: make mistakes, Joel Lynn, You're gonna make mistakes. Timothy, You're

600
00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:25,359
Speaker 1: gonna mistakes. You're gonna make mistakes. Admit those mistakes, Own

601
00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:30,160
Speaker 1: those mistakes, Apologize honestly and sincerely for those mistakes.

602
00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:33,520
Speaker 3: Make restitution or you know, fix.

603
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:36,759
Speaker 1: The mistakes as you can, as God helps you, and

604
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:37,319
Speaker 1: move on.

605
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:40,200
Speaker 3: Make progress people. People can't if they think.

606
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:45,040
Speaker 1: You're perfect, you're gonna you're gonna surprise them soon. You're

607
00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:48,120
Speaker 1: gonna disappoint them. But you're not perfect. Don't You're not

608
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:51,040
Speaker 1: trying to be perfect. You're trying to make progress, and

609
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:53,879
Speaker 1: you need people to see that, and they will grow

610
00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:56,359
Speaker 1: in their faith because of that. And we were looking

611
00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,799
Speaker 1: at these scripture scriptures verse sixteen. Pay close attention to

612
00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:03,280
Speaker 1: your self and your teaching. Take this seriously, pay attention,

613
00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:09,160
Speaker 1: don't get distracted, Persevere in hardships, persevere in these things,

614
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:13,000
Speaker 1: for as you do this, you will ensure salvation for yourself.

615
00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:14,239
Speaker 3: Meaning you'll know.

616
00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:15,759
Speaker 1: That you know that, you know, wow, I really must

617
00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:18,000
Speaker 1: love Jesus and been adopted to his family because he's

618
00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:20,319
Speaker 1: doing stuff in me and through me that I never

619
00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:21,400
Speaker 1: thought was possible.

620
00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:26,359
Speaker 3: But also you'll ensure salvation for those who hear you.

621
00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,759
Speaker 1: In a few minutes, I'm going to ask you some

622
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:34,239
Speaker 1: questions as believers, but what God wants to do in

623
00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:39,239
Speaker 1: your life that maybe you're not doing because you don't

624
00:35:39,239 --> 00:35:42,759
Speaker 1: feel qualified, you don't feel capable. Some of you, I'm

625
00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:46,520
Speaker 1: going to be asking, is it possible you're totally angrily

626
00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:47,840
Speaker 1: resisting what God wants you.

627
00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:53,280
Speaker 3: To be doing? And that might not be the best approach.

628
00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:55,120
Speaker 1: But for some of you, I want to ask you

629
00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,600
Speaker 1: because of this verse, I want to ensure salvation for

630
00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:00,440
Speaker 1: those who hear you.

631
00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:01,319
Speaker 3: If you can hear me.

632
00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:05,319
Speaker 1: I think you can hear me, and not just in

633
00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:11,640
Speaker 1: this congregation sanctuary, but online on radio. Are you sure

634
00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:14,160
Speaker 1: that you have salvation? Are you sure that you've given

635
00:36:14,239 --> 00:36:16,279
Speaker 1: your life to Jesus Christ? Are you sure that you're

636
00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:18,040
Speaker 1: sure that you're sure that you know that you know

637
00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:22,120
Speaker 1: that you know that if you died today you go

638
00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:25,239
Speaker 1: immediately to Heaven, and that in this life you were

639
00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:29,200
Speaker 1: sure that God. You're adopted into God's family. You're part

640
00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:32,240
Speaker 1: of his team, and he will provide you the wisdom,

641
00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:36,280
Speaker 1: the comfort, the joy, the peace that passes all understanding

642
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:40,120
Speaker 1: to live this hard life and to serve him faithfully.

643
00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:44,560
Speaker 1: So we'll close with that in a few minutes. But

644
00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:48,360
Speaker 1: these were very important verses for Lynn and me. And

645
00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:50,719
Speaker 1: there were some principles that came out of this and

646
00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,080
Speaker 1: what our pastor in college taught us and other great

647
00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:55,760
Speaker 1: spiritual elders.

648
00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:57,919
Speaker 3: In our lives. I just want to share a few

649
00:36:57,920 --> 00:36:59,400
Speaker 3: of them with you, that it may be helpful.

650
00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:04,240
Speaker 1: Prayer was the central thing that we knew as younger

651
00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:06,560
Speaker 1: believers who were called to do the minister of the

652
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:09,800
Speaker 1: Joshua Fund and strength in the church in the Middle East.

653
00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:12,400
Speaker 3: We needed to be people of prayer.

654
00:37:13,080 --> 00:37:15,719
Speaker 1: We had a wonderful pastor in college that was a

655
00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:18,040
Speaker 1: man of prayer. He was also a man from India,

656
00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:19,520
Speaker 1: and he's a wonderful man.

657
00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:20,240
Speaker 3: Loved the Lord.

658
00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:24,720
Speaker 1: He and his wife from India, very thick accent. Okay, Now,

659
00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:27,840
Speaker 1: I'd like to do my impressions sometimes of people.

660
00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:28,720
Speaker 3: Listen.

661
00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:32,680
Speaker 1: I just want to say I am the greatest president,

662
00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:33,600
Speaker 1: and you know it's true.

663
00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:35,680
Speaker 3: All right, Well, I'm not gonna do political ones.

664
00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:38,400
Speaker 1: I did one, now I'm doing another way, okay, But

665
00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:42,879
Speaker 1: I love to do impressions. I'm not that good at it, clearly, absolutely, I.

666
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:43,439
Speaker 3: Can tell you.

667
00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:47,000
Speaker 1: But I love to do an impression of Koshi, and

668
00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:49,440
Speaker 1: fortunately he loved it too, so I'm not disrespected. But

669
00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:52,279
Speaker 1: he used to say things and they were spiritually profound

670
00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:54,680
Speaker 1: at a huge impass on us. But I can only

671
00:37:54,719 --> 00:37:57,279
Speaker 1: repeat them to you with the Indian accent because that's

672
00:37:57,280 --> 00:37:58,759
Speaker 1: the way it's tattooed in my head.

673
00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:00,480
Speaker 3: So he would say things like.

674
00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:05,000
Speaker 1: Joel lin Vis of a prayer hearing and a prayer

675
00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:11,319
Speaker 1: answering God, a thunderworking God. We're like, what what did

676
00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:13,520
Speaker 1: you just say? What?

677
00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:14,000
Speaker 3: Wait?

678
00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:19,120
Speaker 1: Seriously, we needed English to English translation often understand what

679
00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:19,839
Speaker 1: he was talking about.

680
00:38:20,239 --> 00:38:21,560
Speaker 3: But in this case, Joel and.

681
00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:24,640
Speaker 1: Lynn, we sort of a prayer hearing and a prayer

682
00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:27,399
Speaker 1: answering God, a wonder working God.

683
00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:29,120
Speaker 3: Ah. Yes, I agree with that.

684
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:31,480
Speaker 1: And he lived that way and he would say things

685
00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:34,880
Speaker 1: like any great work of God begins with prayer.

686
00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:36,919
Speaker 3: What Yeah?

687
00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:40,080
Speaker 1: But okay, any great work of God begins with prayer, Joel.

688
00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:43,960
Speaker 3: The only thing God is building in this world? What

689
00:38:44,040 --> 00:38:47,120
Speaker 3: the world? The what the oh? The world? Okay?

690
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:49,480
Speaker 1: The only great thing that God is building in this

691
00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:51,960
Speaker 1: world is his church. Right.

692
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:54,800
Speaker 3: He was a pastor. He believed in the local.

693
00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:57,399
Speaker 1: Church, but he also ran a parachurch ministry to help

694
00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:00,600
Speaker 1: other ministries know how to care for internet national students

695
00:39:00,640 --> 00:39:02,560
Speaker 1: and win them to Jesus and disciple them. And so

696
00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:06,280
Speaker 1: he believed in the Para church. The Joshua Fund became

697
00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:08,319
Speaker 1: the you know, a parachurge. We're not a church, we're

698
00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:10,959
Speaker 1: a church. We're a ministry designed to help the local

699
00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:13,200
Speaker 1: church and equipment strength in the local church. And he

700
00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:15,000
Speaker 1: would teach us, but he says it has to.

701
00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:15,680
Speaker 3: Start with prayer.

702
00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:19,960
Speaker 1: If we're easy to reach Israel with a gospel, it

703
00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:23,880
Speaker 1: would have been done already. God wants us to do both,

704
00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:27,520
Speaker 1: and not just Israel, but the neighbors. That has to

705
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:33,000
Speaker 1: be soaked in prayer, and it means that every day

706
00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:36,000
Speaker 1: we need to bathe everything we do in prayer. And

707
00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:37,839
Speaker 1: one of the things I love about the Joshua Fund

708
00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:41,720
Speaker 1: is that every day, every weekday, we have a prayer

709
00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:46,080
Speaker 1: call and all of our staff from San Diego to Washington,

710
00:39:46,239 --> 00:39:50,120
Speaker 1: to England and then of course in Israel where we are,

711
00:39:50,239 --> 00:39:54,400
Speaker 1: and we've got wonderful staff there. You know, it's not compulsory,

712
00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:57,319
Speaker 1: but it's encouraged, and if you have time, you jump

713
00:39:57,360 --> 00:39:59,680
Speaker 1: on a prayer call for an hour and we study

714
00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:01,160
Speaker 1: the world together, and then we pray.

715
00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:02,879
Speaker 3: We pray specific prayers for.

716
00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,960
Speaker 1: Our donors, for our allies, for our ministry partners, for

717
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:10,839
Speaker 1: each other, because we want to bathe every decision and

718
00:40:10,880 --> 00:40:13,200
Speaker 1: everything everything in prayer.

719
00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:16,840
Speaker 3: God moves through prayer, He just does.

720
00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:20,120
Speaker 1: So prayer became a central element in what we've learned

721
00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:23,640
Speaker 1: about how to lead a ministry. Humility has been another.

722
00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:27,719
Speaker 1: You know, don't think of yourself more highly than you ought. Yes,

723
00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:29,799
Speaker 1: maybe God has given you some experience. He's given you

724
00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:33,440
Speaker 1: some tools, ministry tools, leadership tools, perhaps.

725
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:35,680
Speaker 3: But he doesn't always ask you to use those.

726
00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:39,840
Speaker 1: Think of Joshua, not to Joshua fund, the actual disciple

727
00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:45,560
Speaker 1: of Moses, Joshua who led the Israelites in combat against

728
00:40:45,560 --> 00:40:47,239
Speaker 1: the Amalekites, and one right.

729
00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:49,840
Speaker 3: So now Joshua's in charge of the leading the people.

730
00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:52,839
Speaker 1: Moses is in heaven, and Joshua leads the people into

731
00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:57,160
Speaker 1: the Promised Land, the first city that they need to take.

732
00:40:57,200 --> 00:41:00,280
Speaker 1: As God is giving this land, He's taking it away

733
00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:05,640
Speaker 1: from pagan idolatrous, dark, wicked people who had never been

734
00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:08,400
Speaker 1: willing to listen to him and follow him. God's like, then,

735
00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:09,800
Speaker 1: I'm taking the land away.

736
00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:10,480
Speaker 3: It's my land.

737
00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:12,600
Speaker 1: It's not your land, and I'm gonna give it to

738
00:41:12,719 --> 00:41:15,399
Speaker 1: the nation of Israel. You can say that's unfair. That's

739
00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:17,960
Speaker 1: what God did and that's why he did it, not

740
00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:21,000
Speaker 1: because Israel was so perfect, but because others had rebelled

741
00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,240
Speaker 1: against him so badly. He's like, Okay, I'm I'm taking

742
00:41:24,239 --> 00:41:24,600
Speaker 1: you out.

743
00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:25,960
Speaker 3: Of the land. I'm putting new people in and I'm

744
00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:28,960
Speaker 3: going to try to do a new thing with them. Anyway.

745
00:41:28,960 --> 00:41:32,040
Speaker 1: All that to say, they're gonna take Jericho, right, So

746
00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:36,319
Speaker 1: Joshua I picture him going, Okay, I know how to

747
00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:38,759
Speaker 1: do this. I'm a military commander. I've learned a lot,

748
00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:41,799
Speaker 1: We've had big victories. God's been with us. Lord, let

749
00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:43,799
Speaker 1: me at it. And the Lord's like, yeah, thanks, I

750
00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:48,160
Speaker 1: appreciate that. No, but I don't want I don't want

751
00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:51,440
Speaker 1: to use your military experience. But Lord, I don't want

752
00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:54,359
Speaker 1: you to attack Jericho. I want you to walk around it.

753
00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:59,440
Speaker 1: Walk around it. Yeah, a lot of times. I'll explain

754
00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:00,920
Speaker 1: the details in a moment, but I want you to

755
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:05,520
Speaker 1: walk around it and then shout. But Lord, you train

756
00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:07,680
Speaker 1: me to be a warrior. I know how to lead

757
00:42:07,719 --> 00:42:09,280
Speaker 1: the army. We will take that city.

758
00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:12,719
Speaker 3: I watched the Odyssey, I know about the horse. We'll

759
00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:16,000
Speaker 3: figure out a way to get into that city. Okay, No,

760
00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:19,080
Speaker 3: he hadn't seen the movie, hadn't happened yet. But listen.

761
00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:23,000
Speaker 1: But he's like, but the Lord's like, no, I want

762
00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:25,360
Speaker 1: you to be humble. I'm gonna show you how to

763
00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:26,839
Speaker 1: do it. I don't want you to do it. If

764
00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:30,200
Speaker 1: you do it in classic military fashion, then you'll take

765
00:42:30,239 --> 00:42:30,720
Speaker 1: the credit.

766
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:31,640
Speaker 3: I don't want that.

767
00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:33,759
Speaker 1: I want to do a miracle and just let me

768
00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:36,839
Speaker 1: do that, Joshua, that's a question for us.

769
00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:41,160
Speaker 3: All God does equip us. He does give us.

770
00:42:41,080 --> 00:42:43,640
Speaker 1: Tools in our spiritual and leadership toolbox, but he doesn't

771
00:42:43,640 --> 00:42:46,359
Speaker 1: always want us to use those. That's where prayer comes in.

772
00:42:46,719 --> 00:42:49,880
Speaker 1: Ord How do you want me to handle this next challenge.

773
00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:53,240
Speaker 3: And be humble? If He tells you to walk.

774
00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:56,239
Speaker 1: Around something and pray a lot and shout, maybe we

775
00:42:56,239 --> 00:43:01,399
Speaker 1: should do that. Humility mean taking a lot of time

776
00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:06,799
Speaker 1: to listen and to learn, because as we do that,

777
00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:09,759
Speaker 1: we see what God is doing. We're listening and learning

778
00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:12,120
Speaker 1: from the Word and to the spirit. We're also listening

779
00:43:12,160 --> 00:43:15,000
Speaker 1: and learning to the ministry and leaders on the ground

780
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:17,040
Speaker 1: and what do they need, what are their dreams, what

781
00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:19,480
Speaker 1: are their fears, How might the Lord want us to

782
00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:24,560
Speaker 1: help them overcome fears and pursue the dreams that God

783
00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:25,719
Speaker 1: put in their heart that.

784
00:43:25,719 --> 00:43:27,200
Speaker 3: They feel like, I want to do this.

785
00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:29,560
Speaker 1: I don't have the training, I don't have the equipping,

786
00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:32,160
Speaker 1: I don't have the prayer, I don't have the financial resources.

787
00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:35,839
Speaker 1: And the Lord sometimes lets the Joshua Fund come along and.

788
00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:37,640
Speaker 3: Say, how can we help?

789
00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:41,120
Speaker 1: If they will, if they're trusting us to at least

790
00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:43,040
Speaker 1: share their fears and their dreams.

791
00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:44,960
Speaker 3: It's one of the things we love most.

792
00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:49,760
Speaker 1: I joke that coffee and baklavah are the largest line

793
00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:51,600
Speaker 1: item in the Joshua Fun budget.

794
00:43:52,239 --> 00:43:54,640
Speaker 3: It's not really true, although in my case it looks true.

795
00:43:55,400 --> 00:43:58,799
Speaker 1: Blaklava's you know, Arab suites and I have to admit

796
00:43:58,880 --> 00:44:01,880
Speaker 1: I am going through the seventh I long for the

797
00:44:01,880 --> 00:44:03,879
Speaker 1: seven leen years. We haven't gotten to that point yet.

798
00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:07,120
Speaker 1: But that's a different topic. I say coffee and bahlavah

799
00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:10,960
Speaker 1: is our largest line item, it's not, but meaning that

800
00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:14,600
Speaker 1: our staff we spent a lot of time just sitting

801
00:44:14,640 --> 00:44:18,000
Speaker 1: with partners, with ministry leaders, ones that we're already working

802
00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:21,440
Speaker 1: with and new ones that we're just getting to meet, Listening, learning,

803
00:44:21,640 --> 00:44:25,560
Speaker 1: hearing their testimonies. We're not there like we're we're the

804
00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:29,080
Speaker 1: Joshua and we're here to help you. We're like, you're

805
00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:31,640
Speaker 1: the heroes that got us raised up. You're Israeli, you're

806
00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:34,960
Speaker 1: Palaes Indian, you're not benez You're Syrian, they're Jordaniums and Gypsy,

807
00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:39,160
Speaker 1: whatever it is, you're the heroes. God has raised you up.

808
00:44:39,200 --> 00:44:41,520
Speaker 1: How can we help you? How can we encourage you?

809
00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:49,960
Speaker 1: I never imagined when we started Nordon Lynn that twenty

810
00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:51,920
Speaker 1: years ago, when we started the Joshua and there was

811
00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:54,720
Speaker 1: no money in the bank account that we just opened,

812
00:44:55,320 --> 00:44:57,560
Speaker 1: that over twenty years that the Lord would bring in

813
00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:02,960
Speaker 1: for us as a team to steward and then invest

814
00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:07,799
Speaker 1: over one hundred and thirty million dollars into strengthen the church,

815
00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:13,120
Speaker 1: advancing the gospel, winning people to Jesus, building the church,

816
00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:15,560
Speaker 1: growing the church, caring for the needy and the poor,

817
00:45:15,680 --> 00:45:17,120
Speaker 1: educating the church worldwide.

818
00:45:17,239 --> 00:45:20,120
Speaker 3: This has been exciting and we couldn't have done this.

819
00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:21,160
Speaker 3: We didn't know how to do it.

820
00:45:21,239 --> 00:45:23,879
Speaker 1: But God brought not just the financial resources, he brought

821
00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:26,560
Speaker 1: the people who knew how to help us, who could

822
00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:30,239
Speaker 1: fill in gaps of skill sets we didn't have that

823
00:45:30,800 --> 00:45:34,640
Speaker 1: takes humility. The Lord knows he's calling us to do something,

824
00:45:34,880 --> 00:45:40,120
Speaker 1: apparently he's going to provide. Having confidence in God's word

825
00:45:40,239 --> 00:45:45,440
Speaker 1: is another critical element in serving Jesus. Don't overthink the

826
00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:47,680
Speaker 1: mission again, don't get fancy with the spices.

827
00:45:47,719 --> 00:45:50,719
Speaker 3: Stick with what you know. The two greatest commandments. What

828
00:45:50,719 --> 00:45:51,080
Speaker 3: are those?

829
00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:53,800
Speaker 1: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind,

830
00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:56,440
Speaker 1: and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.

831
00:45:57,600 --> 00:45:58,040
Speaker 3: Do that.

832
00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:01,279
Speaker 1: That's what the Joshua's heart is and great commission. Go

833
00:46:01,600 --> 00:46:05,360
Speaker 1: ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, not just Israel,

834
00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:08,360
Speaker 1: but the other nations in the region too. Go and

835
00:46:08,360 --> 00:46:11,759
Speaker 1: make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name

836
00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:13,880
Speaker 1: of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

837
00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:17,920
Speaker 1: and teaching them from the Word of God, Genesis, the Revelation,

838
00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:21,239
Speaker 1: the whole Council of God. Teaching them to obey everything

839
00:46:21,320 --> 00:46:23,759
Speaker 1: I've commanded, not just a few things. Don't just cherry pick.

840
00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:27,200
Speaker 1: Teach them to obey everything I've commanded. And remember I'm

841
00:46:27,239 --> 00:46:29,200
Speaker 1: with you always, even to the end of the earth.

842
00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:32,879
Speaker 3: This is what we do.

843
00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:37,920
Speaker 1: Early on in the josh fund a few Israeli pastors said,

844
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:39,359
Speaker 1: you know, one of the things that we're missing here.

845
00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:41,439
Speaker 1: He said, no, what are you missing here? We don't

846
00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:45,560
Speaker 1: have a national Bible conference. There's no we're kind of divided.

847
00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:50,680
Speaker 1: There's the Conservative Theological group and there's the Pentecostal Assemblies

848
00:46:50,680 --> 00:46:54,920
Speaker 1: of God charismatic. We don't really mix and mingle that well.

849
00:46:55,239 --> 00:46:58,040
Speaker 1: And so nobody sort of feels comfortable to go to

850
00:46:58,080 --> 00:47:01,279
Speaker 1: that guy's conference, or that we really need an outside

851
00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:05,040
Speaker 1: trusted group to have a national Bible conference every year.

852
00:47:05,320 --> 00:47:07,640
Speaker 1: We can just be fed. You know, we're shepherds. We

853
00:47:07,680 --> 00:47:10,280
Speaker 1: feed the sheep, but we need to be fed ourselves encouraged.

854
00:47:10,280 --> 00:47:12,719
Speaker 1: And how about you? Why don't you guys do that?

855
00:47:12,880 --> 00:47:17,279
Speaker 1: But I don't know about that. Who were we? Well,

856
00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:20,880
Speaker 1: you're outsiders, You're you're trusted, you're you. We know that

857
00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:22,960
Speaker 1: you don't have an ulterior motive. We know what you

858
00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:25,239
Speaker 1: believe and what you and that you care for us

859
00:47:25,280 --> 00:47:28,360
Speaker 1: all and that we know that you were able to work.

860
00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:32,000
Speaker 3: With at the full range of the full spectrum of believers.

861
00:47:32,719 --> 00:47:34,600
Speaker 3: Could you help us?

862
00:47:35,520 --> 00:47:38,280
Speaker 1: So we prayed about that and we said, I guess

863
00:47:38,880 --> 00:47:41,040
Speaker 1: so we you know, twenty twelve was the first time

864
00:47:41,040 --> 00:47:45,040
Speaker 1: we called it preach the word shepherd. The flock, all

865
00:47:45,080 --> 00:47:48,120
Speaker 1: expenses paid. We invited every pastor and ministry in the

866
00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:51,920
Speaker 1: leader that wasn't a known heretic or wasn't a known lunatic.

867
00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:54,840
Speaker 3: You know, it was quite encompassing.

868
00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:57,560
Speaker 1: And I'm not saying every single one came, but but

869
00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:00,560
Speaker 1: over years we've been doing this for twenty twelve except

870
00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:02,839
Speaker 1: for COVID, we've been doing it ever since, and not

871
00:48:02,920 --> 00:48:05,279
Speaker 1: just for Israelis, but for the palest Indian believers as well,

872
00:48:05,600 --> 00:48:08,319
Speaker 1: to feed them, to encourage them, not because they don't

873
00:48:08,360 --> 00:48:11,080
Speaker 1: know the word, just to get all expensive paid. Come

874
00:48:11,080 --> 00:48:14,200
Speaker 1: to a beautiful hotel on the Israeli side, it's on

875
00:48:14,320 --> 00:48:15,680
Speaker 1: the Mediterranean, beautiful.

876
00:48:16,200 --> 00:48:16,680
Speaker 3: Just come.

877
00:48:16,800 --> 00:48:20,280
Speaker 1: You're not responsible to do anything, just be there. Soak

878
00:48:20,320 --> 00:48:22,840
Speaker 1: in the world. Have times of worship, have times of prayer,

879
00:48:23,160 --> 00:48:24,880
Speaker 1: have times of fellowship with other people.

880
00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:26,120
Speaker 3: It's like a wedding reception.

881
00:48:26,160 --> 00:48:28,960
Speaker 1: People are getting to spend time with believers that they

882
00:48:29,440 --> 00:48:33,000
Speaker 1: don't often see because their lives are full, and especially

883
00:48:33,239 --> 00:48:35,600
Speaker 1: during the war, and and and then it's a time

884
00:48:35,640 --> 00:48:37,880
Speaker 1: to go walk on the beach hand in hand with

885
00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:41,319
Speaker 1: your wife, or reconcile if you If you don't want

886
00:48:41,320 --> 00:48:43,920
Speaker 1: to do that, it's a time to just be together

887
00:48:44,360 --> 00:48:47,800
Speaker 1: and and and be fed. You're a shepherd, but you

888
00:48:47,880 --> 00:48:49,759
Speaker 1: need to be fed. And that's been one of the

889
00:48:49,840 --> 00:48:51,719
Speaker 1: great things that God has opened up a door for

890
00:48:51,800 --> 00:48:54,640
Speaker 1: us to do, and you appreciate that. Another area, just

891
00:48:54,680 --> 00:48:59,279
Speaker 1: real quickly is educating the church. I mean I spend

892
00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:02,440
Speaker 1: a lot of time traveling and speaking churches like this

893
00:49:02,600 --> 00:49:04,840
Speaker 1: and all of the country, all over the world, and

894
00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:08,560
Speaker 1: not just in Israel. And and why to help believers

895
00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:12,680
Speaker 1: understand what is God's heart and biblical plan and purpose,

896
00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:16,120
Speaker 1: prophetic plan and purpose for Israel and the neighbors. And

897
00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:19,160
Speaker 1: how can we be people that learn and pray and

898
00:49:19,239 --> 00:49:22,640
Speaker 1: give and go Because the more we understand God's heart

899
00:49:22,760 --> 00:49:26,200
Speaker 1: and what the enemy is doing, and the more we learn,

900
00:49:26,360 --> 00:49:29,520
Speaker 1: the more we know how to pray, the more we pray,

901
00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:33,200
Speaker 1: the more likely we are to give financially as well

902
00:49:33,239 --> 00:49:35,239
Speaker 1: as our time and our talents to the work of

903
00:49:35,280 --> 00:49:37,719
Speaker 1: the Kingdom in the Middle East, and to even go.

904
00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:40,520
Speaker 3: And there's an opportunity.

905
00:49:41,560 --> 00:49:45,399
Speaker 1: Pastor Ed is leading a tour to Israel this fall,

906
00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:48,360
Speaker 1: this November. I hope you would pray about going with him.

907
00:49:48,800 --> 00:49:51,560
Speaker 1: If you can't go. In November, we've got a tour

908
00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:54,319
Speaker 1: with the Josh fund. In the spring, we're doing an

909
00:49:54,320 --> 00:49:56,680
Speaker 1: Epicenter summit mobilizing Christians.

910
00:49:56,760 --> 00:49:59,320
Speaker 3: It's time to come back. It's time to come.

911
00:49:59,200 --> 00:50:00,520
Speaker 1: Back in the land, one of the read things, and

912
00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:03,000
Speaker 1: not just to stand with Israel, but to come walk

913
00:50:03,040 --> 00:50:06,279
Speaker 1: through Israel. And we'll have the President of Israel and

914
00:50:06,719 --> 00:50:10,400
Speaker 1: US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Reg Laurie and Skip Heisig

915
00:50:10,440 --> 00:50:13,959
Speaker 1: and Jack Graham and Graham Lots and myself and there'll

916
00:50:13,960 --> 00:50:17,800
Speaker 1: be others too, to motivate, to equip, to teach and help.

917
00:50:17,600 --> 00:50:19,200
Speaker 3: People to learn and pray and give and go.

918
00:50:19,440 --> 00:50:21,480
Speaker 1: Lenn and I are also just finishing up a book

919
00:50:22,680 --> 00:50:27,960
Speaker 1: called Firestorm. The subhead is what's true and what isn't

920
00:50:29,800 --> 00:50:32,920
Speaker 1: in the war against Israel, Jews and the Christians who

921
00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:37,440
Speaker 1: love them Both we're dealing with the fiercest and most

922
00:50:39,280 --> 00:50:44,200
Speaker 1: intense attacks against Israel, Jews and Christians deal political attack

923
00:50:44,320 --> 00:50:47,360
Speaker 1: lines and also theological attack lines. And that's what the

924
00:50:47,360 --> 00:50:50,960
Speaker 1: book responds to and then talks about what is God's heart?

925
00:50:51,040 --> 00:50:53,600
Speaker 1: What did the scriptures say? How can we be involved

926
00:50:53,600 --> 00:50:57,080
Speaker 1: in being a blessing and not a curse. We've got

927
00:50:57,080 --> 00:51:00,879
Speaker 1: a podcast called Inside the Epicenter. It's also turned into

928
00:51:00,880 --> 00:51:04,000
Speaker 1: a radio show on hundreds of stations. I'm not sure

929
00:51:04,040 --> 00:51:06,319
Speaker 1: if it's on here, So we'll talk. We'll figure that

930
00:51:06,360 --> 00:51:09,879
Speaker 1: one out. But where as Lenn and I are trying

931
00:51:09,880 --> 00:51:12,160
Speaker 1: to help people with a little bit of longer form

932
00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:16,279
Speaker 1: way to understand what is happening in the Middle East,

933
00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:18,640
Speaker 1: you're not going to trust see it end probably or

934
00:51:20,000 --> 00:51:25,000
Speaker 1: CBS Evening News or the sixty minutes or the Associated Press.

935
00:51:25,000 --> 00:51:26,480
Speaker 3: There's a lot of media.

936
00:51:26,239 --> 00:51:28,480
Speaker 1: Bias out there and what's going on on TikTok. I

937
00:51:28,520 --> 00:51:31,240
Speaker 1: don't think that's the right way to learn. We're trying

938
00:51:31,239 --> 00:51:33,760
Speaker 1: to create resources, educational resource and help people.

939
00:51:34,880 --> 00:51:35,080
Speaker 3: Well.

940
00:51:35,080 --> 00:51:37,160
Speaker 1: As we get ready to close, I want to say

941
00:51:37,160 --> 00:51:40,800
Speaker 1: that in addition to prayer and humility and just having

942
00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:45,640
Speaker 1: confidence in God's word, and we also need hope, and

943
00:51:45,719 --> 00:51:50,520
Speaker 1: we've learned to trust in Jesus for hope that in

944
00:51:50,560 --> 00:51:54,720
Speaker 1: the roiling seas of the Middle East and of life,

945
00:51:55,560 --> 00:51:59,399
Speaker 1: the God said in Hebrews six nineteen, we have this

946
00:51:59,560 --> 00:52:05,480
Speaker 1: hope as an anchor for our souls. Paul and Romans

947
00:52:05,520 --> 00:52:07,839
Speaker 1: talked about nothing's going to separate us from the love

948
00:52:07,880 --> 00:52:11,080
Speaker 1: of God. So I asked you some questions. Do you

949
00:52:11,160 --> 00:52:14,160
Speaker 1: have this hope if you're a believer and you have

950
00:52:14,239 --> 00:52:17,839
Speaker 1: this hope. Okay, so what is God calling you to do?

951
00:52:20,800 --> 00:52:25,640
Speaker 1: Who is God calling you to be? Is He calling

952
00:52:25,680 --> 00:52:29,400
Speaker 1: you to share the Gospel with a family member or

953
00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:33,400
Speaker 1: a friend, or a classmate or a colleague. And you're like,

954
00:52:33,880 --> 00:52:37,200
Speaker 1: I don't think, Lord, you don't understand this person.

955
00:52:37,400 --> 00:52:38,400
Speaker 3: You don't know them like I do.

956
00:52:38,600 --> 00:52:43,080
Speaker 1: Really, maybe you've shared with them in the past, didn't

957
00:52:43,120 --> 00:52:44,719
Speaker 1: go well, and you don't want to get You don't

958
00:52:44,719 --> 00:52:47,560
Speaker 1: want to touch that hot stove again. I understand that

959
00:52:48,320 --> 00:52:50,880
Speaker 1: if you haven't ever shared, what if the Lord's time

960
00:52:50,920 --> 00:52:52,960
Speaker 1: for them on this planet is not that long from now?

961
00:52:54,800 --> 00:52:57,120
Speaker 1: You don't want the regret that you knew the truth

962
00:52:57,160 --> 00:52:59,240
Speaker 1: and you didn't even share with your friend, your colleague,

963
00:52:59,239 --> 00:53:06,920
Speaker 1: your neighbor. Is the Lord calling you to join a

964
00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:11,480
Speaker 1: specific ministry in this congregation or in some other ministry

965
00:53:11,520 --> 00:53:13,560
Speaker 1: in addition to serving in your local church. You should

966
00:53:13,600 --> 00:53:15,920
Speaker 1: always serve in your local church, but maybe there's some

967
00:53:15,960 --> 00:53:18,480
Speaker 1: other way. You're also supposed to serve in another ministry

968
00:53:18,760 --> 00:53:22,320
Speaker 1: and investing your time, your talent, your treasure to advance

969
00:53:22,360 --> 00:53:24,600
Speaker 1: the Kingdom of Jesus Christ so that when you see

970
00:53:24,680 --> 00:53:26,040
Speaker 1: him one day it's not just that.

971
00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:27,000
Speaker 3: You walk with Jesus.

972
00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:29,520
Speaker 1: It's that you share the gospel, that you helped other

973
00:53:29,600 --> 00:53:31,560
Speaker 1: people come to know Jesus.

974
00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:32,520
Speaker 3: Walk with Jesus.

975
00:53:32,680 --> 00:53:37,359
Speaker 1: You want to hear him say right, not dude, what

976
00:53:37,400 --> 00:53:39,600
Speaker 1: did you do with your time on earth? Uh?

977
00:53:40,040 --> 00:53:43,000
Speaker 3: Well, I didn't really want to get out of the boat.

978
00:53:43,040 --> 00:53:46,160
Speaker 1: Really, you want to hear him say, well done, my

979
00:53:46,239 --> 00:53:49,319
Speaker 1: good and faithful servant. You were faithful in a few things.

980
00:53:49,360 --> 00:53:50,800
Speaker 1: I'm gonna put you in charge of many things. You

981
00:53:51,560 --> 00:53:56,920
Speaker 1: showed yourself faithful. Could the Lord be even telling you

982
00:53:57,000 --> 00:54:00,360
Speaker 1: to start a ministry? I know that sounds crazy, but

983
00:54:01,000 --> 00:54:04,960
Speaker 1: God likes to do crazy. He told lend me to

984
00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:08,239
Speaker 1: start a ministry. That was crazy.

985
00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:09,600
Speaker 3: But is it crazy really?

986
00:54:11,040 --> 00:54:14,279
Speaker 1: Or is it following Christ wherever He leads you? No

987
00:54:14,320 --> 00:54:20,160
Speaker 1: matter what, I don't think that's crazy. It feels crazy.

988
00:54:20,960 --> 00:54:23,279
Speaker 3: I want to bring the group up here, the worship team.

989
00:54:23,320 --> 00:54:25,919
Speaker 1: As we close, I want to ask you how big

990
00:54:25,960 --> 00:54:26,520
Speaker 1: is your faith?

991
00:54:26,960 --> 00:54:28,439
Speaker 3: How big is your God?

992
00:54:29,040 --> 00:54:31,640
Speaker 1: But also as we close, I want to give you

993
00:54:31,680 --> 00:54:32,400
Speaker 1: an opportunity.

994
00:54:32,520 --> 00:54:35,120
Speaker 3: If you've never trusted Christ.

995
00:54:34,840 --> 00:54:39,120
Speaker 1: Before, don't leave this building without having said yes to Jesus,

996
00:54:39,120 --> 00:54:42,800
Speaker 1: without being absolutely certain that you are adopted into his family.

997
00:54:43,400 --> 00:54:45,680
Speaker 1: It's free. It's a free gift that he offers you,

998
00:54:45,680 --> 00:54:48,520
Speaker 1: but you've got to say yes. It's like people say, oh,

999
00:54:48,560 --> 00:54:50,799
Speaker 1: you Jews, you think you're the chosen people. You think

1000
00:54:50,840 --> 00:54:52,560
Speaker 1: you're so great. No, we're not so great, and we

1001
00:54:52,560 --> 00:54:54,719
Speaker 1: don't even want to be chosen. How has that worked out.

1002
00:54:54,600 --> 00:54:56,040
Speaker 3: Well for us? Right?

1003
00:54:56,480 --> 00:55:00,400
Speaker 1: Hamas chose us, Lesbala chose us, Huci shows us, Iranian

1004
00:55:00,440 --> 00:55:03,040
Speaker 1: shows us mahmoud Ahma genocide.

1005
00:55:03,160 --> 00:55:05,000
Speaker 3: You know, we don't want to be chosen.

1006
00:55:05,880 --> 00:55:08,880
Speaker 1: But God did choose us to reveal himself to us

1007
00:55:08,920 --> 00:55:12,080
Speaker 1: and make the world, make himself known to the world

1008
00:55:12,120 --> 00:55:14,920
Speaker 1: through us. But it's not enough that we as Jews

1009
00:55:14,920 --> 00:55:18,160
Speaker 1: are chosen. We have to choose him back. We don't

1010
00:55:18,160 --> 00:55:22,359
Speaker 1: have some special deal where because we're Jews we're going

1011
00:55:22,400 --> 00:55:27,120
Speaker 1: to heaven. The deal is the Jewish Messiah came. And

1012
00:55:27,239 --> 00:55:31,200
Speaker 1: that's the way. Jesus said, I am the Way, I

1013
00:55:31,239 --> 00:55:33,160
Speaker 1: am the Truth, I am the Life. No one comes

1014
00:55:33,160 --> 00:55:36,960
Speaker 1: to the Father and Heaven and eternity except through me.

1015
00:55:37,800 --> 00:55:40,120
Speaker 1: Whether you're a Jew or gentile, gentle, have you made

1016
00:55:40,120 --> 00:55:42,279
Speaker 1: that decision? So I'd like us to close our eyes

1017
00:55:42,320 --> 00:55:44,600
Speaker 1: and bow our heads. And I just want to give

1018
00:55:44,640 --> 00:55:48,120
Speaker 1: you an opportunity. Let's give people prophecy. But stand if

1019
00:55:48,160 --> 00:55:50,400
Speaker 1: you would if you want to make a decision today.

1020
00:55:51,120 --> 00:55:53,480
Speaker 3: I don't know, Jesus. I need to know. Jesus.

1021
00:55:53,920 --> 00:55:56,800
Speaker 1: Please, Joe, pray with me, lead me in a prayer

1022
00:55:57,480 --> 00:55:58,960
Speaker 1: to make a decision today.

1023
00:55:59,400 --> 00:56:02,480
Speaker 3: Okay, don't And if you're driving, keep your eyes open.

1024
00:56:03,560 --> 00:56:05,279
Speaker 1: Okay, we don't want you to go to heaven right

1025
00:56:05,320 --> 00:56:07,719
Speaker 1: the second, especially if you're not in the kingdom yet.

1026
00:56:08,160 --> 00:56:09,880
Speaker 1: But for the rest of us, keep our eyes closed

1027
00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:12,760
Speaker 1: and our eyes closed and our heads spouted. But stand

1028
00:56:12,800 --> 00:56:15,040
Speaker 1: where you are and let me lead you in a prayer.

1029
00:56:15,280 --> 00:56:17,720
Speaker 1: You already know the gospel. We've talked about it throughout

1030
00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:20,400
Speaker 1: this message. Jesus died on the cross to pay the

1031
00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:22,320
Speaker 1: penalty for your sins because you're a sinner.

1032
00:56:22,719 --> 00:56:23,160
Speaker 2: So am I.

1033
00:56:23,680 --> 00:56:27,560
Speaker 1: But I'm forgiven because I've said yes to Christ. Have

1034
00:56:27,680 --> 00:56:30,239
Speaker 1: you said yes to Christ? He wasn't just crucified for

1035
00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:32,880
Speaker 1: your sins. He rose again. God raised him from the

1036
00:56:32,880 --> 00:56:34,800
Speaker 1: dead to prove that he is the Messiah.

1037
00:56:34,840 --> 00:56:37,640
Speaker 3: He's not just some religious figure. He is God. He

1038
00:56:37,760 --> 00:56:41,040
Speaker 3: is the Messiah, He's the Savior. He is the only

1039
00:56:41,080 --> 00:56:44,000
Speaker 3: way to get to Heaven and to get to be

1040
00:56:44,080 --> 00:56:47,480
Speaker 3: adopted into God's family. Are you ready to make a decision.

1041
00:56:47,800 --> 00:56:48,360
Speaker 3: Let's pray.

1042
00:56:49,480 --> 00:56:53,080
Speaker 1: You can pray silently or out loud with me. Dear

1043
00:56:53,160 --> 00:56:54,480
Speaker 1: Father in Heaven.

1044
00:56:56,000 --> 00:57:01,319
Speaker 3: I need you. I'm a sinner, I know it.

1045
00:57:02,520 --> 00:57:06,239
Speaker 1: I don't like it, and I want you to forgive me,

1046
00:57:08,320 --> 00:57:10,240
Speaker 1: and I want you to adopt.

1047
00:57:09,840 --> 00:57:12,520
Speaker 3: Me into your family today.

1048
00:57:13,320 --> 00:57:15,160
Speaker 1: I want to know that I'm going to heaven when

1049
00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:19,000
Speaker 1: I die, when I breathe my last breath, that I'm

1050
00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:23,960
Speaker 1: going to be with you in heaven for all of eternity.

1051
00:57:24,000 --> 00:57:26,200
Speaker 1: And I want to know that I get the blessings

1052
00:57:26,200 --> 00:57:31,520
Speaker 1: of hope and joy and peace that passes understanding in

1053
00:57:31,600 --> 00:57:32,440
Speaker 1: this life.

1054
00:57:33,840 --> 00:57:34,880
Speaker 3: Lord, I want.

1055
00:57:34,720 --> 00:57:40,080
Speaker 1: To turn away from sin. I want to repent. Help me,

1056
00:57:40,840 --> 00:57:45,160
Speaker 1: Help me. I want to say yes to Jesus. I

1057
00:57:45,240 --> 00:57:49,720
Speaker 1: believe that he died on the cross for my sins

1058
00:57:50,400 --> 00:57:52,000
Speaker 1: to pay that penalty.

1059
00:57:51,520 --> 00:57:52,200
Speaker 3: For my sins.

1060
00:57:53,960 --> 00:57:57,040
Speaker 1: And I believe that you raise Jesus from the dead

1061
00:57:59,480 --> 00:58:02,520
Speaker 1: to prove that he is God, that you are God.

1062
00:58:02,600 --> 00:58:05,520
Speaker 3: And I have to go through Jesus.

1063
00:58:05,200 --> 00:58:09,240
Speaker 1: To get to you, and I want to be in

1064
00:58:09,280 --> 00:58:12,080
Speaker 1: your family, and I can't do it on my own.

1065
00:58:13,040 --> 00:58:17,640
Speaker 3: So I say yes to Jesus to you today. Thank you.

1066
00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:22,120
Speaker 3: Now teach me how to live this life, to walk

1067
00:58:22,160 --> 00:58:24,160
Speaker 3: with you, to be who you want me to be.

1068
00:58:24,680 --> 00:58:28,080
Speaker 3: In Jesus' name, I pray Lord. I want to encourage

1069
00:58:28,080 --> 00:58:28,440
Speaker 3: all of you.

1070
00:58:28,520 --> 00:58:31,120
Speaker 1: If you've made that decision, even if you didn't stand up,

1071
00:58:31,160 --> 00:58:34,360
Speaker 1: but you prayed that There'll be pastors and staff members

1072
00:58:34,400 --> 00:58:34,760
Speaker 1: here from the.

1073
00:58:34,800 --> 00:58:36,640
Speaker 3: Church upfront right after the service.

1074
00:58:36,800 --> 00:58:41,360
Speaker 1: Come up, talk to someone, get a Bible, ask your questions,

1075
00:58:41,400 --> 00:58:43,680
Speaker 1: get plugged into a Bible, so you learn how to

1076
00:58:43,760 --> 00:58:44,640
Speaker 1: walk with Jesus.

1077
00:58:44,880 --> 00:58:46,800
Speaker 3: Don't just make the one decision and then go be

1078
00:58:46,840 --> 00:58:50,200
Speaker 3: a lone ranger. That's not how it's done. And for

1079
00:58:50,240 --> 00:58:51,439
Speaker 3: the rest of you, thank you.

1080
00:58:52,200 --> 00:58:54,600
Speaker 1: Thank you for being a great congregation that's been super

1081
00:58:54,640 --> 00:58:56,080
Speaker 1: sweet to my family and.

1082
00:58:56,080 --> 00:58:57,120
Speaker 3: To the Joshual Fund.

1083
00:58:57,320 --> 00:59:01,560
Speaker 1: But me involved. We've got that that booth downstairs. We'd

1084
00:59:01,640 --> 00:59:03,880
Speaker 1: love for you to calme and ask questions, get involved,

1085
00:59:03,880 --> 00:59:04,960
Speaker 1: and we have some literature.

1086
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Speaker 3: We'd love you to learn and to pray and to

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Speaker 3: give and to go to what God is doing in

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Speaker 3: the epicenter today. God bless you.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, Thank you so much for joining us for

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00:59:22,920 --> 00:59:27,600
Speaker 2: this encouraging message about living faithfully in challenging times. As

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Speaker 2: Joel reminded us, while wars, political upheaval, and spiritual opposition

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00:59:32,640 --> 00:59:38,440
Speaker 2: continue and increase, God is still advancing his kingdom. If

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00:59:38,440 --> 00:59:41,360
Speaker 2: you found this podcast valuable, we'd love to hear from you.

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Speaker 2: Are you searching for Jesus yourself? Do you have a

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00:59:44,800 --> 00:59:48,040
Speaker 2: question you'd like Joel to answer. Please send any comments

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Speaker 2: to podcasts at Joshua Fund dot net. Your feedback and

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00:59:52,880 --> 00:59:56,160
Speaker 2: your contact is so valuable to us as we continue

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00:59:56,440 --> 00:59:59,520
Speaker 2: to develop the podcast, and as always, check out our

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00:59:59,520 --> 01:00:02,560
Speaker 2: show notes for anything you heard on today's episode that

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01:00:02,680 --> 01:00:05,920
Speaker 2: you would like more information on. And we appreciate so

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01:00:06,120 --> 01:00:10,640
Speaker 2: much your consideration of becoming generous monthly givers to the

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Speaker 2: Joshua Fund so that you can help us less Israel

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Speaker 2: and her neighbors now and for the long haul. You

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01:00:17,160 --> 01:00:20,040
Speaker 2: can become an epicent or ally today by going to

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01:00:20,240 --> 01:00:24,440
Speaker 2: Joshua fund dot com and signing up to become a

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01:00:24,480 --> 01:00:27,680
Speaker 2: monthly giver. In the meanwhile, thank you for listening, and

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Speaker 2: we'll see you next time on Inside the Epicenter. Chalem