S1: Today on Bold steps with Mark job. We're learning to
S1: walk worthy in our God given calling.
S2: Walk worthy of the calling that you have upon your life.
S2: You're called a child of the Most High God. You're
S2: called to follow Christ. You have the Holy Spirit inside
S2: of you now. So living that way, start acting that way.
S2: Start rising up to the call that you have inside
S2: of you.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark job. Mark is president
S1: of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor of New
S1: Life Community Church in Chicago. And I'm Wayne Shepherd. Yesterday
S1: we started this message on Walking Worthy. And today, as
S1: we move forward in our study from the book of Ephesians,
S1: we're going to be focusing our attention on three points
S1: that will help us live out our life's purpose and
S1: calling with passion. We're in Ephesians chapter four with a
S1: message from our brand new series when you believe Everything Changes.
S1: Here's Mark Jobe.
S2: Man, if I'm in line waiting on the expressway and
S2: there's a long line and I'm on the Stevenson waiting
S2: to get on to 1994, and someone drives all the
S2: way up and they want to get in front of me.
S2: I pull up to the guy in front of me like, hey,
S2: you're not going to get in front of me. I've
S2: been waiting. Anybody else go through that? It's like you
S2: try to get behind me, but not in front of me.
S2: I'm going to pull up five inches to the car
S2: in front of me. Like, I stay really close to
S2: them because. Hey, man, this is close. Get in the
S2: line there. I mean, we're taught that it comes out.
S2: And what gentleness means is that you live in a
S2: way that's above the fray of all the rest. It
S2: means that you show grace when everybody's pushy. It means
S2: that when everybody else is fighting for the line. And
S2: what's going to happen that you take the little old
S2: lady that that's there in the corner and you say, ma'am,
S2: can I help you out? It means that you you
S2: give a little you you give a little help to
S2: the person that's in a wheelchair. It means that when
S2: someone's pushing to get on the bus and everything, you
S2: notice the, the, the, the person that's struggling with their
S2: big suitcase and can't get along. It means that you
S2: live with a different set of rules in your mind.
S2: And the biggest set of rules is not how I
S2: can get ahead, just myself, but how I'm going to
S2: watch out. I'm not playing the the rat race game here.
S2: I'm living at a higher calling than the rest of
S2: society around me, and I'm living at a God calling size,
S2: so it makes me different. It makes me think different,
S2: operate different. It doesn't make me weaker. It makes me stronger.
S2: It takes more strength to watch out. It takes more
S2: strength to be gracious. It takes more strength to care
S2: about others. It takes more strength to to have some
S2: courtesy and decency in life than it does to be
S2: rude and harsh and strong. Humility, gentleness. Then he says, patient.
S2: That's the third characteristic. If you're going to live a
S2: life worthy of your calling, be humble, gentle, be patient.
S2: You see, the root of impatience in our life is
S2: when we just focus on our own world and think
S2: that our world is more important than anybody else's world.
S2: Think about it for a second. Your mom at home,
S2: you're talking on the phone. Your three year old is
S2: pulling on your skirt and you're trying to have the conversation. Wait, honey. Hey, mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Finally.
S2: What do you want? Don't you see I'm on the phone? Seriously,
S2: every mother here can relate. You've been there. But really,
S2: what it is, is. It's when we get so focused
S2: on our agenda, so focused on our thing that we
S2: don't consider other people around us. Patience means that you
S2: seek to have a long fuse, not a short fuse.
S2: Patience means that hey, you. You give people the benefit
S2: of the doubt. Uh, patience means that you don't snap
S2: right away, that you that you have, that you're in
S2: a place where you don't allow frustration to build immediately.
S2: If you have the reputation of, hey, don't mess with
S2: that person because they're always in a bad mood, hey,
S2: don't talk to that person because they'll all snap. They'll,
S2: they'll they'll bite your head off. Hey, that's not a
S2: good reputation to have. I know, maybe someone told you
S2: it's a good reputation. I know, maybe you thought that
S2: no one's going to get over on me. And I'm
S2: hard and tough. But that's not a good reputation when
S2: you're living at a higher calling. Higher calling. People have
S2: long fuses. Every time you lose your temper, every time
S2: you shout angry words at home, every time you snap
S2: out at the children and lambast the wife. And every
S2: time you go into a little rampage or rage because
S2: you're mad at something. Oh, I know the family will
S2: listen when you go into a rage. I know everybody
S2: quiets down a little bit. I know you get your
S2: way when you go into a rage and throw a
S2: temper tantrum and raise your voice. And then suddenly you say, yeah,
S2: that's what I want. I want some respect in this place.
S2: But I'm going to tell you, every time you do that,
S2: man of God, you lose a little respect, you lose
S2: a little respect from your kids, you lose a little
S2: respect from your wife. Oh, you may gain their attention
S2: from a moment, but you lose a little respect in
S2: the long run. It's people that gain patience, maintain their
S2: emotions under control, and they don't snap right away. And
S2: don't go off the handle right away. But say I'm
S2: called to a higher calling. That begin to reflect Jesus humility, gentleness, patience.
S2: And lastly, it says bearing with one another in love.
S2: The last characteristic is love. Now, I want to just
S2: clarify this for a moment, just in case you have
S2: a misunderstanding of love. Love is not an emotion. God
S2: never tells us in the Bible. Feel love. Never. You
S2: can search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you
S2: will never see God say feel love. God says love.
S2: He doesn't say, feel love. Love is not an emotion.
S2: Love is a commitment that we make. It's a choice
S2: that we make as to how to treat someone. And
S2: so love is choosing to treat someone in a way
S2: that helps them out in a way that's better for them,
S2: in a way that believes that they can do good
S2: in a way that considers them as important. That's what
S2: love is. It's not an emotion. Do you realize that
S2: you can love and not feel an ounce of love
S2: in your being, and that you can still be loving? Oh,
S2: let me say that again. In fact, let me tell you,
S2: if you haven't learned to love when you don't feel
S2: like loving, then you're still immature. You know how many couples?
S2: I come sit in my office and they say, well,
S2: we're thinking about separating or getting divorced. Why? We just
S2: don't love each other anymore. You don't love each other? No.
S2: Just don't. Just don't feel it. Don't feel it anymore. Oh,
S2: so it's about the goosebumps. It's about the hair in
S2: the back of your neck standing up. It's about the
S2: pitter patter and you don't feel that. So if you
S2: don't feel that you decided you're going to call it quits. Hello?
S2: Grow up. That's high school, love. That's immaturity. You don't
S2: let your feelings dictate the way you operate and live.
S2: If you ran your life by feelings, then half the
S2: days this year you would not go to work. I
S2: don't feel like going to work today. If you ran
S2: by feelings half the times, you wouldn't praise God. Half
S2: the times you wouldn't read your Bible. All of the
S2: times you wouldn't pay taxes. You wouldn't clean up the house.
S2: You wouldn't Unnecessarily. Take your kid to the ball game. Hey,
S2: if you went by feelings, you would be super immature.
S2: Thank God that God doesn't go by feelings when he
S2: loves us. Thank God while we are yet sinners, he
S2: loved us. Thank God that when we were messing up,
S2: he still loved us. Thank God that when we were
S2: cursing him, he still loved us. Thank God that when
S2: we fail him, he still loves us. Thank God that
S2: he doesn't go by his feelings, but he's committed to
S2: love us regardless of how we are. When we were
S2: yet sinners, Christ still loved us. And maturity says, I
S2: will love people. I commit to love people. And as
S2: I love people and commit to that, I believe that
S2: the feelings will follow. That's how it works.
S1: We'll continue our message in just a moment here on
S1: Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. But first, Mark, if you'll
S1: permit me, I want to share something that's been weighing
S1: on my heart lately. I've been thinking about how throughout history,
S1: God has always raised up people who prioritized his mission,
S1: even during some pretty turbulent times. Whether it was the
S1: early church during persecution, or believers during world wars, or
S1: missionaries and hostile territories, there have always been those who
S1: kept their focus on advancing the gospel despite everything happening
S1: around them. And we've got a lot happening around us
S1: right now.
S2: And Wayne, oftentimes.
S3: It's in the midst of a lot of turbulence and
S3: turmoil that people start looking to the heavens in special ways.
S3: And I believe that we live in a moment like that.
S3: And I just want to say that as a pastor,
S3: I've been a pastor for over 30 some years in
S3: the city of Chicago. I have never seen the openness
S3: that I've seen. Now that's incredible. I'm having these conversations,
S3: especially with young people we've seen at our church. Over
S3: a thousand people come to Christ and get baptized in
S3: the last 24 months, mainly under the age of 35.
S3: Many that had no religious background and are just hungry
S3: for God. And I think the turbulence of the world
S3: has caused them to say I need something. And many
S3: of us as believers, we're getting too distracted by what's
S3: happening and not focused enough on the gospel. And so
S3: I want to bring your attention back to the opportunities
S3: that you have around you. That's what Bold Steps is
S3: all about. Regardless of what's happening in our world, we
S3: believe that the greatest news that needs to be proclaimed
S3: is the good news that Jesus Christ is here. He's
S3: the Savior, and we do not want to miss this
S3: window of opportunity of so many people being open. So
S3: join us as we continue to boldly, passionately, powerfully, 24
S3: hours a day through moody radio, proclaim the good news
S3: of Jesus.
S1: And at Moody, we're sending workers into that harvest, aren't we?
S3: We are and so excited about that as well. We're
S3: sending people focused on the gospel. Bold steps, as you know,
S3: is making sure that we include a call to the
S3: gospel on a regular basis. And so excited to see
S3: people coming to Jesus.
S1: Well, you who are listening can invest your resources in
S1: sharing God's life changing truth. To make a gift, simply
S1: go online to Bold steps org or our phone number
S1: is 800. That's (800) 356-6639. And your partnership makes an eternal difference.
S1: And we'll send you, by request, a special bold step
S1: gift as a token of our appreciation. We'll talk more
S1: about that gift later in today's message, but consider partnering
S1: with bold steps. Now back to the message. Here again
S1: is Mark.
S2: You love in obedience and pray that the feelings will follow.
S2: Because listen, not every day of the year you're going
S2: to wake up madly in love with your husband or wife, Oh,
S2: there'll be those moments. And hopefully if you cultivate it,
S2: they'll be a lot. Every day's not a honeymoon, right?
S2: You're not going to turn over every time. And you
S2: don't wake up with your wife's makeup. Perfectly well done
S2: or eyelashes all done, and her breasts smelling great all
S2: the time. And it's not always like, well, you're a
S2: lovely sight. That's that's it's not going to happen that
S2: way all the time. But you, you love because you
S2: commit to love. And that's exactly what the vows say,
S2: for better or for worse, for good. For for richer
S2: or for poorer. Some say I'm stuck in the poor pasture.
S2: I'm just waiting for the richer to come. But you
S2: know the commitment is made there. And it's a commitment
S2: to maturity. And what Paul is saying is that when
S2: we choose a higher standard of living, we are choosing
S2: to love people regardless of how we feel. And sometimes
S2: even when we don't feel. We still treat people according
S2: to love because we're called to a higher calling. Walk
S2: worthy of the calling that you have upon your life.
S2: You're called a child of the Most High God. You're
S2: called to follow Christ. You have the Holy Spirit inside
S2: of you now. So living that way, start acting that way.
S2: Start rising up to the call that you have inside
S2: of you. And then he closes up by saying. Verse three,
S2: he tells us that if we're living according to our call,
S2: that we're going to be bridge builders, peacemakers. Verse three says,
S2: make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit
S2: through the bond of peace. Now notice we don't we
S2: do not create peace, but we maintain peace. What gives
S2: peace to the body? Before there was Wi-Fi connection. There
S2: was before. Way before Wi-Fi was was invented. There was
S2: already wireless spiritual Connection in the body because I have
S2: the Holy Spirit. And if you have the Holy Spirit,
S2: we are connected to one another. We are united in Christ.
S2: We are one body. You say, well, I don't even
S2: like him. I sit on this side of the church
S2: because I don't want to be near that person way
S2: over there. Hey, I don't care if you like him
S2: or not. You're part of the body. So he says,
S2: he says make every effort. That means give extraordinary energy
S2: to do what? What? To keep the unity of the spirit.
S2: The unity of the spirit in the body through the
S2: bond of peace. Because, you know, do you realize there
S2: will always be forces trying to divide the body, pull
S2: you away, push you apart, feel you, make you feel
S2: like people don't care, I don't belong. That's not really
S2: where I should be. People don't care. People. People don't
S2: like me. Someone didn't call me up. I was sick
S2: and I only got one call. And it was asked
S2: me if I was serving in Sunday school. Do you
S2: realize that the strategy of the enemy is to try
S2: to conquer and divide? And if the enemy can make
S2: you feel like an outsider in the family, well, that's
S2: one of his greatest strategies. Well, I come, but I'm
S2: not really an insider. I don't, you know, I'm just
S2: kind of on the fringes. It's the old fringe lie.
S2: I could die tomorrow and people wouldn't notice. I'm in,
S2: but I'm not really in. You know how the enemy
S2: works overtime on that. Because the strategy of the enemy
S2: is to conquer the divide, to make you feel isolated,
S2: to turn you away from the very people that love
S2: you and the very family of God that can really
S2: help you grow. When I was, I lived in a
S2: small village in northern Spain, and my best friend was
S2: the son of a shepherd. And in Spanish they say bastard,
S2: but he wasn't a bastard of church. Bastard. He was
S2: a bastard of sheep. And it was his job, his
S2: dad's job to bring about four, 4 or 500 sheep
S2: into the town every day. They belong to different people.
S2: He would take them out. They would graze on the hills.
S2: The biggest challenge, though, when he brought the. When he
S2: brought the sheep into town, he had to cross a
S2: railroad track. And so he'd always ask his son to
S2: come down and help him. He'd have the sheep dogs.
S2: And I remember being there, and it was always sort
S2: of like this adrenaline rush to try to get 500
S2: sheep across the railroad track while we're looking to see
S2: if a train is coming and to try to get
S2: them across. And one day we were down there at
S2: dusk trying to get all these sheep across the railroad track,
S2: and there was one sheep that was limping along. It
S2: was an injured sheep. And it was it was way
S2: in the back of the pack. And so we started
S2: getting the sheep going across the track, and we saw
S2: a train coming at a distance. Um, the train saw us.
S2: And so, man, we were panicking, trying to get the
S2: sheep going across, pushing them and, and, and we made
S2: it just in time. The last, almost the last sheep
S2: crossed over and then the train started going by and
S2: my friend was holding on to the one sheep left
S2: on the other side that was injured, and he was
S2: just holding her. And I thought, great, wow, we made it.
S2: It was because the sheep was injured that it couldn't
S2: keep up with the rest of the flock. This sheep
S2: so wanted to be a part of the rest of
S2: the flock. that the train was going. And halfway through
S2: the train going. This sheep stuck its head right into
S2: the train. First suicide I'd ever seen. I don't even
S2: know how to describe the bloody mess that it was,
S2: but it was messy. And I thought to myself, how dumb.
S2: Didn't you see a train was going on? Why would
S2: you stick your head in there? But here's the thing.
S2: I later thought to myself. How much we are like
S2: that sheep when we're injured. Emotionally have something against someone.
S2: It kind of puts us to the side and it
S2: keeps us away from. And although we want to belong,
S2: we're away. And when we're away, we're not always as
S2: protected from the dangers that are there. And I want
S2: you to understand that one of the greatest strategies of
S2: the enemy to take you down is to try to
S2: pull you away from the people of God and the
S2: things of God and the body of Christ, and make
S2: you feel lonely and isolated and dejected and not a
S2: part of what God is doing, and make you feel
S2: like I don't really belong. That's not really who I am.
S2: Someone hurt me. Someone offended me. I don't really I'm
S2: not really there. I don't have a place where I
S2: sit regularly. Or I went last Sunday and the place
S2: I always sit. Someone sat in whatever line he may
S2: use against you. But that's where Paul's. Paul says, hey,
S2: live worthy of the calling that you've had. And listen,
S2: according to this call, recognize to keep the unity of
S2: the peace of the spirit. Verse four. Because there's one body,
S2: one spirit, one hope that you are called to because
S2: there's one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
S2: Father of us all, who is over all and in all,
S2: and through all in all. He says, listen, there's only
S2: one God, not a lot of gods. We are all
S2: part of one God and one faith, and one baptism
S2: and one spirit that moves in us all. And so
S2: what he's calling us to do is build bridges of unity.
S2: There is no other God you can go to because
S2: there's only one God. We're all part of one body throughout.
S2: When God looks at the city of Chicago, he doesn't
S2: see a bunch of churches. He sees one body. So
S2: the body of Christ moving in Chicago, that's what he sees.
S2: And so he says, work at building the bridges of unity.
S2: Because when you're called living according to the call, you
S2: have the character and you'll be a peacemaker, a bridge builder. Amen.
S1: Mark, we all needed to hear this passage from Ephesians
S1: four today, because it is a difficult passage to live
S1: out all the time.
S4: It really is.
S3: And I love that this passage starts with this phrase
S3: walk worthy of your calling. And that means humility. Bridge
S3: building unity, which is difficult in a time like this.
S1: Thank you Mark. That's the title of today's message, Walking Worthy,
S1: which you can always revisit or share by going to
S1: our website at Bold Steps. On that website, I also
S1: want to direct you to a very special resource we
S1: now have available. It's this month's edition of our Bold
S1: Step Gift, and I really feel that all of us
S1: could benefit from what's inside this special book. Have you
S1: ever looked at someone else's success or possessions or relationships
S1: and felt that subtle sting of resentment that's envy. And
S1: in his groundbreaking book titled envy, Pastor Mike Fabares reveals
S1: how this hidden sin damages our hearts, our relationships, and
S1: our spiritual lives. It's interesting how we readily confess sins
S1: like anger or pride. But when was the last time
S1: you repented of envy? This bold step gift will help
S1: you recognize and root out one of the most dangerous,
S1: yet least acknowledged sins in your life. So reach out
S1: today and request your copy of Pastor Mike's book envy.
S1: And we'll be happy to send you a copy with
S1: your gift of any amount to support this ministry. Call
S1: us today at 800. D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639 or give
S1: online at Bold Steps. Org or send your financial gift
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S1: we'd like to invite you to deepen your impact by
S1: joining our Bold Partners community with a monthly commitment. Remember,
S1: we're not focused on the amount. What truly matters is
S1: your faithful monthly support that enables these biblical teachings to
S1: reach countless lives through radio and online platforms, even our
S1: social media accounts. And Mark, that's so important to us.
S3: Absolutely. And I want to emphasize it's not about necessarily
S3: a large gift, although if God has given you that capacity,
S3: then it's always a blessing to us. But really it's
S3: about the monthly giving, the steady giving. So many of
S3: you are single gift givers, or you've jumped on and
S3: become monthly givers, which is really, really helpful. I'm just
S3: so grateful. As I look at the list of people
S3: that give. I'm looking at a dashboard right now of
S3: people that have given from around the country Tanya, Robert, Loretta, John, Nikki, Maggie, Eric, Amy, Patricia.
S1: Mary, friends all over.
S3: And I could go on and on and on and
S3: on and listen. And really, from the East coast to
S3: the west coast to south to north, people of all ages,
S3: different backgrounds, new believers, those that have been seasoned believers
S3: for a long time. And so I just want to
S3: say thank you for your support. And we are at
S3: the beginning of our fiscal year, so we want to
S3: kick off this year to a great start in the
S3: middle of July. Thank you for your generosity.
S1: Well, why not put your name on the list that
S1: mark just read? We'd love to see your name there
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S1: phone number 800. And thanks for joining us today. I'm
S1: Wayne Shepherd inviting you to come back again tomorrow. Mark
S1: will explain how God equips us for the work he's
S1: commissioned us to do. The message is called unleashing people Power.
S1: So don't miss it. Be listening Tuesday to Bold Steps
S1: with Mark June. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio,
S1: a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.