WEBVTT - Winning the Lost, No Matter the Cost, Part 2 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:06.040 Paul says, I owe a debt to Jesus that I 0:00:06.080 --> 0:00:10.080 pay to you. How do you pay your debt to Jesus? 0:00:10.320 --> 0:00:13.840 Tell somebody else about him. Because the gospel is just 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:17.079 one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:28.200 This is treasure truth with pastor and author James Ford Jr, 0:00:28.240 --> 0:00:31.200 senior pastor of Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm Steve Hiller. 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:34.080 Glad you're with us as we continue a message winning 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:37.599 the lost, no matter the cost. And pastor, really a 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:41.600 great challenge and reminder for us today that we, if 0:00:41.600 --> 0:00:45.360 we have been saved by Christ, owe this debt of gratitude. 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:47.760 And what a great way that we get to pay 0:00:47.760 --> 0:00:50.680 that debt by sharing that good news with others. 0:00:50.800 --> 0:00:56.040 Well, you know, we are those who understand what life 0:00:56.040 --> 0:00:57.320 is really all about. 0:00:57.360 --> 0:00:58.400 What do you mean by that? 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:04.200 The bottom line life is about our relationship with Jesus Christ. Now, 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:06.440 a lot of people don't believe that, don't live that, 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:09.920 don't believe the Bible, but the essence of life. The 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:13.560 Bible says in him we live and move and have 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:16.640 our being. It goes on to say, apart from him, 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:20.920 we can do nothing. So many people are existing, but 0:01:20.920 --> 0:01:25.559 they're not living because life comes through Jesus Christ. Two. 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:30.319 Two Greek words are translated life bios, from which we 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:33.720 get the word biology, which speaks of physical life. But 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:40.320 Zoe is spiritual life. And Zoe. This life, Zoe is 0:01:40.319 --> 0:01:45.360 in Christ. And so if I want to live eternally 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:49.160 with him, then I need to know him. 0:01:49.360 --> 0:01:51.840 Yeah, well. And that's, you know what we get to 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:54.080 be able to do here on this radio program to 0:01:54.080 --> 0:01:57.480 talk all about him, to encourage others to talk about him. 0:01:57.480 --> 0:01:59.720 And for the person who says, I know that I 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:02.000 should be telling others about him. But I just get 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:04.400 so overwhelmed. What if I say the wrong thing? What 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:06.240 if they ask me a question I don't know how 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:08.640 to answer? How do you encourage that person? 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:12.040 Well, I would tell them, uh, one of the most 0:02:12.040 --> 0:02:17.639 profound answers you can give, uh, when it's a subject 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:21.600 or a question asked that you don't know, here it is. 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:26.120 Three words I don't know. So I'm not called to 0:02:26.120 --> 0:02:29.040 tell people about what I don't know. I when he 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:31.600 called to tell people about what I do know and 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:34.120 who I do know. So the woman at the well, 0:02:34.800 --> 0:02:38.720 she accepted Jesus Christ and became a believer. She goes 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:43.280 into the village and tells all the men, come see 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:47.480 a man who told me everything I've ever done, and 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:49.280 they all went to see her. Now here's my point. 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:51.919 Let me ask you some questions. Okay? Uh, after she 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:54.280 got saved, did she attend Moody Bible Institute? 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:54.720 She did. 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:57.919 Not. Uh, did she take a class at your church 0:02:57.960 --> 0:02:58.919 on evangelism? 0:02:58.919 --> 0:02:59.480 She did not. 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.790 Know. She just merely went out and told what happened 0:03:02.790 --> 0:03:04.750 to her. Yeah. That's witnessing. 0:03:04.750 --> 0:03:07.470 Well, and that's a great reminder for all of us 0:03:07.470 --> 0:03:10.790 that when we are challenged, we can answer, I don't know. 0:03:10.830 --> 0:03:13.830 It's simply sharing our story. Right? I don't know what 0:03:13.830 --> 0:03:15.310 he's going to do for you, but this is what 0:03:15.310 --> 0:03:16.950 Christ has done for me, right? 0:03:16.990 --> 0:03:19.750 Remember, one of the mottos Moody had in the past 0:03:19.750 --> 0:03:23.790 was to know him and to make him known. Yeah. 0:03:23.830 --> 0:03:26.270 That's it. Well, and that's what, uh, we hope to 0:03:26.270 --> 0:03:29.669 do here on this radio broadcast and hopefully encourage you 0:03:29.669 --> 0:03:32.230 as you share the good news of the gospel with 0:03:32.230 --> 0:03:34.750 those around you. So let's open our Bibles to Romans 0:03:34.750 --> 0:03:38.750 chapter one as we continue a message winning the lost. 0:03:38.790 --> 0:03:41.470 No matter the cost, here is Pastor Ford. 0:03:42.430 --> 0:03:48.630 Success in witnessing is not leading a person to Christ. 0:03:49.190 --> 0:03:55.230 Success in witnessing is witnessing about Christ. Here's what he 0:03:55.230 --> 0:03:58.710 said one plants, one waters. God gives the increase. Here's 0:03:58.710 --> 0:04:02.310 what he said. Jesus himself said, the sower and the 0:04:02.350 --> 0:04:06.430 reaper get the same reward. Who's the sower? The one 0:04:06.430 --> 0:04:08.630 that planted the seed. The one that put the seed 0:04:08.630 --> 0:04:10.950 in the heart. Soil. Who's the reaper? The one that 0:04:10.950 --> 0:04:13.070 prayed with him. The one that actually was there when 0:04:13.070 --> 0:04:16.789 they actually came to Christ? You mean both of them? Yes. 0:04:17.589 --> 0:04:20.070 Because you can't have one without another. You can't have 0:04:20.070 --> 0:04:22.990 a reaper if you ain't had a sower. Yeah. Amen. 0:04:23.870 --> 0:04:27.510 And you can't have a sower without a reaper, because 0:04:27.510 --> 0:04:30.350 then everything's going to go rotten. And so he says, 0:04:30.350 --> 0:04:34.670 because of converts. Now, I want you to notice something here. 0:04:35.150 --> 0:04:37.270 Because what are we trying to do? We're trying to 0:04:37.270 --> 0:04:40.310 let people know about our God who can do what 0:04:40.310 --> 0:04:43.270 our God can do. He said, what are you talking about? 0:04:43.270 --> 0:04:44.549 Let me show you something. Let me show you something. 0:04:44.550 --> 0:04:47.070 I just shared this with the Wednesday crowd. Here's what 0:04:47.070 --> 0:04:51.110 Paul says I was hindered. Uh, now, what hindered him? 0:04:51.110 --> 0:04:53.590 The work of God hindered him. Now. Now, here's what 0:04:53.589 --> 0:04:56.190 we got to realize. This. This thing is powerful to me. 0:04:56.470 --> 0:05:00.030 I said, first Thessalonians 218 is is is demonic delay. 0:05:00.029 --> 0:05:03.589 But acts 16 six through eight is divine delay. God 0:05:04.029 --> 0:05:10.350 stopped him from going. Question. Why? Since he wants to 0:05:10.350 --> 0:05:14.150 go there and witness. Are you having him? Wait. My 0:05:14.190 --> 0:05:20.710 might I postulate a possibility. Say postulate. I remember when 0:05:20.710 --> 0:05:24.310 I got converted, some things changed right away. Some things 0:05:24.310 --> 0:05:26.830 didn't change, right? Some things changed. The first thing I did, 0:05:26.830 --> 0:05:29.830 anybody remember? Flushed my drugs down the toilet? I used 0:05:29.830 --> 0:05:32.430 to have Pepsi-Cola pusher, you know. Remember when Pepsi-Cola bottles? 0:05:32.430 --> 0:05:34.110 You could get two cent for them? I was two 0:05:34.110 --> 0:05:36.950 cent nickel and dime pusher. And first thing I did 0:05:36.950 --> 0:05:39.550 was flush all my drugs down the toilet. That word 0:05:39.589 --> 0:05:42.070 got around, man. Ford done lost his mind. He ain't 0:05:42.070 --> 0:05:44.830 got religion. And he didn't flush drugs down the toilet. 0:05:45.150 --> 0:05:46.670 And then the other thing I was doing, I was 0:05:46.670 --> 0:05:49.229 gaming on welfare. Now, let me tell you what that means. 0:05:49.390 --> 0:05:52.870 That means I had a job, a good job, but 0:05:52.870 --> 0:05:54.670 I had my wife go to welfare office and say 0:05:54.670 --> 0:05:58.110 that I had left her and the children, so we 0:05:58.110 --> 0:06:00.070 was able to get food stamps just way before we 0:06:00.070 --> 0:06:01.909 was able to get food stamps and she got a 0:06:01.910 --> 0:06:03.870 medical card. So here I was. I had a good job. 0:06:03.870 --> 0:06:06.229 I was working in a factory making top money, and 0:06:06.230 --> 0:06:08.790 then she was getting welfare and food stamps and I 0:06:08.790 --> 0:06:13.030 was selling drugs. Big bank, big bank, big bank. But 0:06:13.029 --> 0:06:15.670 then it backfired because when I got saved, the first 0:06:15.670 --> 0:06:17.670 thing I did was I went to the welfare office 0:06:17.670 --> 0:06:19.830 because the guilt was on me. And I said, for 0:06:19.830 --> 0:06:22.070 two and a half, almost three years, we've been cheating you. 0:06:22.070 --> 0:06:24.029 I know I could go to jail, but my guy 0:06:24.029 --> 0:06:25.910 who led me to Christ said, one of the first 0:06:25.910 --> 0:06:28.309 things I must do is make restitution. So this guy 0:06:28.310 --> 0:06:30.310 had me. That's why my marriage is such a wreck. 0:06:30.310 --> 0:06:32.350 I had to go tell my wife, every woman that 0:06:32.350 --> 0:06:34.830 I ever mess with. You know, I had to go 0:06:34.830 --> 0:06:37.870 and confess to everybody what I had stolen and and 0:06:37.870 --> 0:06:40.630 make restitution. And I'm going back, you know? Yeah, yeah. 0:06:40.630 --> 0:06:42.589 You know, when you're just missing it at your crib 0:06:42.589 --> 0:06:44.110 and you thought so, and so did it. I told 0:06:44.110 --> 0:06:46.070 you he did it. I know he's like that. I 0:06:46.070 --> 0:06:48.589 did it, you know, that kind of stuff. Yeah. Here's 0:06:48.589 --> 0:06:50.589 your money back, man. Here's this back. You know, all 0:06:50.630 --> 0:06:52.310 that went through all that. But I didn't want to 0:06:52.310 --> 0:06:54.030 do that one. He said, well, then you don't want 0:06:54.029 --> 0:06:56.350 to be fully obedient to Jesus. I said, okay, so 0:06:56.350 --> 0:06:59.670 I go and I'm sitting up there, I'm sweating bullets, man. And, uh, 0:06:59.830 --> 0:07:02.789 you know, the the supervisor comes out and she says, sir, 0:07:02.830 --> 0:07:04.630 this has never happened. I don't even know what to do. 0:07:04.670 --> 0:07:06.669 Here's what I'm going to tell you. We're going to 0:07:06.710 --> 0:07:10.550 just erase this from our records in this office. Just 0:07:10.550 --> 0:07:14.470 don't do it again. I said, Praise God. Praise God. 0:07:14.510 --> 0:07:17.030 God is a deliverer, baby. Because I thought I was 0:07:17.030 --> 0:07:19.950 going to jail, man. And and so here's what happened. 0:07:20.270 --> 0:07:22.910 Here's the end of the story. So because of that now, 0:07:23.230 --> 0:07:26.430 whenever my job started laying off and I was one 0:07:26.430 --> 0:07:30.110 of the ones that got laid off and, um, uh, 0:07:30.110 --> 0:07:32.190 I went to unemployment and they said, well, you can 0:07:32.230 --> 0:07:36.670 only get $158 a week because you're you're a single person. 0:07:36.670 --> 0:07:39.790 I said, I'm married. Well, not according to our records. 0:07:40.430 --> 0:07:43.950 Your wife and children are on welfare. I said no, no, see, 0:07:43.950 --> 0:07:45.910 I was gaming on them. Well, that ain't we ain't 0:07:45.910 --> 0:07:47.870 got nothing to do with that. This is what you get. 0:07:47.870 --> 0:07:49.510 So now it's like, I don't, man, I don't have 0:07:49.510 --> 0:07:51.990 a job. I can't take care of my family. So then, 0:07:52.030 --> 0:07:54.350 you know, I got an undesirable discharge from the military. 0:07:54.350 --> 0:07:56.710 And so, I mean, this thing is all stacked against me. 0:07:56.710 --> 0:07:59.950 So they said city of Pittsburgh has 50 job openings, 0:08:00.110 --> 0:08:03.790 and there were over 2000 applicants. I said, I can't go. 0:08:03.830 --> 0:08:06.190 I might as well not go, Ray said. You don't 0:08:06.190 --> 0:08:11.230 believe God, that God can overcome your past? I said, well, yeah, 0:08:11.230 --> 0:08:12.350 he did. He said, what did he do with the 0:08:12.350 --> 0:08:13.990 welfare thing? He said, go down there and apply for 0:08:13.990 --> 0:08:15.670 the job. So I went down and applied for the job, 0:08:15.670 --> 0:08:17.390 I got it. Now let me let me tell you 0:08:17.390 --> 0:08:20.190 what happened before. The guy used to sell drugs for Clyde. 0:08:20.230 --> 0:08:23.070 I don't know if you remember Clyde, but anyway, Clyde, uh, 0:08:23.070 --> 0:08:25.310 I was talking to him before I got this job. Uh, 0:08:25.310 --> 0:08:28.030 I was talking to him, and he said, yeah, you broke. 0:08:28.030 --> 0:08:29.430 Now you did, you know. Come on, you might as 0:08:29.430 --> 0:08:31.750 well come on back, you know, and get your drugs 0:08:31.750 --> 0:08:33.870 from me, man. You know? No, no, no, I ain't 0:08:33.870 --> 0:08:35.990 into that. Jesus, you know, blah blah blah. I'm telling you. 0:08:35.990 --> 0:08:37.870 He said. Yeah, I heard about that. He said, but 0:08:37.870 --> 0:08:40.309 if you're Jesus so powerful, how come you don't have 0:08:40.309 --> 0:08:45.309 a job? Man, that hurt me, man, I went home, 0:08:45.309 --> 0:08:46.790 I got down on my knees. I said, did you 0:08:46.790 --> 0:08:49.430 hear what he said? That's that's the way I did it. 0:08:49.429 --> 0:08:51.750 I was I was newly saved. You know, I wasn't 0:08:51.750 --> 0:08:55.070 all that prim and proper. Oh, God, that dwelleth thou I, I, 0:08:55.190 --> 0:08:57.030 I come from the streets, so I that's the way 0:08:57.030 --> 0:08:59.750 I talk to him, you know, and I, truth be known, 0:08:59.750 --> 0:09:01.900 I still talk to him that way. I say I 0:09:01.900 --> 0:09:03.380 don't like it. I'm going to tell you I don't 0:09:03.380 --> 0:09:06.380 like it because you told me to come boldly to 0:09:06.380 --> 0:09:08.740 the throne of grace. Alright? I don't like what's going on. 0:09:08.740 --> 0:09:10.740 I gotta deal with it. But Lord, you're gonna have 0:09:10.740 --> 0:09:12.420 to do something. And so I told. I said, you 0:09:12.420 --> 0:09:14.339 hear what he said about you? He talking about if 0:09:14.340 --> 0:09:16.860 you're so great, how come I don't have a job now? Lord, 0:09:16.860 --> 0:09:18.700 this thing is deeper than just. I need to pay 0:09:18.700 --> 0:09:20.660 the rent. Because I've been telling all these people how 0:09:20.660 --> 0:09:22.819 good you are. You got to get me a job. 0:09:22.820 --> 0:09:24.500 So then Ray told me, going down there and applied, 0:09:24.500 --> 0:09:26.500 I applied, I got the job. The first person I 0:09:26.580 --> 0:09:29.580 told after my wife was Clyde. I went down the alley. 0:09:29.580 --> 0:09:32.780 I knocked on his door. And Clyde, guess what, man 0:09:32.820 --> 0:09:35.740 you was talking about last week? About your God. So great. 0:09:35.740 --> 0:09:38.059 How come you don't have a job? I got a job. 0:09:38.059 --> 0:09:40.140 And not just any job. I got a job I 0:09:40.140 --> 0:09:42.500 shouldn't even have because the city wasn't even supposed to 0:09:42.500 --> 0:09:45.100 hire me. But my God is so powerful that he 0:09:45.100 --> 0:09:50.100 overruled the rules. Because my God is the God who 0:09:50.140 --> 0:09:52.620 makes the rules. And I said, and then I took 0:09:52.620 --> 0:09:54.900 him down Romans Road. Now that's why I come to 0:09:54.900 --> 0:09:57.459 tell you once again, you know that the wages of 0:09:57.460 --> 0:09:59.780 sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. 0:09:59.780 --> 0:10:01.939 All have sinned come short and I'm telling them. Witness 0:10:01.940 --> 0:10:03.620 to him. And he says, man, get out of my face. 0:10:03.620 --> 0:10:05.300 I said, you can pray a prayer of faith, man. 0:10:05.300 --> 0:10:07.740 Just ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart. Man no, 0:10:07.740 --> 0:10:09.140 I don't want to hear. He slammed the door in 0:10:09.140 --> 0:10:12.340 my face. Fast forward the video a couple years ago, 0:10:12.380 --> 0:10:14.660 probably about eight now, I was asked to go up 0:10:14.700 --> 0:10:18.780 to Grand Rapids and preach to some brethren up there 0:10:18.780 --> 0:10:22.140 about about about 3 or 400 of them. And I'm preaching. 0:10:22.140 --> 0:10:24.660 I preach Friday night, then I preach two messages on 0:10:24.660 --> 0:10:27.780 Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon I finished the message. A guy 0:10:27.820 --> 0:10:30.260 come running to me and he said to me, he said, 0:10:30.260 --> 0:10:35.980 he said, man, I've been waiting years, almost 20 years 0:10:36.260 --> 0:10:39.180 to talk to you. I said, what? He said, you 0:10:39.179 --> 0:10:41.219 don't know who I am. I said, no, he said, 0:10:41.220 --> 0:10:47.540 I'm Clyde's brother, Clyde. Clyde who? You know what, Clyde 0:10:47.540 --> 0:10:53.020 I'm talking about. I said, man, come on. Are you serious? 0:10:53.020 --> 0:10:55.540 He said, yeah. And I've been asking people, when are 0:10:55.540 --> 0:10:57.420 you coming back home? And every time you come home, 0:10:57.420 --> 0:10:59.740 the preacher of home church, I miss you. But now 0:10:59.740 --> 0:11:01.340 I live in Detroit. I gotta tell you, I've been 0:11:01.340 --> 0:11:03.220 wanting to tell you this story for over 20 years. 0:11:03.220 --> 0:11:05.820 What story? He said the day that you witnessed to 0:11:05.860 --> 0:11:08.300 my brother Clyde, I was in the living room. You 0:11:08.300 --> 0:11:12.980 were on the porch. And when you told him. Romans 623, 0:11:12.980 --> 0:11:16.780 Romans 523, Romans ten nine and ten and asked him 0:11:16.780 --> 0:11:23.020 to pray. I did, I got saved. Now get this, 0:11:23.020 --> 0:11:26.300 I said, man, man, praise the Lord. He said, no, no, no, no. 0:11:26.300 --> 0:11:29.260 He said, all through, all through grammar school, all through 0:11:29.340 --> 0:11:32.540 high school I lived for the Lord. The Lord. When 0:11:32.540 --> 0:11:35.820 I got ready to graduate, he said, I'm calling you 0:11:35.820 --> 0:11:38.420 to preach for me. So don't go to a secular school. 0:11:38.420 --> 0:11:40.580 I got a full ride. Don't go to secular school, 0:11:40.620 --> 0:11:42.820 go to a Christian college. So I went to a 0:11:42.820 --> 0:11:46.220 Christian college. I'm just graduating now, the Bible College of Detroit, 0:11:46.220 --> 0:11:48.060 getting ready to go to seminary. I'm going to be 0:11:48.059 --> 0:11:50.500 a pastor. And I said, I've got to tell him 0:11:50.500 --> 0:11:53.660 how God used him, and he didn't even know it. 0:11:57.540 --> 0:12:00.500 What a story, isn't it? You're listening to Treasure Truth 0:12:00.500 --> 0:12:03.660 with Pastor Ford. A message called Winning the Lost. No 0:12:03.660 --> 0:12:05.580 matter the cost. And we're going to get back to 0:12:05.580 --> 0:12:07.620 this teaching in just a moment. And maybe you have 0:12:07.620 --> 0:12:11.300 a story of how God has used you to bring 0:12:11.300 --> 0:12:14.220 someone to a saving faith. We'd be encouraged to read that. 0:12:14.220 --> 0:12:16.860 You can give us your feedback about the program, share 0:12:16.860 --> 0:12:19.580 your stories, or even ask a question of Pastor Ford. 0:12:19.940 --> 0:12:24.580 Just come to our website, npr.org. Click on the contact link, 0:12:24.860 --> 0:12:26.820 fill out that form, and we'll make sure that Pastor 0:12:26.820 --> 0:12:29.260 Ford sees that. And who knows? If you ask a question, 0:12:29.260 --> 0:12:32.100 we may answer that in a future broadcast. Again, come 0:12:32.100 --> 0:12:35.260 to Treasure Truth Radio org and click on the contact 0:12:35.260 --> 0:12:38.340 link back to the message. Here is Pastor Ford. 0:12:40.020 --> 0:12:43.540 Paul said, hey, I was hindered and God says it's 0:12:43.540 --> 0:12:46.980 a divine interruption. So you've been praying five years, ten years, 0:12:46.980 --> 0:12:49.220 15 years. Now you're ready to give up. Don't you 0:12:49.260 --> 0:12:53.420 dare give up. You keep on sharing because you don't 0:12:53.420 --> 0:12:57.100 know the domino effect of what's happening. As you share 0:12:57.100 --> 0:13:00.340 with a person what God is going to do, and 0:13:00.340 --> 0:13:02.820 he says converts. Now, let me just let me just 0:13:02.820 --> 0:13:05.460 drop this on you. Uh, because, you know, when you 0:13:05.500 --> 0:13:09.260 win converts, you get a crown. This this amazes me 0:13:09.260 --> 0:13:12.300 about Jesus. He doing all the work in me, and 0:13:12.300 --> 0:13:14.980 he giving me all the reward. Now, how many crowns 0:13:14.980 --> 0:13:16.980 can you get? I know you know this. Okay, let me. 0:13:16.980 --> 0:13:18.620 Let me walk through these crowns real quick. You know 0:13:18.620 --> 0:13:23.420 I'm already. There's the incorruptible crown. First Corinthians 925 through 27. 0:13:23.420 --> 0:13:27.740 That's for people who master the flesh. Who walk in 0:13:27.740 --> 0:13:31.819 the spirit more than they walk in the flesh. Then 0:13:31.820 --> 0:13:34.059 the second crown you can get is called the crown 0:13:34.100 --> 0:13:38.459 of glory. That's the shepherd's crown. It's given to all 0:13:38.460 --> 0:13:42.380 pastors who faithfully shepherd God's flock. And you say, well, 0:13:42.380 --> 0:13:44.660 then that's not for us. Yes, it is, because when 0:13:44.660 --> 0:13:47.460 you come in and God has gifted you and brought 0:13:47.460 --> 0:13:50.860 you to this place, and you say, I espouse the vision, 0:13:50.860 --> 0:13:53.859 I'm getting involved in the plan and purpose of God, 0:13:53.860 --> 0:13:57.420 then you get that crown because you work with me 0:13:57.660 --> 0:14:02.180 to fulfill God's vision and purpose for this local assembly. Alright. Why? 0:14:02.220 --> 0:14:05.020 Because if you give a prophet a cup of water 0:14:05.020 --> 0:14:08.500 in the name of the Lord, you receive a prophet's reward. 0:14:08.860 --> 0:14:12.180 Then the crown of life. James 112 is also revelation 0:14:12.179 --> 0:14:17.219 two seven and it's given to those who faithfully endure temptation. 0:14:17.220 --> 0:14:19.580 And it's a martyr's crown for all of those who 0:14:19.580 --> 0:14:22.580 lose their life for the cause of Christ. Like the 0:14:22.620 --> 0:14:26.380 over 2 million people, uh, every six months that's given 0:14:26.380 --> 0:14:29.100 their life for Christ. Then there's the crown of righteousness. 0:14:29.100 --> 0:14:32.220 Second Timothy four eight. It's given to those who live 0:14:32.220 --> 0:14:36.020 right and who love the rapture of the church. Then 0:14:36.020 --> 0:14:39.620 this one, the one that I'm talking about, converts that 0:14:39.620 --> 0:14:45.180 everybody who drops a seed, everybody who witnesses is somebody. 0:14:45.220 --> 0:14:50.020 God says you've got a crown of rejoicing. What is that? 0:14:50.020 --> 0:14:53.660 It's given to those who win. Souls who witness for 0:14:53.660 --> 0:14:58.220 the Lord. It's a crown that you can get. Amen. 0:14:58.260 --> 0:15:01.010 Notice secondly, with me. Notice. secondly with me. Here's the 0:15:01.010 --> 0:15:04.010 second stick of dynamite that Paul was going to throw 0:15:04.250 --> 0:15:09.250 into our laps. He says because of verse, verse 13, 0:15:09.290 --> 0:15:14.330 notice because of compulsion, verse 14, notice he says, I 0:15:14.370 --> 0:15:16.810 am debtor both to the Greeks and the barbarians, both 0:15:16.810 --> 0:15:18.490 to the wise and the unwise. Wait a minute. The 0:15:18.490 --> 0:15:21.890 word debtor means you have an obligation. Now get this. 0:15:22.450 --> 0:15:26.770 Who's this obligation to or to whom is this obligation? Christ. 0:15:27.930 --> 0:15:33.570 Get this. Paul says, I owe a debt to Jesus 0:15:34.130 --> 0:15:37.250 that I pay to you. How do you pay your 0:15:37.250 --> 0:15:41.610 debt to Jesus? Tell somebody else about him. Because the 0:15:41.610 --> 0:15:44.690 gospel is just one beggar telling another beggar where to 0:15:44.690 --> 0:15:48.930 find bread. Yeah. Here's here's what the Bible said. He 0:15:48.970 --> 0:15:52.730 who gives to the poor lends to the Lord. Isn't 0:15:52.730 --> 0:15:56.050 that a powerful principle? That's why I don't ever hesitate. 0:15:56.050 --> 0:15:59.010 I don't hesitate, sister. Hit me up last night. Me 0:15:59.010 --> 0:16:01.170 and my children, I said, okay, boom, boom. I gave 0:16:01.170 --> 0:16:04.010 it to her. Why? Because I know I can't outgive God. 0:16:04.250 --> 0:16:06.490 I gave it to her. I lent it to the Lord. 0:16:06.890 --> 0:16:08.890 And I don't know about you. I'm biblical. Sometimes I 0:16:08.890 --> 0:16:14.050 remind them, I remember I lent that money. I gave 0:16:14.050 --> 0:16:15.610 it to her. But you told me you was going 0:16:15.610 --> 0:16:20.050 to pay it back. Hey, man, I don't know what 0:16:20.050 --> 0:16:23.210 y'all doing. Throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Say, 0:16:23.250 --> 0:16:26.650 what's he doing now? Get this. It's a financial debt 0:16:26.890 --> 0:16:29.410 to all men. The word obligation is a financial term. 0:16:29.410 --> 0:16:32.370 He says I have a debt to all men. See, 0:16:32.370 --> 0:16:36.250 the Greeks called everybody barbarians. Why didn't he say Jews? 0:16:36.250 --> 0:16:39.250 He said Greeks and barbarians. Because he's speaking to those 0:16:39.250 --> 0:16:43.330 who are sophists, say sophists. There are people who who 0:16:43.370 --> 0:16:47.010 were erudite. They were people who like to pontificate, who 0:16:47.010 --> 0:16:50.490 really were into the the. Okay, let me see if 0:16:50.490 --> 0:16:54.250 I can get you to understand. They were bougie. Okay. 0:16:54.290 --> 0:16:58.970 Now you understand. Yeah. Or they were. No. That's a 0:16:59.010 --> 0:17:04.090 ghetto person who who's trying to be bougie. Yeah. And 0:17:04.090 --> 0:17:07.129 so and so they always look down on other people. 0:17:07.609 --> 0:17:10.250 And every time I hear it, you people, it's a 0:17:10.250 --> 0:17:14.450 derogatory term. I say you people, who is you people. 0:17:16.130 --> 0:17:20.129 I mean, you know, you know, you people. Have you 0:17:20.130 --> 0:17:22.250 ever noticed? We're proud of things of which we have 0:17:22.250 --> 0:17:25.330 no control. We're proud of race. We're proud of face. 0:17:25.330 --> 0:17:27.729 We're proud of grace, and we're proud of place. And 0:17:27.730 --> 0:17:30.570 we had nothing to do with any of them. Do 0:17:30.570 --> 0:17:34.570 you think that most of of us in here would 0:17:34.570 --> 0:17:37.250 look like we look, if we could have picked our 0:17:37.250 --> 0:17:44.770 own face? Hey, man. No, we got used to it. 0:17:47.210 --> 0:17:49.290 Should I tell everybody I'm a good looking black man? 0:17:49.290 --> 0:17:51.770 I don't care what anybody say. Shoot. God, don't make 0:17:51.770 --> 0:17:55.010 no junk. But I am somebody. That's it. You know 0:17:55.250 --> 0:18:01.610 I already got a woman. Ah. That's right. So she 0:18:01.650 --> 0:18:04.490 think I look good? I don't care what everybody else say. Shoot, 0:18:04.530 --> 0:18:08.930 I ain't, ain't nobody else. Give me no money. And 0:18:08.930 --> 0:18:11.050 so he says listen, it's kind of like it's kind 0:18:11.050 --> 0:18:13.330 of like, uh, there was a Angelo brother and the 0:18:13.330 --> 0:18:16.210 Chinese brother. They were friends. And so the Chinese brother said, 0:18:16.210 --> 0:18:17.609 come to a funeral with me. So they went to 0:18:17.609 --> 0:18:21.290 the funeral, and the Chinese brother went up and took 0:18:21.290 --> 0:18:23.450 a bowl of rice and put it by the picture. 0:18:23.450 --> 0:18:26.490 So he comes back and American Brother says to him, 0:18:27.369 --> 0:18:30.050 what is that all about? He said, well, when somebody dies, 0:18:30.050 --> 0:18:32.250 we take the rice and we put it up there 0:18:32.250 --> 0:18:34.090 because some people believe, I don't believe it, but it's 0:18:34.090 --> 0:18:36.770 just a custom. Some people believe that they'll eat the rice. 0:18:37.770 --> 0:18:39.930 He said, well, when are they going to eat the rice? 0:18:40.570 --> 0:18:43.490 He said, well, when the people who you give flowers 0:18:43.490 --> 0:18:50.290 start smelling them. Make sense to me. And so what's 0:18:50.290 --> 0:18:54.450 going on here? He's saying listen, listen, listen, listen. Do 0:18:54.450 --> 0:18:57.649 you have an obligation? Do you feel obligated? Let me 0:18:57.650 --> 0:18:58.770 let me tell you. Let me tell you. Let me 0:18:58.770 --> 0:19:01.850 tell you. Uh, Pastor Hickman, pastor Hickman is a friend 0:19:01.850 --> 0:19:04.330 of mine. But you know what? You know what that 0:19:04.490 --> 0:19:06.090 hanging out with that brother has done with me. Not 0:19:06.090 --> 0:19:07.810 only educating me about what he talked to you about, 0:19:07.810 --> 0:19:09.609 because we talk about that kind of stuff all the time. 0:19:10.570 --> 0:19:13.010 But I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what happened. 0:19:13.010 --> 0:19:15.010 I tell you what happened. He takes me to Maggiano's. 0:19:15.010 --> 0:19:16.489 Have you ever been to Maggiano's? I ain't never been 0:19:16.490 --> 0:19:19.209 to Gino's. You've been in Chicago all this time. You've 0:19:19.210 --> 0:19:22.090 never been. I ain't never been to Maggiano, man, you know? 0:19:22.130 --> 0:19:23.770 Come on, Imma take you. So we go. We go 0:19:23.770 --> 0:19:27.170 to Marciano's. And so a lady walks up to us. 0:19:27.170 --> 0:19:31.530 She's pushing a cart. She's a bag lady. She says, uh, 0:19:32.130 --> 0:19:34.610 excuse me, gentlemen, I don't do drugs. And never have 0:19:34.770 --> 0:19:38.090 I lost my family, my home, because I was a homemaker. 0:19:38.090 --> 0:19:40.810 My husband worked in a fortune 500 company. He got 0:19:40.850 --> 0:19:43.890 hooked on drugs. We lost everything. My children are gone. 0:19:43.930 --> 0:19:47.250 Husband's gone. House is gone, I lost everything. Could you 0:19:47.250 --> 0:19:51.610 help me out? He pulls out five, $100 bills. Don't 0:19:51.609 --> 0:19:56.170 y'all mess with that man. And gifts, he says. I 0:19:56.170 --> 0:20:00.090 know why God told me to take this out because 0:20:00.090 --> 0:20:01.530 I wasn't going to take it out because I don't 0:20:01.530 --> 0:20:03.810 do cash. But God told me when I was at 0:20:03.810 --> 0:20:06.169 the bank, you're going to give to somebody and you'll 0:20:06.170 --> 0:20:08.810 know who it is when I tell you. And he 0:20:08.810 --> 0:20:12.490 gave her $500 bills. She said, oh, I can stay 0:20:12.490 --> 0:20:16.250 at the Y for a couple months. Oh, thank you, 0:20:16.250 --> 0:20:21.970 thank you, thank you. I looked at him, I said, 0:20:22.369 --> 0:20:29.129 I don't do drugs. But but but you know what? 0:20:29.170 --> 0:20:32.290 Here's what, here's what happened. Here's what I saw Elder Betts, 0:20:32.330 --> 0:20:35.330 over time of just hanging with him and just it's 0:20:35.330 --> 0:20:39.649 like I'm way more generous than I ever was just 0:20:39.650 --> 0:20:42.130 by hanging out with that man. Now, let me tell 0:20:42.130 --> 0:20:45.810 you why. Because now, when somebody bless me, like somebody 0:20:45.810 --> 0:20:48.970 blessed us and said, okay, I'm going to let you 0:20:48.970 --> 0:20:51.370 go downtown and I'm going to let you go on 0:20:51.369 --> 0:20:54.690 my dime. We stayed in a $600 a night room 0:20:54.690 --> 0:20:57.970 for $95 a night. I mean, come on now. Don't 0:20:57.970 --> 0:21:01.560 hate celebrate. God will let you participate. Now guess what? We're. That's. 0:21:01.600 --> 0:21:03.720 Guess what we do now. Here's what we do. Every 0:21:03.760 --> 0:21:06.800 time somebody does something like that for us, we look 0:21:06.800 --> 0:21:10.160 for somebody to bless. We say, who is it that 0:21:10.160 --> 0:21:12.320 have an anniversary coming up and they may just have 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:14.600 a meal, may not be, you know, okay, let's, let's 0:21:14.600 --> 0:21:16.600 send them to, let's send them to a couple days 0:21:16.600 --> 0:21:18.320 or send them to a meal or do and that's 0:21:18.320 --> 0:21:21.000 what we do. We look for somebody to bless why 0:21:21.000 --> 0:21:24.800 we feel so obligated. Because we now don't you feel 0:21:24.800 --> 0:21:28.080 obligated if God saved you from crack? Don't you want 0:21:28.080 --> 0:21:30.639 a crack head to get saved? If God saved you 0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:33.440 from being a whore or a whoremonger, why don't you 0:21:33.440 --> 0:21:36.280 want somebody else to stop horn and quit being a 0:21:36.280 --> 0:21:40.000 horn monger, a drinker, or a drugger a beater abuser? 0:21:40.040 --> 0:21:42.000 If God did it for you, he could do it. 0:21:42.000 --> 0:21:45.840 Don't you feel obligated to let somebody know who's going 0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:48.800 through what you went through? That God is a healer. 0:21:48.800 --> 0:21:51.920 That God is a deliverer. That God can set you free. 0:21:51.920 --> 0:21:53.920 That he can write your name in the Lamb's Book 0:21:53.920 --> 0:21:56.440 of Life. We ought to feel obligated. 0:22:00.560 --> 0:22:03.040 You know, you don't have to have a dramatic story 0:22:03.040 --> 0:22:06.000 of conversion. Maybe your story is about how God brought 0:22:06.000 --> 0:22:09.200 you through depression or discouragement. Maybe it's how he saved 0:22:09.200 --> 0:22:12.000 your marriage. No matter who you are, there's someone out 0:22:12.000 --> 0:22:14.520 there going through a similar experience and you know you 0:22:14.520 --> 0:22:17.960 can help. You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford. 0:22:17.960 --> 0:22:22.560 You can find us online at Treasure Truth radio.org. You know, pastor, 0:22:22.560 --> 0:22:25.240 as someone tunes in and listens to Moody Radio, not 0:22:25.240 --> 0:22:27.920 only are they going to hear this Bible teaching program, 0:22:27.920 --> 0:22:31.680 but just a wide array or variety of programming that 0:22:31.680 --> 0:22:34.200 can really be used to encourage and help them grow 0:22:34.200 --> 0:22:35.399 in their walk with Christ? 0:22:35.400 --> 0:22:38.720 Oh, yes. And you're going to hear things that are 0:22:38.720 --> 0:22:41.800 going to build you up in your most precious faith 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:45.120 in Jesus Christ. Uh, you know, it's amazing to me. 0:22:45.119 --> 0:22:47.480 I say it all the time. But, you know, sometimes 0:22:47.480 --> 0:22:50.240 what we do is we buy things we don't need 0:22:50.240 --> 0:22:53.480 with money. We don't have to amass bills we can't 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:57.320 pay to please people we don't like and don't care anyway. 0:22:57.920 --> 0:23:01.280 We are going to be held accountable for our stewardship. 0:23:01.480 --> 0:23:05.160 Isn't it amazing that we can send it ahead by 0:23:05.200 --> 0:23:06.639 giving to Moody Radio? 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:07.680 Yeah, absolutely. 0:23:07.720 --> 0:23:12.080 Because that's an investment that draws a dividend that has 0:23:12.080 --> 0:23:16.760 eternal consequences. And I mean, when you invest in Moody Radio, 0:23:17.119 --> 0:23:20.080 you are actually investing in the only two things that 0:23:20.080 --> 0:23:24.120 last forever the word of God and the souls of 0:23:24.119 --> 0:23:25.040 men and women. 0:23:25.280 --> 0:23:27.400 Well, you can make an investment right now by coming 0:23:27.440 --> 0:23:31.040 to our website. It is Treasure Truth radio.org. Click on 0:23:31.040 --> 0:23:34.520 the donate button. We need both the ongoing monthly gifts 0:23:34.520 --> 0:23:37.800 and the one time gifts. Again, that's at Treasure Truth Radio. 0:23:39.240 --> 0:23:41.240 Thanks for giving and for listening. And thanks also to 0:23:41.280 --> 0:23:44.000 our producer, Amy Rios. For Pastor Ford, I'm Steve Hiller. 0:23:44.320 --> 0:23:47.439 Treasure truth is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry 0:23:47.440 --> 0:23:48.960 of Moody Bible Institute.