WEBVTT - Take Your Place – Part 1 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:04.400 Discover how to take your place today on Bold Steps 0:00:04.400 --> 0:00:05.519 with Mark Jobe. 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:09.600 I believe that at some times in our life we 0:00:10.160 --> 0:00:13.080 have a lot but don't know how much we have. 0:00:13.520 --> 0:00:18.920 Sometimes we live like paupers when in reality we're children 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:20.400 of the Most High King. 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:36.800 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is president 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:39.279 of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor of New 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:42.479 Life Community Church in Chicago. And I'm excited today because 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:44.680 we are starting a new series based on the book 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:47.640 of Ephesians. And Mark, you're going to outline some important 0:00:47.640 --> 0:00:49.400 and practical steps we need to take if we want 0:00:49.400 --> 0:00:51.200 to maximize sharing our faith. 0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:54.560 That's right Wayne. And again, let me just say how 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:57.360 excited I am to jump in the book of Ephesians 0:00:57.360 --> 0:01:01.160 with you. You are going to be thrilled because this 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:06.039 is a powerful, powerful book. And really at the core, 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:10.640 Paul starts out by telling us, hey, so many of 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:14.160 us don't understand who we really are, so we need 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:17.120 to take our place because we're living. As you'll see 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:21.080 from this message, we're living sometimes in poverty when really 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:23.840 we're rich. And I'm not talking about finances, I'm talking 0:01:23.840 --> 0:01:25.080 about spiritually. 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:28.240 We get it. Let's turn to Ephesians now and get started. 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:33.000 Our message series. When you believe Everything changes. Here's Mark Jobe. 0:01:34.760 --> 0:01:39.520 Oftentimes you are much richer. You have much more than 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:43.240 what you know you have. But oftentimes we don't know 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:47.680 how to access what we already have. I heard of 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:50.360 a story a little while back of a woman by 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:55.840 the name of Hetty Green. Hetty Green was known as 0:01:56.360 --> 0:02:03.930 America's greatest miser. She ate cold oatmeal because it cost 0:02:03.970 --> 0:02:07.810 too much to heat it up. Her son had to 0:02:07.810 --> 0:02:11.610 have his leg amputated because she wanted. She waited too 0:02:11.610 --> 0:02:15.210 long for medical attention while she was looking for a 0:02:15.250 --> 0:02:21.489 free clinic. She even died from a ruptured blood vessel 0:02:21.490 --> 0:02:25.850 in her brain while arguing about the benefits of skimmed milk. 0:02:26.250 --> 0:02:31.850 Was she crazy? Maybe. Eccentric? Without a doubt. But one 0:02:31.850 --> 0:02:38.810 thing was for sure she wasn't poor. When Hetty Green died, 0:02:40.010 --> 0:02:48.010 she left an estate that was valued at over $100 million. 0:02:50.010 --> 0:02:54.410 You mean here's a woman that doesn't want to heat 0:02:54.410 --> 0:02:58.810 her oatmeal because she wants to conserve, yet she's got 0:02:58.850 --> 0:03:04.970 $100 Million dollars. She's living like a pauper, when in 0:03:04.970 --> 0:03:10.290 reality she has the ability to live like a queen. 0:03:11.690 --> 0:03:16.209 I believe oftentimes I run into believers that way. Believers 0:03:16.210 --> 0:03:19.850 in Jesus Christ that have the capacity to live at 0:03:19.850 --> 0:03:23.410 a level much higher than what they're living at, but 0:03:23.410 --> 0:03:26.730 because they're not sure how to access what they have, 0:03:26.970 --> 0:03:30.370 they live almost like paupers. So I'm going to ask 0:03:30.370 --> 0:03:34.290 you to take your Bibles and turn to Ephesians chapter one. 0:03:35.210 --> 0:03:37.290 Now there's a couple of things I want to tell 0:03:37.290 --> 0:03:42.970 you about before we jump into actually reading this passage. 0:03:43.210 --> 0:03:47.490 I want you to understand a little bit about Ephesians, 0:03:47.770 --> 0:03:50.930 and I want you to understand a little bit of 0:03:50.930 --> 0:03:53.930 why it was written and how it was written. Have 0:03:53.930 --> 0:03:56.850 you noticed that? Well, first of all, Ephesians was written 0:03:56.850 --> 0:04:02.500 by the Apostle Paul. If you look at Ephesians chapter one, 0:04:02.740 --> 0:04:08.380 verse one, it says, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, 0:04:08.380 --> 0:04:11.820 by the will of God to the saints in Ephesus, 0:04:11.820 --> 0:04:18.140 the faithful in Christ Jesus. Well, Paul is the author 0:04:18.740 --> 0:04:22.460 of the book of Ephesians, but was Paul one of 0:04:22.460 --> 0:04:27.580 the 12 apostles? It's a trick question. Many people think 0:04:27.580 --> 0:04:30.020 that Paul was actually one of the 12 apostles, but 0:04:30.020 --> 0:04:33.580 he was not. Paul was not one of the 12 0:04:33.580 --> 0:04:37.740 disciples that walked with Jesus that we normally consider an apostle. 0:04:38.220 --> 0:04:45.660 Paul was actually anti-Christian. A persecutor of the church he 0:04:45.700 --> 0:04:51.220 hated followers of of Jesus. In fact, it was the 0:04:51.220 --> 0:04:56.140 Apostle Paul who, before he became known as the Apostle Paul, 0:04:56.140 --> 0:05:02.180 was known as Saul. It was the Apostle Paul that 0:05:02.180 --> 0:05:07.100 gave the gave the orders to approve the first martyr 0:05:07.100 --> 0:05:10.979 of the Christian church, who was Stephen. And they stoned him, 0:05:10.980 --> 0:05:16.020 and Paul was there, encouraging them to stone him. He 0:05:16.060 --> 0:05:21.140 hated Christians so much that he was on a mission 0:05:21.140 --> 0:05:24.779 to eliminate and imprison as many Christians as he could, 0:05:25.779 --> 0:05:28.060 and he took a trip on the way to Damascus 0:05:28.060 --> 0:05:31.339 to look for Christians in a town called Damascus. And 0:05:31.339 --> 0:05:34.339 as he was on his way, he had an encounter 0:05:34.339 --> 0:05:39.660 that would radically change his destiny in his life. Sometimes 0:05:39.660 --> 0:05:44.100 Jesus will do that to you. And on his road 0:05:44.100 --> 0:05:50.020 to Damascus, he had an encounter with Jesus that threw 0:05:50.060 --> 0:05:55.900 him off his horse. He heard the voice of Jesus saying, Paul, Paul, 0:05:56.260 --> 0:06:02.350 why do you persecute me? And after this encounter with Jesus, 0:06:02.350 --> 0:06:08.190 he was left blind, stunned, confused. He went to the 0:06:08.190 --> 0:06:10.830 town of Damascus and a believer prayed over him and 0:06:10.830 --> 0:06:13.270 explained the ways of God. And he was so utterly 0:06:13.790 --> 0:06:17.110 converted that from that day on he began to preach 0:06:17.110 --> 0:06:20.430 the gospel just as fervently as he had opposed the 0:06:20.470 --> 0:06:27.190 gospel of Jesus. Oh, I don't know. I'm assuming that 0:06:27.190 --> 0:06:30.390 there were some of you in this auditorium that at 0:06:30.390 --> 0:06:35.350 one time were very anti-Christian. Were some of you? Anybody 0:06:35.350 --> 0:06:39.190 remember the day that you'd cuss Christians out, get that 0:06:39.190 --> 0:06:43.470 Bible away, get that blankety blank Bible away from me, huh? 0:06:44.070 --> 0:06:49.469 You can admit it. And then finally, when you came 0:06:49.470 --> 0:06:52.390 to Christ, just as strong as you were against, you 0:06:52.390 --> 0:06:56.950 became pro what Jesus has done in your life. And 0:06:56.950 --> 0:07:00.070 so it was the Apostle Paul that is writing this 0:07:00.070 --> 0:07:04.150 letter to the Ephesians. Now where did we get the title? Ephesians? Well, 0:07:04.430 --> 0:07:06.789 basically a lot of the books of the Bible are 0:07:06.830 --> 0:07:10.670 named after the cities that the letter was written to. 0:07:11.430 --> 0:07:19.310 For example, the city of Thessalonica is where the Thessalonians lived. 0:07:19.310 --> 0:07:21.350 And so we have the book in the New Testament 0:07:21.350 --> 0:07:28.030 called Thessalonians. Colossae is a city where the Colossians lived. 0:07:28.270 --> 0:07:32.270 And so we have a book in the Bible called Colossians. 0:07:33.070 --> 0:07:38.150 Philippi was where the Philippians lived. And we have a 0:07:38.150 --> 0:07:41.710 book in the Bible called Philippians because it was written 0:07:41.710 --> 0:07:46.430 towards the Philippians. If Paul were to write a letter 0:07:46.430 --> 0:07:51.350 to Chicago, the church in Chicago, then the letter would 0:07:51.350 --> 0:07:55.950 be called Chicagoans, and we would turn to the letter 0:07:55.950 --> 0:07:59.030 called Chicagoans, and it would be the letter that was 0:07:59.030 --> 0:08:03.440 written to the church that lives in Chicago. So Ephesus 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:07.720 was a city. I've been to Ephesus. The ancient town 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:12.520 of Ephesus is currently located in Turkey. Uh, in those 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:18.520 days it was called Asia minor. And Ephesus is where 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:21.400 the Ephesians lived. And so Paul wrote a letter to 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:26.360 the Ephesians. And the first time that Paul ever visited 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:32.240 Ephesus is chronicled in acts chapter 18. He went to 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:38.959 Ephesus with a couple, a ministry couple called Priscilla and Aquila. 0:08:40.480 --> 0:08:45.160 And he went to this city, a big metropolitan city, 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:48.800 and he began to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:51.480 There Paul had to move on to Jerusalem. And so 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:54.880 he left Akilah and Priscilla to talk to people about 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:58.439 Jesus while they were talking to people about Jesus. And 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:02.000 by the way, can I just interject here. There's something 0:09:02.000 --> 0:09:09.640 very powerful about ministering together as a couple. You see 0:09:09.679 --> 0:09:13.880 me here up front on a regular basis. Because I'm 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:17.560 the teacher. Preacher. But I want you to know that 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:21.280 since day one, since the very first day that I 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:24.480 came to this church, my wife has been as involved 0:09:24.480 --> 0:09:27.960 in ministry as I have. Don't ask her to teach. 0:09:28.080 --> 0:09:30.440 Don't ask her to preach because she doesn't like to 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:34.360 do that. But she has been as involved as or 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:36.880 more committed than I have been from day one. And 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:40.240 we've been here almost 25 years. And there's something really 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:43.320 powerful to minister as a couple. And she's actually sitting 0:09:43.320 --> 0:09:45.880 right here. Usually she's in Sunday school. Good to see you, hon. 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:56.880 In fact, I remember when I was dating my wife, uh, 0:09:56.920 --> 0:09:59.920 she wasn't my wife when I was dating her, but 0:09:59.920 --> 0:10:06.090 when I started dating, um, we were actually leading a 0:10:06.090 --> 0:10:09.930 Bible study. And I remember thinking to myself, I don't 0:10:09.929 --> 0:10:13.450 know if a relationship is going to be a distraction 0:10:13.610 --> 0:10:17.490 or if it's going to really help me out. And 0:10:17.490 --> 0:10:20.890 I remember we were I was leading a Bible study 0:10:21.210 --> 0:10:26.290 by 71st in Springfield near Marquette Park. And I was 0:10:26.290 --> 0:10:30.850 still in college at the time and leading this Bible study. And, uh, 0:10:31.010 --> 0:10:34.969 d uh, started coming to that Bible study, and I 0:10:34.970 --> 0:10:38.570 realized that she had this way with working with other 0:10:38.570 --> 0:10:42.890 women and and being involved and calling and ministering. And 0:10:42.890 --> 0:10:45.010 it's the first time the light came on in my 0:10:45.010 --> 0:10:48.050 head and said, I thought to myself, you know what? 0:10:48.250 --> 0:10:54.010 We make one dynamic team. I like this, I like this. 0:10:58.530 --> 0:11:01.450 I tell people that are in ministry or trying to 0:11:01.450 --> 0:11:05.090 do something for God. There is no neutral. There's no 0:11:05.090 --> 0:11:12.330 neutral spouse. A spouse can either be a hindrance and 0:11:12.330 --> 0:11:18.370 liability or incredible asset in whatever you're pursuing. And when 0:11:18.370 --> 0:11:22.210 two people come together with one vision and decide in 0:11:22.210 --> 0:11:24.330 a united way to say, we're going to do something 0:11:24.330 --> 0:11:29.250 for God, watch out, because incredible things can happen. But 0:11:29.250 --> 0:11:35.850 I've seen people in ministry spiral downward because one person 0:11:35.850 --> 0:11:38.810 feels called to ministry and the other person doesn't like 0:11:38.809 --> 0:11:42.930 it or doesn't want it. And I've seen those places take. 0:11:43.370 --> 0:11:47.610 And so I believe there's something really powerful about ministering 0:11:47.650 --> 0:11:51.730 together as a couple. Well, this couple, Akhil and Priscilla, 0:11:52.010 --> 0:11:55.890 were ministering together in, in the, in the town of Ephesus. 0:11:56.170 --> 0:11:59.170 And as they were telling people about Jesus in Ephesus, 0:11:59.370 --> 0:12:04.059 another fellow by the name of Apollos came. And Apollos 0:12:04.059 --> 0:12:08.739 was a very good speaker and orator, and knew about 0:12:08.740 --> 0:12:11.300 the things of God. And he began to attract a 0:12:11.300 --> 0:12:15.260 big crowd. And when a killer and Priscilla heard of 0:12:15.260 --> 0:12:18.540 what he was doing, they met up with Apollos. And 0:12:18.540 --> 0:12:22.420 they realized that although Apollos was very good at speaking, 0:12:22.420 --> 0:12:26.700 he only had half the message. Because Apollos had been 0:12:26.700 --> 0:12:30.580 converted under John the Baptizer, but he had never been 0:12:30.580 --> 0:12:37.860 under the instructions of Jesus. And so when Paul came 0:12:37.860 --> 0:12:42.739 back to Ephesus, he found himself with a group of believers. 0:12:42.740 --> 0:12:45.660 And he began to talk to this group of believers. 0:12:45.660 --> 0:12:49.860 And he asked them about the Holy Spirit. And they said, 0:12:49.860 --> 0:12:53.700 we don't even know there is a Holy Spirit, because 0:12:53.700 --> 0:12:57.780 they had not been taught the full gospel. And it 0:12:57.780 --> 0:13:00.340 was at that time that the Apostle Paul prayed over them, 0:13:00.380 --> 0:13:02.939 put hands on them, and ask that they would receive 0:13:02.940 --> 0:13:05.540 the power of the Holy Spirit in their life. At 0:13:05.580 --> 0:13:08.500 that time, incredible things began to happen in the town 0:13:08.540 --> 0:13:12.459 of Ephesus. The Bible tells us that so many people 0:13:12.580 --> 0:13:15.220 began to come to Christ and get saved and give 0:13:15.220 --> 0:13:18.059 their life to God. Many of them were involved in 0:13:18.059 --> 0:13:22.380 witchcraft and sorcery, and when they came to Christ, they 0:13:22.380 --> 0:13:28.339 repented of their witchcraft, their sorcery, their occult practices. They 0:13:28.340 --> 0:13:35.780 brought their books, their paraphernalia, their, uh, their scripts and 0:13:35.780 --> 0:13:39.260 everything they use in their sorcery and created these big 0:13:39.260 --> 0:13:43.020 mounds of things that they were getting rid of. And 0:13:43.020 --> 0:13:46.819 they had a huge bonfire to burn all of the 0:13:47.460 --> 0:13:51.500 pagan elements that they used to worship and follow. Here's 0:13:51.500 --> 0:13:54.820 the thing I want you to remember. You cannot have 0:13:55.140 --> 0:14:00.230 a conversion experience and choose to follow Christ without leaving 0:14:00.230 --> 0:14:01.949 certain things behind. 0:14:07.270 --> 0:14:09.710 You're listening to Bold Steps with Marc Job. We'll continue 0:14:09.750 --> 0:14:12.030 today's message in a moment. But first, Marc, I want 0:14:12.070 --> 0:14:15.110 to talk about something that's become a growing concern within 0:14:15.110 --> 0:14:18.750 Christian leadership circles. Our world is going through a whirlwind, 0:14:19.190 --> 0:14:22.190 pretty dramatic developments and changes, not just here in America 0:14:22.190 --> 0:14:24.630 but around the globe. And we need to remind ourselves, 0:14:24.790 --> 0:14:26.710 as Christians, we have a much higher calling than any 0:14:26.710 --> 0:14:28.110 political movement, don't we. 0:14:28.470 --> 0:14:32.790 Wayne? Turn on the news. And there is drama all 0:14:32.790 --> 0:14:37.470 over the place. From rumors of wars to economic crisis. 0:14:37.550 --> 0:14:38.910 To polarization. 0:14:38.950 --> 0:14:42.790 To actual wars that are happening to bombings, and it 0:14:42.790 --> 0:14:46.470 is easy to get distracted by all this, worried by it, 0:14:46.510 --> 0:14:50.070 anxious by it, sort of sucked into it. But here's 0:14:50.070 --> 0:14:53.750 what I want to say. This is a great time 0:14:53.990 --> 0:14:56.910 for the good news of Jesus Christ and the hope 0:14:56.910 --> 0:14:57.590 of the gospel. 0:14:57.630 --> 0:14:58.150 Amen. 0:14:58.230 --> 0:15:01.160 There are a lot of people coming to Christ throughout 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:03.600 the world, and you may not hear about it, because 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:08.840 there's other news that is prominent and is taking people's attention. 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:13.400 But there is an undercurrent of a harvest evangelism. And 0:15:13.400 --> 0:15:16.000 that's what we're all about right now, is a moment 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:20.000 where people are shaken, where there's concern. But there are 0:15:20.000 --> 0:15:22.880 so many people that are turning to the heavens, and 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:27.320 we at Bold Steps have determined we will not miss 0:15:27.320 --> 0:15:30.360 that moment. And so we are asking you to partner 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:33.320 with us, help us out, because right now is a 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:36.920 great time to be calling people to Jesus. 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:39.920 We urge you to give online at Bold Steps. Org 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.640 or you can call us. The number is 800. D.L. 0:15:42.760 --> 0:15:48.280 Moody and that works out to be (800) 356-6639. And when 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:49.720 you do give, we'll be sure to send you a 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:52.320 special gift which will tell you more about later in 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:54.760 the program today. Well, thank you for that, Mark. But 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:57.119 let's go back to your message now here on Bold Steps. 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:05.920 When God gets a hold of someone, you don't stay 0:16:05.920 --> 0:16:10.360 the same. You start getting rid of things. I think 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:14.960 all of us need a bonfire in our life. Hello? Hey, you. 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:17.760 Come to Christ, men. There may need to be a 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:21.160 bonfire while you pull out those Playboy magazines and other 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:24.040 such things and get rid of it. Because what you 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:27.480 start realizing is that this is incompatible with my new 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:31.120 life in Christ. You cannot add Christ to your life 0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:34.160 and continue with all the old stuff. There are certain 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:39.800 things that when Christ comes in, you leave behind that. 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:44.880 That's called conversion. And they had this huge bonfire experience, 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:48.000 and God began to work in such miraculous ways that 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:51.320 it was at this time that the Bible tells us 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:55.200 that even the handkerchief that came from Paul and touched 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:59.200 people was healing people from physical diseases, such as the 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:02.560 was the anointing and the power of God upon Ephesus 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:05.480 at that time. There are times when God works in 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:10.040 some miraculous, powerful way, supernatural that we cannot explain when 0:17:10.080 --> 0:17:14.520 God is seeking to do something. It is also at 0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:19.680 that time that there was a major riot, because anytime 0:17:19.680 --> 0:17:24.399 the church progresses, there will always be opposition. Count on it. 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:28.720 When God begins to do something, there will always be 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:33.680 opposition to what God is seeking to do. This time, 0:17:33.680 --> 0:17:39.359 the opposition came via the unions of the city of Ephesus. 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:46.840 Making idols and pagan gods was a big business. In 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:50.160 the days of Ephesus, there were hundreds of gods that existed. 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:52.919 There was the god of fertility, and there was the 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:56.600 god of vengeance. There was the god of the shoemakers 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:59.160 and the god of the sailors. There was the god 0:17:59.160 --> 0:18:04.090 of the farmers and the God of the multitude of 0:18:04.090 --> 0:18:08.290 things of gods, and every person. If you went into 0:18:08.290 --> 0:18:10.890 their house in those days in Ephesus, everybody would have 0:18:10.890 --> 0:18:14.450 their little statues, the gods that they would pray to, 0:18:14.850 --> 0:18:18.570 and they were sort of their sponsoring God, so to speak. 0:18:18.810 --> 0:18:21.770 And if you walk down the streets of Ephesus, there 0:18:21.770 --> 0:18:25.530 were statues of different gods that would line the streets 0:18:25.530 --> 0:18:30.090 of Ephesus. And and the tradesmen made much of their 0:18:30.090 --> 0:18:34.130 money by building these statues out of wood and and 0:18:34.170 --> 0:18:37.650 out of rock and out of iron. And they would 0:18:37.690 --> 0:18:41.649 build these statues, and it was a big money business, 0:18:41.650 --> 0:18:45.250 and people would buy their statues and dedicate their statues. 0:18:45.450 --> 0:18:50.170 When people started coming to Christ, the union trades workers 0:18:50.170 --> 0:18:57.410 began to realize Christianity has no God statues. They have 0:18:57.410 --> 0:19:03.300 an invisible God That they worship an invisible God, that 0:19:03.300 --> 0:19:07.180 they worship, that claims that he rules heaven and earth. 0:19:07.780 --> 0:19:11.660 And they began to realize that if Christianity spreads, we 0:19:11.660 --> 0:19:16.580 will lose our business. No one will buy statues anymore. 0:19:17.380 --> 0:19:21.740 We'll lose tens of thousands of dollars and go out 0:19:21.740 --> 0:19:26.459 of business. So they organized a riot. How many of 0:19:26.460 --> 0:19:29.700 you know that sometimes the opposition of Christianity is not 0:19:29.700 --> 0:19:34.659 just on religious views. Sometimes it can be political, racist 0:19:35.060 --> 0:19:40.260 and economic. Hello. Don't be naive into thinking that opposition 0:19:40.260 --> 0:19:46.899 will just come out of spiritual opposition. When we went 0:19:46.900 --> 0:19:50.619 to buy this church building here that you're in right now, 0:19:50.619 --> 0:19:53.900 this was a factory, and we decided that we were 0:19:53.900 --> 0:19:58.380 going to buy this building and convert this building into 0:19:58.380 --> 0:20:02.420 a church Ministry Center and we're super excited about it. 0:20:03.100 --> 0:20:06.060 We were challenged by raising the money for this because 0:20:06.060 --> 0:20:08.139 it's a lot of money. It was $2 million to 0:20:08.180 --> 0:20:11.780 buy this building. But when we went to get this building, 0:20:12.420 --> 0:20:16.220 the building in Chicago, you have to zone a building 0:20:16.220 --> 0:20:20.900 for something. This building was zoned for manufacturing. For what 0:20:20.940 --> 0:20:24.699 factories are zoned for. And we need to rezone it 0:20:24.700 --> 0:20:27.659 for a church use. And in order to zone it 0:20:27.660 --> 0:20:30.660 for a church use, you have to get approval downtown 0:20:30.660 --> 0:20:33.900 at City Hall. And in order to get approval downtown 0:20:33.900 --> 0:20:36.139 at City Hall, you have to go through the alderman's 0:20:36.140 --> 0:20:38.820 office here. And in this case, to go through the 0:20:38.820 --> 0:20:42.820 alderman's office here. He had a zoning board that we 0:20:42.820 --> 0:20:45.980 had to come before. And the zoning board had to 0:20:46.020 --> 0:20:49.020 approve it in order to change the status so that 0:20:49.020 --> 0:20:51.820 we could get a church here. And when we went 0:20:51.820 --> 0:20:54.220 down to try to get the zoning, most of the 0:20:54.220 --> 0:20:58.859 people on the zoning board were favorable. But there was 0:20:58.859 --> 0:21:03.900 a few people that were belligerently opposed to us starting 0:21:03.900 --> 0:21:06.780 a church here. I want you to understand that that 0:21:06.780 --> 0:21:10.379 sometimes opposition will arise to the progress and spread of 0:21:10.380 --> 0:21:15.180 the gospel. It doesn't always come just out of theological persecution. 0:21:15.180 --> 0:21:19.459 It can rise up out of economic and racial bigotry 0:21:19.780 --> 0:21:22.340 that that that rises up to try to put the 0:21:22.340 --> 0:21:25.379 stop to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well, in this case, 0:21:25.380 --> 0:21:26.660 it was economic. 0:21:33.980 --> 0:21:36.380 Well, we're just getting started with our message from Mark 0:21:36.380 --> 0:21:39.459 Jobe called take your place here on Bold Steps, and 0:21:39.460 --> 0:21:41.660 you can learn more about Mark and his ministry when 0:21:41.660 --> 0:21:45.220 you visit us at Bold Steps. And today we're joined 0:21:45.220 --> 0:21:48.220 by two special guests, Aaron and Jason Davis, who've written 0:21:48.220 --> 0:21:51.620 a book that tackles a challenge every Christian parent faces 0:21:51.619 --> 0:21:54.300 how to help our boys navigate the lies our culture 0:21:54.300 --> 0:21:57.540 is throwing at them. The book is called Lies Boys Believe. 0:21:59.390 --> 0:22:02.430 That's right. Wayne. You know, last month we offered the 0:22:02.430 --> 0:22:07.310 companion to this resource Lies Girls believe. I remember. So, Aaron, 0:22:07.350 --> 0:22:11.630 as a mother of four boys. Yeah, you heard it 0:22:11.630 --> 0:22:15.270 for boys. What motivated you to write this book? 0:22:15.550 --> 0:22:19.150 Well, obviously my own sons. You're right. So everybody listening. 0:22:19.150 --> 0:22:21.709 It's okay for you to gasp at that. Four sons. 0:22:21.710 --> 0:22:24.390 That's what Jason and I have. So it's a rowdy house. 0:22:24.670 --> 0:22:28.710 But they're our primary concern. But they're also a good 0:22:28.710 --> 0:22:31.870 indicator of what's happening in the wider culture. And everybody 0:22:31.869 --> 0:22:35.710 seems to be talking about boys in crisis, secular and Christian. 0:22:35.950 --> 0:22:38.909 But we want to point our boys to the truth, 0:22:38.910 --> 0:22:41.149 and the truth is found in God's word. And so 0:22:41.390 --> 0:22:44.070 we let our boys go first. They were super involved 0:22:44.070 --> 0:22:46.030 in the project, and I hope this is an outflow 0:22:46.030 --> 0:22:49.230 of our parenting, but we also hope they're just a 0:22:49.270 --> 0:22:52.470 four examples of what can happen when God gets Ahold 0:22:52.470 --> 0:22:54.510 of boys when they're young and they fall in love 0:22:54.510 --> 0:22:56.350 with His word when they're young and they start living 0:22:56.350 --> 0:22:56.950 for truth. 0:22:56.950 --> 0:22:59.149 So, Jason, you have built in research, huh? 0:22:59.470 --> 0:23:02.310 Yeah. It's made it easy. We didn't have to travel 0:23:02.310 --> 0:23:04.350 a lot to do the market research for this one. 0:23:05.470 --> 0:23:08.750 And, Jason, what ages would you say this book is 0:23:08.750 --> 0:23:09.910 targeted towards? 0:23:10.350 --> 0:23:14.270 Uh, young men, uh, probably 6 to 12 would be 0:23:14.270 --> 0:23:18.910 the target demographic. That's probably not the right terminology, but, um, 0:23:19.230 --> 0:23:22.270 we found that our boys in that age group really 0:23:22.390 --> 0:23:25.629 resonated well with the content and the message. 0:23:25.910 --> 0:23:30.550 You know, I think this type of book is so needed. 0:23:30.790 --> 0:23:34.670 There are so many, so many parents struggling with just 0:23:34.670 --> 0:23:39.710 the lies that our culture is just saturating our young 0:23:39.710 --> 0:23:44.350 people with. But young boys especially, are at a disadvantage 0:23:44.750 --> 0:23:48.350 these days when the image of what it means to 0:23:48.390 --> 0:23:50.190 be a man or grow up to be a man 0:23:50.190 --> 0:23:53.350 is really been erased and very confusing. 0:23:53.390 --> 0:23:56.190 This is critical, isn't it? Yeah. Aaron and Jason, thank 0:23:56.190 --> 0:23:57.790 you so much for writing this book and making it 0:23:57.790 --> 0:23:58.949 available to our listeners. 0:23:59.240 --> 0:24:00.440 It's been a real pleasure. 0:24:00.480 --> 0:24:02.840 Yeah, we're just honored to get to serve families in 0:24:02.840 --> 0:24:03.760 the church in this way. 0:24:04.000 --> 0:24:06.120 And of course, we'd love to send you this powerful 0:24:06.119 --> 0:24:08.640 resource when you support bold steps with a gift of 0:24:08.640 --> 0:24:12.880 any amount. To request your copy, call us at 800. D.L. Moody. 0:24:13.160 --> 0:24:20.439 That's (800) 356-6639 or give online at Bold Steps. Org. Or 0:24:20.480 --> 0:24:23.639 if you prefer, you can send your contribution to bold steps. 0:24:23.880 --> 0:24:30.320 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. As Mark's 0:24:30.320 --> 0:24:33.520 teaching been making a difference in your life? Consider taking 0:24:33.520 --> 0:24:37.199 your support to the next level by becoming a bold partner. Now, 0:24:37.240 --> 0:24:39.879 bold partners are the backbone of this ministry, providing the 0:24:39.880 --> 0:24:43.440 consistent monthly support that allows us to bring biblical truth 0:24:43.440 --> 0:24:47.600 to listeners worldwide. While one time gifts are always appreciated, 0:24:47.600 --> 0:24:50.680 it's the faithful monthly giving that ensures we can continue 0:24:50.680 --> 0:24:54.240 providing the encouragement and biblical insight you've come to rely 0:24:54.240 --> 0:24:56.840 on day after day. When you join us as a 0:24:56.840 --> 0:25:00.800 bold partner, you'll gain access to exclusive resources reserved only 0:25:00.800 --> 0:25:04.560 for our monthly supporters. To begin your partnership today, visit 0:25:04.560 --> 0:25:11.280 Bold steps.com or call us at 800. And remember you 0:25:11.280 --> 0:25:15.240 can connect with Marx teaching anytime, anywhere. Tune in weekdays 0:25:15.240 --> 0:25:18.600 on your local station. Stream content 24 over seven on 0:25:18.600 --> 0:25:22.200 our website. Listen through our dedicated Bold Steps app or 0:25:22.200 --> 0:25:26.080 subscribe on your favorite podcast platform like Apple Podcasts or 0:25:26.080 --> 0:25:28.840 Google Play. For all the ways to stay connected with 0:25:28.840 --> 0:25:33.159 bold steps, just visit Bold Steps. Org. I'm Wayne Shepherd, 0:25:33.160 --> 0:25:35.320 thanks for joining us today. Be sure to come back 0:25:35.320 --> 0:25:38.680 tomorrow when Mark continues this discussion. Our message comes from 0:25:38.680 --> 0:25:41.000 the book of Ephesians chapter one, and you won't want 0:25:41.000 --> 0:25:44.639 to miss it. Tuesday on Bold Steps with Mark John. 0:25:45.920 --> 0:25:49.000 Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry 0:25:49.000 --> 0:25:50.600 of Moody Bible Institute.