WEBVTT - Make Some Noise -- Part 2 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:03.640 Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. We're learning to 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:05.400 make some noise for the Lord. 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:09.200 I believe there's a whole world out there. Most of 0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:11.280 them are not asking themselves, what must I do to 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:15.520 be saved? They haven't seen people live out their faith 0:00:15.520 --> 0:00:18.600 in such a way that makes them wonder, what do 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:21.360 you have that I don't have? That makes them come 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:23.720 to you and say, tell me. I want to have 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:27.160 what you have. What must I do to be saved 0:00:27.160 --> 0:00:28.320 like you're saved. 0:00:40.720 --> 0:00:44.160 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is founding 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:48.000 pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:50.800 When things are going well in our lives, it's easy 0:00:50.800 --> 0:00:53.559 to be noisy about God's goodness. But what happens when 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:56.160 you're in a trial or a circumstance that is less 0:00:56.160 --> 0:00:59.760 than ideal? What then? Well, that's the topic we'll address today. 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:02.720 This message comes from our series relentless, and it's all 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:05.319 about learning to press on when the pressure is on. 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:07.759 So if you have your Bible, let's open it together 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:10.800 to acts chapter 16. Mark will be reading through verses 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:14.920 11 through 34 in a message titled Make some Noise. 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:19.080 I think that the world makes a lot more noise 0:01:19.080 --> 0:01:22.960 sometimes than the church makes. I've told you this before, 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:25.440 but I have men that come to church and say, well, pastor, 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:27.960 you know, I'm not really a singer shouter. I'm not. 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:31.160 I'm just not a very emotional person. So when we're 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:34.080 like praising, I just don't I just sit there like 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:38.399 this because I'm kind of reserved. They'll tell me that 0:01:38.400 --> 0:01:41.000 in church and then I'll see him at a bears game. 0:01:43.040 --> 0:01:46.880 There shouting, screaming, have their face painted, screaming at the 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:50.559 top of their lungs, shouting, jumping up and down. I'm like, hey, 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:55.880 what happened to the reserved man? It's not that you're reserved. 0:01:55.880 --> 0:02:00.360 It's what you get excited about. You've learned to get 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:03.690 pumped up about the the the message of a sports team. 0:02:03.690 --> 0:02:07.530 But what hasn't grasped you is to make get excited 0:02:07.530 --> 0:02:11.930 about the message that can transform people's lives for eternity 0:02:11.930 --> 0:02:19.930 and change the destiny of people and cities around. My 0:02:19.970 --> 0:02:22.210 goal is for some of you just to start making 0:02:22.210 --> 0:02:26.209 some noise in the right direction. So jot this down. 0:02:26.250 --> 0:02:31.250 The sound of praise. Our most powerful sound is the 0:02:31.250 --> 0:02:36.529 voice of praise lifted up from the dark moments of life. 0:02:37.770 --> 0:02:40.290 You see, the Bible says that they put Paul and 0:02:40.290 --> 0:02:44.410 Silas in prison. They flogged them, put them in the 0:02:44.410 --> 0:02:48.210 deepest prison, and in the middle of their hardest time, 0:02:48.210 --> 0:02:53.530 their darkest moment, their most difficult season, they decide to 0:02:53.570 --> 0:02:58.930 make some noise. And it's not the noise of complaining. Oh, God, 0:02:58.970 --> 0:03:01.650 where were you? How come this has happened to us? 0:03:01.650 --> 0:03:04.330 We're trying to follow you and we're in prison. They 0:03:04.330 --> 0:03:07.610 decide in their darkest moment to make some noise of praise. 0:03:08.370 --> 0:03:14.570 So they, with their chains on their legs and their 0:03:14.570 --> 0:03:18.889 backs bloody, they decide to start singing a little bit. 0:03:19.889 --> 0:03:22.410 They just start to to lift up their voice and 0:03:22.410 --> 0:03:25.369 to praise the King of Kings and the Lord of lords. 0:03:25.370 --> 0:03:27.970 And I'm sure when they first started, their voices were 0:03:27.970 --> 0:03:30.810 a little crackly. But you know, when you get to singing, 0:03:30.810 --> 0:03:33.610 then suddenly the energy comes in and you get into 0:03:33.610 --> 0:03:37.250 it and they're doing a duo in that prison. They're 0:03:37.250 --> 0:03:40.250 both just singing. And the Bible says that all the 0:03:40.250 --> 0:03:45.370 prisoners stop and start listening to them. Why? Because there's 0:03:45.370 --> 0:03:50.330 something compelling about the voice of praise in the middle 0:03:50.330 --> 0:03:55.130 of a dark moment. That's called a sacrifice of praise. Now, 0:03:55.210 --> 0:03:58.130 many of us are used to the reaction of praise. 0:03:58.130 --> 0:04:03.340 That's easy. You go to work and the boss tells 0:04:03.340 --> 0:04:05.860 you you've been just given a promotion and a raise 0:04:05.860 --> 0:04:12.220 and it's Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus. Whoa! God is so good. 0:04:12.340 --> 0:04:18.940 That's a reaction of praise. It's a reaction. You're waiting 0:04:18.940 --> 0:04:24.820 for a diagnosis from the hospital about that lump that 0:04:24.820 --> 0:04:28.980 you weren't sure was benign or malignant. And the doctor 0:04:28.980 --> 0:04:32.179 report comes back and says, no, it's just benign. There's 0:04:32.180 --> 0:04:35.260 no operation. You don't have to worry about it. It's, oh, Lord, 0:04:35.260 --> 0:04:39.419 you're so good. Oh, hallelujah. I just feel like praising 0:04:39.420 --> 0:04:45.140 and thanking you. That's a reaction of praise. A sacrifice 0:04:45.140 --> 0:04:49.220 of praise comes at our dark moment. It comes when 0:04:49.260 --> 0:04:51.820 instead of the doctor saying, no, it's benign. He says 0:04:51.820 --> 0:04:57.220 it's malignant, and we think it's stage four. And then 0:04:57.220 --> 0:04:59.260 when you hear that news and you say, blessed be 0:04:59.260 --> 0:05:02.180 the name of the Lord God Almighty because he's sovereign 0:05:02.180 --> 0:05:05.380 and in control and he's still Jehovah Rapha. I entrust 0:05:05.380 --> 0:05:14.539 myself to you. That's a sacrifice of praise. A sacrifice 0:05:14.540 --> 0:05:16.540 of praise is when you get a bad report from 0:05:16.540 --> 0:05:18.500 your job and say, no, I think you're going to 0:05:18.500 --> 0:05:21.260 get the pink slip here. And you say, thank you, Lord, 0:05:21.260 --> 0:05:24.180 because you are Jehovah Jireh, the God that provides all 0:05:24.180 --> 0:05:26.700 my needs according to your riches and glory. And I 0:05:26.700 --> 0:05:29.620 still bless your name. And ultimately, you're in charge of 0:05:29.620 --> 0:05:32.700 my finances, God and not my boss. So I lift 0:05:32.700 --> 0:05:35.780 up a praise to your name, God. That's a sacrifice 0:05:35.779 --> 0:05:43.180 of praise. You see, it's in the middle of your 0:05:43.180 --> 0:05:47.219 dark moment when you start praising that people listen because 0:05:47.220 --> 0:05:50.380 anybody can praise when things are good. It's when things 0:05:50.380 --> 0:05:54.660 are bad and ugly and difficult and challenging and the 0:05:54.660 --> 0:05:59.660 pressure's on. Then when you praise, people start listening to 0:05:59.660 --> 0:06:02.990 your praise. They listen to the sound that you make. 0:06:04.190 --> 0:06:07.469 The Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 13, verses 15 0:06:07.510 --> 0:06:17.430 through 16. Through Jesus, through whom Jesus. Because without the 0:06:17.430 --> 0:06:20.710 supernatural empowerment of Jesus, you would never be able to 0:06:20.710 --> 0:06:26.830 do it through Jesus. Therefore, anytime you see the word 0:06:26.830 --> 0:06:29.030 therefore in the Bible, you have to ask yourself, what 0:06:29.029 --> 0:06:35.070 is it there for? Therefore, is the is a preposition 0:06:35.070 --> 0:06:39.070 that ties together the previous thought to the next thought 0:06:39.070 --> 0:06:46.070 that's coming through Jesus. Therefore, because of Jesus, you can 0:06:46.070 --> 0:06:53.150 do this without the Jesus. You cannot do this through Jesus. Therefore, 0:06:54.630 --> 0:06:59.950 what can we do through Jesus? Let us continually, continually 0:07:00.070 --> 0:07:04.270 means that this goes on and on without interruption or break. 0:07:04.589 --> 0:07:11.710 It means a constant flow that is uninterrupted. Through Jesus. Therefore, 0:07:11.990 --> 0:07:19.430 let us continually, without interruption, not stopping. Offer to God 0:07:20.110 --> 0:07:27.230 a sacrifice. Say it together with me. Sacrifice a sacrifice 0:07:27.230 --> 0:07:33.510 of praise. Sacrifice of praise. It's not a sacrifice unless 0:07:33.510 --> 0:07:36.710 it's hard to give. If it's easy to give, it's a. 0:07:36.750 --> 0:07:40.710 If it's a reaction. It's not a sacrifice. When it's hard, 0:07:40.710 --> 0:07:44.630 it's a sacrifice. When it costs me something, it's a sacrifice. 0:07:44.750 --> 0:07:46.670 When I have to wrestle to give it. It's a 0:07:46.670 --> 0:07:49.430 sacrifice when I have to say, oh, I don't know 0:07:49.430 --> 0:07:51.870 if I can give it. I don't know if I can. 0:07:51.910 --> 0:07:55.030 Then it's a sacrifice. When I have to go contrary 0:07:55.030 --> 0:07:59.030 to my natural reaction, then it's a sacrifice when when 0:07:59.030 --> 0:08:01.480 I have to pay a price to give it, then 0:08:01.480 --> 0:08:05.520 it's a sacrifice. So I need to continually offer a 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:09.840 sacrifice of praise. And what is a sacrifice of praise? 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:16.520 He defines it, the fruit of my lips, openly professing 0:08:16.520 --> 0:08:24.360 his name. It's the fruit of my lips saying, you, Jesus, 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:28.880 are the one. Thank you father, because you are the one. 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:32.320 I give glory and honor to you. Even though it's 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:37.360 difficult in this circumstance and this trial. But I still 0:08:37.480 --> 0:08:41.800 lift up my voice and I bless your name and 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:45.480 give you the honor that you deserve, even though it's hard. 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:51.280 It's a sacrifice of praise. The next sound that I 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:54.520 hear is not only the singing of Paul and Silas, 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:56.720 but the next sound that I hear is the sound 0:08:56.720 --> 0:09:02.280 of freedom. You see, our praise sets in motion an 0:09:02.280 --> 0:09:06.600 opportunity for God to show his power. An atmosphere of 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:12.720 faith provides an opportunity for God to show up and 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:18.640 manifest his power. So as they fill their cell with 0:09:18.640 --> 0:09:21.960 praise and thanksgiving and singing, they turn their cell into 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:25.440 a little home group. And what happens as soon as 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:28.400 you start praising in the middle of a dark moment, 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:33.240 is that you start changing the culture of the crisis 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:37.679 that you're in. And it says, about midnight, Paul and 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:40.920 Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:44.320 other prisoners were listening to them. And then suddenly you 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:47.880 hear another noise, because I believe the sound of praise 0:09:48.440 --> 0:09:53.079 invites the sound of God. Oh, I wish you could 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:56.760 hear me today, because this is really important. I believe 0:09:56.760 --> 0:10:01.330 that the sound of praise incites The sound of God. 0:10:01.929 --> 0:10:05.890 Have you ever seen a baby that starts crying? If 0:10:05.929 --> 0:10:08.410 you look at dads, they're just kind of like, hey, 0:10:08.770 --> 0:10:13.689 the baby's crying. But there's something about the reaction of 0:10:13.690 --> 0:10:17.170 a mother when she hears a baby crying. Every fiber 0:10:17.170 --> 0:10:21.090 in her being is activated by the cry of a baby. It. 0:10:22.090 --> 0:10:26.250 It awakens something inside of her, something irresistible. Something like. 0:10:26.250 --> 0:10:29.770 I cannot say no. She cannot listen to her baby 0:10:29.770 --> 0:10:33.490 cry without responding to it. Because the cry of a 0:10:33.490 --> 0:10:38.570 baby awakens something within a mother. The sacrifice of praise 0:10:38.610 --> 0:10:41.450 awakens something in the heart of God that cannot be 0:10:41.450 --> 0:10:45.090 ignored on earth. The sacrifice of praise does something to 0:10:45.130 --> 0:10:48.809 the heart of God. It awakens every fiber of his being. 0:10:48.850 --> 0:10:52.569 It calls the Holy Spirit into that place. It causes 0:10:52.570 --> 0:10:55.929 the presence of God. That's the kind of voice that 0:10:55.929 --> 0:10:59.569 brings the motion and commitment of God. It's when we 0:10:59.730 --> 0:11:03.569 sacrifice praise in the middle of our difficulty, it invokes 0:11:03.570 --> 0:11:06.730 the presence of God. It causes the attention of God 0:11:06.730 --> 0:11:09.450 to zoom in on what's happening there. And the Bible 0:11:09.450 --> 0:11:14.569 says as they were singing. Then suddenly in verse 26, 0:11:15.090 --> 0:11:18.410 there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of 0:11:18.410 --> 0:11:22.089 the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors 0:11:22.130 --> 0:11:28.130 flew open and everyone's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, 0:11:28.130 --> 0:11:31.170 and when he saw that the prison doors were open, 0:11:31.170 --> 0:11:33.610 he drew his sword and was about to kill himself 0:11:33.610 --> 0:11:37.450 because he thought that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, 0:11:37.450 --> 0:11:43.090 do not harm yourself! Do you see what's happening here? 0:11:44.570 --> 0:11:48.650 You see, the sound of praise is bringing about the 0:11:48.650 --> 0:11:53.770 reaction of God. And now. And now you hear the 0:11:53.770 --> 0:11:58.010 sound of freedom. What does freedom sound like? It sounds. 0:11:58.050 --> 0:12:05.020 Chains dropping, doors opening. God. Setting something in motion. Uh, 0:12:05.020 --> 0:12:06.900 what does it sound like? Let me tell it again. 0:12:06.940 --> 0:12:12.420 It sounds like chains breaking doors, opening bars bending. Why? 0:12:12.860 --> 0:12:19.059 Because the sound of praise triggered the response of God. 0:12:24.660 --> 0:12:27.180 You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, and we'll 0:12:27.179 --> 0:12:29.260 continue in a moment. But I want to make sure 0:12:29.260 --> 0:12:30.900 you know where to go. If you ever miss one 0:12:30.900 --> 0:12:34.900 of these daily lessons. That's our website, Bold steps.org. And 0:12:34.900 --> 0:12:37.220 there you'll find all of Mark's teachings, along with several 0:12:37.220 --> 0:12:40.699 other resources and opportunities to grow in your faith. And 0:12:40.700 --> 0:12:42.339 then we'd also love for you to connect with us 0:12:42.340 --> 0:12:46.340 on social media, whether you're on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube 0:12:46.340 --> 0:12:48.740 or all three. You can find us by searching for 0:12:48.740 --> 0:12:52.060 Bold Steps Radio, click the Follow or subscribe button and 0:12:52.059 --> 0:12:55.220 you'll get daily encouragement. Short clips from Mark and a 0:12:55.220 --> 0:12:58.500 growing community of listeners right there on your feed. We 0:12:58.500 --> 0:13:01.059 also read every comment and message that comes our way. 0:13:01.059 --> 0:13:04.100 So we'd love to hear from you. And don't forget, 0:13:04.100 --> 0:13:06.819 we do read every card, letter, email, or social media 0:13:06.820 --> 0:13:10.260 message we receive. Your stories and comments and posts are 0:13:10.260 --> 0:13:13.100 what helps to keep us motivated and to connect with 0:13:13.100 --> 0:13:16.699 us online, visit bold steps.org or reach out on our 0:13:16.700 --> 0:13:19.660 Facebook or Instagram. Again, you'll find us listed as Bold 0:13:19.660 --> 0:13:22.180 Steps Radio, and we look forward to hearing from you 0:13:22.220 --> 0:13:25.180 real soon. Now let's get back to our message here 0:13:25.179 --> 0:13:26.900 again as pastor Mark Jobe. 0:13:32.179 --> 0:13:35.700 I heard one preacher say one time that Paul and 0:13:35.700 --> 0:13:39.100 Silas were singing in the prison, and God was so 0:13:39.140 --> 0:13:42.100 into their song that he started tapping his foot like, yeah, 0:13:42.100 --> 0:13:44.820 I like that. And when God started tapping his foot, 0:13:44.820 --> 0:13:47.540 then suddenly the earth started shaking. And the more he 0:13:47.540 --> 0:13:50.300 tapped his foot, the more the earth started shaking and quaking. 0:13:50.300 --> 0:13:54.540 And pretty soon liberation came because God was into their music. 0:13:57.580 --> 0:14:02.710 A sacrifice of praise draws the reaction of God. It 0:14:02.750 --> 0:14:06.950 leads me to my third point here. Not only were 0:14:06.950 --> 0:14:10.589 they set free, but when the jailer woke up, he 0:14:10.590 --> 0:14:13.830 was about to kill himself. Because under the Roman law, 0:14:13.830 --> 0:14:15.870 if you let a prisoner escape, it was a life 0:14:15.870 --> 0:14:18.790 for a life. And so he thought, the prisoners have escaped. 0:14:18.790 --> 0:14:23.510 I'm going to kill myself. And Paul shouts, do not 0:14:23.550 --> 0:14:28.310 harm yourself. We're still here. Number three, I hear the 0:14:28.310 --> 0:14:33.350 sound of surrender. Our freedom opens the doors for the 0:14:33.350 --> 0:14:36.990 Word of God to be heard loudly. So now this 0:14:36.990 --> 0:14:41.150 jailer that's seeing what God has done is about to 0:14:41.190 --> 0:14:47.750 kill himself. Paul says, stop! And this jailer sees God 0:14:47.750 --> 0:14:51.590 intervene in crisis. And when he sees, hears their praise 0:14:51.590 --> 0:14:56.270 and sees God intervene in crisis, he is actually moved 0:14:56.270 --> 0:14:59.670 and hears the sound of God calling his own life. 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:03.720 Let me tell you something. I know some of you 0:15:03.720 --> 0:15:09.880 like to have a victory testimony to share. But some 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:13.240 of your most powerful testimonies won't be from the mountaintop. 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:16.320 Some of your most powerful testimonies will be from the Valley. 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:21.360 You say, I really want my family to hear the word. 0:15:21.360 --> 0:15:24.680 I wish they would listen to me. I hope they 0:15:24.680 --> 0:15:26.920 see how good my life is going, and then they're 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:29.240 going to listen to me. But, you know, sometimes it 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:33.400 doesn't work that way. Sometimes your most powerful message is 0:15:33.400 --> 0:15:40.400 when things are going bad, when life is terrible. And 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:43.080 then suddenly your family is looking at you and they 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:48.520 see the strength of your heart, the perseverance of your character. 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:51.960 And they're saying to myself, if I were in that situation, 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:55.560 I'd be falling apart. Look at them. What is it 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:59.000 that's sustaining them? What is it that's holding? And when 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:02.280 they ask you. Then suddenly you begin to share Jesus 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:04.760 with them. And for the first time in their life, 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:09.600 they listen to your message because it's being spoken from 0:16:09.600 --> 0:16:22.480 the place of trial. And so. He sees what God does. 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:27.360 This jailer. And I love his response. He, he comes 0:16:27.360 --> 0:16:33.040 to Paul and Silas and he says to them, sirs, 0:16:33.520 --> 0:16:40.400 what must I do to be saved? Now that's spiritual openness. 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:47.440 That is someone that's hungry for God. What caused them 0:16:47.440 --> 0:16:51.160 to be hungry for God? He saw the deliverance of God. 0:16:51.160 --> 0:16:54.000 He saw God move in the midst of their crisis. 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:58.200 He saw God spare them. He saw God at work 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:02.800 in two people that were prisoners, broken, beaten. And he 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:06.120 saw how God was in the midst of their crisis. 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:08.760 And because God was in the midst of the crisis, 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:12.000 even though they hadn't escaped. And listen, the Bible tells 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:14.720 us that they let them go the next day. God 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:16.640 knew that they were let him going to let him 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:18.920 go the next day, but he still caused the earthquake 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:22.480 to happen to open up the doors of their jail cell. Why? 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:27.240 Because God cared for this Philippian jailer. This Philippian jailer 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:31.359 needed to see Paul and Silas in crisis. And then 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:34.960 he fell on his knees and said, what must I 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:41.160 do to be saved? Listen to me. I believe there's 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:44.520 a whole world out there. Most of them are not 0:17:44.520 --> 0:17:48.119 asking themselves, what must I do to be saved because 0:17:48.119 --> 0:17:52.240 they haven't seen a believer survive crisis. They haven't seen 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:56.200 strong faith that doesn't give up. They haven't seen people 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:59.119 live out their faith in such a way that makes 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:02.449 them wonder, what do you have that I don't have 0:18:02.490 --> 0:18:05.130 that makes them come to you and say, tell me. 0:18:05.130 --> 0:18:07.810 I want to have what you have. What must I 0:18:07.850 --> 0:18:14.649 do to be saved like you're saved? And then I 0:18:14.650 --> 0:18:20.530 love the response. And lastly, number four. The sound of splashing. 0:18:22.130 --> 0:18:24.889 You see, the Word of God has the power to 0:18:24.930 --> 0:18:30.530 affect the destiny of our entire household. They replied to him, 0:18:30.530 --> 0:18:34.610 believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved 0:18:35.170 --> 0:18:39.409 and your whole household. That's the shortest synopsis of the 0:18:39.450 --> 0:18:43.090 gospel in all of Scripture, I believe. Believe in the 0:18:43.090 --> 0:18:46.570 Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved and your 0:18:46.570 --> 0:18:51.090 entire household. You say, pastor, is it as simple as that? Yeah, 0:18:51.090 --> 0:18:55.010 it's as simple as that. Now, what does it mean 0:18:55.010 --> 0:18:57.689 to believe? I believe that he's the Son of God. 0:18:57.690 --> 0:19:00.820 I believe that he's God himself. I believe that he 0:19:00.820 --> 0:19:03.060 came to this earth. I believe that he died on 0:19:03.060 --> 0:19:05.540 the cross. I believe that he rose again on the 0:19:05.540 --> 0:19:08.820 third day. I believe that he's the only mediator between 0:19:08.820 --> 0:19:12.020 man and God. I believe that Jesus has power to 0:19:12.020 --> 0:19:16.820 forgive my sins. That's what it means to believe. Believe 0:19:16.820 --> 0:19:20.020 in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. 0:19:20.020 --> 0:19:22.740 And he spoke and said, yet thou shalt be saved, 0:19:22.740 --> 0:19:27.300 and thy entire household. And then they spoke the word 0:19:27.300 --> 0:19:29.820 of God to him, and all of the others in 0:19:29.820 --> 0:19:32.780 his house. And at that hour of the night the 0:19:32.780 --> 0:19:37.340 jailer took them, washed their wounds. Then right after, then 0:19:37.340 --> 0:19:40.780 it says something, do you see what it says? And 0:19:40.780 --> 0:19:45.660 then immediately say it out loud with me immediately. What 0:19:45.660 --> 0:19:50.780 does immediately mean? It means right away. It means as 0:19:50.780 --> 0:19:55.139 soon as he made the decision and then immediately as 0:19:55.140 --> 0:19:58.340 soon when was it? What time was it after midnight? 0:19:58.940 --> 0:20:02.619 Two in the morning. Wait at night? We're there in 0:20:02.619 --> 0:20:04.740 a church service. No, no, they weren't in a church service. 0:20:06.460 --> 0:20:10.100 They were just after a major crisis in someone's house. 0:20:10.500 --> 0:20:14.300 The gospel is presented. And then immediately. What did they do? 0:20:14.460 --> 0:20:22.060 He and all his household were not baptized. You say? Well, pastor, 0:20:22.140 --> 0:20:26.580 I gave my life to Jesus five years ago. I've 0:20:26.580 --> 0:20:30.380 just been waiting for the right timing and I'm I'm 0:20:30.420 --> 0:20:33.180 sort of building up to it. I'm a little afraid 0:20:33.180 --> 0:20:37.740 of water. I want to get my testimony. Hold on, 0:20:37.740 --> 0:20:44.940 hold on. What part of. Immediately have you not understood? Seriously, 0:20:45.140 --> 0:20:47.980 if you are a follower of Jesus Christ today and 0:20:47.980 --> 0:20:51.020 have given your life to Jesus Christ, there is no 0:20:51.020 --> 0:20:54.220 reason that you shouldn't be taking the step of believer's 0:20:54.220 --> 0:20:59.340 baptism immediately. When he heard the gospel and received immediately 0:20:59.500 --> 0:21:06.300 him and his whole household were baptized. I love that. 0:21:07.460 --> 0:21:08.940 I don't know if you're the only one in your 0:21:08.940 --> 0:21:14.700 household today that's following God. Listen, God loves you so 0:21:14.700 --> 0:21:22.619 much that he chose you to be the first. Oh, 0:21:22.619 --> 0:21:24.740 I know it feels lonely sometimes. I know it feels 0:21:24.740 --> 0:21:27.459 like they don't understand. Sometimes I know that maybe they 0:21:27.460 --> 0:21:30.659 call you the Holy roller or the Jesus freak. Or 0:21:30.660 --> 0:21:32.860 maybe they laugh at you. And when are you going 0:21:32.859 --> 0:21:34.179 to come back? And when are you going to get 0:21:34.180 --> 0:21:36.540 over this phase? But let me tell you, God loves 0:21:36.540 --> 0:21:39.460 you so much that he entrusted you to be the 0:21:39.460 --> 0:21:43.100 first in your family to come to know Jesus. Stand 0:21:43.100 --> 0:21:46.740 in that position and don't let go of it, because 0:21:46.740 --> 0:21:50.260 you now have become the funnel through which the rest 0:21:50.260 --> 0:21:55.060 of your family can experience the blessing and the splash 0:21:55.060 --> 0:21:58.660 of God upon them. Don't give up. Don't get discouraged. 0:21:58.660 --> 0:22:02.070 Don't be dissuaded. Stand in that place and say, God, 0:22:02.070 --> 0:22:04.990 I'm believing you for the rest of my family. I 0:22:04.990 --> 0:22:07.590 want my whole family to come to Jesus. I want 0:22:07.590 --> 0:22:10.910 all my family to experience the power of God. But 0:22:10.910 --> 0:22:15.510 it has to start with one. It's gotta start with one. 0:22:23.790 --> 0:22:27.869 It has to start with one. Just two weeks ago, 0:22:28.310 --> 0:22:31.990 a father went to a men's retreat and gave his 0:22:31.990 --> 0:22:36.190 life to Christ. And on Sunday I saw him with 0:22:36.190 --> 0:22:38.190 a young lady sitting next to him. It was his 0:22:38.190 --> 0:22:41.910 22 year old daughter. And he said, she's never been 0:22:41.910 --> 0:22:45.070 to church. She's new here. At the end of the service, 0:22:45.990 --> 0:22:48.870 he was crying and I said, what's wrong? And he 0:22:48.869 --> 0:22:51.750 pointed over and his 22 year old daughter was giving 0:22:51.750 --> 0:22:52.629 her life to Christ. 0:22:52.670 --> 0:22:53.149 My goodness. 0:22:53.190 --> 0:22:57.189 Wow. And so I want to encourage you. You can't 0:22:57.190 --> 0:23:01.190 save your relatives, your husband, your kids, your wife. But 0:23:01.190 --> 0:23:05.949 as you follow Jesus and begin to pray earnestly for them, 0:23:05.950 --> 0:23:08.830 I believe they have a much, much better chance to 0:23:08.830 --> 0:23:13.550 come to Jesus because they're related to you. So be encouraged. 0:23:13.550 --> 0:23:17.790 Don't give up. I've seen people intercede for decades and 0:23:17.790 --> 0:23:20.790 finally see a breakthrough. So I want to encourage you. 0:23:20.910 --> 0:23:25.270 Your family is blessed because you know the Lord and 0:23:25.270 --> 0:23:27.190 you are a part of that family. 0:23:27.350 --> 0:23:29.390 All right. Thank you, Mark. And if you would like 0:23:29.390 --> 0:23:31.629 to learn more about drawing closer to Christ, let me 0:23:31.630 --> 0:23:35.550 invite you to go online to bold steps.org. Find the 0:23:35.590 --> 0:23:37.909 more tab and then click on the link that says 0:23:37.910 --> 0:23:40.869 My Next Step in Faith. There you'll find a helpful 0:23:40.869 --> 0:23:43.469 video from pastor Mark laying out what it means to 0:23:43.510 --> 0:23:46.070 really follow Jesus day by day, and what you can 0:23:46.070 --> 0:23:49.270 do to take that bold step of faith. This month 0:23:49.270 --> 0:23:51.470 we have a resource we'd love to put into your hands. 0:23:51.470 --> 0:23:53.950 It's our bold step gift, a book called The Case 0:23:53.950 --> 0:23:57.350 for Faith by Lee Strobel. Just as Paul and Silas 0:23:57.350 --> 0:24:00.480 made a sound that others couldn't ignore. This book gives 0:24:00.480 --> 0:24:02.840 you a faith that can speak clearly and confidently to 0:24:02.880 --> 0:24:06.800 the toughest questions the world is asking. Lee Strobel investigates 0:24:06.800 --> 0:24:10.200 eight major barriers to belief, including the problem of suffering, 0:24:10.480 --> 0:24:13.600 the challenge of silence and exclusivity of Christ. And he 0:24:13.600 --> 0:24:17.399 delivers thoughtful, honest, research backed answers for every one of them. 0:24:17.720 --> 0:24:19.880 Request your copy today. When you give a gift of 0:24:19.880 --> 0:24:23.240 any amount to support this ministry. Visit us online at 0:24:23.240 --> 0:24:32.119 bold steps.org/give or call us at 800 DL. Moody, that's (800) 356-6639. 0:24:32.359 --> 0:24:34.520 And you can also send your gift and request Lee's 0:24:34.520 --> 0:24:36.480 book in the mail when you write to us at 0:24:36.480 --> 0:24:43.359 Bold Steps, 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois. 606 ten. Now, 0:24:43.359 --> 0:24:45.200 if you've been listening for a while in these daily 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:47.879 messages have made a difference in your life, we'd love 0:24:47.880 --> 0:24:50.440 for you to consider becoming one of our bold partners. 0:24:50.800 --> 0:24:53.159 A bold partner is someone who commits to a monthly 0:24:53.160 --> 0:24:56.680 gift of any amount, and through these faithful contributions, we're 0:24:56.680 --> 0:24:58.840 able to bring the Bible teaching of bold steps to 0:24:58.880 --> 0:25:02.680 new listeners across the country and around the world, including 0:25:02.680 --> 0:25:06.480 listening groups in Malawi, Africa. Your giving has a reach 0:25:06.480 --> 0:25:09.080 that goes far beyond what you might imagine when you 0:25:09.119 --> 0:25:11.880 commit to a monthly gift of $30 or more. We'll 0:25:11.880 --> 0:25:14.719 send you a signed copy of Mark's book, unstuck out 0:25:14.760 --> 0:25:17.600 of your cave and into your call, plus a 50% 0:25:17.600 --> 0:25:21.440 discount on any item in the Moody Publishers catalog and 0:25:21.440 --> 0:25:25.280 exclusive access to The Bold Partner. Post Mark's personal video 0:25:25.280 --> 0:25:28.879 update just for partners to sign up today, just visit 0:25:28.880 --> 0:25:33.760 bold steps.org. I'm Wayne Sheppard, wishing you a noisy, faith 0:25:33.800 --> 0:25:36.720 filled week. Join us tomorrow when Mark begins a message 0:25:36.720 --> 0:25:40.399 on pressing forward toward our spiritual goals that's pressing toward 0:25:40.400 --> 0:25:43.720 the goal. Coming up Tuesday here on Bold Steps with 0:25:43.720 --> 0:25:48.280 Mark Joan, Bold Steps is a production of Moody Radio, 0:25:48.480 --> 0:25:50.600 a Ministry of Moody Bible Institute.