S1: Today on Bold steps with Mark job, we're discovering what
S1: the Apostle Paul meant when he talked about the mystery
S1: of Christ.
S2: All of you here have gifts of God, God's given gifts.
S2: God gives that person one gift, that person, someone else
S2: a gift. But we all have supernatural gifts given to
S2: us by God that are graces that God has put
S2: onto our life, that equip us for the mission that
S2: God has called us to accomplish.
S1: And welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe. Mark
S1: is senior pastor of New Life Community Church and president
S1: of Moody Bible Institute, both in Chicago. And I'm Wayne Shepherd. Well,
S1: we all know people who are great at keeping secrets.
S1: And then there are others. Not so much. Mark, where
S1: do you fall on that scale?
S2: I'm a great secret keeper.
S1: Are you.
S2: Actually. Finally, you have to torture it out of.
S3: Me to get me. But, you know, my kids growing
S3: up weren't that good. My wife would plan a surprise
S3: birthday party or something special, and she would tell my kids,
S3: don't tell dad. Invariably, they would come running to the
S3: door and say, hey, dad, we have a secret we
S3: can't tell you, and it wouldn't take much to get
S3: it out of them. I like really okay. Well what?
S3: And they would just want to blurt it. Okay, dad.
S3: And they would tell me. That's cool. Well, Ephesians chapter
S3: three talks about the mystery, the secret of the gospel
S3: and how it was revealed to us. And I think
S3: this is a very, very compelling, powerful passage.
S1: It is indeed Ephesians chapter three today from our series.
S1: When you believe everything Changes. Here's Mark Jobe.
S2: Here's what I believe. I believe that everybody's called everybody.
S2: Some people think that there are certain certain people that
S2: are called and others that are not called. And so
S2: they sort of have two categories of people. These are
S2: the called people and these are the non called people.
S2: I happen to believe that everybody's called. Now not everybody
S2: responds to their call. Not everybody understands their call. Not
S2: everybody engages in their call. But I happen to believe
S2: that everybody in this room, you have been called, you
S2: have a calling on your life, a specific, unique, custom
S2: made mission that God is, has, has engineered for you
S2: and called you to. And Paul is talking about really
S2: his mission. And in verse one of Ephesians chapter three,
S2: he says, for this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of
S2: Christ Jesus, for the sake of you Gentiles. Now he
S2: uses a very interesting Steam introduction there. He says, I, Paul,
S2: the prisoner of Christ Jesus, the prisoner of Christ Jesus. Well,
S2: Paul happened to be in house arrest. Don't raise your
S2: hand if you've been in house arrest here, but I'm
S2: sure some of you have. And nowadays, it's not the
S2: house arrest in the days of Paul. Nowadays, they put
S2: a little ankle bracelet on you, and they can track
S2: whether you leave the house or not. In the days
S2: of Paul, there were no ankle bracelets. So he was
S2: in a house guarded by some guards. He was not
S2: in a physical prison. He was in the equivalent of
S2: 26 ankle Cook County. Because really, Cook County is a
S2: jail and the jail is there for you to await
S2: sentencing or await trial. And in essence, Paul was awaiting
S2: trial in front of the Roman emperor. But it would
S2: take sometimes months and even sometimes years to come before
S2: the Emperor because, uh. Hey, that that's. There's a long
S2: wait there. Paul was in house arrest, and he says this.
S2: He says I'm a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the
S2: sake of you Gentiles. The reason that Paul was in
S2: house arrest was because he had a mission in his life.
S2: And his mission, his particular mission and vision, had led
S2: him to preach a message that was unpopular in Jerusalem,
S2: and therefore they had arrested him and were going to
S2: put him to death. But he appealed to Caesar. And now,
S2: because he was following his mission and his calling in life,
S2: he's in prison. Let me just start by saying this.
S2: Sometimes we feel that if we're doing the work of
S2: God and following the mission of God, that everything's going
S2: to be easy, but we feel that doors are going
S2: to pop open in front of us, that if there's
S2: any obstacles, God's going to send lightning bolts to just
S2: fumigate him out of our way. That the Red sea
S2: is going to be parting open, that there's going to
S2: be a smell of roses that's going to lead us
S2: to the path of God, and that we're always going
S2: to be happy, energized, and never have obstacles. Not. That's
S2: really not the way it works. Paul was following his
S2: mission and his call, and he ended up in prison.
S2: Sometimes your call, your mission will have a heavy price
S2: tag on it. And it doesn't mean just because you're
S2: going through a hard time, it doesn't mean that you're
S2: on the wrong track. Sometimes God's mission and his call
S2: will lead us to hard times. Now, in order to
S2: understand the call of God on your life, there's four
S2: things you really need to understand about pursuing with boldness
S2: and confidence the mission that God has for you. I've
S2: summarized them into four words. The first word is calling. Calling.
S2: Look at what it tells us. In verse two. Paul says,
S2: surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace
S2: that was given to me for you. If you're taking notes,
S2: write this word calling down. Uh, calling has to do
S2: with the gift that drives us to our mission. Paul says, hey,
S2: I'm sure you've heard by now about the. He says
S2: the administration of God's grace, that word administration, if you
S2: look it up in the Greek, means a special stewardship
S2: or special assignment. I like that word special assignment. So
S2: Paul says, surely you've heard about my special assignment of
S2: God's grace that was given to me for you. So
S2: Paul is admitting that he has a special assignment and
S2: that that special assignment was given to him by God's grace. Now,
S2: here's what I want you to understand. The word grace
S2: in the New Testament Greek is carrots. It's where we
S2: get our English word charisma from. Uh, when you say
S2: this person is charismatic, it literally means this person is
S2: grace filled. Uh, this person is full of grace favor.
S2: We use it in the context of not not theologically charismatic,
S2: but personality charismatic. When you say that person's charismatic, it
S2: means they have an attractional power that people are drawn
S2: to them, that that they have a charisma about them
S2: that draws people to them. They have grace or favor
S2: upon their lives. Paul says, I have a special assignment
S2: that I have been called to, and it's been given
S2: to me by God's grace, God's favor. Here's the thing
S2: that you need to understand about callings and missions in life.
S2: Your calling and your mission in life is a gift
S2: of God to you. It's a grace of God, a
S2: gift of God. It has nothing to do with you
S2: earning it, deserving it, marrying it. It has nothing to
S2: do with your history background, with your educational background. It
S2: has nothing to do with your personality. It has nothing
S2: to do with your talents. It has everything to do
S2: with God choosing simply, merely out of the goodness of
S2: his heart, out of the overflowing of his purposes. Just
S2: to give you a grace really important that you understand this.
S2: Because if you don't understand the grace of God, you
S2: will make a lot of wrong assumptions. For example, do
S2: you realize that when you are given a gift from God,
S2: a grace from God, that even if you are slipping
S2: away from God spiritually, you can still use that gift
S2: because it doesn't depend on whether you are good or bad?
S2: A gift is a gift. You don't merit it. You
S2: don't deserve it. You have it. When you're doing well,
S2: you still have it when you're doing bad because it's
S2: a gift of God. Are you tracking with me? Let
S2: me explain it in a way that you may understand.
S2: A couple of years ago, I ran into a pastor
S2: that I didn't know very well, but I had met
S2: him before. He was out of the ministry. He. He
S2: had pastored a church of 7800 people, a church that
S2: was well known, doing a lot of things, seeming to
S2: lead a lot of people to Christ. When I when
S2: I asked him what happened, he basically told me his story.
S2: He said that he had been a pastor for a
S2: long time, had a had a master's degree, a doctorate degree,
S2: was married, had a couple of kids, but there was
S2: a crack in his life. A moral crack in his life.
S2: And it started with internet pornography. He got into internet pornography.
S2: It led to exploring websites, uh, where he was getting on, uh,
S2: chat rooms with married women. It went on to getting
S2: on chat rooms with married women, to hooking up with
S2: married women in cafes, and then actually going to hotel
S2: rooms with these married women. And so over a period
S2: of a year, this pastor, that pastor, a pretty large church,
S2: doing a lot of ministry, was involved with over a
S2: dozen women. Other married, unhappy married women, was involved with
S2: a dozen women over a period of a year while
S2: he was still pastoring the church and get up on
S2: Sunday morning and teach and preach. And people were still
S2: coming to Christ, and people would approach him afterwards and say, well,
S2: that word was for me. It really touched me. I
S2: needed to hear that they were having the services, people
S2: were getting saved and people were getting baptized. And yet
S2: on Friday night he was in some hotel room with
S2: a married woman having sex. I'm like, how in the
S2: world could that be? I mean, hold on. Was he pretending?
S2: Was it a fake? No. Let me tell you what
S2: it is. The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
S2: That means that when God gives you a gift, you
S2: can use that gift. Even if spiritually you're not doing well,
S2: you can still use a gift, and that gift can operate,
S2: and that gifts can still function. And that gift can
S2: still bless people, even when your character is not measuring
S2: up to the administration of that gift. Are you tracking it?
S1: You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. We'll continue
S1: today's message in a moment. But first, Mark, I want
S1: to talk about something that's become a growing concern within
S1: Christian leadership circles. Our world is going through a whirlwind,
S1: pretty dramatic developments and changes, not just here in America,
S1: but around the globe. And we need to remind ourselves.
S1: As Christians, we have a much higher calling than any
S1: political movement, don't we?
S2: Wayne, turn on the news. And there is drama all
S2: over the place. From rumors of wars to economic crisis.
S1: To actualization.
S2: To actual wars that are happening to bombings. And it
S2: is easy to get distracted by all this, worried by it,
S2: anxious by it, sort of sucked into it. But here's
S2: what I want to say. This is a great time
S2: for the good news of Jesus Christ and the hope
S2: of the gospel.
S1: Amen.
S2: There are a lot of people coming to Christ throughout
S2: the world, and you may not hear about it, because
S2: there's other news that is prominent and is taking people's attention.
S2: But there is an undercurrent of a harvest evangelism. And
S2: that's what we're all about right now, is a moment
S2: where people are shaken, where there's concern. But there are
S2: so many people that are turning to the heavens, and
S2: we at Bold steps have determined we will not miss
S2: that moment. And so we are asking you to partner
S2: with us, help us out, because right now is a
S2: great time to be calling people to Jesus.
S1: We urge you to give online at Bold Steps. Org
S1: or you can call us. The number is 800. D.L.
S1: Moody and that works out to be (800) 356-6639. And when
S1: you do give, we'll be sure to send you a
S1: special gift which will tell you more about later in
S1: the program today. Well, thank you for that, Mark. But
S1: let's go back to your message now here on bold Steps.
S2: Never put a man or woman, an evangelist, a pastor,
S2: a teacher, anyone on a super spiritual pedestal. Because sometimes,
S2: I mean, oftentimes I run into people that they think
S2: that because someone has a gift that's ministered to them
S2: and God is using a gift that that person doesn't walk.
S2: They sort of float on clouds. Oh no, they don't walk.
S2: They float. And we sort of pedestalize people and think,
S2: oh no, they don't pray like I pray, man, I, I,
S2: I pray and get put on pause by God. They
S2: pray and have that direct line. God says, yeah, you called.
S2: They never struggle with sin. And sometimes we put people
S2: on pedestals because the gift that is being ministered through them,
S2: without realizing that the gifts and call of God are
S2: irrevocable and have nothing to do with the man or
S2: the woman that is using the gifts. They're gifts of God,
S2: and a person doesn't lose a gift even when their
S2: heart is falling away from God. They don't lose a gift.
S2: That's why we all hear of these scandals where where
S2: God can use someone. And then behind the closed doors,
S2: we find out that there's impropriety there. There's laundering of money,
S2: there's sexual scandal, power abuse and were shocked that they
S2: happen because the gift and the call of God are irrevocable.
S2: So be very careful ever to elevate someone too high.
S2: Every man and every woman's feet are made of clay. Hello.
S2: Only Jesus will never disappoint you. Now, eventually, when someone's
S2: character isn't isn't right. Eventually that will catch up to them.
S2: And it'll sabotage whatever they're doing. And it'll leave. Leave?
S2: A lot of hurt, messed up people. Uh, because the
S2: character of an individual eventually will show itself. It may
S2: take a while before their character catches up to their gifting,
S2: but eventually it'll show itself. That's why. Listen, some of
S2: you have the gift of evangelism, and. And I've had
S2: people with the gift of evangelism. They fall away from Christ.
S2: They're not even going to church. They're at a bar
S2: drinking it up. And next thing you know, I'll meet
S2: someone in church and I'll say, how did you get. Well,
S2: I met this guy at a bar and he started
S2: talking to me about God. Why? Because even though you
S2: may be backslidden. Listen, your gift doesn't go away. It's
S2: still there. So your backslidden. Fallen away from God, doing lousy.
S2: You go to a bar, you see someone, your gift
S2: kicks in, you start talking about God and you say
S2: you need God is what you need. And here let
S2: me tell you about God and your ministering, even though
S2: your heart is away from God. Why? Because your gift
S2: has nothing to do with your spiritual life. It's irrevocable.
S2: It's a grace of God. It's just like salvation. Salvation
S2: is a gift of grace. You don't earn it by
S2: being really good and you don't lose it when you're bad.
S2: It's a gift. It's a gift. You can't earn a gift.
S2: You can't lose a gift when you really have a gift.
S2: Though in the Spirit of God dwells inside of you,
S2: you're going to want to live for God because it's
S2: inside of you and it's real. So Paul is saying
S2: that he had an administration, a special assignment given to
S2: him by the grace of God, by the grace of God.
S2: But I want you to understand. I want you to
S2: understand and grasp that all of us have gifts of
S2: God that have nothing to do with how we've merited
S2: or earned it. Now you can take a gift and
S2: you can not unwrap it. Hello. All of you here
S2: have gifts of God, God's given gifts. But not everybody
S2: unwrap their gifts. Sometimes you have a gift. You don't
S2: use it. You don't unwrap it. You leave it there.
S2: How many of you know you can get a gift?
S2: You say, ah, I don't think I'm going to like
S2: that gift. Just leave it there. Not wrapped. It's still yours.
S2: You still possess it, but you're not using it. Every
S2: Christian has gifts. They come to you via the Holy Spirit.
S2: The Holy Spirit dwells inside of you. Their gifts of encouragement, teaching, wisdom, faith, healing, evangelism, whatever.
S2: There's a whole bunch of lists of gifts. You have
S2: that gift. You're not better be better than someone else
S2: because you have this gift, and someone else has that
S2: gift because you didn't do anything to earn it or
S2: deserve it. Just because you have the gift of teaching
S2: doesn't mean that you're better than someone that doesn't have
S2: the gift of teaching. Just because you have the gift
S2: of faith doesn't make you better than someone that doesn't
S2: have the gift of faith, because you did nothing to
S2: earn it. God just gave it to you. It's your gift.
S2: God gives that person one gift, that person, someone else
S2: a gift. But we all have supernatural gifts given to
S2: us by God that are graces that God has put
S2: onto our life, that equip us for the mission that
S2: God has called us to accomplish. God has gifted you
S2: with things, empowered you with things, and it's those people
S2: that walk in faith that usually utilize their gifts more.
S2: Number two, I'm talking about how to embrace and understand
S2: your calling, how to engage in the calling that you
S2: have by looking at what Paul says about his calling.
S2: Verse three says, that is the mystery made known to
S2: me by revelation, as I have already written briefly in
S2: reading this, then you will be able to understand my
S2: insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made
S2: known to men in other generations, as it has now
S2: been revealed by His Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.
S2: Paul now says, not only does he have a calling
S2: given by God's grace. Paul goes on to say, what
S2: feeds my calling is that I have revelation. He uses
S2: the word mystery in the Greek. It's the word mysterium
S2: in our English language. When we think about a mystery,
S2: we think about something that's dark, obscure, secret, unknown to
S2: other people. That's really not the emphasis in this passage.
S2: It simply means something that is known to that person,
S2: but unknown to others. Paul says, I have a mystery
S2: that's been revealed to me that people before me did
S2: not understand, but I understand. What is that mystery? The
S2: mystery was simply this. The Jewish people thought for hundreds
S2: of years that the promise that the covenants that they
S2: were the chosen people, and that no one outside of
S2: them was chosen.
S1: Learning the different types of revelation will continue this message tomorrow.
S1: So please keep listening to bold steps with Mark job now.
S1: Today we're joined by two special guests, Aaron and Jason Davis,
S1: who've written a book that tackles a challenge every Christian
S1: parent faces how to help our boys navigate the lies
S1: our culture is throwing at them. Their book is called
S1: Lies Boys Believe and the Epic Quest for truth.
S4: That's right. Wayne. You know, last month we offered the
S4: companion to this resource Lies Girls Believe. I remember so Aaron,
S4: as a mother of four boys. Yeah, you heard it
S4: for boys. What motivated you to write this book?
S5: Well, obviously my own sons. You're right. So everybody listening.
S5: It's okay for you to gasp at that. Four sons.
S5: That's what Jason and I have. So it's a rowdy house.
S5: But there are primary concern. But they're also a good
S5: indicator of what's happening in the wider culture. And everybody
S5: seems to be talking about boys in crisis, secular and Christian.
S5: But we want to point our boys to the truth,
S5: and the truth is found in God's word. And so
S5: we let our boys go first. They were super involved
S5: in the project and I hope this is an outflow
S5: of our parenting. But we also hope they're just four
S5: examples of what can happen when God gets Ahold of boys,
S5: when they're young and they fall in love with His
S5: word when they're young and they start living for truth.
S1: So, Jason, you have built in research, huh?
S6: Yeah, it's made it easy. We didn't have to travel
S6: a lot to do the market research for this one.
S4: And, Jason, what ages would you say this book is
S4: targeted towards young men?
S6: Uh, probably 6 to 12 would be the target demographic.
S6: That's probably not the right terminology, but, um, we found
S6: that our boys in that age group really resonated well
S6: with the content and the message.
S4: You know, I think this type of book is so needed.
S4: There are so many, so many parents struggling with just
S4: the lies that our culture is just saturating our young
S4: people with. But young boys especially are at a disadvantage
S4: these days when the image of what it means to
S4: be a man or grow up to be a man
S4: is really been erased and very confusing.
S1: This is critical, isn't it?
S4: Yeah.
S1: Aaron and Jason, thank you so much for writing this
S1: book and making it available to our listeners.
S6: It's been a real pleasure.
S5: Yeah, we're just honored to get to serve families and
S5: the church in this way.
S1: Remember, we'll send you a copy when you give a
S1: donation of any amount. Call 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639
S1: or give online at bird-stamps.org. You can also send your
S1: donation in the mail. Just address your envelope to Bold Steps.
S1: 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606. Ten Bold Steps
S1: and our sister program, Bold Steps Weekend, in addition to radio,
S1: can be heard on the internet or through your favorite
S1: smart speaker at home or in the office. And it's
S1: because of the generous support of our bold partners so
S1: we can keep these programs on the air. And are
S1: you looking for a simple way to stay grounded in
S1: God's Word throughout the week. Sign up for The Bold
S1: Stepper Weekly, a free devotional from pastor Mark Jobe that's
S1: designed to kick start your week with biblical truth and
S1: practical encouragement. Each edition delivers a timely insight from Scripture,
S1: straight from Pastor Mark's desk, to help you walk boldly
S1: in faith and apply God's Word to everyday life. It's
S1: a great way to stay connected, inspired, and focused on
S1: the path God has for you. If you missed the
S1: devotional that went out this morning, make sure you don't
S1: miss next week. Sign up today at bird-stamps.org. Well, that's
S1: all the time we have. Join us again next time
S1: for the exciting conclusion of Mark's message. The secret to
S1: freedom and confidence. Learn how to be clear and confident
S1: about God's call on your life. Tuesday on Bold Steps
S1: with Mark Jobe. Bold Steps is a production of Moody Radio,
S1: a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.