WEBVTT - Don’t Give Up! -- Part 1 0:00:00.760 --> 0:00:03.720 Coming up now on bold steps, Mark Jobe reveals the 0:00:03.720 --> 0:00:05.559 power of what we ponder. 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:09.719 The question that you live with today determines the destiny 0:00:09.720 --> 0:00:13.600 that you will embrace tomorrow. If you're asking yourself, do 0:00:13.640 --> 0:00:17.440 people like me? Or if you're asking yourself, am I important? 0:00:17.880 --> 0:00:21.720 Or if you're asking yourself, God, are you pleased with me? 0:00:22.079 --> 0:00:25.640 Those questions lead you to different destinies. 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:41.600 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is founding 0:00:41.600 --> 0:00:45.080 pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. Today we 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:47.479 begin a new series, Mark called A heart for God 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:51.080 is a simple but such an important message. Don't give up. 0:00:51.200 --> 0:00:55.160 It is a powerful message. And this particular message is 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:59.720 about King Saul and Wayne. I just recently came back 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:02.880 from Israel and I was at the point at the 0:01:02.880 --> 0:01:07.920 city at Bashan, where Saul and his sons bodies were 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:10.880 hung on a wall at the end of his life. 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:15.080 And I actually taught about off of this same passage. 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:17.880 Did you you know, Saul could have been such a great, 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:23.600 compelling leader, but he allowed his own personal insecurity to 0:01:23.640 --> 0:01:25.720 deflect him from a heart for God. 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.840 Well, let's get into first Samuel chapter 13. Now for 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:31.720 this message from Mark. It's called Don't Give Up. 0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:35.679 How many of you are parents here today? Raise your hand. 0:01:37.000 --> 0:01:39.440 Isn't it crazy when your kids ask you questions that 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:43.679 are hard to answer? How about it? I remember one 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:46.080 of my kids starting to read the Bible when they 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:48.800 were very young, and they looked at me and they said, dad, 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:58.400 who did Adam and Eve's kids marry? I said, well, 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:03.490 you know, one family, dad, did they marry their sisters? Well, son. Uh, 0:02:04.290 --> 0:02:08.290 I mean, those are tough questions, right? I remember one 0:02:08.290 --> 0:02:12.329 of Marissa, who was about probably three years old. We 0:02:12.330 --> 0:02:15.930 were driving down the road in Pulaski, 63rd and Pulaski, 0:02:16.210 --> 0:02:18.410 and there used to be a statue of a of 0:02:18.410 --> 0:02:24.690 an Indian like this advertising cigars. It's still there. So 0:02:24.690 --> 0:02:27.010 she looked up at me and she said, daddy, is 0:02:27.010 --> 0:02:32.450 the Indian praising Jesus? I was like, uh, you know, 0:02:32.490 --> 0:02:36.169 I think maybe, honey, I'm not really sure. You know, 0:02:36.210 --> 0:02:41.330 those are tough questions that people ask that you're not always, uh, 0:02:41.330 --> 0:02:44.450 not always easy to answer. But, you know, there are 0:02:44.450 --> 0:02:47.410 questions that we all have. And here's what I've discovered 0:02:47.410 --> 0:02:52.290 over time, I've discovered that all of us are driven 0:02:52.290 --> 0:02:57.210 by an undercurrent of question that rumbles in our mind 0:02:57.250 --> 0:03:02.050 day after day. How do you relate to people. How 0:03:02.050 --> 0:03:05.450 you see yourself, how you relate to God has a 0:03:05.450 --> 0:03:08.810 lot to do with the question that you play over 0:03:08.810 --> 0:03:13.209 and over and over and over in your mind. I 0:03:13.210 --> 0:03:15.970 look at the story of King Saul. I look at 0:03:15.970 --> 0:03:19.490 the story of Absalom, David's son, and I look at 0:03:19.490 --> 0:03:21.930 the story of David. And they all had three different 0:03:21.930 --> 0:03:26.169 questions that kept rumbling over and over in their mind. 0:03:26.610 --> 0:03:30.370 When I look at King Saul, the question that I 0:03:30.370 --> 0:03:35.050 see him constantly asking himself is this question. It determined 0:03:35.050 --> 0:03:38.650 his future. It sabotaged his destiny. But here's the question 0:03:38.650 --> 0:03:46.650 that Saul always asked himself. Do people like me? Do 0:03:46.690 --> 0:03:50.330 people like me? What do people think about me? Some 0:03:50.330 --> 0:03:52.490 of you ask yourself that question when you walked in 0:03:52.490 --> 0:03:55.330 this auditorium today. You wonder, how do I look? Do 0:03:55.370 --> 0:03:58.010 people like me? I wonder if they'll accept me. Some 0:03:58.010 --> 0:03:59.970 of you who are new here today may may want 0:03:59.970 --> 0:04:03.060 to do people look like me? AM I dressed appropriately? 0:04:03.060 --> 0:04:05.780 Will people greet me? Do people like me? Will people 0:04:05.820 --> 0:04:08.540 acknowledge me? Who will I sit next to? Some of 0:04:08.540 --> 0:04:11.220 you constantly have that question going over and over in 0:04:11.220 --> 0:04:13.660 your mind. AM I popular? Do people like me? Do 0:04:13.660 --> 0:04:16.460 they accept me? What do people think about me? You 0:04:16.460 --> 0:04:18.380 ask yourself when you walk in a new room, a 0:04:18.380 --> 0:04:21.460 new setting, you ask yourself, what are people thinking about me? 0:04:21.820 --> 0:04:24.540 It affects how you see yourself. It affects the decisions 0:04:24.540 --> 0:04:29.420 that you make. Saul had that constant question in his mind. 0:04:29.460 --> 0:04:35.099 Do people like me? Absalom, who is David's son, seems 0:04:35.100 --> 0:04:38.300 to have another question, constantly rumbling in the back of 0:04:38.300 --> 0:04:41.580 his mind. And the question that Absalom would ask himself 0:04:41.580 --> 0:04:47.900 is this am I important? AM I important? Do people 0:04:47.900 --> 0:04:52.820 see me as significant? Do people think I'm successful? Do 0:04:52.820 --> 0:04:57.060 they look at me and think I'm somebody? AM I important? 0:04:57.339 --> 0:04:59.820 It caused Absalom to want to hang around with important 0:04:59.820 --> 0:05:04.339 people scurry for titles and ultimately try to sabotage his 0:05:04.339 --> 0:05:08.020 father's kingdom because he always asked himself, am I important? 0:05:08.060 --> 0:05:10.300 How do people see me? Do people think that I 0:05:10.300 --> 0:05:13.940 have significance? It causes us to search for titles, to 0:05:13.940 --> 0:05:17.380 tell people who we know, to try to angle our 0:05:17.700 --> 0:05:21.179 our business card, to say, a title that's more important 0:05:21.180 --> 0:05:22.979 than really what it is. We like to tell people 0:05:22.980 --> 0:05:25.140 who we know and who we hung out with, what 0:05:25.140 --> 0:05:28.620 degrees we have, because we're asking ourselves this question am 0:05:28.620 --> 0:05:37.940 I important? But David, who seems to it looks like 0:05:37.940 --> 0:05:41.380 his sins were greater than Saul's sins, but he ends 0:05:41.380 --> 0:05:44.380 up with the kingdom. What I love about David is 0:05:44.380 --> 0:05:47.500 that the Bible says about David, I have found a 0:05:47.500 --> 0:05:52.419 man after my own heart. God says, and I ask myself, 0:05:52.420 --> 0:05:57.140 what makes David a man after God's own heart? He 0:05:57.140 --> 0:06:03.909 seems to constantly be asking himself this question. God. Are 0:06:03.910 --> 0:06:10.070 you pleased with me, Lord? Do I have your favor? 0:06:10.110 --> 0:06:13.670 Are you pleased with me? The question that you live 0:06:13.670 --> 0:06:17.750 with today determines the destiny that you will embrace tomorrow. 0:06:19.350 --> 0:06:22.550 If you're asking yourself, do people like me? Or if 0:06:22.550 --> 0:06:27.229 you're asking yourself, am I important? Or if you're asking yourself, God, 0:06:27.230 --> 0:06:31.430 are you pleased with me? Those questions lead you to 0:06:31.470 --> 0:06:34.870 different destinies. And so today I want us to look 0:06:34.870 --> 0:06:39.309 at First Samuel chapter 13. We're going to be looking 0:06:39.310 --> 0:06:43.310 at verses one through 14 as we talk about the 0:06:43.310 --> 0:06:46.750 question that drives our life, and how to make sure 0:06:46.750 --> 0:06:51.070 that the question that drives your life does not sabotage 0:06:51.270 --> 0:06:56.029 your future. If you're taking notes today, I want you 0:06:56.029 --> 0:07:01.910 to write this. Write this phrase down. Don't give it up. 0:07:03.390 --> 0:07:07.669 Don't give it up. I believe as I was praying today, 0:07:07.670 --> 0:07:10.390 I felt an urgency because I felt like there may 0:07:10.430 --> 0:07:13.150 be some people in this auditorium today. This morning I 0:07:13.150 --> 0:07:15.430 was in the basement of my house and I was 0:07:15.430 --> 0:07:18.510 praying for you. I was praying for this message, and 0:07:18.510 --> 0:07:21.710 I felt compelled that there are some of you that 0:07:21.710 --> 0:07:25.550 are giving up your you're giving up your call. You're 0:07:25.550 --> 0:07:29.070 giving up your future. You're sabotaging what God wants to 0:07:29.070 --> 0:07:32.670 do through you because you're giving something up right now 0:07:32.670 --> 0:07:36.390 because of the question that you're asking yourself in your mind, 0:07:36.670 --> 0:07:41.910 just like David and King Saul and Absalom, Saul gave 0:07:41.910 --> 0:07:45.550 up his kingdom because of the question he kept asking 0:07:45.550 --> 0:07:48.750 himself in his mind. And I believe that some of 0:07:48.750 --> 0:07:50.350 you need to make sure you don't give it up. 0:07:50.350 --> 0:07:52.910 And so don't give it up. Write this down. Refuse 0:07:52.910 --> 0:07:58.750 to allow people pleasing pressure to drive you out of 0:07:58.750 --> 0:08:03.520 your place of obedience. If you look at the story 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:06.640 of Saul, you'll recognize that Saul was the very first 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:10.320 king that Israel had. He was the equivalent of our 0:08:10.320 --> 0:08:15.240 George Washington. Israel had never had a king. They had 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:20.000 been a theocracy up until that time, which means a, uh, a, 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:23.560 a government that was ruled by the prophets that represented God. 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:27.080 But the people of Israel asked for a king. And 0:08:27.080 --> 0:08:30.440 so God chose a man by the name of Saul 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:35.960 to establish a monarchy in Israel. Saul was a foot 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:39.720 and a half taller than most Israeli men. He looked 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:44.160 like a king. He had the presence of a king physically, 0:08:44.440 --> 0:08:51.000 but inside Saul was very timid and lacked confidence. And 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:53.400 I love the fact that God chose him, even knowing 0:08:53.400 --> 0:08:57.160 that he had issues in his heart. And you see 0:08:57.160 --> 0:08:59.880 the very first test that Saul had in his life, 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:03.640 The big enemies of the people of Israel at the 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:08.800 time were called the Philistines. And so Saul and his 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:13.120 men had aggravated the Philistines. And so the Philistine army 0:09:13.120 --> 0:09:16.280 decided that they were going to come in massive force 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:19.760 and crush this young king called Saul, who was 30 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:23.440 years old. So Saul gathered his men about 2000 men 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:26.800 that he had another thousand were somewhere else. And they said, 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:29.079 we're going to wait for the prophet to come and 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:31.760 offer a sacrifice unto God, so that God would give 0:09:31.760 --> 0:09:35.360 us a major victory in this battle against the Philistines. 0:09:36.240 --> 0:09:39.960 So Saul waited with 2000 men, and as he waited, 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:42.880 he saw that on the other side of the valley 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:47.559 the Philistine army kept growing and growing and growing and growing. 0:09:48.040 --> 0:09:51.680 The longer he waited, the greater the Philistine army grew. 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:55.240 With chariots and horses and armed men, and the more 0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:59.800 intimidated his people became. How many of you know? Sometimes 0:09:59.800 --> 0:10:02.610 it's like that, that the longer we wait, the bigger 0:10:02.610 --> 0:10:06.970 our problems seem to get. And sometimes we're waiting and 0:10:06.970 --> 0:10:09.610 it feels like our problems are growing and growing and 0:10:09.610 --> 0:10:13.410 growing right in front of us. Well, the people of 0:10:13.410 --> 0:10:16.410 Israel started to scatter. The men started to become confused. 0:10:16.410 --> 0:10:19.250 They started running to the caves. Some of them were trembling. 0:10:19.250 --> 0:10:23.569 And so Saul decided to do something that was not 0:10:23.570 --> 0:10:27.050 his to do. He was waiting for Samuel the prophet, 0:10:27.050 --> 0:10:29.690 to show up the sacrifice unto God. But since he 0:10:29.730 --> 0:10:33.250 waited and waited and Samuel had said, in seven days 0:10:33.250 --> 0:10:36.770 I'll be there. Saul took the offering himself, and he 0:10:36.770 --> 0:10:40.450 went up, and he offered a sacrifice unto God himself. 0:10:42.570 --> 0:10:45.490 I want you to notice what it says in verse eight. 0:10:45.850 --> 0:10:50.770 It said he waited seven days, the time set by Samuel. 0:10:50.809 --> 0:10:55.450 But Samuel did not come to Gilgal. And Saul's men 0:10:55.450 --> 0:10:59.370 began to scatter. So he said, bring me the burnt 0:10:59.530 --> 0:11:04.090 offering and the fellowship offering, and Saul offered up a 0:11:04.090 --> 0:11:09.810 burnt offering. Here's what I want you to know. It was. 0:11:10.410 --> 0:11:14.930 God had never called Saul to be a priest. And 0:11:14.929 --> 0:11:18.130 so it was outlawed. It was not legal for him 0:11:18.130 --> 0:11:21.890 to offer a sacrifice. Only the Levites, the priests, were 0:11:22.130 --> 0:11:26.809 allowed to offer a sacrifice. But because Saul got pressured 0:11:26.809 --> 0:11:31.370 by the people to do something, and he was asking himself, 0:11:31.370 --> 0:11:33.969 do people like me? What do they think of me 0:11:33.970 --> 0:11:37.890 as a leader? It pressured Saul to step out of 0:11:37.890 --> 0:11:43.930 his place of obedience and to step into disobedience. There 0:11:43.970 --> 0:11:48.290 are some people today that because of peer pressure around you, 0:11:48.290 --> 0:11:51.970 you're doing things that you know you shouldn't do, but 0:11:51.970 --> 0:11:56.050 people have pressured you into doing them because you're asking 0:11:56.210 --> 0:12:01.339 yourself this question, do people like me? There are people 0:12:01.860 --> 0:12:07.020 that are here that are living in compromise. Because you 0:12:07.020 --> 0:12:10.059 feel the pressure of people wanting you to do some 0:12:10.059 --> 0:12:14.620 things that violate your conscience and violate your convictions, but 0:12:14.620 --> 0:12:18.340 you're doing them because the question that you ask yourself is, 0:12:18.340 --> 0:12:19.420 do people like me? 0:12:24.860 --> 0:12:28.340 Today's bold Steps message don't give up. We'll continue in 0:12:28.340 --> 0:12:31.060 just a bit. I'm Wayne Shepherd here with Mark Jobe 0:12:31.059 --> 0:12:33.460 and Mark. These daily messages are made possible in part 0:12:33.460 --> 0:12:37.100 because of our faithful, bold partners who give monthly. We're 0:12:37.100 --> 0:12:39.780 so excited about the response we received to bold steps 0:12:39.780 --> 0:12:42.300 from all over the country, and even in other places 0:12:42.300 --> 0:12:45.700 in the world. And we often talk about Malawi, Africa 0:12:46.059 --> 0:12:48.460 because it's so exciting to us. The thing we're learning 0:12:48.740 --> 0:12:52.380 is that in Malawi, they often listen in groups, not 0:12:52.380 --> 0:12:54.620 like us Americans. We listen, you know, one at a 0:12:54.620 --> 0:12:56.860 time in our cars, but they listen in groups. 0:12:57.100 --> 0:13:01.540 Yeah. So radio access isn't always as easy as it 0:13:01.540 --> 0:13:05.340 is in America. And so there's these radios. I think 0:13:05.340 --> 0:13:10.220 they're solar generated radios that people have, and they gather 0:13:10.220 --> 0:13:13.219 around and listen to these programs together. And so I 0:13:13.220 --> 0:13:16.620 love that, by the way. And we received a message 0:13:16.620 --> 0:13:19.420 from Malawi from one of the listeners that says this. 0:13:19.740 --> 0:13:22.420 It says, hello, we want to give our thanks to 0:13:22.460 --> 0:13:25.300 you for the big present of radio that you have 0:13:25.340 --> 0:13:29.380 given us. Let me say that our listener club has 0:13:29.380 --> 0:13:33.340 grown tremendously, and many are joining our club every day. 0:13:33.740 --> 0:13:38.100 Apart from mine. We also have created five more listener clubs, 0:13:38.340 --> 0:13:40.059 of which we want you to pay a visit. 0:13:40.100 --> 0:13:41.819 All you need to book a ticket. 0:13:41.860 --> 0:13:44.980 I know I would love to visit Malawi for. We 0:13:45.020 --> 0:13:47.940 love to listen to the program which has directed us 0:13:47.940 --> 0:13:50.900 to Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for the present 0:13:50.900 --> 0:13:53.500 you have given us. May God graciously give you more 0:13:53.500 --> 0:13:56.940 blessings so you may give to others who have need 0:13:56.940 --> 0:13:57.580 as well. 0:13:57.620 --> 0:14:00.190 They had a great picture. Radio as a present. 0:14:00.190 --> 0:14:04.470 Yeah. And you know what, Wayne? I can visualize now 0:14:04.590 --> 0:14:07.990 a group of five, six, seven, ten people sitting around 0:14:07.990 --> 0:14:12.110 the radio listening to Bold Step program as they interact 0:14:12.110 --> 0:14:14.390 with each other about the Word of God. What a 0:14:14.390 --> 0:14:18.510 powerful image that is. And that's all made possible because 0:14:18.510 --> 0:14:21.070 of our bold partners. Indeed. And so we want to 0:14:21.070 --> 0:14:24.430 say thank you to those of you that have chosen 0:14:24.430 --> 0:14:29.430 to give monthly to this program. Uh, because you believe 0:14:29.470 --> 0:14:31.630 not in this program, you believe in the power of 0:14:31.630 --> 0:14:35.270 the gospel and that we are faithfully attempting to present 0:14:35.270 --> 0:14:36.870 it to the ends of the earth. 0:14:36.910 --> 0:14:39.230 Amen to that. Thank you. Mark. If you'd like to 0:14:39.270 --> 0:14:41.790 sign up as a bold partner, do that today at 0:14:41.790 --> 0:14:46.310 bold steps.org. It's that simple, bold steps.org. All right. There's 0:14:46.310 --> 0:14:48.790 more to today's message. So let's get back after it today. 0:14:48.830 --> 0:14:50.030 Don't give up. 0:14:55.670 --> 0:15:00.720 I believe that many of us struggle with this. Many 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:04.600 of us can compromise our future for a moment of applause. 0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:10.800 Do people like us? I remember struggling with this question 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:15.840 years ago. I was 22 years old. I had been 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:18.960 pastoring a year. The church was very small and I 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:24.640 was kind of struggling with, is this significant? Is this 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:28.360 really even making a difference? We had four men in 0:15:28.400 --> 0:15:31.480 the church to walk into the church. I'd have to. 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:34.000 I'd have to ask the gang bangers that were sitting 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:36.120 on the front steps of the church to move over 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.480 so that I could get in there. They didn't respect 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:42.400 it very much. We didn't have a worship team. I'd 0:15:42.400 --> 0:15:44.880 stand up on Sunday morning and there was about 15 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:49.320 people to preach to. Our worship was bad. Our building 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:52.920 was falling apart. They couldn't pay me a salary. My 0:15:52.920 --> 0:15:58.320 salary was $8,000 and no insurance. And someone had loaned 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:01.760 me an office, a room in the back of their 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:03.800 office where I had a mattress on the floor and 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:06.800 that's where I was living, didn't have any furniture, and 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.920 I was really struggling with significance. God really did you 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:11.720 call me here? I mean, I got a four year 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:14.200 degree and I'm stuck in this little place. They can 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:17.160 barely pay me. It's in the middle of nowhere. We 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:20.520 don't have anything. The building is falling apart. We don't 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:23.560 have a worship team. We don't have leaders. We don't 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.520 barely have anything. And we're in a really tough neighborhood. 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:29.080 And I've told some of you this story before. And 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:33.560 then I got a phone call from a university that 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:39.040 was doing a graduation at the Rockefeller Center, right on 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:41.440 the campus of the University of Chicago. How many of 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:44.160 you have been there before or seen it? It's a beautiful, 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:47.880 ornate building that the richest man in the world, Rockefeller built, 0:16:48.240 --> 0:16:53.280 and its beautiful stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings. And I 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:57.200 was struggling with insignificance. And I got this call from 0:16:57.200 --> 0:17:00.600 a university that wanted me to do the invocation and 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:05.320 convocation at a graduation of all these important people. And 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:09.120 so they called me up and they said, uh, Reverend Mark, 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:12.760 we want to invite you to the convocation at this graduation. 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:16.600 And I'm like, wow, they called me. I said, yes, sir, 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:21.600 let me check my calendar open. So I showed up 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:24.919 at the Rockefeller Center and they said, there's going to 0:17:24.920 --> 0:17:26.560 be a lot of people traveling from all over the 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:30.560 world to come to this graduation. And they put me 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:34.119 in my long graduation robes with a flat hat and 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:37.160 indicating that I had a bachelor's degree at the time. 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:40.000 And as we were walking up to the platform in 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:44.119 that ornate place, stained glass windows packed out, auditorium, the 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:47.159 master of ceremonies talked to me as we were walking 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:50.160 up to the platform, and he said, hey, Reverend Jobe, 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:52.800 we know that you're a smart young man going to 0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:55.240 do some good things. And you know, this is a 0:17:55.280 --> 0:17:57.800 nonsectarian event. There are people from a lot of different 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:00.330 religions here that are coming. And we know that you're 0:18:00.330 --> 0:18:03.090 a smart young man that that's that's on his way up. 0:18:03.090 --> 0:18:04.970 And we just I just want to make sure that 0:18:04.970 --> 0:18:10.130 you keep your comments non-sectarian. And I said, what does 0:18:10.130 --> 0:18:14.210 that mean exactly? He said, well, don't mention names like 0:18:14.210 --> 0:18:18.090 Jesus or Christ or the cross or the gospel, the Bible, 0:18:18.130 --> 0:18:19.850 because there's a lot of religions here and we don't 0:18:19.850 --> 0:18:22.409 want to offend anybody. And I said, uh, well, I 0:18:22.410 --> 0:18:24.290 wish someone would have told me that we know you're 0:18:24.290 --> 0:18:27.250 a smart young man. And then set me down. And 0:18:27.250 --> 0:18:30.850 I looked over this distinguished crowd of people, doctors and 0:18:30.850 --> 0:18:33.530 lawyers and business people that have come in from all 0:18:33.530 --> 0:18:35.409 over the world. And I thought, wow, I'm in a 0:18:35.410 --> 0:18:41.290 place of importance here, the Rockefeller Chapel. I must be important. 0:18:41.890 --> 0:18:44.369 And then they asked me, I heard Reverend Mark joke 0:18:44.369 --> 0:18:47.210 is going to do the convocation. And so I stood 0:18:47.210 --> 0:18:50.250 in front of that fancy podium, and I opened up 0:18:50.250 --> 0:18:53.250 my mouth in front of that microphone. And what kept 0:18:53.250 --> 0:18:56.490 coming to my mind is, well, you know, do people 0:18:56.490 --> 0:19:00.180 like me, are they going to like me? I want 0:19:00.220 --> 0:19:02.940 to make sure I do what they called me to do. 0:19:03.460 --> 0:19:06.139 And so I prayed a prayer. And it was the 0:19:06.140 --> 0:19:16.459 most generic, politically correct, light, whitewashed prayer that you would 0:19:16.500 --> 0:19:21.060 ever heard. I didn't mention the name of Jesus, the gospel, 0:19:21.100 --> 0:19:30.420 the Bible. It was like God and blessing graduates future. 0:19:31.260 --> 0:19:34.340 I don't even know if I said Amen. And then 0:19:34.340 --> 0:19:39.139 I sat down. Have you ever felt conviction before? You 0:19:39.140 --> 0:19:43.820 know what? Conviction feels like a knife in the soul. 0:19:45.060 --> 0:19:47.900 The Holy Spirit. I sat down on that big fancy 0:19:47.900 --> 0:19:51.780 chair on that auditorium, and here's what I felt like 0:19:51.780 --> 0:19:54.820 the Holy Spirit said to me. These words kept going 0:19:54.820 --> 0:19:58.580 through my mind. I am not ashamed of the gospel 0:19:58.580 --> 0:20:01.500 of Jesus Christ. For it is the power of God 0:20:01.540 --> 0:20:05.659 unto salvation. It is foolishness to those that are perishing, 0:20:05.660 --> 0:20:09.820 but it is salvation to those that embrace it. And 0:20:09.820 --> 0:20:14.940 I was antsy and uncomfortable. And the whole time I'm like, 0:20:14.940 --> 0:20:18.500 what have I just done? I've been asking myself this 0:20:18.500 --> 0:20:21.380 question do people like me? Do people like me when 0:20:21.380 --> 0:20:24.540 I should be asking my question, God, are you pleased? 0:20:25.060 --> 0:20:26.500 And then all of a sudden, in the middle of 0:20:26.500 --> 0:20:30.340 my thinking, I was brought back to reality when I heard. 0:20:30.340 --> 0:20:32.820 And now the Reverend Mark Jobe is going to do 0:20:32.820 --> 0:20:38.899 the benediction. This time I was ready. So I jumped 0:20:38.900 --> 0:20:43.020 up to that fancy podium and I said, I know 0:20:43.020 --> 0:20:45.980 this is a non-sectarian event. Don't want to be offensive, 0:20:45.980 --> 0:20:47.780 but I'm going to pray in the only name I 0:20:47.900 --> 0:20:49.780 know how to pray in. And that is the name 0:20:49.780 --> 0:20:55.260 of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. And this time, 0:20:55.260 --> 0:20:58.459 instead of praying like a watered down minister, I prayed 0:20:58.460 --> 0:21:01.220 like a on fire Pentecostal preacher. I must have mentioned 0:21:01.220 --> 0:21:03.380 the name of Jesus 3 or 4 times. I may 0:21:03.380 --> 0:21:06.060 even raise my leg when I was preaching and asking 0:21:06.060 --> 0:21:09.740 for blessing and power upon their lives. And I prayed 0:21:09.740 --> 0:21:13.699 blessing and God and Jesus. Yeah, I mentioned a couple times, 0:21:13.700 --> 0:21:16.460 and then as soon as it was over, the guy 0:21:16.460 --> 0:21:18.780 after me came up a little nervous, a little befuddled, 0:21:18.780 --> 0:21:21.020 and said, okay, we're dismissed. I didn't wait to shake 0:21:21.020 --> 0:21:24.100 the hand with the president. Vice President Sarah. I just 0:21:24.140 --> 0:21:30.220 ran off the stage with my robe flowing behind me. 0:21:30.260 --> 0:21:32.420 Real because I was going fast, so it was flowing 0:21:32.460 --> 0:21:35.459 like I'm getting off real fast. I didn't want to 0:21:35.460 --> 0:21:37.060 say hi. No one wanted to say hi to me. 0:21:37.060 --> 0:21:38.780 I felt like they were burning holes in the back 0:21:38.780 --> 0:21:42.260 of my head. I got halfway down the aisle and 0:21:42.260 --> 0:21:45.980 a girl jumps in front of me like this, and 0:21:45.980 --> 0:21:48.980 I said, here it goes. And she said, pastor Mark. 0:21:48.980 --> 0:21:51.300 I said, yes, could you move over? She said, no. 0:21:52.900 --> 0:21:56.139 She said, pastor, I've been a student here for three years. 0:21:56.140 --> 0:21:59.910 They've had Christian ministers pray. None of them have ever 0:21:59.910 --> 0:22:02.990 mentioned the name of Jesus. Thank you for bringing up 0:22:02.990 --> 0:22:08.150 the name of Jesus. Guess what? I never was invited 0:22:08.150 --> 0:22:10.910 back to that place. Never again. Not. Didn't even get 0:22:10.910 --> 0:22:13.790 a thank you card from them. But I tell you, I. 0:22:13.830 --> 0:22:16.750 But let me tell you something. I may have lost 0:22:16.750 --> 0:22:19.830 an invitation, but I didn't lose my soul. 0:22:27.910 --> 0:22:30.750 And that's only part of Mark Jobe's message titled Don't 0:22:30.750 --> 0:22:34.110 Give Up here on Bold Steps. Part two begins next time, 0:22:34.109 --> 0:22:36.629 so be sure to join us again. And if you 0:22:36.670 --> 0:22:38.630 missed any bit of today's program, or if you want 0:22:38.630 --> 0:22:41.910 to find more teachings and resources from the Bold Steps Ministry, 0:22:41.950 --> 0:22:46.550 just visit our website, Bold steps.org. You know, Mark, it 0:22:46.550 --> 0:22:49.070 feels like our culture grows more hostile to the Christian 0:22:49.070 --> 0:22:52.470 faith with each passing day. A lot of evidence to this. 0:22:52.869 --> 0:22:54.710 A lot of believers are looking around and feeling like 0:22:54.710 --> 0:22:57.389 strangers in their own land, like they're living in exile. 0:22:57.390 --> 0:23:00.110 And that's the picture behind this month's Bold Step gift, 0:23:00.150 --> 0:23:01.830 a book called The Church in Babylon. 0:23:02.270 --> 0:23:06.830 Yeah. So if you've felt like that, that, hey, your 0:23:06.830 --> 0:23:13.109 Christian values, your faith seems stranger and stranger in the 0:23:13.109 --> 0:23:16.510 culture that we live in, then you're not just imagining that. 0:23:16.630 --> 0:23:17.470 You're not alone. 0:23:17.510 --> 0:23:19.790 No. And by the way, the Bible talks about the 0:23:19.830 --> 0:23:24.950 end times getting worse and, uh, but Erwin Lutzer, our 0:23:24.950 --> 0:23:29.470 good friend Erwin Lutzer, pastor of Moody Church on Moody Radio, 0:23:29.470 --> 0:23:32.710 written several books. He's written a book called The Church 0:23:32.710 --> 0:23:36.709 in Babylon, heeding the call to be a light in darkness. 0:23:37.150 --> 0:23:40.310 And he. He takes the. The story of Daniel, who 0:23:40.310 --> 0:23:45.310 was thrust into a pagan culture surrounded by it, immersed 0:23:45.310 --> 0:23:49.510 in it, but yet Daniel did not lose his way. 0:23:49.550 --> 0:23:52.430 In fact, he ended up influencing that culture. 0:23:52.550 --> 0:23:53.230 He stood firm. 0:23:53.270 --> 0:23:56.629 Yeah. Yeah. So this is really important. How to live 0:23:56.630 --> 0:24:00.919 faithfully as exiles in a culture that no longer shares 0:24:00.920 --> 0:24:04.280 our value. This will encourage you if you have felt 0:24:04.280 --> 0:24:07.159 a little bit overwhelmed by the culture around you. 0:24:07.440 --> 0:24:10.000 To give and request your copy of The Church in Babylon, 0:24:10.000 --> 0:24:14.000 visit us online at bold steps.org/give or call us at 0:24:14.000 --> 0:24:20.719 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. Now, if you prefer, you 0:24:20.720 --> 0:24:23.160 can also send your donation and ask for the book 0:24:23.160 --> 0:24:29.119 by writing to us at Bold Steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 0:24:29.160 --> 0:24:33.639 606 ten. Now, if this ministry has meant something to you, 0:24:33.640 --> 0:24:36.920 if these messages have encouraged you, challenged you, or helped 0:24:36.920 --> 0:24:39.160 you hold on to your hope in a difficult season, 0:24:39.520 --> 0:24:42.640 we invite you to become a bold partner. Your faithful 0:24:42.640 --> 0:24:45.360 monthly support of any amount is what keeps these programs 0:24:45.359 --> 0:24:47.879 coming to you and to new listeners around the world. 0:24:48.320 --> 0:24:50.800 And when you give $30 or more each month, we'll 0:24:50.800 --> 0:24:53.520 thank you with a signed copy of Mark's book, unstuck 0:24:53.760 --> 0:24:56.440 out of your cave and into your call. There's also 0:24:56.440 --> 0:25:00.600 a 50% discount across the Moody Publishers online store and 0:25:00.600 --> 0:25:04.440 the exclusive Bold Partner post marks personal bi weekly video 0:25:04.440 --> 0:25:09.320 just for our partners. Sign up at Bold steps.org. And 0:25:09.320 --> 0:25:11.439 before we end today, I want to remind you that 0:25:11.440 --> 0:25:13.639 you can always find these daily messages and listen on 0:25:13.640 --> 0:25:16.880 your own time by subscribing to the Bold Steps podcast. 0:25:16.920 --> 0:25:18.800 We've made it easy to catch up on programs you 0:25:18.800 --> 0:25:21.320 may have missed, or to share these lessons with a friend, 0:25:21.320 --> 0:25:23.439 all with a click of a button. So if you 0:25:23.440 --> 0:25:26.280 haven't already, just go to your favorite podcast platform and 0:25:26.280 --> 0:25:30.520 search for bold steps with doctor Mark Jones. Well, that's 0:25:30.520 --> 0:25:33.119 all our time for today. I'm Wayne Shepherd inviting you 0:25:33.119 --> 0:25:36.280 back next time when Mark concludes his message. Don't give up. 0:25:36.520 --> 0:25:40.920 Discover how taking shortcuts can sometimes sabotage your future. That's 0:25:40.960 --> 0:25:45.600 on Monday's edition of Bold Steps with Mark Joe. Bold 0:25:45.600 --> 0:25:48.680 steps is a production of Moody Radio, a Ministry of 0:25:48.680 --> 0:25:50.280 Moody Bible Institute.