WEBVTT - Get Involved, Part 1 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:04.080 We need those who utilize their gifts and are faithful 0:00:04.080 --> 0:00:07.160 with it, who can't be run off, who say, God 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:10.479 called me to this, I'm going to do this to 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:13.480 the best of my God given abilities. I may not 0:00:13.480 --> 0:00:16.639 always do it right, but I'm going to keep doing 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:18.079 it till I get it right. 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:28.000 Welcome to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford, 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:30.720 junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. 0:00:30.760 --> 0:00:32.880 I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you're with us. As today we're 0:00:32.880 --> 0:00:36.640 beginning a message entitled Get Involved in pastor. It sounds 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:40.000 like you're really calling the church body to get busy 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:41.800 to use the gifts that God has given us. 0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:46.400 Well, yes, it's based on that title of, uh, that 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:49.000 great theologian, James Brown. 0:00:49.200 --> 0:00:49.720 Okay. 0:00:49.920 --> 0:00:53.560 You know, he used to say, everybody over here get involved. 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:58.360 Everybody right here get involved. Everybody over everywhere get involved, 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:00.920 get involved. And that's what we need in the church 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:03.360 of Jesus Christ. We're called a body and we need 0:01:03.360 --> 0:01:04.320 every member. 0:01:04.480 --> 0:01:08.520 Absolutely we do. But as you said, sometimes we can 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.399 be hesitant to get involved. But this is not just 0:01:11.400 --> 0:01:13.840 a suggestion from Scripture. This is a command. 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:15.399 Amen, brother. Preach it. 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:15.960 Okay. 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:16.800 That's right. 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:18.280 Well, I'm going to let you do that in just 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:20.440 a moment. We're just going to chat for a couple 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:23.760 more minutes here, okay? But, uh, if this is such 0:01:23.760 --> 0:01:26.360 a command and somebody is kind of hesitant to say, 0:01:26.360 --> 0:01:28.640 I'm not sure how to get involved, where to get involved, 0:01:28.640 --> 0:01:30.200 I hear you talk about the fact that God has 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:32.520 given me gifts and abilities, but I don't know what 0:01:32.520 --> 0:01:34.839 they are. How do I know what to do? 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:38.840 Well, here's what God does. You ever notice he hits 0:01:38.880 --> 0:01:43.840 moving targets? Yeah. You know, people need to be actively 0:01:43.840 --> 0:01:47.120 involved in something. Here's what I share with people. Start 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:53.240 somewhere and God will either affirm or move you on. 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:55.640 You know, and so you have a spiritual gift. Every 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:59.080 believer has at least one. Uh, so you are to 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:03.960 discover it, develop it and deploy it. That's what we 0:02:03.960 --> 0:02:07.280 need in the Church of Jesus Christ. We need people 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:10.280 who will utilize their giftedness. And so here's where I 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:13.639 say start. What do you have a passion for? Yeah. 0:02:13.639 --> 0:02:17.520 What do you feel burdened for? And once you have 0:02:17.520 --> 0:02:19.680 a burden for something, you know, like I always tease 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:22.160 and say, you know, like my wife saw me, had 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:25.080 to have me beg me to marry her. That's a burden. 0:02:25.120 --> 0:02:27.280 That's a burden, brother. That's a burden. 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:30.440 And she's been carrying that burden for about 46 years, right? 0:02:30.480 --> 0:02:31.919 Wait a minute. I'm telling the jokes. 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:33.400 Okay. All right, all right, all right. 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.360 But you're right. I tell everybody she's filled with the 0:02:38.360 --> 0:02:40.280 spirit to be able to put up with me. As 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:42.919 a matter of fact, this week, 46 years. 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:43.760 Congratulations. 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:44.560 Amen. 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:48.840 Yeah, well, as you said, we need to discover, develop 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:51.239 and deploy. And that's what we're going to be talking 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:55.160 about in this message entitled Get Involved. If you can, 0:02:55.160 --> 0:02:58.400 open your Bible to Colossians chapter four. As we begin 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:02.190 the message here is Pastor Ford afford one. 0:03:02.190 --> 0:03:07.590 The pastor had gone to a conference, and they had 0:03:07.590 --> 0:03:13.030 said that the two greatest sins in the church is 0:03:13.710 --> 0:03:18.669 ignorance and apathy. And so he went back and he 0:03:18.990 --> 0:03:21.630 hooked up with the head of his elder board, not 0:03:21.669 --> 0:03:26.750 deacon board, head of the elder board, and said, what 0:03:26.750 --> 0:03:30.230 do you think is wrong with the church today? He said, 0:03:30.470 --> 0:03:34.830 I don't know and I don't care. You'll get that 0:03:34.830 --> 0:03:38.990 on the way home. But ignorance and apathy are the 0:03:38.990 --> 0:03:46.630 two dastardly duos that plague the Church of Jesus Christ. Uh, F.B. 0:03:46.670 --> 0:03:49.070 Meyer I put his quote down there for you. He 0:03:49.070 --> 0:03:52.990 said one thing pierces and breaks the heart of God. 0:03:53.150 --> 0:04:00.870 It's not the world's iniquities, but the church's indifference. The 0:04:00.910 --> 0:04:06.550 churches indifference. And so when we look at the church, uh, 0:04:06.550 --> 0:04:11.470 we understand and know, uh, that what's happening in the 0:04:11.510 --> 0:04:14.990 church is more akin to. And we talk about it 0:04:14.990 --> 0:04:19.750 all the time. Uh, anybody remember, uh, the Nehemiah principle? 0:04:20.670 --> 0:04:27.830 It's called the Pareto principle. Pareto principle? In the business world, 0:04:27.830 --> 0:04:32.550 that's what it's called in the church. The Nehemiah principle. 0:04:33.350 --> 0:04:39.470 What is that? That is this that 20% of the 0:04:39.470 --> 0:04:47.710 congregation is doing, 80% of the giving and the service 0:04:48.950 --> 0:04:54.870 that 30% of the congregation is doing, the other 20% 0:04:54.870 --> 0:05:01.950 of the giving and the serving, and 50% Do nothing. 0:05:02.670 --> 0:05:07.390 I sure hope we don't have any 50 percenters in here. 0:05:07.390 --> 0:05:11.229 Which means then, uh, since in the African American community, 0:05:11.230 --> 0:05:16.590 we have a 16% unemployment rate, and since in, uh, 0:05:16.630 --> 0:05:20.710 national average is 9%, uh, then, depending on how you 0:05:20.710 --> 0:05:26.430 look at it, 41% more unemployment in the church than 0:05:26.430 --> 0:05:31.550 in the world. And so when we look at this thing, uh, 0:05:31.550 --> 0:05:34.990 we understand that when you look at what's happening in 0:05:34.990 --> 0:05:40.430 the church, since these people are doing more, uh, than 0:05:40.430 --> 0:05:43.309 what they ought to be doing, some things are left 0:05:43.310 --> 0:05:49.270 undone and there's some ministry that's not happening because somebody 0:05:49.270 --> 0:05:52.430 is just sitting on the premises rather than standing on 0:05:52.430 --> 0:05:55.710 the promises. Some of you will remember this because it's 0:05:55.710 --> 0:05:57.830 not the first time you heard this. Uh, this is 0:05:57.830 --> 0:06:06.230 about Fred. Somebody. Thomas. Everybody. Susan. Anybody. And Joe. Nobody. Fred. Somebody. Thomas. Everybody. Susan. Anybody. 0:06:06.230 --> 0:06:09.550 And Joe. Nobody. Were neighbors, but they were not like 0:06:09.550 --> 0:06:12.710 you and me. They were odd people in most difficult 0:06:12.710 --> 0:06:16.270 to understand the way they live. Life was a shame. 0:06:16.510 --> 0:06:19.630 All four belonged to the same church. What? You would 0:06:19.630 --> 0:06:23.990 not have enjoyed worshiping with them. Everybody went fishing or 0:06:23.990 --> 0:06:27.350 shopping or stayed at home to visit with friends. Anybody 0:06:27.350 --> 0:06:30.989 wanted to worship but was afraid somebody wouldn't speak to him. 0:06:30.990 --> 0:06:34.830 So guess who went to church? Nobody, really. Nobody was 0:06:34.830 --> 0:06:38.470 the only decent of the four. Nobody did the visitation. 0:06:38.470 --> 0:06:41.550 Nobody worked on the church building once. They needed a 0:06:41.550 --> 0:06:44.990 Sunday school teacher. Everybody thought anybody would do it, and 0:06:44.990 --> 0:06:47.550 anybody thought somebody would do it. And you know who 0:06:47.550 --> 0:06:51.870 did it? Nobody. That's exactly right. So what happened? A 0:06:51.870 --> 0:06:55.350 fifth neighbor, an unbeliever, moved into the area. Everybody thought 0:06:55.350 --> 0:06:58.110 somebody should try to win him for Christ. Anybody could 0:06:58.150 --> 0:07:03.550 have made the effort. You probably know who finally won him. Nobody. 0:07:03.870 --> 0:07:06.349 This little parable brings the focus again to the fact 0:07:06.350 --> 0:07:10.230 that each of us is personally responsible for God's work. 0:07:10.590 --> 0:07:14.190 If we leave it for somebody or everybody or anybody, 0:07:14.510 --> 0:07:20.390 nobody will do it. Let's work till Jesus comes. And 0:07:20.390 --> 0:07:25.870 so Paul closes his epistle, uh, his colossian epistle. It's 0:07:25.870 --> 0:07:28.590 a prison epistle. And so he wrote it in his what? 0:07:28.590 --> 0:07:33.630 Imprisonment first Roman imprisonment. Right. And so it was one 0:07:33.630 --> 0:07:35.910 of how many books that he wrote in his first 0:07:35.910 --> 0:07:39.990 Roman imprisonment. Four books that he wrote in his first 0:07:40.030 --> 0:07:43.950 Roman imprisonment. And what are those four books that he 0:07:43.950 --> 0:07:47.350 wrote in his first Roman imprisonment? See, y'all always talk 0:07:47.390 --> 0:07:56.030 about he do that over, he do that over. And Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Alright. 0:07:56.830 --> 0:07:59.670 So at the close of this epistle. Now what's this 0:07:59.670 --> 0:08:06.430 epistle about. It's about the completeness of Jesus Christ, his deity, 0:08:06.750 --> 0:08:09.950 and then the danger to it, and then our duties. 0:08:10.350 --> 0:08:12.230 So he says, listen, I want you to know he's 0:08:12.230 --> 0:08:15.790 the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete 0:08:15.790 --> 0:08:18.670 in him who is the head of all principality. We 0:08:18.670 --> 0:08:20.950 talked about it before. What did he do? He said 0:08:20.950 --> 0:08:23.710 he is deity. He is sovereignty. And what did he 0:08:23.750 --> 0:08:27.910 sandwich in the middle our humanity? So we are who 0:08:27.910 --> 0:08:32.110 we are because of the deity and the sovereignty of Christ. Wow. 0:08:32.110 --> 0:08:35.030 That ought to make you feel special. Your sandwich in 0:08:35.030 --> 0:08:37.870 between the sovereignty and the deity. Go ahead, say it, 0:08:37.910 --> 0:08:41.350 say it, say it. I am somebody because I am 0:08:41.350 --> 0:08:46.630 in Christ. Amen. And so then, uh, he talks about 0:08:46.630 --> 0:08:47.949 it and he says, listen, let me tell you about 0:08:47.950 --> 0:08:50.350 his deity. Now, let me tell you about the danger. 0:08:50.390 --> 0:08:54.270 These people who are Gnostics, who do not want, uh, 0:08:54.390 --> 0:08:57.510 to accept the fact that he's God in the flesh. Now, 0:08:57.510 --> 0:09:00.339 let me tell you your duty. So here he's saying, listen, 0:09:00.340 --> 0:09:04.420 you have an obligation. So as he closes this chapter, 0:09:04.420 --> 0:09:08.860 I want you to see that he talks about these individuals. 0:09:09.179 --> 0:09:12.460 And he begins, uh, let me just read the first 0:09:12.460 --> 0:09:15.220 and the last. He says in verse seven, all my 0:09:15.220 --> 0:09:19.340 states shall declare unto you who is a beloved brother 0:09:19.340 --> 0:09:22.940 and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, whom 0:09:22.940 --> 0:09:25.660 I have sent unto you, for the same purpose, that 0:09:25.660 --> 0:09:29.300 you might know your estate, and comfort your heart with Onesimus, 0:09:29.300 --> 0:09:31.819 a faithful and beloved brother. So he goes through this 0:09:31.860 --> 0:09:35.540 Archippus my fellow prisoner Marcus, he begins to name all 0:09:35.540 --> 0:09:40.220 these people. Uh epaphras. Verse 12. And so he names 0:09:40.220 --> 0:09:45.740 these individual Epaphras Luke, Demas, all of those. Here's what 0:09:45.740 --> 0:09:49.580 he does. He gives us the categories. Now, all these 0:09:49.580 --> 0:09:54.260 names fit four categories. First of all, he talks about 0:09:54.260 --> 0:10:02.460 the men who stayed there criteria or their characteristic was faithfulness. 0:10:02.620 --> 0:10:06.820 What were they faithfulness that he's saying? Uh, I'm naming 0:10:06.820 --> 0:10:09.380 all these men. Some 20 in all, but let me 0:10:09.380 --> 0:10:13.819 give you their category. They were faithful. They were dependable. 0:10:14.460 --> 0:10:17.780 They were steadfast. And if we ever need some folk 0:10:17.780 --> 0:10:21.380 who are steadfast, we need it in this church. Amen. 0:10:21.940 --> 0:10:25.540 We need some individuals who stick by the stuff, who 0:10:25.540 --> 0:10:28.660 make a commitment to do something and fulfill it for 0:10:28.660 --> 0:10:33.580 the year that they said they were going to fulfill it. Amen. Yeah. 0:10:33.580 --> 0:10:36.020 And so here he says there are men who stayed. 0:10:36.179 --> 0:10:41.179 And listen, we we need we need those who volunteer, 0:10:41.540 --> 0:10:44.700 who utilize their gifts and are faithful with it, who 0:10:44.700 --> 0:10:48.940 can't be run off because somebody said something they didn't like, 0:10:48.940 --> 0:10:52.620 who can't be put down, uh, because somebody don't like 0:10:52.620 --> 0:10:55.620 the way they did something who said, God called me 0:10:55.620 --> 0:10:58.860 to this? I'm going to do this to the best 0:10:58.860 --> 0:11:02.300 of my God given abilities. I may not always do 0:11:02.300 --> 0:11:04.980 it right, but I'm going to keep doing it till 0:11:04.980 --> 0:11:08.620 I get it right. That's what we need in this church. 0:11:08.660 --> 0:11:12.500 Then the men who prayed. So you had those who 0:11:12.500 --> 0:11:16.860 were prayer warriors, and you need them because nothing is 0:11:16.860 --> 0:11:19.820 going to be accomplished in this church apart from prayer. 0:11:19.860 --> 0:11:24.579 Why is little being done? Because there is little prayer. 0:11:25.540 --> 0:11:30.900 That's why, that's why. So then, these are individuals who 0:11:30.900 --> 0:11:36.140 were fervent in their supplication, fervent in their supplication. 0:11:38.580 --> 0:11:41.300 It's a good reminder and challenge for us about the 0:11:41.300 --> 0:11:44.740 importance of prayer here on Treasure Truth, where you're listening 0:11:44.780 --> 0:11:47.860 to a message from Pastor Ford entitled Get Involved. As 0:11:47.860 --> 0:11:50.939 we've been looking at Colossians chapter four, verse 17, and 0:11:50.940 --> 0:11:53.220 we're going to get back to this teaching in just 0:11:53.220 --> 0:11:55.860 a moment. Want to let you know if you want 0:11:55.900 --> 0:11:58.620 to make sure that you don't miss a future broadcast, 0:11:58.620 --> 0:12:01.660 you can come to our website, Treasure truth radio.org. Come 0:12:01.660 --> 0:12:05.380 there right now and sign up to begin podcasting the program. 0:12:05.540 --> 0:12:07.620 That way you'll be able to listen to whenever it 0:12:07.620 --> 0:12:10.140 fits your schedule, you know, at your convenience. And if 0:12:10.140 --> 0:12:12.860 you happen to use iTunes for your podcasting, would you 0:12:12.860 --> 0:12:16.220 go ahead and rate the podcast? By doing that, you'll 0:12:16.220 --> 0:12:18.579 help us be found by even more people, and they 0:12:18.580 --> 0:12:21.540 in turn, can discover the powerful teaching of Pastor Ford 0:12:21.540 --> 0:12:24.100 and his way to present the truth of God's Word. 0:12:24.580 --> 0:12:26.340 You'll find those links when you come to our website. 0:12:26.380 --> 0:12:30.220 Treasure Truth radio.org. Again, here's Pastor Ford. 0:12:31.300 --> 0:12:34.540 Then there are men who strayed. Y'all see that? Yeah. 0:12:34.540 --> 0:12:37.580 So then the next line is, these were the ones 0:12:37.580 --> 0:12:43.820 who failed. And so individuals who. They're a part of 0:12:43.820 --> 0:12:50.059 a body. Uh, but it's like they don't function. And 0:12:50.059 --> 0:12:53.740 he's saying, here's the individuals. And he calls them by name. 0:12:53.740 --> 0:12:58.060 I ain't calling no names. Uh, but what's wrong with them? Failure. 0:12:58.059 --> 0:13:01.939 They failed. They're Yeah. The men who strayed, they failed. 0:13:02.340 --> 0:13:08.060 So their stumbling blocks to the people of God, their 0:13:08.059 --> 0:13:12.820 stumbling blocks. Okay, so let me start all over. The 0:13:12.820 --> 0:13:16.900 men who stayed and the word is faithful. Then the 0:13:16.900 --> 0:13:21.059 next line steadfast. The next one is the men who 0:13:21.059 --> 0:13:26.220 prayed fervent. They were on fire. Fervent. Then the word 0:13:26.220 --> 0:13:32.260 is supplication. Supplication. So I'm talking about the four categories 0:13:32.260 --> 0:13:37.420 of individuals. So the men who strayed, they failed. So 0:13:37.420 --> 0:13:42.179 they are stumbling blocks. They're stumbling blocks. So we have 0:13:42.179 --> 0:13:45.459 to ask ourselves in this congregation, what are you? Because 0:13:45.460 --> 0:13:47.860 you're one or the other, you're not in between. You're 0:13:47.860 --> 0:13:54.020 either a stepping stone or a stumbling block. That's it. 0:13:54.540 --> 0:13:57.580 So you you you know what you are. What are you. 0:13:58.100 --> 0:14:01.260 Because every member has been called to the body of 0:14:01.260 --> 0:14:05.900 Christ to do something for the cause of Christ. So 0:14:05.900 --> 0:14:08.740 our service doesn't substitute for our giving, and our giving 0:14:08.740 --> 0:14:12.420 is no substitute for our service. I have persons say 0:14:12.420 --> 0:14:13.980 to me, well, I'm gonna give you some money because, 0:14:14.020 --> 0:14:16.380 you know, uh, you know, you need money to need 0:14:16.380 --> 0:14:21.740 you to. I need you and your money. Yeah. Not 0:14:21.740 --> 0:14:25.340 not either or both. And. Yeah. Need you to roll 0:14:25.340 --> 0:14:28.580 up your sleeves and get busy. Use your spiritual gift. 0:14:29.500 --> 0:14:34.540 I don't have time. You don't have time to serve God. Okay. 0:14:35.180 --> 0:14:38.540 I ain't sitting with you in service. The lightning bolt 0:14:38.540 --> 0:14:40.860 hits you. Jack, I'm going to be far away from you. 0:14:42.180 --> 0:14:49.740 And so then there were men who played. They were frivolous. Yeah. Frivolous? 0:14:50.620 --> 0:14:55.260 They were frivolous. Frivolous just means to be playing around 0:14:55.260 --> 0:14:58.540 with God. Come see. Come saw. Oh, well, I can 0:14:58.540 --> 0:15:00.890 take it or leave it. I can come to church 0:15:00.890 --> 0:15:03.530 or not. I can come to Bible study or not. 0:15:03.810 --> 0:15:12.130 I can pray at home. These people are shaky. Shaky? Yeah. Uh, 0:15:12.130 --> 0:15:16.210 so he says to him and say to Archippus. Now, uh, 0:15:16.370 --> 0:15:23.810 Archippus is mentioned two times. In Scripture. He's the son 0:15:23.810 --> 0:15:29.050 of Philemon. The son of Philemon. So in Philemon, he's 0:15:29.050 --> 0:15:35.890 called a fellow soldier. He's called a fellow soldier. That is, 0:15:36.130 --> 0:15:40.770 he stood strong in the faith. Archippus loved the fight. 0:15:41.170 --> 0:15:45.730 So he must have been a Baptist. And so here, 0:15:45.770 --> 0:15:48.730 Ephesians tell us he uses the word hist. Me. It 0:15:48.730 --> 0:15:52.130 means to stand for times. He uses it, and each 0:15:52.130 --> 0:15:55.090 one is significant. Let's walk through it. He says, I 0:15:55.090 --> 0:15:58.970 want you to stand against the evil devil. That is, 0:15:58.970 --> 0:16:06.330 we resist the devil. Resist the devil. Stand evil. De resist. 0:16:07.090 --> 0:16:09.890 And so we then, are those who are called to 0:16:09.930 --> 0:16:13.370 be sober. Be vigilant, because our adversary, the devil, walketh 0:16:13.370 --> 0:16:16.690 about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 0:16:16.770 --> 0:16:19.850 And the Bible tells us that we submit ourselves to God. 0:16:19.850 --> 0:16:22.610 Resist the devil, and he will flee. So we have 0:16:22.610 --> 0:16:26.690 to stand against the devil. We have to resist him. 0:16:26.690 --> 0:16:29.410 But then the second stand is not talking about the 0:16:29.450 --> 0:16:34.010 evil devil, it's talking about the evil day. Is there 0:16:34.010 --> 0:16:37.490 an evil day in which we're living? You better believe it. 0:16:37.490 --> 0:16:41.130 So then we must stand. That one tells us we 0:16:41.130 --> 0:16:47.650 must be resilient. Yes, we must be resilient. You know 0:16:47.650 --> 0:16:52.210 what that means. Be able to bounce back from stuff. Man, 0:16:52.210 --> 0:16:56.250 too many of us wear our feelings on our shoulders. 0:16:56.250 --> 0:17:01.290 First time somebody doesn't say something, or sometimes somebody says something. 0:17:01.330 --> 0:17:03.810 Here we go. I ain't coming to church no more. Why? 0:17:03.850 --> 0:17:08.129 Because one ignorant person. So if they sit over here, 0:17:08.170 --> 0:17:14.730 sit over there. You ain't gotta sit with them. It's 0:17:14.730 --> 0:17:18.810 like what would happen if every leader let one ignorant 0:17:18.810 --> 0:17:22.530 person stop them from leading? Wouldn't be no leader. You 0:17:22.530 --> 0:17:24.730 would never have a pastor. Because I'm going to tell 0:17:24.730 --> 0:17:31.889 you this. Somebody offends me every time I come. Somebody 0:17:31.890 --> 0:17:39.730 said something to me that's out the box all the time. Emails, letters. 0:17:40.050 --> 0:17:43.530 You know what I do? I file them in that 0:17:43.570 --> 0:17:50.770 receptacle beside my desk. That's what I do. Because some 0:17:50.770 --> 0:17:54.810 people have the gift of criticism. Now, now, if it's 0:17:54.850 --> 0:17:59.450 if it's if it's a valid comment, I always listen 0:17:59.490 --> 0:18:02.609 to every valid comment. But. But there are people who. 0:18:02.650 --> 0:18:07.730 They just say things just to hurt you. Yeah. And 0:18:07.730 --> 0:18:10.210 so I know those folk. And so I don't worry 0:18:10.210 --> 0:18:14.370 about it. I don't worry about it at all. They, they, 0:18:14.410 --> 0:18:19.530 you know, they come with the territory. You know, if 0:18:19.530 --> 0:18:22.210 you ain't ready for that, you ain't ready to do ministry. 0:18:22.330 --> 0:18:26.209 So then he says, stand not just against the evil devil, 0:18:26.210 --> 0:18:31.530 the evil day, but the every device. And he's talking 0:18:31.530 --> 0:18:38.330 about resources that the devil has strategy. That's what the 0:18:38.330 --> 0:18:41.450 Bible calls it, from which we get the word strategy. 0:18:42.130 --> 0:18:44.409 And so what we have to do is we have 0:18:44.410 --> 0:18:46.690 been given the keys to the kingdom. Now, what do 0:18:46.730 --> 0:18:50.050 keys do? Open gates. And what gates? Already open the 0:18:50.050 --> 0:18:53.210 gates of hell. So every time hell has a resource, 0:18:53.210 --> 0:18:56.930 we have a key. Every time hell puts up a gate, 0:18:56.930 --> 0:19:01.330 we have a key. And then at the end it 0:19:01.330 --> 0:19:05.530 says stand at the end. And that is to be resolute. 0:19:06.490 --> 0:19:13.330 Resolute that is always ready to fight. So then next line. 0:19:13.570 --> 0:19:17.010 He was a fellow soldier, but not a fellow worker. 0:19:19.369 --> 0:19:22.330 And so he was the one that would charge hell 0:19:22.330 --> 0:19:25.770 with a water pistol and tell God I'll put it out. 0:19:26.170 --> 0:19:28.330 He was a fellow soldier, but not a fellow worker. 0:19:28.369 --> 0:19:31.330 Now let me show you. They go hand in hand 0:19:32.410 --> 0:19:36.010 that that that God wants the soldier and the servant 0:19:36.450 --> 0:19:41.649 to come together. So in Nehemiah chapter 14, here's what 0:19:41.690 --> 0:19:44.209 Nehemiah says. Let me just read it to you. It 0:19:44.210 --> 0:19:47.970 says in verse 17, be everyone with one of his 0:19:47.970 --> 0:19:51.810 hands wrought in the work. With the other hand he 0:19:51.850 --> 0:19:55.369 held a weapon. So they had a shovel in one 0:19:55.369 --> 0:19:59.570 hand and a weapon in the other hand. Nehemiah said, 0:19:59.570 --> 0:20:04.050 stand on the wall. Be ready to work. Be ready 0:20:04.050 --> 0:20:09.250 to war. Every Christian is a warrior and every Christian 0:20:09.250 --> 0:20:15.290 is a worker at the same time. So then basically 0:20:15.290 --> 0:20:18.690 then how do you encourage saints to serve? God led 0:20:18.690 --> 0:20:21.649 you here not just to come and get the word. 0:20:21.650 --> 0:20:25.410 God led you here to work. For we are his workmanship, 0:20:25.410 --> 0:20:30.649 created in Christ Jesus unto good works. It's time to 0:20:30.650 --> 0:20:35.770 work people. So how do you encourage them? This one 0:20:35.770 --> 0:20:39.450 verse and like I said, we studied on a Sunday before, 0:20:39.690 --> 0:20:43.130 but this one verse, listen to it. He says the 0:20:43.130 --> 0:20:47.530 first thing you do and say to our shepherds, stop. 0:20:47.850 --> 0:20:51.129 He says, the first thing you do is confront them 0:20:51.530 --> 0:21:01.160 to instigate them, confront them, to instigate them. Him. What 0:21:01.160 --> 0:21:04.280 do you mean? Confront them to instigate them? Where do 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:09.760 you get that? And say to Archippus? Confront them. To 0:21:09.800 --> 0:21:14.800 instigate them. Say, what are you talking about? Here's here's 0:21:14.800 --> 0:21:20.520 what he's. Here's what he's doing. There is what's called 0:21:20.520 --> 0:21:24.639 an ox goad. Anybody know what an ox goad is? 0:21:25.640 --> 0:21:28.280 Let me tell you what an ox goad is. It's 0:21:28.280 --> 0:21:33.880 a long stick that a farmer would use. And at 0:21:33.880 --> 0:21:37.000 the end, it had a sharp point. And if the 0:21:37.000 --> 0:21:42.280 ox didn't work, the farmer would stick the ox with 0:21:42.280 --> 0:21:50.800 the ox. Goad. Stick a stick. Uh, so Paul says 0:21:50.800 --> 0:21:55.479 there are people who are oxen. That's that's what he 0:21:55.480 --> 0:21:58.560 likens us to. Why? Because oxen will work. So we're 0:21:58.560 --> 0:22:01.680 all oxen because we've been given that nature by Christ. 0:22:04.440 --> 0:22:07.240 That is Pastor James Ford Junior, reminding us that it's 0:22:07.240 --> 0:22:10.480 not enough just to be in a tender or an observer. 0:22:10.720 --> 0:22:13.760 We need to get involved. While you're listening to Treasure Truth, 0:22:13.760 --> 0:22:16.600 and you can find us online at Treasure Truth radio.org. 0:22:17.200 --> 0:22:19.520 You know, if you're a longtime listener, it's no surprise 0:22:19.520 --> 0:22:22.680 to you that this is a listener supported ministry. We're 0:22:22.680 --> 0:22:25.120 glad to be able to provide Pastor Ford's teaching free 0:22:25.119 --> 0:22:27.800 of charge, so that lives can be transformed through an 0:22:27.800 --> 0:22:31.080 encounter with God's Word. But even though it's free to listen, 0:22:31.080 --> 0:22:34.480 it does cost money to produce this program and purchase airtime. 0:22:34.880 --> 0:22:38.080 And that's where your support comes into play. Regardless of 0:22:38.080 --> 0:22:40.919 the size, your financial gifts are an essential part of 0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:43.679 what God is doing through treasure truth. So give a 0:22:43.680 --> 0:22:49.520 donation when you call 888644 7660 or go online to 0:22:49.560 --> 0:22:53.360 Treasure Truth radio.org and a thank you for your gift 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:55.960 of any amount. We're going to send you Pastor Ford's book, 0:22:56.000 --> 0:23:00.600 seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage. You know, statistically, most 0:23:00.600 --> 0:23:03.880 people will get married at some point in their life. Unfortunately, 0:23:04.119 --> 0:23:07.159 many will also get divorced. But what if many of 0:23:07.160 --> 0:23:11.040 these divorces could be prevented by a biblical understanding of marriage? 0:23:11.400 --> 0:23:13.600 What if your marriage could grow while your faith and 0:23:13.600 --> 0:23:16.800 understanding of God's Word also grows? Well, as you read 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:20.240 seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage, you'll begin to grasp 0:23:20.240 --> 0:23:23.520 God's incredible plan for marriage as a source of strength 0:23:23.520 --> 0:23:26.520 and faith for your life. So give a donation and 0:23:26.520 --> 0:23:32.480 request your copy today. Call us at 888 644 7660 0:23:32.760 --> 0:23:37.439 or go online to Treasure Truth Radio.com. Hi, I'm Steve Hiller. 0:23:37.480 --> 0:23:40.240 Our producer is Amy Rios. Join us again Tuesday as 0:23:40.240 --> 0:23:44.119 Pastor Ford continues this message about getting involved right here 0:23:44.119 --> 0:23:48.640 on Treasure Truth. A production of Moody Radio, a ministry 0:23:48.640 --> 0:23:50.200 of Moody Bible Institute.