S1: Today. Hope and encouragement that it's not over yet. Stay tuned.
S2: There's some of you that are in a season that
S2: you're racing, that some of you have gotten to a
S2: place that's difficult, that's hard, and you've just quit. God
S2: wants you to know it's not over yet.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, president of Moody
S1: Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life Community Church
S1: in Chicago. In our message series, we're looking at what
S1: it means to be fully devoted to God. And today,
S1: we travel all the way toward the end of the
S1: Old Testament to the book of Haggai and how he
S1: was able to wake up people who became lukewarm in
S1: their faith. They had lost vision along their spiritual journey. Mark,
S1: I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a runner.
S1: I don't know if you're a runner. Are you a runner?
S2: I'm an intermittent runner.
S1: Intermittent runner. Okay. You stop and start? Exactly. Okay, but
S1: there's different kinds of running events. There's a triathlon and
S1: an Ironman triathlon. Do you know the difference?
S2: You know, I don't know it that well, but my
S2: sister in law recently did a triathlon, and she started
S2: explaining it to me that there's different types.
S1: Runners have a way of doing that, don't they?
S2: Yes they.
S1: Do. Well, I bring that up because any endurance race
S1: involves training, as we all know. So we're going to
S1: talk about spiritual training today.
S2: Yeah, I just had a couple of friends that did
S2: the Chicago Marathon and boy, one of them could barely walk.
S2: I mean, he was he was sore. But you know,
S2: it does require training, effort, focus and vision.
S1: The message today is entitled it's not over yet. So
S1: here's Mark Jobe with some marathon bold steps.
S2: A quarry was his name. He had been chosen by
S2: Tanzania Year to compete in the Mexico Olympics that were,
S2: I believe, in 1968. He considered it a great privilege
S2: that he was able to run representing his country. This
S2: would be a brutal run, 26 miles in some high altitude,
S2: where the oxygen kind of is a little thin. But
S2: Atwari was up for the task with pride. He circled
S2: around at the beginning of the Olympics carrying his Tanzania flag,
S2: hoping that he would do the best as they ran
S2: this brutal, brutal course. The gunshot he took off with
S2: many other athletes running this marathon of 26 miles. He
S2: was doing pretty well until mile 12 and mile 12.
S2: Some of the runners started jostling a little bit, moving,
S2: pushing each other, and atwari fell. It was a bad fall.
S2: He messed up his knee. He skinned his leg. He
S2: dislocated his shoulder. Many thought that he was out of
S2: the race. But when he got up, he started to
S2: limp and run again. But he was running very slow.
S2: The doctors on the sidelines said, hey, just. Just quit
S2: the race. You're injured. You don't have to finish. But
S2: to their amazement and surprise, Atwari kept running. He had
S2: 14 miles yet to go and he kept running, half running,
S2: half limping, half walking. All of the other marathon runners
S2: completed the race. They marched. They ran into the stadium
S2: at the applause of thousands and thousands of people that
S2: applauded them. Atwari was an hour later. By that time,
S2: the stadium had cleared out only for a couple thousand people.
S2: Dusk was falling. It was getting dark already. The crowd
S2: had dispersed for the most part. And then suddenly someone said, hey,
S2: look at him! And there he was. A marine entered
S2: into the stadium, limping, walking, trying to run. The crowd
S2: got up, looked at him, this injured athlete as he
S2: made one last round around the stadium and passed right
S2: through the finish line. He was the last by far
S2: of 57 marathon athletes that finished the race. When the
S2: reporter was able to talk to Atwari, he put a
S2: microphone in his in his face and he said, Atwari,
S2: why didn't you quit? I mean, you were way, way,
S2: way late. Why don't you just get. Why don't you
S2: just give up? Atwari said my country did not send
S2: me 10,000 miles just to start the race. They sent
S2: me to finish the race. Every person in this auditorium
S2: is in a race. We in the church are in
S2: a race. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. We
S2: may have sprints within the marathon, but it's a long
S2: term race. And there's some of you that are in
S2: a season that you're racing, that some of you have
S2: gotten to a place that's difficult, that's hard, and you've
S2: just quit. You stop trying, you stop running. You set
S2: down on the side. You said it's just too hard. Oh,
S2: you're still alive. You're still breathing. But you're not running.
S2: You're not racing. There's no vision of the future. There's
S2: no vision for the finish line you've You just set out.
S2: And I believe that God has called me here today
S2: because I believe that God has called me to stir.
S2: Some of you up to finish what God has started. Yeah.
S2: Because I believe this, that some of you are in
S2: a race that even though you may have set out,
S2: God wants you to know it's not over yet. Tap
S2: the person beside you and say it's not over yet.
S2: Tap the person on the other side. Hey, I think
S2: some of you are going to speak this prophetically into
S2: someone's life. Look at the person beside you in the
S2: eye and say it's not over yet.
S3: It's not over yet.
S2: How many of you needed to hear someone tell you
S2: that today? How many of you needed to hear someone
S2: tell you, hey, it's not over yet. It's not over yet.
S2: And as I was praying for this service today, I
S2: was drawn to Haggai, this little book in the Old Testament,
S2: because the message that the prophet was delivering to the
S2: people that he was speaking to is exactly that message.
S2: It's not over yet. And I want to tell you
S2: a little bit about this message, and I want to
S2: I want us to understand and learn from Haggai three
S2: vital principles that we need to learn and grasp and
S2: understand if we are going to finish what we started.
S2: If you're jotting notes today, I want you to write
S2: this down. I believe that we move to the finish
S2: line when we decide to stop postponing and determine to
S2: complete what we've started. Some of us are major procrastinators. Manana, manana. Later. Later. Hey,
S2: can you take out the garbage? Yeah, later. Hey, can
S2: you take the car for an oil change? I'm getting
S2: to it later. Can you do your homework later? Later?
S2: It's easy to procrastinate in little things, but it's a
S2: major problem when we start procrastinating in our God given destiny.
S2: And so I want you to know what was happening
S2: with the people of Israel when Haggai came up to
S2: them and said, stop procrastinating. So what had happened was
S2: that in the year 586 BC, so 586 years before
S2: Christ was born, a long time ago, 2500 years ago,
S2: the people of Israel had been called by God a
S2: set aside nation. They had built Jerusalem. They had built
S2: the temple. Solomon had built a magnificent temple in the
S2: center of town that had become the place of worship.
S2: If you turn on the television and they're talking about
S2: the Middle East. There's a wall that remains from Solomon's
S2: Temple in Jerusalem. That's called the Wailing Wall. I've been there. Uh,
S2: Jewish people still believe that that's the closest gate to heaven.
S2: And they take little prayers, and they put it in
S2: the wall, and you'll see people going back and forth
S2: and praying at that wall. Because it's the original from
S2: Solomon's Wall. Well, because the people of Israel did not
S2: follow God and turned to other idols and turned their
S2: back on God and drifted away from God, God decided
S2: that he would let Israel be devastated by their enemy.
S2: So the Babylonians came and they conquered Jerusalem. They conquered Israel.
S2: They ransacked the city. They tore down the walls, they
S2: burned the houses, and they took all of the gold
S2: from the temple, all of the holy artifacts. And they
S2: destroyed the temple. Brick after brick knocked it down. So
S2: it was left in ruins. True. And they were taken
S2: as slaves back to Babylon. You remember the story of Daniel,
S2: who was one of the young leaders that was taken
S2: as a slave. They were there for 70 years. Jerusalem
S2: was in ruins. The people of Israel were devastated. Now,
S2: sometimes what happens when we turn our back on God?
S2: Sometimes what happens when we start going our own way
S2: is God has to lead us through a season of
S2: devastation in order to take us back to a season
S2: of restoration. Some of you are here today because you
S2: had to have some devastation in your life that woke
S2: you up and have brought you to a place of restoration.
S3: Amen. Amen.
S2: And so God woke the people of Israel back and said,
S2: I will send you back to rebuild Jerusalem. God wasn't
S2: done with their story. And so after 70 years, there
S2: was a group of people, 50,000 Jews that were allowed
S2: to return to the devastated city of Jerusalem. The walls
S2: were down, the city was in ruin. It was just
S2: a devastating, desolate city. But 50,000 came back to say,
S2: we will rebuild this city. We have a vision of
S2: what Jerusalem can be again. We have a dream that
S2: this city can be rebuilt and this will be a
S2: place of peace and a place where God reigns. The
S2: temple will be rebuilt. We will worship again like we
S2: used to worship. We will. Their children will dance in
S2: the streets and laugh and play like they used to.
S2: We will follow God and as we follow God, we
S2: will rebuild this city. They had gone back to do so,
S2: but something happened. You know, when God gives us a
S2: big task, it's not always easy. When God gives us
S2: a big vision, it gets interrupted by opposition Position. By criticism,
S2: by obstacles, by discouragement. And here's what I've discovered that
S2: there's two twins that tend to derail us. Discouragement and distraction.
S2: When we become discouraged and distracted, we typically stop doing
S2: what God has called us to do, and we start
S2: putting our energies into other things because discouragement and distraction
S2: work hand in hand to take us away from the
S2: destiny that God has called us to. Some of you
S2: right now are not finishing what God called you to do,
S2: because you've been discouraged and distracted. You got discouraged because
S2: someone hurt you. You got discouraged because it was too long.
S2: You got discouraged because it felt like it wasn't making progress.
S2: And when you got discouraged, you started looking around. And
S2: when you got discouraged, you started getting distracted. And you figured,
S2: if I can't win this, I'll win it something else
S2: until you've thrown yourself into something else and the very
S2: call that God has on your life, the very destiny
S2: that God has had you for you have abandoned it
S2: because of discouragement and distraction. I believe that God has
S2: called me to wake some of you up today, to
S2: get you out of discouragement and distraction, to say, hey, hey,
S2: you're you're sidetracked. God is not done with you yet.
S2: Don't bail out of the marathon. It's not over yet.
S2: You're still in the race. Get off the bench! Get
S2: off the sideline! Get into the game that God has
S2: called you to because you are wasting a lot of
S2: your precious energy, time, faith, gifting talents when you live
S2: in the world of discouragement and distraction.
S1: It's not over yet. That's Mark job with today's bold steps.
S1: And today's broadcast is not over yet, we're only at
S1: the halfway point with a short reminder that this message,
S1: along with all in the fully devoted series, are available
S1: to hear again or share with a friend. Just go
S1: to Bold Steps, make bold Steps a favorite, and Mark's
S1: daily message will be only a click away on demand.
S1: Whatever you want to listen, find it at bold Steps.
S1: By the way, at the website Bold Steps. Org. Feel
S1: free to share any pressing questions you might have for
S1: Mark by simply clicking on the tab labeled Ask a Question,
S1: and then we often find time in the program to
S1: respond to some of those questions. And Mark, I've got
S1: one for you right here today if it's okay.
S2: Absolutely.
S1: All right. This listener asks, what does the New Testament
S1: say about women leading music ministries?
S4: Yeah. Well, I appreciate, uh, your question and there's been
S4: a lot of debate recently about women and Women in
S4: leadership in the church. What does the Bible have to say?
S4: Let me just say this about women leading worship. First
S4: of all, the New Testament doesn't explicitly say anything really
S4: about male or female worship leaders. It's not forbidden. It
S4: doesn't say much about it. However, there are some general exhortations,
S4: for example, in Ephesians chapter five. Um, it says, addressing
S4: one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
S4: and making melody to the Lord with your heart. So
S4: I believe that as we lead in worship, there is
S4: no restriction, whether male or female, to lead the congregation
S4: in worship. There is one thing I would encourage, however.
S4: They need to be able to sing. Okay. That would
S4: be it.
S1: Rules out some, doesn't it? Some of us.
S4: So I would say if someone has the gift and
S4: has a heart for it, that there is no restriction
S4: in Scripture in terms of leading the congregation in worship.
S1: All right. Thank you for that question. We do read
S1: all the questions that come in and have time to
S1: occasionally share one here on the broadcast. If you want
S1: to share your question with Mark, go to Bold Steps
S1: and click on the link that says Ask a question.
S1: All right. Back to today's message. Now fully devoted, here's Mark.
S2: So Haggai was raised as a prophet. Thank God for
S2: the prophets in our life. How about it? Oh, we
S2: may not call them prophets, but sometimes God brings friends
S2: with the prophetic voice. A prophecy is a word. It's
S2: God's Word at his moment and his time given by God.
S2: And I believe that there's friends in our life sometimes
S2: that come with a prophetic voice. There's people around us
S2: that sometimes God, because we're not listening to God himself,
S2: we're not reading His Word. We're not calling upon God.
S2: Sometimes God will have to raise a friend that speaks
S2: prophetically into our life, challenging us. And Haggai came to
S2: the people of Israel. They had started to build the temple.
S2: They had laid a foundation. They had built the altar.
S2: So they were still having services there. But because of
S2: the opposition of a group called the Samaritans, they had left,
S2: they got discouraged. And then they got distracted. You know
S2: what they got distracted with? They got distracted with good stuff,
S2: not God stuff. They got distracted because God had told them,
S2: build up the temple, but because they got discouraged. It
S2: took a lot of work. There was opposition, they got discouraged,
S2: and so they started rebuilding the city. They got discouraged
S2: with their stuff. They started building up their houses, building
S2: their yards, finishing their the roofs, paneling, the inside doing
S2: their floors, improving their homes. They kept saying, yeah, we'll
S2: get back to the temple. Yeah, yeah, we're going to
S2: finish it. Yeah, we're going to get back to it.
S2: It's just not the right time yet. It's not the
S2: proper season, you know, that you can get distracted with
S2: good things from the God things not they're not bad.
S2: They're not evil, they're good, but they're not the God things.
S2: And so 14 years later, they still had not done
S2: what God had called them to do rebuild the temple.
S2: 14 years later, the temple was still in ruins. 14
S2: years later, the walls hadn't been built. 14 years later,
S2: they were still procrastinating. They kind of got used to
S2: the way it was. You know, you live so long
S2: in a certain way, you start getting used to something
S2: that is not the best. You live long enough in
S2: a certain way and you start getting used to substandard living.
S2: You live with something long enough and you start forgetting
S2: that it's a problem. You live with abuse long enough
S2: and you think that abuse is normal. It's the standard.
S2: It's the way life is. It's been that way for
S2: a long time. It'll probably never change. And you just
S2: accept verbal abuse. Physical abuse, and you believe that that's
S2: just the way it is. If you live with it
S2: long enough, you live in a house full of strife
S2: and chaos and criticism and doubt and anger. You live
S2: that way long enough and you just start to assume
S2: that's the way it'll always be. That's the way it's
S2: always been. I expect it, anticipate it, believe it. You
S2: live in poverty and indebtedness This where you can barely
S2: pay your bills and you always have creditors calling you up,
S2: and you just believe that that's the way life is.
S2: It's always barely, barely surviving, barely living. It's always one
S2: paycheck to another. It's moving apart. And it's while creditors
S2: chase after you and follow after you. It's just the
S2: lifestyle that you've become used to. You live there. You
S2: accept it. You make it your culture. You think it's
S2: normal because when you procrastinate on something long enough, long enough,
S2: you start getting used to a culture of procrastination, even
S2: though it's not what God has called you to.
S1: That was Mark Jobe, and this is Bold Steps. Our
S1: message titled It's Not Over Yet. And this lesson isn't
S1: over yet either. It continues Monday, so make plans to
S1: join us then. Of course, in the meantime, you're encouraged
S1: to visit our website where you can find more messages
S1: like this one from Mark and the website is bold steps.org. Well, Mark,
S1: let's talk with the author of our bold step gift,
S1: doctor Heather Holloman.
S4: Absolutely excited to do so. You know, recent studies have
S4: shown that nearly half of all adults report not having
S4: a meaningful conversation weighing in their daily lives. That's pretty startling,
S4: I guess, but it's one of those things that motivated
S4: our guest today to write her book, doctor Heather Holloman.
S4: In the six conversations, you talk about four mindsets that
S4: are essential for meaningful conversations. Can you walk us through
S4: those four mindsets?
S5: Yes, and thank you for having me on this program.
S5: In order to have a warm connection with someone, you
S5: need to be curious. Believe the best about them, express concern,
S5: and share your life. They seem really simple, but most
S5: people are deficient in one of those categories.
S4: That is good. Yeah, so this is some of the
S4: elements needed to have a meaningful Conversation, which in your book,
S4: obviously you talk about how conversation is the bridge way
S4: to really communicate our faith.
S5: That's right. And I got really excited about the power
S5: of having a warm connection. Once you know how to
S5: deeply connect with someone. Evangelism is never going to feel
S5: like a sales pitch or an awkward pivot in the conversation.
S5: Good point. So I was really delighted to read the
S5: social science research and also how Scripture has it really
S5: supports all of that. We've learned this is ancient wisdom literature.
S4: I love it, Heather, because so many people, when they
S4: think about evangelism, they think of a sales pitch or
S4: I have to do a mini lecture, and most people
S4: it intimidates. But to have a healthy conversation that naturally
S4: goes to those important places of spirituality, I think, lowers
S4: the barrier of fear and allows us to more naturally engage.
S4: Thank you, Heather for writing this book. This, I think,
S4: is going to be a great resource for people that
S4: are seeking to bridge the gap of meaningful conversations with
S4: their loved ones.
S5: Thank you.
S1: Well, we'll be happy to send you a copy of
S1: Heather's book, The Six Conversations. When you make a donation
S1: of any amount to support Bold steps, just call us
S1: at 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639 or give online at
S1: Bold steps. Org or send your gift through the mail
S1: by writing to us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago,
S1: Illinois 606 ten. And if this ministry has made a
S1: meaningful impact in your life, and you'd like to help
S1: make a similar impact in someone else's life, consider becoming
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S1: continue reaching new listeners with these Bible based messages sharing
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S1: you half off every purchase at the Moody Publishers website.
S1: Sign up to become a bold partner today. At Bold
S1: steps.org or call us at 800 Moody. Well, Mark, here
S1: we are on a Friday. But there's something coming up
S1: on the weekend that we want our listeners to know about.
S1: That's a whole new program, our sister program, Bold Steps Weekend.
S4: Yeah. So some of our listeners already know this, but
S4: we have a another program called Bold Steps Weekend. So
S4: it's not just Monday through Friday. Some of the stations,
S4: if you're listening to your radio station, may just cover
S4: it Monday through Friday, but you can listen via the
S4: app or via podcasts to our weekend programming. And this
S4: weekend we have a message entitled headlines. What's your name
S4: tag say? You know, we live in a culture that
S4: is increasingly hostile to Christianity. And, um, you know, oftentimes
S4: we are labeled by others and, uh, in first Peter
S4: and second Peter. There's a lot that's spoken about a
S4: group of people that's in a hostile environment, but we
S4: are called chosen people. We have an identity given to
S4: us by God, not by the culture. And we need
S4: to live and walk and breathe that identity. So that message,
S4: I think, is going to encourage some people, and.
S1: We're grateful to have this opportunity on the weekend to
S1: present another message from God's Word through Mark. So check
S1: it out. Bold steps weekend on many of these stations
S1: and always online at Bold Steps. Org. Well, that's what's
S1: coming up this weekend, but Monday, make plans to join
S1: us for part two of today's message titled It's Not
S1: Over Yet. That's coming up next week on Bold Steps
S1: with Mark John. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio,
S1: a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.