S1: Today on Bold steps with Mark job. We're learning how
S1: to be victorious in our walk with Christ.
S2: What God does is he fills our spiritual tool belt
S2: with the tools that we're going to need to be successful.
S2: God does not call you to be a follower of
S2: his without giving you everything you need to succeed.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark job. Mark is president
S1: of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor of New
S1: Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Well, going
S1: against the crowd or the cultural norms of any given
S1: society can be difficult to do. But it's nothing new,
S1: as we'll see. Today, it's something that even the apostles
S1: had to deal with and work through. Our message is
S1: called Take Your Place, and if you have your Bible handy,
S1: flip to the book of Ephesians, because Mark is going
S1: to be showing us that when you believe, everything changes.
S2: Hey, you come to Christ, men, there may need to
S2: be a bonfire while you pull out those Playboy magazines
S2: and other such things and get rid of it. Because
S2: what you start realizing is that this is incompatible with
S2: my new life in Christ. There are certain things that
S2: when Christ comes in, you leave behind that. That's called conversion.
S2: And they had this huge bonfire experience, and God began
S2: to work in such miraculous ways that it was at
S2: this time that the Bible tells us that even the
S2: handkerchief that came from Paul and touched people was healing
S2: people from physical diseases, such as the anointing and the
S2: power of God upon Ephesus at that time. There are
S2: times when God works in some miraculous, powerful way, supernatural
S2: that we cannot explain when God is seeking to do something.
S2: It is also at that time that there was a
S2: major riot, because anytime the church progresses, there will always
S2: be opposition. Count on it. When God begins to do something,
S2: there will always be opposition to what God is seeking
S2: to do. This time, the opposition came via the unions
S2: of the city of Ephesus. Making idols and pagan gods
S2: was a big business. In the days of Ephesus, there
S2: were hundreds of gods that existed. There was the god
S2: of fertility, and there was the god of vengeance. There
S2: was the god of the shoemakers and the god of
S2: the sailors. There was the god of the farmers, and
S2: the god of the multitude of things of gods. And
S2: every person. If you went into their house in those
S2: days in Ephesus, everybody would have their little statues, the
S2: gods that they would pray to, and they were sort
S2: of their sponsoring gods, so to speak. And if you
S2: walk down the streets of Ephesus, there were statues of
S2: different gods that would line the streets of Ephesus. And
S2: and the tradesmen made much of their money by building
S2: these statues out of wood and and out of rock
S2: and out of iron. And they would build these statues,
S2: and it was a big money business, and people would
S2: buy their statues and dedicate their statues. When people started
S2: coming to Christ, the union trades workers began to realize
S2: Christianity has no God statues. They have an invisible God
S2: that they worship, an invisible God that they worship, that
S2: claims that he rules heaven and earth. And they began
S2: to realize that if Christianity spreads, we will lose our business.
S2: No one will buy statues anymore. We'll lose tens of
S2: thousands of dollars and go out of business. So they
S2: organized a riot. How many of you know that? Sometimes
S2: the opposition of Christianity is not just on religious views.
S2: Sometimes it can be political, racist and economic. Hello. Don't
S2: be naive into thinking that opposition will just come. Out
S2: of spiritual opposition. When we went to buy this church
S2: building here that you're in right now, this was a factory,
S2: 84,000 square foot factory. And we decided that we were
S2: going to buy this building and convert this building into
S2: a church ministry center, and we're super excited about it.
S2: We were challenged by raising the money for this because
S2: it's a lot of money. It was $2 million to
S2: buy this building. 2 million? Thank you. Jesus. There's a
S2: lot of money. That's a whole nother story. How God
S2: provided that and how people sacrificed. But when we went
S2: to get this building, uh, the building in Chicago, you
S2: have to zone a building for something. This building was
S2: zoned for manufacturing. For what? Factories are zoned for. And
S2: we need to design it for a church use. And
S2: in order to zone it for a church use, you
S2: have to get approval downtown at City Hall. And in
S2: order to get approval downtown at City Hall, you have
S2: to go through the alderman's office here. And in this case,
S2: to go through the alderman's office here. He had a
S2: zoning board that we had to come before, and the
S2: zoning board had to approve it in order to change
S2: the status so that we could get a church here.
S2: And I thought, no problem, no big deal. They're going
S2: to love us because we do a lot of good
S2: for the community. We'll help out, we'll bless, we'll open
S2: up the doors, and we will do anything that we
S2: can to help the community. And when we went down
S2: to try to get the zoning, most of the people
S2: on the zoning board were favorable. Happy for us. But
S2: there was a few people that were belligerently opposed to
S2: us starting a church here. Aggressively opposed, like door to door.
S2: Say no. Oppose it. Get against it. And I didn't
S2: understand why they said it would be parking congestion. And
S2: they said it would be hard. But when it all
S2: came down to it, what I heard behind the doors
S2: is there was two issues with us having a church here.
S2: Number one. Number one, there were too many Hispanics. Straight
S2: out blatant bigotry. Sometimes that's how the devil opposes things.
S2: It's not always theological. Sometimes it's blatant prejudice and bigotry.
S2: And number two, it was religious. We were an evangelical church.
S2: And there was opposition behind thank God. Praise God that
S2: God is the opener of the doors. And God can
S2: go before us, and God can open and God can
S2: close doors. God fights our battles. God rises up. God
S2: does things when things are opposed. But but it doesn't
S2: mean we didn't work on it. And so I want
S2: you to understand that that sometimes opposition will arise on
S2: a lot of different ways to the progress and spread
S2: of the gospel. It doesn't always come just out of
S2: theological persecution. It can rise up out of economic and
S2: racial bigotry that that that rises up to try to
S2: put the stop to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Well,
S2: in this case, it was economic. Christianity did not make
S2: statues and the early Christians did not have other gods.
S2: I oftentimes run into people that walk into this auditorium
S2: coming from different backgrounds, and they look around at this
S2: bland auditorium and they think to themselves, this must be
S2: a poor church. They can't even afford statues. I mean,
S2: where are the images of statues of Jesus and Mary
S2: and the Saints. And. Poor, poor church. Well, let me
S2: just say this. That there's a reason that we don't
S2: have statues. And I know some of you grew up
S2: in traditions where you would walk into a church and
S2: there would be many images, um, of different saints and
S2: images of Christ and Mary and many other religious images.
S2: But I want you to understand that we deliberately have
S2: no Jesus on a cross here. We deliberately have no
S2: statues of Saint Paul or Jude or Peter or the
S2: Virgin Mary. We deliberately have no statues. Why? We have
S2: no statues. Because one of the Ten Commandments is. Thou
S2: shalt have no graven images before me. One of the
S2: Ten Commandments is that we will make no graven images
S2: that we worship and pray to. And I've been around
S2: way too many places where people would go up to
S2: an image of stone and touch it and pray to it.
S2: And even though they know it's not Jesus, you look
S2: to an image of Jesus and you begin to think
S2: that it's sacred. And I've been to too many places
S2: where people are making pilgrimages to touch a statue, be
S2: blessed by a statue, pray to a statue. The Bible
S2: calls that idolatry. And the very thing that you think
S2: is going to help you pray is actually angers the
S2: heart of God. Therefore, we have no statues in this place.
S2: When you worship Jesus, I want you to envision and
S2: pray to a Jesus that's risen, alive, reigns on high
S2: over the earth. A living Jesus, not a Jesus on
S2: a cross. When you approach Jesus, I don't want you
S2: to approach a statue and touch a statue and ask
S2: for blessing from a statue. I want you to go
S2: in prayer and look to the heavens and say, Jesus,
S2: you are alive in spirit and in truth, and I
S2: come to you as a living being, asking you to
S2: touch me, bless me, answer my prayers. That's the living
S2: Jesus that we follow and worship. And you say, pastor, well,
S2: what about the images that I have in my home?
S2: I don't want to be harsh or critical of anybody
S2: if you have images or statues in your home, but
S2: if it were me, I would get rid of them.
S2: There's too much danger in making these images something sacred,
S2: something holy and beginning to put your confidence in something.
S2: An image made in the image of God rather than
S2: in God Himself. There is no nothing made out of wood, stone,
S2: marble that can help you. It's the spirit of the
S2: living God that has power to help you. It's he
S2: that saves you. And we must be very careful not
S2: to fall into idolatry. This huge riot that broke out
S2: in Ephesus broke out because they were afraid that Christianity
S2: was building no statues anymore. I've been in the amphitheater
S2: in Ephesus. That amphitheater, said to be 490ft in diameter,
S2: 63 rows of seats that provide seating for an audience
S2: of close to 24,000 people. 24,000. How many does the
S2: United Center seat? 20 Has the capacity to seat as
S2: many people or more than the United Center, in my estimation.
S2: I've been in that theater. I was there in Turkey,
S2: and I knelt on the stage of that platform, and
S2: I envisioned a crowd of 20,000 people. That was anti
S2: Paul and the church. And I remember kneeling there and
S2: I prayed, Oh God, give me the boldness that Paul
S2: had to be able to stand up in front of
S2: a crowd, of be willing to stand up in front
S2: of a crowd of 20,000 angry mob that would have
S2: killed them. Yet he was so desirous to preach the
S2: gospel that they had to hold them back for him
S2: not to go in there and preach the gospel of Jesus. God,
S2: give us that boldness.
S1: You're listening to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe, or
S1: pausing our message to let you know about our Bold
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S2: That's a deal in and of itself.
S1: I like.
S2: It. I'm looking at some of the books through Moody Publishers,
S2: and we have counted all joy with John Perkins, that is.
S2: Looks like a great book. The Pathway to Freedom Alistair Begg,
S2: The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. Classic, right. And
S2: here's one that I actually wrote the foreword to. Or
S2: an endorsement for Michael Riedel, Nick's book, the 50 Most
S2: Important Bible Questions. And of course, he has a program,
S2: a weekly program called Open Line where he answers Bible questions.
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S1: into God's Word with Mark Jobe.
S2: Four years later, Paul was in prison in Rome, and
S2: it was from that prison in Rome that Paul wrote
S2: to the church that he loved. He wrote a letter
S2: to the Ephesians. Ephesians chapter one, verse one. It says. Paul,
S2: the apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God,
S2: to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.
S2: Now let me ask you a question. When he says,
S2: I'm writing to the saints in Ephesus, to whom is
S2: he referring? Christians. Now, I'm going to shock some of
S2: you with this, because some of you, when you think
S2: of a saint, you think of someone that lived a very,
S2: very good life, did a lot of very, very good things, died,
S2: did a couple miracles, and then years after they die,
S2: the church votes on it and decides to make them
S2: a saint. And then we see pictures of them with
S2: a halo, and we believe that they are the saints.
S2: But I'm going to destroy your image of that. When
S2: he says, like in the book of Romans, it says
S2: to the saints and the book of First Corinthians it
S2: says to the saints, when he says to the saints
S2: in Ephesus, he's talking. He's talking to everyone that's a
S2: believer and follower of Jesus Christ in the Bible is
S2: considered a saint. Well, I know that shocks some of you,
S2: but if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, washed
S2: by the blood of Jesus with the Holy Spirit inside
S2: of you, you are a legitimate saint before the eyes
S2: of God. So just to break down that mentality a
S2: little bit, let's just practice for a moment, say Saint.
S2: And now put your name behind the word saint. Go
S2: ahead Saint. For some of you, it's really like, whoa,
S2: this is hard to do. Saint mark. I like the
S2: sound of that. And from a biblical perspective, that's the
S2: way God sees you. You are considered a saint not
S2: because of what you have done or not done, but
S2: because of what Christ has done for you and in you.
S2: The word saint comes from the word holy. The word
S2: holy means set apart unto something. So any person that
S2: has been set apart unto God for the work of
S2: God is considered a saint in the Bible. So when
S2: the Apostle Paul says to the saints that are in Ephesus,
S2: he's saying to the church that is in Ephesus, the
S2: called out believers, the ones that know Jesus Christ as
S2: Lord and Savior, to the to the saints in Ephesus,
S2: the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace and peace to you
S2: from God our father and our Lord Jesus Christ. And
S2: now Paul begins to explain. And for the first verses
S2: that you see in verse three through verse Uh 13.
S2: He begins to talk to them about what they have
S2: and who they are in God. Or another way of
S2: saying it is what they have in their spiritual tool belt.
S2: Oftentimes what God does is he fills our spiritual tool
S2: belt with the tools that we're going to need to
S2: be successful. God does not call you to be a
S2: follower of his without giving you everything you need to succeed.
S2: God knows that in the future you may encounter a
S2: wall that needs nails in it. So he gives you
S2: a hammer. God realizes that in the future you may
S2: encounter something difficult to take out, so he gives you pliers.
S2: God fills your tool belt, your spiritual tool belt, in
S2: order for you to succeed in life and in Christ.
S2: And he has filled your spiritual tool belt with all
S2: the tools that you need to live victorious in Christ
S2: Jesus all the way victorious. And so in Ephesians, what
S2: he starts telling us is he starts telling us what
S2: is in our spiritual tool belt. And I'm going to
S2: show you for a second what he's placed in your
S2: spiritual tool belt. If you're taking notes this morning, write
S2: it down. Number one, you are blessed. So one of
S2: the things that's in your tool belt is your position
S2: in Christ. Notice what it says in verse three. Praise
S2: be to God and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
S2: who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every
S2: spiritual blessing in Christ. Praise be to God in our father,
S2: our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in spiritual realms.
S2: With what? With every spiritual blessing. Not just some. Every
S2: spiritual blessing. Listen to me well, listen. This world is
S2: divided into two worlds. There's a dichotomy means divided into two.
S2: We have the physical world that is, the world that
S2: we can see, touch, smell, feel, hear. That's the physical
S2: world that we live in. But just as real as
S2: the physical world, there is a spiritual world as well.
S2: It's a world that you cannot see. You cannot feel,
S2: you cannot touch, you cannot smell, you cannot hear because
S2: it's in the spiritual realm, in that spiritual world. There
S2: is good spirits and bad spirits. There is the Holy Spirit,
S2: which is the Spirit of God. But there are also
S2: fallen spirits or evil spirits as well. Our spirit is
S2: in that world. Half of our body is in the
S2: physical world, and half of our self is in the
S2: spiritual world. Your physical body is here. But listen, the
S2: moment that you die, you do not cease to exist.
S2: Because you are not just made of body, you are
S2: made of body, soul and spirit. Your soul and your spirit,
S2: which are spiritual, continue to live even after your body dies.
S2: Are you tracking with me? There have been many people
S2: that have been close to death. Have you heard the stories?
S2: When someone's on an operating table and they're about to die,
S2: and they tell stories about how they see themselves. The
S2: back of the doctor's head operating on their body, trying
S2: to revive them. And when they come back to life,
S2: they'll talk about having seen themselves on the operating table. Why?
S2: Because their soul and their spirit is starting to leave
S2: their body. And as their body's revived, then they go
S2: back into their body. And so you and I live
S2: constantly in two worlds. We live in the world of
S2: the spirit and we live in the world of the body.
S2: Many of us believe that the solutions to our problems
S2: are that we need more in the physical world. And
S2: someone asks you, well, what's your problem? Will I need
S2: a raise at my job? I need a bigger house,
S2: I need a car. I need more health to my body.
S2: And we're aware of our physical world. But I want
S2: you to understand me. Well, the key to the physical
S2: world is, first of all, found in the spiritual world
S2: because our spiritual world influences and affects our physical world.
S2: Whatever is changed in the physical world, first of all,
S2: is changed in the spiritual world.
S1: This is bold steps, and you're listening to the Bible
S1: teaching of Mark Jobe. And here at Bold Steps, we
S1: love getting letters from listeners like the one we heard earlier.
S1: And if you'd like to share your story with us,
S1: there's a number of ways you can reach out. You
S1: can send us a message through our website, npr.org. You
S1: can email us at Bold Steps. You can also call
S1: us and leave a recorded message over the phone by
S1: dialing (312) 329-2011. That's 312329 2011. And of course, as always,
S1: our mailing option just send your letter to Bold steps.
S1: 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. And then
S1: I have a final question for you today. Who are
S1: you really? When someone asks, tell me about yourself. What
S1: do you say? Well, the world often assigns us labels
S1: as followers of King Jesus. We've been given a brand
S1: new identity. And that's why we're thrilled to offer you
S1: more than a label. Discovering who you are in Christ.
S1: A brand new 15 day devotional from the desk of
S1: Mark job. In this powerful new resource, Mark takes you
S1: on a journey through God's Word to reveal the truth
S1: about your identity in Christ. Through this devotional, you'll uncover
S1: who God created you to be while your identity matters
S1: and how to live out your true purpose in calling.
S1: This exclusive new resource is available to you with your
S1: donation of any size to support the ministry. So whether
S1: it's a single donation or a faithful investment as a
S1: monthly bold partner, request your copy of More Than a
S1: Label when you give today at Bird-stamps.org. I'm Wayne Sheppard
S1: on behalf of the entire Bold Steps team, thanks for
S1: being with us today. Be sure to join us again
S1: tomorrow when Mark concludes this discussion on learning to take
S1: your place. This message comes from our series when you
S1: believe Everything changes, and we invite you to listen Wednesday
S1: to hear more bold steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps
S1: is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody
S1: Bible Institute.