WEBVTT - Put Your Passion In Its Place 0:00:01.560 --> 0:00:04.120 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:04.840 Church and. 0:00:04.840 --> 0:00:05.840 This is our podcast. 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:07.800 I wanted to thank you for joining us today. 0:00:08.119 --> 0:00:10.719 Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. 0:00:10.800 --> 0:00:12.880 Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:13.600 in your life. 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:15.320 Enjoy the message. 0:00:16.680 --> 0:00:19.160 So over in the Book of Revelation, Chapter two, verse 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:24.840 two through five. There's a challenge, and I'm going to 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:26.680 try to be disciplined as I preach this one. I 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:28.280 got a little I got a little bit off my 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:31.640 plan at the last one. This one, I'm gonna try 0:00:31.680 --> 0:00:33.720 to just stay right right there and preach it, and 0:00:34.720 --> 0:00:37.839 because there's so much there that I believe will help you. 0:00:37.880 --> 0:00:40.600 But let's turn our attention now to the text. The 0:00:40.640 --> 0:00:47.000 Angel at the church in emphasis is receiving a message, and. 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:49.479 The word of the Lord comes. I know your works verse. 0:00:49.240 --> 0:00:55.040 Two, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you 0:00:55.080 --> 0:00:57.720 cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested 0:00:57.760 --> 0:01:01.480 those who call themselves apostles and are not found them 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:06.800 to be false. I know you're enduring patiently and bearing 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:10.919 up for my Name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:12.560 You're doing a lot of things right. 0:01:13.720 --> 0:01:15.920 And I see it, and I see you struggling, and 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:17.080 I see you showing up. 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:22.399 But I have this against you. 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:28.800 There's something that's working against you. There's something that I 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:32.080 need to challenge you on today. I have this against 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:35.760 you that you have abandoned the love that you had 0:01:35.800 --> 0:01:43.480 it first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen. Repent 0:01:44.800 --> 0:01:48.400 It means to change your mind. It means to change 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:57.560 your direction. Repent therefore, repent, Remember and repent and do 0:01:57.680 --> 0:01:59.080 the works you. 0:01:59.080 --> 0:01:59.880 Did it first. 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:04.080 If not, I will come to you and remove your 0:02:04.160 --> 0:02:09.840 lamp stand from its place unless you repent. I see you, 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:16.040 I love you, But if you don't remember and repent, 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:18.120 you're gonna. 0:02:17.840 --> 0:02:18.560 Lose your place. 0:02:19.840 --> 0:02:21.240 So I want to appreciate to you today on the 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:28.680 subject put your passion in its place, and I want 0:02:28.720 --> 0:02:30.520 you to pray with me that I could communicate this 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:34.960 message in a powerful and clear way. Father, anoint your 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:37.240 word and open our hearts. May we hear it and 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:39.880 do it never be the same. We declare it, and 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:42.720 thank you in advance for feeding us from your hand. 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:45.560 In Jesus' name, Amen, on your way to. 0:02:45.560 --> 0:02:47.600 Your seat, touch somebody, say you're gonna get it back today. 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:49.120 You're gonna get it back. You're gonna get it back. 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:51.400 I'm just telling you right now, you're gonna get it 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:56.880 back today. Hey, So bring up my props and put 0:02:56.880 --> 0:02:59.799 my little picture up. I want to show you something 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:01.880 from last summer. I took my kids back to my 0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:06.200 hometown and took them on a tour of Monk's Corner, 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:07.080 South Carolina. 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:09.200 A lot of people want to go to the Holy 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:11.360 Land and then, and. 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:13.320 Some people on their bucket list, they just want to 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:17.320 see Monk's Corner. So I took my kids to all 0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:19.200 of the sites that I could think of that were 0:03:19.240 --> 0:03:21.560 memorable to me growing up, very proud of my small 0:03:21.560 --> 0:03:24.679 town heritage, and very proud. 0:03:24.440 --> 0:03:25.320 Of the church I grew up in. 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:28.840 I took them by Monk's Corner United Methodist Church. A 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:31.880 lady who recognized me saw us full up. She said, 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:38.280 little Stevie Verdick, her sister taught my Sunday school class, 0:03:39.320 --> 0:03:41.840 and she knew I was pastoring. Now, proud of me 0:03:41.880 --> 0:03:43.400 and all that said, we could walk in and do 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:46.280 whatever we wanted. She was there cleaning, and we went 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:49.920 over to the choir room and I showed the kids 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:52.520 how I used to suit up on Sunday mornings when 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:56.600 I was about well was it ten, mom eleven? And 0:03:56.680 --> 0:04:01.000 I was an acolyte at the Methodist church, and so 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:02.760 I kind of walked them through. I wanted to show 0:04:02.800 --> 0:04:08.200 him how I did it back in the day, because 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:10.880 you know, not just anybody could be an acolyte. Took 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:14.520 a special talented kid, very spiritually elite children were called 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:18.200 upon it. They didn't let you light your own wick. 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:22.720 They had a committee member for that. But I walked 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:25.480 them through it. And so that's me at the front 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.720 of the church there showing them how I used to 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:30.320 do it. And you had to do it a certain way, 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:32.960 you know, you come down during the first song and 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:36.640 you I don't remember it exactly, it's been a while, 0:04:36.880 --> 0:04:39.560 but there was a certain way you did the candles 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:42.240 and all of that, and then you light it, light 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:48.080 the well, it's been a while. Abby had a funny 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:50.400 line when I was showing her all this. She said, Daddy, 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:56.240 did you have to practice that? I said, yeah, baby, 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:58.360 took a lot of practice, and do it just right, 0:04:58.720 --> 0:04:59.520 can't mess it up. 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.520 And plus Melissa Hydric was sitting up there in the. 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:04.400 Balcony and I had a crush on her, and I 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:06.120 didn't want to burn down the church in front of 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:10.360 my childhood crush, light my robe on fire in front 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:13.400 of my crush. So you had to practice that. And 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:16.400 then at the end, how you put the fire out. 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:25.640 That's important there at the end. And while I'm standing 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:28.719 up there with them, it's memories, you know, because sometimes 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:29.479 you go back. 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:31.440 And you just you remember things. 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:34.440 That was where I preached my first sermon on youth Sunday. 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:37.120 Now they only give you twelve minutes to preach in 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:40.200 the Methodist Church, And I know what some of you 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:42.560 are thinking, can we make this a Methodist church? 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:43.800 That sounds awesome. 0:05:45.920 --> 0:05:48.360 It takes me twelve minutes to tell you, hello, how 0:05:48.360 --> 0:05:50.839 many of you are glad I preached long sermons because 0:05:50.880 --> 0:05:53.760 you know you're jacked up. It's going to take me 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:56.840 a whole lot more than twelve minutes to straighten you out. 0:05:57.560 --> 0:06:02.400 Weird though, touch somebody say it's gonna take more than 0:06:02.440 --> 0:06:04.599 twelve You're a mess. 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:07.000 Me too. 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:11.480 Anyway, I was remembering that first sermon. I was preaching 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:15.960 on Peter walking on water, and I didn't even need 0:06:16.000 --> 0:06:19.320 the full twelve minutes to be honest with you. Within 0:06:19.440 --> 0:06:22.160 five minutes I had used all my notes and there 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:25.080 was seven minutes left. I had nothing more to say. 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:29.839 Because I was sixteen. I didn't have content. I was 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:35.279 preaching on the storms of life, sixteen years old, trying 0:06:35.279 --> 0:06:39.120 to tell seventy three year old Methodist women about the 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.679 storms of life. I didn't have a lot of life experience. 0:06:42.680 --> 0:06:45.160 But I tell you what I had. I had passion. 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:49.840 I had passion. I mean, if I could have walked 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:53.320 across the pews, I would have walked across the pews 0:06:53.360 --> 0:06:56.240 to show them how Peter came out to Jesus on 0:06:56.279 --> 0:06:59.120 that boat. And I didn't have much much sense, but 0:06:59.200 --> 0:07:02.040 I had passion. In fact, they brought up a group 0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:05.120 of people last night when I was preaching. They had 0:07:05.160 --> 0:07:07.240 people up who have been in the church ten years, 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:09.840 and it made me remember back to all the things 0:07:09.840 --> 0:07:12.560 that we have now as a church that we did 0:07:12.640 --> 0:07:16.160 not have ten years ago when we started. We didn't 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:21.280 have all these lights and cameras for video, and all 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:24.920 this money to start campuses. God knows, we didn't have 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:29.520 a building our first capitol campaign, you remember, Greg Weinberger, 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:32.480 I didn't have a building, a blueprint to show the people. 0:07:32.680 --> 0:07:35.200 We didn't have any of that. But we had passion. 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:38.920 Oh man, we had passion. We had the kind of 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:41.960 passion that they were calling us a cult. Until they're 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:43.720 calling you a cult, you ain't doing nothing. 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:45.160 We had passion. 0:07:45.720 --> 0:07:48.920 I had passion preaching in that senior center. I wish 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:50.800 I could tell them, Josh, remember you wrote me that 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:53.440 letter the other day about my first green room. 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:56.080 It wasn't a green room, it was a closet. It 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:56.800 was a closet. 0:07:56.840 --> 0:07:59.000 We would move the plants out the closet and you 0:07:59.040 --> 0:08:01.200 would knock on it one minute less, so I come 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:03.280 out and lead the music. We didn't even have that 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:07.000 many people, but we had passion. How many know you 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:08.400 can push through a lot. 0:08:08.200 --> 0:08:15.800 When you have passion. When you have passion, passion matters. 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:18.840 And I was standing there with my kids and thinking 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:21.920 about when I started appreciating and having conversations with my 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:25.960 young self and checking my passion because in Revelation chapter 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:28.560 two there is a challenge to passion, and I think 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:31.120 it's good every once in a while to challenge your 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:34.840 passion level. In contrast to the passion that you had, 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:41.439 do you still have passion? You remember the first apartment 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:45.000 that we lived in together, Holly, you remember it well. 0:08:46.080 --> 0:08:50.679 You remember the mouse traps. You remember it well. You 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:52.320 remember how you cooked. 0:08:52.400 --> 0:08:56.920 All that fried rice and pasta and made me fat 0:08:57.080 --> 0:09:00.000 within a year and a half of being your husband, 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:01.480 And I think you were trying to make sure I 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.679 stayed with you. She got me so fat that first 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:08.040 year cooking for me. I found a picture the other day. 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:09.400 In fact, she brought it to me. I don't know 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:11.160 if she's trying to keep me motivated to stay in 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:14.880 the gym, but I was about forty five pounds heavier 0:09:14.960 --> 0:09:18.240 bro not in the biceps this picture. I wish you 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:20.080 could see this picture. I thought about putting it on 0:09:20.120 --> 0:09:22.120 the screen, but some of y'all are going to lunch 0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:23.959 after this. I don't want to mess up your lunch. 0:09:24.480 --> 0:09:27.000 And I'm standing there, got my eyes closed and my 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:30.439 shirt off and my belly out, looking like an infomercial 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:38.520 before picture. That little apartment a Juniper Terrorists apartment CEE fifteen. 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:42.280 It was very small and the insulation in the walls 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:45.040 was very thin. And the reason I know because Tammy 0:09:45.040 --> 0:09:49.840 from Juniper Terrists Apartment C sixteen came over to us 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:52.520 after our first night and the apartment knocked on the 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:54.680 door and said I'm your neighbor, Tammy, and I just 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:57.320 want to let you know we can hear everything. It 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:00.360 was a duplex. I just want you to know here 0:10:00.559 --> 0:10:07.760 everything that happens in fifteen and I mean everything, because 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:08.440 we didn't. 0:10:08.200 --> 0:10:11.880 Have a lot of space, but we had all the. 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:27.040 Which brings us to Revelation chapter two. This is the 0:10:27.040 --> 0:10:32.280 connection obvious people. He said, you had something when you 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:37.760 were small that you lost now that you're significant. Ephesis 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:41.320 was not an imaginary place. So when the Book of 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:44.720 Revelation is issuing seven letters to seven churches, they're real 0:10:44.800 --> 0:10:48.319 churches with real people, with real histories. And it's been 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:52.560 forty three years since Paul started this church, traveling Inland 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:57.400 with a group of compadres that are spreading the gospel 0:10:57.440 --> 0:11:00.640 of Jesus Christ. That he spends a couple of years 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:03.840 with these people in Ephesis. And when he started out 0:11:03.880 --> 0:11:06.960 he just met some people. There were twelve guys who 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:11.040 were disciples of John the Baptist, and Paul asked him 0:11:11.080 --> 0:11:12.320 do you have the Holy Spirit? 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:12.959 And they said, we. 0:11:12.920 --> 0:11:15.480 Don't even know that there is a Holy Spirit. They 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:17.920 didn't have a lot of theological knowledge, but you know 0:11:17.960 --> 0:11:22.040 what they had passion. Paul laid his hands on him, 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:24.600 and when he did, they started to speak in tongues 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:27.120 and they received the Holy Spirit, and they didn't just 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:30.679 speak in another language. They started speaking about Jesus. They 0:11:30.679 --> 0:11:33.480 were speaking in the synagogues, and their passion was so 0:11:33.559 --> 0:11:36.120 strong that the crowds started coming out. And then they 0:11:36.120 --> 0:11:39.239 didn't like it, because sometimes when you get passionate, apathetic, 0:11:39.280 --> 0:11:44.400 people get threatened. And the Jewish religious system was not 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:47.679 a fan of the prevalence of the Gospel, so they 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:50.240 kicked Paul out of the synagogue. But how many know, 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:53.800 when you have passion, you'll find another place. Nobody can 0:11:53.840 --> 0:11:57.360 shut you down. When you have real passion, if they 0:11:57.480 --> 0:11:59.760 kick you out the synagogue, you'll go to the lecture hall. 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:03.439 And that's exactly what Paul did. And he preached powerfully 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:10.320 in emphasis. And it wasn't just an accident that he 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:14.400 ended up in emphasis. God strategically placed Paul in emphasis 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:16.960 because there were three hundred thousand people who lived there. 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:19.400 Fourth largest city in the world. 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:22.080 At that time, known as the Seventh Wonder of the World, 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:25.120 home of the Temple of Artemis, daughter of Zeus I 0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:28.200 mean emphasis, was a place where people would come to 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.560 get their shipments, it was a port city, it was 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:35.559 well situated, it was an important place. So Paul is passionate, 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:39.839 and Emphasis is an important place, and God says, I've 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:40.480 got to get the. 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:43.000 Guy with the passion in the right place. 0:12:43.520 --> 0:12:46.679 When I look back over my life, I'm grateful that 0:12:46.760 --> 0:12:48.760 God has directed. 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:51.960 My past and made sure that my passion had a 0:12:52.040 --> 0:12:53.600 place to operate. 0:12:54.080 --> 0:12:56.960 I'm grateful that God found me as a teenager and 0:12:57.040 --> 0:13:00.800 gave me a place to preach because God saw a passion. 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:03.880 Now, as a parent, I'm always trying to look. 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:06.400 And make sure that if my kids have a passion, 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:10.120 I encourage it. If you're into a Rubic's cube, I'll 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:14.760 buy you three. If you like mindcraft, I'll tolerate and 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:16.920 pretend to listen to you as you explain it to me. 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:19.200 But I want you to have a passion. 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:30.640 Passion mattersh It matters no matter what position you're in. 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:35.400 Passion matters. And if you can't do it with passion 0:13:35.440 --> 0:13:37.800 in a small place, why in the world would God 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:43.280 promote you to a bigger one. Paul didn't start an Emphasis, 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:46.280 but he ended up there. Started in Damascus, spending time 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:49.880 in isolation, but the same passion that was developing in 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:50.600 his isolation. 0:13:51.920 --> 0:13:52.520 Did that make you. 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:54.920 Think of David when I said that, because that would 0:13:54.920 --> 0:13:57.720 be a great Old Testament illustration of this New Testament 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:05.040 personality as a shepherd killing lions, killing bears and didn't 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:07.680 even know he was preparing for Goliath. But it was 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:11.599 the same passion in the pasture that got him to 0:14:11.640 --> 0:14:15.320 the palace, same passion waiting for a place to happen. 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:18.400 And that's one of the frustrating things, is that you 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:24.000 can have the right passion in the wrong place. You 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:26.360 can have more passion than opportunity. 0:14:25.840 --> 0:14:28.120 To express it. It's frustrating. 0:14:30.320 --> 0:14:32.240 I know some of you who come to church here, 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:37.240 some of you would express yourself more in church, but 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:39.760 you don't know if it's appropriate. 0:14:40.120 --> 0:14:41.280 I have one friend. 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:44.840 Who grew up in churches where it was more demonstrative. 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:47.040 He said, when he first came to elevation, it was 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:49.440 kind of hard for him. I said, really, He said, yeah, 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:50.320 because I would want to. 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:53.600 Stand up while you were preaching and shout you down. 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:55.240 There's a black guy. 0:14:55.040 --> 0:14:58.200 By the way, okay, incidentally, he said, But I was 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:00.400 around a bunch of white people and god blos and 0:15:00.440 --> 0:15:04.720 we all have different personalities but I stood up. When 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:06.520 I was stand up, I was the only one I 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:08.560 was stand up, and I was expecting everybody else to 0:15:08.600 --> 0:15:11.680 be standing to he said, because you were preaching so passionately. 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:14.120 The word just got in me and I couldn't stay seated. 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:19.040 And I'm standing up, but I'm the only one all 0:15:19.080 --> 0:15:22.560 these people around me. You know, sometimes you can let 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:29.120 other people minimize your passions and downplay your passion to 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:33.800 the level of other people. Don't ever let another person 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:35.120 become the. 0:15:35.080 --> 0:15:36.240 Ceiling on your passion. 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:41.160 I'd rather change people than lose passion. I'd rather get 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:43.800 some new friends that want to. 0:15:43.760 --> 0:15:45.480 Serve God and want to love God. 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:49.440 I'd rather move seats and stay in my seat when 0:15:49.440 --> 0:15:52.160 the spirit of God hid me. In fact, if you're 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:55.360 sitting at a campus and nobody around you looks excited, 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:58.320 raise your hand and ask the I'm sure, and they'll 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:01.360 move your seating assignment because I need some room to 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:05.000 praise God, because when I think of the goodness of Jesus. 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:11.200 Come on, anybody got passion and see when you have passion. 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:14.760 Sometimes when you get around complacent people or people who 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:17.880 have a different personality, you feel funny. My friend Carl 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:21.120 Lynz came to preach out our code Orang's revival. He 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:25.240 pastors in New York City, and so his kids play 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:28.200 ball in Brooklyn, and he came to my kids little 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:31.480 league baseball game. He came to Graham's baseball game in 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.240 South Charlotte, and he tried to bring a Brooklyn passion 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:40.040 to a South Charlotte baseball game. I mean, no, sooner 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:42.440 had he got out there to the bleachers than he 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:46.160 was talking trash to the ump. Now, this is not 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:49.560 a high school baseball game. These are eight year old, 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:53.720 nine year old kids. And Carl's telling the ump. He's 0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:55.800 telling the ump look good to. 0:16:55.760 --> 0:16:59.480 Me, hump, be happy to get to some glasses. Ump. 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:04.159 Next thing, I know, he's talking trash to. 0:17:04.080 --> 0:17:07.560 The kid on the other team on den to about 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:11.360 not today number eleven. I don't think so, little guy, 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:15.280 I said, Carl, we don't. 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:15.640 Do that here. 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:20.040 I appreciate your passion, but this is the wrong place. 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:22.960 I gotta come to the field with these people. 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:25.600 Oh season, some of them on the other team go 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:30.760 to my church. Shut out touch. 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:37.520 Somebody say, keep your passion in his place. Right place 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:40.679 for sex is in the marriage bag. I know you 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:46.800 got passion but passion needs a place to operate, like 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:50.320 a fire. If you're in disagreement with what I just said, 0:17:50.720 --> 0:17:53.840 let me prove it using natural elements. When I started 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:56.919 this sermon, I lit this wik and none of you 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:01.479 had a problem. Why because it was in its proper place. 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:06.119 But I bet if I brought this wick down to 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:07.760 the crowd. 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:13.240 And put this fire in your hair, you say I. 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:20.880 Got it, preacher, Keep it in its place. Misplaced passion 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:27.159 is very dangerous. Misplaced passion, you know, it's even more 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:30.439 dangerous to let somebody with Brooklyn passion get around somebody 0:18:30.440 --> 0:18:33.600 with a South Charlotte attitude. What I'm trying to say is, 0:18:33.640 --> 0:18:35.359 I mean, I love my city. We're a great city. 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:38.520 I'm not saying we owe anything to those Yankees, but I'm. 0:18:38.320 --> 0:18:39.000 Saying that. 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:43.960 Sometimes a new person will come into the church and 0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:46.960 they're excited. I mean, they are fired up, they got 0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:49.959 a passion, and let them get around Bobby who's been 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:51.600 a Christian for twenty three years. 0:18:52.240 --> 0:18:54.679 And Bobby's looking at him saying, you don't do that 0:18:54.720 --> 0:18:55.200 around here. 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:57.520 See, because people who are new to the faith, people 0:18:57.520 --> 0:18:59.720 who have that first love, they don't know that you're 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:01.080 not so supposed to read your Bible. 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:02.919 Yet they don't know that. 0:19:02.960 --> 0:19:04.960 We only listened to it on Sundays and we don't 0:19:05.000 --> 0:19:06.160 bother with it during the week. 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:08.119 So if you don't watch. 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:11.880 Them, they don't bring that passion into your church. If 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:20.760 they don't get around, they are on people, and something's 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:24.359 happening in Ephesus because when they first started, they didn't 0:19:24.400 --> 0:19:26.880 have the knowledge, but they had the passion. 0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:30.680 They didn't have the people, but they had the passion. 0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:36.080 They didn't have they didn't they didn't. 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:39.560 Have the political support of the government, they didn't have 0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:44.480 a five oh one C three nonprofit tax exempt status, they. 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:47.800 Didn't have a Christian president, but they had passions. 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:52.119 They had false doctrine coming into the church. In fact, 0:19:52.720 --> 0:19:55.720 Paul told Timothy one time, he said, Hey, I want 0:19:55.760 --> 0:19:57.719 you to look at this in one Timothy one three. 0:19:57.760 --> 0:19:59.160 Because Timothy was a young. 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:03.040 Man and he didn't have much experience, and the Bible 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:06.040 gives us reason to believe that Timothy had a timid personality, 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:08.440 Paul had to remind him over and over again, Hey, 0:20:08.640 --> 0:20:13.800 God didn't give you a spirit of timidity. Timothy Timid 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:18.280 Timmy Timid. Timmy is pastor in a big city church, 0:20:19.080 --> 0:20:22.800 and there's people teaching false doctrine, and there's people trying 0:20:22.840 --> 0:20:26.159 to deny the gospel of Christ. And Timothy in his 0:20:26.200 --> 0:20:29.600 twenties with a timid personality. By the way, passion is 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:35.760 not a personality type. Passion isn't how high you jump. 0:20:37.359 --> 0:20:39.760 Passion is how straight you walk when your feet hit 0:20:39.800 --> 0:20:45.560 the ground. Put this down. If you're passionate, you take 0:20:45.600 --> 0:20:53.040 notes in church. The proof of passion is perseverance. I'll 0:20:53.040 --> 0:20:55.879 prove it to you in the scripture. I'll prove it 0:20:55.880 --> 0:20:58.600 to you from verse Timothy one to three. Paul says Timothy. 0:20:58.640 --> 0:21:01.200 I urged you before when I was on my way 0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:05.280 through Macedonia, and I'm telling you again. Remain in ephesis. 0:21:05.320 --> 0:21:07.520 Now watch this. You don't have to tell somebody to 0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:10.960 stay somewhere they want to be. I've never had a 0:21:11.000 --> 0:21:12.240 massage therapist have to. 0:21:12.160 --> 0:21:13.320 Tell me to stay on the table. 0:21:15.200 --> 0:21:17.560 I have had a physical trainer have to tell me 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:21.000 to do another rep to urge me to keep going. 0:21:21.960 --> 0:21:24.120 You don't urge people to do something they naturally want 0:21:24.160 --> 0:21:26.359 to do. So there must have been an instinct in 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:31.440 Timothy to run. You're young, you're inexperienced. There's false doctrine 0:21:31.480 --> 0:21:32.639 circulating in the church. 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:35.359 Timothy must not have been feeling it anymore. 0:21:37.080 --> 0:21:39.760 Timothy's fire might have been going out. So Paul said, 0:21:39.760 --> 0:21:46.040 I want you to remain there in Ephesus and do 0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:53.000 the hard stuff and persevere and persevere and stick it out, 0:21:54.320 --> 0:21:56.240 and come home to a family that might not even 0:21:56.320 --> 0:22:00.200 appreciate you right now, and show up at a job 0:22:00.400 --> 0:22:04.480 that might not even recognize your value right now, and 0:22:04.560 --> 0:22:07.400 preach in a place where you're persecuted. 0:22:08.960 --> 0:22:12.120 And the proof of your passion is your perseverance. 0:22:13.880 --> 0:22:15.600 I don't know if I was really passionate when I 0:22:15.640 --> 0:22:19.800 was preaching when I was sixteen. I was just excited. 0:22:20.960 --> 0:22:27.520 There's a difference. Interest is not passion. Come on, Knowledge 0:22:27.560 --> 0:22:32.800 is not passion. Passion is something different. When you watch 0:22:32.800 --> 0:22:34.760 a movie and they go home after a night at 0:22:35.800 --> 0:22:37.760