Two Questions - Part 2

0 (1s): Hello. Good morning. I'm Tam. I'm one of the worship leaders here at Harvest Church. And I just want to invite you guys all to Harvest this morning. If you're here on campus or in the law for the parsonage outside or turning in online from anywhere, a welcome this morning, and we're just going to invite you to stand. We're going to worship the Lord this morning, and I was open with a word of prayer, dear God, we come to you this morning and we just stop and become aware of you wherever we're at in our world's going. We just, we just stopped right now and acknowledge that you are your God and we worship you. 0 (45s): And Lord, I just ask you to come and meet each and every person here as they, as they direct their gaze to you, God, would you just come in and just rush in and impact lives this morning through the word shift through the message. Lord, would this just be a huge just offering to you and for your glory in Jesus name? 1 (1m 36s): . 1 (13m 35s): You are so good. 0 (13m 37s): Thank you, Lord. Even when circumstances may not look good, you never changed. You know, 1 (13m 44s): You love us without feeling. 0 (13m 49s): I just feel like I'm supposed to share this little story of what happened yesterday. As we worship, I was driving home and one of my wheels, when it cracks off a car, I'm still a little shaky today. Honestly, it was a scary experience and I'm thankful to be okay. And the Lord was watching over me. And maybe some of you that's your life right now. Like you feel like the wheels are just falling off. Maybe it's hard for you to sing even this chorus. That he's good. Cause right now you're not seeing his goodness new and he's maybe there's bills to pay or a car to fix without the money in the bank account. 0 (14m 33s): And that could be your reality. And that's my reality today. He's still good. As soon as you have to preach to our own souls and we have to remind the devil that he's still good and he's always good and that he never lets us down. And if it's not good, it's not over yet. Amen. So we're going to sing this song in faith this morning. Let faith arise in your heart. No matter what you're facing today. Even if the wheels have literally come off of your leg, he is still good at and holds you steady. And he guards you and he protects you and he provides for you. So we're not going to fear. We're not going to live in that place. We're going to choose to trust and thank you, Lord. 1 (15m 14s): yeah, just lift up your praise and prayers can just be acquired. 1 (18m 47s): Thanks this morning. Whatever's in your heart. If you want to speak thank you for your presence here. Strengthening our hearts deep down with our souls, giving a strength to face the week ahead. 1 (19m 32s): Thank you for your presence here in this place. Here in this family, there would be no one who would leave today. Jesus and Mary, how much care for every circumstance we rested. Let's just share some of that love of encouragement with each other this morning. Would you say hello to some folks around you? And we'll be back in just a few minutes in a few moments with some announcements. 2 (20m 12s): All right. Good morning. Church good morning. Harvest Church Hey, my name's Jeremy. I'm one of the pastors here and I just want to say a big, welcome and happy Valentine's day. And no matter what relationship status you're in, you have a, whether you received a card this morning, whether you're hoping to receive a card or whether you're not expecting to receive a card, we hope that you feel welcomed and loved here at Harvest Church. And ultimately we hope you feel the love of God this morning. So happy Valentine's day. Hey, just a few quick announcements. Men get ready. Next month, we are kicking off the M six community gatherings. They are returning to thousand Hills, so that, so Mark your calendars for March 15th, there'll be six, 6:00 PM at a thousand Hills ranch. 2 (20m 58s): And once again for, if you haven't been there like myself, I've only heard of the good things. There's a free meal, a worship testimonies and all around great time for the men of God. So Mark your calendars, March 15th, and then we're still looking for a few more volunteers, a couple of the needs that we have are the greeting team. So serving one Sunday, a month during one service. So kind of a low entry point like once one Sunday, a month, one service. So that's what we're looking for. And as well as the safety team to serve one Sunday, a month to help out, keep, just keep folks safe on campus. We have AED machine, first date, all that stuff. 2 (21m 38s): That's all part of the safety team. So no, that those volunteer opportunities are there for you guys. And I think that's all I got. That's it. Totally easy peasy. 3 (21m 49s): Thank you very much. Did you do anything fun for your wife this morning? Or am I putting you on the spot? You got her car. What's your tradition though? What did you, what do you, what's your tradition for? Valentine's day. Get a date night tonight. Date night. Okay, good. She's a Florida. Oh, so how do you, what do you do with that? 2 (22m 10s): Well, so, so what I do with that, I, I, I buy her flowers at trader Joe's and then she gets to decorate 3 (22m 17s): As if I, if I start putting things, it just does. Okay. 2 (22m 20s): The future, my daughters are turning out to be, they have, they're just, 3 (22m 24s): They watch their moments. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe in the future, I'll have to start playing her book here. So what's her love language, you know, her love language is words. So words of affirmation, the card, the card 2 (22m 35s): Gifts. It just, it doesn't, it's not as much. 3 (22m 38s): Yeah. It doesn't hitters as much as words, words. And what's your love language gifts. So gifts are good for you. Yeah. Meets you. I'm a gifts guy as well. Yeah. Yeah. What's your tradition. Well, we typically will set a spending limit and so that she doesn't out by me or I don't out by her. And, but this year we decided to just go have dinner and, and forego the cards, forego everything. So we just, we went to dinner to Los Olivos on Friday night to what's it called? Flatbread. 2 (23m 13s): And what's it? Los Alamos. 3 (23m 16s): Los Alamos. Sorry. Yeah. So we had he beat the crowds, right? Yes we did. It was cold outside. We bundled up and yeah, it was very cold. So anyway, so we had, that was our tradition. So when we woke up this morning, we had zero expectation for cards or anything like that. So my wife did get me some, an ice cream sandwich, which was really amazing. Ate that Friday night. Okay. Yeah. I hate that. Right. So anyway, that's the tradition. Cool. Thanks for sharing. Yeah, that was a little impromptu there. 4 (23m 48s): Happy Valentine's day 5 (23m 51s): Forks disappointed at Valentine's day because they just wanted to spoon. 4 (24m 1s): Okay. 5 (24m 2s): Jolene said I'm getting known for my corny jokes. So I've got one more for 4 (24m 5s): You. 5 (24m 8s): Why did the, why did the skeleton break up with her boyfriend right before Valentine's day? Her heart just wasn't in it. 4 (24m 19s): Corny 5 (24m 19s): Jokes. Right. They just kind of get us laughing a little bit. I don't know what they're for, but 4 (24m 27s): Okay. 5 (24m 27s): Welcome sermon title. Two Questions Continued what are we going to stand up and pray as you stand up, we're going to be in first Timothy chapter one, we're going to be in acts chapter 18, 17, 18, 19, something like that. And then we're going to be in revelation chapter two. So we're going to be kind of bouncing around a little bit. So if you don't have a Bible, make sure you grab one. Most of the, the, most of the words will be up on the screen today. So it will be up there. So anyway, let's pray. And then we'll just see what the Lord does today. Lord, we just invite your presence. We invite your presence to minister, to us, to speak to us, to be, to be here with us. Lord, we want to be present with you and with one another, meaning that we want to listen to you, and we want to be aware of what's going on around us, Lord God. 5 (25m 10s): And we want to be involved in what the spirit wants to do today. So we just humble ourselves. We avail ourselves to you Lord and pray that you just, just fill us with the joy of the Lord and the peace of God and the grace of God that you would wash over us. And even a sh yeah, even as Sherilyn was talking about, you know, the wheels coming off of our lives at times, Lord, we know that you are faithful even in those moments, especially in those moments. And so we, we just want to say, thank you for your faithfulness. God, God was so overwhelming that all the billions of people on the planet, you, you care about the one, the individual, each of us Lord. We're so humbled by that. And so grateful for that Lord. 5 (25m 50s): And so I pray that each person would realize that they matter to you, that each of us would realize that in the, with all the people in the world, that we matter to you and the people of this church in this community, in this, everybody in the world, we matter to you Lord. So I pray that you would download it just truth to our hearts and minds speak something that we need to hear. We pray Lord in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Thank you. You can be seated. Two Questions, Continued, there's actually three weeks ago that I challenged us with a couple of questions and it was kind of a spontaneous, I hadn't even planned on it, but there seems to be a theme kind of around it. 5 (26m 31s): And so the Two Questions number one, we'll throw them up on the board. Number one. What do you want to do? What do you want me to do today? Was that worded, right? What do you want me to do today? That's right. Okay. What do you want me to do today? So you wake up in the morning, I've been challenging. It asked this question and you're asking it to God, God, what do you want me to do today? And then the second question is, what do you want to do through me today? And so the hope is that as we think about these questions, that we fixed our mind on Christ, that we get our attention on him, that we begin to think about him out of the gate, so that whatever's going on, we can focus in and say, okay, Lord, what, what is it that you want to do with me today? And what do you want to do through me today? So in this job that I have, or at school where I attend in these relationships, in these challenging situations, even when the wheel comes off, Lord, what do you want? 5 (27m 23s): What's this all about, Lord. It kind of just reorients our mind and our hearts and our thinking toward God, Lord, what do you want to do? And I've been trying to do that and this whole week, and I've been, I'm trying really trying to do it. And I challenged us to do this this whole month, all, all of February. So make it kind of the theme of our whole month. God, what do you want to do? What do you want to do through me? And with me, what's, what's your plan for my life. 3 (27m 49s): We did a Memorial service yesterday for my, my sister-in-law's father. And it was, it was just a tough day, a tough day. And it was a tough day, but I, you know, w what was cool is I got to see all kinds of friends from like junior high school, really, really cool stuff. And so I, I see a buddy of mine, who's, we've known for 40 years, and haven't seen him since our ten-year high school reunion. So it's been like, I don't know, twenty-five years or so, what do you do? The math it's rough, rough 5 (28m 24s): Numbers. And his name 3 (28m 27s): Is Melvin. He's a black man. And, and I saw him in my, my whole, I just lit up. I just knew I had to go hug on that guy and just tell him I miss him. And I love him. And, and I saw him and he saw me coming. He's like Steve, 5 (28m 43s): And we got a chance just to talk and 3 (28m 46s): Connect. And I haven't, I literally haven't talked to him for probably 25 years or so. And it was just a sweet, sweet time and got to meet a couple of other people, or see a couple of other people that I haven't seen since high school. And it was just a sweet time to just love on people and with no, no agenda, but I just, I just knew my job. There was just a love on love on those guys and met a guy's wife, never met her before, and it was just really sweet. What does God want to do with us in those moments 5 (29m 21s): God wants to do through us in those moments? 3 (29m 24s): I have no idea. And I'll probably never know this side of having what kind of interrupt, what that interaction meant to those people. I know what I meant to me. I know that it filled me up in so many ways. I was recounting it with a friend of mine this morning, and I just, I got weepy. I, there were some, there's something powerful connecting with people that you love and haven't seen for a long time. There was just, it was, it was wonderful. It was wonderful. I, I just enjoyed it. I, 6 (29m 52s): I don't know what 3 (29m 53s): God's going to do with you, but I know he wants to do something with you and we can't put them in a box and say, well, it's going to be this. I know though that it'll have something to do with loving people. That's just what God's all about when he calls us to be engaged with people. And he calls for the it's for the purpose of loving them in a deep and profound ways. As I thought about that kind of topic of love recently, and I thought, 6 (30m 23s): How can I show love more authentically, more, just more powerfully to people. I thought 3 (30m 32s): I got this bit of revelation. I, I sense that if I just do the least selfish thing in that relationship, that that's going to be loving toward them, do the least selfish thing. So I was home a couple of days ago and I was tired. I didn't feel like doing anything, any of that. I didn't want to do any of the chores, but I knew if I didn't do them, my wife was going to come home and she was going to have to do them because it's just the way it is. You know, you've got animals to feed and you got things to clean up and that sort of thing. 6 (30m 58s): So, so I did all of this stuff that I do 3 (31m 2s): Want to do. And it was just, I just thought, this is, 6 (31m 8s): This is, this is, 3 (31m 10s): I mean, it was like fresh revelation. The rest of you were probably like, Dodd, Nope, no kidding. This is, don't do the unselfish thing and you're going to be demonstrating love, but it didn't occur to me how powerful that was and how important that was. And I thought, you know, in our relationships, if we would just do the least selfish thing in regards to whoever it is that we know and are connected to the love of that in that relationship, which is blossom. Part of my love language is gifts, but also acts of service. So I know that when, when my wife does something from me or when somebody else does something for me, it just really makes me feel loved. So I, I know there's, I say that to say there's a lot of ways to show a love. And so maybe the least selfish thing is just to speak a word of affirmation to the person that you're in relationship with. 3 (31m 55s): Just speak a word of affirmations. 6 (31m 57s): I, I appreciate you. 3 (31m 60s): Th th that's, that's a huge statement. I appreciate you. It's actually maybe more powerful than the words I love you because we hear that all the time. Like, you know, we love our steak and we love our dog and we love, you know, our wives and kids and that sort of thing. So, but when we go beyond that and, and articulate our articulate, why we love it, 6 (32m 20s): I appreciate you. 3 (32m 24s): What are some other words that we can say let's just be spontaneous? What would you, what might you say that communicates love to your 6 (32m 30s): Loved one spouse friend? I cherish you very much. Ah, thank you. I thank God for you. I'm what, I'm 3 (32m 40s): Glad you're around. That's good stuff. 6 (32m 42s): What else? A couple more. I appreciate what was the last one? I appreciate you. And then you inspire. Yeah. Yeah. Good 3 (32m 53s): Stuff. Good stuff. I think if we put into practice those, those things, when you use those words and then do the least selfish thing, I think what we'll see is we'll see relationships 6 (33m 5s): Blossom between friends, 3 (33m 8s): Siblings, people that we work with, spouses, whatever the relationship is. Man. I think the thing that God wants to do with us and innocent through us is I think he wants us to love people more effectively. So in the midst of all of the crazy, 6 (33m 30s): The vision that's going on in our world, I, I honestly didn't know 3 (33m 38s): How my friend Melvin would respond to 6 (33m 40s): Me. I just didn't know. I think that's why I'm emotional 3 (33m 45s): About it. He's a black man. I'm a white 6 (33m 47s): Man. And there was just something powerful. 3 (33m 56s): It reminded me of about a year ago, I was coming back from vacation. We were in Kellerman 6 (34m 2s): The city and it was a hot time 3 (34m 9s): Culture in our country with race issues and that sort of thing. And I remember I was filling up my gas tank and I saw this black woman filling up her gas tank and the next 6 (34m 19s): Island over aisle over. And 3 (34m 22s): It felt like the Lord said, just go give her a hug and tell her that you tell her that I love her. Tell her that God loves her 6 (34m 27s): And Mara. 3 (34m 30s): So I shared this story before, but I walked over and I just put my arm around her and that's kind of freakish, right? Who's this strange white man putting, putting his arm around me. And I just said, you know, I just, I just want you to know that God loves you. And man, it just melted all kinds of tension. It just melted it. It was just this beautiful exchange. And, and then I just walked away. And then when we drove away, she must've shared with her kids or the kids saw it or something like that. Cause we drove away. We were all waving. Everybody was, it was just like this beautiful, this beautiful thing And where that needs to happen in our lives with people that we're at odds with. 3 (35m 10s): It doesn't have to be a race thing, black, white, Brown, white, that doesn't have to be that it's w w where does that need to happen in our relationship? 6 (35m 20s): What does God might? What might God want to do as we just choose to love people in spite of differences, heard this story, or the sermon the other day, and the pastor, the preacher made this statement. He said, God loves homosexuals. Ah, that is so good. He loves people from every walk of life. 3 (35m 53s): And we forget, we thank God, just mad at people because of their, 6 (35m 57s): But he loves people. He loves people. 3 (36m 1s): And if we can figure out how to love people in spite of their weaknesses, failures, whatever, cause we all have them. 6 (36m 8s): If, if we can do that, it's powerful. It's powerful. I sold building materials for a number of years before I got into the ministry. And 3 (36m 25s): One of my primary, a couple of my primary builders were homosexual, man. And, and I just love those guys. Yeah, Yeah. Just build relationship with them and loved on them and told them about Jesus. And they didn't like that part sometimes, but sometimes they did. It was just, it was an interesting mixed bag. 6 (36m 45s): And this one, 3 (36m 48s): One guy because of my position now and because of who I am, and I'm a Christian and, and pastor. And so he doesn't know what to do with me, but every time I see him, I saw him driving in the village the other day, I would just wave at him. I just go out of my way to 6 (37m 4s): Okay. 3 (37m 4s): Ran into him at a restaurant a couple of years ago. And I did the same thing and he's like perplexed by me because he doesn't know what I'm after, but I'll all. I just want him to know that I love him 6 (37m 16s): And that Jesus loves him and God will deal with the rest. That'll sort out the rest. What do you want me to do today, Lord? And what do you want to do through me today? 3 (37m 30s): So we get into first Timothy, we're just going to get into a few verses today. And like I said, then we're going to jump into acts and it will be in revelation. It's going to take us a long time at this pace to get through first Timothy, but eventually we'll get there and it's, we're not in a hurry. So we'll just do what we can do. 6 (37m 46s): First Timothy chapter one. This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ. Jesus appointed 3 (37m 52s): The command of God, our savior and Christ. Jesus who gives us hope. 6 (37m 59s): Yeah. 3 (37m 59s): I'm writing to Timothy. My true son in the faith. May God, the father and Christ Jesus, our Lord give you grace mercy and peace. 6 (38m 10s): Any Paul challenges, Timothy, to 3 (38m 14s): Be careful of false teachers. 6 (38m 18s): He said, when I left 3 (38m 18s): From Macedonia, I urge you to stay there and emphasis and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. 6 (38m 28s): So Timothy 3 (38m 28s): Is in emphasis, the city called Ephesus. And as I'm thinking about his ministry there, I, what do we know about 5 (38m 36s): This city, this town called Ephesus. What do we know about this place? And so I'm just going to jump in, jump over to acts 18. And, and we're just going to kind of read through some, some passages. So if you want to turn to acts and just kind of read with me, we're going to be, and it's actually going to be up on the screen as well, acts 1824 through 28. And then we'll jump into acts chapter 19. And it'll just kind of help us understand what's kind of going on. Meanwhile, that you named as you named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the scriptures well had arrived in emphasis. 5 (39m 16s): That's the city from Alexandria in Egypt. He had been taught the way of the Lord and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John's 4 (39m 29s): Chisholm John's 5 (39m 32s): Baptism John's message was repent and be baptized, repent and be baptized. This was John's message. And so this is what Apollos heard. He said he got the message repent and be baptized. And John was the 4runner. He was there before Christ. He was GI Christ's cousin there as the, the 4runner to kind of prepare the way for the ministry of the Lord, Jesus Christ. And so he's saying repent and be baptized. And so Apollos gets a hold of this message. He gets a hold of this message and he's proclaiming it when Priscilla and Aquilla heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God. 5 (40m 13s): Even more 4 (40m 13s): Accurately 5 (40m 18s): Apollos had been thinking about going to a Acadia and the brothers and sisters and emphasis encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in the CA asking them to welcome him. And when he arrived there, he proved to be a great benefit to those who by God's grace had believed he refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate using the scriptures. He explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah. So now he had a fuller revelation of who Jesus was. He had a fuller revelation, but notice that Apollos with his limited revelation and understanding was powerfully proclaiming that truth. 5 (40m 59s): He didn't have a complete revelation of who God was, but he was bold in his proclamation. I think sometimes that we think that I don't know enough to share the gospel with somebody, but the reality is that God has given you truth. He's giving you revelation. And with that, he wants you to share it. And trust me, you will grow. You will have greater understanding as you continue to trust the Lord and follow him and do what he's asked you to do. But he's asked you to be bold as a, of his, to proclaim the truth, the revelation that you have, maybe it's just your story. Maybe it's just your story about how Jesus got ahold of your life and trans transformed your life. 5 (41m 45s): Maybe it's just that I don't know much, except for, I know what Jesus has done 6 (41m 51s): In my life. We can argue 5 (41m 53s): Theology all day long, but we can't argue my experience. My experience is that my life has been radically changed because of Jesus. I'm not the same man that I used to be. So these friends of mine, who've known me since junior high school and then into high school, I didn't get serious about my faith until my junior year of high school. And so prior to that, I was not the Christian that you might see today. And so we just, there was, 6 (42m 26s): But 5 (42m 26s): Lives transform over time. As we let Jesus do what he wants to do in our lives. And, and so we need to be bold and just proclaim that and maybe the best way to proclaim it is just through our love at first, our love. But then at somewhere, somewhere along the line, we've got to, we've got to actually put words to that as well. Acts chapter 19 while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached emphasis on the coast. So that's what so, so we know that God was doing some good stuff in emphasis that Timothy was ministering in this town that was on the coast. 5 (43m 7s): So it it's reminiscent of where we are. It was a town of about 250,000 people. And so it was a bustling, wealthy community that Timothy was ministering in and policy administer there. Paul had ministered there. Others had ministered there and so good things were happening in this community. So he reached emphasis on the coast where he found several believers. And so as he found these believers, he asked them this question, did you receive the Holy spirit when you believe he asked them, did you receive the Holy spirit? So like more believers, who've got partial revelation. They understand, and they're saved and they're they understand who Jesus is, 6 (43m 51s): But they've, haven't received the Holy spirit. And so, 5 (43m 56s): So they said, no, they, they replied, we haven't heard that there is a Holy spirit. I wonder what you might be able to reveal to people that you're ministering to, who don't know much about the gospel. And maybe it's just that, 6 (44m 9s): That God loves you. God, 5 (44m 15s): You might be surprised at that. Well, God can't love me. He I've made too many mistakes. God can't love me. He loves you. And he said, well, well then what baptism did you experience? He asked. And they replied that the baptism of John Paul said, John's baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus in Mark one eight. It's not on the screen. But John, the Baptist said, I, I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you, but Jesus will baptize you with the Holy spirit. And so they were missing something. First of all, Apollos was not understanding fully what, who Jesus was that he was the Messiah. 5 (44m 56s): When he got it, he began to proclaim that. And then these young believers in emphasis, they didn't understand about the baptism. They didn't hadn't received. They received John's baptism. They repented and they were baptized, but they weren't baptized with the Holy spirit. As soon as they heard this, they were baptized. So I, I just want to highlight their obedience. They, as soon as they realized that they needed to do something, they did it. I think God is honored by that. He's re he responds to that. I think as followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ, when we realized we need to do something, if we just immediately do it, there's blessing that follows that. What is God asking you to do? 5 (45m 37s): What is God wanting to do through? You don't make him wait, don't make him, you know, wait on your obedience, but just do it. Just do it. You say, well, I'm not sure. Well, that's so that's okay. Do it anyway. Do it. Anyway. As soon as they heard, they were baptized in the name of the Lord, Jesus, then. So some, some crazy things, depending on your background and your understanding, our background, and they're saying some crazy things began to happen is Paul laid. He laid his hands on them. They, when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy spirit came on them and they spoke in other tongues. Paul said, I, I speak in tongues more than all. 5 (46m 17s): Y'all like more than all you, but tongues is a, it's a, it's a prayer language. It's something that God gives to us so that we can, that that helps us to pray in the public setting. Sometimes somebody will speak in tongues and, and then there's an interpretation. And really in a public setting, we shouldn't speak out in tongues loudly for the congregation, unless we know unless we're confident or someone present to can interpret what we're saying. We pray in tongues, in our prayer as a, as part of our prayer language, as part of what our connection with the Lord, it's all throughout acts, especially. 5 (46m 58s): So they spoke in tongues and other tongues and they prophesied prophecy is a foretelling of things to come. So there was this stuff that was going on in the church. And these were brand new believers favors. They had been just baptized and these things were going on. They were speaking in tongues and powerfully doing wonderful things in Jesus. There were about 12 men at all. And then the next section here is Paul's ministry. And then Paul went to the synagogue and preach boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God, but some became stubborn rejecting his message. 5 (47m 41s): And publicly speaking against the way, the way is just the way of the gospel, the way of Jesus. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for the next two years. So at first he's in the synagogue and he's preaching for three months. And then he leaves because they don't believe him. And so he goes to a different location and he preaches for for two years. When I, what I love about Paul is that he's in it for the long haul. He's like, he's committed in this town. He's there for a season while the Lord works out his plans and purposes through him. 5 (48m 21s): I think we get in a hurry with God and we want God to do what he's going to do quickly. Like Lord, I'm a been obedient. I want to see some fruits. Some, some, I want to see something happen immediately. When God says, maybe it's going to take some time and just be faithful as the Lord works things out. So this went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks heard the word of the Lord 6 (48m 45s): Lord, and this is kind of an, I, I love this next portion here. 5 (48m 53s): God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles when handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched, his skin were placed on sick people. They were healed of their diseases and evil spirits were expelled. So I shared this story back a few years ago when I had meningitis, it's a brain infection. 6 (49m 16s): I had 5 (49m 16s): People praying for me and this gal and she didn't know what to do. She couldn't get to me because I was in the hospital or I was home recuperating. I can't remember which, and so she prayed over this, this cloth, this, this napkin, or this thing that she prayed over. And, and she sent it to me. I think it was like a wash rag or something. And so I didn't know what to do with it, but, but I, I knew that she prayed over it. So I, with childlike faith, I just put it over my head, 6 (49m 47s): Which I just said, 5 (49m 49s): If you're doing something, I mean, obviously it's, it's, it's been done before. 6 (49m 55s): I, I don't want to 5 (49m 57s): Scoff at what God does or has done. And so I just put 6 (50m 2s): On my head, I said, glory, just do whatever you want to do. And I, I, I, 5 (50m 13s): I think it did something in my brain. I think it, I think it, there was a release of healing power, and God did something. 6 (50m 24s): There's something about childlike faith. That is so important. So my, my buddy Mark is here today. And during worship he's, he's, he's laughing because he's just excited about Jesus. And I thought we don't often laugh when we're worshiping, right? But God, 5 (50m 52s): The Bible says the joy of the Lord 6 (50m 54s): Is our strength. And I don't 5 (50m 56s): Know about you, but when I meet old friends and meet, 6 (50m 59s): Get with people I've met with 5 (51m 1s): Buddy Melvin out there, all we did was laugh. We just laughed at recounting old stories. We just laughed. There's something, there's something powerful about just enjoying relationship with someone. I think in our lack of childlike, faith response or expression, 6 (51m 20s): We don't, we don't know how to worship. 5 (51m 22s): We don't know how to engage and ensure in. And we're even afraid to lift up our hands, 6 (51m 27s): Hands and lifting up. Holy hands is like surrendering to God saying, God, just talk yours. And it's like a picture of, you know, a baby, just, you know, a toddler wanting just to be picked up. So I've got grandkids. And when they come in and throw their arms up, it's just nothing better. There's nothing better. So when we just throw up our hands to our father and, and tell him that we just, we just want to be with him. 6 (52m 8s): We surrender, just pick me up, Lord. That's, there's something powerful 5 (52m 13s): Or full about that. There's nothing, nothing to be ashamed of 6 (52m 17s): Raising hands and just enjoying the presence of the Lord and 5 (52m 24s): A group of Jews. This is a funny story that happened in Ephesus. I love this story. Actually. It's pretty funny. A group of Jews were traveling from town to town, casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord G. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation saying, I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches to come out. Seven sons of Skiva. These seven dudes and elite leading priests were doing this. But one time they, when they tried it, the evil spirit replied. I know Jesus, like I'm acquainted with Jesus. I'm acquainted with Jesus. 5 (53m 4s): And I know Paul, I'm acquainted with Paul and I, but I, but who are you? And then the man with the evil spirit, leaped on them, overpowered them and attack them with such violence that they fled from the house naked and battered. 6 (53m 22s): That's a great story. And the name of Paul, 5 (53m 31s): All of these things happen. So this is the spiritual kind of landscape of what's going on in emphasis there's darkness, there's lights, there's all kinds of people there. We're going to read here in a moment about Artemis. There was a temple built for, for the goddess Artemis. And the temple was actually one of the seven wonders of the world in the ancient world and, and emphasis. So there's this big temple erected built for this, this goddess, this fate God. And So the story of what happened with the seven sons of Skiva spread quickly, all through emphasis for 17 to Jews and Greeks alike, a solemn fear to send it on the city. 5 (54m 22s): And the name of the Lord, Jesus was greatly honored. Many who became believers, confess their sin full practices. A number of them had been practicing sorcery, brought their incantation books and burned them in a public bond. Fire. The value of the books was several million dollars. So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect. Sometimes we hold on to things from our past life, our BC life, our before Christ days. And we need to get those things out of our lives. What is it that you need to get rid of your, in your life? These guys burn their, their witchcraft books at the cost of millions of dollars. 5 (55m 8s): Is this cost them something? What, what is it that God is asking you to do that is going to cost you something. 4 (55m 16s): Okay. 5 (55m 19s): What God did was having a power of what God was doing in that city was having a powerful effect on people. And they were, they were giving up the occult practices and they were burning their books Because they just wanted to make sure everything in their life honor the Lord, everything, no holes, barred. It doesn't matter how much money it costs me. I don't want anything. That's going to hold me back from Jesus Afterward. Paul felt compelled by the spirit to go over to Macedonia and Acadia before going to Jerusalem. So Paul felt compelled by the spirit. This is just simply Paul hearing from God and doing what he feels led to do. 5 (56m 1s): That's all we're trying to do as followers today. We're saying, Lord, what do you want to do with me today? And what do you want to do through me today? We're just, we just want to be compelled by the spirit to do stuff. That's all we're asking. We're not, it's all scriptural. It's not anything weird. It's just what, what believers do we want to be compelled by the, but that means we have to be in tuned to the spirit. So that means we gotta be paying attention to what God is doing. I got up this morning and worked on my message a little bit and then just went out and prayed. I said, Lord, I, I just want to be connected to you. I, I need you to know that what I'm saying has some, some authority, some power because you're behind it. 5 (56m 42s): I, I, I don't want to just say, get up there and use empty words, words that don't, I needed it to be powerful for your sake, for the sake of your people. I don't need to be powerful, but God, I want God to be powerful through me. Paul felt compelled by the spirit. What was the last time he felt compelled to do something by the spirit. And when you felt compelled, you did it. And you're like, wow, this is crazy. Cause it's a little bit scary. It requires something of us. It's maybe something that we're not totally sure about it. Cause we're, we're called to walk by faith and not by sight. And so the things that God calls us to you requires a measure of faith without faith. 5 (57m 24s): It's impossible to please God. So everything that he asks us to do is going to require a level of faith and dependence on the Holy spirit. I say this all the time that everything that God asks of us requires of us means requires the power of the Holy spirit, 6 (57m 45s): Moving 5 (57m 45s): Us and, and, and prompting us and working through us. If what God has asked you to do, doesn't require the power of the Holy spirit. It's God didn't ask you to do. 6 (57m 55s): He didn't ask. He just didn't ask you to do it. 5 (57m 59s): Most likely. You'll just do that on your own. And that's not a bad thing, but I want you just to get to the place where we're saying, God, what did you, what are you asking me to do? Is that will re that will be a stretch. And that's a fun stretch. That is a fun 6 (58m 16s): Trach. It's the best kind of stuff. 5 (58m 24s): Paul felt compelled by the spirit to go to Macedonia and CA before going into Jerusalem. And after that, he said, I must go on to Rome. It's like he he's getting downloads from the Lord revelation from Lord clarity from the Lord about his path, about his missionary journey. This is Paul's third missionary journey. He's he's about the father's business, doing what God had asked him to do. So he knows he's got a plan. 6 (58m 48s): Often. 5 (58m 48s): We've got a plan for everything else in our lives, but we don't have a plan for ministry for impact, for kingdom impact. I can I ask you to make a plan and say, Lord, what do you want me to do with my life kingdom speaking? What, what, how do you want to use my, me and my life? I must go to Rome. He said why? Because he was compelled by the Holy spirit to go to Rome. He had work to do in Rome. He had work to do there. 6 (59m 18s): Hmm. You said it's Two Timothy. And Erastus 5 (59m 24s): The head to Macedonia while he stayed a while longer. The province We're. So out of time, did we set the clock? 4 (59m 34s): Right. Okay. Let's continue 5 (59m 45s): About that time. Serious trouble developed in an emphasis concerning the way it began with Demetrius, a silversmith who had a large business manufacturing, silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy called them together, along with others, employed in similar trades and address them as follows. So the gospel is so impacting this culture, this community, this city, that the business of shrine making idol making is going under. I want to see something like that happened in our community. Like were businesses honoring the devil are going out because, because they're such an impact. 5 (1h 0m 30s): So these guys are angry, angry with Paul. Let's jump over to revelation, chapter three, our chapter two. And then we'll wrap it up with just with this. As we get into revelation chapter two, what else do we know about this emphasis? The city of emphasis? Well, John Penn seven letters under the inspiration of the Holy spirit gospel. God is writing these seven letters to the seven churches in Asia revelation, chapter two, verse two. The first letter that John Penn was to this church in emphasis. And they had a lot, got a lot going for them. Can I have my tea? They had a lot going for them. 5 (1h 1m 11s): There's not much. Where are you drinking my tea? 4 (1h 1m 15s): You've made that tea for me. 5 (1h 1m 20s): Happy Valentine's day. I share my tea with you. 4 (1h 1m 25s): Thank you for the two drops that are left. Oh, that was good. Thank you. So this Church 5 (1h 1m 39s): Had so much going for it. 4 (1h 1m 46s): I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work 5 (1h 1m 51s): And your patient endurance. So this, there was a lot of hard work going on in the Church patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles, but are not. You have discovered they're liars. Paul told Timothy in first, in first, him of the one, three to stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. It sounds like Tim Timothy took care of that issue within the church. He said, you have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles, but are not. You have discovered they're liars 4 (1h 2m 28s): Revelation 5 (1h 2m 28s): Two verse three. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. So lots of wonderful things, but I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first, you've lost your first 4 (1h 2m 44s): Love. Ouch. Verse five says, look, how far you've fallen. 5 (1h 2m 52s): Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches to remove the lampstand is to remove your, your position, your position, your authority, and your place as a Church, he's saying I'm going to snuff out your lamps and you will no longer be recognized as a Church. If you don't figure out a love, 4 (1h 3m 18s): Great, 5 (1h 3m 18s): His commandments is love God and love others. And he's saying that this Church with all of the good stuff that they were doing. They've forgotten about a couple of things. The biggest things. Yeah. Loving God and loving others. He said, if you don't repent, you actually can't be in my church. 4 (1h 3m 36s): So we don't. 5 (1h 3m 36s): It's a big deal. Sometimes to have hatred in our heart for people, God thinks it's a big deal. God thinks it's a big deal. We'll know that we're his disciples because of our loved one for another. I mean, this is how the world knows is our it's because of our love. And it's a supernatural thing. Isn't it? Like, how do you love someone? You don't like supernaturally when you're fighting with your spouse, how do you love them? Unconditionally supernaturally. When you're at odds with people in your life, how do you continue to love them? You do it supernaturally. You're under the power of the Holy spirit, doing what God has asked you to do. 5 (1h 4m 19s): So maybe the best thing that God is asking you to do right now is just he's. He's saying, Oh, you say the question is, what do you want to do with me today? What do you want me to do today? And what do you want to do through me today? Maybe God is just saying, I want you to love people. Just start there. It's it's it's the basics. But beyond that, it's the deepest it's it's it's entry level, but it's it's, it's where mature believers also land it's it's it's everything. It's everything. So maybe you're asking, well, how, how do I love this person? You've got somebody in mind, just do the least selfish thing. Go out of your way to be gracious with them. 5 (1h 5m 2s): Speak words of affirmation. We can always find something good about people that we dislike. 4 (1h 5m 9s): Always. 5 (1h 5m 11s): So maybe you're saying, Lord, I know that this is what you want me to do, but I don't know how to, I don't know what is good about them. I 6 (1h 5m 18s): Don't, I don't know. I can't think of anything. Good job. We'll think of something and he'll tell you, and then you can speak that. And that will be in to be a bridge. Why don't we go and stand up by the worship team? God, I, I don't want our laps, our lampstand to be removed. So God, where there maybe division among us. I pray that you would break that in Jesus name, where people are angry. I pray and I, I'm not even thinking about a circumstance or situation, but God, if there is something going on where there's anger, resentment, unforgiveness, 7 (1h 6m 8s): Hatred, 6 (1h 6m 8s): I pray that you would break that in Jesus' name, that you would break our hearts with joy 7 (1h 6m 12s): Truth, that you would break our hearts with truth and help us to love. I pray for marriages, people who are struggling in their marriage relationships. I pray that you'd heal them in Jesus name, God, that we would love each other forever relationship for every partake, for every pain, for every disappointment, for every sorrow, just pray that you would wash over our souls, our lives in Jesus name. We need you to do that. Lord. We want to love people and we want to love you God, where, where we're not loving you for. 7 (1h 6m 58s): I'm not even sure what that looks like for each and every person, Lord God. But I pray that we would figure out what that means. Got to love you. And I don't even know what that means for me. Sometimes the Lord, I, I know tangibly. It means obedience means just taking time with you for me. And I, I true for every one of us. Just taking time with you to listen to you, launching you, desiring you Lord, not just in my devotional, you know, slots of time, but throughout the day, Lord, just continuing to look to you and looking for you and believing you and God, I don't know what you want to do, but I know you want to do something or some do that work in us. 7 (1h 8m 7s): Lord. I think if we're just willing, Lord, you'll figure it, figure out the rest and fix the rest Lord. So make us willing. We pray, Lord God, as we worship you, thank you for this time. And thank you for what you're doing. Just ask that you would continue that good work in Jesus name. Amen. Let's worship 1 (1h 8m 39s): thank you so much. 0 (1h 19m 8s): And even when we're unlovely you still love us, help us love like them. Thank you for meeting us where we're at. And I ask that you help us to go when you sing, go and may still, when you say be still, because we can trust you because you love us. Thank you for worshiping with us 1 (1h 19m 44s): Wonderful week .