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Welcome to the Bridge Church VB Podcast, your weekly source for uplifting and transformative Sunday messages! Each episode features insightful, practical teachings rooted in Scripture, designed to inspire and guide you on your spiritual journey. Led by our passionate Lead Pastors, Archie and Tangie Callahan, we strive to create a welcoming environment that encourages individuals from all walks of life to connect with the person, power, and purpose of Jesus Christ.
In this podcast, we delve into relevant themes and timeless biblical truths that speak to the challenges and joys of everyday living. Whether you’re commuting, exercising, or simply seeking encouragement, our messages aim to empower you to grow in faith and discover your unique purpose.
Join our vibrant community of believers as we explore how to apply God’s Word in practical ways, fostering a deeper connection with Him and one another. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enrich your life through these dynamic teachings. Connect with us and find out more at www.bridgechurch.tv!
0.000000 4.900000 Good morning and welcome to Bridge on this Memorial Day weekend.
4.900000 9.480000 So we remember the lives that we're given, for our freedom, you know, in all the
9.480000 15.240000 hustle and bustle and all the hamburgers and hot dogs and stake on the side.
15.240000 20.760000 Don't forget the real meaning of Memorial Day.
20.760000 26.800000 People gave their lives so that we could sit here today and worship and freedom.
26.800000 33.200000 And if America is going to remain free, that will need to continue to happen.
33.200000 40.420000 As President Abraham Lincoln and his famous Gettysburg address said this, "What this
40.420000 43.760000 nation needs is a rebirth of freedom."
43.760000 49.340000 If it was true then, it's true now that we need a rebirth of freedom.
49.340000 50.340000 Amen?
50.340000 54.720000 I want you to take out your Bibles and turn to 1 Timothy chapter 1.
54.720000 57.680000 We're going to continue this series called Overload.
57.680000 64.800000 And we've been talking about mental health, even watching the news feed last night, the
64.800000 71.960000 young man in his early 20s who was outside of the White House firing rounds at the White
71.960000 75.920000 House and the Secret Service agents had to take him out.
75.920000 76.920000 That's their duty.
76.920000 82.240000 It's been known that he struggled with mental health.
82.240000 87.400000 I believe many times the mental health struggle of our nation is directly connected to the
87.400000 89.840000 fragmentation of the family.
89.840000 97.320000 The fragmentation of the family is directly connected to us as a nation rejecting God.
97.320000 101.360000 And Romans chapter 1, it says this, "They did not know how to be human because they did
101.360000 103.320000 not know God."
103.320000 107.600000 Meaning the further you get away from God and a knowledge of God and who God is and
107.600000 114.920000 the principles that are found in His Word, the less you humane you become and the less you
114.920000 120.280000 recognize that every human is an image bearer of God.
120.280000 124.400000 You were not just an amoeba that evolved into a human being.
124.400000 129.560000 You were created by a holy God who knew you before you were ever woven in your mother's
129.560000 131.120000 womb before you ever conceived.
131.120000 132.440000 He knew you.
132.440000 139.640000 And I believe that every person is valuable because they are image bearers of God.
139.640000 144.280000 And so as a people of God, we must recognize that mental health issues are real.
144.280000 149.000000 In fact, Craig Grosjeu is a pastor at Life Church in Oklahoma City.
149.000000 153.720000 He just recently wrote a book, "Heal my hurting mind."
153.720000 161.480000 And in this book, he talks about mental health and what it is and how it impacts all of us.
161.480000 170.100000 And he asked this question, "What are we talking about when we use the term mental health?"
170.100000 175.040000 Very important question to identify and he gives us three aspects of mental health.
175.040000 179.360000 When you're talking about mental health, you're talking about your emotional health, your
179.360000 183.600000 psychological health, and your social health.
183.600000 189.680000 But the very foundation to all healthy living is a knowledge of God.
189.680000 192.200000 Have you ever heard the word holiness in church?
192.200000 195.760000 Man, you're a holiness church, you ever heard that?
195.760000 201.800000 That word holiness finds its root in this right here, holiness.
201.800000 210.040000 Holiness, for the most part, has been hijacked for legalistic behavior in the modern church.
210.040000 217.800000 But holiness to God is you coming into holiness after you come into a relationship with God through
217.800000 220.480000 his Son, Jesus Christ.
220.480000 227.760000 Spirit, soul, embody, Paul said, "I want you holy, holy."
227.760000 229.560000 Spirit, soul, embody.
229.560000 237.440000 That God desires to take the broken pieces of our lives and the fragmentation of our mind
237.440000 245.960000 and bring back together his image in us so that we become a reflection of his glory in
245.960000 254.240000 the earth that we become people fully alive in Christ Jesus, that we become image bearers
254.240000 261.160000 to a world that is lost its connection with its creator, God.
261.160000 269.480000 So salvation is much more than you getting fire insurance and staying out of hell.
269.480000 273.080000 That is a part of the gospel, but it's a very minute part.
273.080000 280.560000 The whole gospel says that Jesus came to redeem me and restore me to former glory that was revealed
280.560000 286.360000 in Adam in the Garden of Eden, the first Adam hijacked it and messed it up, but the second
286.360000 293.200000 Adam Jesus is a life-giving spirit that gives life to you and to me.
293.200000 302.280000 See mental health, it actually affects the way we think, the way we act, the way we react.
302.280000 311.300000 It impacts the way we relate to other people, the way we handle stress, the way we make choices.
311.300000 317.300000 And so Paul comes in Romans chapter 12 and I believe gives us one of the most important
317.300000 322.080000 things that we can do after coming to Christ in verse 2.
322.080000 328.920000 He says, "Do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
328.920000 335.640000 See he understood that salvation was you being born again, but it doesn't stop there.
335.640000 341.920000 No, does your spirit need to be saved but your mind needs to be saved and your speech needs
341.920000 347.200000 to be saved and how you relate to other people needs to be saved, amen?
347.200000 353.280000 Because the salvation that Jesus gave to us is just not to make us comfortable on Sunday
353.280000 357.280000 morning, it's to make us a new creation in Christ Jesus.
357.280000 360.240000 The old is gone, behold all things become new.
360.240000 365.520000 I know it's Memorial Day weekend, but hang in there with me.
365.520000 370.760000 And so when we begin to think about this thing called mental health, we have to build into
370.760000 375.040000 our lives some resilient routines.
375.040000 382.360000 Many people here you don't like routines, man, you're just free-flowing creative.
382.360000 386.800000 I love creative people, but most of the time they have no discipline.
386.800000 390.280000 They have no intentionality about their lives.
390.280000 395.160000 They get up at 11 and go to bed at 2.
395.160000 401.040000 They say they're creative juices flow between 9 o'clock at night and 3 o'clock in the morning.
401.040000 402.920000 They just float through life.
402.920000 404.320000 It drives me crazy.
404.320000 407.040000 You say pastor, how do you know that?
407.040000 410.080000 I have creatives in my family.
410.080000 414.280000 They love music and they're like David on the backside of the wilderness playing
414.280000 420.440000 the harps and singing lullabies and dad listen to this song and listen to this lyric.
420.440000 428.000000 Here's a new song that I'm like, come on get a little bit of discipline in your life, amen.
428.000000 434.600000 And so Paul is speaking to Timothy, and first Timothy, chapter number four.
434.600000 440.320000 This book was written anywhere from 62 AD to 64 AD, 65 AD.
440.320000 444.240000 Written by Paul after his first imprisonment in Rome.
444.240000 449.760000 He is writing this book to Timothy who is pastoring a church in Ephesus.
449.760000 453.920000 Timothy is Paul's spiritual son in the faith.
453.920000 459.520000 In fact, in the first part of the chapter and chapter one, he calls him a true spiritual
459.520000 461.320000 son.
461.320000 466.120000 The very fact that he calls him a true spiritual son is this right here that Paul probably
466.120000 472.960000 had some false spiritual sons that ran away from him and betrayed him.
472.960000 477.880000 And he calls Timothy, this spiritual son in the faith, this true spiritual son, Timothy
477.880000 480.720000 was a young whipper snapper.
480.720000 482.920000 He was a young man.
482.920000 487.680000 Now most commentators, most scholars believe that he was anywhere from 30 to 35, but in those
487.680000 489.560000 days he was young.
489.560000 492.880000 So I wouldn't be considered a young man, amen.
492.880000 494.880000 I'm just a man.
494.880000 499.000000 And I understand that Paul said act like men, amen, we need to act like men.
499.000000 505.400000 Timothy is this young man in the faith, he's pastoring this church and he's intimidated
505.400000 510.720000 by the people that are teaching heresy in the church and false doctrine.
510.720000 517.720000 But Paul tells him in second Timothy, God has not given you a spirit of fear, but a power
517.720000 521.400000 of love and a sound mind, a discipline mind, stand up, Timothy.
521.400000 528.440000 They don't let anyone despise your youth or look down on you because you are young.
528.440000 532.200000 You have been empowered by the Holy Spirit.
532.200000 539.380000 You have been energized on Pentecost Sunday today by the Holy Spirit to do everything that
539.380000 543.440000 God's called you to do, Timothy.
543.440000 547.320000 And chapter 1 verses 7 and 8 is our text today.
547.320000 553.960000 And this is what it says, have nothing to do with Godless myths.
553.960000 563.440000 You can say this way, have nothing to do with conspiracy theories, got quiet in here.
563.440000 571.560000 And old wives tales, rather train yourself to be godly.
571.560000 577.560000 For physical training is of some value, notice he says physical training is some value.
577.560000 582.720000 Now for all my trainers in here, you probably get upset with that verse.
582.720000 590.440000 It has some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present
590.440000 596.840000 life and the life to come.
596.840000 603.680000 He says this training in godliness has value for this life and the life to come, but physical
603.680000 607.120000 training only has value for this life.
607.120000 609.200000 Is he saying not to physically train?
609.200000 610.600000 No.
610.600000 613.520000 He's saying you got to understand, there's a contrast here.
613.520000 615.960000 The physical training is for this life.
615.960000 622.000000 The training in godliness is for this life and the life to come.
622.000000 625.080000 Now what you think about this?
625.080000 630.800000 Imagine you work in with a computer, you're doing your work, you have multiple windows open,
630.800000 637.840000 you have zoom open, you have pro-presenter open or you have some other things open.
637.840000 650.400000 It's like everything's open and suddenly your computer just bogs down and just frees us.
650.400000 656.480000 What do you have to do to get it unfroze?
656.480000 662.480000 You have to turn it off, you have to reset it, you have to defrag it, you have to close some
662.480000 667.720000 of the windows on that page, you have overloaded the hard drive.
667.720000 670.880000 The work and mechanism in that computer.
670.880000 675.960000 And I'm convinced that's the way most people live their lives mentally.
675.960000 683.480000 They have so much going on upstairs, so many windows open, so many jobs open that it just
683.480000 690.000000 boom, it takes a toll on their minds and they just shut down and that's the reason we suffer
690.000000 696.200000 from depression and that's the reason we suffer with all kind of anxiety and stress and
696.200000 704.100000 we live in a complex world and our minds have gotten so complex that we've lost the purity
704.100000 707.480000 of simplicity.
707.480000 711.400000 The purity of simplicity, the rest of simplicity.
711.400000 716.640000 I'm not talking about sleep because it's possible to sleep and not rest.
716.640000 720.800000 How many of you have ever slept eight to ten hours and you woke up tired?
720.800000 721.800000 Why?
721.800000 725.320000 Because tiredness is not in your body, it is in your mind.
725.320000 727.480000 It's in your emotions.
727.480000 732.040000 That's why you can sleep eight to ten hours and you wake up and you're exhausted because
732.040000 737.000000 the exhaustion is not in your body, it's in your mind.
737.000000 744.560000 That emotionally you have been whacked and now you're just tired.
744.560000 750.440000 But hear the words of Jesus, come unto me, all you who are weary because wearingness has
750.440000 763.780000 to do with emotional and mental capacity and our heavy laden and I will give you rest.
763.780000 767.280000 Notice Jesus did not say sleep.
767.280000 774.040000 If you're healthy, you're naturally going to sleep, amen.
774.040000 779.400000 But if he helps me up here, my sleep will become healing sleep.
779.400000 784.240000 I hear my wife say this all the time, baby, you've got to get your healing sleep.
784.240000 785.240000 What is she saying?
785.240000 790.100000 You need to go to bed before ten o'clock because your healing sleep is between ten and two
790.100000 793.160000 in the morning.
793.160000 799.080000 The most effective sleep that you can get for your life and for your mind and body is from
799.080000 802.360000 ten o'clock at night to two o'clock in the morning.
802.360000 805.760000 It's called healing sleep.
805.760000 815.920000 But I can't receive that healing sleep if my mind is jacked up, if my mind is confused.
815.920000 825.280000 It's impossible to be spiritual without godly rituals that we routinely practice.
825.280000 828.160000 Most of us don't like routine.
828.160000 830.560000 Most of us don't like rituals.
830.560000 837.080000 You say, especially pinocostal cures, manic Christians, they don't like rituals because
837.080000 842.400000 they think rituals is religion.
842.400000 849.720000 Rituals absence of the presence of god is ritual and it is just religious.
849.720000 856.240000 When I say practicing routines or rituals, I'm talking about spirit-led rituals that connect
856.240000 861.920000 you to god and energize you spiritually.
861.920000 866.000000 That word spiritual is a dynamic word.
866.000000 868.240000 It's a word that Paul would define this way.
868.240000 874.160000 He would say, "If you're going to be spiritual, first of all, you have to be born again."
874.160000 879.640000 And Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again."
879.640000 883.160000 Not by flesh but by the spirit.
883.160000 884.600000 Spirit gives birth to spirit.
884.600000 887.040000 Jesus was talking about this brand new life.
887.040000 891.920000 You're born into a new kingdom that has new values.
891.920000 896.520000 And when you're born into God's kingdom, you can't take the values of the world and try
896.520000 902.480000 to force them into the kingdom because they don't work.
902.480000 905.440000 He says, "First of all, be born again."
905.440000 909.240000 Number two, be filled with the spirit.
909.240000 910.960000 Say, be filled.
910.960000 915.980000 Ephesians 5 says, "Be filled with the spirit."
915.980000 920.880000 And in that verse in Ephesians 5, it's not talking about a one-time event.
920.880000 921.880000 It's this right here.
921.880000 926.120000 Be filled and keep on being filled with the spirit.
926.120000 931.400000 So for Paul being spiritual, it was not going to church on Sunday.
931.400000 936.320000 It's a part of it, but that's not the extent of it and that's not the end of it.
936.320000 941.180000 For Paul, first of all, being spiritual is that you're born into a spiritual kingdom through
941.180000 948.580000 a spiritual experience that comes when God comes into your life by His power and converts
948.580000 951.760000 your heart and makes you a new creation.
951.760000 958.060000 So he says, "You've got to be born again, be the type of believer that is filled constantly
958.060000 959.060000 with the spirit."
959.060000 961.120000 Come on, we're on day pinnacles today.
961.120000 965.560000 The pinnacles of the experience is for all churches, not just for the pinnacles of
965.560000 967.520000 the charismatic ones.
967.520000 972.400000 All churches are pinnacles, so because we can trace our roots back to the day of pinnacles
972.400000 975.480000 in Acts chapter 2.
975.480000 976.880000 That's where the church was born.
976.880000 981.600000 It was born in fire and smoke will not do.
981.600000 984.640000 Church needs to put up a smoke screen to the world.
984.640000 987.680000 We either got it or we don't, amen?
987.680000 989.280000 But I want to be a church that has it.
989.280000 995.000000 I want to be a church that's spirit inspired and spirit empowered and spirit led in a
995.000000 997.040000 world of compromise.
997.040000 999.520000 When people come in here, I don't want them to see me.
999.520000 1004.840000 I want them to feel the presence, the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit, when people
1004.840000 1009.840000 are singing and when people are greeting and when we're parking cars and when they come
1009.840000 1013.800000 up on the lot, they sense the presence of God.
1013.800000 1018.280000 If we don't have the presence of God, let's throw all our Bibles in the middle and have
1018.280000 1021.400000 a weenie roasting a home.
1021.400000 1023.920000 We need the presence of God.
1023.920000 1025.080000 We don't have the presence of God.
1025.080000 1027.080000 Why are we here?
1027.080000 1030.000000 I could be doing a whole lot of other things.
1030.000000 1033.760000 I could be deweating the flower beds.
1033.760000 1036.580000 I could finish my honeydew list.
1036.580000 1041.480000 That's a long one.
1041.480000 1047.640000 Then he would say this, not only you need to be born again if you're going to be spiritual,
1047.640000 1053.640000 not only you need to be filled with the Spirit, he would say you need to progressively
1053.640000 1063.160000 daily be transformed and conformed into the image of Jesus.
1063.160000 1070.020000 That would be Paul's definition of spiritual.
1070.020000 1072.620000 Now look what he tells Timothy.
1072.620000 1088.400000 He says rather train yourselves to be godly, train yourselves, train yourselves.
1088.400000 1096.420000 Don't depend on the pastor to train you.
1096.420000 1101.020000 Got quiet in his gospel church.
1101.020000 1106.500000 Don't just come to church and hear and not put into practice.
1106.500000 1109.800000 He says train yourselves.
1109.800000 1116.340000 It comes from a Greek word gymnasium, which we get our word gymnasium.
1116.340000 1123.820000 It's in the gymnasium that you have to intentionalize training and discipline.
1123.820000 1130.860000 Come here, you know, Olympic athletes don't wake up one day and say I'm an Olympic athlete.
1130.860000 1137.980000 They train for hours and years to become what they have become.
1137.980000 1146.220000 And so training for the Christian, for most of us, we relegate training to an hour on Sunday
1146.220000 1148.720000 morning.
1148.720000 1158.980000 But if I went to the gym every first day of every new year, but skipped every other day, I
1158.980000 1167.280000 couldn't tell people I'm in training, man, I'm trained for this year, I'm done.
1167.280000 1171.200000 It was crowded in there, but I'm done.
1171.200000 1174.400000 That would be crazy.
1174.400000 1179.200000 Training is an ongoing thing.
1179.200000 1184.360000 The verb here, train, is in the imperative form.
1184.360000 1189.840000 It means not a one time event that you do just one day a year.
1189.840000 1198.660000 Paul is saying, train yourself, keep on keeping on training yourselves daily, build resilient
1198.660000 1205.540000 routines into your life that promote godliness because the purpose of training in the church
1205.540000 1211.380000 and the purpose of training for the Christian is to become godly.
1211.380000 1219.020000 Come on, if you've been saved 20 years and you have become less godly, oh, he got quiet
1219.020000 1220.020000 in here, didn't it?
1220.020000 1226.420000 I know it's Memorial Day weekend, but I'm saying, if you're not growing in godliness, if
1226.420000 1231.820000 you're not growing in the character of Jesus and you're just stagnant and you're going
1231.820000 1237.220000 with the flow and the current of this world is taking you and you think you are saved and
1237.220000 1242.700000 own your way to heaven just because you come to church one day a week, that's not what
1242.700000 1243.700000 Paul's talking about.
1243.700000 1248.940000 He's talking about building in resilient routines and rituals that will make you spiritual
1248.940000 1250.500000 and godly.
1250.500000 1253.260000 Train training is hard.
1253.260000 1258.020000 I hate it.
1258.020000 1261.100000 I hate it.
1261.100000 1262.100000 Physical training is hard.
1262.100000 1263.100000 I hate it.
1263.100000 1264.100000 I grew up living weights.
1264.100000 1265.620000 I grew up playing sports.
1265.620000 1278.380000 I grew up, you know, jogging, I grew up, squatting, eight weeks ago, I hired a trainer about
1278.380000 1288.660000 cussing him out the first day, I don't cuss, I don't cuss, but I felt like it.
1288.660000 1293.180000 I told him to take it easy and I hired him before I turned 56.
1293.180000 1300.140000 I said, dude, you're 37, 38, I'm 55, I understand there's a difference.
1300.140000 1305.060000 Yeah, like you didn't hear me.
1305.060000 1316.140000 I'm gasping, I'm dying, I'm so sore for the next week, I can't move.
1316.140000 1319.820000 My wife is telling me to get in the yard and do some work, I'm like, dude, I can't even
1319.820000 1327.380000 get up out of bed, I got a preach this weekend, I got a rest all week just to preach.
1327.380000 1328.380000 I'm dying.
1328.380000 1335.980000 I mean, training is hard because it breaks you down before it builds you up.
1335.980000 1342.700000 I mean, sometimes the word of God will break you down before it builds you up, sometimes
1342.700000 1349.460000 the word of God will hurt you before it heals you, but if you keep training, man, if you
1349.460000 1355.660000 keep pumping, if you keep, you know, doing the repetition every day, you'll watch your
1355.660000 1360.980000 muscles spiritually began to grow and new life will come to you.
1360.980000 1364.860000 There were some things I couldn't do a few weeks ago that I'm doing today.
1364.860000 1369.940000 I feel stronger why because there's been physical training on my body, but I understand
1369.940000 1376.020000 that physical training is only good for this life.
1376.020000 1378.820000 It's going to give me some longevity, I hope.
1378.820000 1384.740000 I'm going to be able to preach a little bit longer, past to get it done.
1384.740000 1397.660000 I'm pre-fonger today, but I understand spiritual training for this life and the life to come,
1397.660000 1401.620000 for this life and the life to come.
1401.620000 1405.820000 Now for all you think you're going to die and you're going to become a little fat angel
1405.820000 1413.860000 with a harp on a cloud, that's not in the Bible, that's weird.
1413.860000 1421.500000 No man would want to go to heaven and sit on a cloud, half naked, fat with a harp.
1421.500000 1424.740000 I ain't signing up for that dude.
1424.740000 1427.540000 Paul said, "I'd like men."
1427.540000 1428.540000 Amen.
1428.540000 1429.540000 Hallelujah.
1429.540000 1440.820000 I'd like men, ain't going to be no sissy, heart playing men in heaven.
1440.820000 1445.180000 I'm just here to choke out all that religious stuff that you've been taught.
1445.180000 1446.180000 That's not true.
1446.180000 1449.460000 When you get to heaven, you're going to continue to learn and you're going to rule and
1449.460000 1450.780000 reign with Christ.
1450.780000 1452.940000 You're going to have a job description.
1452.940000 1455.820000 Why not get a head start right now?
1455.820000 1461.940000 Start training for reigning in this life so you can reign in the next life to come with
1461.940000 1465.020000 Christ, amen?
1465.020000 1468.180000 Training for reigning, that's pretty good right there.
1468.180000 1476.820000 So he said, "Train yourselves to be godly, godly," what does it mean to be godly, it means to take
1476.820000 1486.460000 on the nature and character of Jesus, to honor God, to revere God, to respect God.
1486.460000 1494.020000 All these things is their godliness in our lives and some of us need to take a godly test.
1494.020000 1502.460000 Am I godly or am I just godly?
1502.460000 1504.660000 Big difference.
1504.660000 1512.740000 Just because you do good works doesn't make you godly.
1512.740000 1519.700000 I can do good works out of my own flesh and want people to see my good works.
1519.700000 1521.700000 What did Jesus say to him?
1521.700000 1526.500000 They came to him and said, "Jesus, we prophesied your name, we didn't miracles in your name,
1526.500000 1536.220000 we preached in your name," and Jesus said, "Depart from me, for I never knew you."
1536.220000 1540.220000 That word "new" there is a Greek word "godnosco."
1540.220000 1545.660000 It's the same word that Paul uses in Philippians 310 that I may know him.
1545.660000 1551.580000 It's a close intimate personal knowledge of God.
1551.580000 1558.260000 Jesus said, "Depart from me, you did all these good works, but I didn't know you."
1558.260000 1562.140000 That is very possible folks.
1562.140000 1573.420000 We want to know him in the power of his resurrection, in the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.
1573.420000 1583.020000 If your theology has no place for suffering on earth, your theology is bad.
1583.020000 1593.960000 If you go to a church and a pastor says, "You'll never suffer, leave."
1593.960000 1599.620000 Most of us are here today because we were full of pain.
1599.620000 1601.160000 Pain is a good motivator.
1601.160000 1608.060000 Man, I can't handle this, I'm going to church.
1608.060000 1614.260000 I'm going to sit on the front row, right beside Bretton.
1614.260000 1617.560000 Get my praise on, I'm full of pain.
1617.560000 1623.880000 The Bible says Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered.
1623.880000 1635.720000 There's some things that you learn in suffering that you cannot learn in prosperity.
1635.720000 1643.840000 Paul said, "Whether I'm amply supplied or I'm in poverty and I have nothing, I have
1643.840000 1649.800000 learned the secret of being content.
1649.800000 1656.560000 The secret for Paul was his connection to God who infused him with joy daily.
1656.560000 1663.040000 I've got to wrap this up, I've got 12 minutes, I'm going to give you three practical steps.
1663.040000 1667.520000 Number one, practice fellowship.
1667.520000 1670.680000 If you're going to train, you've got to practice fellowship.
1670.680000 1674.000000 What is fellowship in the Greek is quenanilla.
1674.000000 1678.680000 It's communion with God.
1678.680000 1682.840000 It's communion with other people.
1682.840000 1686.840000 Some of you come to church and say, "Pastor, I love the church, but I hate people."
1686.840000 1691.560000 Well, the church is not the building.
1691.560000 1695.840000 The church is that person you're sitting right beside right now, don't look.
1695.840000 1698.880000 That's the church.
1698.880000 1704.600000 Jesus is bride.
1704.600000 1711.360000 How many of you know if you love me but you hate it my wife, I wouldn't hang out with you.
1711.360000 1717.280000 I tell you, see you, wouldn't want to be you.
1717.280000 1721.960000 So, if I love Jesus, I've got to love his bride.
1721.960000 1723.640000 There's fellowship here.
1723.640000 1731.080000 Hebrews 10 says this in verse 23-25, "Let us hold unswervenly to the hope we profess for
1731.080000 1733.440000 he who promised is faithful.
1733.440000 1735.080000 Christ who promised is faithful.
1735.080000 1743.760000 And let us consider how may we spur one another toward love, on toward love, and good deeds
1743.760000 1749.000000 not giving up meeting what together."
1749.000000 1754.320000 And some are in the what?
1754.320000 1761.560000 Coming to church, being part of a small group, getting connected is a resilient routine.
1761.560000 1762.560000 It's a habit.
1762.560000 1766.800000 "Pastor, I don't need people."
1766.800000 1771.480000 Yeah, you don't need them till you need them.
1771.480000 1776.960000 But when you need them, it's too late to build the bridge.
1776.960000 1781.080000 But encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching what day, the
1781.080000 1786.440000 coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the second coming, he is saying as the end approaches, as
1786.440000 1792.140000 the end of the age is coming to a close, don't meet less, don't fellowship less, get connected
1792.140000 1796.320000 more, get in fellowship more, sign up for a small group today.
1796.320000 1797.320000 Yes.
1797.320000 1806.800000 How I don't need a small group, pastor, you lying?
1806.800000 1814.300000 First John 1, 7 says this right here, it's a very important thing that we understand what's
1814.300000 1822.760000 happening in the context, the first John, John is dealing with heresy, but he says this,
1822.760000 1827.960000 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and
1827.960000 1831.480000 the blood of Jesus, his son purifies us from all sin.
1831.480000 1836.240000 He's saying, if we walk in the light, as God is in the light, as Jesus is in the light,
1836.240000 1837.960000 we have fellowship with one another.
1837.960000 1838.960000 What is he saying?
1838.960000 1845.160000 He's saying, people who walk in darkness don't like fellowship.
1845.160000 1846.160000 Why?
1846.160000 1852.560000 Because fellowship exposes your darkness, but don't be scared as a believer of exposure.
1852.560000 1855.600000 He exposes our darkness to heal us.
1855.600000 1856.600000 Amen.
1856.600000 1863.040000 If I could ever get people to realize this, say pastor, do you go to a small group?
1863.040000 1872.720000 Yes, I teach one, because as iron sharpens, iron sharpens men, we need this cornonia, we
1872.720000 1879.560000 need this fellowship, we need this community, the sharing of each other's lives and the sharing
1879.560000 1885.880000 of resources, the healthiest people on planet earth are those people who have got connected
1885.880000 1896.320000 in church, in cornonia, in fellowship, number two, practice the presence of God, practice
1896.320000 1901.520000 the presence of God, brother Lawrence, who was a monk in the 1600s.
1901.520000 1910.400000 He defined practicing the presence of God as seeing the joy of God, even in the mundane
1910.400000 1915.440000 task of every day, life.
1915.440000 1919.640000 A.W. tozer in his book, the pursuit of God.
1919.640000 1923.520000 He talks about the practicing of the presence of God.
1923.520000 1931.040000 He's saying practicing the presence of God is essential to every believer, because every
1931.040000 1935.080000 believer needs to know God.
1935.080000 1940.200000 So I practice this presence, not just on Sunday morning, when I go back to work Tuesday,
1940.200000 1948.240000 if I have tomorrow off, that my work becomes a focal point of me practicing the presence
1948.240000 1949.240000 of God.
1949.240000 1955.360000 To the point, I learned that I'm not working just for a physical supervisor or a physical
1955.360000 1963.200000 company, but I am working for the Lord and my work becomes worship.
1963.200000 1968.200000 Most of us never get to that point where we see our work as worship.
1968.200000 1972.720000 We say, "Oh, I just got to go do this because I need the paycheck."
1972.720000 1981.880000 No, it's a worship to God that He has given me strength to go into that business and do
1981.880000 1987.120000 a good job for the company and for the man or woman who owns the business.
1987.120000 1990.520000 And as I do that, I'm bringing honor and glory to God.
1990.520000 1995.240000 I'm practicing the presence of God when I'm going down to 64 and somebody shoots me
1995.240000 1997.920000 the bird.
1997.920000 2003.120000 I'm saying, "God, forgive them for they know not what they do, and you don't try to run
2003.120000 2004.120000 them over."
2004.120000 2007.320000 I'm practicing the presence of God.
2007.320000 2012.320000 If you're a young couple and you've got young babies and young children, you practice
2012.320000 2016.320000 the presence of God even at two o'clock in the morning.
2016.320000 2021.240000 When they're whining, I'm practicing the presence of God.
2021.240000 2030.260000 I'm growing, I'm training with the purpose of becoming godly, I'm growing, I'm getting
2030.260000 2031.260000 off the milk.
2031.260000 2036.080000 I remember our son when he was born, that dude drank a lot of milk.
2036.080000 2043.200000 It was like, "He's just held it there for a couple of hours."
2043.200000 2047.680000 That was fine and dandy, but he's over 270 now.
2047.680000 2052.480000 It would look weird for me to stick a bottle in his mouth and carry him around, wouldn't
2052.480000 2053.480000 it?
2053.480000 2054.480000 Why?
2054.480000 2057.160000 Because he has outgrown that.
2057.160000 2064.680000 See, people in the body of Christ need to get to the point where they're not constantly
2064.680000 2070.880000 need to be spoon-fed, but they become self-feeders.
2070.880000 2078.720000 One of the largest churches in our nation, Passored by Bill Hybles, was the Seeker Church.
2078.720000 2083.480000 After about 30 years of ministry, they did a survey in their church and discovered that
2083.480000 2090.280000 people were not growing in discipleship because they did not become self-feeders.
2090.280000 2096.880000 They were depended upon the Sunday morning gathering for their maturity.
2096.880000 2102.120000 How many, you know, if you're going to train, you need more than Sunday morning.
2102.120000 2105.400000 You need to open up the book, the Bible, and read it.
2105.400000 2111.500000 You say, "If I can't understand it, go to John, start in John, start in detestment."
2111.500000 2113.440000 If you'll keep reading it, guess what happens?
2113.440000 2119.100000 The teacher, the Holy Spirit, comes, and he illuminates the Word, and he begins to put
2119.100000 2121.160000 it together for you.
2121.160000 2123.400000 He tailors the Bible to your life.
2123.400000 2127.680000 He puts it together, and he begins to teach you as you read it.
2127.680000 2130.440000 And you'll hear me say something, and you'll put it together.
2130.440000 2132.320000 And you'll hear another pastor say something.
2132.320000 2133.520000 You'll put it together.
2133.520000 2135.240000 You'll hear a small group leader say something.
2135.240000 2136.240000 You'll put it together.
2136.240000 2137.240000 You'll just begin to learn.
2137.240000 2141.160000 But if you never open it up, you will never learn it.
2141.160000 2144.640000 I don't care how many of you have in your house.
2144.640000 2148.600000 Satan doesn't care if you have 450,000 Bibles in your house.
2148.600000 2152.080000 As long as you don't open it.
2152.080000 2154.080000 It's not the Bible that saves you.
2154.080000 2159.200000 It's the Bible that's in you that saves you.
2159.200000 2167.520000 In fact, the New Testament writer says it's able to save your soul.
2167.520000 2174.000000 Number three, number three, practice generosity.
2174.000000 2175.000000 Right there.
2175.000000 2179.880000 You shut me off because you think I'm going to talk about money.
2179.880000 2184.600000 I don't mind talking about money, but I'm not even talking about money here.
2184.600000 2187.640000 I talk about money because Jesus talked about money.
2187.640000 2192.680000 Jesus talked about money and possessions and what you own more than he did heaven and
2192.680000 2198.760000 hell combined because he knew money impacted us all.
2198.760000 2204.040000 You're going to get up tomorrow because you need money.
2204.040000 2206.640000 You work 40 hours a week because you need money.
2206.640000 2211.040000 Some of you work three jobs because you need money.
2211.040000 2212.800000 Money is not our God.
2212.800000 2215.340000 God is our God.
2215.340000 2216.840000 We need to practice generosity.
2216.840000 2219.160000 What am I saying about practice generosity?
2219.160000 2220.360000 Be generous.
2220.360000 2228.000000 Some of you have some great business wisdom, but you hoard it and you protect it so you
2228.000000 2233.040000 can stay on top.
2233.040000 2239.340000 Why not give that business wisdom away to a younger generation?
2239.340000 2242.680000 Some of you have wisdom in the area of finances.
2242.680000 2248.680000 Why don't you coach somebody, mentor a young family, and give it away?
2248.680000 2252.200000 Some of you need to be very generous with your words of encouragement.
2252.200000 2257.120000 You withhold encouragement when it's in your power to encourage and you're being stingy
2257.120000 2261.360000 with your words.
2261.360000 2264.920000 There are so many ways to look at generosity.
2264.920000 2269.360000 It's the giving of my life, it's the serving in the church, and serving in the church is
2269.360000 2271.660000 a part of fellowship.
2271.660000 2279.620000 We're fellowshiping, we're serving together to see a common mission completed.
2279.620000 2282.080000 But this generosity is powerful.
2282.080000 2287.720000 Second Corinthians chapter 9, Paul says this in verse 6, "Remember this whoever so sparingly
2287.720000 2293.800000 will reap sparingly and whoever so generously will reap generously.
2293.800000 2298.960000 For God loves a tearful giver."
2298.960000 2302.600000 No, a tearful giver.
2302.600000 2308.380000 Some of you give with tears.
2308.380000 2312.280000 You start weeping when it's time to receive the offering, you start weeping when God tells
2312.280000 2319.640000 you to give something away, you start weeping and he says, "I want you to be cheerful."
2319.640000 2326.440000 That word cheerful there in the Greek, it means hilarious that when God tells you to give
2326.440000 2334.280000 you just become hilarious, maybe you just start laughing for the opportunity.
2334.280000 2335.880000 I'm thankful for the blood, aren't you?
2335.880000 2339.560000 I want you to stand.
2339.560000 2344.440000 Since we face overload in life, we must remember recognizing our reality.
2344.440000 2346.920000 Where are we at right now mentally, emotionally?
2346.920000 2349.400000 We've got to recognize our reality.
2349.400000 2358.080000 We have to reframe our thoughts and establish resilient rituals or routines.
2358.080000 2362.720000 If routines trip you up because you're so spiritual, you might not be spiritual.
2362.720000 2368.480000 Pass, I don't need none, I just float.
2368.480000 2373.440000 I don't want any boundaries, I don't want any rituals or I don't want any routines, I'm
2373.440000 2375.760000 just going to float.
2375.760000 2379.080000 That's what the swamp says, I'm just going to float.
2379.080000 2384.760000 You know what, it makes a swamp, a swamp, it has no boundaries.
2384.760000 2385.760000 Swamps stink.
2385.760000 2392.160000 If I don't want to have a stink in life, I've got to build some boundaries and banks to
2392.160000 2393.160000 my life.
2393.160000 2400.400000 And when I build banks and boundaries to my life, which are routines, it adds dimension
2400.400000 2405.420000 and flow to my life and gets me to my purpose.
2405.420000 2411.680000 Some people just want to hang out in the river.
2411.680000 2415.080000 Some one says, how blessed is a man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked and are
2415.080000 2418.760000 standing in the path of the sinner and are sitting in the seat of the scoffer.
2418.760000 2422.440000 But his, the light is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night.
2422.440000 2432.680000 And he will be like a tree, planet by in the banks of living water.
2432.680000 2438.000000 You're not planted in the river, you're planted in the bank, but your roots go into the river
2438.000000 2444.720000 and receive substance so that you can grow.
2444.720000 2449.280000 Someone says those who are planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in the courts of
2449.280000 2451.640000 our God.
2451.640000 2454.320000 Wherever you plant it, you've got to learn to flourish.
2454.320000 2458.480000 But if you keep up rooting yourself, you'll never flourish.
2458.480000 2465.800000 You'll always be a person that's blown around and called by every wind of doctrine, tossed
2465.800000 2469.760000 here and there and never stable.
2469.760000 2474.040000 Let's bow our heads.
2474.040000 2477.320000 Jesus came, shed his blood.
2477.320000 2482.920000 You heard the song today so eloquently saying today, anointed.
2482.920000 2486.760000 The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.