Latest / Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast / How to Become an Awesome Encourager

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How to Become an Awesome Encourager · Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast

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Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
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The number one need of everyone you will meet
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today is encouragement. Unbeknownst to you, many
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are ready to give up, to break down, or to act
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out if someone doesn't share a dose of encouragement
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with them. Today, I'm going to share four ways
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where you can become an awesome encourager. Stay
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with me. I'm Dave Drewy, and this is Living on
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the Edge with Chip Ingram. Today we're learning
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what it actually takes to become the kind of
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encourager people remember for decades. Chip
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turns to 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 12, where the
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Apostle Paul gives some surprisingly specific
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instructions for how to treat the different people
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in your life, leaders, strugglers, and everyone
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in between. It's part of our series, Building
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Authentic Community, How to Lift Up Those You
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Love. Well, now let's join Chip for the start
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of a message titled, How to Become an Awesome
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Encourager. How would you like to be an awesome
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encourager? I mean, how would you like it that
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if, you know, five years from now, 10 years from
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now, maybe some tiny kids in third grade, 15
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years from now, you know, getting married and
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having kids and all that stuff. What, how would
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you like it? If when their fondest memories of
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what it meant to be a Christian came to their
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mind, your name and your face popped to their
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mind. And they said, yeah, there was a lot of
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people. There's a lot of people that did a lot
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of good things. And I'm sure thankful. But the
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people or the person that I remember most. Or
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how'd you like to be a young couple going through
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all the struggles young couples go through and
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turn the clock up 10 years? And they say, you
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know, we learned how to have a marriage because
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of you. Or how'd you like to be a single person
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in the day that we live? I mean, all the temptation
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and all the struggle and all. And how would you
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like to be the person who said, you know, my
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life was wavering. But because of you, because
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of that small group, I can't believe what God's
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done in my life. I don't know about you. I can't
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think of a greater reward. If we're going to
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be that kind of encouragement to other people,
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there's four things we need to remember. Three
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are review and the last one we're going to talk
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about. If you want to be an awesome encourager,
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first you need to remember that people are hurting
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far more than you know and far more than they
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show. Second, we need to remember that you have
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far more to offer than you know and far more
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to offer than you show. So many times, you know,
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we think, oh, I would love to move out of my
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comfort zone and help that person, but what do
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I have to offer? You know the answer? A lot.
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A lot. And it doesn't take much. What it takes
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mostly is availability, not ability. Mostly it
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takes heart and love, not lots of skill and knowledge.
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Third reminder is encouragement is helping others
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take the next step they couldn't take on their
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own and allows them to become more like Christ.
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It's not just encouragement would be nice. It
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helps people take the next step they couldn't
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take on their own. I believe God allows it to
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work in such a way that we're a body. All those
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commandments about becoming like his son, loving
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people, they're in the second person plural.
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I don't think they can be done alone. We need
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one another. You get in a part, an aspect somewhere
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in your Christian life, and you'll stay there
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until someone comes and gives you the nudge.
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the word of encouragement, the comfort, maybe
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a little fine -tuning. You can't get there without
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them. And it's not this feel -good society where,
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oh good, I want to get encouraged so we all have
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these ooey -gooey, warm, fuzzy feelings. Encouragement
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is helping people become like Christ. It's helping
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them be conformed to the image of the one who
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dwells within them. And sometimes that'll be
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a word of admonishment. Encouragement is you
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being what God wants you to be so others can
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be what he designed them to be. Fourth reminder
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is the key to encouragement is attitude. There's
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certain attitudes you need to have to be an encourager.
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The Apostle Paul, remember, it's been 18 to 24
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months. He planted the church. It's growing.
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It's doing great. They're getting some opposition.
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They had a little doctrinal confusion, so he
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explained that to them. But now in the very last
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chapter, chapter 5, verses 12 to 28, he is going
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to give us 17 to 20 brief commands, exhortations
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that all revolve around our attitude. Because
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what he knows is... is that we can know a lot
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about different people, but the attitude in a
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church and the attitude in individual Christians
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is the key to creating an environment that really
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is building and encouraging. And what we're going
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to find is that in verses 12 to 15, there are
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certain attitudes that build great churches.
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And then in verses 16 through the rest of the
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chapter, there's certain attitudes that build
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great Christians. And so let's begin, let's read
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together and become great encouragers by learning
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some attitudes that God wants us to have. Now
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we ask you, brothers, the Apostle Paul writes,
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to respect those who work hard among you, who
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are over you, literally preside over you or managers
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over you in the Lord, and who admonish you, means
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correct you. Hold them in highest regard and
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love. because of their work and live in peace
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with each other. As you look at these couple
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verses, you notice that first there's a word
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to leaders. And before you click off and say,
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well, I'm not an elder, I'm not on staff. I want
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you to know if there's anybody at all who looks
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to you to be the influencer in their life, anybody
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at work, any kids at home, any friends, anyone
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in a small group, anyone in any kind of ministry
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that really looks to you, then you're a leader.
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So this is for you. And the Bible says there's
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attitudes that leaders need to have. Did you
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see the key words here? They're assumed here.
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But did you notice they work hard, they lead
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well, and they admonish wisely. The word for
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work hard literally means to toil to the point
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of exhaustion. And I believe as leaders in God's
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church, we need to give it our best shot. I didn't
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grow up in a church that believed in the Bible,
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but you know, my first inclination about church
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in general was people give it their leftover
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stuff. They give it their worn out clothes, their
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leftover time, and any little extra money or
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energy they might have to have. And you know,
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one thing I knew early on is one, I didn't want
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to be associated with that church for a lot of
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reasons because the people didn't live what they
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said. But beyond that, there was just a climate.
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It's like, this is good enough for God. Hey leaders,
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I want you to know that God wants us to work
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hard. And how do you do that? By leading well.
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It means to provide oversight. It's used in the
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New Testament both for elders in formal positions
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and for informal positions. That means leaders
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are well prepared, well planned, prayed up, come
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on time, and are ready to roll. It means that
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whatever sphere of influence in the body of Christ,
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you take it seriously. You say, oh God. This
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is a stewardship. Someone is looking to find
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out what you are like through me. And it also
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means that you don't just do the task, you care
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for the people. You see, when you lead well,
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not only does the task get done in a way that
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honors God, but the people doing the task are
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fed and encouraged. Third thing here is leaders
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are to admonish wisely. It means literally to...
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to reprove or to correct, to put in someone's
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mind. There's a military term that when, you
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know, you see all these guys, they're walking
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in rank and, you know, one guy's kind of out
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of step. It's that guy. It's saying, hey, bud,
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get back in line. When another believer's attitudes
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or behavior is out of line with the will of God
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and you know it will hurt them or it'll hurt
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relationships or it'll hurt the cause of Christ,
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it says leaders admonish them. Correct them.
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Now, overbearingly, no. Lording it over them,
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never. Wisely, lovingly, caring enough to confront.
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Those are the attitudes that make for great churches.
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When leaders work hard, lead well, and admonish
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wisely. But notice, that's not all. There's a
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word about leaders. In fact, the real flow of
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this passage has to do with how us as a congregation
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responds to leaders, whether it's formal or informal.
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Let's read that passage again with new eyes.
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This time, let's read it asking the question,
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how should we respond to leaders? Verse 12. Now
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we ask you, brothers, you might circle the word
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to respect those who work hard among you, who
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are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.
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Hold them in highest regard. You might circle
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that in love because of their work and then live
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in peace with each other. And you might circle
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the word live in peace. See, the problem then,
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remember the people who decided that the Lord
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was coming back, like maybe that night, and so
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they quit their day job and said the church is
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such a loving group of people that they became
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moochers and loafers? Well, the leaders had to
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correct that, and they did the wise thing. They
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said, hey, get a job. Jesus is coming back, but
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the way to prepare for that is you have a good
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testimony and you work better than anybody else
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at your job, so you have something to share with
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all the rest of people rather than mooching off
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everyone else. Well, when the leaders had to
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do that, probably part of that didn't go over
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real well. And so notice the first thing is we're
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to respect them. Literally, the word isn't respect.
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It's you're to know them or acknowledge them.
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It can mean respect or appreciation. But in this
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context, it probably has the idea, hey, you need
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to acknowledge that they're the leaders. God
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appointed them. Second, we're to esteem them.
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only used here in the New Testament. It means
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to highly, highly esteem. It's a triple compound
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type verb that has the idea of saying, you need
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to recognize the people that God has put in charge
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of his church as the right people at the right
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time, at the right place for his glory. And you
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need to esteem them as such. We need to highly
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esteem that person that gives you your child
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when you go pick them up. That person who set
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up three or four hours earlier. The musicians,
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the, why? So we can worship. So that you, like
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I, could shut my eyes when we sang that last
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song. And I thought, God, when I think of the
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weekend that I've had, you're great. But I could
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never express that the way they expressed it
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for me. And just to get to sing along with them.
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See, I think we need to esteem those, encourage
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those people that lead us. And then finally,
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it's to be at peace with them. Literally, the
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phrase means no schisms, no divisions. This one's
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a two -way street. The congregation is submit
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to God's leadership and obey God's word, and
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the leaders, notice, are to lead sensitively.
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You know, leaders never are to run roughshod
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over people, telling people, you ought to do
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this, and you ought to do this, and this is the
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deal. Live in peace. The idea is there's unity.
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And my observation about both Scripture and churches
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where there's a sense of God's presence and power,
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there's unity. And it's something worth guarding.
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Can you imagine what happens in the life of a
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church when leaders say, I'm not giving what's
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left over to God. I'm giving my best to God.
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I'm going to come prayed up. I'm going to come
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working hard. I'm going to plan ahead. I'm going
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to lead well. And I'm going to admonish and care
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enough to confront people when need be. And when
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a church says, I'm going to respect that kind
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of leadership at every level, and I'm going to
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esteem that kind of leadership, and I'm going
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to do whatever it takes on my part to live at
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peace, and the leadership at every level says,
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I'm going to do on my part to be at peace, you
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know what happens? You've got power rolling around.
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You've got the presence of God. It's this unity
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that so kills the work of God in so many places.
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Well, he doesn't end there. He's given a word
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to us, to leaders and a word to leaders about
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us. Now notice he shifts in verses 14 and 15.
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And this is a word for everybody. This is for
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you and me. And notice the phrase, and we urge
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you brothers. Now notice he's going to give us
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four quick verbs to address to how to encourage
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four different groups of people. So then we urge
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you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage
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the timid. Help the weak and be patient with
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everyone. And then he's going to give us a way
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to be patient with everyone. Verse 15, make sure
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that no one pays back wrong for wrong or evil
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for evil, but always try to be kind to each other
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and to everyone else. You might circle the little
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word try because in our translation, it comes
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out kind of milquetoast, you know, try. You know,
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people say, I'll try to be there. That means
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they're either going to be late or they're not
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coming. Right? Well, I'll try to make it. You
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know, I always tell them, look, are you coming
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or not? You know, if you can't, that's okay.
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But don't try to come. Because if you try to
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come, you'll come like I try to come. That means,
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I want you to know, I'd sort of like to be there,
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but I probably won't. This word is translated
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elsewhere in the New Testament to persecute.
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It means to vigorously pursue. He's saying, you
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know, there's four things to do. You need to
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warn a certain group. You encourage a certain
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group. You support a different group. You be
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patient with everyone. And then he says in this
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key area of it's hard to be patient when people
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do you wrong. Don't do wrong back. But instead,
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literally, it's follow the good. It's vigorously
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pursue. You try as in go after being friendly
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and kind and loving in a way. That just makes
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people scratch their head. You mean after the
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way we treated you negatively like that, you're
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being kind and friendly and you're pursuing us?
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And you know what they do? Pretty soon they start
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thinking, now that's weird. And then they say,
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is there anyone in history that's ever been like
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this? Let me think. Jesus, that's the one, yeah.
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When people did him wrong, he loved them. See,
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we're almost never more like Christ than when
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we give good in return for evil. If you wanted
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to summarize this, let's look at the key phrases.
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Warn, the idol, that's our same word for admonish.
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And the idol here means unruly, disorderly, unbecoming
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behavior. See, it's not the leader's job. It's
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not the leader's job to make sure people stay
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in line. It's the church's job to see that the
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body, one for another, it's caring enough to
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confront. It's not getting in the car with a
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close friend or with a mate after you've had
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an experience with another couple at their home
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or out somewhere or with a fellow single person
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and shaking your head to your friend and saying,
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boy, man, are they really on the wrong path?
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They keep spending money like that, they're going
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to be in a ditch. Boy, they keep treating their
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kids like that. Boy, you know, Bob, you know,
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we've seen that happen before. Yeah, that's right.
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Those kids are going to turn out like jerks.
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In fact, they got a good start on it right now.
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You know, if that guy keeps treating his wife
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with that kind of insensitivity, they're going
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to have problems. And you know what? Do you realize
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how many of those conversations happen in cars
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and in restaurants about the person that's not
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there? You know what the Bible says? Warn them.
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Warn them. You warn them. I'll never forget the
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first time we went over to dinner years and years
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ago in Texas. And this guy was, he had one of
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those jobs that you should be perfectionistic.
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I mean, your life is in his hands. But he carried
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that over into every area. And we ate dinner,
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and it was the most rigid, legalistic atmosphere.
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And I remember turning to my wife and said, wow,
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those kids are in trouble. I mean, I couldn't
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stand to be around that guy. you know, like for
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four hours, let alone 24 hours a day. And he
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had a good heart. He really loved God. He really
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thought he was doing well. But I mean, it was
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just unbearable. Well, when his daughter ran
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away from home and when his son got involved
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in some things, you know what, though? I never
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went to him face to face. I had one of those
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conversations in the car with my wife saying,
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boy, man, I'll tell you what, they keep that
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up. They're in trouble. And I decided after that,
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I don't keep it to myself anymore. You may not
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like me. But if I see something in your life,
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I'm going to tell you. I'm going to tell you,
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Lord willing, in the right attitude, in the right
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way, at the right time, because I love you. But,
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you know, and by the way, you see something in
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mine, don't do me any favors and tell your friend.
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When my car hits the spiritual wall and there's
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fallout and pain and damage, I mean, I would
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have liked someone to say, hey, by the way, curve
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up ahead. You know? Second, we're to encourage
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the timid. And this has the idea of comfort.
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The word timid means literally the faint -hearted
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or a person with a small soul. They're the people
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that just don't have the courage to make the
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next step. You know, they'd like to get in the
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Bible study, but if someone doesn't call them
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and ask them to come, they won't go. They'd like
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to get involved in ministry, and they really
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have a lot, but if someone doesn't give them
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the little nudge, they won't go. They're the
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person that is just ready to become a Christian,
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but they just need a little nudge. You know who
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that person is to give them the nudge? It's you.
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It's you. We're to warn the idle or the disorderly,
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but we need to comfort. We need to spur on. We
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need to encourage the timid. And some people,
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some of the timid people that I never dreamed,
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they have all this gift stored up. But it takes
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someone like you to nudge them. Who comes to
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your mind? Who in your family? Who in your ministry?
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Who at your work? Who do you know that you realize
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has great potential, but they need a nudge? How
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could you do it? Third is we need to help the
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weak. The word for help is a very interesting
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New Testament word. It means to hold on to someone
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or to cleave to a person so that they don't fall
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down. Basically, the weak are people that are
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unstable. Have you ever seen someone that has
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twisted their ankle or the terrain is unlevel
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and they need help to get from the curb to the
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car? Or they need help to get from the bottom
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of the stairs to the top of the stairs. Ever
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seen them? And what do you have to do? It's real
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simple, isn't it? You walk up and you either
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put your arm out or if you'll put your arm right
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underneath theirs, all they need is just a little
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stability. But you have to touch them, don't
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you? And you just hold on to their arm. And with
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you, they make it from the curb to the car. Without
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you, they fall flat on their face. There are
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people in this room today spiritually that all
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they need is someone to look them in the eye
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when you walk out that door, someone in the next
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Bible study, someone at the class that you go
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to, someone that God is bringing to your mind
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while I'm speaking. And you know what they need?
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They need you to hold them, to just give them
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a little support. They're unstable. They've got
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a good heart. They're trying. But they've tried
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and failed and tried and failed and tried and
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failed. Guess what they're doing now? They're
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not trying anymore. They need you. They need
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me to support them. Final thing is we're to be
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patient with all men. Everybody. You ever heard
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the phrase, that guy's really short -tempered?
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This word is the opposite of that. You'd say,
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if you knew this word, you'd say, man, that guy
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is really long -tempered. I've not said that
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about many people. You know, you say, that guy
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really blows the stack fast. We'd say, this guy's
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got a long fuse. This word means we're patient.
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We make allowances for others. This word means
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you don't give up on people quickly. It means
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that after you tell them once, you tell them
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again. After they blow it for the second time,
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you tell them a third. After they blow it a third,
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you say, what is it about this you're not getting
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and how can I help you be successful? Not. Get
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with the program or you're out, bud. It's patient
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with all men. And when is it the most difficult
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to be patient? It's when people do you in, isn't
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it? Well, how does he say? Make sure that no
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one, make sure you, not the leadership, you,
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me, church of God, make sure no one pays back
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evil for evil. You want to jot down Romans chapter
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12, verse 17 and following. It'll develop that
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very clearly exactly what to do. It says, never
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take your own revenge, beloved. Leave room for
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the wrath of God. Vengeance is mine, says the
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Lord. If your enemy is hungry, what should you
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do? Feed him. If he's thirsty, give him a drink.
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In so doing, you will heat burning coals upon
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his head. Near ancient Eastern picture of what
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happens when a person has a change of heart or
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mind. Never be overcome with evil, but overcome
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evil with good. Good is powerful. Good is powerful
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in relationships. And when you give good, when
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people have given you evil, you can only do it
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by grace. But it has a indelible impact on the
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lives of others. And so what we have here is
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some attitudes that build phenomenal churches.
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You have a group of leaders who work hard, lead
21:47
well, and admonish wisely. And you have a group
21:49
of congregational people who say in our heart
21:52
of hearts, we're going to respect them, esteem
21:54
them, and be at peace with them. And then you
21:56
have a whole church that says, you know, people
21:59
that are stepping outside the boundaries that
22:01
are unhealthy for them, we're going to warn them.
22:02
We care enough to confront in this place. Those
22:05
people that are a little timid and need a little
22:07
boost, we'll give them a boost. Those people
22:09
that are weak and need support, we'll support
22:11
them. And those people that drive us crazy will
22:14
be patient. We will hang in there in our own
22:17
strength. No way. In the power of God, you bet.
22:21
Those kind of attitudes build the kind of church.
22:24
that you'd have to bar the doors so that we get
22:29
a seat this week. Because when you and when I
22:36
can love people that way and one another, it's
22:41
contagious. What's it require? It requires the
22:46
hardest thing for me in the world. I have to
22:48
get my focus off of me, my needs, and coming
22:52
here. saying, now, can't anyone see my needs?
22:58
Why didn't anybody say hi to me? No one stopped
23:00
me on the way out. Does anyone not notice that
23:02
my wife hasn't been here for a few weeks or my
23:04
husband? Has anyone noticed that I haven't? Does
23:06
anybody care? And you know, when I live with
23:09
that, what happens? I die. But there's someone
23:15
here, regardless of how deep your needs are,
23:18
their needs are about that much deeper. And you
23:21
will find The great principle of our Lord is
23:24
this. Blessed are those who give more than those
23:28
who receive. You find someone hurting a little
23:31
bit more than you and you come here with that
23:32
outward focus and all of a sudden all those needs
23:35
that are legitimate that you have, God in a supernatural
23:38
way will meet. Well, let's talk about how that
23:42
works. So let's look now at the attitudes the
23:44
Apostle Paul ends with that Christians need to
23:47
have. How do you build great Christians? He's
23:50
told us how to build a great church. But what
23:52
kind of attitudes do you need to have to be a
23:54
great Christian, to be a real encourager? He's
23:57
going to give a word here about our private worship
23:59
in verses 16 to 18. Then he's going to give us
24:01
a word about our public worship. And then he's
24:04
going to talk about our spiritual growth. So
24:06
let's look at private worship first. Verse 16
24:09
through 18. Be joyful always. Pray continually
24:14
or without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.
24:18
Why? For this is God's will for you in Christ
24:22
Jesus. Boy, that's short, isn't it? But did you
24:24
notice three quick commands? Be joyful. When?
24:29
When things are going well? Happiness has to
24:33
do with happenings, circumstances. Joy has to
24:37
do with the unchanging relationship you have
24:40
with God. In fact, the root word where we get
24:42
our word joy. Some of the related words are words
24:46
like grace, words like one translation for one
24:49
word in the New Testament for forgiveness, words
24:51
like gifts. See, joy is a choice. You say, well,
24:57
how can I be joyful all the time? Let me give
25:00
you two practical ways. One, focus on God instead
25:03
of circumstances. If you focus on circumstances,
25:06
you will ride a rolling coaster of ups and downs.
25:10
You know, when things are going good, when things
25:12
are going bad. If you focus on God, He loves
25:15
you. Your eternity is secure. He is good. He
25:19
is sovereign. He is faithful. You matter to Him.
25:22
He's not down on you. He wants to draw you close
25:24
to Himself. He has a plan for your life. Choose
25:28
willfully to be joyful. How? Focus on God instead
25:31
of your circumstances. Second, focus on the unseen
25:34
instead of the seen. When's the last time you
25:38
did that? You ever think about that? Think about
25:41
some things that you can't see. Think about a
25:45
special person in your life that you know really
25:47
loves you. Can you see it? Well, you can see
25:50
some actions, but you don't see love. You don't
25:52
see relationships, do you? Think of the most
25:56
special times. I just did a funeral about 10,
25:59
12 days ago, and people came up and shared about
26:04
Jim's life. And you know, it was interesting.
26:07
I sat there and I thought, let's see. No one
26:09
talked about what he drove. No one talked about
26:12
the 401k program that he had. No one talked about
26:16
what kind of dresser he was, whether he was a
26:18
good athlete or not. No one talked about how
26:20
many people reported to him or how he wore his
26:22
hair or what his physique was like. You know
26:25
what they talked about? His love, his compassion.
26:28
They talked about his relationships. They talked
26:30
about all the things you can't see. You see,
26:33
when we focus on the things that you can't see,
26:35
See, those are eternal things. All the things
26:39
you can see or hear today may be gone tomorrow.
26:42
Second, he says, beyond being joyful, always
26:45
pray continuously. You say, whoa, wait a minute.
26:48
We're all supposed to quit our jobs, find a little
26:51
kneeler somewhere, and just pray 24 hours a day.
26:54
Chip, I got to eat. I can't pray 24 hours a day.
26:56
I got a job to do. I got to drive the car. The
27:02
word for continuously or without ceasing is used
27:05
in other literature for a hacking cough. Here's
27:08
how God wants us to pray. Now I'm going to do
27:11
something else. Now I've got to do something
27:14
else. When someone has a hacking cough, when
27:17
do they cough? They cough every time they're
27:21
not either speaking or breathing or doing something
27:24
essential. But the moment there's a little window,
27:27
what happens? You cough. You see, the life that
27:31
God wants for you has nothing to do with coming
27:33
once a week here and hearing the word and even
27:36
being involved in service. It has way more to
27:39
do than once or twice a day reading your Bible
27:41
and praying. The life God has for you is he wants
27:44
to have a moment -by -moment relationship with
27:46
you 24 hours a day when you're awake. In fact,
27:50
the psalmist even said that God gives to him
27:51
even in his sleep. And so he wants you to be
27:55
talking with him when... The focus of the job
27:59
doesn't demand you when this conversation doesn't
28:01
demand you. So you're driving in your car and
28:03
your thoughts gravitate toward God and you talk
28:05
with him. And you're taking a walk from your
28:07
car out to the office building. You got a meeting
28:09
and you say, Lord, boy, I don't know about this
28:11
one. And I'm really concerned about it. You talk
28:13
about it and you've picked up the kids and in
28:14
your car and they're jabbering away and you're
28:16
having a conversation with God. Now, some of
28:18
you don't do too much of this on the road. It's
28:20
dangerous. My wife says, my prayer life's making
28:24
a lot of progress, but my driving has a lot to
28:26
be desired. And she'll say, well, didn't you
28:28
see that? And I'm thinking, no, I was having
28:30
a good conversation, but it probably wasn't the
28:31
right time right now. I read a book by a monk
28:34
out of the 15th or 16th century called Brother
28:37
Lawrence. The little tiny paperback, I don't
28:40
even know if it's available anymore. It's called
28:42
Practicing the Presence of God. That book had
28:45
a profound impact. It's about a monk in that
28:49
time period who he learned when he would peel
28:51
potatoes in the kitchen, that was his job, he
28:53
did it as an act of worship. And then as he would
28:56
walk out and do the gardening that he was supposed
28:58
to do, he did it as an act of worship. And all
29:00
day long, he would communicate with the Lord.
29:03
And I begin to realize that spiritual maturity
29:05
isn't how many verses you have memorized. It's
29:08
not how many activities you're involved in. That
29:10
part of spiritual maturity is measured best by
29:13
how long has it been since you've been conscious
29:15
of your relationship with God. I remember talking
29:18
with God in the morning and then checking in
29:19
at night and, you know, I don't know what he
29:21
did and I know what I did. And as I begin to
29:24
grow in Christ, it was like, boy, I haven't thought
29:27
about the Lord in three or four hours. As I begin
29:29
to grow in Christ, it's like, well, I haven't
29:31
talked to the Lord in 15 or 20 minutes. And then
29:33
pretty soon, God begins to cultivate a heart
29:36
and a life where you're just talking with him
29:37
all the time. That's what he's saying. This is
29:40
private worship. You choose to be joyful. You
29:43
choose to pray. And then notice, finally, it
29:45
gets even more difficult. Give thanks. When?
29:48
In all circumstances. We know that when we're
29:51
filled with the Holy Spirit, according to Ephesians
29:53
5, 18 to 21, when you're filled with the Holy
29:56
Spirit, you'll give thanks for all things. But
29:58
this says in all things as well. Why do you do
30:02
that? Because it's the will of God. Now, I don't
30:05
think at all this means the trite things that
30:08
I've seen go on. I've seen people in some groups
30:11
where, you know, let's give thanks for everything.
30:13
And they're always saying praise the Lord like
30:15
they don't mean it. And that really bothers me.
30:18
Then you need to get in there and hurt with people
30:21
and cry with people and go through it. But at
30:23
some point in time, you got to step back. At
30:27
some point in time. As my friend who's in a wheelchair
30:32
now because of an accident that took me about
30:34
a year to learn to say thank you for, he said,
30:36
Chip, you don't know what God's doing. You assume
30:39
that the greatest thing in my whole life could
30:40
be being able to wrestle in college and ride
30:43
bikes and do the stuff we did. He said, you're
30:45
angry at God. I'm not angry at God. He said,
30:48
he's done things in my life that sure, would
30:50
I like to walk again? You bet. But I wouldn't
30:52
trade this. I said, what? He said, no, I wouldn't
30:55
trade this. He said, you don't have any idea
30:58
what God's done. See, God wants us to willfully
31:02
thank him for all things and in all things. But
31:05
here's the only way you can do it. You go back
31:07
to the basics. God is good. That means that not
31:11
because you're good, not on the basis of your
31:12
performance. That means that there is a benevolent
31:15
God with a gracious heart that wants to bless
31:17
you, encourage you, that you live under friendly
31:19
skies and he longs to be your friend. He's good
31:22
every day, every moment, 24 hours a day. And
31:25
he's sovereign. That means that. Anything that
31:29
comes into your life is either decreed by God
31:32
or allowed by God. That means there's no accidents,
31:35
no slip -ups, no luck. He is good and wants your
31:41
best. He's sovereign, so He either allows or
31:44
decrees. And finally, you need to remember He's
31:46
faithful. Whatever He's purposed to do, whatever
31:49
promise He made, 100 % of the time, with you,
31:53
always, He will come through. And so when you
31:58
face the issues of life that don't make any sense,
32:01
you don't glibly say, praise the Lord. But you
32:06
step back and you say, oh God, this is a fallen
32:09
world and life doesn't make sense. But I know
32:12
you're good and here's the evidence. I know that
32:14
you're sovereign and I know that you are faithful.
32:17
And as an act of worship and obedience, I choose
32:20
to thank you to bring out the highest and the
32:22
best, even if others cause this by evil motives.
32:27
Those kind of people, by the way, are the kind
32:29
that when I'm hurting or when you're hurting,
32:33
you go to talk to. What I've described is Christians
32:37
who have a private worship life of joy, prayer,
32:41
and thanksgiving because it's God's will. And
32:44
the person that changes when you operate like
32:46
that in your private worship is not your circumstances.
32:49
These are the Corrie Ten Booms of life. That
32:52
the regular people sitting in front of you and
32:54
behind you that live this way, and when you're
32:56
hurting, we go to them because there is stability
32:59
and character that has grown up because public
33:02
impact is just a symptom. Public impact always
33:08
flows out of private worship. Wanting to have
33:11
a great impact for God begins with choosing to
33:15
rejoice, praying without ceasing, and learning
33:17
to give thanks. And when you can do that by faith,
33:20
you will learn who God really is. And he will
33:23
make you what he wants you to be. Well, he moves
33:25
on now to public worship. And apparently during
33:29
this time, they were having some problems. And,
33:30
you know, in some churches in the New Testament,
33:32
the people got carried away with some issues.
33:34
And in this. Church, apparently they were kind
33:37
of poo -pooing some of the work of God. And so
33:40
we pick it up in verses 19 to 22. It says, do
33:43
not put out the spirit's fire or literally don't
33:46
quench the spirit. The grammar means stop. It
33:48
was already happening. Stop quenching the spirit.
33:51
Do not treat prophecies with contempt or don't
33:54
despise them is the idea. The word means to act
33:57
as if it were nothing. But notice verse 21, test
34:02
everything. Examine. When you come to public
34:05
worship, he says, the Spirit of God is going
34:07
to be operating. He may be operating through
34:09
a song. He may be operating through the spoken
34:11
word. He may operate in the hallway over a cup
34:14
of coffee. He may operate in a class. He may
34:16
operate through a variety of spiritual gifts.
34:18
Come and don't quench the Spirit. Well, you say,
34:21
how can I quench the Spirit? We quench the Spirit
34:24
any time I know God is speaking to me and it's
34:26
His will, and I say no. Don't ever pour cold
34:31
water on what God is firing up. And so what's
34:35
he telling us here? He says we need to be open
34:37
to the Spirit. And then he says treat prophecies.
34:39
What? Be receptive to the Word. Prophets' job
34:42
is to foretell the Word. And then in the New
34:45
Testament times here, they would foretell the
34:47
Word as well. It's prophecy. Jesus is coming
34:50
back. The rapture. That was all foretelling.
34:53
But their primary job was to foretell, to teach.
34:57
Not to make you all too uncomfortable, but God
35:00
actually does want to speak to you often. Some
35:02
of the promptings I've got from the Spirit of
35:04
God in my own life have come during the worship
35:07
time. There's some of you, I don't know how to
35:11
tell you this, you've never heard the first two
35:14
songs of worship here. Because you're not here.
35:20
And you need to prepare yourself for public worship.
35:26
That means you get ready and maybe even have
35:29
some time to get your heart ready. But it means
35:32
you come with a mindset that says, God is going
35:34
to speak to me today. Not just through the message.
35:38
He may turn your life around through a phrase
35:41
in a song or a prompting from the spirit or from
35:44
a testimony. And he may actually have someone
35:48
he wanted you to meet out in front at five or
35:50
six till that you would speak a word of encouragement
35:53
to their life. And so I would encourage you not
35:56
to say, oh, shame on you. That's not it. I'm
35:59
just trying to preach the passage. What's it
36:01
say? It says, be open to the Spirit, be receptive
36:03
to the Word. Seems to me that you can't do it
36:06
if you're not here when we start. And then it
36:10
says, be discerning and selective. He says, test
36:13
it. When you hear anything from any pulpit, When
36:16
you hear anything from any teacher or preacher,
36:18
radio, TV, whatever, the first thing you need
36:21
to do is be like Acts 1711, that group, the Bereans.
36:24
They received the word of God gladly, examining
36:28
the scriptures daily to see whether those things
36:31
were so. Just because Chip Ingram says it, heaven
36:34
forbid you buy and think it's true. I mean, I
36:38
have off days. You need to look at the scriptures,
36:43
and I don't care who you like. Every, every cult
36:47
starts out with some guy that was on the right
36:49
track and people start following the person instead
36:52
of the scriptures. And then they, he takes them
36:54
in the ditch and he's in the ditch and the whole
36:56
group's in the ditch. Don't ever do that. You
36:58
test it. The word means like taking a piece of
37:01
ore or metal. You test it with acid and you find
37:04
out, that's fool's gold. And what do you do?
37:06
You let that go and you hold on to the legit.
37:10
That's what God wants you to do in every public
37:12
worship setting. Be open to the movement of the
37:17
Spirit of God. Be receptive to the Word. Examine
37:20
it for yourself. And then that which is true,
37:23
hold on to. That which isn't, then avoid. That's
37:26
the idea. Hold off. Let it go. Finally, he's
37:30
going to talk about our spiritual growth. And
37:32
our spiritual growth here, he's going to tell
37:35
us that there's two big areas we need to remember.
37:37
One is we need to be dependent. You never grow
37:40
unless you're dependent on God. But then he's
37:42
going to flip the coin and say you're also responsible.
37:45
Verse 23 and 24 is a prayer. He says, may God
37:47
himself, the God of peace, sanctify. That means
37:51
just set apart, make you holy. You through and
37:54
through. So where does God want to make you holy?
37:55
Through and through your mind, your thoughts,
37:58
your motives, every area at work, at home, everything.
38:01
Well, notice he develops that. He says, may your
38:04
whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless,
38:08
pure, holy. When? Until the coming or at the
38:12
coming of our Lord Jesus. Well, who's going to
38:15
accomplish this great miraculous change? The
38:18
one who calls you is faithful. He will do it.
38:22
You can't change your life. I can't change my
38:25
life. We just can't do it. But you say to yourself,
38:29
does that mean that you just don't do anything?
38:31
No. In fact, look at verses 25 to 28. We're to
38:34
be dependent, trusting him to do the work, but
38:38
we need to make ourselves available to how he
38:41
gives us grace. Notice how he concludes this.
38:44
He says, brothers, pray for us. Greet all the
38:48
brothers with a holy kiss. Then he says, I charge
38:52
you solemn. This is a strong word. I solemnly
38:54
charge you before God to have this read, this
38:58
epistle, the word to all the believers. Summary,
39:01
the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. You
39:05
know something? It's interesting. He says, be
39:10
dependent. Only God can bring about the change.
39:13
But then the apostle Paul himself, which seems
39:15
to be a pretty mature Christian from what I can
39:16
tell. He says, pray for us. He needed the prayers
39:21
of people and he knew people needed to pray.
39:24
Greet one another with a holy kiss. Now this
39:26
went out of fashion between the third and fourth
39:28
century. Christians would greet one another with
39:31
a holy kiss. And, you know, everything kind of
39:34
goes south over time. And so they had a lot of
39:38
men beginning to visit the church saying, man,
39:40
this is a pretty neat group, you know. And they
39:42
were hitting on all the ladies. For real, you
39:44
know. And so they're coming in and, you know,
39:45
kissing all these women. So the church fathers
39:47
by about the third century said, that kissing
39:49
stuff, we're not doing that anymore. But what's
39:53
the idea behind it? It's warm, intimate, caring
39:57
relationships. Isn't that biblical fellowship?
40:01
And then the third one, what's he say? I charge
40:03
you, have this read, the word. You see, you can't
40:08
change you. Only God can change you. But he doesn't
40:14
do it in a vacuum. He have this read. When the
40:17
word is read and taught. Grace flows. When you
40:21
pray and talk to God honestly, individually or
40:24
with others, grace flows. When you're in fellowship
40:26
in a small group or out in the parking lot and
40:29
you really share hearts and care for one another,
40:31
grace flows. It's not either or. We're dependent
40:36
totally on Him, but we need to avail ourselves
40:39
of how grace comes. That's how to be an awesome
40:44
encourager. You're listening to Living on the
40:49
Edge with Chip Ingram. Today's message is titled,
40:52
How to Become an Awesome Encourager from our
40:55
series, Building Authentic Community. To revisit
40:58
or share these lessons with someone you know,
41:00
just go to our website, livingontheedge .org.
41:05
If you'd like these messages delivered right
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listen. Underneath every attitude Chip covered
41:15
today, how you treat a leader, how you treat
41:18
somebody who's struggling, and even how you spend
41:20
your quiet moments with God is the same conviction.
41:23
Love isn't something that happens to you. It's
41:26
something you choose. That's the whole thesis
41:28
of Chip's book, I Choose Love. He makes the case
41:32
that agape love, the kind the Bible describes,
41:34
isn't sentimental. It's a decision to give, to
41:37
serve, to put somebody else ahead of yourself,
41:40
day in and day out, regardless of feelings. Discover
41:44
more with Chip's book, I Choose Love, by getting
41:47
your copy at a special price today at livingontheedge
41:50
.org. You know, none of this stays on the air
41:55
without listeners who decide it's worth backing.
41:58
As one listener, Michael, wrote to us recently,
42:00
God has used Chip Ingram over the course of many
42:03
years to speak into my life. I am thankful for
42:06
this ministry and glad to now be contributing
42:09
so God can bless others just as I've been blessed.
42:13
Well, that's the kind of ripple effect your support
42:15
creates. One changed life leading to another.
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Become a monthly partner today. Or make a one
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-time gift right now by simply going to livingontheedge
42:25
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42:31
You can also send your gift by mail to Living
42:34
on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Suwannee, Georgia
42:38
30024. Well, now here's Chip Ingram. We've been
42:43
through the entire book of 1 Thessalonians, and
42:45
the Apostle Paul has modeled for us and written
42:49
for us, inspired by the Holy Spirit. how to be
42:52
an awesome encourager. We need to remember that
42:55
people are hurting much more deeply than we know.
42:58
And we have far more to give than we generally
43:02
show. And those two dynamics need to be out in
43:05
the forefront of our mind because encouragement
43:07
is that little bridge between people's needs
43:10
and their potential. It's that bridge between
43:13
where they're at today and where they could be
43:15
and where God wants them. And see, God's made
43:18
us as a body where I can't make it on my own.
43:21
And you can't make it on your own. You know,
43:23
as I read through the New Testament, every single
43:26
time you find a command, it's in the second person
43:29
plural. And what I mean by that, it's sort of
43:31
a Texas expression. The Apostle Paul never says
43:34
you, individual, walk with God, be filled with
43:37
the Holy Spirit, do this or do that. It's always
43:39
like a Texan would talk, you all. He's speaking
43:42
to a group. All these commands, all that we've
43:45
heard, all that's written, God's plan is that
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in community, we grow in Christ. And so as we
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finished out today, how does that happen? One,
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it begins with your own private worship. Be joyful
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always, pray continuously, give thanks in all
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circumstances. Yes, you must and I must cultivate
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that personal time with God where we pray throughout
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the day, where there's a time regularly where
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you get in the Bible. But second, there's got
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to be... public worship. And that's where we're
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open to the Spirit's work and we're receptive
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to the Word and we're discerning and selective
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about what we hear. We test it. Just because
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I say something or another Bible teacher says
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something, you take it and say, does it line
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up with God's Word? And when you have private
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worship, public worship in unity, you're going
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to see spiritual growth occur in your life and
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in the life of others. That's Chip Ingram and
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the end of today's program. Join us next time
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right here on Living on the Edge. Today's program
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is produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge.