Latest / The Living Waters Podcast / Ep. 312 - The Role of the Christian in Caring for the Orphan and the Widow

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Ep. 312 - The Role of the Christian in Caring for the Orphan and the Widow · The Living Waters Podcast

• 1:04
  Speaker 1: I came across this.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Imagine George Mueller on his knees in a room filled with empty plates, surrounded by children with nothing to eat.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Every day he prayed, without asking anyone for funds, and every day God provided.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Over his lifetime, Mueller cared for over 10,000 orphans, trusting God alone to meet every need, and his words resonate still.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: What did he say?
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: The orphan who has no earthly father has a heavenly one who will not forsake them.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: There is a special place in the heart if you may use that term in God, concerning the orphans and the widows, those who are in need of help.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: So many times I go before the Lord and I say Lord, I don't have an answer, I don't have a solution, I don't know what to do.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: I feel like I'm just kind of meandering, I'm wandering.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Help, right, Remember Peter when he began to sink in the water.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: He did not pontificate on this huge, eloquent prayer, it was just help.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: And so many times, orphans and the widows and the elderly it's just like I don't know what to say.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: Widows and the elderly it's just like I don't know what to say.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: I don't know what to do.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Where am I going to go for help?
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: And then up comes Christ, up comes God to deliver them, and this is why it is such a special place, and God's heard for us to take care of those.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: There are some things that never enter your mind, friends, because they're not even remotely feasible.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: You don't worry about a tsunami in Kansas, you don't worry about a blizzard in Death Valley, you don't worry about a lack of eggs in Ray Comfort's house, and all of that to say, friends, that I've never had to worry about ticks in California until my beautiful wife brought one home on her back from Tennessee.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: Wait what she had a tick in her back Rachel's tick.
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: Should you really talk about this?
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: Yes, okay, yeah, you can get light disease and the reason why is because I need your help, I know.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: And she freaked out.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: We were in Tennessee, we went frolicking through the fields and I don't know how in the world this thing got on her back.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: But we were home like yeah, it was, I think, the next day.
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: This was a number of months ago.
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: I remember this.
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it would have been the same day.
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: Ticks are caused by clocks.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: It's so stupid, it is really dumb.
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: It's so fucking stupid.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: Did you think of that on the spot?
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: I was holding on to it.
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm sure, yeah.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: So, anyway, the reason why this is important and why I must bring it up, and you are a father who can counsel his daughter.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: I've been invited to speak in Tennessee and Rachel doesn't want to go.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: I don't blame her.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: Was she the only 10, you see?
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: He's terrified of getting tics again.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: I can't imagine he's the only.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: What Tennessee, tennessee, you're the only 10 I see.
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's, nice Tick-a-see, tick-a-see.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: So what do we do about this?
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: I think Justin Bieber had Lyme disease from a tick.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: It's actually very, very serious.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it is.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: And here's what I honestly don't understand why would anyone live anywhere where there are?
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: Well, you forget that as you get older, you get a really hairy back.
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: Is that how she got it?
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: I was not referring to Rachel.
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: I was referring to.
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: Oh, you're in trouble, ray.
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: She's my daughter you're talking about.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Thanks, mark.
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: No, but man, I'm freaked out seriously by tics and the concept that if you live in a place where you have tics, you have to constantly check your children.
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: I mean, it's likely your kids are going to end up with Lyme disease and it is it's pretty like there are some massive repercussions from that right.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, oh, absolutely yeah, yeah, like Justin Bieber couldn't move half of his face.
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: Oh you know what?
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: He was paralyzed.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: I, like Justin Bieber, couldn't move half of his face.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: Oh, you know what?
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: I remember that I think he went online and he did a video.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: We did a video on it.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: Oh, we did On Living in Water.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: It was a tick from Tennessee.
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: Maybe it was the same tick, traveling, tick from person to person.
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: We apologize to our listeners in Tennessee.
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: Yes, we love you, our Tennessean friends.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: We will come ticks and all All right.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: A cool, classy comment.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: This is from Madison and Parcher.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: I want to start off by saying thank y'all so much for what you do.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: My name is Madison and I'm 19 years old.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: This has become my weekly encouragement while I'm working.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: I love y'all's sense of humor.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: While staying true to God's word, someday I would love to visit the studio and meet y'all.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: Thank y'all again for my weekly encouragement.
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: How many y'alls is that?
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: I was just going to say Are you from Tennessee, Madison?
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: That's what I want to know.
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: I was going to say I've actually got converted to y'all yeah, y'all, Because when I want to send an email to male and female, I use y'all Efficient, it's convenient.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: I love it.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: Thank you, madison.
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: What an encouragement.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: And France, by the way, notice someone's missing.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: I didn't even notice what's his name Os, os, what, yeah, oscar is not here today with us friends, that's why he's not saying anything.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: He's playing hooky.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: He's playing hooky.
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: Where is he?
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: He went somewhere.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: He're speaking here.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: We got some goodies here.
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: This is from our friends Luke and Leah.
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: Luke and Leah Imagine all the Star Wars jokes they hear and their beautiful son Eli.
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: They came by the ministry and here's a picture of them and they sent us a really nice letter, and a very encouraging one as well, and they gave us gifts.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Wonderful France, all right, mark, you and I have them.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Ray, where's your gift?
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: I parked in the parking lot so kind.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: It was such a blessing to see them here.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: I was able to give them a tour of the ministry.
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: Chippers chocolate-covered potato chips Ooh.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: Chocolate-covered potato chips.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: They know I love chocolate.
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and chocolate gravy to go with your meat.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: Lottery tickets.
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: What?
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: Oh, these look good Wiener schnitzel socks.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: No way, all right, thank you guys.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: We'll have to steal Oscar's.
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: He's not here, so we'll take his goodies.
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: Ray, where's yours?
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: In the parking lot it says Lamborghini.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Oh, these are great.
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, mark loves socks.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: These are good mittens.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: All right, friends.
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: Now a radically revolutionary resource.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: This podcast is brought to you by Living Waters TV.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: You've heard us really push that recently.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: It's because it just launched and it's doing well.
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: Can you give a synopsis of what Living Waters TV is?
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: So Living Waters TV is our own streaming platform and a lot of ministries are doing this now.
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: Obviously, we have outlets like YouTube, we have our social media, we have our website Podcast.
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: We have our website Podcast.
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: We have our podcast, but, you know, we don't know what could happen in this crazy world we're living in, in terms of one day switching something on and we're gone.
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: I mean, think about that, like, we have a million and a half subscribers on YouTube, almost 300 million views and with a click of a button, we could 3 could 314 here.
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: Well, the public sees yeah, our analytics tell us is 314, because we talk about 13 million out and put them in living waters TV well, that's one, that's 1.5 million for just living waters.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: But we have living waters, europe.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: And then there's there's the other, ray Comfort, just witnessing channel and there, and there's the Indian channel, oh, living Waters Hindi.
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: With one subscriber it's going to take off.
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: But even Living Waters Español.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: I mean, we've got almost 400,000 subs there.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: But anyhow, streaming platform, friends, that way you can interact with us through the platform.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: We've got lots of good stuff on there.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: We've got every episode of the Way to Master and exclusive access to the next season.
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: We've got Open the Vault with Nostalgic Array, comfort Throwbacks, kids Corner in partnership with Answers in Genesis.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: We've got sermons of ours, the National Bible Bee Competition, lots of other stuff.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: So check it out, friends.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: And we're constantly adding content, not to mention Living Waters Equip.
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: What does that mark?
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: And it's only $5 a month.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: Or $50 a year for a discount.
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Living Waters Equip.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: It's amazing.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: It's where we brought in Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise to answer questions.
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: No, just kidding, we brought in the top professors, theologians, pastors, I'm just kidding that.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: I say just kidding.
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: Just kidding.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: People who can answer street-level apologetic questions, right?
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: How can we trust the Bible over the Bhagavad Gita, right?
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: And these are people answering, by and large, about three-minute answers to these questions.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: People like Votie Bauckham and Sean McDowell, ken Ham, kurt Cameron, arkin Hughes, frank Turek, ray Comfort.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah.
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: Ray Comfort.
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: Ray Marshall Comfort.
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: I'm not embarrassed about my middle name Wait what.
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: I'm not embarrassed about my middle name.
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: Why is everybody embarrassed, but you Well?
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: because it means Marshall is an upholder of the law.
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: What's comfort mean?
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: Comfort the troops.
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: It means to encourage and push on and provoke.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: So you were destined for this right.
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, and Ray is a female deer.
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: Easy, what is your middle name?
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: Francis, francis, francis, mark Anthony, right, that's right yeah.
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: There was a donkey called Francis years ago.
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: That's well known.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: See what I put up with friends.
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: All right, and don't forget yeah, living Waters TV and the Living Waters mug and the Evidence Study Bible.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: All Living Waters, oh, living Waters dot com.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: That was a little too low for his voice.
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: You're going to substitute Oscar from now on, ray.
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: All right, friends.
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: Today we're talking about the role of the Christian in caring for the orphan and the widow.
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: I thought it was window.
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: Clean the window, race prepared for windows.
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so uh.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: This is big mike mark.
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: Why are you smiling?
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: I just I love your transition in between.
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: Your filler words are yeah, so yeah, so, um, okay, all right, when you're trying to reach for that next thought.
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: It's always, always yeah, so, and it's there, though, which is wonderful it comes.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: What is mine?
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: Okay, guys, Wow guys.
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: We'll see, mark, we're going to analyze you too.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: We're going to get analytical.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: Haven't thought about it yet.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, all right.
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: So the role of the Christian in caring for the orphan and and the widow.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: You know it's interesting.
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: We talk about atheism and how they have such a disdain for Christianity and they rail on us.
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: By the way, I still pray Ray for those guys we put on our prayer list.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: So do I.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: What's your list?
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: Do it, what's my list?
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, oh boy, it's written down.
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: You probably have it in your brain by now.
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: Pennilet Lawrence Cross, richard Dawkins, david Silverman, jacqueline Glenn, Seth Andrews, aaron Rahm, matt Delahunty, hemant Mitner, sam Harrison, pc.
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: Myers, what you can't even memorize.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: Jesus wept.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: And you memorize that Jesus Wow.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: Well good for you guys.
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: But anyway, with atheists they rag on Christianity.
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: But we've talked about this before when are the big atheist hospitals?
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: Yes, exactly.
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: Hospitals for big atheists.
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: What are you talking about?
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they're not existing Big atheist hospitals.
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: These are too big.
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: We want them reduced.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: Do the legs Extra large?
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: Atheists.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: There's not too many pro-life clinics out there that have been founded by atheists either.
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: They're just not out there.
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: St Matthew, st John, st Luke's hospitals.
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: Feed the homeless atheist organization.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: I mean, you don't see that, but this is almost synonymous with Christianity Doing good works, going out, reaching out, impacting the world in ways like that.
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: But, guys, this is a big deal and Scripture calls us specifically to that, so let's jump into it.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: I'd love for us to talk about James 1.27.
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: So convicting.
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: Only twice, I think, does the scripture mention the word religion.
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: Is that right Could be?
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I hate being called religious.
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: I'd rather be called stumpy than religious.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: What about stumpy and religious?
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: That's not good, no it's just it has such connotations If someone says you're that religious guys, I don't flick water at people, I don't wear white 90s and run around talking like a sort of strange.
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: You know yeah.
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: Christians are not religious.
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you know it becomes one of those things where you kind of look at it from the standpoint of what is the world thinking when that term is used.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: Because you'll have some that'll say well, religion, I mean, no, we see that word in scripture.
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: But I think, Ray, to your point, we're living in a day and age, but it throws the word true before on true religion.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: You know most of the world.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: They like to be called spiritual instead of religious.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: Would you consider yourself to be religious?
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: Well, I'm spiritual and that, yeah, it sounds cool, right that's a tom cruise you're gonna hate this, thanks for reminding us of that word ray it took a while to get through to your brain this this is one of the greatest quotes I've I've ever heard when it comes to this text.
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: That you've sent it up too high.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: It is so great.
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: There's nothing better than this book.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: All right, listen to this.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: Show me your pocketbook and I will show you your religion.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: Show me your Google search history and I will show you your religion.
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: You can talk all you want about your beliefs, but without action, your fancy words about faith mean very little.
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: Religion is best shown in the way we spend our time and our finances here on the planet.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: What you say you believe is not your religion.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: Your religion is the way you treat the orphans and the widows here on this planet.
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: It's the way you help those who are in need.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: Wow.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: That's beautiful, that's so so powerful.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: Was that?
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: Spurgeon no, google.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: No, it was the singer from the band Switchfoot.
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: His name's escaping me.
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: Oh, that's great.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: Gives a quote like that and it's what's his name.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: Gabe.
• 15:12
  Speaker 3: What's his name, that stumpy guy?
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: Oh, that's not nice yeah, stumpy, frumpy and stumpy.
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: You know I love the fact that this verse is in Scripture, in fact, james, you know he goes on to say what verses don't you like being in Scripture?
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: I don't say a lot.
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: Wait a minute Pause.
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: I'm busted?
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: No, but he says if any among you thinks he's religious and does not bridle his tongue, that's the other place he uses it.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: He deceives his heart.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: If you think you're religious, you don't bridle your tongue.
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: So I love those descriptives of you.
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: Say you're religious, you claim to be a person who's in tune with the God of the universe, but if you lack these attributes, then you're not, you know.
• 15:59
  Speaker 3: If God has hold of the reins, you should be bridled in the tongue.
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: Is that one of those on the spot?
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: It was on the spot.
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: Ooh, is that one of those on the spot?
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: It was on the spot.
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: Brilliant, wow, so humble.
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, we find ourselves as believers, examining ourselves and saying, lord, do I bear the fruit that is in keeping with that of a child of God?
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: Do I have a heart?
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: That, first of all, like with the tongue I know that's not our subject, but yeah, it's so telling.
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: Right, you don't bridle your tongue, but you claim to love God.
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: The tongue is telling.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I had asked Ryan, my daughter Ella's boyfriend, the other day what did you do last night?
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: And it just blew me away.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: He went and visited a group of elderly and he programmed all their phones and answered all their questions concerning their phones how to free up storage, how to do whatever that was put together and I was like Kindred had organized it to happen and I was like so blessed.
• 17:02
  Speaker 3: Kindred is your church, kindred is my church correct.
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: Yeah, our church.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: And what a neat thing to do, right, right, what a neat way to reach out to the widows.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: And that's what it was.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: It was a gathering of all widows who didn't know the technology, and he's all.
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: Let me take care of that, wow such a sweet way to demonstrate, and it's.
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: it's once a widow, an elderly person, gets a grip of the fact that what they've done with the iPhone and iPad et cetera, has made it for people who are a little dumb.
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: I used to say to Sue just stay with it, there's something on there you can push.
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: It'll fix it for you, because they want it to work because, they want you to buy it.
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: So, they've made it easy, so just fiddle around a little, and it's such a good principle.
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: Ray, it's been cool to see how you've kept up with technology.
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: You're talking about elderly people.
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Speaking of that, hey Methuselah look at this.
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: But, ray, you've really I mean you've kind of pushed yourself to keep that going.
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, thanks to you because you told me to get a phone.
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: You know, 30 years ago, 20 years ago.
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: whatever it was, boy, compare that phone to what we have now.
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: I mean, that was one of those the flip you know, and it was just buttons.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: There wasn't even texting back.
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: Then you think of how many millions of people have been affected.
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: Because of your prompting to have Ray get a cell phone right, Because of iMovie and because of your ability to edit with YouTube, we have reached millions of people.
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: That is insane.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: It's crazy.
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: We get people that get blown away when there's this massive current event and, like within minutes, we have a video up on it.
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: Ray, sometimes you'll create like alternate kind of you know effects from regarding something.
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and you did that with the election.
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we had a winner and a loser video, yeah, and we got the winner.
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: Well, they were both, whatever it was the winner.
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: So we had two videos so we could choose the one, and it worked really good.
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: It was like midnight or one in the morning or something crazy, where Ray contacts Tanny and says Tanny put up the Trump video.
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: No, I started off with you awake and it was done quietly.
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: And he says yes, yes, let's do it now yeah, well, you know, I mean we talked about it before, but in paris we got up that video after the crazy opening ceremonies.
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: It's got 2.6 million views wow you know, and it's, it's striking while the iron is hot, but you know that's technology.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: I know we got off on that.
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: But talking about what a horrible thing strike while the iron is hot.
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: That's branding.
• 19:28
  Speaker 3: Imagine being a cow standing there.
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: Is that where that comes?
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: from yeah strike, while the iron's hot Well got a snipe.
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: You talk about it with such authority Authority yes, well, I've got to.
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: Oh boy, that's probably where it comes from.
• 19:43
  Speaker 3: Etymology will tell us.
• 19:44
  Speaker 3: Mark's going to look at the etymology of strike, while the iron's hot.
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: So, guys, yeah, visiting widows and orphans.
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: So James is saying this is pure and undefiled religion.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: Why is that, mark?
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: Why is it that this he's looking for strike when the iron's hot?
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: You've just ruined it?
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: Why is this?
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: Why is it that James ties this with pure and undefiled religion?
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: He could have hit on a thousand things.
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, visit widows and orphans in their distress.
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, it is a reflection of what God has done.
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: You think of what we were?
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: We were vagabonds, we were homeless, without Christ.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: We were wandering through this crazy maze that is called life.
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: And Scripture says in Psalm 68, verse 5, he's a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: God, in his holy habitation, right, he looks down amongst the people and what does he see?
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: Sheep without a shepherd.
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: Right?
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: What is a sheep without a shepherd?
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: It's like you're without a father, right?
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: You're without a leader, you're without guidance, you're without hope and you're without help.
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: So that is exactly what we were.
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: George Mueller, right, I came across this.
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: Imagine George Mueller on his knees in a room filled with empty plates, surrounded by children with nothing to eat.
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: Every day he prayed, without asking anyone for funds, and every day God provided.
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: Over his lifetime, mueller cared for over 10,000 orphans, trusting God alone to meet every need, and his words resonate still.
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: What did he say?
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: The orphan who has no earthly father has a heavenly one who will not forsake them.
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: There is a special place in the heart, if you may use that term, in God concerning the orphans and the widows, those who are in need of help.
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: So many times I go before the Lord and I say, lord, I don't have an answer, I don't have a solution, I don't know what to do.
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: I feel like I'm just kind of meandering, I'm wandering Help.
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: Remember Peter, when he began to sink in the water?
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: He did not pontificate on this huge, eloquent prayer, it was just help.
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: And so many times, orphans and the widows and the elderly it's just like I don't know what to say, I don't know what to do.
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: Where am I going to go for help?
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: And then up comes Christ, up comes God to deliver them.
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: This is why it is such a special place in God's heart for us to take care of those.
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: I am so ashamed of the way I used to treat.
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: I lived in Mexico for a month and I remember on the side of the street there were these kids selling Chick-fil-A gum and I remember going up to the kids and asking them if they're hiring oh, if they're hiring, yeah, it was like a joke and I look back upon that with absolute shame upon my life.
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: Or grabbing hold of change.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: I remember getting change and tossing it towards somebody who had one leg.
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: Wow, yeah, boy, where the Lord has brought us in the midst of that.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: I'm embarrassed, I'm ashamed, but I'm moving forward.
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: I'm forging forward and forgetting what lies behind and I'm trusting God to finish the last story of my life.
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's amazing how the Lord changes our lives by changing our sensitivity, by way of conviction, the things that we wouldn't have even thought about as being bad or things we shouldn't do.
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: It's like you get saved and it's like a loud alarm blaring lights flashing in terms of the sensitivity of your conscience.
• 23:17
  Speaker 2: But I wish, mark, that we would have it more in this regard.
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: A lot of times, our conscience will prick us if we tell a lie after we get saved, or if we steal something or sexual immorality.
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: But what about that element of ignoring those that God tells us are those we need to care for and look after?
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: And if we don't, then we may think that we're solid believers, even in connection with the Word of God.
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: I've often wondered what is the practical side for us to actually do that right?
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: Because I remember we have a police friend, nate Stauberat, a kindred, who says do not give money to the people on the side of the road.
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: Listen, we have so many organizations here in Southern California, like the Long Beach Rescue Mission and other things like that, that will give direction for jobs and for food and for shelter, and you're preventing that from happening.
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: Well, so we would have bags like homeless bags, if you would, and they discard the homeless bags that are filled with like a beanie, socks, a Bible and white pieces.
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: How do we reach out to the orphans and the widows?
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: That's a good point, because on Sunday morning that's the time to go by an off-ramp, by a church, because people are coming out of church and they see someone on the side of the road and you're supposed to be a Christian.
• 24:31
  Speaker 3: There's the Good Samaritan staring you in the face and you've got to give them something.
• 24:35
  Speaker 3: They probably make a lot of money.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: I'm often surprised that we don't see more homeless people standing outside of churches on Sunday.
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: Maybe they haven't clued into it or not.
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: Maybe I've just given a good idea.
• 24:45
  Speaker 3: Oh Homeless people listening, ray's going to take it.
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: Part-time job, ray's part-time Is that reconverted, but I remember there was a pastor that dressed up homeless person, remember, and he sat outside of his church and then he went up to the pulpit after everybody had come in dressed as a homeless guy and people were just in shock because they're recording those that just ignored him.
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: But then there were some that tried to help him.
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I mean it is.
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: Look, it is a challenge in the US, as we're talking right now specifically about the homeless, because are there really people who are genuinely poor because they can't find work or because you know they fell on hard times?
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: I mean, how often does that really happen?
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: And is it laziness?
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: Is it drug abuse?
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: Is it?
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: You know?
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: I mean, ray, you used to go to MacArthur Park and minister to the homeless there, but did you ever find that challenge of like am I enabling them?
• 25:42
  Speaker 2: Or what was your heart behind that when you did?
• 25:44
  Speaker 3: it.
• 25:44
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I was just there to preach the gospel.
• 25:45
  Speaker 3: But yeah, you are enabling them when you take them free food every day which was what I used to do, but it was for the sake of the gospel.
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: And Jesus fed the 5,000, and so I was feeding these people.
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: But I was a bit dumb.
• 25:58
  Speaker 3: I was very naive in those days.
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: You almost got killed there a few times yeah well, the guy told me don't give out money when you're preaching, because that's what I used to do.
• 26:06
  Speaker 3: I'd hold up a dollar and he said, no, no, don't do that, they'll kill you for it.
• 26:15
  Speaker 3: And he thank you.
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: Thank you for that.
• 26:17
  Speaker 2: So you just arrived to the US and just waltzed over to MacArthur Park.
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: No, I drove.
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: No, I felt directed by the Lord.
• 26:26
  Speaker 3: Very, very clearly.
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: It's in the book Out of the Comfort Zone Even how MacArthur Park was named when I was in New Zealand and I knew exactly where I was to go.
• 26:34
  Speaker 3: Amazing, it was very interesting.
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: But, I'm like Mark is saying, like you're saying, it's very difficult for a Christian, because I go to the local college twice a day and I have to get around this woman who's lying on the sidewalk homeless with all this stuff around her.
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: Often I'll give her an in-and-out card, but then I'll listen to her talking filthy language on her iPhone as I go past.
• 26:54
  Speaker 3: What's she doing with an iPhone, sort of thing.
• 26:59
  Speaker 3: So it's a difficult thing because every time I ride past her and just go around her feet throughout.
• 27:02
  Speaker 3: She may be just lying there because it's right by the off ramp and she may get quite a lot of money from just lying there.
• 27:08
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, mark, it's a really good question.
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: I mean, the way I look at it is like this I think the in and out cards, the subway cards which you know, all of us have carried with us at different times throughout the years I think it's the best gesture under the circumstances in terms skewed mindset and they see Christians as uncaring and unloving.
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: This can at least be a gesture of our love and care, but connected with the gospel.
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: Everyone has to eat, right, and we take people out to eat that are our friends and have money and can afford it.
• 27:51
  Speaker 2: I just look at it that way I'm treating you to a meal and I'm giving you a gospel tract with it, or I'm sharing the gospel with you.
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: Now we have that video of me in Huntington where I was witnessing to that homeless guy and then I blessed him financially and this guy was in tears.
• 28:08
  Speaker 2: You do have those out there that are genuine.
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: So I just think we try to find a segue with the gospel, but with widows and orphans that's a different matter, in that we know that there are kids that are not orphans today in the sense of being in an orphanage, but they're in foster care and we're going to be talking about adoption in another episode, but we can get into their lives.
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: My cousin has this thing.
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: She works for a hospital, she's a nurse.
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: Has this thing she works for a hospital, she's a nurse.
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: But they have this program where they take kids that are in foster care and they take them to Disneyland for a day and they have, like you know, chaperones that go with them and love on them.
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: And Julia's gone.
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: I think the last three years my cousin asked Julia if she would go with them and she comes back and every time we're just a puddle of tears that she tells us about these kids and just how they cling.
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: They cling to her like this little boy.
• 29:03
  Speaker 3: She was going to leave.
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: Oh, here we go.
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: But Julia you know, it became the end of the day.
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: I mean, this boy was like clinging to her all day and he just like burst into tears.
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: He didn't want to leave her, you know, and she went and recently visited him, you know, at the foster home and loved on him and you just think of what that does to a child.
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: You know we're always looking at things from our perspective.
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: But imagine being a child.
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: You're torn away from your parents, there's abuse, whatever You're in all these different foster homes, and then someone loves on you and they go to the extra mile and they go and see you and visit you again.
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: So can you just show up to a foster I'm ignorant, right?
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: Can you just show up to a foster home and say, hey, anybody want to play Frisbee?
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah probably not, but they have programs, so like this one was she connected with them through this program that ministers to kids, like that, and then she was able to make a connection through that organization with the kid in the family?
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: What a great idea.
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and you've heard of those big brother, big sister programs where kids that need mentoring or whatever so many opportunities like that, or even within our churches to figure out who the widows are and to do stuff like that for them.
• 30:15
  Speaker 2: Hey, can I come over once a month and do some yard work for?
• 30:19
  Speaker 3: you.
• 30:20
  Speaker 2: You know, can I help you with your technology?
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: I love that idea.
• 30:23
  Speaker 2: You know even to just go visit them.
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: You know people that.
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: You know people that get up into their 80s and even beyond.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: You'll be surprised like how much it means to them to have someone just come and visit them, absolutely so what do you think the best idea, the best place to get started with that is look at your neighborhood, my neighbors right across the street.
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: If there's an elderly person inside my neighborhood, go and knock on the door, get to know them.
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: Ray, you did this with Helen, right, and you would visit her and you would bring her food.
• 31:00
  Speaker 3: Well, she didn't visit.
• 31:01
  Speaker 3: She was just across the road.
• 31:03
  Speaker 2: So Ray tell us about Helen.
• 31:04
  Speaker 3: Helen was a widow, yeah we used to get in the car and go and visit her across the road.
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: Hit traffic all the way hey can we come and visit you?
• 31:12
  Speaker 3: Yeah, helen, we just befriended her and found out she was a widow and so we started taking her meals on a regular basis, because that's better than a plate and it was like a joke.
• 31:21
  Speaker 3: And then we started looking after her.
• 31:25
  Speaker 3: She got elderly it was for seven years and we'd go and help her do things and take her to the hospital and things like that.
• 31:31
  Speaker 3: But she was very sweet.
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I remember Helen, she was a dear lady.
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I remember Helen, she was a dear lady.
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: But yeah, and at the same time, I think, when we think of orphans, we're thinking of people with no mother and father.
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: But you know, the term orphan can also apply to not having a mother or a father, you know?
• 31:51
  Speaker 2: And so, as Christians, everybody has a mother.
• 31:54
  Speaker 3: What?
• 31:54
  Speaker 3: Everybody has a mother.
• 31:56
  Speaker 3: Just thought I'd point that out to you Remember that book?
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: Are you my Mother With the little bird that goes everywhere?
• 32:04
  Speaker 1: So being an orphan, though right, it refers to, obviously, somebody who's younger, right, because I mean your mother and father have passed right, maybe it's mother and father, my mother.
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: It would relate directly towards somebody who is typically in need.
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: It's still in a place where I need the help of mom or dad A dependent.
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, they're a minor in need of the care of a father or a mother.
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: But that whole element of not just figuring out who's a widow in your neighborhood or who's a widow in your church, but figuring out who's an orphan, in that you know a young man whose father had died, or a young girl whose mother had died, or you know vice versa, or whatever, opening our homes like can you imagine what it's like for a child who's lost his father or mother, like on a holiday, and maybe the widow who's now got no husband and the child has no father.
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: So you have a widow and an orphan in the same house, in a sense.
• 33:03
  Speaker 2: And holidays roll around.
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: Man, holidays must be so painful for people who don't have loved ones or loved ones who've passed away or who don't have family in the area.
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: You know opening our homes and bringing people in, having them over for Thanksgiving, having them over for Christmas, and sometimes it's hard because you know we want to have our family tradition in our time.
• 33:25
  Speaker 2: But forget all that Like open our homes Forget the family?
• 33:29
  Speaker 3: Who cares about the family?
• 33:31
  Speaker 3: Get rid of the family.
• 33:32
  Speaker 2: Start neglecting your family.
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: To care for widows and orphans.
• 33:35
  Speaker 3: I got a thought here.
• 33:36
  Speaker 3: If I may mention it, the Bible says in Isaiah 117, which you know for sure a plea for the widow, because widows are very vulnerable and they need defending.
• 33:46
  Speaker 3: Defend the widow, I think it says in another place.
• 33:49
  Speaker 3: As I was researching for this, I found a video where a lady she was in her 60s was scammed and she was very brave to come and talk about it, because if you talk about being scammed, you're saying look, I'm vulnerable, I'm naive, I'm stupid.
• 34:04
  Speaker 3: And it turned out that she had been widowed for 15 years and this guy befriended her and over a period of three months, began to say nice things to her I really love you and I want to take care of you.
• 34:17
  Speaker 3: And she gave him $39,000.
• 34:19
  Speaker 3: Oh no, and her house.
• 34:21
  Speaker 3: No no kidding and she was such a sweet lady and she was so vulnerable and people like me defending.
• 34:28
  Speaker 3: Because you've got a woman who suddenly loses her husband, he's the breadwinner, he may have looked after the finances.
• 34:34
  Speaker 3: Suddenly she's got all the finances plus money, left her in a will and she doesn't know how to handle it.
• 34:39
  Speaker 3: And then she's got the conscience when someone's needing money, like this guy who was so nice and so nice looking, wanted money and he was just a con artist.
• 34:48
  Speaker 3: And she said these guys are so good and you tend to think how naive.
• 34:52
  Speaker 3: But I look back 15 years ago and somebody contacted me and said he had cancer and that he needed help.
• 35:02
  Speaker 3: And so I thought I'm not, I'm not naive, I'm going to call the church.
• 35:04
  Speaker 3: That he said he's from and check.
• 35:06
  Speaker 3: And I called the church and they said, yes, this is his name, this is his wife's name, he has this cancer.
• 35:10
  Speaker 3: So it was all authentic.
• 35:12
  Speaker 3: And so over a period of time I gave him eleven thousand dollars and at one point of time and it was it was like it would go for a month or something and he'd say, man, I've got this terrible need.
• 35:21
  Speaker 3: I don't know what I should do.
• 35:22
  Speaker 3: My wife's in tears.
• 35:23
  Speaker 3: He said he was showing 180 to a guy on a sidewalk with his laptop and the guy got angry and hit him and it dropped and broke the screen.
• 35:33
  Speaker 3: So I sent him my laptop.
• 35:34
  Speaker 3: That was a con man.
• 35:35
  Speaker 3: That was all lies.
• 35:37
  Speaker 3: And you say how could I fall for that?
• 35:38
  Speaker 3: How could I actually call and verify his name and his wife's name and that he had cancer?
• 35:43
  Speaker 3: It's very easy.
• 35:44
  Speaker 3: Just think about it.
• 35:44
  Speaker 3: You go on any church website.
• 35:46
  Speaker 3: You'll find someone in that church who was named and they're asking for prayer from him.
• 35:50
  Speaker 3: Please pray for Fred Smith and his wife Edith.
• 35:53
  Speaker 3: He's got prostate cancer and he really needs prayer.
• 35:55
  Speaker 3: Please pray.
• 35:56
  Speaker 3: So they'd just call up any vulnerable ministry, say I love your ministry, which is what this guy said and he said my name's Fred Smith and my wife so-and-so you can call my church.
• 36:04
  Speaker 3: So you call the church and say, yeah, fred's got cancer.
• 36:07
  Speaker 3: He's a sweet guy, please pray for him.
• 36:09
  Speaker 3: And they just assume this identity and identity with your wife and so you can con anyone, especially Christians that have got a tender conscience and thinking I should be kind here.
• 36:18
  Speaker 3: So we need to defend the widows because they are vulnerable, because they're not intelligent like people like me.
• 36:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you know.
• 36:27
  Speaker 2: 2 Timothy talks about that those who creep into households and make captive of gullible women and you know there is that vulnerability when, when women are in that position.
• 36:39
  Speaker 2: And how awesome for those of you listening right now that are in places where you have careers that can help people in situations like that.
• 36:47
  Speaker 2: Attorneys, you know you have some widows that are dealing with difficult situations where someone's trying to take advantage of them and they need legal protection, man, to be able to give your time over to that, to help serve them in that way.
• 36:59
  Speaker 2: You know we have friends that are in the medical field, mark, that go out of their way to be there for others to help diagnose them or, you know, to help tell them what they need to do or to give them treatment if they can.
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: And so thinking outside the box and saying you know, what can we do to be there and to think of how much it blesses us in doing that, think about what that means to them and how that impacts them.
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we tend to focus in on what we cannot do, like I can't feed all of them, I can't serve all of them.
• 37:35
  Speaker 2: It's like well, what is that starfish?
• 37:36
  Speaker 2: Illustration of the guy throwing one starfish into the ocean.
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: You can't save them all, but I saved this one.
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: But of the guy throwing one starfish into the ocean you can't save them all, but I saved this one, but I saved this one, I saved this one, he probably didn't want to be thrown into the ocean.
• 37:41
  Speaker 2: He wanted to be with his friends Leave me alone.
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: I can't swim you idiot, you create a little orphan starfish and throw him away from the family.
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: Okay, listen, 1 John 3, 17.
• 37:53
  Speaker 1: If anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: Right?
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: So you are given a very tangible action with your abilities.
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: That's what you just did.
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: Right?
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: If you're a dentist, serve in the realm of dentistry.
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: Right?
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: If you're an orthopedic surgeon, fix knees.
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: I don't know, but there's something that you can do.
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: Fix elbows, surgeon, fix knees, I don't know.
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: But there's something that you can do.
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: Fix elbows, that's right.
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: But what can you do?
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: What is your gifting right?
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: And even before you realize what your gifting is maybe you're young, easy, you were really great at this right.
• 38:26
  Speaker 1: You went to so many doors, door to door, and you were inviting people, not to church, but inviting people to invite you into their house to clean, to serve, to paint, to pull weeds, and you were not taking any money in return.
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: Do you remember?
• 38:41
  Speaker 3: what you said, exactly, eze, yeah.
• 38:44
  Speaker 2: So yeah, we did door-to-door through the church where Mark and I used to pastor together it was 850 doors.
• 38:49
  Speaker 2: We did almost 1,000 doors.
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: That's one big house, Same house man.
• 38:58
  Speaker 2: We mapped out the area and we were training people too in the church how to do it.
• 39:00
  Speaker 2: And so, yeah, knock on the door, they'd open the door.
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: Hey, my name is easy.
• 39:02
  Speaker 2: I'm a pastor from a christian church here in the area.
• 39:03
  Speaker 2: This is my friend, so, and so we're not here today to get you to come to our church or to sell you anything.
• 39:08
  Speaker 2: We just want to let you know we have a program that's set up to serve the community.
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: You know, you're doing some yard work, putting up a fence.
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: Uh, you're doing some painting, whatever.
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: We have a team of people that would love to come out and help you.
• 39:18
  Speaker 2: There's absolutely no charge and no donations accepted.
• 39:21
  Speaker 2: We just wanna be a blessing to you, man.
• 39:23
  Speaker 2: I still remember I said it so many times.
• 39:26
  Speaker 2: And then we give them a card, say here it is just please let us know.
• 39:28
  Speaker 2: And the card had info for the church too.
• 39:30
  Speaker 2: And then we did a questionnaire and shared the gospel with them.
• 39:34
  Speaker 2: But I can't tell you how many people just stood there with their jaw hitting the ground.
• 39:40
  Speaker 3: Why can't you tell us we're friends, what's your problem?
• 39:42
  Speaker 3: Just tell us.
• 39:43
  Speaker 2: Don't hide anything from us, you guys are professional good story interrupters and they would just their jaw hitting the ground.
• 39:50
  Speaker 2: Go wait.
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: Are you serious Like no, you don't charge for that.
• 39:54
  Speaker 2: Like no donations accepted.
• 39:55
  Speaker 2: Are you serious Like no, you don't charge for that Like no donations accepted and it opened the door for the gospel and friends.
• 39:59
  Speaker 2: This is the thing we want to remind you that there is a correlation between good works and the gospel, and scripture talks about that.
• 40:08
  Speaker 2: Right, ray, you always.
• 40:09
  Speaker 3: But so is the will of God that by your well-doing you put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
• 40:15
  Speaker 2: 1 Timothy 1.
• 40:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but right, I mean, and we do that, and they revile you as evildoers, right, but by your good works.
• 40:21
  Speaker 2: They can look and see wow, what is this?
• 40:24
  Speaker 2: What's this all about?
• 40:24
  Speaker 2: They glorify God, yeah, and Mark isn't the joy in this for us as believers, even in relaying it to those that we're looking after the widows?
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: orphans, whoever, we're not doing this to earn our salvation.
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we don't serve God to gain His acceptance.
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: We are accepted.
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: Therefore, we serve God, and if you have not experienced the joy of financially giving money to somebody in need or serving somebody in a capacity where they can't even say thank you in return to some degree, you're really missing out.
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: Right, we are called to care, dj Bonhoeffer.
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: He worded it like this the church is the church only when it exists for others not dominating, but helping and for serving.
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: You exist to be a blessing to other people.
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: And I heard one pastor pray and he worded it like this Lord, I pray that you would bless me, lord, so that I could be a blessing to other people Right, and what is that?
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: Randy Elkhorn quote that we say God has not blessed me financially to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving Right.
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: It could very well be that you have a bountiful blessing, perhaps of finances, just to give that over to somebody else or something else.
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: And it's such a blessing to do it anonymously, because only God gets the credit when you're able to do that.
• 41:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, make me a conduit, lord.
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: That's right, make me a conduit, and that should be the motive for wanting to be financially blessed.
• 41:47
  Speaker 2: That should always be the Christian's motive, lord, that I can give, that I can be a blessing, and that's something that should always be tied in with god's munificence, if you would I love that word munificence that the richness of his bounty in lavishing us with goodness as his people right I mean right ray shouldn't this be a reflection of that, in terms of of what we do?
• 42:09
  Speaker 2: And and what do you tell the person right now, who's who's struggling?
• 42:14
  Speaker 3: I didn't, I didn't stop there because I knew you were going to say yes, no, I was trying to say, not to say yes, yeah, I totally agree.
• 42:22
  Speaker 2: What do you say to the person right now, though, who's struggling in that regard of like?
• 42:26
  Speaker 2: But finances are tight, but time is tight.
• 42:30
  Speaker 2: I'm so busy, I have so much to do.
• 42:33
  Speaker 2: What would you say to them in terms of being rich and good works?
• 42:37
  Speaker 3: It.
• 42:37
  Speaker 3: I just I'm so busy, I have so much to do.
• 42:38
  Speaker 3: What would you say to them in terms of being rich in good works?
• 42:38
  Speaker 3: It's just part of the gospel.
• 42:39
  Speaker 3: So is the will of God that, by your welding, put aside ignorance of foolish men.
• 42:42
  Speaker 3: And Jesus said let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
• 42:48
  Speaker 3: So you've got to make time to do good works, and if you can't spend time because you're busy trimming hedges, you can give out things like in and out cards, which I find just such a blessing to do.
• 43:00
  Speaker 3: I look forward to it.
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know we are waiting to give out of our abundance, but anybody can give out of their abundance.
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: If you're giving out of your abundance because it's in the abundance, you're never going to feel it.
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: But I just finished 2 Samuel today and in the very last chapter you know the great King David.
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: He talks about purchasing the threshing floor and he says you know, basically, god forbid I ever offer anything to the Lord, that which doesn't cost me anything.
• 43:25
  Speaker 1: When you give, when you serve, you should feel it.
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: There should be ministry attached to the giving right.
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: So you give 10% and it's no big deal to you.
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: Well then, try giving 20% and giving 10%.
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: For some people maybe that's too much for them.
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: Right, each man stands and falls before their own maker.
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: But when you give, man feel the giving.
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: When you give, it's such a blessing because God always comes through and provides.
• 43:52
  Speaker 2: I'm so glad, mark, you brought David up.
• 43:55
  Speaker 2: You remember, after David had collected funds for the building of the temple and they brought in so much that they couldn't take.
• 44:07
  Speaker 2: They don't want to take anymore.
• 44:08
  Speaker 2: It was just too much.
• 44:08
  Speaker 2: I mean, think of that problem.
• 44:10
  Speaker 2: They've given to, but he says, lord, who am I and who are my people that we were able to give so abundantly?
• 44:15
  Speaker 2: And then he talks about how, from your own, we have given to you.
• 44:19
  Speaker 2: It's that realization and understanding that, whether it's our finances or it's our time, all of that's gifted to us from the Lord.
• 44:26
  Speaker 2: It belongs to Him.
• 44:27
  Speaker 2: And so to give back to others from it should be the heart of the Christian.
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: Our giving should be a reflex of His giving to us.
• 44:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I love this.
• 44:37
  Speaker 2: He has no idea what I said.
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: That was an AB.
• 44:40
  Speaker 2: Earl, what's your name?
• 44:40
  Speaker 2: Who are you?
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: I will give you $10 if you can tell me what I said.
• 44:45
  Speaker 2: Okay, then make it $20.
• 44:46
  Speaker 2: Okay, you ready yeah.
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: All right, galatians.
• 44:51
  Speaker 2: Was that high speed.
• 44:52
  Speaker 2: Galatians 6, 9 to 10.
• 44:54
  Speaker 2: And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
• 44:58
  Speaker 2: Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
• 45:05
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 45:05
  Speaker 2: And that's our calling to do, as often as possible, as much as we have opportunity, do good to all, and especially the household of the faith.
• 45:14
  Speaker 2: I mean we need to be considering that, yeah, the body of Christ is our family and we need to be thinking about looking after our own, the widows, the orphans in our church.
• 45:21
  Speaker 3: And John Wesley said do all the good you can, do all the people who can and all the times you can, as long as you ever can.
• 45:25
  Speaker 3: I was just going to read that.
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: You did.
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's right here.
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: Oh, but I was going to accompany it with, but I wasn't listening.
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: If anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him, little children?
• 45:49
  Speaker 3: let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.
• 45:51
  Speaker 3: I think you're the one who quoted that.
• 45:52
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you weren't listening.
• 45:52
  Speaker 3: No, I love that and that's a convicting one.
• 45:54
  Speaker 3: You can't go out and interview an illicit.
• 45:55
  Speaker 3: How?
• 45:55
  Speaker 2: old, are you Mark?
• 45:56
  Speaker 2: No, I love that and that's a convicting one, you know, because we do get that be warmed and filled kind of mentality, because we're busy, we're running around.
• 46:04
  Speaker 2: I'll pray for you, brother.
• 46:05
  Speaker 2: But look, I love where, with the Great Commission in Luke, jesus said you know, the fields are wide unto harvest, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send the laborers.
• 46:15
  Speaker 2: And the fields are wide unto harvest, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send the laborers.
• 46:18
  Speaker 2: And then he said, right after that, I send you.
• 46:20
  Speaker 2: After he said, ask him to send.
• 46:21
  Speaker 2: Then he said I send you, and so we have to think about that.
• 46:24
  Speaker 2: We're called to pray, but we're called to be the answer to that very prayer.
• 46:27
  Speaker 2: Lord, bless them financially.
• 46:29
  Speaker 2: Oh, I have finances.
• 46:30
  Speaker 2: Okay, here you go.
• 46:32
  Speaker 1: That reminds me of this scripture If anyone has the world's goods and sees his, brother.
• 46:39
  Speaker 2: This is powerful in Proverbs 19, 17.
• 46:42
  Speaker 2: He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord and he will pay back what he has given.
• 46:48
  Speaker 2: I love that.
• 46:49
  Speaker 2: It just shows the heart of God.
• 46:50
  Speaker 2: Like you're giving unto the Lord, and that should be our heart, lord.
• 46:54
  Speaker 2: They may be a scam artist, right?
• 46:56
  Speaker 2: I mean, again, we have to vet people.
• 46:58
  Speaker 2: We have to be careful At the end.
• 46:59
  Speaker 2: Unto the Lord, and that should be our heart, lord.
• 47:01
  Speaker 2: They may be a scam artist, right?
• 47:01
  Speaker 2: I mean, again, we have to vet people.
• 47:02
  Speaker 2: We have to be careful At the end of the day.
• 47:03
  Speaker 2: You don't know, here's a homeless guy.
• 47:05
  Speaker 2: Is he genuinely, you know, falling on hard times, is he not, lord?
• 47:07
  Speaker 2: That's between you and them, but I'm giving unto you.
• 47:08
  Speaker 2: You know this is for you and for your glory.
• 47:11
  Speaker 2: And then you know you think of Matthew 25, 35 to 40, where Jesus talked about, for I was hungry and you gave me no food.
• 47:19
  Speaker 2: I was thirsty and you gave me no drink.
• 47:22
  Speaker 2: I was a stranger and you took oh, this is the positive parts and you took me in.
• 47:26
  Speaker 2: I was naked and you clothed me.
• 47:27
  Speaker 2: I was sick and you visited me.
• 47:28
  Speaker 2: I was in prison and you came to me.
• 47:30
  Speaker 2: Surely, I say to you, and as much as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me, Wow.
• 47:35
  Speaker 3: Are you going to read the negative part, saying that was the positive part?
• 47:38
  Speaker 3: I know I was reading them like negative because my brain was so I was hungry and you gave me food.
• 47:42
  Speaker 2: I was thirsty and you gave me drink.
• 47:43
  Speaker 2: I was a stranger and you took me in.
• 47:44
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 47:45
  Speaker 2: I was naked and you clothed me, and so on.
• 47:46
  Speaker 2: Good works can do the work of a thousand sermons.
• 47:56
  Speaker 2: Wow, that's good, yeah, and yet combined with the gospel, because there are those that go out and do good works and they don't say anything about Christ.
• 48:04
  Speaker 3: Oh, that's horrible.
• 48:05
  Speaker 2: Doesn't that give you a sick feeling, the thought that you just did.
• 48:07
  Speaker 2: Oh, I'm so grateful, thank you.
• 48:08
  Speaker 2: Okay, have a nice day.
• 48:09
  Speaker 3: Yeah, here's an in-and-out card.
• 48:12
  Speaker 3: Repent right now.
• 48:15
  Speaker 2: Charles Spurgeon said the widow, the orphan, the poor, the sick, the desponding, the aged and the outcast are the special objects of divine compassion.
• 48:24
  Speaker 2: Whoa, and that needs to be our heart, Jonathan Edwards.
• 48:29
  Speaker 2: True religion in great part consists in holy affections, those tender affections which incline our hearts toward God, but also those affections that incline us toward our neighbor, especially the needy, like widows and orphans.
• 48:43
  Speaker 2: And, george Whitefield, do not forget widows and orphans.
• 48:46
  Speaker 2: Their prayers bring down God's blessings upon you.
• 48:49
  Speaker 2: I am joyfully convicted, Me too, man.
• 48:52
  Speaker 2: I just held back tears again.
• 48:53
  Speaker 3: Wonderful and we did it Oscar-less.
• 48:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 48:55
  Speaker 2: That's why I'm joyfully convinced Oscar's, our orphan, here.
• 49:01
  Speaker 2: All right, friends, thank you for joining us again.
• 49:04
  Speaker 2: We hope you're convicted, but also encouraged, right?
• 49:07
  Speaker 2: I mean, look, god gives us conviction so that we can be realigned with him.
• 49:12
  Speaker 2: And that's what we truly want as believers.
• 49:13
  Speaker 2: We want to be aligned with the Lord, and so let's spend some time in good repentance saying Lord, how much do I think about the orphan, how much do I think about the widow, how much do I put into trying to serve them and be the fragrance of Christ to them?
• 49:27
  Speaker 2: So let us do that.
• 49:28
  Speaker 2: Don't forget Living Waters TV.
• 49:31
  Speaker 2: Don't forget the Living Waters mug and the Adventist Study Bible, all at livingwaterscom.
• 49:35
  Speaker 2: And friends, we'll be back.
• 49:36
  Speaker 2: Keep sending us your comments, podcasts at livingwaterscom, and do give us ratings everywhere.
• 49:43
  Speaker 2: Why are you guys staring at me like I'm strange?
• 49:46
  Speaker 2: Oh, thank you for joining us, friends, we'll see you here next time on the Living Waters podcast, where we have no idea what we're doing.