Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20220608 - Everything For The Gospel - Acts 20:17-38

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#20220608 - Everything For The Gospel - Acts 20:17-38 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word recorded live from Calvary
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Chapel in Aurora, Colorado to learn more about the many
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resources available, through abounding Grace media, visit us
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online at Calvary Aurora dot org, or download our free app on
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all platforms. And now, let's open our Bibles
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and study God's word. Evening guys.
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So my name is Byron. If I have not met you, I'm one
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of the assistant pastors here. I oversee the high school
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Ministry and I get the privilege to share the word with you guys.
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Tonight, we just came back last weekend from our High School
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summer camp and still trying to catch up on sleep a little bit.
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But it was we have some high schoolers here.
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Yeah, we got, we got some high schoolers over here.
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We had a couple high schoolers leading Us in worship as well
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tonight. So they're not tired, but I'm
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still tired and I'm going to be Recovering all summer from the
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camp, but the Lord did a great work and the Lord just like, man
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is so encouraging to be part of this next generation and, and
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their Zeal to live for the Lord. And and just even that emphasis
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of man, they are the church and they're, they're being used by
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the Lord greatly and embracing that role that he has for them.
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And so for me, it's just a privilege to be part of the high
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school ministry here and seeing everything, the Lord's been
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doing. Its I'm coming up on two years
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being here, doing High School Ministry, and it's man, it's,
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it's gone by fast. It's awesome and so, just keep
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praying for our students. We got a lot going on this
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summer. We're going out on a mission
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trip in a couple weeks with a small group of students and just
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the Lord is doing a great work among our students.
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And so it's exciting. And we believe that the Lord's
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just getting started with cover Youth and there's so much more
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that he has to do. But anyways, I get to share the
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word with you guys tonight. If you guys want to open up to
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Acts chapter 20, Acts chapter 20, We're going to be looking at
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the account here. I, you know, I know Pastor rides
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going through acts, but I figured he's not going to be an
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x 20 for quite a while. So I'm safe to take acts 22
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night maybe in a couple years, he's going to be there.
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So you guys will get this message again soon, but Acts
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chapter 20, just this section of scripture, the Lord's been
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impressing on my heart. The last couple months.
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And, you know, when pastor at asked me to teach a couple weeks
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ago and I started praying through this message, I actually
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like, to be honest, this is like really struggling.
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Going with what to teach on and usually, you know, just teaching
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youth almost every week and it's become more natural to kind of
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be led by the Lord and learning just to follow him and prepare
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messages. But this was more of a message
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where I was was, was wrestling with up even until this morning.
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And I think it's because the Lord has just really put an
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impression on my heart to share with you guys my heart and
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bringing you into some of my thought process and the things
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of the Lord is doing in my life and so many You guys may be no
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just my heart for the Nations and for Missions.
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And just on the part of me and Emily story of being
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missionaries, and Ukraine, and spending some time almost a year
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and Uganda, and just being all over the place.
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And now doing youth ministry, here in Aurora, so many
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different types of people groups, and cultures, and
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Ministries that we've been a part of.
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It's been a, it's been an awesome thing that the Lord's
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been doing in our lives but it's also been challenging in a lot
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of ways getting attached and growing close to To and pour in
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your life out for people that you love dearly and then having
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the Lord kind of move you to a new place and and and and a
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whole brand new group of people and learning to, to get attached
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and falling in love with a whole new group of people.
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And it's, you know, it's it's been, it's been a, it's been
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awesome, falling the Lord. But it's also like, okay, Lord
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you just keep you just, I need more of your spirit to keep
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pouring through me. And so we see this, we're going
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to see this example of Paul's missionary hearts and his
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pastor. Here.
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And that's really what I want to touch on.
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But as we've been following, the Lord Galatians 2:20 has really
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become my life verse and, and it's really, just this idea
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where Paul says, I have been crucified with Christ is no
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longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me and the
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life, which I now live in the flesh by the feet.
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But but I messed that up guys. Sorry, the life that I live by
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faith in the Son of God who loved me and he gave himself for
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me and this is this attitude that we've adopted into our
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life. I think it comes with just being
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holding Loosely to the things of the world and and and being
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available and ready to go on Mission or to move to different
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locations. This idea that it's no longer my
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life, I have been crucified the things that the things that I
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used to think to find me are all dead.
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And my old man is gone. And behold all things have
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become new and now, the life that I get to live in the life
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that you get to live by faith, it's not your life but it's your
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it's Christ's life and he has he has the And the rate and the and
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and the attitude of like, man. Okay, Lord this is my life.
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You just take it and use it. It's not like whatever you have
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for me. I'm in, I'm all in and so that's
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really just what's like, that's just the out.
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Its that's the way the Lord started to wire us as we started
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walking with the Lord. And and it's just this idea of.
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Okay. We want to live our lives all in
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for the call that the Lord has placed on our lives in this
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season and this season In its youth ministry.
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That's like all in total abandonment.
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You know, I don't want to use the word like recklessness, but
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just like throwing ourselves in, with, with willingness to get
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Beyond ourselves and just trust the Lord and everything and
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giving the Lord through all of that, the love that we have for
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the people, the attachments that we have for people, the goodbyes
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that we have to say, to people all of these different things
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that we've had to experience. And it comes down to this this
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like, okay, Lord, I love you. I love your people and I just
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want to be all in for the gospel.
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I want to give everything I have for the gospel and so Acts
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chapter 20 open up with me and we'll read the text here.
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Actually let's pray. Let's pray.
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One more time before we jump in so father we do.
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I just ask that you would just help me to communicate.
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Well your word tonight that it would not be my words but it
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would be your words that we would that we would just focus
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our gaze upon you looking unto Jesus, the author, and the
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finisher of our faith. And so God, as we as we look
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through this, this account here, of Paul, and the Church of
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Ephesus in the elders, their lord, would we would we gain
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further understanding on what it means to be all in, with
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everything for the gospel? Would we understand further your
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heart for reaching the nations with the gospel?
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Would we be all in for Justjust to be vessels used by you.
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Lord. And so, would you use this time
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to edify us and stir us up and encourage us so that we can go
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out? I mean, answer that call that
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you've placed on our lives and so we pray this in your name.
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Amen. So X 20:17 starting in verse 17.
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One of the most, I believe one of the most emotional chapters
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of the Bible and I want you guys to just take some notes here as
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we follow along marking a few different words, but But let's
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just read this here. It says from Meletis he sent to
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Ephesus and he called his speaking of Paul here he called
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the Elders of the church and when they had come to him, he
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said to them, you know, from the first day that I came to Asia in
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what Manner, I always lived among you serving the Lord, with
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all humility with many. And I want you guys to mark this
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word tears with many tears and also many trials.
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So, hold on to that tears and trials, which happened to me by
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the Adding of the Jews. And in verse 20, also marked
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this. He says, I kept nothing back.
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That was helpful but I proclaimed it to you and taught
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you publicly from house to house in verse 21, testifying to the
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Jews, but also to the Greeks, repentance towards God and Faith
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towards our Lord Jesus Christ and see.
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Now I go Bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the
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things that will happen to me, except the Holy Spirit,
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testifies, in every city. Saying that I want you guys to
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notice these next two words. Chains and tribulations await me
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so we have tears, we have trials, we have chains, we have
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tribulations yet, we have this attitude of Paul, I held nothing
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back in verse 24. He says, but none of these
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things move me, nor I count. I don't count my life, dear to
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myself. So that I may finish my race
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with joy and the ministry, which I received from the Lord Jesus
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to testify to the gospel of the grace, of God and indeed.
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Now, I know that that you all a among whom I have gone
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preaching, the kingdom will see my face no more.
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Therefore, I testify to you, this day that I am innocent of
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the blood of all men for I have not shunned to declare to you,
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the whole counsel of God in verse, 28, take heed to
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yourself. And to all the flock which the
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Holy Spirit has made you overseers to Shepherd the Church
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of God, which he had perpetrated, which he had
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purchased with his own blood for.
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I know this that after my departure, Savage wolves will
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come in among you. You not sparing the flock.
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Verse 30. Also from among yourselves, men
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will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away, the
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disciples format after themselves.
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Therefore, watch and remember that for three years.
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I did not cease to warn every one night and day with what does
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it say? Cheers.
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So, we have tears again, verse 32, now, Brethren, I command to
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you, God, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace,
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which is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance
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among Among all those who are Sanctified, I have coveted, no
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one silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that
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these hands have provided - SATs, for those who are with me,
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I have shown you in every way by laboring like this, that you
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must support the week. And remember the words of the
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Lord Jesus, as he said, it is more blessed to give than to
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receive. And in verse 36, when he had
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said these things, he knelt down and he prayed with all of them
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and then just like the Heartbreak here in verse 37,
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then they all left, freely, they fell on Paul's neck and they
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kissed him Sorrowing. Most of all for The Words, which
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he spoke that they would see his face no more.
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And he accompanied them to the ship.
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And so, again, I you guys can see the emotion and and the
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heaviness of Paul here in Acts chapter 20, because here he is,
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he's traveling back to Jerusalem.
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He's nearing the end of this, this this season of Mists.
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Canary Journeys and that Spirit had testified over and over
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again, that chains and tribulations, await him in
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Jerusalem, he knew he was going back to suffering.
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He knew he was going back to imprisonment possible death and
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yet he still continued to push forward in the calling that the
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Lord had for him but on his way back to Jerusalem knowing all of
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these things you know just I can just imagine him sitting there
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on the ship processing, all of these emotions, getting ready to
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face, whatever is coming to him in Jerusalem.
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He Sin. Emphasis a deer church that he
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planted and spent up to three years, ministering to, and he's
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in this whole scene here. He's talking to the Elders of
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the church. He's giving his heart to them.
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He's, you know, he's just, you know, he's right here.
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He's not, he's not preaching, he's not teaching, he's just
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loving on his flock. They, that is dear to his heart
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and it's like, man, you can, you can just, you can just feel and
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see the heartbreaking, the emotion, especially in verse.
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38, when the greatest grief they have is like we're not going to
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see Paul anymore and that realization for the church in
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Ephesus. Like oh man, this is it like our
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pastor, our friend. Our dear brother were not, we're
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not going to see him anymore. and so, I want to, I want to
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draw this out for us tonight because I think it's it plays
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into this. This attitude that Paul has
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really looking at the attitude of Paul, for just being all in
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for the gospel, being all in for the call that the Lord has put
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on his life. Not not, not allowing, you know,
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just the trials and the difficulties to keep him from
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pursuing What the Lord Has for, for, for him.
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And I love this example, and I've grown so much here just
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studying this word, especially over the last Year or so of just
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growing and what it what it really means to have a
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missionary Pastor heart and then I believe all believers that the
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church should have a missionary and pastor's heart like we don't
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have to walk in that vocation to have that heart of going to seek
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and save that which was lost about two that that attitude of
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just going all in total Abandonment, for whatever the
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Lord has placed on Ark our lives, in our call and then that
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pastor's heart. That Paul has here.
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Just that deep love that deep care for his sheep for that for
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the church in Ephesus. You know, and it's, it's been
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interesting. Like, for me, just to, to walk
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through that, you know, as the Lord call this out, submissions.
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And in 2012, like Calvary, Aurora's been or Calvary Church
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here in Aurora. Is like, it's been our home
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Church like this is where I started walking with the Lord.
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When I was 18, we started like when we first walked into the
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church, we were at the school. I got a I got baptized at the
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Aurora Reservoir I got married here to my wife like right here
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on this stage like I was my first steps of ministry was in
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the junior high, man. You have stairs and it's like,
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man, just like the deep love for the people here.
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And then in 2012, it's like the Lord started, put on her heart,
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like it's time to go. It's time to step away and it's
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like, oh, Lord, the hardest thing about doing that, was to
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leave this church body. And yet, as soon as we got to
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Ukraine, the Laura started in it, our hearts together with the
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church there, and then the love for the people there.
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And then many of you guys know our story but we bounced around
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just because like the war started back in 2012, we had to
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evacuate, we lost our apartment, we ended up in Uganda, we fell
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in love with the church and Uganda and then back to Ukraine,
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and we fell in love with the church in zaporozhye, and then
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back to a Roar and now we're falling in love with our youth.
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And it's like, man, lord. They're like it does my heart
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have a capacity to love anymore. How can I keep doing this?
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It's like in the Lord, just continues to push us forward for
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the sake of the Gospel. That's what Paul is saying here
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in verse 24, he's saying these things don't move me so that I
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can continue to run my race with joy to testify of the gospel of
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grace. It's everything for the gospel,
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you know, all in for the gospel. But if we think about who Jesus
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is in his Gospel Mission, what it's all really about.
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As like, it comes down to the love of God, right?
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John 3:16 God. So loved the world that he gave
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his only son so that everyone could so that we could believe
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in not be a, not perish, but have everlasting life, right
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Romans. 2:4 says, it's the goodness of God.
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That draws us into repentance in Hosea.
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Chapter 11. God says that I put my gentle
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cords around their neck and Drew them in with with those gentle
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cords. Of love.
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So they could stoop and feed them and care for them and it's
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his goodness in this love and this grace in this mercy of God,
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that motivated him to go all the way to the Cross.
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It's the gospel message is motivated by that love, and
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that's in the Lord wants to pour that in and through our lives as
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well. And so as we talk about the
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gospel in everything for the gospel, we have to start with
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that love. And that character of who God
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really is that God loved the world.
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That he gave his only son. And we see here through acts
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that Paul's just on fire for that, he's on fire to preach the
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gospel. He wants the nation's to know
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God. He wants the nation's to to know
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and enjoy the love that, God has for them.
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Planting churches, preaching fully invested in the people's
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lives. Who are in front of them, look
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at Paul's life and it's like, man, he poured his life out for
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Ephesus Church. He poured his life life out for
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the vessel than I could church for the the church in colossae
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for the church in Philippi for the church in Rome, like all
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like the like I want that life where that we can just like
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fully invest in the people who are around us, fully invest into
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the Church of Christ. And we see the Shepherd's Heart
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that God that God has developed and Paul's life preaching the
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gospel pressing forward, not counting his life dear to
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himself but just walking by faith going forward for the sake
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of the Gospel. And so I pray that you guys are
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continuing to ask the Lord to develop this heart in your life
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for Missions. For you know, Mission.
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Don't even think about missions of just going overseas but just
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like how are we reaching people outside these walls?
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How are we all in for the gospel?
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How is the Lord developing This Heart of of care and compassion
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and concern for people? How is he interweaving our heart
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and knitting it together with with the people in front of us?
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Because we see like we can see in Ministry that like sometimes
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like unfortunately, as like, the years go by and Ministry, can
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start to build up hard hearts. And, and and, and we start to
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hurt people, and we start to disregard people.
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And that's never the, that's never the heart of the Lord.
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The heart of the Lord is always this keeping nothing back.
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Yeah, maybe I've been hurt by people, but I'm going to keep
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pouring out to people because that's what God's called us to
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do. And in verse 22, you'll notice
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that Paul was bound in the spirit to Jerusalem and so he
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like he's called, he knows the calling, he's going forward to
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teach the gospel of grace. And yet through this, he has to
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say goodbye. He has to say goodbye to the
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church in Ephesus. He has to, he has to walk away
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from from that group of people that he deeply loves, you know.
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I'm also thinking about Philip right?
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Remember, when Philip was on the On the road.
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And he baptized the Ethiopian man and then all of a sudden,
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like God got took him out of there and he was gone.
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And it was like, Philip was Philip was totally removed in a
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different in a different city with different people that he
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had to pour into. And it's just like, this is
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like, man, this is this is sometimes what the Lord does is
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like he allows us to be all in and then he moves us into
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another direction to testify of the gospel of grace.
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And so as we walk through this, this section here, I want to
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share four things with you guys. That's that that I hope it
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encourages you to continue to develop that heart just to, to
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be a missionary, Pastor heart to have that heart with you.
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Four things. I'll share with you guys, and
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then we'll walk through these. The first thing is that we need
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to live among the people will see that in verse 18 and verse
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19 that there's going to be tears and trials.
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Verse 20, there's everything for the gospel, all your life, all
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in for the gospel. And the number four is propelled
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by the Holy Spirit moved forward by the Holy Spirit, you know?
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And so just kind of, you know, when, when Pastor Ed asked me to
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teach this Wednesday, he's like, hey, you should incorporate some
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stuff about Ukraine and your heart.
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And that's where I really started to struggle with that
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because it was like, there's so much emotion tied to Ukraine for
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me, one because I walked through a Paul walk through saying Bye
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to our elders, and our church. Almost 2 years ago, I actually
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walked through this chapter with them as when we, when the Lord
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confirmed that we should move away like it.
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My last teaching the series was through Acts 20 with the church
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and I'm like, I'm remembering teaching them.
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And being like guys, this is like we're living the book of
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Acts here where we're just like grieved that we have to part
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ways but we know the Lord's calling us in separate
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directions. But so I have that emotion of,
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like, leaving our home that was there and Ukraine, leaving our
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church, and our in and like all of that that's tied up in there.
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And then on top of that, the war and everything that's going on
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with Ukraine. And then watching our church
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scatter and the suffering and the atrocities and everything
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that's happening there, in Ukraine, it's just like bubbles
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up this this grief upon grief and really, it's like, man,
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Ukraine has become such a part of who we are that as they went
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into war, it was like we're at War are my Countries at War, my
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people are at War, my family is at War and it's just like, in
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and it hurts. And it's like, man, I can
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sympathize with Paul and these Elders here, where it's just
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like, man, Lord, this is heavy. This Is This Love and this care
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that we have four people can be overwhelming sometimes And so
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the tears in the trials are real but it all starts with back in
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verse 18, like Paul would never would have been able to minister
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to the church in Ephesus if he didn't live among the people.
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So we need to live among the people in verse 18.
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It says. And when they had come to him,
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he said to them, you know, from the first day that I that I came
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to Asia in what Manner. I always lived among you.
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This has been something that we've always adapted into our
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ministry. I keep saying are so like I just
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rope Emily into Thing that like it's weird are like we do
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everything together. Like we've been Ministry
21:45
Partners from day one, so nothing one.
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But since since we started walking with the Lord but so
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like our is part of our ministry, in our philosophy of
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ministry, especially just with our youth is like, we want to be
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among the people, you know, sometimes it's not just about
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events and programs, but it's like, let's just live life
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together. Let's be among them.
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That's my heart. For like our events in our camps
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and all that, like, let's be together.
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So that we can follow Jesus together and that's what Paul's
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example. Here is like in and I think
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that's why it's so important that we're here in this room
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tonight and that we fellowship and we make a priority to
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Fellowship together because because it starts to develop
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that love and that concerns so that we can care for each other.
22:29
That we can carry one another's burdens that we can weep with
22:32
those who weep and rejoice with those who Rejoice because we're
22:36
among each other, Paul never would have had this pulse on his
22:39
church and he never would have I loved the church this way, if he
22:43
hadn't lived among the people there in Ephesus.
22:47
And so he says, you know what Manner, I always lived among
22:49
you. And I think this is key in
22:51
Ministry to learn. You know, just thinking about,
22:54
I'm thinking about Ukraine, like to learn the language, to learn
22:57
the culture, to learn how to buy bread, like man, that took me
23:00
weeks, just to like go like I want bread like we almost
23:03
starved to death because I couldn't figure out how to buy
23:04
bread and then it's like, no, we have to learn the people that
23:08
were among coming back to Colorado.
23:11
Even among our high school culture like learning high
23:14
school. Slang still, still haven't
23:15
figured it out. It's changing like every week.
23:18
So you guys, you guys, these students got to help me like,
23:21
teach me but we have to, we have to be among the people.
23:24
So we have an understanding of where they're at, who they are,
23:29
what makes them tick, how the Lord created them, what are
23:31
their gifts, what are their talents, you know?
23:34
And it's a picture of the Gospel, you know?
23:37
We look at Revelation chapter 21, Revelation chapter 21 is a
23:41
Picture of the new heavens and the new Earth in the thing.
23:44
There's not a lot of description in there, but the thing that we
23:46
know what's going to be in heaven is that God is going to
23:49
Tabernacle with his people. He's going to dwell with his
23:52
people. He's going to be among his
23:54
people. So key for us in ministry as we
23:56
develop our heart to love people to pass, their people to be to
24:01
have that heart. That's all in.
24:03
For the gospel, we have to be among people.
24:06
We have to build those relationships because Jesus
24:10
himself took on that human form to have relationship with us to
24:13
implement empathize with us to to, to understand our weaknesses
24:20
to to really know us. He understands he empathizes, he
24:25
has a deep love and a deep care and a deep concern for us.
24:30
And we are called to live in that as well.
24:33
Paul's example, here is so good. I love it because it's like,
24:37
hey, he came, he's not just teaching the church.
24:40
He's like, I'm not just, I didn't come just to teach the
24:43
gospel, although he taught the gospel.
24:45
He taught the Bible, you know, he taught the scriptures, he
24:47
taught he, you know, he did that he's but he's like, I didn't
24:50
come just to teach it. I came to live the gospel among
24:53
you, I came to live it out. To live among you to be with
24:58
you. And and our ministry in our
25:03
lives should be based on that. Gospel, love for people.
25:07
There's going to be yeah, there's always going to be
25:10
barriers, maybe it's language barriers, maybe it's cultural
25:13
Barrel, barriers, maybe it's, you know, race and Alton and all
25:16
these things that the world throws at us to divide us but
25:20
it's like, hey, we're called to be among each other, we're not
25:22
called to be divided. We're called to Unity together
25:26
so that we can that we can point each other back to the Lord and
25:28
encourage and edify. One, another living among the
25:31
people So that's Point number one that I wanted to share with
25:35
you guys is like as we're developing this, this this this
25:39
attitude of everything in for the gospel.
25:42
We got to be among the people because the gospel is for
25:45
people. Gospel is not for anything else,
25:47
it's for people, but then in verse 19, we see the progression
25:52
here as he's all in. Among the people what comes with
25:55
that he says serving the lord in humility with tears and trials,
25:58
which happened to me So as we're among the people as we're
26:01
serving, the lord is, we're answering the call that God has
26:03
on our lives, tears and trials. Always follow that tears.
26:07
And trials always. Come think for anyone who's you
26:10
know, like think everyone here would agree that like hey life
26:14
brings these tears and trials and then especially as we insert
26:18
ourselves into people's lives. There's going to be messiness,
26:20
there's going to be Brokenness, there's going to be sin, there's
26:23
going to be pain, there's going to be heartbreak, there's going
26:26
to be goodbyes, there's going to be all of this.
26:30
But we're we have two under. Like I love Paul's heart here
26:32
because he's like, hey tears and trials.
26:35
This is part of the job. This is part of my calling.
26:39
This is normal because this is personal.
26:41
We see we see Paul's heart of how personal it is.
26:45
How he like, he's fully invested like he's connected with the,
26:49
with the trials with the tears. Like, it's not like he's just
26:53
like, you know, above everything and just kind of cruising
26:56
teaching the gospel, but it's like he's in the trenches.
27:00
Pastor in with tears and trials personally carrying invested.
27:06
You know, when we pour Our Lives fully into something, there's
27:10
going to be, there's going to be heaviness.
27:12
We're inviting, we're inviting Brokenness to come in in many
27:15
ways. As we, as we minister to people.
27:19
You know, just just, again, thinking about as I as I allowed
27:22
the Lord, to develop my love for Ukraine.
27:24
Like the war in Ukraine is pain upon pain in our lives.
27:29
But if I never allowed the Lord to like, open my heart up to
27:32
love them and go to them, you know, it would just be a new
27:36
story to me, it wouldn't be personal to me, think about it
27:40
when we were in Ukraine weird, it wasn't foster care.
27:43
But it was similar to foster care where we had orphan girls
27:46
coming through our home. And I just remember like the
27:49
things that we had to walk through with these.
27:51
These orphans is like, man, that was tears and trials almost
27:55
constantly. We were Foster, we've been
27:59
fostering here in the states as well, and that's like tears and
28:02
trials. As we go through that our youth
28:05
ministry, there's tears and trials and youth ministry.
28:08
But it's like man this is this is where I want to be if that if
28:11
being all in for the gospel and answering the call that God has
28:14
on my life means tears and trials.
28:16
I say Bring It On just bring it on because I don't want to be
28:19
anywhere else then answering that call.
28:23
And so we want this ministry that we follow the lord, we want
28:26
it to be personal, we wanted to be passionate.
28:29
You know, we're going to, we're going to we're going to hurt
28:32
with those who hurt. We're going to be hurt, but it
28:35
comes from this gospel motivated, love that that Jesus
28:39
initiated in our lives. So as he's, you know, I just
28:44
remember, even in, I think it's a John chapter 19, right before
28:47
Jesus is betrayed. Remember, he's in the Garden of
28:50
Gethsemane, he's praying for his disciples and his prayers is
28:54
Agony where his sweat is almost like blood.
28:56
And it's like, just like this, like he's praying for his
28:59
disciples, he's praying for the future Believers there.
29:01
And it's like the most passionate emotional, you know,
29:04
heartfelt, tear-filled prayer that we read in the Bible.
29:08
And it's like that's Jesus is setting the tone for like where
29:11
our ministry should be. That.
29:13
Maybe. Just some of you guys don't
29:14
relate to like for me, my gifting, my primary gifting is
29:18
Mercy. And so a lot of, like, What
29:20
flows out of me is just like, that, that heart-to-heart
29:22
connection. I'm just like, man, I get
29:24
totally broken over over things that happen.
29:28
But it's like, man. If I allow the Lord, if I keep
29:31
just healing yielding to the Lord, he's going to use that in
29:34
a way to minister to people. And so I love it so you know,
29:40
maybe I don't love it, tears and trials, it's part of it.
29:42
Maybe I don't always love it, but it's like part of it.
29:44
It's good. That's what we're following.
29:47
The example of the Lord. And so Paul had this in Ephesus,
29:51
he lived among the people, there were tears in the trials and
29:55
then the third point that I have for you is just everything for
29:57
the gospel like Paul's doing this, all for the sake of the
30:00
Gospel, all for advancing the kingdom, all for making
30:04
disciples and answering that, that call that every disciple
30:07
should have in verse 20. He says, I kept nothing back.
30:12
That was helpful. And then, in verse 24, one of my
30:15
favorite verses, he says, None of these things move me.
30:18
I don't count my life. Dear to myself so that I may
30:21
finish my race and my joy in the ministry, which I received from
30:24
the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of grace of God.
30:31
It's like Paul's attitude here guys.
30:33
He's not just coasting by he's not, he's not just like doing
30:37
Ministry and church planting and missionary on the side.
30:40
Like this is his life. He never did anything to the
30:44
minimum, like he didn't seek the easy way out.
30:47
You know, that people were even warning him.
30:48
Don't go back to Jerusalem, don't go back to Jerusalem.
30:51
He's like, hey, this is I'm bound to the spirit, the spirits
30:53
taken me, he proclaimed and he taught it all in verse in verse
30:59
27. He says I declare to you, the
31:01
Whole counsel of God. Like it wasn't just a piece but
31:04
he was dedicated to teach everything verse by verse.
31:06
You know what, verse by verse, whatever they had at that time,
31:09
right? But is like, man, he taught it
31:11
all from house to house to anyone.
31:14
Who would listen the Jews and the Greeks he was bound in the
31:18
spirit, going forward and the thing that was waiting for him
31:23
was more more, tribulation more trials, More Tears, more chains.
31:29
But none of these things move me.
31:32
I remember so, when we went back out to Ukraine on the border of
31:35
Ukraine, right when the war started, I remember we were
31:37
sitting there in the hotel room and Slovakia probably two days
31:42
in his emotional trip especially for me and Emily like a lot of
31:47
emotion there. And I remember just like sitting
31:50
in the hotel room like totally gasp like hadn't slept in a
31:53
while. And the Lord has brought me to
31:56
the verse 24 here, where he's just like hey these things don't
32:00
move me. Like the the Stories and the
32:02
people that were seeing in the faces.
32:05
It's like, okay, Lord just give me the strength to finish my
32:07
race with joy. And just just, you know, the
32:12
Lord teaching me these things like, hey, it's not, it's not
32:16
about my life, Galatians 2:20, it's no longer my life, but it's
32:21
his life and I just want to be that vessel.
32:23
That's poured out for other people.
32:25
And so, sitting in that hotel room that night, just meditating
32:28
and praying through these things, it's like, okay.
32:30
Lord, we're here to testify the gospel of grace, we're not here
32:33
for humanitarian Aid, We're not here for, you know, just to, you
32:37
know, be part of the cause, but we're here for today.
32:39
Testify the gospel of grace and in teach us how to pour
32:43
ourselves out for these ladies, that were with to point them
32:46
back to the grace of God. But just added to that the Lord
32:51
continue to instill in us. And I think he was already
32:53
teaching us this but it was more and more instilled in our lives
32:57
of we can't keep our life. We can't count Our Lives dear to
33:00
ourselves. Like we can't, like we can't,
33:04
you know, we can't be so attached to anything here in
33:06
this world because we've seen it, like the Lord just like the
33:10
Lord can take things away. Like whether it's a Ministry,
33:14
whether it's a calling, whether it's, you know, like it's like
33:18
the Lord the Lord is in control and if we hold too tightly to
33:21
those things, like we're going to be in this place where we're
33:24
counting our life. Dear to ourselves.
33:28
Right before we went out to Ukraine, we were sitting back in
33:30
Pastor, Ed's office just like is this for real?
33:33
Or we are we really going like it was at the beginning of the
33:35
war. There's like talk of you know,
33:37
chemical warfare and all of this and we're like we don't really
33:39
know what we're walking into and and I remember I like I'm going
33:43
to brag on my wife because she's just like, this is, this is her
33:45
message, like she was the one who's all?
33:47
Like, I don't count my dear. My life dear to myself.
33:50
She's like, and I just remember her looking at Pastor Ed and
33:52
like, hey don't don't, you know, don't blame yourself.
33:56
If something happens to us like we're making this choice.
33:58
If we don't come back, it's okay.
34:00
We're making this choice to just be all in for the Lord and
34:02
everyone in the room. Like, we're all like, oh God.
34:04
And I'm like, but yeah, that's true.
34:06
It's true. Like none of these things should
34:09
move me if the Lord's put something on our heart.
34:10
We have to go forward in it. It.
34:14
You know, I think of Elijah when Elijah called him to follow him
34:17
and he's like, okay, man, I'm gonna go burn the ox and, you
34:20
know, Slaughter the ox burn the burn.
34:22
Everything. And I'm all in my old life is
34:25
gone and I'm just following the Lord and it's like, man, it's so
34:28
cool to have that attitude because I think the Lord uses it
34:32
in a powerful way. We are if we're, if we're all in
34:36
for the gospels sake for all into just like, full-on head
34:40
that head, after the things of the lord, it's like those
34:43
promises. Like if the Lord's for us, who
34:46
can be against us? We can have that confidence, you
34:49
know, obviously praying through it making wise decisions, but we
34:52
have the confidence of the Lord is going before us.
34:55
And, and the gifts and the callings are irrevocable if he's
34:58
called us to something like, who's to take that away from us,
35:02
we have to move forward. And so everything for the
35:06
gospel. And then the fourth thing that I
35:07
want to share with you guys tonight is just just this idea
35:10
of being propelled forward by the Holy Spirit, right?
35:14
So we have the tears, we have the trials, we have the
35:17
goodbyes, we have the sudden moves, the, the love, the
35:20
attachment, the things that are pulled apart the, you know,
35:23
saying goodbye to, you know, you know, all these things like the
35:27
paws. Walking through that we walk
35:29
through as Believers yet. It's always being bound in the
35:33
spirit, me being moved. Forward by the spirit.
35:37
Second Peter chapter 1 verse 21, it says that they spoke as they
35:41
were moved by the Holy Spirit. Speaking of profits, they spoke
35:45
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit a literal translation for
35:48
this being moved by the spirit can literally mean being
35:50
propelled forward by the spirit. I love that idea of just kind of
35:54
being propelled forward, being blown for being pushed forward
35:58
by the Holy Spirit. For what for the gospel for the
36:03
kingdom, for lost, souls for people to know, and experience
36:07
the grace of God. So much so where we can have
36:12
this attitude if we're being moved forward by the Holy
36:14
Spirit, why is my life dear to myself?
36:18
Shouldn't it be dear to myself? I've already died in Christ and
36:22
now I live by faith in the Son of God.
36:24
Like he's got it in control. He he's the one orchestrating
36:28
things and I can and I can just I can just be in for him.
36:33
I can I can let him sort out some of those other things and
36:35
I'm just like, okay Lord, here's my life.
36:37
Take it and use it. When we were back.
36:42
So I keep the interweaving UK I'm not I guess I'm like the
36:45
Ukraine guy every time I teach I have to bring up Ukraine but
36:47
like when we saw when we were we were church planting and done
36:50
yet screw crane which is right on the Russian border back in
36:53
2014. And that's initially when Russia
36:56
invaded Ukraine and their first spots, they annexed Crimea the
37:00
peninsula and the southern region and then they took
37:04
lugansk region and part of Donetsk region.
37:06
And that was right where we were living we were church planting.
37:09
We had been Therefore not even a year yet and we had a small
37:12
Fellowship to going. We had just we had just started
37:14
a lease on our new church office like we were stoked, we were
37:18
doing Ministry in the University's.
37:19
We had English Club. Rollin we were teaching through
37:23
acts it was like such a sweet time and then all of a sudden
37:26
like Russia rolled in and and the war started and the Lord
37:30
literally overnight plucked us out of donets, never to return
37:34
losing everything and it was like it it brought the Lord
37:39
Brought us to a point in our in our life there where he had to
37:43
dig into the deepest parts of our hearts and reveal really
37:47
where our hearts were at with him.
37:49
He was bringing to the surface. This this this attitude that I
37:53
was clinging to my own life that I was clinging to Lord.
37:58
This is this is who I am. I'm a missionary to Ukraine.
38:01
I'm a church planter and donets like Calvary Chapel donets going
38:04
to be like this is our life. We're here.
38:06
This is who we are and then like overnight the Lord took it.
38:09
Away. And he had to reveal to me that
38:11
I was hanging onto things that were not him.
38:15
I was hanging onto my agenda and my life and he began to Humble
38:19
me and start to say it is such a valuable lesson, a painful
38:23
lesson, but it's such a valuable lesson that he had to teach us
38:27
because it was like, Hey, I'm going to do a work among the
38:31
Nations. I'm going to do a work among
38:33
Ukraine. I'm going to do a work among my
38:35
church. And I just need you to believe
38:38
it and to humble yourself and submit to me.
38:43
And he was really asking this question, you know, in this
38:45
period we ended up in Uganda and Uganda.
38:48
The Lord used. Uganda took to minister to us
38:50
and to heal us and we were just remember sitting in Uganda night
38:54
after night under the mosquito net, like trying to knock a bit.
38:57
Like I don't want malaria all this stuff and it's like, okay,
39:00
Lord, what are you trying to teach me and he's teaching me
39:02
like Byron. Do you still believe that I'm
39:04
going to do a work among the nation's?
39:07
Do you still believe that I am in control that I am saving
39:12
people. And I had to come to this place
39:14
where I was like, yes, I believe in my head but now I have to
39:18
believe just with my life despite the circumstances,
39:21
despite how I felt just to continue to watch, to wait to
39:27
pray to trust that he's doing to work.
39:32
And then at that point, as I'm learning to let go of things and
39:35
still process, still learning to let go of things.
39:38
Then the Lord starts to invite me into.
39:40
Do you want to be a part of it? I'm going to let you be a part
39:42
of it. I think of our high school
39:44
Ministry, it's like the Lord's inviting me to be part of these
39:47
high schoolers lives. It's so cool.
39:50
But it's like, okay, I have to let go of.
39:52
I have to let go of my, my life, and just live by faith, in the
39:56
Son of God, and step into that. That an invitation that the Lord
40:01
has a For us. Do you want to be a part of his
40:03
work? Do you want to be a part of
40:05
building the kingdom? And as I was learning to just
40:09
humble myself before the Lord, and just say yes and be moved
40:13
forward by the Holy Spirit. He's like, okay, okay, Byron,
40:17
give it all to me. Give me your call.
40:20
Give me your heart. Give me your love for Ukraine.
40:23
Give me your desire to move there.
40:25
Give me the ministry. Give me, give me your life.
40:28
Galatians 2:20. It's not it's not my life
40:31
anymore. But I live by faith in the Son
40:35
of God. It's his life.
40:38
And so comes back to this idea. Everything for the gospel being
40:42
moved forward by the gospel, abandoning, our own lives and
40:45
our own agenda for the gospels sake.
40:49
And I hope the Lord is doing those things in your life.
40:51
To, I know he is. I know he's Desiring to bring
40:54
you to those moments those key moments.
40:56
Like, I think we all have experienced some of those key
40:59
moments in our Walker, where it's like, we're on the edge and
41:01
it's like, which way are we going to go?
41:02
Or we're going to choose the things of the Lord or we going
41:05
to kind of fade away or grow lukewarm.
41:08
And it's like, What is the Lord doing in these key moments?
41:12
Where he he wants to do something special, And for me,
41:17
it was that moment sitting there in Uganda 2014-2015 just saying
41:23
Lord. Okay you can have it all.
41:26
It's okay. If I never go back, it's okay.
41:28
If you know, I live under this mosquito net, the rest of my
41:31
life, like it's yours. Lord, like you can have it all.
41:36
And it's this this attitude again of total abandonment of
41:40
being propelled by the Holy Spirit the attitude of Isaiah
41:44
Here. I Am Lord send me use me, I'm
41:48
available. I'm ready I am I'm willing.
41:54
It's not about me but Lord here I am if you want to use me.
41:58
And so I see this all in Paul's, Paul's life here guys.
42:02
Like this is coming towards the end of his ministry and it's
42:05
such a special time with him in the Church of Ephesus.
42:09
Just sharing these tears, these trials, but then reminding
42:12
himself, and reminding the church guys.
42:15
None of these things move me. Yeah, maybe I'm facing trials,
42:18
maybe I'm facing tribulations, maybe I'm going to die in
42:20
Jerusalem next week. But I don't count my life.
42:23
Dear to myself. What's dear to me, is that I
42:27
finish my race with joy and the ministry, which I received from
42:31
the Lord to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
42:36
And so I invite the worship, team back up.
42:39
And as you guys are contemplating this What you do?
42:44
I just want to encourage you guys.
42:51
What are these? What are these moments that God
42:53
is doing in your life to bring you to a place?
42:56
Maybe it's not, maybe it's not surrender and humility.
42:59
Maybe the Lord's brought you to this place is, but maybe it's
43:03
maybe it's this attitude of Like okay, Lord.
43:08
Am I truly ready? My truly willing.
43:10
Am I truly available to be all in?
43:15
To be all in for the things of you. to let go of my Agenda to
43:24
let go of whatever else is going on in my life.
43:28
And to love the people, well that are in front of me.
43:33
To to develop that heart, just to care until love.
43:39
And so, as we go into this time of worship, like, you know, as I
43:42
was praying this afternoon for tonight's, just like this
43:45
impression from the Lord that I really want to just just give
43:50
our lives till for just like just an attitude that Paul has
43:53
here of just like my life was not dear Lord, please take it.
43:58
Do please. Just use it.
44:01
You know, you don't you don't the desires of my heart, you
44:03
know, that the flaws of my heart.
44:05
But Lord, would you just even even just that reminded of that
44:08
verse in Ezekiel that Pastor Andy shared from the give 10,
44:11
where it's like, he's going to do a work in our heart, he's
44:15
going to pour His Spirit out, he's going to do the cleansing
44:18
and like just open your heart up to him.
44:23
So, as I was praying this afternoon, just like this
44:25
impression from the Lord, just that, that, I think that there's
44:29
a, an attitude of physical posture, that's good for us to
44:32
do sometimes of just just like, Lord, you can have it all.
44:36
And so, as we're singing, I want to invite you guys and call you
44:39
guys and encourage you guys to To be on your knees. to even
44:47
come up here and use this area as a time where you're going to
44:51
just Just symbolize like Lord, this is my life.
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It would you would you would you take it?
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Would you use it? And would you advance the gospel
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in and through my lives? And so maybe it's like an act of
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surrender. An act of worship, just or even
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just an act of like lard. Take me further, take me deeper.
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Take me higher. So, I encourage you guys like
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not to hold anything back. We had, you know, at our youth
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camp, we had such a special time of worship and we had a response
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night where, where the leaders just invited the students to
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come up and just just kneel before the Lord?
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And this is like, man. That's so good.
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It's so powerful. And even as I was doing it, I'm
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just like, man. Lord, I need to do this more in
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my life and so as we sing tonight, just invite you guys
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come up kneel before the Lord, pour your heart out before him
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Have that attitude of Lord, I'm all in, take my life and use it
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and so Lord. We we do just ask Lord, we ask
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that you would just take our lives.
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That we wouldn't hold tightly to the things of this world, but we
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would just run full in after you Lord.
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It's a lord here for me. Here's my life.
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Even just that song, We were singing the the pride of the
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father that you see me. You see my heart even in this
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failures and the sin and the mistake.
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Take my life and use it Lord. You mean in the tears?
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And the trials. Lord, we want it all.
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We want everything that you have for us.
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And then we just want to turn around and return that to you
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everything for you, Lord with with full abandonment until you
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Lord being propelled and moved forward by your Holy Spirit.
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So Lord, we sing out to you tonight.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
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Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary, Aurora for
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prayer or a copy of the study, call us at 877, 30 Grace, that's
47:22
eight 77304, 2:53 or visit us online at Calvary, Aurora
47:28
dot-org, be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.
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So Lord, we sing out to you tonight.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
47:12
Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary, Aurora for
47:16
prayer or a copy of the study, call us at 877, 30 Grace, that's
47:22
eight 77304, 2:53 or visit us online at Calvary, Aurora
47:28
dot-org, be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.