Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #24452 - I Want To Be Used By God - Acts 9:31-43

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#24452 - I Want To Be Used By God - Acts 9:31-43 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
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Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
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dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Amen.
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Would you take your Bibles and open them to Acts chapter 9 Acts
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chapter 9? When you get there, we're going
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to pick up in verse 31, where we left off last time, I've
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entitled our Bible study. I want to be used of God, but
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after reworking it, I think we could have another title 10
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things that will help you serve God, will or compared to what we
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taught last time. Ten more things that will help
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you serve god. Well, I put some format to This
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after teaching it last night. Because in chapter 9, remember
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Saul of Tarsus becomes Paul the Apostle and it's a beautiful
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thing to watch God transform lives generational.
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Change comes through salvation and you know, Saul had plans.
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He had plans heading to Damascus.
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To destroy the Believers there. He was zealous to protect
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Judaism and he was headed to Damascus.
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I believe, he thought he could do it single handedly, even
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Though he did have an Entourage, he had those with them, he's
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headed to Damascus and, you know, saw had plans, but listen,
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God had plans and he flipped it around saw had a purpose, but
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God had a purpose, Saul, he had power and authority that we had
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the letters to do whatever he wanted.
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But you know, God had a power and he overruled Saul and
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brought him to himself and Saul's a changed man.
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Now, by the time we get to To verse 31 of chapter 9, he's born
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again a lot of time has passed as we learned last time but he's
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living out this newness of life knowing this truth.
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And listen, this is so important.
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If this is all you leave with today, this is what you must
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remember. Remember this?
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It is God's work in you and through you for his good
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pleasure. It is not your own human effort
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or all the Agents, you might have or all the degrees, you
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might have earned or all the expertise you have or all that
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natural talents. The spiritual gifts, what
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matters in your life is that it's God working in.
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You working out his plan and working out his purposes and
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providing to you his power and his provision.
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It's a frustrating thing. It's a frustrating thing to push
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your plans on to God and then sake there from God.
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You know, when I hear the word frustrations, I hear the words
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disappointment. It always reminds me that
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somebody's dealing with unmet expectations.
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You know when you're disappointed it means you
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expected something and it didn't happen.
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And so now you're disappointed about it or even disappointment
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can lead to frustrations where, you know, I'm just frustrated
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where where I'm at Right now I'm just frustrated.
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What's going on frustrated with my church, I'm frustrated with
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my wife, my whatever it might be because there are expectations
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that you have or you've placed that haven't been met.
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But listen, when you're walking in the spirit Allowing God to
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lead your life, there's far less disappointment and frustration
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because you just know that God is Sovereign, you know, these
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going to use these things. You know that everyone's going
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through something. And listen, I know this is hard
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to hear, but you got to hear it. It's not you're not the only one
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suffering today. There's a lot of pain in this
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room, a lot of difficulty, and if we're not careful, we just
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get our eyes all on ourselves. And become very unuseful for the
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kingdom. When you try to make things
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happen, you take things into your own hands.
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You get impatient, this happens a lot when you're waiting for
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something or you're in a season where something's up ahead and
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it hasn't happened yet and because it hasn't happened, you
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can get very impatient but we've learned throughout the
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scriptures that impatience can lead a person to Big mistakes.
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I think of Abraham and Sarah and they just couldn't wait for the
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promise. Even though I know they believed
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in the promise of God and they did something very natural very
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normal but it Not from God and created a little Ishmael.
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And, you know, I find that there's many people in the
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church today to have a lot of ishmael's running around because
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you refused to wait on the Lord and trust him.
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And that's where Saul is Sol's in a place where he's in a
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relative season of Silence because now our attention is
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going to go back to Peter for a while, but you have to remember
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that even in the silence, God is at work, he's doing something
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different. It doesn't have to always be
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demonstrative. You don't always have to
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understand it, not everything needs to be explained to you.
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We walk by faith and not by sight, we walk by faith and not
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explanations. I know some of you are waiting
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right now, what's the future? And what's the It's going to
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happen. I don't know.
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I don't know. But I do know this.
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God is going to get you there. He has an intended purpose for
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your life and mine and he's going to get you there.
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You're going to make it. You know that trying to help God
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out is is very difficult in our lives, you know, they did a
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survey not too long ago where they were asking for some
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popular phrases and whether they thought it was in the Bible or
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not, 25% of the people pulled. These are people that said they
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know the Bible people that said they read the Bible.
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People that said they were Christians or in church all the
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time, twenty-five percent of them said, they believe that the
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phrase God helps, those who help themselves was in the Bible.
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It's not. So if you ever take the survey
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just know, now, you were taught. Well, it's not in the Bible.
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The exact opposite is taught in the Bible actually that God, He
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tends to help the helpless and the weak and the needy.
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What our part is is just to trust and Obey knowing that God
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is in our lives. I like what Jesus said in
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Matthew chapter 9 and verse 13. He said he said go and learn
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this. Like you're looking for things
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to Learn, here's something Jesus said, go learn this.
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Go learn this. You ready.
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Learn what this means. He says, I desire mercy and not
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sacrifice because I didn't come to call the righteous, but
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Sinners to repentance, he says, learn this.
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I think part of learning it is that we are those centers that
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got called We can't forget where we came from the great grace and
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mercy in our life. For some of us, we were
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delivered from a deep pit, from a series of bad decisions where
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we almost ruined our lives. You know, remember where we came
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from. But for some of you you were
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gifted with the heritage of growing up in a Godly home,
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don't you forget that that's the grace of God in your life.
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We got to learn things. The hard way you got to avoid
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things because you listened and he were listen to your parents
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and you grow up in a home that honored God or Your grandmother,
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your grandfather. Like Timothy had such a
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beautiful Heritage in the scriptures.
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Let's not forget where we came from, pick up now, with all that
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in mind verse 31, it says, then the churches throughout all
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Judea Galilee and Samaria had peace, and were edified and
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walking in the fear of the Lord. And in the comfort of the Holy
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Spirit, they were multiplied. You can see back in verse 30
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Saul is taken off now. He first, went to caesarea, then
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they sent him off to Tarsus. And now with him away, I want
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you to notice the churches are being built up and strengthen.
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It wasn't too long ago that the churches were fearful and
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concerned because Saul of Tarsus were coming, but now the
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churches are encouraged and built up.
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So if you're taking notes, I want to show you a few things
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Within These this text and through our Bible study today,
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10 things that will really help us if we want to serve god.
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Well then take these things into consideration and learn them as
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unto the Lord. So number one, I want you to
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notice from the verse 31 that it's important that you give out
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as much as you take in. You give out as much as you take
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in here. The church in verse One is in a
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place of peace and prosperity. They're in a good season,
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they're multiplying. Don't miss this, they're
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multiplying. We haven't really read of that
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since earlier in the book of Acts.
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So they've been great difficulty.
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But now there's multiplication God has saved.
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So he's got plans for him. We'll get to that in the rest of
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the book of Acts over time but learn to give out as much as you
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take in. It's been said that if the
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church is to be Evangelistic, she Must be then spiritual, but
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if the church is to be spiritual, then she must be
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Evangelistic. And so right now, you know, you
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can look at the church. Like it's a to, it's a two-sided
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coin. You're in one side of the coin,
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right now, on one side of the coin, the Gathering of the
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church together is so that you might be edified.
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You might be built up, that's what the word means, that that
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you might be equipped for the work of the ministry that you
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would be strengthened you almost get the picture to it being
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edified like UB40. I'd you'll be established.
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And that's really why we gather on the first day of the week,
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like we need it. We're going to head into a week.
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If God would give that to us, we need to be strengthened.
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We need to be reminded, he's on the throne.
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We need a remote be reminded that God is with us.
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That we need to sing there. Maybe this week, you won't even
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be able to sing. It will be so hard.
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It's so challenging, but you sing today and so God dropped
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those lyrics into your heart for use.
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At a later time, were being built up, that's one side of the
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coin, the other side of The coin happens when you leave the other
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side of the coin, is this, that not only are we to be constantly
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feeding on the word of God, but we're also then to be constantly
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living the word of God. Like, that's life.
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Like, you're not taking into not give out, it's not just bless
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me. Lord bless me.
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Lord bless me. Lord bless me Lord, but it's
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this bless me. I'm blessing others.
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Blessing others Lord, fill me blessing, others filmy be ye
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filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible says not to be drunk.
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Cook with wine which is in excess.
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We need to be living sober minded lives.
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As we are blessing others, it's very important that you give out
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as much as you take in as you and I feed on the word of God,
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you'll see the church benefits, the church is Multiplied, the
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Holy Spirit Comforts, and you're able to end to be fruitful
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notice. Now in verse 32, we turn our
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attention to Peter. No.
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Now it came to pass. As Peter, went through all the
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parts of the country that he also came down to the Saints who
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dwelt in lydda. There he found a certain man
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named ananias who had been bedridden, eight years, and was
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paralyzed and Peter said to him, a gnaeus Jesus, the Christ heals
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you arise and make your bed and he arose immediately.
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So, all who dwelt in lydda and Sharon, saw him and turned to
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the Lord, That we reading the Bible today and we're reading
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this and we don't we may not recognize this is astonishing,
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this is amazing. Now this guy he wasn't always
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bedridden and he wasn't always paralyzed.
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But for eight years, he stuck. Can you imagine the stories he
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has to share the new imagine, what's going to come out of his
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life as Peter shows up here? The scene shifts from the
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conversion of Saul, the fruitfulness of the church, the
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ministry of Peter. And I want you to notice here
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which brings us to number two, but I want you to notice Peter's
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moving. He's moving, he's not waiting
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around but he's going through all parts of the country.
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He's moving. So let me give you a number two.
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Number two, you want to, you want to really improve your
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service. You want to be used or the Lord
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hears number to look for things to do.
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Look for things to do in the Lord, look for things to do.
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That's what he's saying. Look at the word here.
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It says in verse 33, he found now.
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The word here in the original language.
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Can mean two different things. It can mean you stumble upon
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like you just come upon them and you kind of found you found
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yourself there or which I think it means here.
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The definition can mean you searched it out.
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Peter's going about living life through all the country, being
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the man who God called him. And he's looking for something
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to do. He's looking for someone to help
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he's looking for someone to care.
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For nah, we don't know if he was praying.
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Send me to a sick person, send me to a discouraged person, we
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don't know that, but this is the man that God said, you want
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something to do here, this guy needs you and he shows up, I
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would say, number two is look for something to do.
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Number two, a would be look for something to do and do it.
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You don't need a way for a church ministry or an
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announcement. If God has placed something on
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your heart, go do it. You know, if this happens all
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the time, maybe realize it, recognize it or not, but
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somebody comes to you with a great need there in your
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neighborhood. You work with them.
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They come tell you their story and you pray for them and you
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love them. But then you tell them, we'll
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call the church. Let me just type you on that.
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Don't tell them to call the church.
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You want to know why? The church is already there?
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You're right there, take care of that knee.
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Minister to that person. You see God brought the church
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to them, but if you're not looking for something to do,
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then you'll have nothing to do and it's amazing.
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You can you can see this. You see this at work, you see
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this in the church. If you want to, if you need
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something done, you need something to get done.
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You look for somebody that's busy and you give it to them and
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they'll get it done. That's why some of you on
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tomorrow morning when you show up to work, you're going to have
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an extra stack of papers on your desk and they belong to the
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Coworker in the desk next to you and you know what's going to
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happen you're going to get maybe a little bit out of shape I
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can't believe is they don't. Nobody does their job and I was
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a no no I want you to give you. I want to give you another way
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of looking at it. There's a stack of work on your
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desk because you're known as someone that gets things done.
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And just as a side note it's your job.
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So do it without murmuring and complaining you roll things
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that. Yeah I mean it here.
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Let me redefine your job for you.
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Ready? You get get paid to do what
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you're told one. Amen.
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You get paid to do what you're told.
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So do the work because that's an affirmation of your
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faithfulness. And there might see be office of
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politics and stuff in there. But why get involved in all
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that? You're a messenger and
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ambassador of Jesus. Just do what God's called you to
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do and be a good witness, do what you need to do like look
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for things to do and do them and take that a perspective in the
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spiritual realm, Peter, he is going around.
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Ministering serving, we don't know everything that he's doing.
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But he comes to the Saints and he found a man and he served
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him, he served him Peter's moving you know.
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It's one of the reasons why we place a strong emphasis here at
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Calvary on short-term mission trips, why we try to have a lot,
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of course of short-term mission trip supporting the missionaries
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that we have and sent out. But the main reason is to
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support them and to encourage them, send a team there.
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Take resources. Help them finish a project.
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Do something for Give them a break.
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Like we really want the missionaries to be refreshed and
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strengthened that they feel better after we leave than one
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before we got there. Not because we left but after we
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leave you know, because it's hard to host a team, it's not an
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easy thing for a missionaries to host teams and it's a lot of
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work but we want them to be refreshed.
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We want them to be encouraged, that's the primary reason.
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But another reason why we have short-term teams is to put you
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in a position where you are on the Move Yourself.
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Where you're stepping into the story of God, that's already
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ongoing, you know, the mission trip.
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We now. So we could Uganda, you know,
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it's going to happen whether you want to go or not.
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They're going to go somebody's going to Uganda.
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Even if it's the only the person that's leading it, somebody's
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going to Uganda, but most likely a full team will be going.
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So you kind of let that come and go, whether you're a part of it
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or not, God is working in Uganda.
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And so the thing is is do you want to be a part of it?
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Should you be a part of it and maybe you're the next
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missionaries. Like how would I even know, No.
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How would I even know if I'm the next missionary will take a
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short-term trip? I mean, on top of all that, some
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of you just need to get out of the United States of America and
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see the world for what it is. And see the opportunities for
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what they are to be reminded that God is loves every tribe
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tongue and Nation Heavens. Going to be filled with the
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people that cover the globe and get to see it but let me give
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you a third point. It's kind of sub point to this
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that came up last night as I was teaching this and I want to
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share it with you. And here's number three.
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Number three is do things. You don't want to do.
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We want to be used greatly of God.
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You want to grow then do things. You don't want to do, which
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brings me to me. I personally have never really
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liked traveling. I still really don't like
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traveling, even though God has me doing it a lot and I
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especially didn't want to go on any missionary trips at all.
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I know my calling, you know, my calling is sending you on
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missionary trips and I'm perfectly content with that.
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I I've always been okay with that.
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Like it's hard for me hotels planes.
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I always come back. Sick, jet lag, all of it food,
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food food. It's so hard for me.
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I'm a very simple man. With a very simple pallets all
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these different foods and it just gets me sick and it's just
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it's challenging but back then in the early days of this
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church, God sent a man by the name of Bill into my life.
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It was a cold call. We get a lot of All calls for
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missionaries typically I don't take them but I happen to answer
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the phone that day and he's a friend of the friend.
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So I made a point with them and build got into my life and he
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said, you got to go with me. You got to go with me on this
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trip and I'm like nah, bro, I'm a, I'm a mobilizer, I'm a
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trainer. I don't Saosin Pastor Dave, I'll
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send JJ, I'll send guys, but he says, no Ed, you need to go,
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it's important that you going. I'm like nah, bro.
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Seriously, I'm not going. And that was all the constant
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pressure, but then the Lord was thinking just really speaking to
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me. Hey, so Ed You don't want to go?
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Yeah. I don't want to go.
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Okay. I can't, I don't know how God
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talks to you, but, you know, sometimes I've got talks to me.
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It's like, oh, alright. And so, you know, through Bill
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like through bill. I finally just like, okay, I
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gotta do it. I gotta do things that I don't
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want to do and it ended up being opening a door for me.
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Just learning that. That's a big part of my life.
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I have to do regularly things. I don't want to do for the
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kingdom for the glory. Even small things, you know,
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helps in marriages helps with kids, like You like if you learn
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how to do the things you don't want to do, you can just that,
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you'll just dismiss a lot of complaining.
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A lot of murmuring, you just go for it and God will teach you.
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He has something on the other side for you.
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But since you're always on this side, you never experienced that
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kind of spiritual growth, that can only come by doing something
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you don't want to do. I mean, I think of all kinds of
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things, I learned that the ministry was to Cairo Egypt.
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It was to the poorest of the poor in Cairo, a little small
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group of Christians in this 99.9%.
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Islamic country that said, you know, it's probably a little bit
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less than 99 percent because there are some Christians there,
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but they said that they're open but they're really not and we
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were taking things in and we were ministering and in
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supporting Pastor Hisham. And and I remember this this
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time, I remember I would have never experienced this had, I
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not gone. Had I not gone.
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I would have never learned this. This little tidbit that I didn't
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even know I needed to learn. So Pastor Hisham he lives among
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he's since gone home to be with the Lord I think I showed that
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but Was living among the people. He served, he didn't have to,
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but he lived in the what we would consider the projects
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today. He lived there with them and
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didn't have much. And so part of our ministry was
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taking resources to him, helping him taking extra money to him
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and ministering to him. And then when we go part of the
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ministry is we're going to take care of the pastor.
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Like what do you want? What's the restaurant you want
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to go to the you can't go. We want to take your family.
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How can we bless you? And encourage you and we finally
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talked him into it because he was that kind of guy talked him
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into it. He finally Us go to this
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restaurant. So we're walking in, you know,
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you kicked the pigeons out of the way and we walk in and we
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stand in there. And so order, whatever you want,
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doesn't, don't even worry. Yeah.
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But this caught don't don't even worry about it.
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We will take care of it. So he ordered his favorite dish,
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and they delivered it to him right there at the table, it was
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pigeon. Yeah, he ordered pigeon that's
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what he wanted. And they delivered to him on the
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table is all brown with the beak and the eyes and the feet.
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That's how they delivered it to him.
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And that's what he wanted. I don't.
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I wasn't intending to make this funny but I guess it is I don't
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want pigeon. Alright, that's not my choice.
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But here's the thing, here's the point, here's the point.
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We know how we feel. We hear that.
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That's not my preference. That's not what I order.
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Why would he do that? Maybe it's the pigeon we kicked
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when we walked in and all that, right?
22:17
But I want to give you a different angle that the Lord
22:19
spoke to me about me because you know, when you travel in you're
22:23
taking mission trips, or you're in someone's house, the
22:25
respectful honorable thing to do is to eat what you're served.
22:30
And in Egypt, they just keep filling it.
22:31
Filling if you eat what you serve that's respectable you you
22:34
just do it without a word and say thank you for all the
22:37
hospitality and care that you have taken care of us from the
22:40
US but when it came to his shum there and watching him, enjoy
22:44
his meal. I felt like the Holy Spirit was
22:47
saying, who are you to judge? What a man eats or not.
22:51
What do you care? What do you care?
22:54
So you have a different preference but what do you care?
22:57
Or even deeper as God does deep stuff with me and like what's
23:01
your problem, man? Who Do You Think You Are?
23:07
That's what he wanted. And believe me, I have these
23:10
feelings, I come home and I mean, I had them and they're
23:15
still there. You know, the Bible calls out
23:16
the old man, the Bible calls out, the flesh.
23:22
But you see if you never take, if you never do things, you
23:24
don't want to do. Then you're limiting the ability
23:27
of the Holy Spirit to reveal to you things.
23:29
You don't even know. You would have thought we're
23:32
going and we're going to bless this pastor and we did.
23:35
But then the Lord is going to end.
23:36
I'm going to bless you too. I'm going to teach you a lesson,
23:39
you can't read in a book. I'm going to teach you a lesson.
23:43
You can't listen to on an MP3 or on an app YouTube is not going
23:47
to give this one to you. Add, you got to be there.
23:50
And it's on the other side of doing something you don't want
23:53
to do. Well come back with me is Peter
23:57
is used in this man's life. He's flowing in the gifts of the
24:01
Spirit. I mean, the spirit of God is
24:03
moving heavy in Peters life here.
24:05
You've got the gift of manifestation First Corinthians
24:07
12, the gift of knowledge. You have the gift of faith.
24:10
Here, you have the gift of wisdom.
24:12
I mean, it's a pretty bold thing.
24:13
Jesus says you're healed. And that's exactly what
24:17
happened. He was completely and
24:20
instantaneously healed, which brings us to number four.
24:24
Number four, on the list here is it's important that you depend
24:27
upon and follow the holy spirit that your life is Spirit Led,
24:33
not just in word or some cliche or bumper sticker.
24:37
Like if God gives you a word, share it.
24:39
You don't need to know how he's going to use it.
24:41
You don't need to know what the end result is.
24:43
Like, if Jesus employers to you, hey, Jesus Christ wants to He'll
24:46
you then just do it by faith. And let me just say this I
24:51
believe and will teach you. And so, I go home to be with the
24:55
Lord, I believe of a word spoken in faith.
25:00
And I believe in a word of faith.
25:02
And I believe a word in faith and in due season, which would
25:07
cause some of you to pause. Take what I've heard that before
25:10
it hurt that before you believe in the word of faith.
25:13
Yes, you believe that? To speak words and Faith.
25:17
Yes. And here's the problem that
25:20
phrase has been corrupted by many today.
25:23
So what you think it is, is probably not what?
25:25
I'm teaching you it is from the Bible.
25:28
It is not and I just have a one word the way it's portrayed in
25:31
the world on, you know, televangelists and all that
25:33
stuff. I just have one word, I'll just
25:34
get it out. Now, what you see on TV and the
25:37
false teachings of the word, faith movement is nonsense.
25:42
That's all it is. It's unbiblical nonsense.
25:45
The idea that your words can create reality and you can, you
25:48
know, the way the world describes that the Law of
25:50
Attraction and you can just command God around, can I remind
25:54
you? I'm the authority of God's word
25:56
today and this is important for anyone that holds to this
25:59
teaching and that's this, God is God, and you are not.
26:05
So you can't be bossing, got around and speaking life into
26:09
this and death into that. That's not true.
26:12
Hey words are valuable of words are important but you don't
26:14
create reality reality is apart from you, you don't create
26:19
truth. Truth is no matter what you
26:20
believe. Truth exists, God exists.
26:23
So the word of faith has been corrupted, you know, people have
26:26
ripped them off. Rip you.
26:28
You might have been ripped off by these guys, but don't just
26:31
blame them. People ripped off by the word of
26:33
faith movement. They have 82.
26:36
Because, you know, there's a little bit of greed and all of
26:38
us and he's like, oh, you know, if I can plant a seed faith in
26:41
you and I get 100 fold, I'm in. No.
26:44
The you going to be careful who you give your ear to and you
26:48
want to be repentance not just there for enough, false teachers
26:50
are going to answer for that but you to answer for it you know
26:53
because that's part of their it's part of their gimmick you
26:56
know they'll be on television and say oh here you know so $100
27:00
and you hundred dollars to my Ministry plant a seed here and
27:03
you'll get a hundredfold increase that I already say.
27:05
What I think about that. Nonsense, $200, $300.
27:10
I just think, oh, wait a minute, I'm hearing from the Lord,
27:12
Isaiah 55 56. So if you give me fifty five
27:16
point five dollars nonsense, you want to test me on her, test me
27:21
on it, call it for one brief moment.
27:24
Watch one of those shows and get the 800 number then, turn it
27:27
off. Call the 800 number putting
27:30
ring. Hello ripoff Ministry.
27:32
How can I help you? Well I was just watching so and
27:36
so on. The TV and he said, if I give
27:37
you $100, if I sow my seed of a hundred dollars in your
27:41
ministry, I'll get a hundredfold increase other phone.
27:43
Yes, yes. That's true.
27:45
Okay, what's your credit card number?
27:46
And I'll wait a minute, I got a couple more questions.
27:48
Well, if $100 Works, does $200 work.
27:51
Oh, you'll get so much more with.
27:52
How about a thousand dollars? Oh, a thousand dollars will get
27:56
you a million fold increase and a free Bible.
27:59
Yes. What your credit card number?
28:01
No, no. Actually if you really believe
28:03
that I do believe it, sir. Yes.
28:05
What Yorker with If you really believe that I'm going to put my
28:08
credit card away, and I'm going to ask you, okay?
28:10
What would you ask me? Would you get your credit card
28:13
out? And I would like you to give me
28:15
a thousand dollars, so that you'll get the hundredfold
28:18
increase and you know what's going to happen, click because
28:23
even the people answering the phone know it's a hoax. even,
28:27
they know because You could see. The dishonesty that surrounds
28:36
this false teaching don't do it. And if you have been ripped off
28:41
by them before, Sorry, but don't let it happen again.
28:47
You gave as unto the Lord, maybe a touch a little bit of your
28:50
greed, but you were still giving as unto the Lord.
28:52
So just move on from that mature from that and don't fall prey to
28:57
any of that. And they also, you know, they
28:58
like to take advantage of people that are vulnerable and so be
29:01
careful when you're vulnerable. Be careful who you present
29:05
yourself to and it may not even be on TV anymore, you know,
29:08
YouTube and different places where you're just looking
29:11
looking looking looking looking, listen, before you go any of
29:13
those places, look to the Lord. He's ready to encourage you and
29:17
comfort. You he's ready to strengthen.
29:19
You he's ready Depend and walk and follow the Holy Spirit.
29:23
That's where Peter is here. Look, faith is involved in
29:26
healing. There's no doubt.
29:28
Peter saw that at the gate, beautiful.
29:30
He, you watch it here happening. That was earlier in at remember
29:33
that? This is happening.
29:34
Now the faith of Peters being used later on, in Acts 14, the
29:38
man that was being healed. His faith is being used in
29:41
James. When the Bible says in James
29:44
that if you're anyone sick among you let him come to the elders
29:47
and the prayer of faith. So he'll sometimes it's the
29:50
elders that are praying for you that have faith.
29:52
Of course, faith is important. Faith is foundational, the Bible
29:55
says that you and I without faith what it is impossible to
30:00
please God. So of course, bait of course,
30:02
the enemy would want to Is that up but I believe being walking
30:06
in the spirit speaking forth. His word by faith.
30:09
Yes, yes, yes. But not the stuff of speak to
30:13
your wallet, so it'll grow. Nope.
30:16
Speak to your bald head so you can grind.
30:18
No, no. He's got doesn't grow hair back
30:21
like that, like, no stop it. Speak to the Lord about your
30:26
cares. The Bible says, cast your cares
30:28
upon Him. Why you have an empty wallet,
30:31
ask God for his provision. Yeah.
30:34
Have health challenges. Ask God, for his healing, you
30:37
have issues with your kids and prodigals.
30:39
Take them to the throne room of Grace and get help in your time
30:42
of need. Be careful with those guys out
30:46
there that might want to use this against you, which brings
30:49
me to number five, the kind of goes together.
30:51
And that is not only are we depending upon the holy spirit,
30:54
but you're also walking in the spirit, you're walking by faith.
30:58
So, those two go together walking by faith.
31:01
Which brings me to the next one. Number six, pay attention to the
31:05
one. Pay attention to the one.
31:08
And I mean, the individual, I'm really encouraged by Peter here
31:12
because he is, if not he's one of, if not the key leader of the
31:17
church, he is the key leader. If anyone would be considered
31:21
and I don't like this phrase when I'm going to use it because
31:23
you understand it. The big dog.
31:26
Peter is it? And but where do we find him in
31:29
some obscure house with one guy that he nieven?
31:33
No, he's not. These massive Vangelis that
31:36
Crusades as much as wonderful as they are and he could do those,
31:40
that's no problem. We see that earlier on.
31:42
But where is he right now? He is in a house with a guy
31:45
that's been suffering for eight years, ministering to him, you
31:49
want to be used Grill. You never forget the one.
31:52
Don't look over the one that's in front of you.
31:56
She or he is the one that God has for you.
32:00
Even if you have a position of great Authority, even if you are
32:03
doing great, they even if don't forget the one, you know, I go
32:07
to a lot of pastors conferences. I teach at a lot of conferences.
32:10
I attend a lot of conferences and that this happens all the
32:13
time and I, so I teach the guys here, I teach anyone, I don't do
32:17
this, but you'll be talking to someone at a Pastors conference
32:21
and they're looking over your shoulder.
32:23
You know why? Because there's a big dog behind
32:25
you. And so while they're talking to
32:27
the puppy, they actually want to talk to the big dog, that's back
32:30
there. I've even had times where it's
32:33
not even like, excuse me. They were talking to me and then
32:36
I look up and they're gone and I turn around.
32:39
I'm like, all right. No.
32:41
The person in front of you, you know, it doesn't have to be
32:44
Pastors conference. It could be anything.
32:47
You got to pay attention to the person in front of you.
32:50
The person that has been bedridden for eight years, the
32:54
person that's been paralyzed. That person has a story as a
32:58
life. He has your attention.
33:02
There's nobody more important than the person in front of you.
33:07
No one God has brought them there and Peter served him.
33:12
Well, now, notice with me in verse 36 now, It says as japa
33:20
japa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha which is
33:23
translated Dorcas this woman was full of good works and
33:28
charitable Deeds. Let's just pause there for a
33:30
second and understand number seven, you ready?
33:35
Number 7, pay attention, you want to serve well pay attention
33:39
to how you want to be remembered.
33:42
Pay attention to how you want to be remembered you, go ahead.
33:45
What do you mean? Well, notice Dorcas here now,
33:47
first of all, we might remember her because of her name,
33:49
translated in English, not the kind of name you want to give
33:52
your daughters or I don't name your daughter Dorcas.
33:56
It's not going to work in the English in the Greek.
33:58
It's actually a beautiful word. It means Gizelle, but it doesn't
34:02
translate well. But now you can think, okay?
34:04
That's an interesting name, but that's not what she's remembered
34:06
for. What is she remembered for this
34:08
woman was full of good works and charitable.
34:11
Deeds, which she did, she was full of good works.
34:15
That's what she's remembered for.
34:17
And if you want to serve, well, listen, you've got to pay
34:19
attention to how you want to be remembered.
34:22
You are by who you are today by the accumulation of all the
34:26
decisions prior, but it doesn't have to stay that way.
34:29
You know, some people are known as gossips will you can change
34:31
that. Some people are known as
34:34
busybodies, you can change that. Some people are known for their
34:37
charitable Deeds. Some people are known for their
34:40
good works. Some Are known for their
34:42
character and integrity. What do you don't?
34:45
Pay attention to it. You don't focus on what kind of
34:49
man or what kind of woman God wants you to be, you're not
34:52
going to be very effective in the Kingdom.
34:54
You got to pay attention to. How you want to be remembered
34:58
because you will be remembered friend.
35:01
Our church will be remembered the ministry.
35:04
Here, it will be remembered. The question is how Notice.
35:10
It says, in verse 37, it happened in those days that she
35:13
became sick and died and when they washed her, they later in
35:17
an upper room and since Linda was near Joppa, the disciples
35:21
had heard that Peter was there. They sent two men to him,
35:24
imploring him, not to delay in coming to them.
35:27
Then Peter arose went with them. When he had come, he they
35:30
brought him into the upper room and all the Widow's stood by him
35:34
weeping. Showing the tunics and garments
35:37
which Dorcas I made while she was with him now.
35:40
I mean pause again here because this is amazing to me Dorcas.
35:45
His ministry was to the Widow's. What was the first big problem
35:49
in the early church? There was a division between the
35:53
Widow's over the distribution of the Practical things.
35:57
And we know that God raised up a leadership of men to help serve
36:01
that. But I want you to always
36:03
remember, there are things going on behind the scenes that you
36:07
don't know. and so the ministry to the Widow's was not
36:11
exclusively these men because here we have an example later on
36:15
of Dorcas, having a heart for widows So men and women were
36:21
being used greatly by God. I love this.
36:24
This is so good. Look, notice Peter, put them all
36:27
out, the Widow's that she blessed, they're all weeping,
36:30
and crying Peter. Put him out, he's knelt down.
36:32
And he prayed and then he turned the body to the body and said,
36:36
Tabitha arise. And she opened up her eyes when
36:40
she saw Peter. She sat up And gave her his hand
36:44
and lifted her up. And when he had called the
36:46
Saints and widows, he presented her alive.
36:49
Again, I just this is astonishing stuff.
36:52
It's in the Bible. God, he's the same yesterday
36:55
today and forever and he can do amazing things.
37:00
And this is astonishing to me, and notice, it became known
37:03
throughout all of Joppa that many believed on the Lord.
37:05
And it was there that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon
37:08
the Tanner, which we'll get to in a second.
37:10
Few more points before we head out, but this is just amazing.
37:13
Raising stuff. Let me give you a number eight.
37:14
You ready? Number 8 you want to serve.
37:17
Well, go where you're invited? Or go where you wanted org or we
37:23
are needed by. Go, are your go?
37:26
I guess that's the key word. They found out like, nothing,
37:29
just so happens. By chance with God, nothing just
37:34
so happens. These are Divine appointments.
37:37
How would Peter, every know being in this room by himself,
37:40
with this eight year, paralyzed person bedridden person that God
37:46
was actually going to set it up to.
37:47
Now, raise a woman from the Dead like that.
37:51
That God had that already in mine because he has his plan and
37:53
purpose as working out for us. So the people he brings into our
37:56
lives. The people we meet the
37:58
situations, they're all from the Lord.
38:00
We don't know how he's going to use them yet, but they're all
38:02
from the Lord and this invitation they heard, we got to
38:06
be careful. Don't think of this in 21st
38:07
century. This is no phone, no Twitter,
38:11
no, social media, like word had to get from Linda to Joppa.
38:16
It had to go from Joppa the lid. I should say that it had to get
38:19
out. Hey, Peters, their Peters there.
38:21
Peter will then tell him to come.
38:22
So word came back and they send back, we need him here, and then
38:26
he comes back. I mean, this is some time that
38:28
takes place here. Nothing, just so happens Church.
38:34
And so go where you're invited which leads me to number nine.
38:36
When we have two more and then we'll head out.
38:38
Number 9, I want you to know something about Dorcas and
38:42
that's that is I want to I want to encourage you do what you do
38:46
for the glory of God, not just for money.
38:50
Do what you do for the glory of God, not just for money.
38:53
You had what do you mean by that Dorcas?
38:55
She obviously had a practical skill, she could.
38:58
So, and put things together, maybe, like today, we'd say
39:01
knitting and sewing. And and he, she had a practical
39:04
skill and she used that practical skill to bless the
39:08
church. She didn't charge for it.
39:11
She didn't make it like she did what she did for the church for
39:15
the glory of God to bless these widows to encourage them.
39:19
And church, I want to tell you. This room is filled with
39:23
expertise and talent and high-level education, and
39:28
experience that are all Grace gifts from God.
39:32
And I'm here to remind you, please use those things for the
39:36
glory of God, not just money. It doesn't always have to be for
39:40
money. The Lord can use it in your life
39:44
so you can build a bridge to help serve others.
39:47
I think of the Practical needs. That are in in life, but also in
39:51
our church, you know, some of you are, excellent Cooks will
39:54
cook not just for money. Some of you are, wonderful
39:57
mechanics. Some of you are good at
40:00
construction or financial planning, or investing or like
40:03
so many gifts and talents in the church.
40:06
Don't let the world rip you off that.
40:08
It's only for money. Look at God, will supply all
40:12
your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus.
40:15
And of course, you're going to use it to provide for your
40:17
family and this is your career in this.
40:19
This is what of course, of course.
40:21
Yes God's placed us all in different areas of the live.
40:24
I was in the corporate world for many years.
40:25
Yes, yes, yes. But what I have found is the
40:28
world. It just makes us so paranoid.
40:31
And so, fearful about the future and what's this going to be?
40:33
So that now we associate everything we do with some side
40:37
hustle and you know, you can use your gifts and talents without a
40:41
side hustle, you can do it for the glory of God and you can
40:44
bless people in Jesus name and maybe it's one of those things
40:48
where you don't even have a lot of Of money but you are so
40:50
gifted. Like if you can make pies then
40:53
you just make pies to the glory of God.
40:55
Not rhubarb, that's not fair. But like you can make pies to
40:59
the glory of God and just bless somebody.
41:00
And you know, you can just minister to to someone.
41:03
That's grieving you minister to a new mom that just had a baby.
41:05
What, like, there is so much for the church to do.
41:08
It doesn't always have to be for a buck, are you with me?
41:11
All right, number two, number ten, number ten, our final thing
41:15
today, and that is this be open and flexible.
41:19
Be open and flexible. God may do something eats.
41:22
You don't know anything about God.
41:24
May do something that you didn't ever plan and that's where we
41:27
get to verse 43 because notice Peter stayed in Joppa with Simon
41:33
a Tanner. You know what a Tanner works
41:36
with dead animal carcasses. You know what a live Atticus.
41:40
The chapter of this is why you read Leviticus in your Bible
41:43
study, by the way, you know what are the latest chapter 11 verses
41:46
35 through 40? Say It's unclean.
41:50
To be with people that touch dead are animal carcasses and to
41:54
touch them yourselves. So Peter, we know he is a very
41:58
what we would call today. A very conservative Jew
42:01
following as close as he can, like, he is committed, but this
42:06
little step here, he's staying, we don't know all the details.
42:09
How he ends up here. We just know he ends up.
42:10
There will be the beginning of something God's going to do
42:14
because I'm you got to read ahead and chapter 10 will get
42:16
their next time. Chapter 10 brings us to caesarea
42:19
Philippi. I was just in caesarea Philippi
42:21
a couple weeks ago opened the Bible to this very place and I
42:25
said, you won't believe where you're standing right now.
42:27
You are here where the gospel exploded to the Gentiles through
42:31
a man by the name of Cornelius, Cornelius lives in caesarea and
42:36
here now, Peters and Joppa with a Tanner.
42:39
But what why that? Why is the Tanner so
42:40
significant? Read ahead and you'll see God's
42:44
going to begin to deal? Well, no, let me just give you
42:46
the summary Give you the summary.
42:48
This is what God's going to end up telling Peter.
42:50
This is so good. This is so good.
42:54
He's going to tell Peter he's going to say, listen Peter, what
42:58
I call clean, don't you call unclean.
43:04
And he was talking about people. He was bursting through Peters
43:08
heart. To go look, bro, you're already
43:11
seeing some people that are very they're different than you
43:14
they're outside and you've got the wrong view about them.
43:17
They are not unclean. They're clean cuz I've made them
43:24
clean. I've sent my son Jesus to die
43:27
for them. I love them and you see God is
43:32
doing things with his plans purposes.
43:35
His power is provision that. We don't yet know, we're walking
43:38
in them, we're walking in them. And the book of Acts is not
43:42
some, some story in the Bible that don't doesn't give the
43:46
doubt. This is God's will for us to go
43:49
forth by faith to do to look for things.
43:52
And do them to do things. We don't want to do.
43:55
Let me just repeat them for you before we head out to pasture.
43:57
Ian and the team can come back up.
43:59
Let me just repeat them for you. Number one, give out as much as
44:02
you can take in. Number to look for things to do
44:06
and do them. Number three, do things.
44:09
You don't want to do number four, depend on and follow the
44:13
Holy Spirit number five. Walk by faith.
44:17
Number six, pay attention to the one.
44:20
Number 7, pay attention to how you want to be remembered to me.
44:25
That's a golden nugget right there.
44:27
You can change the whole direction of your life as a
44:29
believer. Number 8, go where you're
44:33
invited number 9, do what you do for his glory.
44:38
And then finally be open and flexible.
44:41
Look, this is a word from the Lord because, you know, I have
44:44
my notes on my iPad right there, already done.
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They're done by Friday or Thursday, but after last night,
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I had to, I put it all together and I just trying to work it
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out. I'll probably even clean it up
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later. Maybe take this as a traveling
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message to encourage people, but I want you to know, even what
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you I've planned God can change it along the way.
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He can move it along. He can adjust it.
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He can, he can do whatever he wants with your life, but if you
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keep resisting him you keep grieving him.
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You keep fighting him. You keep holding on to
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bitterness and unforgiveness, like they're your best friends.
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You're not going to experience the fullness of Christ and some
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of you today is the day where you, you must turn from your
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sins. Today is a day of salvation.
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And Could very well be the God is drawing you to himself today.
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You would come to him and repent of your sins and Believe on the
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Lord Jesus Christ. So father we pray as we head out
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today. That So much, so much going on.
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So much happening in our hearts so much to take in God, that we
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might just think them through a couple nuggets in my life.
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God to remind me of your goodness and Grace.
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You pour out your spirit in a fresh way in our lives today and
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if you're here today you never given your life to Jesus.
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I'm going to invite you to do that too high and holy moment
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right now you would say Ed I want to follow Jesus.
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Would you just stand to your feet?
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I want to pray with you. That today would be the day God
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wants to do work in your life. God bless you over here.
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Who else would say? That's me.
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The today would be the day. God bless you in the back and
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somebody's going to come along side of you.
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When you guys stand, don't be a, it's somebody that's doing it on
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purpose. They want you to know you're not
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alone. God bless you in the back.
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And over here on the side you guys go ahead and move Avon.
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You can come over here. Josh is right there.
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Who else would say? That's me.
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Of course, you guys out online. I don't see you or on the radio
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but the good news is it doesn't matter what I see.
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God sees you even downstairs in the Overflow, listening out in
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your car in the parking lot, God knows we all came the same way.
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Repentance acknowledging, the goodness of God.
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The Bible says, if we confess with our mouth.
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So Lord, Jesus and believe in our heart.
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God raised him from the dead. You shall be saved.
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So I want to help you with that talking directly to God, because
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the church doesn't save you Ed doesn't save.
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You even a prayer doesn't save. You only God through his son.
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Jesus Christ, the blood that was shed for you saves you.
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So you can talk to God like this.
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You can say God, I admit that I've sinned against you.
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And I ask you to forgive me of all of my sins.
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And I believe you sent Jesus to live for me.
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To die for me. And I believe he rose again from
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the dead to save my soul. And I turn away from my sins
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today to follow you. All the days of my life in Jesus
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name. Amen.
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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 Church for
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prayer. Call us at 877, 30 Grace.
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That's eight 77304, 703 to listen to this message in its
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entirety or to join us for our lives dream Services.
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Visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church.
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Or download our free Calvary Church app be blessed as you
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worship Jesus this week. Or download our free Calvary
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Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.