Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / Pastor Chuck Swindoll | Insight for Living – Buying into the Vision, Part 2

Transcript

Pastor Chuck Swindoll | Insight for Living – Buying into the Vision, Part 2 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

0:07
Speaker 1: What does it actually mean to follow Jesus, not just
0:11
Speaker 1: believe in him, not just show up on Sunday, but
0:14
Speaker 1: truly actively, wholeheartedly follow Him Today? On Inside for Living,
0:19
Speaker 1: Chuck Swndaul brings a message that cuts straight to the
0:22
Speaker 1: heart of that question. From Second Thessalonians three, Chuck confronts
0:26
Speaker 1: the kind of comfortable, uncommitted Christianity that looks real from
0:30
Speaker 1: a distance but doesn't hold up under honest examination. If
0:35
Speaker 1: your faith has grown a little lukewarm, this message is
0:39
Speaker 1: for you. Chuck titled it buying into the Vision.
0:50
Speaker 2: When you think of the apostle Paul's life, you don't
0:52
Speaker 2: think of someone who bailed out on his responsibilities. You
0:56
Speaker 2: don't think of someone who lacked discipline. You think of
0:59
Speaker 2: some one whose life was marked by hard work and
1:03
Speaker 2: honesty and faithfulness. He says that in verse eight, nor
1:10
Speaker 2: did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it. But
1:15
Speaker 2: with labor and hardship, we kept working night and day
1:19
Speaker 2: so that we might not be a burden to any
1:23
Speaker 2: of you. We weren't out of order, we weren't absent
1:26
Speaker 2: from you when you needed us, And furthermore, we weren't
1:29
Speaker 2: ministerial sponges hold your place here and go back to
1:34
Speaker 2: the first letter he wrote to the Thessalonians, and locate
1:37
Speaker 2: in chapter two words for these same people earlier in life.
1:43
Speaker 2: One Thessalonians two, verse seven, Let me give you a
1:46
Speaker 2: little pen portrait of Paul when he ministered in Thesalonika.
1:52
Speaker 2: He is early on in ministry, and even yet he
1:56
Speaker 2: is a diligent example or an example of diligence. Verse
1:59
Speaker 2: Sive two. We prove to be gentle among you, as
2:04
Speaker 2: a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. These
2:08
Speaker 2: are words right from the nursery. These are words of
2:11
Speaker 2: a nursing mother, gently, tenderly caring for her own children.
2:18
Speaker 2: Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well
2:21
Speaker 2: pleased to impart to you not only the Gospel, but
2:24
Speaker 2: we gave you our own lives. Why because you had
2:26
Speaker 2: become very dear to us. You remember, brethren, he adds,
2:30
Speaker 2: you remember our labor and hardship, how working night and day,
2:34
Speaker 2: so as not to be a burden to any of you.
2:36
Speaker 2: We proclaim to you the Gospel of God, your witnesses,
2:40
Speaker 2: and so is God. How devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly
2:44
Speaker 2: we behaved towards you believers. You know how we were
2:47
Speaker 2: exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as
2:50
Speaker 2: a father his own children. You have that mark verse
2:52
Speaker 2: seven as a mother, verse eleven, as a father, so
2:57
Speaker 2: that you may walk in a manner worthy of the
2:58
Speaker 2: God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
3:01
Speaker 2: Now back to Second Thessalonians, chapter three. His point is this,
3:06
Speaker 2: you Thessalonians, who are sitting around waiting for the coming
3:08
Speaker 2: of Christ, You who have stepped away from responsibilities and
3:13
Speaker 2: are getting all of your meals from those who are
3:17
Speaker 2: still responsible. You are out of order. You are skipping school.
3:23
Speaker 2: You are truant. As a matter of fact, you are disobedient.
3:29
Speaker 2: I've had some laymen say to me on occasion, Chuck,
3:32
Speaker 2: I wish it would be possible for you to get
3:34
Speaker 2: a message across to those in vocational Christian service that
3:38
Speaker 2: it would be kind of nice if on occasion they
3:40
Speaker 2: picked up the tab. So this is my moment to
3:43
Speaker 2: say that you may be a missionary, you may be
3:47
Speaker 2: a pastor, you may be on a pastoral staff, you
3:50
Speaker 2: may be in some kind of Christian service. Let's learn
3:54
Speaker 2: from this, fellow ministers, that we are not always to
3:57
Speaker 2: be the ones that expect someone else to pay the tab,
4:01
Speaker 2: and we should never be the ones who ask for
4:03
Speaker 2: a discount. It is so easy to take advantage of
4:07
Speaker 2: our role as minister types, and gracious laymen and women
4:12
Speaker 2: will regularly pay the freight for us. Surprise them on
4:16
Speaker 2: occasion by saying, no, this bills on me. This is
4:20
Speaker 2: my privilege. Today. You say, what's the biblical basis of that? Well,
4:25
Speaker 2: I think the apostle Paul is a good example. He says,
4:29
Speaker 2: we didn't need anyone's bread without paying for it. Now,
4:32
Speaker 2: there are some times when it's appropriate and it's acceptable
4:36
Speaker 2: for the minister to accept those privileges and those blessings,
4:41
Speaker 2: but let them not be hinted at. Let's not take
4:44
Speaker 2: advantage of someone's generosity. Let's be willing to pay our
4:48
Speaker 2: own way. Verse nine puts it in perspective, not because
4:52
Speaker 2: we don't have the right to this, but in order
4:55
Speaker 2: to offer ourselves as a model for you that you
4:58
Speaker 2: might follow our example. You see, he was an apostle,
5:03
Speaker 2: He was a miracle working founder of churches. He had
5:07
Speaker 2: seen the risen Christ. I mean he could have he
5:11
Speaker 2: wouldn't have done it, but he could have strutted his
5:14
Speaker 2: way through the church and made demands, and they could
5:17
Speaker 2: have met those demands, because after all, he was the
5:19
Speaker 2: apostle Paul. But he doesn't do that. Fact, he stays
5:24
Speaker 2: away from that idea. The reason he stays away from
5:28
Speaker 2: it is his motto in verse ten, Even when we
5:31
Speaker 2: were with you, we used to give you this order.
5:34
Speaker 2: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat. I
5:38
Speaker 2: didn't know Paul had the same dad that I had.
5:41
Speaker 2: Did you ever know that that same dad you had
5:44
Speaker 2: Paul had? That sound like what your father taught you. Son.
5:47
Speaker 2: If you're going to eat, you're going to have to
5:50
Speaker 2: work for it from your earliest days, even when you
5:53
Speaker 2: were making an allowance, you were back there paying your
5:56
Speaker 2: way or part of your way, weren't you, or you
5:58
Speaker 2: should have been. Isn't it amazing how he stands for
6:02
Speaker 2: the work ethic at this point, If anyone will not work,
6:07
Speaker 2: neither let him eat. Now he encourages us further in
6:11
Speaker 2: eleven through thirteen. I especially like the way he says it.
6:14
Speaker 2: We hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life.
6:19
Speaker 2: Same word for the third time, unruly in verse six.
6:23
Speaker 2: Undisciplined in verse seven, and again undisciplined in verse eleven.
6:28
Speaker 2: We hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life,
6:34
Speaker 2: doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now
6:39
Speaker 2: there it is again. The person who doesn't work as
6:43
Speaker 2: he or she should will not behave himself or herself.
6:47
Speaker 2: He will misbehave. Something has to fill the vacuum of time,
6:53
Speaker 2: and the vacuum is usually filled with gossiping and extreme curiosity, idleness,
7:02
Speaker 2: and being involved in other people's business, becoming petty. You
7:07
Speaker 2: know some folks like that, don't you. I do too.
7:11
Speaker 2: In fact, they are the bane of the ministry, so
7:14
Speaker 2: involved in everyone else's life and yet not home doing
7:19
Speaker 2: their job, doing their own business. I came across a
7:24
Speaker 2: couple of three good statements regarding this. One says there's
7:27
Speaker 2: a vast difference between putting your nose in other people's
7:30
Speaker 2: business and putting your heart in other people's problems. One
7:36
Speaker 2: is just curiosity, the other is compassion. Someone said, when
7:40
Speaker 2: you're tempted to gossip, just breathe through your nose. Oh,
7:43
Speaker 2: that was a good word. Another, a bright eye indicates curiosity,
7:49
Speaker 2: a black eye too much, show me an idle gossip
7:55
Speaker 2: and I'll show you somebody who isn't working hard enough.
7:59
Speaker 2: Show me someone who who has the time to meddle
8:01
Speaker 2: in other people's affairs, and I'll show you someone who
8:04
Speaker 2: has too much time on their hands. Hard working people
8:08
Speaker 2: don't have time to be petty about other people's lives.
8:13
Speaker 2: This was true even in the first century, where he
8:15
Speaker 2: says if anyone will not work, neither let him eat.
8:18
Speaker 2: Because those who don't work don't simply live at home
8:21
Speaker 2: and behave themselves. They get involved in other people's affairs,
8:24
Speaker 2: and before long they're making a mess of their lives,
8:27
Speaker 2: other lives and the church in general. By the way,
8:31
Speaker 2: while you're rearranging your deck chairs in life, how hard
8:34
Speaker 2: are you working? Are you in vocational Christian service? Are
8:38
Speaker 2: you earning your pay for? It's true that we shouldn't
8:42
Speaker 2: muzzle the ox who treads out the corn As a
8:46
Speaker 2: minister of the gospel? Are you known as one who
8:49
Speaker 2: is diligent, who works hard when no one is looking, who,
8:53
Speaker 2: if necessary, will burn the candle a little later at
8:56
Speaker 2: night to get the job done. You preach, do you
9:00
Speaker 2: preach with heart and enthusiasm, having prepared well? Or are
9:05
Speaker 2: you hitting from your hip looking for the benefits of ministry.
9:11
Speaker 2: I'm talking to my own kind, so I can be
9:13
Speaker 2: very tough and straight with you.
9:16
Speaker 1: Too.
9:16
Speaker 2: Many in the ministry are freeloaders, ministerial sponges that expect
9:23
Speaker 2: an easy life because someone else is going to pay
9:25
Speaker 2: the freight. Come on, men and women, tighten your belt,
9:31
Speaker 2: work hard, earn your way. It applies to us. Verse
9:38
Speaker 2: twelve says, now such persons who command, we command and
9:42
Speaker 2: exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet
9:45
Speaker 2: fashion and to eat their own bread. Isn't that good?
9:50
Speaker 2: You have something to do, get at it, stay home,
9:54
Speaker 2: work hard, or get a job. Earn your way, pay
9:59
Speaker 2: your way. That's what's written between the lines of this passage.
10:04
Speaker 2: Now I need to balance this because some people hear
10:07
Speaker 2: only the extremes. There are some engaged in ministry who
10:11
Speaker 2: are absolutely fabulous examples of diligence, paid far less than
10:16
Speaker 2: they deserve. They do a work that has eternal dimensions
10:20
Speaker 2: without complaining about it. And in those cases, the lay
10:24
Speaker 2: people need to realize that job needs to be better compensated.
10:29
Speaker 2: There is a reason for paying well, and that job
10:34
Speaker 2: deserves it. Now, for those who are working hard and
10:38
Speaker 2: seeing many who aren't, and the tendency is to become
10:42
Speaker 2: burdened and discouraged. Verse thirteen is just for you, as
10:47
Speaker 2: for you, brethren. Now he's speaking to those who were
10:50
Speaker 2: working hard and doing their job. Don't grow weary of
10:54
Speaker 2: doing good. Stay at it, hard, at the task, faithfully
11:00
Speaker 2: serving Christ. Don't let someone's lack of diligence cut into
11:05
Speaker 2: your life of diligence. Hang in there now. You and
11:12
Speaker 2: I might think that Paul would leave it at that
11:14
Speaker 2: and just place a big benediction here and call it quits,
11:17
Speaker 2: but he doesn't. He puts a real punch at the
11:20
Speaker 2: end of this paragraph. This is the treatment you ought
11:23
Speaker 2: to be getting from the church. Verse fourteen. If anyone
11:27
Speaker 2: does not obey our instruction, take special note of that person,
11:33
Speaker 2: that man, that woman. Take special note of that person,
11:38
Speaker 2: and do not associate with him, so that he may
11:42
Speaker 2: be put to shame. But don't regard him as an enemy,
11:48
Speaker 2: admonish him as a brother. Can you imagine the impact
11:52
Speaker 2: this would have on the idle gossips in the church
11:59
Speaker 2: if they were simply ignored by the family. The worst
12:04
Speaker 2: kind of treatment is not hatred. The worst kind of
12:06
Speaker 2: treatment is indifference. Ever been ignored at a party. Ever
12:11
Speaker 2: been ignored in a group, how about in a little
12:14
Speaker 2: social club and you're just overlooked and ignored has an
12:19
Speaker 2: effect on you. But you see, in the Church of
12:22
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ, for some reason, we give too much time
12:25
Speaker 2: and attention to the idol. I mean, they sap our energy.
12:31
Speaker 2: They drain us from enthusiasm. You've heard me say it before.
12:36
Speaker 2: I get on occasion some of these hate letters and
12:39
Speaker 2: they're unsigned, and I'm just swear I'm not gonna read them.
12:42
Speaker 2: Then I memorize them. I know every line, and I
12:48
Speaker 2: get preoccupied and it steals my energy. And they weren't
12:51
Speaker 2: even man or woman enough to sign it. My dad
12:55
Speaker 2: used to say, well, son, when a mule kicks you,
12:57
Speaker 2: just consider the swords. Just consider what a source when
13:00
Speaker 2: you get an unsigned letter, don't let an idle gossip
13:04
Speaker 2: bother you. I say that, and then I fight with
13:08
Speaker 2: it myself. This passage says, turn them off. I'm impressed
13:14
Speaker 2: with the strength and determination the apostle said has in this,
13:18
Speaker 2: But he doesn't say treat them like an enemy. They're
13:20
Speaker 2: not enemies, They're just wayward family members. Bob Thomas from
13:26
Speaker 2: Talbot's Seminary writes wise words as he describes the meaning
13:30
Speaker 2: of this not associating with him. Anyone refusing to comply
13:36
Speaker 2: with the work ethic set out in this letter was
13:39
Speaker 2: not to be associated with so that he might be
13:42
Speaker 2: ashamed of his behavior. He was not to be expelled
13:45
Speaker 2: from the church, like the sinning brother referred to in
13:48
Speaker 2: First Corinthians five. In corinth the offense was so flagrant
13:53
Speaker 2: as to bring disrepute on the whole church. In thesal Andaika, however,
13:59
Speaker 2: the lapse was not yet so aggravated as to bring
14:02
Speaker 2: the reproach of the Pagans on the church. Here, the
14:06
Speaker 2: erring brother was allowed to continue in the meetings, but
14:10
Speaker 2: probably was denied participation in the Lord's supper. Certainly he
14:16
Speaker 2: was not to be given food, because this would make
14:18
Speaker 2: the community appear to condone his offense. Do not associate implies,
14:24
Speaker 2: Let there be no intimate association with that person. You
14:30
Speaker 2: have a lazy Christian as a friend, a close friend.
14:34
Speaker 2: Why is the lazy Christian still a close friend? In
14:38
Speaker 2: light of this passage? Do you support an undisciplined and
14:43
Speaker 2: unruly believer who is not an active part of the
14:48
Speaker 2: ministry of Christ? Why is he so close to you,
14:52
Speaker 2: Why do you give your time to her? There's a
14:55
Speaker 2: place for shame in that kind of lifestyle. Ooh like
15:00
Speaker 2: preaching like this, I mean, who knows how many would
15:05
Speaker 2: have to be set aside for a while? Strong words. Now,
15:12
Speaker 2: our problem is not one of stargazing. Okay, Well, the
15:17
Speaker 2: church that I pastor is not filled with people who
15:21
Speaker 2: have used their theology as a cop out. I mean,
15:24
Speaker 2: I don't know if too many people who live on
15:26
Speaker 2: their housetop looking up waiting for Christ's return as they
15:31
Speaker 2: have another eras. That's not our problem. But our problem
15:34
Speaker 2: is one of indifference. And some of you are in
15:38
Speaker 2: the center of that problem. I mean, you talk a
15:41
Speaker 2: good fight. You realize there's work to be done, there
15:44
Speaker 2: are people needs to be met, there are lives to reach,
15:47
Speaker 2: and there are bills to pay. You know that, But
15:51
Speaker 2: that's someone else's responsibility. What you want is a good sermon. Well,
15:56
Speaker 2: what you really need is is somebody to kind of
15:59
Speaker 2: tickle your ears and give you a good time, sing
16:04
Speaker 2: with you and kinda let that pass for commitment. But see,
16:10
Speaker 2: that isn't Christianity. That isn't what's reshaped history. Men and women.
16:17
Speaker 2: There's a big job to get done, and it's our
16:22
Speaker 2: job hours. Let me give you three targets to shoot at.
16:28
Speaker 2: Three that will help you stay on course. The first
16:32
Speaker 2: target is what I will call praying praying. There are
16:38
Speaker 2: adventures in prayer going on, and it won't involve hours
16:42
Speaker 2: and hours of time, but it'll involve some of your time.
16:46
Speaker 2: How many of you would have to admit, as you
16:48
Speaker 2: answer this now, in your heart, that you're praying really
16:53
Speaker 2: is lukewarm. I'm not asking for people to spend three
16:57
Speaker 2: hours a day. I don't have that kind of time either,
17:00
Speaker 2: not even for prayer. There's an enormous job to be
17:03
Speaker 2: done and it calls at times for presence and work
17:08
Speaker 2: and conversation and writing and talking and preaching and teaching
17:12
Speaker 2: and counseling. I have many things to take care of
17:15
Speaker 2: as you do, and so three hours isn't practical. How
17:19
Speaker 2: about thirty minutes, thirty solid how about three minutes a day?
17:26
Speaker 2: How about two minutes? How about just two minutes? And
17:32
Speaker 2: while I'm mentioning these targets, I need to mention giving.
17:36
Speaker 2: How many of you would have to say in your heart,
17:39
Speaker 2: my giving is really lukewar. I mean if the future
17:43
Speaker 2: of this church depended upon my giving. I'm not sure
17:46
Speaker 2: that even be able to turn the lights on Sunday morning.
17:50
Speaker 2: I mean, down deep in your soul kind of giving
17:53
Speaker 2: where you plan carefully, and you look at your list
17:58
Speaker 2: of expenditure yours, and right at the top is the
18:01
Speaker 2: Lord's part ten twelve, fifteen percent. Why our plans at
18:08
Speaker 2: this church are to increase our budget some forty percent
18:11
Speaker 2: to get out of debt in three years. We're committed
18:14
Speaker 2: to that. It's our plan. And the way some rock
18:18
Speaker 2: along and sort of drop in a coin now and
18:21
Speaker 2: then we'll never make that. It can't continue. I want
18:26
Speaker 2: to assure you will not rely on gimmicks to make
18:28
Speaker 2: this happen. I read not long ago about a pastor
18:31
Speaker 2: who was pressed to get people to give more. He
18:34
Speaker 2: came up with a very ingenious plan called an offering box.
18:38
Speaker 2: If you gave five dollars or more, nothing happened. Just
18:42
Speaker 2: drop your money in and walk by. If you gave
18:45
Speaker 2: fifty cents, a little bell tinkled. If you donated a quarter,
18:50
Speaker 2: it blew a whistle. If you gave a die, i'm
18:53
Speaker 2: a syreen went off. You gave a nicola shot sounded
18:57
Speaker 2: a shot. If you walked by and gave nothing. Think
19:00
Speaker 2: it took your picture. I think that's terrific. Some churches
19:07
Speaker 2: have run out of film. How many Sundays are there
19:13
Speaker 2: where you just virtually give nothing? Come on, face it.
19:19
Speaker 2: It's an enormous job to get done, and giving is,
19:22
Speaker 2: for some of you, your major part in ministry. How
19:26
Speaker 2: foolish of me to pass this up in my exhortation.
19:31
Speaker 2: Let me tell you, and you're praying right, you'll be
19:33
Speaker 2: giving right. It's absolutely revolutionized my whole idea of giving.
19:38
Speaker 2: And I don't brag about that. I just tell you
19:40
Speaker 2: as a fact, because I wasn't raised to be generous.
19:43
Speaker 2: I was raised to be tight by very tight fisted
19:47
Speaker 2: parents who meant well but didn't engender generosity in me.
19:52
Speaker 2: And I'm working on generosity. There is nothing I have
19:56
Speaker 2: that God can't get and hasn't the right to at
19:59
Speaker 2: any time time of my life. I am planning this
20:03
Speaker 2: year to increase my giving sizeably.
20:06
Speaker 1: Are you?
20:08
Speaker 2: Third is serving and I mean serving in places where
20:13
Speaker 2: the needs are and consistently. Not once a year in
20:18
Speaker 2: the nursery, not just every other month. I'll drop by
20:24
Speaker 2: and see if all the needs are met. But a
20:25
Speaker 2: consistent place of service with children, youth or adults, as
20:30
Speaker 2: an usher, as a parking lot attendant, as a member
20:33
Speaker 2: of a choir, as a part in this family serving.
20:39
Speaker 2: You see, luke warmness comes out in any number of
20:43
Speaker 2: different ways. I want to show you two verses that
20:47
Speaker 2: are some of the finest in the New Testament, toward
20:51
Speaker 2: the end of Colisians chapter three, and then I want
20:54
Speaker 2: to read you an illustration, and then we're all through
20:57
Speaker 2: Colisians chapter three, verses twenty three and twenty four. Come on,
21:02
Speaker 2: now turn to that Colossians three, twenty three and twenty four.
21:08
Speaker 2: Whatever you do, do your work heartily. You know what
21:14
Speaker 2: the word means in its original ecsuit k from the soul,
21:20
Speaker 2: from deep within the soul, Let it pour forth. That's
21:25
Speaker 2: the word here. Whatever you do, do it from the
21:29
Speaker 2: soul as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing
21:33
Speaker 2: that from the Lord you'll receive the reward of the inheritance.
21:36
Speaker 2: It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. I love
21:39
Speaker 2: that verse. You do this as unto the Lord. Tell
21:45
Speaker 2: no one else about it. Just make it your service
21:48
Speaker 2: to the King, and I'll guarantee you the rewards will
21:52
Speaker 2: blow you away. You'll be free for the baby the
21:55
Speaker 2: first time in your life. Now, let me warn you.
22:00
Speaker 2: Our tendency is to give attention to it if people
22:04
Speaker 2: will see it, and not to give too much attention
22:08
Speaker 2: to it if men and women don't find out about it.
22:12
Speaker 2: But in the committed Christian's life it is the same
22:16
Speaker 2: even though no one sees it. Let's pray together, Will
22:21
Speaker 2: you bow please? Some of you need to give for
22:27
Speaker 2: the first time in your life, sacrificially, not till it hurts,
22:32
Speaker 2: but till it feels good. And you could give so
22:36
Speaker 2: much more. If Christ were king in your life, he
22:42
Speaker 2: were Lord for some of you. The decision is simply
22:47
Speaker 2: coming to faith in Christ. So I dedicate this last
22:52
Speaker 2: sixty seconds to you. Ever been a time in your
22:56
Speaker 2: life when you said, Lord God, I'm a stranger to you.
23:02
Speaker 2: I'm lost. I have no future. If I were to
23:07
Speaker 2: die this day, I know I wouldn't go to heaven. Well,
23:10
Speaker 2: if that's your story, take Christ today, Lord Jesus, come
23:17
Speaker 2: into my life. That's the prayer for you. I want
23:21
Speaker 2: to live like a Christian ought to live, but I
23:24
Speaker 2: don't have the power. So I ask you to take
23:26
Speaker 2: over the controls of my life and forgive me of
23:30
Speaker 2: my sins and take charge, and he'll come in. Promise you.
23:36
Speaker 2: While Christians around you are praying about their lifestyle, maybe
23:39
Speaker 2: it's time for you to pray about life. There are
23:43
Speaker 2: Christians that wait. You're coming in the prayer room. Trained
23:48
Speaker 2: people are there to minister to you.
23:49
Speaker 1: Today.
23:51
Speaker 2: Lord God, thank you for Christ who loved us and
23:54
Speaker 2: gave himself for us. Forgive us. Do forgive us for
24:01
Speaker 2: the lukewarm days, when we have gotten our priorities mixed up,
24:07
Speaker 2: when we have moved in the wrong direction, when we've
24:10
Speaker 2: spent simply spent our time getting our deck chair unfolded.
24:15
Speaker 2: Show us a purpose, show us a reason for change,
24:18
Speaker 2: and then motivate us to do it. Father, that the
24:22
Speaker 2: work of Christ might be accomplished. We pray in His
24:26
Speaker 2: strong and blessed name, Amen.
24:40
Speaker 1: Chuckx. Wendall has given us three very practical goals to
24:43
Speaker 1: aim for, three ways to move from lukewarm to wholehearted
24:47
Speaker 1: in our walk with Christ, praying, giving, and serving. The
24:51
Speaker 1: question isn't whether the work needs to be done. It does.
24:55
Speaker 1: The question is whether we're willing to do our part.
24:59
Speaker 1: Today's message is number seven in an eight part series
25:02
Speaker 1: called steadfast Christianity. At the heart of this entire series
25:06
Speaker 1: is a simple, unshakable conviction. God is faithful to those
25:10
Speaker 1: who hold fast to Him, even in the darkest of days.
25:14
Speaker 1: That same conviction drove a man named Neemiah. The wall
25:18
Speaker 1: around Jerusalem was nothing but rubbled, the city was exposed.
25:22
Speaker 1: The opposition was loud and relentless. But Neamiah had something
25:26
Speaker 1: that critics didn't. A vision rooted in God, a plan
25:30
Speaker 1: anchored in prayer, and a refusal to quit. In fifty
25:34
Speaker 1: two days, the impossible got done. Jucks Wendall's classic book
25:39
Speaker 1: Hand Me Another Brick unpacks the leadership genius of Nehemiah.
25:43
Speaker 1: It draws out principles that are just as powerful today
25:46
Speaker 1: as they were an ancient Jerusalem. For the pastor the
25:49
Speaker 1: ministry leader, the parent, or anyone that God has called
25:52
Speaker 1: to lead others through difficult terrain. If today's message about
25:56
Speaker 1: persevering through the fire stirred something in you this book,
26:00
Speaker 1: we'll take that conviction even deeper. Hand Me Another Brick
26:04
Speaker 1: is our gift to you when you support Insight for
26:06
Speaker 1: Living with a generous donation. You can write to us
26:09
Speaker 1: at Insight for Living Post Office box five thousand, Frisco,
26:14
Speaker 1: Texas seven five three four. In addition to Chuck's book,
26:19
Speaker 1: both Searching the Scripture's Bible Study workbooks are available for purchase.
26:24
Speaker 1: I'm referring to the brand new editions for both First
26:27
Speaker 1: and Second Thessalonians, two separate workbooks. These spiral bound resources
26:32
Speaker 1: are designed to lay flat where you can easily take
26:35
Speaker 1: notes as you read through Paul's two letters. This teaching
26:38
Speaker 1: series concludes on Friday, so don't delay in making your purchase.
26:43
Speaker 1: To have the Bible Study workbooks sent to your home,
26:45
Speaker 1: call us at eight hundred seven seven to two eighty
26:49
Speaker 1: eight eighty eight, or go online to insight dot org
26:53
Speaker 1: slash offer what does it mean to bear the name Christian?
27:05
Speaker 1: I'm Bill Meyer Here Chuckswindall's compelling answer Thursday on Insight
27:10
Speaker 1: for Living. The preceding message, Buying Into the Vision was
27:16
Speaker 1: copyrighted in nineteen eighty six, nineteen ninety one, two thousand
27:20
Speaker 1: and two, and twenty twenty four, and the sound recording
27:23
Speaker 1: was copyrighted in twenty twenty four by Charles Rswindall Incorporated.
27:27
Speaker 1: All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for
27:32
Speaker 1: commercial use is strictly prohibited,