The Charge Of Ministry

Let's wave our Bibles around, make Jesus glad, the devil mad.

Let's say this together Say Heavenly Father, I'm glad to be in church on Sunday night.

I'm hungry for more and tonight I will be filled according to the Word.

I have ears to hear what the Spirit wants me to know tonight, to be able to live in the 21st century, because I know Jesus is coming soon and I want to be ready and make others ready as well.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Let's look at 2 Timothy, chapter four, please, and let's start reading with verse one you got your knife and fork out.

We're gonna have some meat tonight.

You don't wanna cut it yourself, I'll cut it up for you.

The way to do that is not take notes, but get the app and then listen to the message the second time and take notes then.

That's a good way to cut up the difficult.

I realize that not everybody's heard some of the things that I preach, and so that's what it's meat.

2 Timothy four thank God for meat.

We need meat to grow, don't we?

Amen.

And so this is Paul writing to his son in the faith, and verse one I charge thee, therefore, before God and the Lord, jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.

Preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine or teaching the word doctrine means teaching For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine or sound teaching, but after their own lusts or own desires shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables.

But watch thou in all things and do afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry, for I am now ready to be offered in.

The time of my departure is at hand.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to be only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me, for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed into Thessalonica, crescans to Galatia, titus unto Dalmatia.

Only Luke is with me, and take Mark, that's John Mark, and bring him with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry, verse 14,.

Alexander the Coppersmith did me much evil.

The Lord reward him according to his works, of whom be thou where also, for he hath greatly withstood our words.

At my first answer, no man stood with me.

This is the Apostle Paul talking.

At my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me.

I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me that by me the preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear.

And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion, and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

So I want you to see here, in the very first verse, that I charge thee.

Therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus, I'm charged.

So that's what I wanted to talk about, the charge of ministry.

Somebody said well, I'm not a minister.

Well, you're a believer.

Every believer has a ministry.

A charge is a solemn.

To charge someone is to solemnly entrust them with a duty, or to impart a, to impart the impartation of a solemn, a sacred duty, amen.

It's a sacred thing to preach the Word of God.

He said preach the Word.

He said preach the Word, preach the Word I mean.

Well, brother, those things got that in to me.

You know he was a wonderful father in the faith.

He proved me over and over and over again.

He would give me a as I started working in more public ways and started opening the services and prayer.

He was attracted to the anointing and he would give me a little guidance and he would change it up a little bit.

And you know, and then I'd do that for a while and then he'd let me go for a year or maybe less, and then he'd change it again, and then he'd change it again.

He's always watching me and seeing if I would follow directions.

And you know I was.

You know I just I was started teaching, you know, about the same time in Family Life Institute and that's a 55, now I had to teach.

You know it's an hour class.

I was teaching 55 minutes a week.

You know constantly.

And you know six to eight week they'd have six weeks at first and they had eight week classes and he would pick out, you know, usually redemption.

You know he wanted me to preach on redemption all the time Teach, teach on redemption.

Well, you teach 55 minutes, buddy, you better develop the ability to develop an outline and follow it, because that's what I had to do.

I had to, I had to, I had to get information.

I couldn't just get up there and, you know, do a soft shoe routine and make it up as I went.

I had to, I had to prepare, and, and so he tested me that way, and the fact that if I'd followed directions, you know, and and do what I was told, because I mean I wanted to preach on the Holy Ghost, I wanted to teach on other things besides just one kind of subject.

So I, you know, for eight years, I taught everywhere.

I taught redemption everywhere it can be taught.

I mean it backwards and forwards and in between.

But you know, I remember one time, I guess it was probably, I don't know, 1990 or something.

I'd been doing that for a while, and and, and I, and the Lord put in my heart, he said now don't you worry about preaching, you just stay sharp all the time.

You, you're a knife in a scabbard and your function is, if he ever pulls you out of the scabbard, your function is that you cut, you make sure your blade is sharp.

That's all you're responsible for.

You're not responsible to be taken out of the scabbard.

You know, my God just had to make it very simple to me.

And so, sure enough, I mean, it seemed like he would travel and he'd pick somebody else to preach on a Wednesday night, you know, and I'd be tempted, you know, to be disappointed.

Then I'd remember what God told me Well, just stay sharp.

And so one time he, he picked this guy and and and I tried not to be critical, I just just listened with both ears and I wanted to learn what was it about him that made him pick him?

You know, I don't really know why, but anyway, the first time it happened, this guy didn't preach the word.

He preached on history, church history, and I just, I just didn't say a word.

You know, I'd people oh wow, that was interesting.

I just wouldn't say a word one way or the other, I just kept my mouth shut no critical, no, no gossip, no nothing.

And but I knew, brother, those things wouldn't like it, because it wasn't a word, it was, it was history, it was interesting, but it didn't feed anybody.

You can't feed people with history.

You gotta feed them with what the words?

The charge of ministry.

So he got back in town and and he called me oh, john man, I was so disappointed, so, and so he just gave a history lesson.

Oh, oh, so disappointed, I couldn't believe it, and I just let him go on.

I said, yeah, brother, I know what you mean.

And that's all I could say.

I couldn't disagree, I couldn't defend, I couldn't say anything.

I just had to keep my mouth shut and I tried not to think when next time call on me, I'll be ready.

But I didn't say, I didn't think, I wouldn't let myself think that.

I mean, you know, I'm a competitive person by nature and I had to.

I had to stab my competitive nature because we're not in a competition and I was in.

I was in no competition.

I mean, I had to, I had to keep my, my flesh under in those years and past.

And I know he did.

I know he was watching me with both eyes.

I know he was.

He was watching me like Paul watched Timothy.

And so then he traveled someplace else, just just on a Wednesday night, it was all.

He was just gone during the week.

He's back on Sunday.

He'd never missed Sunday ever.

So so Wednesday night he was gone somewhere and he had somebody else preach and you know it wasn't quite successful.

It was kind of dissapoint.

And you know I had gained a lot from teaching every week.

I mean, you know I had the ability, if need be.

I mean I knew how to do an outline, I knew how to stay on subject, I knew how to make a point, I knew how to.

I knew how to do that because I had practiced that.

If you've never practiced that, it's not that easy to get up and just bring something out in 30 minutes time and make any sense out of it.

So this this gentleman was not a regular teacher or a regular preacher, he was a leader in the church but he struggled in the message and it was kind of you know, it was kind of disappointing.

And so, brother, those things had something to say about that one too.

And I said, yeah, I see what you mean, but so it's a solemn trust with a sacred duty.

Ministry is.

And so this last epistle and, by the way, I'm not about to leave the world like Paul, I'm just sharing the word of God with you.

I'm not going to get that guy in, but he's about to depart this world.

And he said you know, in verse six he said I'll.

In verse six it said here I'm about ready to be offered.

In other words, his life is going to be poured out as a drink offering.

That's what that means Drink.

He's going to be poured out as a drink offering to the Lord.

And so he's ready.

And so he gave a quick summation of his life and ministry.

What did he say in verse seven?

He said I fought a good fight, a good fight of faith.

Why is it a good fight?

Cause we win.

And then, number two I finished my course, in other words, my race.

He talked a lot about races and he used a lot of the Olympics, the games, illustrations and his and his messages.

And it says I kept the faith, the faith I talked I don't know if you were haven't heard my message on Wednesday night, contending for the faith.

That's a, that's a real important message.

I just advise you to get the app and listen to that message on your on your phones.

An easy way to listen to it on the app.

And the faith, not just any faith, it's the faith.

And you know, jude told, told the church to earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints.

Well, who delivered that the faith?

Well, people like Paul, people like Peter the apostles.

They delivered the faith.

What we're seeing right now is a not the faith.

It's something else.

It's another Jesus, another gospel, it's another spirit.

More, more about that in a minute.

So we're to, we're to contend for the truth of the gospel.

And so he, he, he, he gave his not bragging, but he just this is part of his charge to his son to conduct his ministry with a soberness toward that idea that the faith must be held in high esteem, in the greatest priority.

And he said I'm ready to stand before God and the Lord, jesus Christ, to be judged.

And that never leaves me something that I think about a lot.

I think about it a lot.

You know, I'll give an account, every minister will give an account, and I thank God that I was held accountable by one of the greatest, held, held in strict account.

He watched, he observed and before he had trust me with the amount of authority that he gave me, he had to be convinced that I wasn't gonna just melt under pressure.

He had to be convinced that I wouldn't turn out like Demas.

You read about Demas Demas was with with Paul the apostle Are you kidding me?

The guy that wrote two thirds of the New Testament and then he left, him having loved this present world.

So I mean, you know, I've seen more than a few people leave, go off into the world after they've been ministry, much less just being being a Christian.

I mean, it's one thing to leave and backslide, but, man, when you're a preacher, when you're a minister, and go back to the world, that's, that's a violation of your sacred charge, amen.

So what was important for him to say you know, I mean, this is one of his last communications, a second letter he's not gonna be around must have been pretty important for him to talk to his son and kind of.

It's kind of similar to what Jesus did in John chapter 14 through 16, you know, what was important before the crucifixion?

John 14 · chapter mention

Jesus shared about the Holy Ghost.

He shared some real and some things they didn't understand.

They didn't understand have what he was talking about.

Later on they came back to it and they were able to understand it later, but at the time, you know, jesus wanted to say the things that he said and they, they, just they didn't get it, they didn't even figure.

They didn't even figure that he'd been raised from the dead.

They didn't believe it.

He'd been raised from the dead.

He rebuked them at laughter of the fact.

You know, I told you, you know they didn't get it.

So what was important for Paul to say to Timothy?

So he said I charge you, I solemnly entrust you before God.

So all ministers have a great responsibility.

And Timothy was the bishop of Ephesus.

He was, he was a young man, but he had tremendous responsibility, tremendous authority.

And so he said therefore.

He said I charge thee, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, I charge you therefore.

So what's the therefore?

Say well, it's what he wrote in chapter three, which we'll get to in a minute, but also what he read and what he wrote in the rest of chapter four that he shared with him.

And so what was it that he shared?

Well, in verse three?

The time will come when they will not endure sound teaching.

They won't endure it, they won't, they won't love it, they won't endure it.

They won't endure it, sound teaching, they hold themselves against it.

It's not that they won't sit still for it.

If they hold themselves against it, they.

The time is gonna come.

Well, if it came back 2000 years ago.

How much more is it happening right now that people have held themselves against sound teaching?

Now my job is more teaching than preaching.

I do preach a little bit, but teaching is more of the gift that I have.

Brother Hagan could preach, but he chose to teach.

Brother Hagan could preach up a storm, but he chose to teach.

Why?

Because teaching is so important.

You know, you can preach and spit cotton and sweat and you know, just do the windmill across the platform and everything else and it's entertaining and it's great at times.

But what people need is they need an exposition and an expansion of exactly what is the word is saying the teaching will stick to you.

And so he said.

And so you know, when you delve into this, I like this saying he who despises sound teaching leaves sound teachers.

He who despises sound teaching will leave the sound teacher.

Because why?

Because of love of novelty.

The love of the new is the enemy of divine progress.

They want to make, they've got an idea of making some kind of fast forward button on their life and they want to accelerate into some glorious new doctrine that nine times out of 10 is baloney.

You know the greasy grace message.

I had a preacher.

One time just, we had lunch at Papa's C-dubs.

He spent the whole time trying to convert me over to that way of thinking and he was just quoting, you know, the teaching of this particular teacher.

He's still on television and I used the old Darrell Royal illustration.

You know, darrell Royal, back in the early 60s he had these big running backs and he had the wishbone tee, you know.

And so some sports columnist was interviewing him and says you know, darrell, you're kind of behind the times.

Most people are throwing the ball more, they're passing the ball.

You're just running the ball all the time.

And he said well, you know the thing about passing, three things can happen and two of them are bad.

You can complete the pass, that's good, but then you can have an incomplete pass, that's bad.

And you can have an interception, that's bad.

So I just like to run the ball, I like to dance with who brung me.

So he danced with who brung him.

That's an old country saying you know, you take a girl out to the dance, you know she danced with who brung her.

So that's what he.

He was an old.

I liked Darrell Royal, even though he was a tee sip.

Anyway, I'm an Aggie, so but that's what I used to get with this preacher.

I said, look, you know I'm gonna dance with who brung me.

The word of faith brung me.

I'm not departing from the word of faith.

Brother Hagin is good enough for me.

Brother Osteen is good enough for me.

I don't need this guy.

I mean, I don't need him.

I don't need him for nothing.

I've listened to what he says.

He's what he says is error, it borders on.

You know, I'm not gonna call him a false teacher, I'm just saying he's wrong.

I think I've gone past that.

Now to false teacher, I'm willing to say that about.

But, pastor, this is heavy.

Well, we need to know some things and we need to know how to help people.

And I don't preach this Sunday morning because we have a lot of novices and people that just got here from denominational churches and you know we just but this group here I consider you know you're mature and then you need to hear the truth, amen.

So you know, teaching that aims simply to please and we can never instruct, can never instruct.

That's the whole thing.

Is in reprove, rebuke and exhort with all patience.

Long suffering means patience and teaching, teaching, that's teaching, teaching.

We don't rebuke one-on-one necessarily.

We just preach the word.

See, that's what's so important the word.

The word will do the job.

The word will do the work.

And so I like Proverbs 23, 23,.

Buy the truth and sell it, not also wisdom, wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

Now's the time to buy the truth and sell it, not because there's a lot of untruth out there.

In 2 Timothy 3, I told you what was there, for he has a lot of to say there in that chapter as well.

Again, he's about ready to be offered.

He's about ready to be poured out as a drink offering.

He's gonna leave the earth go off to his reward.

He was martyred and he wanted to make sure that he charged his son, and so in verse one, chapter three, he said this also know that in the last days, perilous or dangerous times shall come.

Well, we live in those times right now.

If that's true back then, just think about how much more dangerous it is.

These are dangerous times.

When I mean dangerous, I don't even mean nuclear war and all that.

I mean it's dangerous for the faith.

It's dangerous for the false doctrines and the false teachings that are going on right now.

People that used to be in the faith are out of the faith, they're off the reservation, they're in error and beyond error, they're purposely misleading folks.

I talked about contending for the faith the other night and I talked about the word spots.

These are spots in your face of agape and in Jude, verse three, that word or six, I guess.

That word spots is the Greek word spilos, and it means a rock or a ledge under the surface of the water which causes shipwreck.

It's not a spot on your tie that you spill the gravy on.

It's not a defilement, it's not a fault, it's not a sin.

Spilos is that spot that's used several times in the Bible, but the word spilos used there in Jude is only used one time in the entire Bible.

It's used right there.

And he's talking about these ungodly men and women who teach falsehood.

They are mixed in with us, they're side by side with us and what they're preaching can call shipwreck.

What they believe and speak can cause spiritual damage.

Are y'all with me now?

That's why we're talking about these things so perilous.

Time shall come, and he said, for men shall be lovers of their own selves.

Now these are the people that are in your audience, timothy.

You're gonna be preaching to these people.

They're gonna be in the church.

They're gonna be side by side.

That's what Jude said.

Same thing they're gonna be side by side with you.

Look to your neighbor and say are you one?

No, don't do that, I'm just joking.

But potentially, if the door's open they can get in.

We don't have a sign that says all spilos, do not come in here.

I've had a few spiloses.

When I find out about them, I run them off.

I've had to tell people leave Wolves.

Another word for them call shipwreck.

What do wolves do?

They devour, they wreck, they destroy.

They're not just misguided, they're not just, you know, dumb.

No, they're intentional.

Are you with me now?

So he says about these people.

Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous boasters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection.

You know to leave your children with their dead little brother's corpse, go off.

And leave your children with starving to go off with your boyfriend.

You have no natural affection.

I hope she never gets out of prison.

It'd be right to execute her.

She'd be.

You know we need to bring back the death penalty for people like that.

Pastor you're that's not well.

You know the death penalty is in the Bible.

I don't know why we ever got rid of it?

Just a bunch of bleeding heart liberals as why?

There is no, there's, no, there's no thought for what they're doing.

You know, if they had to think about facing, you know, the gas chamber or a hangman's news, they might, they might pause.

Anyway, it's another subject.

Um, so he's.

He's basically telling them this is the kind of people you're going to see in your ministry Traders, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

That is a big one right there.

Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof For such.

Build a church just for them so you can minister to their needs.

Shape your ministry around all those kind of people, because they need to get saved too.

No, actually, it says from such turn away, from such turn away.

So we need, you know where's, some adjustments that need to be made.

Well, we think we have the idea that just anybody and everybody is eligible.

Some of these people have gone too far and they're not eligible for salvation.

Having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof from such turn away, you don't build ministries to cater to them.

Well, back in the I don't know when it was the nineties.

I guess I've heard about Willow Creek Church and Chicago Big O Church, bill Hybles, the pastor, seeker, sensitive, and oh man, it was a model church man.

It had 10,000 people, it had this huge church, they had a platform that you would think it was a belonged on Broadway in New York City.

They would do these big dramas, they'd have a full orchestra pit, they had actors, they had sets, they had curtains, they had.

They had every kind of thing.

Every Sunday was a was a splendid display and it was spiritual subjects, you know, bible subjects and all of that.

But there was no Bible.

There was no, they were not teaching the word.

And I read about this man.

I was intrigued and he said well, we did a demographic survey of the area in Chicago and we found a, you know, a certain demographic that were unchurched and they didn't go to church.

They didn't feel the need to go to church.

They didn't want to go to church because it was boring.

And we decided and they answered, answered a whole bunch of questions about it and we catered to the people that they built a church for these kind of people right here.

They built a church to attract the kind of people I just talked about.

Are you with me now?

They don't love God.

They never going to love God.

They go to church if they could get entertained and it's free.

They don't give, they don't tithe and they don't work in the church.

And after 25 years the guy shut his church down and I don't know what he did with the buildings, you know, and he he wrote that it didn't work.

It was a failed experiment.

Why?

Because they didn't have anybody to work.

The workers got burned out.

I mean, if all you do is go to church and you're an actor and you're playing a part, or you're a musician, or you're there, or you're the guy that runs the spotlights, or you're the guy that draws the curtains, or you're the guy that changes the sets and builds the sets, you're the guy that you're the gal that puts it all on the internet, blah, blah, blah, blah.

You've got all this engine work going on, but nobody really is is populating heaven when they die.

They're just entertained in this world in a kind of a way that denies the power of God Having a form of God.

Are y'all with me now?

His wife is completely off the reservation.

She's anti-Semitic, pro-palestinian.

She is ready for the BDS movement.

You know she's she's.

She's speaking against Israel with all of her strengths, writing books.

She's filled with hate for Israel.

That's the fruit of Willow Creek church.

Right there, are you with me now?

How about Saddleback?

Oh, pastor, your naming names?

Yes, ty, so here's your God.

I'm starting naming names.

Saddleback church Rick Warren, off the reservation Form of Godliness, denies the power thereof.

After 9-11, what did he come up with?

He came up with Chris Long.

He came up with a way to outreach and bridge the gap between Christianity and Islam and blend them and have a dialogue.

You know, there's no dialogue.

There's no dialogue.

The dialogue is believe on the Lord, jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.

That's it.

There is no dialogue.

And he was giving credence to the Koran and they had this stuff in the pews of his church.

He's completely off the reservations.

He's liberal, by the way, voted for Obama, had Obama in his church, another closet Muslim.

Are y'all with me?

What does it say From such turn away?

All right.

So these things that we're having now are not new.

They were current in the time of Paul and he's warning Timothy, and he's warning us because here it is in our Bible.

Praise God.

You know we're going to buy the truth and sell it, not.

We're going to help people get out of cults, help people get out of ministries that are perverted, that are perverse.

The word perverse means twisted Amen.

Then he goes on and says Demas verse 2nd Timothy 4, you know, demas left Paul in a lurch.

No man stood with him except Jesus.

Thank God God stood with him.

He forgave all the ones that left him.

And so this importation of the solemn duty, the charge of ministry, is here in this brief way.

Number one preach.

The word.

That's for me, for you, is to love the word.

And you know, in a way, the word preach just simply means to state as a fact.

And so when you're talking to people, state the word, give them what the word says about their situation.

When people come up to you, you know you're going to attract people.

They're going to be attracted to you supernaturally.

They're going to look to you for answers.

Give them the word, give them what the word says.

I, you know we talk as a family all the time.

You know, I'm just amazed at the opportunities my family has to.

You know, I talked to James and Claire Most of the time working in the Republican party.

The whole thing is about the word.

The word, the word.

They're teaching people the word, they're expanding the people with the word, the word, the word, feeding them the word.

And it's amazing.

Jay and Selena the same way.

I mean.

It's just, it's just amazing.

So don't think about preaching behind a pulpit.

To preach just means to expound, it means to state as a fact, and that's why I'm to preach the word.

You're to love it and I'm to preach it, and then you're to take it and give it out, and so that's your charge, that's your solemn and sacred duty.

And then, number two be instant, in season and out of season.

In other words, be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not ready, willing and able to serve hot bread to the hungry and cold water to the thirsty.

So you know, god told me, be sharp boy, keep your knife sharp, your job.

You can't pull yourself out of the scabbard.

Your pastor will pull you out when he wants you and needs you.

You make sure you're sharp when that happens.

So, finally, he was traveling and I was not selected.

This is the third time.

And I just laughed.

I said okay, praise God, I see it.

Gary Simons, his son-in-law at the time April's husband.

They hadn't been married very long.

I even helped officiate at their wedding.

Just did here and there that you know.

That's a whole lot of confidence right there.

I mean it's kind of an honor, you know, to get to be part of the family like that.

Stand up there while April's walking down the aisle that's a long, long aisle.

Take her to 15 minutes to walk down the aisle, but anyway.

So he said John, I'm going to be traveling.

I want you to be there for Dodie.

He said you know he's going to preach.

Gary's going to preach.

I asked him to preach Wednesday night.

I said I'll be there, sir.

Yeah, I'll be there.

Watch after Dodie now, don't let anything crazy happen.

And so he's always telling me that Don't let anything crazy happen.

What am I supposed to do?

I don't have a gun, anyway.

So so Dodie comes up to me and says, hey, can you take the offering tonight?

I said, oh, I'd be honored.

Yeah, sure, be great, that'd be awesome.

Thank you, sure will.

And so I had started doing that from time to time.

Take the offering Wednesday night.

And so I started thinking about it.

So glad it's nice standing up front laying hands on people as they come up.

That's normally what we do.

We used to lay hands on people as and, and then while I'm standing up there you know it's after praise and worship and before the offering, and I'm kind of getting my thoughts together in between, people coming up and and I kind of knew what I was gonna share.

Well, lisa comes out, their daughter Lisa comis, and Lisa said brother John.

She said I've got, I asked a big favor.

I said what is it, lisa?

What can I do?

She said it.

Do you think there's any way possible?

Do you think there's?

And she's just looked down like this, shook her head.

I said what is it, lisa?

What can I do?

She said Well, do you think there's any way possible that you could preach tonight?

And I said absolutely.

I Said absolutely.

And she said really, see, because it'd take her six months to get prepared.

She'd have a whole pile of notes It'd be a half inch thick, typed out.

Her sermon would be all typed out that thick.

I mean it was man, it was a labor for her to preach.

I mean I knew that about her.

I mean she had a secretary and that secretary she's typing and then editing, and typing and editing, and all of that.

I Said absolutely, she saw, oh.

Oh, she said Gary's back there throwing up and he can't preach, he's so nervous.

He's back there throwing up.

Oh, it would just.

I said, no, even worry about it's fine, I'm pretty much ready.

I stay ready all the time.

I'm just gonna sit down here and get a few notes Put together real quick, which was easy for me because I already was reading in a book of Ephesians, chapter 5.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

I had the, I had the message kind of already in mind and I just sat down and and I started, you know, scribbling some notes down so that I'd have a few notes to get up there on.

And I knew I had to Receive the offering.

So by that time prayer was over, dodie got up there and Dodie says okay, well, john Grinder is gonna come and receive the offering.

And I mean boy, I mean Lisa got up out of her seat.

She bolted up there.

No, mama, no, mama, no, yes, I ask him to do it.

I said they argue back and forth in front of everybody.

But I asked him to do it.

She said no, mama, no.

And then she goes up there and I'm just going, and I tried to say it's okay, it's okay, but they weren't watching me, they were watching each other.

So finally she whispers to her mother and says oh, dodie goes.

Oh, you know, it was so funny, that was a foot, one of the funniest nights.

And so so Dodie took the offering and then introduced me and I preached my first time and I wasn't even first choice, I was the backup, I was the vomit backup.

But see all those years of just being patient and being and staying ready, staying Instant in season and out of season, that's what that that refers to Instant in season and out.

I Tell you, it pays to follow God, it pays to follow the word.

And then, finally, the last charge is to reprove, rebuke and Exort through teaching, preaching.

But patience, patience.

I think about Paul in 2nd Corinthians 12, 12.

He said to the Corinthians, you know which, he took a lot of patience to deal with them.

They had the occult, they had all kind of sin in their church, they had all kind of disorder in their church.

I Mean just read first and second Corinthians and I mean I mean the first letter wasn't enough.

He had to write a second letter.

It was a lot of mess and in that church, because they came out of the occult and and he said to them in 2nd Corinthians 12, 12, he said truly the signs of an impossible wrought among you, and all patience and Signs and wonders and mighty deeds.

So patience was at the top of the list, patience.

And we have to have patience With with folks, because they don't always get what we're talking about at first, especially when it's unfamiliar, especially when it's something they've never heard before, or when they've been religiously brainwashed and Given a bunch of lies and they, they considered that as truth for a lot, a lot of their life.

And then they, they come in and they start realizing that what they thought they knew they didn't know.

Are you with me now?

So we have to have patience when we're Helping people and when we're proved just means to shine light.

Rebuke is yeah, it says rebuke, but the word will do the rebuking.

I Don't.

I don't believe in chewing people out.

I don't believe in, you know, unless somebody's violent, somebody's violent up here, that I could do that.

But as far as rebuking someone or being Mean to someone, no, that's not what it's talking about.

It's talking about reprove, shine a light, rebuke and Exort.

The exhort means to encourage and it has a note of correction in it, a little bit of correction.

In other words, correction doesn't mean a spanking.

Correction Just means okay, turn this way, redirect sometimes people need to be redirected a little bit.

And when we can do that, then we can fulfill the charge of ministries by the truth and sell it not.

Don't be offended at the word, don't be tired of changing.

Growing is changing.

Amen, lift your hands and receive tonight the charge of ministry.

Hallelujah.

Did anybody get anything out of this tonight?

Amen.

Well, glory to God, Hallelujah.

This time of the year is just kind of nostalgic for me because I think about 27 years ago when I was getting ready to start this church and all the decisions I had to make and the prayer and the preparation I had to have.

And I tell you all, all preparation is not wasted.

It's.

It takes all the preparation that God can give you to send you into what he has for you.