Co-workers harmful or helpful

Today we're going to talk about co-workers as in we've said

I know I know I'm just

Okay co-workers helpful or harmful that's what we're going to talk about

We said that Jesus is building his church

That is what we should be about and that we are co-workers with him in his

Endeavor because it's one of the only things he's doing right now. He's finished creating

He's overcome death sin. He's risen

He's seated at the right hand of the father and if one were to ask the question, what is Jesus doing?

Usual answers are he's interceding for you, which is true

But more than anything else he's building his church because he said I will build my church and he's building his church

And so we are co-workers with him because that's his intent of getting a seat

Can you join me now that you're saved in the one thing that I continue to do here on earth?

And so in three and a half years Jesus trained and commissioned the disciples and then he sends them out

To form local communities that are now called churches. That's what he did. He trained and commissioned them in three and a half years

He trained commissioned them and then he sent them out and he sends them out so that they can go and

Establish local communities built around

The Son of God he remember when Peter says you are this Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God and he says

Peter on this confession on this rock. I will build my church and since then he's been doing it and

What he did in three and a half years with them is still the process that he continues with us

Today what he wants is if you're saved then the next thing he wants you to become is a disciple

So that you can go make disciples

The point of getting saved is not really going to heaven the point of getting saved is now that I'm saved Lord

I will become a disciple and once I become a disciple

I will go and make disciples Matthew 28 verse 18 and 19 go

Matthew 28:18

Therefore all authority has been given to me go therefore and make disciples of all nations teaching them to observe

What I have taught you baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and the Holy Spirit

And I will be with you right till the end of the ages. So guys

If you are saved then know that you have only one primary business and I've been saying this over the last six or seven weeks

Become disciples to go and make disciples

Everything else is gravy

Everything else is great

prosperity is gravy

Getting to heaven is gravy as good tasty gravy, but it's gravy

The main thing is now that I have been saved born again, I have him living in me

I will do the same thing that he did with his disciples. I'll become one and then I'll go in

disciple others

It's not about ministry it's not about pastoring it's very simple become disciples to go make disciples

Kind of and so go make disciples and be co-workers with him in building his church be

Co-workers with him in building his church be co-workers with him in building his church

And so that's why we want to examine co-workers

And so that's why we want to examine co-workers it's a

Scripture that's in the Bible that we are co-workers with him. So co-workers you can be two kinds

You can be helpful or harmful. Is that biblical? Yep. Let's just look at it. So let's look at

Second Timothy will be stuck in Timothy a lot today second Timothy

particularly second Timothy second Timothy 4

9 to 15 second Timothy 4

9 to 15

I've not finished this today. We'll continue with next week second Timothy 4 9 to 15

So here it goes do your best to come to me quickly for damas

Because he loved this world has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica

Crescent has gone to Galatia Titus to Dalmatia

Only Luke is with me get mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me in my ministry. I send

Tychicus to Ephesus when you come bring the cloak that I left with Carpacetroas

Am I scrolled especially the parchment?

Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done

You should be on your guard against him because he strongly opposed our message guys at the end of the day

You and I can be helpful co-workers or

Harmful co-workers Paul is talking to the church. He's not talking to some external enemy. He's talking to

ones who started with him, but aren't necessarily helpful but are

harmful what we want to do today is examine how I can be a helpful co-worker and what can perhaps cost me to be a

harmful co-worker a

Co-worker of whom a co-worker of Jacob know a co-worker worker of acts 29 know a co-worker of

Christ because he is building his church

It is the only thing that we should hold as our primary concern

Building his church. I'm building my church. Will you join me?

That's what he's saying

Let's look at another scripture second Timothy 1 15 and 16 second Timothy 1 15 and 16 second Timothy 1

15 and 16

You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me including

Fijalus with a name like that. What did you expect and hermogenes?

May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesophorus

Because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains

On the contrary when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me

May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day

You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus

So again, you find three people two of them were harmful co-workers while one of them was a super helpful co-worker

Now what was Paul in the practice of doing Paul was about doing just one thing building his church

Everywhere he did when that was his only aim

How can I multiply what Christ has started?

And it's worth saying again

That the church is not built on a Sunday

It's not built in sacred spaces like this. The church is built every day in streets at work in homes and

It's built by nameless faceless

non-regent types

We only know 12 Apostles we don't know the 70 we don't know the 120

We don't know the 500 that Jesus met in first Corinthians 15 nameless faceless people that Jesus Christ had

Trained and had them ready before he left here

So that when the three thousand to five thousand come in in the first week of the Holy Spirit

That they were already more than 600 people waiting to take care of them and we'll never know their names

Very few of them are pastors or prophets and all that we don't even hear of it

This is the way Jesus is building his church you have no other primary concern

Two weeks ago we talked about what it means to be a disciple difficult teaching me

You are not even worthy of being my disciple if that I had added that

So

Here's how we can divide harmful and helpful co-workers

So you doesn't helpful

This is harmful

Helpful co-workers will be lovers of God

Unfor co-workers are lovers of the world

This one is kind of easy a

We usually nail this one because I don't see too many lovers of the world here. I mean sure

we sometimes

Are caught up in things but most sitting under this roof right now our lovers of God

Second this one kind of

Lord

Thoroughly thoroughly equipped

Thoroughly equipped

In the word of truth thoroughly equipped in the word of truth

Partially equipped in the word of truth partially equipped

In the word of truth this one

Is something we've got to watch out for because harmful co-workers

Are those that do not have a

knowledge of the word and

Therefore they're partially equipped

And therefore they're partially equipped in the knowledge of the word or in the word of truth and

It usually ends up harming the cause of Christ not helping the cause of Christ

third one

Loyal co-workers as in

ones who endure and stick with what God is doing in a local body or

Yeah, let's just leave it at the local body now and

Harmful co-workers are usually disloyal

Deserters

And those words are in the Bible I'm not pulling them just out like that Paul uses that word

And then the last one we'll see how far we can go today is helpful co-workers are reliable teachers

And

Harmful co-workers are false teachers

This is based on what Paul says about his co-workers and he like I'd said before if you look through all the books

That Paul has written you will find that Paul worked with

99 people in his journeys through each of those places Ephesus Colossus Corinth

He worked with 99 people of which 33 were women and 66 were men

That's the number of people he worked with and then based on his relationships with them

He begins to write down these criteria that

Make a distinction between ones that are helpful in co-working with Christ and ones that are harmful

This I could understand lovers of God lovers of the world, but I couldn't understand this that boy

It's important to be thoroughly equipped in the word of truth

That partially being equipped in the word of truth can lead

to

pitfalls that affect the church

And that we have to be reliable teachers. We have a tendency to think that you're a rely

you only have to teach if

you

Have gone to a Bible college or if you have the calling of a teacher

No, Paul is saying hey, I want you to be reliable teacher so that what is deposited to you. You can now transmit to

Somebody else yes, there is the grace of teaching apostles prophets teachers evangelists and pastors that is a minister sent to minister

to

Local congregations or whatever. Yes. There is a gift of teaching

Yes, there is going to a theological school and getting academic knowledge about teaching

But that aside there is a need for all of us sitting here to be reliable teachers

Reliable as in what is entrusted to you you should be able to now reproduce sincerely

So that someone else gets it

We do this with our children

Any questions on this before we go on can you see my halo now

Okay, just checking any questions before we go on

Any questions before we go on

You agree with these distinctions, okay

So you haven't paid your fees

Yeah, so let's start with lovers of God

Let's start with lovers of God so co-workers that are helpful are lovers of God

And so how would you figure out someone who is a lover of God very easy guys?

They do the will of God they do the will of God. So how would you then define the will of God?

obeying his commands

obeying his commands

Here are some things that Jesus said are as well one obey my commands two

I have no desire that anyone should perish so go make disciples go make disciples

Now three establish the church

You might think really that is being called a lover of God. I thought being a lover of God was

Sticking to certain ways of Christian living. That's a dear thing. It's supposed to be anyways

I mean if you're a Christian you must live a Christian life

You must live a Christian life

But when you ask what is the will of God here are three things that Jesus

Repeated again and again and again in the Bible guys. I want you to obey my commands

One who obeys my commands loves me. How do you know you love Jesus you obey his command? So that one is simple to

Go and make disciples

I'm not picking on that because we are teaching on this

I'm picking on that because very expressly Jesus before he left the earth

Sums up his entire will in Matthew 28 18 to 20 when he says listen all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me

Therefore now go make disciples

Baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and the Holy Spirit

What do you baptize people into you baptize them into a body?

How do you know that first Corinthians 12 13 when you are baptized you're baptized into a body?

We can't escape those guys

We can't escape this to fulfill the will of God

I must be a disciple maker not I Jacob as a pastor

But I Jacob as one that is saved and is now a disciple

Not me as one who works at VGH, but as me the one who saved and who is now a disciple

You cannot escape

And so like I've said in the past we begin to live a life that is centered around

Christ and his body Christ and his body. How do you define body? How do you define the church Diana? How do you define the church?

I know that's not the definition

I love putting you on the spot since you ask a lot of questions. Let me give you the mic as you answer so that everybody hears it

I'm inviting you to join in to one anothering. It's are you wanting all of these things? I don't know what

I don't know

Okay, so I just because of all the questions she's asked over the last 12 years

It's always good to put her on the spot. So

the church is defined as

Shush

Churches defined as

People redeemed by the finished works of Christ

Called out of the world

transformed into

Sorry

Transform the carriers of his nature and his spirit

Send back into the world

to make

To demonstrate the kingdom

Proclaim the kingdom

Proclaim the kingdom

Openly invite people into the kingdom and make disciples of all nations one life at a time. Can we try that again?

Okay

churches of people

Redeemed by the finished works of Christ meaning his death his life is death is resurrected

called out of the world

Transformed into be into carriers of this nature and the spirit sent back into the world

To do what to demonstrate the kingdom to proclaim the kingdom and to invite people into the kingdom openly

And to make disciples of all nations one life at a time

Guys it's great if you can learn a day because truth is learned through

repetition

It's great if you can learn so Diana you're off the hook

You

Yeah, so just remember that at the end of the day lovers of God are people who obey his will

Or his commands

Know that he has no desire that any should perish so they engage in a lifestyle that makes

The cycles and they establish

The church by becoming co-workers who build with Christ

Any doubts on that do you think that's unreasonable you think it's not what Jesus asked you think I'm trying to add two and two to get

five

You

As in European

Yeah, okay, so then lovers of the world

We just look at two scriptures that will kind of sum it up lovers of the world look at second Timothy 3

Second Timothy 3 versus 1 to 4 second Timothy 3 versus 1 to 4 lovers of the world

Oh, these are two nasty scriptures man. I'll read it from the message second Timothy 3 verses 1 to 4

2 Timothy 3:1–4

I'm taking bits from the message as the end approaches people are going to be self-absorbed

money hungry

self-promoting

profane

contemptuous of parents dog eat dog

slanderers

impulsively wild bloated windbags addicted to lust

Allergic to God who make a show of religion

Lovers of the world I

Mean none of that be found in our say and every time you find any of that in you

Bird yourself off it. Thank God for Jesus Christ

And let's look at another scripture first John 2 first John 2

15 to 17 first John 2 15 to 17 first John 2

15 to 17 and here's what it says do not love the world. This is such a strong simple straight statement. Do not love the world

All the things in the world do not love the world all the things in the world

And then he makes another radical statement if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him

If anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him

And then he goes on to this

Define what the love of the world is for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh

The lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world

So every time I engage in either the lust of the flesh or the lust of the eyes or the pride of life

Lust of the flesh meaning the craving of the flesh for things that we

Derive outside of God and at the cost of somebody else remember the two things that lead to sin are always

When man tries to find his happiness outside of God or at the expense of somebody else

That is sin

That is this that is the definition of sin when I try to find happiness outside of God and out

And at the expense of somebody else therefore if you take the Ten Commandments

You'll see that all of the Ten Commandments fall within this purvey of

either

Love the Lord your God or

Do not covet your neighbors donkey

One or the other

And so he says in first John 2 15 and 17

Do not love the world or the things in the world if anyone loves the world Jacob every time

You engage in the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes or the pride of life

Know this that the love of the father is not in you

very straight

Okay, let's take the next two

You

Helpful co-workers are thoroughly equipped in the word of truth

Thoroughly equipped in the word of truth truth second Timothy 3 second Timothy 3

Was 16 and 17

Where 16 and 17

Second Timothy 3 16 and 17 here's what it says all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching

Rebuke in correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work

Let me read that again all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching

Rebuke in correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work

If you want to be a helpful co-worker

Increase your appetite for the word your study of the word because without it you will at some point cause

His cause harm and not help

I met a person in South Africa on this last trip person is an elder in the church

And he comes to me and says I

Have for the last few months. I've decided that I don't

That there is more to God than just the Bible, so I've stopped reading the Bible

and

He says because there must be more to God. I'm just waiting for God to show me

More of him and so for the last few months and I found out it was about six or seven months

He stopped reading the Bible. I quickly went and told the pastor about it

Because he thinks there's something that he can find out about God

through some other means

Increase your appetite what you ate two years ago will not suffice for where you're going

Be thoroughly equipped in the word of truth. How do we go about it Paul talks about it?

Second Timothy 215 second Timothy 215 second Timothy 215

This is so that you can teach this to others to guys

second Timothy 215

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who?

Correctly handles the word of truth

Believe that again do you do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a workman who does not need to be ashamed

And who correctly handles the word of truth guys if you want to show yourself approved in being equipped in the word of truth then

Apply yourself to it and when given an opportunity do everything in your power work hard

To present the truth in the way that it should be presented work hard at it work hard at it

If someone asks you to preach at acts 29 don't do it the night before work at it

Be thoroughly equipped when you stand here let people even though you're speaking simple truths

Let people hear God because of the authenticity that you come with because of the hard work you put in and because of the power

Of the Spirit of God who's seen how thoroughly you equip yourself and apply yourself to the world

You

Given an opportunity don't say no always say yes, and then say no later

Yep second Timothy 310

Here's another was second Timothy 310

And was three second Timothy 3 was 10 and was 14

Yeah

You however know all about my teaching my way of life my purpose faith patience love

Endurance persecution sufferings and what kinds of things happen to me in Antioch?

Iconium and Lystra the persecutions I endured and now go to verse 14

But as for you continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know these from whom you have learned it

And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures guys once you begin to apply yourself to the world if you're thoroughly

Equipped people must see it in your lifestyle

People must see it in your lifestyle. I must in five months from now see Betty operating differently than she's operating

Otherwise she's listening to the word, but it's not doing anything

I must see Chantal as someone who is listening to the word and it's chaining her it's chaining a marriage

Chaining the way she's changing the way she drives

I'm not picking on your driving though if you feel picked maybe it's a lot

but

But but it should change you inside one of the things Paul had the audacity to say

Unfortunately, I don't have the audacity to say that line for myself that hey you've seen me in these things

You've seen me how I live out what I teach. I may be able to say it in a few areas, but not all those areas man

But you have to be able to say that so that people can that's when what Gisela says goes into effect

Otherwise what Gisela says doesn't count?

I'm talking about the scripture. She says you are a written. You are an epistle written by the Lord

I'm only an epistle written by the Lord when I practice what I teach otherwise. I'm not an epistle written by the Lord

I'm just an epistle carrier. I carry it in my hand or my phone. I

I

Pray God that I have the satisfaction of seeing every life being

Transformed every five or six months and that you have the satisfaction of seeing my life changing and upgrading every five or six months

You should have that satisfaction and I must have the satisfaction of seeing your life's changed

because of the power of the word

Otherwise it's only coming for one year and leaving to the other year that is not what makes us thoroughly equipped in the word of truth

I mean, let me just pick on Rachel for a while because she's come back into the room. I mean

When she came to the church, she was a wimpy kid man

She could she could easily be upset about things and

Then you heard what I read out two weeks ago

One week ago there's a marked difference between the one who came in and the one who is now

There should be change guys

Otherwise we will not be able to be helpful

Let's take another scripture

Second Timothy 1 14 second Timothy 1 14

Second Timothy 1 14 Paul's writing all this to Timothy saying hey

Do it this way and you'll get it right be careful of ones who don't walk this way

He says Timothy guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you got it with help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you got it with help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us

Whatever you learn here now, you got a God and so that you can deposit it into someone else's life

And you guys are doing it

In your homes

Calling people over and and trusting what has been placed in your life

Second Timothy 1 14 second Timothy 1 14 and so how do partially equipped people work?

Partially equipped

Coworkers are actually harmful to the church harmful to the church because whenever you're partially equipped know that there will be mixture

Whenever you're partially equipped know that

In certain areas I'll have a form of godliness, but no power

That's what happened. So go to second Timothy 3 second Timothy 3 verse 5 and 7 second Timothy 3 verse 5 and 7

2 Timothy 3:5 2 Timothy 3:5

Having a form of godliness, but denying its power power have nothing to do with them and verse 7

Always learning I love this verse, you know perverse canopy always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth

My god may you and I never end up here always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth

I've met people like that

Continuously hearing but nothing happening in their life if it is happening it ain't showing

Can't be that

Can't be there

It's another scripture

Second Timothy 4 was 3 second Timothy 4 3

For the time will come when well men will not put up with sound doctrine

Instead to suit their own desires

They will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what they're itching ears want to hear

I

Realized every week I go home and they said not every week every second week

I go home and say the Lord country. Let me preach something nice

Like I would love to preach on faith and on healing

I really can do it. Well

So let me preach something nice. I this week. I started off with something nice and then I had to cancel it all

Why because these things are hard things to say guys it rubbed some of us wrong

But Paul taught this

We're not here to please eating years, right

These are the demands being placed on us if we are partially equipped we will be harmful co-workers to the cause of Christ and will

damage the church

As far as it's possible we should not allow that to happen to each other last scripture second Timothy 3 8

second Timothy 3 8

Just as Janice and Jam res

Opposed Moses so also these men opposed the truth men of depraved minds who as far as faith is concerned are rejected

When you're partially equipped at some point when what is being said does not agree with you not because it's unbiblical

But because it doesn't sit well with you because you think a certain way you begin to oppose what the truth is

That is when you now become a harmful co-worker not a helpful co-worker, you're not opposing it because it's unbiblical

you're opposing it either because you don't like the person delivering the message or because

It goes against the grain of how you want things done

But remember what we're doing we are adorning his bride

We can't dress her up as we want because she ain't your wife

She is his wife and we are bridesmaids we do what the bridegroom tells us

You

There's no amending here you cannot amend anything

Let's do one more and then we'll do the reliable and false teacher later because it's

359 I'll stop in six or seven minutes

Shiloh's done pretty good for two and a half hours. I think this boy was born for this church

Maybe have more such babies who love long sermons

This is true, oh yeah, you've heard many used to come and sit through it already

No, he's actually listening he just has his eyes closed

Loyal co-workers

What our loyal co-workers like Colossians 4

Man Paul had such a rich life

Colossians 4 7 to 14

Colossians 4 7 to 14 loyal co-workers. This is what loyal co-workers look like tyke Ickes

Tyke Ickes will tell you all the news about me. He's a dear brother

Brother

He's a dear brother a faithful minister

faithful minister

He's a fellow servant

I'm sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know our circumstances that he may

Encourage your hearts

He is coming with Onesimus our faithful and dear brother another one of them

Who is one of you they will tell you everything that is happening here my fellow prisoner

Aristarchus sends you his greetings as does mark the cousin of Barnabas

You have received instruction about him if he comes to you welcome him

Jesus who is also called justice sends his greetings

These are the only Jews among my fellow workers

Jesus who is also called justice sends his greetings

These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God and they have proved to be a comfort to me

Epaphras who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus sends his greetings. He's always

Wrestling in prayer. I guess that's where where the word prayer warrior comes from

He's always wrestling in prayer for you that you may stand firm in all the will of God

mature and fully assured I vouch for him that he's working hard

He's working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and

Heropolis our dear friend Luke the doctor and Dimas and this is same Dimas who later on

Leaves

Sends greetings give my greetings to the brothers in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in our house guys talk about loyal

Co-workers they if this is what defines me and you

Boy this church is rich

You're a brother or a sister because you actually believe that you're part of this family

Hard thing to imagine that the guy sitting around your family and they actually

The guy sitting around your family and they actually are they're more family than your blood thingy

Brother faithful faithful

As in dependable countable reliable servant I

Can think of some of you and courage of not with platitudes, but genuine and correct

Comfort oh do you think people need it hey guys who are actually leading churches need a lot of comforting a

So I'm talking about me now

It's a good thing to comfort me man saying every now and then Jacob do a really good job

Job

Encourage us

Thanks prayer warrior

You're praying for people in this church and outside man the number of times

I sometimes stand on my balcony lean over it and pray towards Surrey for Rosalind

Just out of the blue. I'll feel the Lord saying pray for Rosalind and I want to face Surrey's

But I'm in the wrong side of the building so

I'll begin to speak over her over Bernice and Wayne over Sheldon and what's her name Jane over Sue a

Lot of fun praying for people man, and you're waiting to hear what God is gonna say because you've got no idea what they're going through

Because we're not sympathy seekers in the church we don't necessarily wear our heart on our sleeves, which is a good thing

Or Rhonda man the times I prayed for her when she's working downtown

Indulge in this because it's not the pastor's job because he ain't building the church through pastors

Yep

Prayer warrior hard worker hard worker ask this of yourself a are you a hard worker at this?

at acts 29

hard worker at acts

hard worker at acts

Most of you are can't think of anybody who isn't right there

Let's go to

One more scripture second Timothy 1 16 to 18 second Timothy 1 16 to 18 we already read that

Look at what this guy did

Look at what this guy did

You know these are the kind of guys who will bear shame and bear loss

For the sake of Christ and for the sake of the people in the church

They'll bear the shame and they'll bear the loss look at what he does

May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus because he often refreshed me

I was not ashamed of my chains on the contrary when he was in Rome

He searched hard for me until he found me may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day

You know very well in how many ways he helped me. I'm telling you this is happening at acts 29

I don't even know about it

I hear about it two months later of how you guys go out of your way to help each other

Keep building on it man the pastor doesn't need to know anything as long as we do it Christ is watching right

We are not co-workers with the pastor we are co-workers with

Christ and

Then listen to the pastor

And then the last one is disloyal we'll stop that this disloyal co-worker

guys

Please understand leaving this church does not make you disloyal it just makes you a church leaver

And that's perfectly alright if you feel at some point you need to leave acts 29 never think that you're being disloyal

You're just leaving for you may have good reasons or bad reasons

So don't think of yourself as disloyal if you leave this church

But being a disloyal co-worker is a process. I've got to show you this process. I didn't come up with it

I don't know the name of the guy who came up with it

Even aren't you supposed to do this?

Here's the process of disloyalty be careful of this and we'll stop with this becoming disloyal is a process

The first thing that happens before we go the route of it disloyalty is an independent spirit

We are dependent people because we are reliant on each other my elbow or my eye cannot afford an independent spirit

When cells become independent, it's called cancer they do what they want

So an independent spirit two examples of an independent spirit a job and

Absalom

Job was David's general. He first kills Abner. Then he kills Absalom. Then he kills a third guy

I don't remember the name of third guy. I think his name started with a name and

Then job is finally killed by Solomon because David curses him

But an independent spirit is the start of disloyalty after in an independent spirit

What happens next is we begin to take offense?

Be careful of this. I was going over this listing father help me so that I don't go down this route with anybody

Taking offense taking offense

Taking offense to take offenses to find reasons to be offended then harbor

that offended feeling then fall for the spirit of offense that now begins to

Take what is fermenting and keep using it which will finally lead to this place of disloyalty

so if

Mike says something and I take offense sure he there may be ways Mike can offend me

But once I take offense if I keep harboring it I now open the doors to the spirit of offense

In churches, this is super common. This is how most churches behave and this is how most churches end up having problems

I remember long ago two people at acts Wayne and work

Good people, but they would just irritate each other and take offense

So I thought of myself these two can't do this because they're really good people and

They were right at the start of acts when he had they were there

So I took both of them and locked them in a room

And I said you guys are both grown up enough and know enough about the Lord

So I'm gonna lock you up in a room when I come back, please make sure this is sorted out

Thank God they sorted it out when I came back. They were both hugging each other and crying and I thought man. What a relief

If you get offended sort it out quickly

Third

Disengagement once you take offense you begin to disengage

Once you take offense you begin to disengage

disengages is separated

disengages to be to

Disengage is the practice of being together alone

Being together alone

Where you're together, but you're aloof that's so so this process can continue for a while

You can be in a church for four or five years and yet you can be disengaged because there is offense

So there is something that has affected you and so you are together, but you're not

And in the process you don't share the burden of the church next one is judgment and criticism

Judgment and criticism that's the next stage

And now you start

Criticizing and judging things some things are worth being critical about but bring it to the right people and hopefully they'll be gentle enough

To listen to you if they're not take it to others then bring it to the pastor especially the pastor is the one who's having

Who you have a issue with judgment and criticism?

You know judgment and criticism is okay till it turns into this thing

Here's a crazy thing about gossip it always gets back to the person

Who you're talking about?

That's a crazy thing about gossip every time I've gossiped somehow the person I gossiped about found it

Once it was crazy. I was talking about a person and

My phone which was locked unlocked and rang that person

And so I'm talking about this person and my phone is

On and the person is at the other end. How do you even get out of that man?

How do you salvage that when he's listening to you talking about it?

Gossip always gets back to the source

It's God's ironic sense of humor he

It's God's ironic sense of humor he practices it quite often

After gossip comes deception and what is the deception the deception is I

Am more spiritually mature than this bunch

I'm more spiritually mature than this bunch

And actually you might actually be legalistic not spiritually mature

And that then leads to being disloyal by openly

Rebelling accusing

You

That last word if you can't read it is not your fault it's accusing

This is the process whenever you find yourself anywhere in this process stop yourself quickly I found myself here

I've found myself here

And I find myself here every so not every so often I find myself. I've been there

And remember to get here I have to work myself down that way

Which word are you trying to figure out?

Open belly

Open open open rebe open rebelling and accusing

Openly rebelling and accusing

Openly rebelling and accusing

Yeah, this is the process

Whenever you find yourself here know that

You're in a place place of being a disloyal worker and you will not help the cause of Christ

You will harm the cause of Christ get out of this as quickly as possible

Because at the end of the day anyone who goes down this pathway does not end well and an eyes

Got slain in the spirit

A heath of Phil you haven't heard of him. He was one of David's men who went and counseled

Absalom hung himself Judas

Went and did the same thing Joab

Clung to the horns of the altar and died there

Lucifer we know about him

All these guys ended up badly and all of them started this way

Independent spirit. I want to be like him. I want to be seated on the throne in Zion. I want to receive worship

disengaged from heaven

started

being

Accuser of the brethren

Started spreading lies about God started in the Garden of Eden

deception that he

Deserves to be God and not God

started with Lucifer continues down

Please the reason I need to teach this is we cannot afford to go this way

Wherever you find yourself on this scale jump out of it because whenever I am finding myself on this scale

I'm always reminded Jacob. It's only a matter of time jump out of it

These are harmful co-workers

We'll stop here false teachers reliable teachers we'll talk about next time

Father thank you for