Apostolic Ethics - Pastor Raymond Woodward

by there we say apostolic Pentecostal is an experience we thank God for that apostolic includes Pentecostal but it's more apostolic is a lifestyle apostolic encompasses the Pentecostal experience but apostolic is doctrine apostolic is lifestyle apostolic is a whole system of belief and experience that guides us and tonight I want to talk to you about apostolic ethics ethics if any group of people should be ethical people in their jobs in their business dealings in their interaction with each other and in our interaction with the world if any group of people should be ethical it should be the Apostolic people now if you think this isn't an apostolic enough subject hang on for a few minutes and if you think it's not inspirational enough come back Friday Friday Saturday Sunday morning Sunday night you're gonna be inspired until your head blows up so tonight is Bible study Lord Jesus help us tonight convict us convince us transform us we pray through your word well thank you in Jesus name you may be seated when you get there we just spin around if you got anybody besides the person you came with that's sitting next to you shake their hand maybe lean over the Pew and tell them you're glad to be in Bible study with them tonight what a privilege it is to be here in the house of God with the people of God the term ethics is defined as a system of moral principles or values that results in rules of conduct that are followed by a group or an individual our modern term ethics comes from the Greek word eighth the Coase and that was first used by a man named Aristotle about three four hundred years before Jesus Aristotle was a philosopher of course and he was trying to make an attempt to understand good and moral living now the word he used though has given us our modern word ethics ethicist doesn't even appear in the New Testament but its root word ethos does and we get ethos or ethics kind of from that and that word refers to the habits or the customs of people and that's what Aristotle studied that's where he tried to connect the dots he tried to show that our customs in our habitual way of living needed some justification in other words here was his premise there has to be a reason a good reason that makes some behaviors right and other behaviors wrong what is that reason and to him that was found in the underlying character of the individuals or the society now unfortunately although his ideas were familiar to all educated people who lived in the first century Roman world although his ideas were familiar his ideas fell apart a little bit and here's why because as a society begins to degrade and degenerate and sin enters in now who knows what's right or what's wrong and we live in a very similar time to what Aristotle lived in when our society has redefined what is wrong what is right what is good what is evil and what should be tolerated and what should not be tolerated is there anybody that joins me and having lived long enough to see it flip backwards and what used to not be tolerated is now celebrated and what used to be celebrated is now no longer tolerated and see that's where ethics fails us if we base it just on the goodness or the character of individuals or society that's where Aristotle and we're contemporary society go astray in trying to define good principles and values and conduct and behavior and character because they don't have any underlying moral authority to make those judgments so when a society changes and and the mores of a culture change then everything goes upside down this is where Christians are different we have a basis for our moral authority we have a basis for our values we have a basis for our behavior and our judgments and that is the Word of God you could literally say it this way when you're apostolic culture doesn't define your ethics God defines your ethics now in Exodus chapter 20 verse 19 there's this odd little verse Israel says Moses you speak with us but don't let God speak to us lest we die and I mention that just for this reason it's pretty easy to discount and discard what a man speaks to you and sometimes we can say well pastor you speak to us because we can ignore you you're you're just a guy like us but if God ever speaks to us you can't ignore that you have to deal with that and I'm praying that God speaks to us on some of these issues my theme Scripture my text if you will for tonight is 2nd Corinthians 6 verse 3 giving no offence in anything that the ministry be not blamed if you think that's just talking about pastors you need to read that book second Corinthians again because everybody has a ministry we're all able ministers of the New Testament and the way it works is we're not to give offence in anything you are not your own you are bought with a price you don't call all the shots in your life anymore if you were a servant of Jesus Christ he calls the shots and we follow his directives from his word so you don't have a right to say well I'll just do what I want you lost that right when Jesus saved you because you now have a lord and a master not just somebody that bailed you out if anybody should be ethical if anybody should have morals if anybody should have principles if anybody should behave well and be a blessing in culture it should be Christians they should be the most ethical neighbors and employees found anywhere years ago I saw a little denominational booklet it had no words in it except on the front and it basically said the plan of salvation and inside all they had were colored pages there was a black page a white page a red page and all of these pages and that was how they used this little track to explain the gospel black was the color of sin white was the color of God's holiness they never mixed but red was the color of blood and it saved people and cleanse people and so I kind of got this idea from that little booklet and so tonight the ushers have passed you a little booklet and it's the little handbook of of apostolic ethics and I want to take the whole color approach if you would and the very first color we come to in the booklet is the color white which is the color of holiness white is the color of holiness and it speaks to us of our integrity as individuals first Peter chapter 1 and verse 15 says but as he which has called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation Paul wrote to Timothy and that young man that was being trained and mentored by Paul he said this Timothy let no man despise thy youth but you be an example of the believers in Word in conversation in charity in spirit in faith and impurity Timothy I want you to be an example of the believers notice the word that is used in both of those verses it's the word conversation that word in the Greek language is an Astra Faye and it means your behavior your conduct your lifestyle your values all of the things that that form how you are as a person and how you interact with everybody else now there is no a word a the Coase which gives us ethics that word isn't in the New Testament let me tell you what word is in the New Testament an Astra Faye your conversation conversation isn't just your talk conversation is all the ways in which your life converses and connects and intersects with everybody else's life when New Testament writers want to talk about our ethics they use that word conversation an Astra fee your behavior your lifestyle and your values and white is the color of purity and an and holiness and ethics folks are like holiness integrity is like holiness when you have integrity integrity and integer come from the same root your whole your one what we see on the outside is what's really going on on the inside there's no double life there's no double talk there's not a hidden secret agenda or a hidden secret life you have integrity it's pure it's holy and ethics are like holiness we know this from teaching and studying on the subject of holiness that holiness begins on the inside and then ultimately affects the outside ethics or integrity is the same it begins on the inside and then ultimately affects your relationship with other people on the outside now there's this dumb little debate in current Christian circles about holiness and they actually are dumb enough to have this debate well which is more important internal holiness or outside holiness what's more important what's on the inside of your heart or what's on the outside the way you act and dress and live and that is one dumb discussion and here's why it's dumb because your body your internal organs let let's give them the point let's concede the point your internal organs your heart and your lungs are more important than your external organs your eyes and your ears but just because your eyes and your ears are less important doesn't mean you want to go through life without them in a healthy body you have both internal organs that function well and external organs that function well and if you're going to live a holy life you have internal holiness that functions well and you have external holiness that functions well it's part of being a healthy boy integrity is the same thing it's not enough to say well I'm really a person of integrity on the inside but I don't act that much that same way much on the outside you can't do that white is the color of holiness it speaks of our integrity the next color in your little booklet is the color black which of course is the color of sins symbolically and there's an odd word I put in your handout because it's very important to me Philippians chapter 1 Paul writes from a Roman jail cell he's in prison and he did nothing to deserve that he's in prison because of other people accusing him and then to add insult to injury while Paul is in prison there's a bunch of charlatans there there's a bunch of false brethren that pile on and they think oh good Paul's in prison he's out of the way now my ministry can Excel because Paul's locked up in prison and they're preaching because Paul can't preach and they're having Crusades because Paul can't have Crusades and their pastor in churches because Paul can't pastor churches and they literally are so evil that they think will Paul's out of the way now my ministry can Excel it's unbelievable but you know what's even more unbelievable than their attitude is Paul's attitude it's amazing this is written from a jail cell he said what then notwithstanding every way whether they're preaching in pretense whether they're total charlatans and frauds and fakers or whether they're preaching in truth they're good brethren they're apostolic to the core either way Christ is preached Paul is in prison and these guys are rejoicing about it and meanwhile he's praying for them and hoping that they have good meetings and pastor great churches because Christ is preached and they're in I do rejoice yay and I will rejoice I'm just happy that Jesus is being preached even if sometimes Jesus is preached by people that have flaws false even if Jesus is sometimes preached by people that have mistreated me even if Jesus is sometimes preached by people I don't even like Paul said I'm gonna rejoice even though I don't like what they're doing I'm gonna rejoice that Jesus Christ is being preached that's amazing well that's an attitude Romans 16 verse 9 he says to the people in Rome he said yet I would have you to be wise unto that which is good I'd like you to know a whole lot about good things I'd like you to know a whole lot of good reports if you're gonna know some gossip know some good gossip I'd like you to be wise concerning things that are good if you're gonna be wise about media I'd like you to be wise about good media if you're gonna be wise about culture I'd like you to be wise about the good things in your culture and I'd like you to be simple that means exactly what you thought it did I'd like you to be dumb I'd like you to be naive I'd like you to be simple concerning evil you know one of the plagues of the modern church is we got a lot of people that know every kind of sinful celebrity and they know every kind of activity and they can get the the meaning of every double minded double edged joke they got it all their whys concerning evil and they're dumb as a fencepost concerning good Paul said you need to reverse that and do it quickly you need to be smart and sharp and wise you need to be tuned in to what is good and you need to be dumb and simple and a little bit naive and if the world thinks you're naive good you're doing this right you don't need to be up on every filthy perverted joke that's floating around the office you don't need to be up on every sinful celebrity and what they upended their life into this week you don't need to know that you're an apostolic and this is part of apostolic ethics this is the way we live and so the word here is innocence I don't need that blackness in my heart I don't need that evil in my heart I don't need all that junk and trash in my heart I want to be innocent nobody wants to be innocent anymore everybody wants to be kind of cool and couth and know everything that's going on not Paul he said I'd like you to be wise unto that which is good and simple concerning evil I wrote this statement down months and months ago it encapsulates I think where I try to be what I try to live like leadership experts tell us that vision leaks if you don't keep harping on vision it just leaks out of a church out of an organization out of a business but here's what leaks way worse than vision innocence leaks innocence leaks out of our lives the world's always trying to beat a path into our heart in our mind and I do not want to be a Christian long enough to become hardened to what we do or callous to the move of God in a service as a pastor I don't want to preach sermons so long that I feel like we can push a couple of buttons and pull a couple of rabbits out of the hat and hit a couple of cliches and we can manage and manipulate the presence of God because we can it is a rare privilege when the presence of Jesus comes rushing into a sanctuary like it did tonight that is not something we manufacture that is not something we hype up or pull down or create that is God moving among his people I don't want to be a Pentecostal long enough to feel like I can be cynical about my brethren and skeptical concerning all the great reports we get from our missionaries in our evangelist I'm not skeptical about those reports I've had the honour the rare privilege of standing in some of those meetings and watching the Holy Ghost just kind of dump out like a waterfall like Niagara Falls on a crowd of tens of thousands of people I've had a chance to be there they're not making that up when they send those reports that's not exaggerated or stretch most of the time they've agonized over what they present to North America because they don't want us to disbelieve it I am NOT cynical I am NOT skeptical I am rejoicing at what God is doing I want to be wise concerning things that are good I want to be innocent concerning the work of God and one more thing before we move on there are all kinds of giftings in the body of Christ and just because you're not anointed like I'm anointed or I'm not gifted like you're gifted doesn't mean we discard each other just because you're not anointed like me doesn't mean you're not anointed and just as I'm not gifted by God like you doesn't mean I'm not gifted by God we need to grow up and get over this we are a body and we function together and God puts in the body apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers you know what else he puts in the body those that are called to be Saints it is not a downer to be called to be a saint it is not less than to be called to be a saint I just read it in first Corinthians this afternoon called to be Saints if you're called to be a saint don't stoop to be the Prime Minister of Canada don't stoop to be the President of the United States you are called to be a saint this is a body and we're all valuable not skeptical about you and I think I just lied because I got one more thing to say before we move on furthermore just because you and I have had a disagreement doesn't mean that God can't use you anymore because you disagreed with me just because you and I had a party of ways over some subject doesn't mean that God discarded you because I was so arrogant that I discarded you let's grow up and get over that foolishness somebody say innocence we don't need that black sin creeping into our lives we're called to be Apostolic people who are ethical in our dealings with each other you may not like this next one silver is the color of wealth and I want to talk to you for just a moment about materialism because materialism can be the enemy of your ethics as a Christian Matthew 6:24 Jesus said no man no man not you even though you're especially gifted and very mature and you know a lot of the Bible no man can serve two masters either he will hate the one and love the other or else he'll hold to the one and despise the other now the next phrase should say you can't serve God in the devil but it doesn't say that that's too obvious we'd see that coming twenty-five miles away here's the principle you can't serve God and Mammon you can't serve God and materialism your Bible the one that you carry to church or have on your phone your Bible devotes twice as many verses to money as it does to faith and prayer combined twenty three hundred and fifty verses about money Jesus your Lord said more about money than he did about heaven and hell combined Jesus spent fifteen percent of all of his recorded words talking about money he said more about money than any other subject because money and possessions have the greatest potential to shove him out of his place as the Lord of your life not the devil that's too obvious you'd see that coming and run no money and possessions when you get focused on wealth when you get focused on materialism when that becomes some kind of a motivation for you you can mess up everything I've seen people take promotions and lose out with God I've seen people move away where there's no good Church and lose their family and their salvation I've seen people that get some kind of business idea and they lose out with God I've seen it all over 35 years and it's treacherous and it sneaks up on them not one of them intended to lose out with God but Jeremiah said your heart is deceitful above all things and it's desperately wicked who can know it not you not me only God your heart is deceitful you can't know what's in there and that's why the psalmist is always praying God searched my heart God searched my heart we could use a revival of that in the 21st century God searched my heart I'm so busy sometimes trying to cover up what's in my heart so all of you will think I'm fine and good and everything's okay but the psalmist he kept praying God you searched my heart because only you know what's in there while I can't know my heart and I can't figure out what's in there without asking God's help I can do this jesus said in Matthew 6:21 you back up three verses he said where your treasure is there will your heart be also your heart follows your treasure wherever your treasure is so you can control your heart you can't even know what's in your heart but you can control your heart by where you put your treasure it's amazing your heart follows your treasure and so when you give to something when you invest in something your heart goes there if you invest in your business your hearts going to be all preoccupied with your business if you invest in your retirement your hearts gonna be pure occupied with the retirement you invest in your home in your car and your nice thing and whatever it is your heart is gonna go there because your heart is fixated on where your treasure has been placed and you know that if you just bought something new it could be a new car or it could be a new phone but you worry about that you look suspiciously at anybody that picks it up or gets too close because they might scratch it and it goes that way until you drop it or crash it and then it doesn't matter anymore your heart follows your treasure let me tell you something wonderful about the Apostolic Church when you put your treasure in missions your heart goes into missions when you put your treasure in God's kingdom your heart goes in God's kingdom when you put your treasure in your church your heart gets wrapped up in your church when you invest in ministries an evangelist comes by and you bless him with something your heart goes there it's amazing my heart stuck right here in my chest and I can't even figure out what's in it the Bible says that but you know where my heart was on Sunday it was over in the Philippines with Nick Mohini because this church rally and put some money into that man and hundreds receive the Holy Ghost because of what he did on the weekend and my heart was there and your heart was there your heart follows your treasure there are three levels of giving according to many of the surveys that have been done of the North American church see the Bible refers to giving according to your ability and giving more than your ability what the Bible doesn't refer to is giving less than your ability but here's how the statistics pan out with North American Christians ninety-six percent of Christians in North America give less than their ability to give they could give more easily wouldn't even make a dent in anything ninety-six percent of them give in that category that is not even biblical less than their ability according to the statistics 3 percent of Christians give according to their ability they give as as God has prospered and they give and it doesn't kill them it doesn't mess them up they're giving according to their ability and only 1 percent of Christians give beyond their ability which is another category the Bible talks about giving beyond they're really what's giving beyond your ability it's given when it doesn't make sense it's given when you really don't have it it's giving when it pinches and stretches you it's giving when when you could use that money for something else and everybody would probably tell you you should but you feel like oh no I've got to invest in the kingdom of God and you do and then God comes through miraculously and makes up the gap I think I'm still preaching in an Apostolic Church on a Wednesday night in September 29th 2019 I think I'm selling already in next year it sounds so much easier 2020 but we're not there yet somebody preached something on 20/20 vision when we open up the year pastor Jack I think I'm still preaching to an apostolic church in September 2019 III think I'm still preaching to people that understand that if I invest in the kingdom of God even beyond my ability to give God is going to come through and make that up to me you are seated among some people that have seen some financial miracles over the years because they gave beyond or above their ability to give I'm not pausing because I lost my place I'm just pausing to let the uncomfortable feeling sink in just for a moment we need to be convicted about that because what we think is according to our ability we are in the top 10 percent easily of the wealthiest people in the whole world your brothers and sisters in Pakistan and India and Philippines and all over they don't have what you have they don't have what I have and yet they give and they sacrifice we do wonderfully well we thank God for this church we don't have a problem with giving so we're not taking an offering tonight we're not doing pledges I'm not here to shame or condemn or guilt or nag anybody but I'm just telling you we're not too far off if the statistics say only one percent of North American Christians give beyond their ability to give that's got to affect somebody here don't let the devil rob you of your blessing of miraculous provision because you think you got to pay for some possession before you give in to the work of God next color in your handout is green green is the color of is the color of growth it's the color of hope new life coming back green and this speaks to me of a mindset that Christians should have a mindset of hope first Corinthians 13 verse 7 love beareth all things it believeth all things it hope ahthe all things it in doroth all things an ethical mindset an apostolic ethical mindset believes the best about people and it hopes for the best in all situations until proven otherwise basic human psychology tells me that when you and I do the very same thing very same thing I am going to attribute the worst possible motives to you and the best possible motives to me and we're doing exactly the same thing let me show you how that works if if your kids are messing up that's because you didn't raise them right but if my kids are messing up that's because the devil's attack in my home pastors do this to each other unfortunately if if your church has some people that don't look Apostolic that's because you've left the faith denied the faith you're turning into some false doctrine you're walking away from truth but if our church has people that don't have a holiness standard yet it's because we're reaching the lost we got new babies and new converts you see how that works I can attribute the worst possible motive to somebody else while I'm thinking the best possible motive about me now where's that what's that have to do with me pastor oh it has a lot the tendency of human nature to misinterpret each other's motives can be dangerous and divisive in a local church and Paul calls us to a higher standard of ethics he says don't you give offense in anything that the ministry be not blamed he says in 1st Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 21 and 22 is not in your little booklet first Thessalonians 5:21 22 he says prove all things don't be dumb you can know when somebody's a fraud or a charlatan prove all things hold fast to that which is good and abstain from all appearance of evil we're not dumb we understand that people can have wrong motives and people can make horrible decisions but until we know for a fact that they're wrong we're gonna believe the best about them until we know for a fact that it's messed up permanently we're gonna try to hope for the best till the very last possible moment that's an Apostolic ethic no we don't cover up wrongdoing but here's what we do proverbs 17 verse 9 he that covereth a transgression seeketh love but the one that repeats a matter he separates very friends the writer of Proverbs said we don't cover up stuff but we do cover sin we do cover transgression that's not covering it up that's covering it in other words we don't talk about it all over town we don't spread the news that somebody failed all over Facebook we don't get on social media or our texting or our phones and say did you hear the next time somebody says to you did you hear you know what they should see next your heals that's what they should see next as you run away did you hear Thank You students because the church didn't clap for that pastor Jack clap for that but the church still hasn't clap for that just so we notice there we go that's called guilt [Applause] we don't cover up people's sins but love covers a multitude of sins that doesn't mean is covering it up it means we're not going to talk about it and humiliate people and embarrass people because the last thing they need is a mountain of shattered shards of glass to crawl over when they finally repent and come back to church they don't need to think that you hate them they need to know that you love them so we don't talk about all the failures and the messes that people make we leave them alone and we pray for them that's apostolic it's a mindset of hope that this isn't the end of them that this isn't the last we're going to see them hope says we're gonna see them back at an altar we're gonna see them back on a platform we're gonna see you with their hands lifted and tears running down their face so if you think we're gonna kick them out and dismiss them and talk about it all over town that's a quick way to get rebuked by one of the pastor's here hope somebody say hope Romans five Paul said tribulation see if you've ever had somebody unjustly criticize you if you've ever had somebody attack your character tribulation works patience in you and patience work some experience and experience works hope you experience enough life and enough negativity and enough people doing you wrong you won't be wanting to do anybody else wrong and that kind of hope maketh not ashamed let's go a little further gold is the color of course of the golden rule and this speaks to us of mutuality that we treat one another as we would want to be treated Matthew 7 therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you you do even so to them that is the law and the prophets Jesus said that one concept sums up the entire Old Testament Paul he amplifies it a little bit in Romans 12 he said be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love in honour preferring one another if we could just practice the golden rule taught by Jesus listen that would eliminate all relationship conflicts period end of story Jesus said the entire Old Testament hangs on that one principle and Paul's principle of in honour preferring one another that would solve all kinds of conflicts if we only practiced it you see when I prefer you over me when I do to you what I would have you do to me that means you get what you want and I don't always get what I want that's an honor preferring one another that one little principle will bless your marriage your family your friendships your ministry whatever but the human ego is so treacherous we can make a thousand excuses for our behavior if I truly honor and prefer you above me then I will always keep confidential what you share with me and confidence I will build my ministry without tearing down your ministry if I honor and prefer you over me I will not compete with you for some stupid position somewhere if I honor you above me I will not accept a negative report about you without talking to you it will not happen just because somebody said it about you doesn't make it true in my books I'm gonna check it out with you if I honor and prefer you above me I won't interact with your friends and colleagues without building you up let's move on red is the color of blood of course we sang about it earlier tonight the precious blood of Jesus and it speaks to us of mercy Romans chapter 14 verse 13 let us not therefore judge one another any more could we please stop judging one another if you want something to judge Paul said here's something you can judge look in your mirror and make sure you're not putting a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in your brother's way if you want something to judge judge yourself if you want something to judge judge your actions not somebody else's Paul begs the church in Ephesus he said be ye kind one to another tender-hearted and we're human so we're gonna mess up we're gonna make mistakes we're gonna chafe each other hurt each other but forgive one another not trying to be whatever forgive one another for God's sake even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you if you're gonna make a mistake with people make that mistake by being too merciful and not too judgmental we'll people sometimes take advantage of that oh yeah ask any pastor they can tell you but God keeps good records and God will look after you and your little reputation if you'll look after his people my pastor constantly says to me he deals with so many people that have fallen fractured messed up backslidden and he's trying to restore them he constantly says to me Raymond what if that was your son or what if that was your daughter can you forgive people who've made horrible mistakes maybe the answer to that's found in another question have you ever made a horrible mistake and did God forgive you if God forgave you surely you can show his mercy to somebody else that's an apostolic ethic it's an ethic of mercy it's an ethic that hopes for the best instead of scheming to uncover the worst two more things I'm gonna try to finish real quick here blue is the colour of heaven it speaks of our motivation in serving God what's your motivation for being a church member what's your motivation for being a Christian what's your motivation for being involved in ministry or volunteering at your church first Corinthians three verse eight says he that planteth and he that watereth were one the pastor doesn't get more credit because God appointed him to be the one that speaks behind the pulpit he's not greater in the eyes of God because of that he that planteth and he that watereth were one every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor you do what God called you to do and you're gonna receive the greatest reward in heaven period end of story you don't have to do what somebody else does but the in the celebrity culture that infects our society has made a few inroads into the church and if we're not careful that can lead us in the great apostolic church of the last days it can lead us to see in big people and little people important people and not very important people valuable people and people that aren't very valuable no you listen no such distinction exists with God I've preached funerals for precious little old Saints that not one soul outside their little tiny community and this church family would have even known their name nobody at our headquarters will ever know their name but in heaven I believe some of those people are world famous because they prayed for their pastors and their church and their family every day of their life the language of the New Testament is servants and masters but today it would be employees and bosses that's an education read through some of Paul's epistles and take out the word servant put employee take out the word master and put boss it'll give you a really good course on how you should live as an apostolic on your job Colossians I'll just mention one passage chapter three verse 22 it's not in your handout Colossians 3 22 through 24 servants employees obey in all things your bosses according to the flesh not with ice services men pleasers what's that mean don't just work hard when they're looking don't just do it when you're being supervised but in singleness of heart fearing God now here's the catch and whatsoever you do well all I do is sort boxes all I do is type papers all I do is file things all I do is run errands for my boss whatsoever you do do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men why because your paycheck may come from your boss but your reward doesn't come from your boss God is watching how you work on that job and it blesses his kingdom and the testimony of his church when they say behind your back not he's lazy not she's grumpy but they say that is the most valuable employee that is the most pleasant employee we've ever had here that blesses the kingdom of God knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance this is talking about your job for you serve the Lord Christ apostolic employees should be the most awesome employees in the entire city of Fredericton and province of New Brunswick because here's an apostolic ethic I'm not just working for you I'm working for God wait a minute you never preached the crusade I'm working for God at my job I'm working for God at the University I'm working for God at Walmart I don't have to be behind a pulpit to work for God I can reach out to somebody while I'm checking them out at the register because I'm not working for Walmart I'm working for Jesus second Corinthians five verse 10 for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body whether it be good or bad what's your motivation my motivation is not an employee evaluation at the end of the month that's not what I'm concerned about my motivation is heaviness coming at me like a freight train whether I go by way of a few and roller by way of the rapture heaven is coming at me and my concern is the evaluation that I'm going to face at the judgement seat of Christ what's your motivation and finally and in conclusion Brown is the color of earth and it speaks to us of our mortality the psalmist said so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom teach us to number our days God teach us to realize that all of us are interim pastors interim Saints interim leaders interim ministers nobody's permanent here everybody's gonna die or move or be replaced or if something is gonna happen to you and someday somebody else is going to do what you're doing now if it's a ministry a job whatever it is so be sure to always work with your mortality in mind and that says something very important to those of us that really want to give the church and the work of God our best put your family high on your priority list put your family high on your priority list don't be one of those Christians you'll never hear this from many pastors don't be one of those Christians that that's that's at the church every night and your kids hardly know your name now I don't think we have a problem with too many people being at the church every night just to be clear but don't be one of those people that you're so spiritual with all of us and your kids they think you hate them you're not interested in them don't trade the role that is unique to you someday somebody else is gonna stand behind this pulpit after pastor jack and me are both gone someday somebody else is going to lead the ministry you leading the church someday somebody else is gonna drive your car and have your job and live in your house someday so don't trade the room one role that's unique to you and that's as the parent of your child or the Sussman of your wife or the wife of your husband don't trade that role that only you can fulfill for something that somebody else is going to eventually do anyway the Southern Baptist pastor from Atlanta Andy Stanley he said this and I love the quote your greatest contribution to the kingdom of God may not be something you do it may be somebody you raise parents if you can raise a godly young person that knows how to pray and marry somebody that serves God and God calls them to do something in a local church somewhere or calls them to be a missionary and they impact the kingdom of God your greatest contribution might not have even been you living for God or being a preacher or being a minister being a department head your greatest contribution may be somebody that right now is little and they're growing up in your house but you're teaching them how to pray big prayers even though they're a little person that's incredibly valuable parents spouses brothers and sisters we need to not just be apostolic in the four walls of 71 Downing Street we need to have an apostolic ethic that remembers we've only got limited time to raise our kids we've only got limited time to love our spouses we've only got limited time to bless our family and teach them and train them so remember you need to get God and His Word to teach you to number your days oh my can I just have two minutes and I'll be done is that okay I know we're a little bit over time I'm sorry we're supposed to start a 7:00 sharp and end at 8:00 doll speak to somebody that there's tension in your family there's conflict there's spiritual battles in your home speak to somebody that there's backsliders in your family in this last little scripture I came across it just a few months ago I don't know how I missed it reading through am ninh david's son had raped Tamar David's daughter and then Absalom David's son had killed his brother in revenge and Absalom had fled from the kingdom and it's been three years and David and Absalom are estranged Absalom was dead wrong Absalom did a great sin Amundsen didn't make Absalom sin right in the sight of God and David and Absalom are estranged and every day David thinks about Absalom but he won't lift his finger to bring that boy home to the kingdom and finally his friend Joab who was his general but also his friend Joab goes to a little wood a widow woman in Toccoa and he said come here I want you to help me with something and he explains it all out because he knows her situation and he sends her to King David and she comes in know Joab just this little widow woman from Tekoa and she walks in to the palace has an audience with the King and she tells him this story that captures David's heart David got it he got caught a couple of times with somebody telling him a story that captured his heart and this little woman she said I have two boys and they got in a fight and one killed the other my husband's been dead for years I'm a little widow and one son killed the other son and then the village pounced on me and said bring us that boy that killed his brother and we're going to judge him we're going to stone him we're gonna kill him King David I need your help because I'm gonna lose both my boys and I won't have anything in this earth and David he gets riled he said you just send that person to me and I'll make sure I protect you and they will not kill your boy because your boy needs to come home and he no sooner gets the words out of his mouth and she says King David can I just say one more thing you need to bring your boy home your boys estranged from you and you're willing to leave that and let that be and not raise a finger to solve it look at what she says look look look second samuel 14 14 everybody say immortality you only got one life to live don't live it hating people don't live it divide it from everybody don't live it with a strange man in your heart toward everybody here's what she says this little wise widow woman she said King David we must needs die we're all gonna die and when we die our lives are like water spilt on the ground it can't be gathered up again whatever you do whatever you decide whoever you hate or love whatever you act like it's spilt on the ground you can't fix it when you die neither does God respect any person he's not changing his rules for you but although God can't change his rules and God can't turn a sim into a righteous act sin as sin wrong is wrong evil is evil but God can devise a means that his banished be not expelled from him although what Absalom did was wrong you got him dead to rights under the law but God can devise a means God is so merciful so miraculous that if you'll trust him and if you will reach out if you'll do the hard work of swallowing your stupid pride and swallowing your dumb ego and you'll reach out God can devise a means to bring that banished one back to him I speak to somebody who has a backslider in your family I speak to somebody that there's a sinner who their sin is an affront to your righteous lifestyle but I speak to you tonight and say our God Kenda izo means to bring back a banished one to him I believe there's a revival of backsliders in the next couple of years gonna happen all across the Apostolic Church I really believe that I hear it everywhere I go I've heard it in preaching I've heard it in prophecy I've heard it in conferences I've heard it in minister sessions I've heard it from evangelists and pastors and people I consider to be apostles of the faith there's going to be a revival a backslider now God can devise a means for them to get back but here's what you got to remember you only got one life here you're immortal you only got one chance to do it right so the last thing you need to be doing is hating on them the last thing you need to be doing is heaping more guilt on them the last thing you need to be doing is shaming them the last thing you need to be doing is gossiping about them the last thing you need to be doing it's looking down your nose at there I'll tell you what you need to be doing you need to be praying for them and you need to be reaching for them and you need to be loving them because God can devise a means that those who are right now banished from his presence that they are not permanently expelled from him that's apostolic that's our ethic that nobody's too far gone nobody's too far down nobody's too far loss nobody's too far in sin God can devise a means he's so merciful and miraculous God can devise a means to bring them back to him that's apostolic ethics we never give up you thought ethics was a bunch of dumb little rules no ethics it's a lifestyle ethics is an attitude ethics is a value system and we've got an apostolic ethic that never gives up on lost people stand with me and lift your hands high in the presence of God and give Jesus praise in this room tonight reach out to him we're almost finished service I'm not going to hold you a long time I just need you to reach out to God somebody God wants to give you hope for that backslider in your family somebody God wants to adjust your attitude a little bit tonight God wants you to be a merciful person that's pretty good but that's not that's not where it should be and could be I want you to lift up your prayer right now lift up your prayer right now lift up your prayer right now God may speak a word into your spirit about what to do to go reach that person God may speak a word into your spirit to tell you what to do this show mercy to that person God may speak a word of hope to you mando mando Shah Baba Yaga raha Bella take Leto Lobos or Ibaka mando Ramos Saba oh my goodness surah ba-ba-ba toro cora baby SE avatar korra a la bahia mandala bullosa Shah Baba I need all my folks that love a backslider that's not serving God right now I don't care if it's in your family or somewhere else lift your hand high right now lift here look at that look at that there's a revival that would pack this church out floor and balcony right there there's a revival lift up your voice and let's pray Lord Jesus you are so merciful and you are so miraculous that when we can't figure out a way when we can't figure out a means when it seems the sin is too far gone and the person is too angry and too rebellious and too addicted and too bound you can devise a means that those that are banished will not be permanently expelled from your kingdom so God instruct us teach us burden us in prayer god help us to reach so we can have that revival of backsliders that is being prophesied all over the Apostolic Church let us see it here let us see it here in Jesus name in Jesus name in Jesus name in Jesus name

Channel: Capital Community Church

Views: 25,326

Rating: 4.8651686 out of 5

Keywords: capital, community, church, fredericton, nb, new, brunswick, canada, upc, upci, united, pentecostal, international, apostolic, christian, preaching, sermons, sermon, raymond, woodward, jack, leaman, matthew, bible, study, biblical teaching, ethics, apostolic ethics

Id: OhMIeX0DD6A

Length: 57min 14sec (3434 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 04 2019