Sermon Transcript
Auto Generated
Sun, Dec 10, 2023 10AM • 1:02:34SUMMARY KEYWORDSchurch, Paul, god, Jesus, talk, preach, hear, worship, people, call, word, read, sin, holy spirit, bible, Artemis, Ephesus, speak, gospel, happen
Morning Welcome if you're new here among us my name is Gene and I serve here at C3 Church as your pastor. I want to begin by sharing with you 10 reasons why I don't go to sporting events. One every time I went he asked me for money to the people sitting in my row they weren't very friendly and then some of whom were kind of weird. Three and all these events the seats are kind of hard. They're not comfy for the coach never came to visit me never said High Five the referees while they made decisions I didn't agree with six. Some games went into overtime. And I was late getting home. Seven The band played songs I didn't like you guys are getting it now. Eight the games are scheduled on my only day to sleep in and run errands. Nine as a kid my parents took me to too many games 10 I know more than the coaches anyway. Do these reasons sound familiar? All right, so we're going to hop right in. Last week we did Second Corinthians we talked about those hucksters, that was one of the problem people selling you stuff you really don't need right so the teachers teaching just for money. That was really one of the big problems there and the collection. We're not going to do that again because I know I hit you pretty hard with that. So we're going to go the other way. And then we're going to talk about the hucksters. So we are following Paul through the book of Acts and we find ourselves in Ephesus now so that's where we are going to be not Oedipus emphasis that's a different thing and a different sermon entirely. So first Corinthians got that good remember Apollo's so the first problem right the church in Corinth right? This idea that you're worshiping your pastor right who is Apollo's who's Paulie policies is really eloquent speaker and we get from Paul maybe that he's not so much right. So they're following Paul around. So Apollo's around and so Paul tees off on him for four chapters. Alright, so we're going to hop right in Acts 19. One, while Apollo's was in Corinth, Paul travelled through the interior regions until he reached emphasis on the coast, where he found several believers. Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed he asked them? No, they replied, We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. What baptism did you experience? Yes. And they replied, The baptism of John. Paul said John's baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the One who would come later, meaning Jesus, as soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul laid his hands on him, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. There were about 12 men and all. So just really, really quick here, because there's people from all different denominations, and that's okay. Here, people sometimes are going to take this and run with it without reading the rest. Like you have to keep reading guttering, because Paul does, as we saw First and Second Corinthians, a lot of clarification happens in his letters. And that's what it's for there. Right. So one, not all speak in tongues. We learned that right? Notice here too. They also prophesied in this case, right? So we talked about specifically those two gifts, right? So the crux of what he's talking about, remember the love chapter, right? If I can speak in the tongues of angels, but I don't have love. Nothing. So not everybody speaks in tongues. That's okay. You don't have to do that. Yes, there's still for today, but I'll talk about it later. You don't have to do that. Also, some people will say to baptize just in the name of Jesus. You don't see the Father Son Holy Spirit in here. So they're all named Jesus. No, wrong. Faulty conclusion. You have to keep reading and also remembering what Matthew 28 What Jesus said right baptize in the name of the Father, Creek and of the Son Creek and of the Holy Spirit, right. So Trinity so people will take it and run with it. Just to clarify that now. Paul is going to minister in Ephesus so as he does, he's nicknamed himself the apostle to the Gentiles if you read his letters, but he still stops right he has a love for his own people Romans nine through 11. He still stops his tradition is to stop in every single synagogue and preach to them and here, he's preaching to him boldly for three months. Right so some people do not believe in says the way that's Christianity, some they call it so he leaves with some believers and he lectures at the lecture hall of Taranis for the next two years. It says Paul gives a guest Paul the unusual ability to do these like unusual miracles. So anything like pieces of clothing and handkerchief, if they just touch Paul, they just bring these to the sick, they put them on the sick and they get healed, right? Even demons are being cast out. It's totally crazy. So it's a If this really crazy thing, and a lot of people come to believe. Now there's kind of a funny thing. Well, not funny, but seven sons and Skiba. Remember I said that like casting out demons could be really dangerous. Here we see that's not true, especially if you're not like a real deep, faithful believer, or that's not your gifting. So here, there's a group of Jews traveling around, they're trying to use the name of the Lord Jesus, right? So I come and you in the Name of Lord Jesus, they say this demon to this guy come out, like, well, I know Jesus, I know, Paul, but who are you? And so the guy possessed leaves on them and beats them up so bad that they flee naked. Right? So that could be embarrassing. Be careful with the we'll talk about the demon possessed ministry, right? But what happens is, it spreads really quickly that this happened throughout Ephesus. And so it turns out to be really good, where there's these people, you know, worshipping other gods, we'll talk about that a minute. And they have like incantation books or sorcery, spell books, but it's thinking like spell books, they have all these spell books. And so they make a big public bonfire. And they burn all of them. And it says, like, if you translate it, you know, it could be like millions of dollars worth of this stuff. So here's what happens. It has a disruption to their trade. So I'll talk to you a little bit about this area and emphasis and why it's so important to know this. There's a big trade going on there. So it's basically like, you know, religious Disney World. It's a religious like tourist place, right, so that all these people are going. So here's what happens. Acts 1923. About that time, serious trouble developed an emphasis concerning the way Christianity. It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who has a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades and address them as follows. Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. But as you have seen and heard this man, Paul has persuaded many people that handmade Gods aren't really Gods at all. And he's done this not only here in Ephesus, but throughout the entire province. Of course, I'm not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I'm also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose his influence and the Artemis this magnificent goddess worship throughout the province of Asia and all around the world will be robbed of her great prestige. So you see what this guy's all about? Right? He's like, our business, our business our business, by the way, Artemis. Yeah, she's good. He's really worried about the business, the trade here. It's costing them a lot of money. So just to explain, if you don't know a quick little history thing, Artemis is like a fertility goddess, the statues kind of a little weird. But anyway, the Temple of Artemis Diana is like the Roman version, but it's Artemis here in the Greek is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. So this is a real big type of place. It's a big deal. It's a massive amount of trade, right? So when you're thinking about like, in today's money, millions of dollars worth of books, that's I don't even have that many books. That's a lot. My wife laughs She's like you know most but
you're getting there. Alright, so what happens is they kind of gather and then they're chanting great is Artemis of Ephesians great is not going to so you can imagine this kind of like riot developing graders are they're chanting like worshiping their God. So Paul wants to go into this place, but they know it's going to get dangerous for him. So he's kept out and so they're all chanting and chanting. And finally they push this guy Alexander just really quick. A lot of people say he's probably Alexander the Coppersmith Timothy, who didn't do great harm but anyway, Alexander but he's Jew a Jew and they find out he's a Jew graders are in Mississippi Asians, right? They don't want to hear anything from the Jewish people there. They kept it up it says for two hours that's a long worship service guys, we got to kind of pick it up. Right the mayor the mayor you know kind of just basically says that the gist here is that look, we're going to get in trouble for riding here unless you guys calm down if you got a problem. Demetrius you can take it to the court right it's unsafe all the car and deal with it there but calm down. So they disperse is what happens here because of that. Now, we're going to turn the page X 21. When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them. Then he said goodbye and left for Macedonia. While there he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through. Then he traveled down to Greece, or care where he stayed for three months. He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life. So he decided to return through Macedonia. So we see that right he's still getting chased through x by these Jewish non western Jews. These are the ones that do not believe in Jesus, right? So there are men traveling with him. And so what they're going to do, they're going to try to get the Troas and so some people went ahead and waited hit show us and it says for us, so if you're a real nerd, you notice the way narrative picks up here. That's Luke putting himself it was Luke 16. Remember when that appeared, and now happens again, annex 20, Luke is placing himself with Paul, he's like the eyewitness to all this stuff. So they went ahead after Passover ended, says we boarded a ship at Philippi in Macedonia and five days later joined them in Troas. So we stayed with them for a week. Now it says on the first day of the week, so I remember like this is where we get the day of the Lord type of thing. Hang on for this tradition of meeting the first day of the week. They're doing it right. So they're having the Lord's Supper. And they're meeting in this upper room, three stories up. And so it's getting really, really late. And so Paul's preaching, like for a really, really long time, so I'll pause like for each until midnight, and then someone falls asleep during a sermon. Now, I'm cool with that, right. So the thing is, if you fall asleep, don't snore, because I will make fun of you, you will become a part of the sermon here. But anyway, here's what you don't want to do. You don't want to fall out a window to your death, if I preach you to sleep. And that's what happens to a guy. He's up on the third floor, this guy Eutychus. He's in a windowsill, smart move, right? There's no windows. Oh, he's probably there. Because it's an upper room heat rises. And it says they have all these flickering lights, they have all these candles around, right? So what happens when you have a lot of fire going deprives the room of oxygen, so he's probably tired and Paul's going on for a long time. So this dude just falls out the window. Some versions say to his death. It's kind of confusing. When you read the Greek it could have just fell down and Paul picked him up, but he's probably dead. So you fall asleep stories. Paul goes down and get some Don't worry. He's okay. Guy bounces up. What does Paul do after that? He keeps preaching. Right? So he still does, I guess it carries like, Okay, this is clearly hazardous. Right? I'm going to keep going. I'll just kill you bring you back to life. All right. So here's what happens. Paul's traveling around. He decides now to sail past emphasis. says he wants to make it in time for the to Jerusalem. For the fence festival. Pentecost. This is like 50 days after the complicated, but anyway, seven weeks after. So it's Passover Pentecost. So he wants to get there. But what's funny is when you think about it, like why would you want to go back to Ephesus, you know, they just had that right there. It wasn't safe for him. Right? So what he's going to do is he's going to say farewell to the Ephesian elders member Ephesus, he's going to say farewell to leadership there, but he's going to call for them at my least place called my leaders, right? He's going to have them gather. And then what he does is he gives them the speech. And so the speech kind of goes like this. Look, he lets them know, I've humbly you know, I'm humbled. Not working for money here, right. And I had the very consistent gospel message for you. I did my job. I preached right. But he's now I'm bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what's going to happen to me there. But the Holy Spirit says, I'm going to have like serious hardships. I'm going to go through a lot, right. But his wife, his life is worth nothing, right? Nothing. It's just really funny animals that his wife is worth nothing, but he doesn't have what? Yeah, my wife was like, Oh, really? Sorry. Just speaking my mind. Unless I finish the work. My life is worth nothing unless I finish the work like I've been assigned, you know, just basically spreading the gospel for Jesus. So then he lets him know, none of you are going to see me again. Right? You're not going to see me again. So they're upset. They're like, Oh, no, and use the phrase. Basically, the blood, you know, I preached well, so if you guys won't strike Bloods, not on my hands or bloods not on my head. So think of Ezekiel three, Ezekiel 33, for your Bible, nerds, it's in there. Right? So it's like the man on the watchtower, right? If you warn them that someone's coming, and they don't listen, well, it's on them, right. So he uses that type of phraseology there. But he warns them, I know that false teachers like vicious wolves will come in among you after I leave not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following Watch out. Important, I have never coveted anyone's silver, gold or fine clothes, you know that these hands of mine who worked to supply my own needs, and even the needs of those who are with me. And I've been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of Jesus it is more blessed to give than to receive was like closes that section. So they cry, and he gets on the ship. So they're sad that mostly because he said they're not going to see him again. Here's so what do you see? False teachers will distort the truth is interesting. They're going to use the truth, but then they're, they're going to distort it. Right? They're going to be among you like vicious wolves. They're going to do what Demetrius did for a profit. So you see the theme here and these two chapters, Prophet Paul warns about what's going to happen. It's interesting, it's going to happen to me like prophetic here. He's sure of it, just like the hucksters in Corinth. So let's go back there. Kind of tie this in Second Corinthians four one. Therefore, since God knows Mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the Word of God or it is we tell the truth before God and all around us know this if the good news we preach is hidden behind the veil is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan who is the god of this world has blinded the minds and don't believe so. We touched on the veil last week. Go back and watch that message. If you don't know what he's talking about. No more. Make it too long today. Right? And Satan number two God, he is the god of this world. Interesting. Remember that when you ask for worldly things careful. Alright. So indeed, there are many today who do this. Now remember that they're kind of Satan is the god of this world who they working on behalf of. You need to think about that. So there's one way, well, simple way, you can tell false teachers from good ones, right? So a false teacher is going to work to enrich himself like Demetrius. I mean, some are really just overt about it and are like culture. It's really crazy. To me, I'm like, it's really obvious, but people still give a good teacher will be looking to enrich the church, right? So that's the difference. That's a fundamental difference, and not the church as a byproduct of their bank account. You know what I'm saying? They're like that. Now, we saw this is interesting. Paul quoted Jesus, right? That those who preach the gospel should make their living off the gospel First Corinthians nine, right? So we're supposed and we'll see that when Paul writes Timothy, we're going to look at those letters, because he's going to be pastoring in Ephesus, and he writes to him, their church leaders should be paid, he tells him that, especially those who teach so anyway
in the message just turns the other way, right. But he also says this, a man of God can do with less. Yeah. So we'll get to First Timothy six after that, right. You know, he calls it Oh, man of God, flee from these things, right? This just material wealth, it's caused people a lot of money pains, a lot of problems. For the love of money is the root of all evil. It doesn't say all kinds of evil in the original, by the way, kinds of see what happens when our culture gets put through to money is the love of money is the root of all evil service. That's it. That's what it says in the Greek. It's one thing King James gets, right. All right, so false teachers will often talk about a man of God being enriched to hear this especially in like charismatic circles. Now, God is supposed to be rich. I mean, it makes me laugh, because the prophets have like a really bad retirement plan. Like I never understood that. So when you look at people called man, God, Timothy, right, he says, fleeing from these things, oh man of God, right? No, you and I, that we came into this world and nothing. We can't take anything with us when we go out. It's exactly so Okay, that's a man of God. So let's look at the Old Testament because they're always bringing up these add context Old Testament examples. Elisha called Man of God more than anyone else in the Bible. A lot, Elijah a lot. Right? So if you know let's see, so Jesus, so Jesus talks about Naaman the Syrian - was healed. Healed. No one except him. He's doing that to make the Jews angry or jealous, right? So let's look at that story. Elijah heels name in the Syria naman shows up, wants to get healed why she doesn't come out. And he just like the messengers, like dip in the Jordan River seven times does it? And he's mad at first because he's like, No, he's you cannot see me. And I talked him into it. He does it. Bam. He'll do his leprosy. Sorry if I didn't say leprosy guys loved it. healed of leprosy. He's excited. He has all kinds of silver gold clothes, all kinds of he wants to give it to Elijah. Elijah says, No, he doesn't take it. Oh man of God. A man of God refused to pay but you know, who did his wicked servant Gehazi. And as a result he went and kind of tricked him asking for, but he got the stuff. So there's two prophets coming in town from Efrain. Kill him in a lie got the money. And so what it allows you to do, he said, You'll be stricken with Naaman leprosy from now on, cursed him for his greed, the greed of the Ghazal. So learn context right before listening to people who say men of God should be enriched. That's a lie. It's not true. The Word of God does not say that. False teachers will twist scripture or scriptural examples, relying on you not knowing it. Right. That's why we need to you need to read this for yourself. It's important to know protects you. But remember this, the devil twist Scripture. He promises to bless Jesus, right? He's trying to bless him out of what his mission to get crucified. devil doesn't want that to happen. Interesting, right? So go ahead, jump off, you want to get your foot on a stone, you'll hear your foot on the stone. You don't put the Lord God to the test. And we'll talk about that in a moment. So let's go back on and look at a couple of these typical false teachings. But well, I'm going to spend a little more time on this one than I will on some of the others because I realized how much time I spent on it. So now the guy 310 Pretty much everybody if you've been in church for like, five minutes, like you've heard somebody say this right? It's really popular. Now the guy and he's if you don't know the verse, you will when I read it, you'll know what's going on here. So there are a few problems. I talked about it a little bit last week, so I'm not going to go too far into it, but I want you to see it for yourself. So There are a few things that surface level which are really kind of foolish about this teaching and using it. First thing is same people who say we're not under the law, we're under Grace, we'll go to the law, and then put you under that. What? You know, and it makes no sense at all. It's just stupid. If I'm being honest with you, it makes no sense. We're not regulations. Again, read Hebrews. Again, we're not under the law. We don't have to do that. We're free from that. All right. Paul likens it to slavery, right? It's no good, right? That's the first thing. As far as the law of Moses, we're not under. Second thing. It's dumb. Because, well, you know, if you're smart, the New Testaments way better as far as giving go to x, they gave everything. Why not go there? They gave everything so now it doesn't. That's what it doesn't 10 percents on great now. Yes, it should. Right. You can keep 90%. Good for you. Right. Now, the only other thing too, they say it's the only place I said this last week, so I'll do a quick to only place where God says to test him. Now, so to me, you know, just I don't know. It just seems like a red flag. Right. But I've also heard him say, didn't we hear Jesus say like, don't test God. You know, so it's the only place that's not a good argument, right? We don't usually use that as we usually say it's redundant. And then Oh, yeah. Okay. It must be important. Because I want like, why would you brag about it being a one off? It makes no sense. Here's the other thing. It encourages people to be greedy. And not give for the right reasons. Like I said this last week, I'll say it again. Like always wanting to just take like money, and just burn it lit on fire. That's it. That's the point. I trust you God, that's worship. It's just an act of worship. It's an exercise of my personal faith. So that is, right. And then it's sacrificial. It's supposed to be you're not expecting anything back you it's why it's called a right. It should be obvious, right? A face. I know. I feel like I'm crazy having to explain this stuff. At face value. It should be obvious, right? But this encourages people to be greedy. Because what it is, and you'll see, if you give, your ballrooms are going to play nothing, but your windows of heaven are going to open up and you're going to be showered with a blessing. Well, that's the wrong motive, isn't it? That's not sacrificial anymore. Thank you, Tony. It's not official anymore. He's the best I can I love having you here. Except I'm wrong. But anyway, it also encourages you to test God, which is also sinful. It's wrong. So why is it saying does let me now here's a quick thing. I'm going to go to an LE v. So if you really want to know like, my favorite outside the original, the Greek I like the Greek best, because the original, if I'm going to go to English, I like Leb Lexham English Bible, it's really good. It's a great translation. So I'm going to go there. But while I read from the NLT, because this version can be hard to understand and extremely choppy. It doesn't lead the way we speak. So it's translating in like an old language, and we just don't speak that way anymore. So the NLT it's smoother. And if you've been here for a while, you know, when it goes a little paraphrasing, I go back to the Greek and I give you the Greek words, not that anybody cares. Anyway. So Malikai three, here's where you're going to see me struggle, reading. Will a human dare to rob God, yet you are robbing me. And he's saying, however robbed you. In tithes and contributions. You are being cursed with the curse for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there will be food in my house and test me please in this says, Yahweh of hosts, God, if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour forth for you and overflowing blessing, I will rebuke the devourer for you, it will not destroy the fruit of your soil. Your vine in the field will not be unfruitful says Yahweh of hosts. And all the nations will call you blessed. Because you will be a land which one takes joy says Yahweh of host. Okay, so what's the idea here? Well, the idea that you're getting initially, and especially if you stop here is to operate here. Give 10% And I get back, right. So God is a cosmic vending machine. That's the idea you're going to get right. We'll keep reading Malikai 313. Your words have been harsh against me, says your way. But you say how have we spoken together against you? You have said it is useless to serve God. What is the gain if we keep His requirements, and if we walk his mortars before y'all we have hosts. And now we are calling the arrogant blast. Not only do those who do wickedness prosper, they also test God and escape. Imagine that you only had to go like what five verses ahead to get the truth. Interesting. Keep reading. So see, see how foolish it is. When you know the Word of God, you're like, let me just keep reading to you. If you read your Bible, you'd never use that as an art. Well, I don't know. But I wouldn't. Not a good argument anymore. Is it who tests God? The wicked. That's why Jesus said Satan the wicked one. No, you don't put the Lord COD's test. All right. So now we got that one down. So no, no joke. Someone starts Do not like a 310 get up, walk out, just get out, it's not worth being listening to anything else that person says, This is simple. I mean, we got to the tricky stuff. This is so simple to refute. It's so easy. It just breaks my heart as a pastor to see all these poor sheep, you know, and, you know, they they're a little to blame, because it was right here the whole time, be put back into bondage and slavery should be generous as an act of freedom and faith. You know, like, I'm free from that it doesn't matter, whatever. Why am I counting the cost? You shouldn't think like that. So this is how God speaks to the wicked and greedy people and Malikai. It's an hyperbole. It's not a contradiction. Otherwise, we had this the other problem, we'd have a contradiction to Islam. So you got to get the right form of speech. So we talked about, we talked about like, people briefly, about how people get you to give now a lot of that is appealing to your sin. And you'll understand that right? So they'll appeal to your sin, right? That's like a big thing.
The big one, too, is telling you what you want to hear. That's where you got to start. Right? Because you're saying you don't want to hear don't sin, like the Bible says, like, all the time. You want to hear that? So people will affirm it. Right? So like the greed we saw here, greed is a sin. So they're going to affirm that right you test God, if you give, you'll get all wrong. Like, that's all bad. Those aren't Christian ways of thinking. Now, you may like it, but you know, it's wrong. Like demons, I hope like deep inside, right? So think of it this way. Like who else tells you what you don't want to hear? Like pastor Jean, I tell you what you don't hear? Like the doctor. The doctor tells you what you don't want to hear, right? So who else has gone to the doctor lied to him? Or her? It doesn't matter who we're not about this church. So you can be a female doctor if you want.
So who else is? Who else? Are so who else has lied? Right? I've lied, right? Especially about what you eat and what you drink. I used to drink real heavily. Right? Do you lie? Or how much do you drink? You know, like, a couple drinks a night, right? Eight beers and a fifth of vodka, right? Yeah. I don't I don't say the truth. Right. So you know, I drink a bottle of wine, right? Believe that are so you don't tell him those things. But so just imagine a scenario where you go to the doctor. And you're actually honest with the person. Imagine that like so imagine that. Like you're totally honest with the doctor. And here's the funny thing, right? The doctor is dishonest with you. Imagine that. Right? So he's not making enough money. He's not getting enough clients, the comedian guy, just tell everybody what they want to hear like the church, then I'll get more people more customers, right? So just you know, that's it. I am Doctor positive. Like we're going to change everything and we're just going to be positive no matter what anyone says. You go in. Okay, so what's your diet like? Wow, not so great. Like, I'm going to be honest here. For breakfast, ate sour patch kids lunch, a licorice dinner doughnuts. That's it. That's what I eat. You know? Just imagine him being like, that's great. Sounds like you're on the right track. Like a three year old. No parents, but that's good. So, smoking, do you smoke? Yeah, yeah. a pack a day. We're going to have to get that up to two because they're like cancer busters. They're really good for you. So that's good. Okay, the drinking? Are you drinking? Are you drinking? Yeah, six pack a day. Every night I come home and crack open a cold one, I go through six. There's the problem, says the doctor. There's the problem too many calories. Here's what you're going to do, we're going to change that. You're going to go to hard liquor instead. Because you will be able to get drunk faster, right? And then, you know, you don't get all the galleries and the great. Now this sounds stupid. Okay, some don'ts. Foods, don't say no. I know. You want to say no, a lot of you. You're like, no, that's perfect. Can you become a doctor and just do that? No, right. But here's the thing. It's all night. It's ridiculous. But this is what the church is doing. This is what for the most part, I say that you're not this church. But for the most part. This is what they're doing. See, the truth heard the Bible's mostly corrective. If you really know the Word of God, you will be nodding. There's not like a whole lot of like, hey, great job. You know, go sit in some more. You know what I mean? It says the exact opposite when people get healed and sin no more. So nothing worse happens to it's even in the best moments. Jesus is like a party pooper upset, right? He's always going around the negative. But it's because we need it. We need correction. God is the great physician. If we could get everything right. Jesus would not have had to die. Think about it. Right. So correction is really important. So you know, people are trying to sell you something when they're just telling you what you want to hear. Now, here's the thing. A lot of people I talked about this, you want to say a phrase you want to, like really ticked me off, say, I'm not getting fed. Like, just wool. Like, I hate that. Listen, this is the word of God, you're hearing a lot of the Word of God here. That's all you need. Right? You need a person and the Bible, and that's it. Is it fellowship, Bible, share some food, pray, you're good. Alright. So this, if you're hearing about this, and you're saying you're not getting fed, what? Like I don't I just don't understand. I can't comprehend it. But people say what they really mean is right there like the lights on Wally Christians ever see that movie? Right? They just, they're just lazy Christians are consumer Christians. They just want to get fed. They don't get fed off. And that's it. They don't understand. And we get these messages all the time. Like, if you're here today, you sent me this message. I'm sorry, but not. So you know, like, you know, what do you have for me at the church, right? So they'll, they'll, they'll messenger, just want to find out what programs you have for me? Like, what's at the church for me? Jesus, you know, like it, but that's not enough. Right? So you got to have this program and that program and do things for this particular group of people and to do things for that. My group of people in my particular thing, and you have a section segregated area for me there. No, no, we don't, you know, and when you come, quite frankly, like real worship is what Romans 12 via living sacrifice. So we're kind of asking you to be sacrificial, if you want to call yourself a Christian, kind of like a prerequisite, deny yourself, pick up your cross, follow me and translate that for you. Don't be selfish, you're going to die because of me, probably. Then you can follow me exactly what he said. So I think you, you don't know what Christianity is, and you're not going to like it here. And I'm getting close. Like, just no, like, you don't get it at all right. Philippians. Two, make your own attitude that Christ Jesus, who existing in the form of God did not regard that equality is something to be taken advantage of. Interesting, it's not about you. I don't like to hear that the salvation is God loves you, everything we sing is true. But then your response to that is a changed life. Right? You're just looking forward to heaven pressing on toward that prize, and just trying to get more people and right spread the gospel. I'm just so joyful about that. And that's it. I just want to give everything away. You know, it's like, that's the response. Don't get scared. You don't have to. Unless you're the youngest ruler, then we got to talk. Right? So the question is, if you are getting fed, or if people are like, if they're satisfied, right, so they're not saying, Oh, I'm getting fat in my church? Well, natural question comes into play. What are you getting fed? What? What are you getting fed? Or rather, what are people feeding you? Proverbs 1514, a wise person is hungry for knowledge. Well, fools feed on trash. What are you being fed? Well, have you ever heard the phrase that you are what you eat? Well, you'll your mind becomes what you digest with your eyes and your ears. It gets in there pretty good. And it's kind of like there's a lot of like correlations between that and junk food and what it does to you. Right? So junk was no good for you. You put it in there, it ruins your body. Well, same thing with these bad teaching ruins your mind. All right. So it's addictive. Lots of what additives, additives in bad food. Bad teaching, lots of additives. It's addictive, MSG. And it's like MSG teaching, just want to hear more of it. Why? Because he's feeding your sin. That's why you like that. You're addicted to it. It appeals to sin and emotions, and makes you want more, but leaves you completely hungry. And that's the point. It ruins your mental palate. And it makes good teaching almost unrecognizable. Now, if you've been here for a long time, you've seen this happen. You've seen people come in and like after the message or like, why it's like they've never heard any of this before. Maybe that was you. You're like, this sounds this guy's crazy. What's he talking about? Well, I'm just reading you the Bible. It's pretty simple. I'm like, no, he's reading the Bible. So I did the easy.
Why does that sound foreign to a Christian? We should desire pure living water. They say also, the water is pure is closest to the source, which is why
that just I do the cultural additives to try to bring it into today's culture and make it relevant. I do tell some pretty bad jokes. I'll work on it. I'll make them better. So anyway, right little additives and puzzles. But the truth is mainstream Christianity and I got to say most of it has developed a well thought out, highly processed product. It is high with way too many additives, way too many things. It's developed to manipulate the emotions of the buyer and enrich the seller. That's it commercialism, it preys on consumerism, it feeds your sin. People are lazy, right? So when you when you when you hear like, it's going to all these things, add products, it's going to make your life easy, right? So we're going to make your life because that's one of the first go twos right there. Right? It's going to make everything easy. And you'll Christiania, we know Jesus said that this is going to be difficult, but let me tell you something else. Right. So Christianity is easy, dunked done, right. So I get baptized, good. There's nothing else I have to do. But that's not what the Bible says. Now, if you didn't sue, we are saved. By grace through our faith in Jesus period. Yes. Right. That's how we get salvation. Grace alone faith. Oh, that's it. By works. But keep reading Ephesians two, were created a new and Christ Jesus, for good works. That was the point again, so you could go good, you're saved. You're going to have eternity. In the meantime, while you're wait here in this waiting room. You're a temporary resident and alien is what the Bible says this is not home. I keep going and going and going right? While you're here in the waiting room. Get out there and try to get other people in. Right? Important. Be grateful. That's the point. doesn't call for laziness. Ecclesia. That's the word under there. When it says church in your Bible. It literally means assembly. It means to gather together in person. But people have become too lazy to do that. They want me to stream which is why I stopped streaming. Now every pastor is like, oh, but you can't stop streaming. What are you going to do? And I had dummies say that to me? What are you going to do? Oh get motivate real Christians to come to church? You know, but why did I stop? Why did I say, well, a good pastor kicks the crutches out when the person doesn't need it anymore. And I said, I did. Come to church come to church got no, okay. I'm turning church off in your bed so that you can go out drinking late at night, right? You don't sleep with people you're not supposed to. So you can't be lazy. Get up 10 o'clock, wake up. Joshua got off early in the morning. I read it. You know, we're supposed to get up early and get out there and get to work or get to church. It's a crutch. So what if we lose people God will take care of us have faith? That's it. Right? So laziness. So that's what they're doing. They're appealing to laziness and consumerism. I could just pick different churches every Sunday. You don't have to commit to any body of believers. Anybody in the past? no family, no accountability, and nothing sounds pretty good, doesn't it? All right, so virtual, right? This whole virtual church is an oxymoron. Just by definition alone. There's no such thing as a virtual church, oxymoron. It's like eating through a feeding tube. If you're getting fed. false teaching preys on your emotions, right. So what do you got to do before the message right now the one that drives me nuts, right? He gets people's hearts primed for the message pastors. And I'm like, Where was the worship band? Like when Jesus did the Sermon on the Mount? Like, I don't get it, right. Yeah. Why? Like, I don't know. But this is a real thing in church. I started on the worship team, and we were guilty of it, are guilty of trying to be like some famous worship band production and all the money, we got to get people and drum up their emotions, right? What is that? What is worship? Again, what a living sacrifice. There's nothing wrong with having like a band or music. If you can handle it. That's fine. But it's just an extension of us being a living sacrifice. Right. So if we are then fine, God hears us because we're not. Isaiah, one equals five. Peter, right? They all talk about it. He's not listening. New and Old Testament says that, right? Wasting words, be a living sacrifice, and the singing is just an outpouring. That's all it is. That's it. That's fine. Nothing. Obviously. I don't have anything against it. But I do. When it's just a production. It's just entertainment, drumming up your emotions. But it's for playing for the false teaching. That's what I have a problem with. Do you think people worship themselves? That's the thing. preys on narcissism. We know by social media, that that's a real big thing. People really like that, and spills over into so many ministries so I can speak of the worship ministry. Narcissism is off the hook. You got every worship leader taking the selfies right. So whatever they did and worship me, here's an even like, it's hard. Here's my pedal. For us, it's all over their social media, right? Nothing about Jesus I've actually seen it's like nearly all about Jesus is all about that. What's like, what does that person worshipping? I would spend like six hours a day practicing in like, two minutes reading my Bible. merciless. What do you do? And I asked myself that question. I was like, No, that's not happening anymore. Just stupid. Right? And then on the other end of it, how many people worship the worship or worship the worship leaders? There's the people worship the worship leaders who've been in church while you've seen that, maybe did it? Repent? Anyway, it happens all the time. Right? Gosh, really? You need this like? We talked about First Corinthians like tongues. We saw it today. tongues? Yes, yes, yes, yes. But what was the purpose? And what was Paul hyper redundant about? Unless it's done in a certain structure with the speaking in tongues? And there's someone to interpret it unless has a purpose beyond you, and drawing attention to yourself? Then don't do it? Where's the love chapter say? 13. Right, you're claiming what? Like, I can't understand you I'd rather speak five intelligible five words, people can understand that 5000 is someone who just goes on and on and on about it, you go into church, and people are just like, it was like three or four of them doing it at the same time. Nobody understands what's going on. But everybody's paying attention to the people making a lot of noise. You're not going to go to parties. Never see people just fall down in church, just like flopping around and like, or somebody like push touches on a fall down. I'm like, I'm going to say a bad word. You're not just in the Bible. What the hell is that? Like, what
else is in the Bible? I'm going to say, that's what I want to say. What is happening? Call 911. What's going on? Why did you push them down? Like, you know what I mean?
This is all wrong, you know. So what do you think? And Paul says, Don't go speak in tongues and stuff, or people are going to think you're crazy. The Bible actually says that first Corinthians 14. If you are an acting nuts, they're going to think you're nuts. Right? And you're not, this is crazy. And then they go to play this so funny. Like, I know and feel like, well, it's because the words just mean don't, don't you dare like because if you're you wouldn't do that. If you knew the word like another word. You wouldn't even do that. And where are you going to go? I know where you're going to go. Does he kill one? You're going to be Daniel eight. Daniel 10. You're going to go to Revelation one, verse 17. I know, I know, you know, but these are people in the presence of the Lord and they fall down, by the way on their face, like worship, you know, I mean, they're falling down like scared, right? angelic presence is crazy. The whirling wheels and all this stuff. They're seeing things no human has ever seen, you know, like, so they're falling down. That is with a quote, that'd be like, That's called being slain in the spirit of like, twice. Like that's not anywhere in there. The longer like Saul, Saul, Saul was, took his clothes, falls down naked and flops around like prophesying, if like a really long time Saul king saw that wicked first king. Why? Because he was going to kill David. That's how God stopped him. And like the three groups before him, right? That's what that was. So you're going to be like, crazy Saul, like, great. Let me get the harp. You know what I mean? Like, this is dumb, I guess. Thank you for knowing your bottle. But you know, I mean, this is crazy. But when you think people do that, draw attention to themselves. That's what that is. draw attention to yourself. Now, I'm not going to touch on this a lot. Actually. I'm going to kind of probably go over this. I talked about it last week. And I'm really just to be honest with you, I feel like June, like I wanted to talk about, like, these spiritual things. Also, some of wormed their way into the church. And now I got to talk about this, right. So it just, it just gets exhausting. We have this stupid deliverance ministry thing. Okay, so just really, I'm going to try to do this really, really fast. But the most things that make us yes, we saw today seven sons of Skiba. Yes, there are demons cast out. Yes. It's talked about in the New Testament. Yes, they do it to unbelievers. Right. Second Corinthians six, when we talk about last week, the Holy Spirit and demons can have fellowship and what? This the temple that's the direct context. He's talking about the tent, remember the temple, the Holy Spirit. So I'm about to tell you your body if you're a Christian. So if you're a Christian, and you're saying that you're demon possessed, you are not saved. That's the bottom line. Demons, a Holy Spirit has delivered Jesus has delivered you at baptism. You have the Holy Spirit in you and you are free. That's it. The teaching is horrible. You're speaking against the work of salvation that Christ, the Holy Spirit of the Father does for us. If you're saying, Yeah, I know I got the Holy Spirit, but you know, demons still in there. It
wasn't good enough. Wow. The arrogance. That's how powerful narcissism is. Why do I say narcissism?
Well, what's the thing right? So what is it really if a Christian is sinning, it's the flesh in the Holy Spirit. Galatians five read it. The flesh that's what it is. It's you. It's your sinful nature. You are sinning and The Holy Spirit are always at odds with one another right? That's going to happen especially in the beginning, progressive sanctification happens. And the Holy Spirit wins the war. Right? That's what's supposed to happen. You just you're going to struggle, especially in the beginning of it. That's you. You're to blame for First Corinthians five What did he say the guy in sin? Now let's get the deliverance ministry out. No to get Kikko handed over interestingly enough to who satan because that's who you're working for right now get out. Right. But deliverance ministry takes all that away. It's wonderful. We don't have to listen to the Word of God at all right? So they're going to point to places in the gospels unbelievers getting demons cast out, yes, it happened, but they're not believers. They don't have the Holy Spirit. Okay. But why is that great? Well, I don't have to take any responsibility for my sin. I can just say a devil made me do it. And what else do you get right when they're praying? They're giving you a boatload of attention. So instead of getting rebuked for your sin, like the Bible does you get attention for your sin? Narcissistic and manipulative? So they're gone done. Not with the whole thing but that so obviously, prosperity gospel, talk too much about it, because you guys know what it is right? The health and wealth all the time gospel, I call it the half gospel because, look, God clearly has blessed newest stuff, like whatever, right? It's his selection. Sometimes he doesn't, whatever, right. So we do get blessings as Christians, but it doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. It's both. Right. So we see that there are reasons you read First Timothy six, there are rich people in the church. Can you tell them tell them to be generous? He doesn't say get out? Because you're rich? No, because it just be really generous help float the ones who aren't. Make sense, right? So it's the half gospel, it's the perishable gospel. It's the focus on things here. Right, the short change gospel, but here's the thing. Here's where I'm going to take you off. So here's the thing, a lot of people even conservative Christians don't realize that they espouse political preaching, you preach a prosperity gospel. You don't realize it. But check it out. Watch like the news for a little while, like, especially conservative news, right? Watch it for a little while, and you're going to hear him say the word prosperity. Listen, that's what all the people the politicians are promising Correct? Prosperity. Prosperity is front. So think about it. Politics is prosperity gospel. Now, it's wrong when you preach hate in the church, right? That's the world. This is the word. That's it. That's why it's wrong. If you have political fit, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with having political beliefs or affiliations. Totally fine. That's okay. So what I'm saying, but it's prosperity gospel. It's all about your stuff. Let's just be totally honest. Right? Let's taxes why keep my money, bow stuff, things shouldn't change. They don't take away my guns and my money, right? To things that, you know, every Christian should load up on. Because that's what Jesus said. Arm yourselves and be greedy. Yeah, I just got to say, Republican is not a Christian denomination. Even if we're being honest, they're not they don't represent neither side represents Christianity, and nothing in the middle represents Christianity. You know, but it's all about stuff. And here's the thing, the anger, right, it's all to rile up your anger to, they use your anger they play if you're getting angry watch TV, they are playing you. They're robbing your joy. They're robbing your joy Don't get angry. Anger, sin. Seven Deadly Sins, anger, wrath, it's a sin. The anger of man does not produce God's righteousness, James one. All over the place. Read the Proverbs. That's a sinful trip. Take you back to Galatians five, if you don't believe me, Galatians five, sin of the flesh, outbursts of anger as well. You're not supposed to be like that. As a Christian. It can happen but I mean, come on. You get addicted to it when I talk about getting addicted to your sin. And here's the other problem. It causes divide and the church seen that happen? Here's the thing that pastors do. That is horrible. So if I'm a pastor to you, I love all of you. Right? I love all of you not except like you and you. But you don't sit in front. So you know, I love all of you. I don't whatever your political. I don't care, right. So I don't care about any of that stuff. I don't care. Whatever. You know, I just You're my family and Christ. I don't I don't see political affiliation. I don't see color. I don't see any that doesn't matter. And it shouldn't as a Christian, right. We're all family. It doesn't matter where you came from what you've done. Great. All right. Let's see your testimony. That's fine. But we lose all that hopefully, if we're Christians when we come in here. So we come in here, none of that exists. We're all just brothers and sisters in Christ trying our very best to just love one another. That's it. That's it but what happens when fall Last teacher greedy Pastor, I shouldn't call him pastor comes in says, Ah, I have mostly red sheep, like, you know, so we've done the metrics, this is the thing, we've done the metrics and you know, 86% of our sheep are red, you know, so they're, so I'm going to preach that stuff hardcore. And we're going to reject right or the other, whatever. 14% what you care for the whole flock, the whole flock, but that's what they're doing. They're pandering to Republicans and pushing away, Democrats or anybody else. That's not a church. That's a country club. No good. No divide here. We've seen it with doctrine, or doctrine divide, but denominations divide. That's why we are nondenominational. Right? It divides people and we've seen just you know, I'm not going to take you back through the tour again, read on your own. Romans 14 First Corinthians eight through 10. A divided church is a sinful church. So really, really bad thing. The word of God tells us about so you have they had their issues done right the meat sacrificed to idols even though it came down from James Jesus, brother, the head of the church, don't eat that stuff. What does Paul say? If it causes you to divide didn't just you know, eat it, whatever, donate it, whatever, right? Like just stop, don't divide. Right? Another issue Romans 14, the Sabbath, right? If one person thinks one day is holy, great, and another person thinks, no, there's like, great, don't please don't split the church up over this. And then what do we have a whole denomination 7000 cysts divining over it. If you don't believe this, you can't come to this club. What I mean God's words is no known divine, even though it may see in the Sabbath is pretty important. One of the 10 commandments still don't, don't divide. So that's why we're non denominational. Really important. Understand that? What is that? Well, all those things. I'm talking about their secondary doctrine, clearly the women speaking in church, so it's not going to save her and save you. The Word of God clearly says like, don't give a gospel I think go to the website look at like what we believe full doctrinal statement. Really like baptism. If you click on that, it'll give you a list of things I asked when I baptize someone you to affirm. First Corinthians 15, the basic tenants of the gospel like that's a hell I'm going to die on. Right who is Jesus? He's God. We serve a Triune God Father, Son, Holy Spirit, right. He's, that's it. Second person's son. Right? Surely he died. according to Scriptures for us. He was crucified died was buried on the third day he rose again, fulfill all those scriptures, right? He ascended to heaven. see to the right hand of the Father. He's coming back to get us right. Those are the very, very basics like we can't do we will divide over the elegant you know, and even people come in, they're not believers. I'm like, Okay, stay, listen, don't talk. But listen, and see anything just to shut up. But do a lot of listening. Right? Two ears, one mouth, big reason. So anyway, practice what you preach. So anyway, but even if people don't do I love you. That's all that's the only way to get people to gospel. I love you. I love you. That's it. Okay, great. I don't care. I love you. So denominational churches are places that say, you know, look, if you believe these things outside the gospel, and they're different for us, you're not welcome here. Some even say you're not saved, like the tongues. Like if you don't speak in tongues come out the baptism thing. You're not saved. I'm like, so where's everybody? Do they fake it? No, it's like this a culture of lies. That's what it is a culture of faking. It was funny because someone here on I was asked to search for a church for someone in areas Big City area. Okay, find me a non denominational church, and I'm like, okay, and plenty to choose from. But I spent my time on it, you know, just really, okay. Let me look around and try to find look at the websites first, you know, see what they're preaching. I narrowed it down like four or five, you know, I'm like, Okay, this seems good. And as I pull back the layers up, nope, not nondenominational. Oh, where did he go to seminary, Baptist Church? And actually, I was sent an article it said, like most of the seminaries are Baptists. That's why I pick on them, because what do they do? Well, they take and I've been in meetings like this, actually more than one. And this is that, hey, everybody's taking the name of the denomination off the sign, and we're getting more people let's do it, too. So they're going, but you if you keep thinking, I'm going to be honest with you, real nondenominational churches are extremely rare. In fact, so much so that if you talk to people like I go to non Amish, I'm almost like confident in saying probably not you know, probably not ask the pastor if women can preach, they're going to be pastors, you know, and you're not, you're not he went to Baptist seminary, you know, it stick or they adopt these other practices and make them primary, you know, so yeah, Tom is all the other stuff, but let's just keep this a pretty neutral palette, focus on the Word of God and do those other things and other times it's bases, that they're presenting those secondary things out front and is important. That's not nondenominational. That's uncomfortable for a lot of people, right? But what is it, it's called a bait and switch. That is a worldly marketing tactic. And when people do that sales tactic, when people do that they are of the world. They're not of the word, they're telling us the first thing they are there, that's the best foot forward really, is deceit. I remember what the false teacher day would distort the use deceit. So leave, like quality places, don't use these tactics, they don't feed you junk. They don't tell you what you want to hear and tell you what you need to hear. That's what the word does. That's really funny, because, sadly, we're different. I related to fast food receipts, you know, like, you know, we're never going to be huge. If we keep doing this. Jesus had the roads narrow, right? So we're never going to be a huge church. We just know that it's fine. We just live to serve the community. I've been there done that tried to be rich and famous in my previous life. Right. So we're done with that futility. So, but it's really funny, because it's like fast food, right? There are always more fast food restaurants, and there are fine dining, you're going to really, you know, and I feel like what I'm like, I'll talk to you about food later. But it's really important, right? Fine dining, you know, there's so much less of it really, really good places. Quality is hard, right? Quality is difficult when you put your quality over your profit. It's going to be tough, right? We're not willing to do that here. But it's really funny. Just as we close, I want to share something with you. It's kind of funny, maybe you had this experience. Sadly, we're different. But have you ever had the if you've been here for a while, but have you ever had the experience of talking like, you have a Christian friend, they don't go to this church? And you find yourself there? Like, what's your church like? And you find yourself like apologizing? Have you ever done that? Like or like, like, well, it's a little different, you know, like, automatically kind of making excuses for it. Like, you don't want to bring them here because you like, think you can handle your do that. It was really funny. I found myself doing and to the point now where I'm like, like, if they're a Christian, like I'm a Christian, I'm looking for a church, but you're going to hate to hear it go somewhere else. Because I'll go through like all the things I'm like, Okay, we really just narrowed this down to the Word of God for things and acts, what did they do? We observed them doing these things. So we just copy that, right? So just do that. It was all about the word of God. Like, we're the Word of God, the Word of God is a lot of the Word of God, right? We fellowship together, we have to assemble. We don't do this training thing. There's no virtually, you got to get together. We love each other, right? Because we actually want to like, see each other in person. Whoa. So we do that we do that. Then we break bread together, right? And everybody's welcome. And no, no, no, there's not like 100 different ministries and segregating everybody throughout the church. We all just eat together. So like, the homeless person is really over the millionaire like, it's, it's amazing. It's beautiful love. They're all together. We don't have a patronizing homeless ministry we just did. They're just different. Everybody's family, right? There are people from all I have people from all over the world coming to the church. It's amazing. And people like Ethiopia. It's unbelievable is multicultural church. There's this really and see that just like the word tells us not to write, there's no longer slave, female, female, Jew or Greek. We're all one in Christ. Jesus is beautiful, just totally beautiful. Just all the people all the nations is Jesus commanded, right all the Ethany we learned that word go to all the ethnicities, regardless of race, creed, but just That's it. We're all together. And it's just a beautiful thing. It's like heaven almost. That's great. And we pray because we LISTEN to Jesus over any person. Does that? That's our church, right? Immediately. So do you have like a worship band? I'm like, go somewhere else. But immediately they start asking about worldly things. Immediately. I'm like, I just described like heaven to you. Like eating at the Lord's banquet festival. You know what I mean? This is awesome. And you want trash you just want worldly material stuff. Okay, now here's the saddest thing you want to know the really sad part. I do the same thing and I give that description to someone who's not a Christian they say that sounds great. Ouch so low quality and work takes dedication so it's not encouraged you guys and what we do I'm on fire. I'm on fire so you guys have come follow me. As for me and my house, we're going to worship the Lord right? So we're going to do it right. This is why I'm here to keep you can cough that's yeah, that's good. Or somebody like that their worship like, that's why clap ahead of everybody else. I'm like, I hope you guys. So yes, yes. Yes, coffee, ma right. You're my boast. Right? Thank you for getting it. Right. So look, guys, this is why we are going to keep I'm going to keep preaching faithfully. I don't care if I'm just here, preaching to Jesus. And that's it. I I'm just going to keep saying without apology. But the word of God says, that's why we're going to keep breaking bread with all who want or need a meal, regardless of where you came from, right doesn't matter. I don't care what your socio economic status is. I don't care what your color is. I don't care what you believe about the Bible. And I love you. That's it. So you are welcome at this table. Period. We're going to keep gathering together as a family of faith. And we're going to keep praying and seeking the Lord, because Christ is the head of this church. Amen. Let me pray for you. Lord, thank You for this church. That is the body of Christ that people hear everybody in the sound of my voice, and everybody who needed to watch online. Lord, I just pray that you just work on us. So we're just better vessels, humble vessels of Your Holy Spirit so we can bring this broken world your love your joy, your peace, your patience or kindness, your mercy Lord. I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.
Morning Welcome if you're new here among us my name is Gene and I serve here at C3 Church as your pastor. I want to begin by sharing with you 10 reasons why I don't go to sporting events. One every time I went he asked me for money to the people sitting in my row they weren't very friendly and then some of whom were kind of weird. Three and all these events the seats are kind of hard. They're not comfy for the coach never came to visit me never said High Five the referees while they made decisions I didn't agree with six. Some games went into overtime. And I was late getting home. Seven The band played songs I didn't like you guys are getting it now. Eight the games are scheduled on my only day to sleep in and run errands. Nine as a kid my parents took me to too many games 10 I know more than the coaches anyway. Do these reasons sound familiar? All right, so we're going to hop right in. Last week we did Second Corinthians we talked about those hucksters, that was one of the problem people selling you stuff you really don't need right so the teachers teaching just for money. That was really one of the big problems there and the collection. We're not going to do that again because I know I hit you pretty hard with that. So we're going to go the other way. And then we're going to talk about the hucksters. So we are following Paul through the book of Acts and we find ourselves in Ephesus now so that's where we are going to be not Oedipus emphasis that's a different thing and a different sermon entirely. So first Corinthians got that good remember Apollo's so the first problem right the church in Corinth right? This idea that you're worshiping your pastor right who is Apollo's who's Paulie policies is really eloquent speaker and we get from Paul maybe that he's not so much right. So they're following Paul around. So Apollo's around and so Paul tees off on him for four chapters. Alright, so we're going to hop right in Acts 19. One, while Apollo's was in Corinth, Paul travelled through the interior regions until he reached emphasis on the coast, where he found several believers. Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed he asked them? No, they replied, We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. What baptism did you experience? Yes. And they replied, The baptism of John. Paul said John's baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the One who would come later, meaning Jesus, as soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul laid his hands on him, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. There were about 12 men and all. So just really, really quick here, because there's people from all different denominations, and that's okay. Here, people sometimes are going to take this and run with it without reading the rest. Like you have to keep reading guttering, because Paul does, as we saw First and Second Corinthians, a lot of clarification happens in his letters. And that's what it's for there. Right. So one, not all speak in tongues. We learned that right? Notice here too. They also prophesied in this case, right? So we talked about specifically those two gifts, right? So the crux of what he's talking about, remember the love chapter, right? If I can speak in the tongues of angels, but I don't have love. Nothing. So not everybody speaks in tongues. That's okay. You don't have to do that. Yes, there's still for today, but I'll talk about it later. You don't have to do that. Also, some people will say to baptize just in the name of Jesus. You don't see the Father Son Holy Spirit in here. So they're all named Jesus. No, wrong. Faulty conclusion. You have to keep reading and also remembering what Matthew 28 What Jesus said right baptize in the name of the Father, Creek and of the Son Creek and of the Holy Spirit, right. So Trinity so people will take it and run with it. Just to clarify that now. Paul is going to minister in Ephesus so as he does, he's nicknamed himself the apostle to the Gentiles if you read his letters, but he still stops right he has a love for his own people Romans nine through 11. He still stops his tradition is to stop in every single synagogue and preach to them and here, he's preaching to him boldly for three months. Right so some people do not believe in says the way that's Christianity, some they call it so he leaves with some believers and he lectures at the lecture hall of Taranis for the next two years. It says Paul gives a guest Paul the unusual ability to do these like unusual miracles. So anything like pieces of clothing and handkerchief, if they just touch Paul, they just bring these to the sick, they put them on the sick and they get healed, right? Even demons are being cast out. It's totally crazy. So it's a If this really crazy thing, and a lot of people come to believe. Now there's kind of a funny thing. Well, not funny, but seven sons and Skiba. Remember I said that like casting out demons could be really dangerous. Here we see that's not true, especially if you're not like a real deep, faithful believer, or that's not your gifting. So here, there's a group of Jews traveling around, they're trying to use the name of the Lord Jesus, right? So I come and you in the Name of Lord Jesus, they say this demon to this guy come out, like, well, I know Jesus, I know, Paul, but who are you? And so the guy possessed leaves on them and beats them up so bad that they flee naked. Right? So that could be embarrassing. Be careful with the we'll talk about the demon possessed ministry, right? But what happens is, it spreads really quickly that this happened throughout Ephesus. And so it turns out to be really good, where there's these people, you know, worshipping other gods, we'll talk about that a minute. And they have like incantation books or sorcery, spell books, but it's thinking like spell books, they have all these spell books. And so they make a big public bonfire. And they burn all of them. And it says, like, if you translate it, you know, it could be like millions of dollars worth of this stuff. So here's what happens. It has a disruption to their trade. So I'll talk to you a little bit about this area and emphasis and why it's so important to know this. There's a big trade going on there. So it's basically like, you know, religious Disney World. It's a religious like tourist place, right, so that all these people are going. So here's what happens. Acts 1923. About that time, serious trouble developed an emphasis concerning the way Christianity. It began with Demetrius, a silversmith who has a large business manufacturing silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. He kept many craftsmen busy. He called them together, along with others employed in similar trades and address them as follows. Gentlemen, you know that our wealth comes from this business. But as you have seen and heard this man, Paul has persuaded many people that handmade Gods aren't really Gods at all. And he's done this not only here in Ephesus, but throughout the entire province. Of course, I'm not just talking about the loss of public respect for our business. I'm also concerned that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will lose his influence and the Artemis this magnificent goddess worship throughout the province of Asia and all around the world will be robbed of her great prestige. So you see what this guy's all about? Right? He's like, our business, our business our business, by the way, Artemis. Yeah, she's good. He's really worried about the business, the trade here. It's costing them a lot of money. So just to explain, if you don't know a quick little history thing, Artemis is like a fertility goddess, the statues kind of a little weird. But anyway, the Temple of Artemis Diana is like the Roman version, but it's Artemis here in the Greek is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. So this is a real big type of place. It's a big deal. It's a massive amount of trade, right? So when you're thinking about like, in today's money, millions of dollars worth of books, that's I don't even have that many books. That's a lot. My wife laughs She's like you know most but
you're getting there. Alright, so what happens is they kind of gather and then they're chanting great is Artemis of Ephesians great is not going to so you can imagine this kind of like riot developing graders are they're chanting like worshiping their God. So Paul wants to go into this place, but they know it's going to get dangerous for him. So he's kept out and so they're all chanting and chanting. And finally they push this guy Alexander just really quick. A lot of people say he's probably Alexander the Coppersmith Timothy, who didn't do great harm but anyway, Alexander but he's Jew a Jew and they find out he's a Jew graders are in Mississippi Asians, right? They don't want to hear anything from the Jewish people there. They kept it up it says for two hours that's a long worship service guys, we got to kind of pick it up. Right the mayor the mayor you know kind of just basically says that the gist here is that look, we're going to get in trouble for riding here unless you guys calm down if you got a problem. Demetrius you can take it to the court right it's unsafe all the car and deal with it there but calm down. So they disperse is what happens here because of that. Now, we're going to turn the page X 21. When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them. Then he said goodbye and left for Macedonia. While there he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through. Then he traveled down to Greece, or care where he stayed for three months. He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life. So he decided to return through Macedonia. So we see that right he's still getting chased through x by these Jewish non western Jews. These are the ones that do not believe in Jesus, right? So there are men traveling with him. And so what they're going to do, they're going to try to get the Troas and so some people went ahead and waited hit show us and it says for us, so if you're a real nerd, you notice the way narrative picks up here. That's Luke putting himself it was Luke 16. Remember when that appeared, and now happens again, annex 20, Luke is placing himself with Paul, he's like the eyewitness to all this stuff. So they went ahead after Passover ended, says we boarded a ship at Philippi in Macedonia and five days later joined them in Troas. So we stayed with them for a week. Now it says on the first day of the week, so I remember like this is where we get the day of the Lord type of thing. Hang on for this tradition of meeting the first day of the week. They're doing it right. So they're having the Lord's Supper. And they're meeting in this upper room, three stories up. And so it's getting really, really late. And so Paul's preaching, like for a really, really long time, so I'll pause like for each until midnight, and then someone falls asleep during a sermon. Now, I'm cool with that, right. So the thing is, if you fall asleep, don't snore, because I will make fun of you, you will become a part of the sermon here. But anyway, here's what you don't want to do. You don't want to fall out a window to your death, if I preach you to sleep. And that's what happens to a guy. He's up on the third floor, this guy Eutychus. He's in a windowsill, smart move, right? There's no windows. Oh, he's probably there. Because it's an upper room heat rises. And it says they have all these flickering lights, they have all these candles around, right? So what happens when you have a lot of fire going deprives the room of oxygen, so he's probably tired and Paul's going on for a long time. So this dude just falls out the window. Some versions say to his death. It's kind of confusing. When you read the Greek it could have just fell down and Paul picked him up, but he's probably dead. So you fall asleep stories. Paul goes down and get some Don't worry. He's okay. Guy bounces up. What does Paul do after that? He keeps preaching. Right? So he still does, I guess it carries like, Okay, this is clearly hazardous. Right? I'm going to keep going. I'll just kill you bring you back to life. All right. So here's what happens. Paul's traveling around. He decides now to sail past emphasis. says he wants to make it in time for the to Jerusalem. For the fence festival. Pentecost. This is like 50 days after the complicated, but anyway, seven weeks after. So it's Passover Pentecost. So he wants to get there. But what's funny is when you think about it, like why would you want to go back to Ephesus, you know, they just had that right there. It wasn't safe for him. Right? So what he's going to do is he's going to say farewell to the Ephesian elders member Ephesus, he's going to say farewell to leadership there, but he's going to call for them at my least place called my leaders, right? He's going to have them gather. And then what he does is he gives them the speech. And so the speech kind of goes like this. Look, he lets them know, I've humbly you know, I'm humbled. Not working for money here, right. And I had the very consistent gospel message for you. I did my job. I preached right. But he's now I'm bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what's going to happen to me there. But the Holy Spirit says, I'm going to have like serious hardships. I'm going to go through a lot, right. But his wife, his life is worth nothing, right? Nothing. It's just really funny animals that his wife is worth nothing, but he doesn't have what? Yeah, my wife was like, Oh, really? Sorry. Just speaking my mind. Unless I finish the work. My life is worth nothing unless I finish the work like I've been assigned, you know, just basically spreading the gospel for Jesus. So then he lets him know, none of you are going to see me again. Right? You're not going to see me again. So they're upset. They're like, Oh, no, and use the phrase. Basically, the blood, you know, I preached well, so if you guys won't strike Bloods, not on my hands or bloods not on my head. So think of Ezekiel three, Ezekiel 33, for your Bible, nerds, it's in there. Right? So it's like the man on the watchtower, right? If you warn them that someone's coming, and they don't listen, well, it's on them, right. So he uses that type of phraseology there. But he warns them, I know that false teachers like vicious wolves will come in among you after I leave not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following Watch out. Important, I have never coveted anyone's silver, gold or fine clothes, you know that these hands of mine who worked to supply my own needs, and even the needs of those who are with me. And I've been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of Jesus it is more blessed to give than to receive was like closes that section. So they cry, and he gets on the ship. So they're sad that mostly because he said they're not going to see him again. Here's so what do you see? False teachers will distort the truth is interesting. They're going to use the truth, but then they're, they're going to distort it. Right? They're going to be among you like vicious wolves. They're going to do what Demetrius did for a profit. So you see the theme here and these two chapters, Prophet Paul warns about what's going to happen. It's interesting, it's going to happen to me like prophetic here. He's sure of it, just like the hucksters in Corinth. So let's go back there. Kind of tie this in Second Corinthians four one. Therefore, since God knows Mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the Word of God or it is we tell the truth before God and all around us know this if the good news we preach is hidden behind the veil is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan who is the god of this world has blinded the minds and don't believe so. We touched on the veil last week. Go back and watch that message. If you don't know what he's talking about. No more. Make it too long today. Right? And Satan number two God, he is the god of this world. Interesting. Remember that when you ask for worldly things careful. Alright. So indeed, there are many today who do this. Now remember that they're kind of Satan is the god of this world who they working on behalf of. You need to think about that. So there's one way, well, simple way, you can tell false teachers from good ones, right? So a false teacher is going to work to enrich himself like Demetrius. I mean, some are really just overt about it and are like culture. It's really crazy. To me, I'm like, it's really obvious, but people still give a good teacher will be looking to enrich the church, right? So that's the difference. That's a fundamental difference, and not the church as a byproduct of their bank account. You know what I'm saying? They're like that. Now, we saw this is interesting. Paul quoted Jesus, right? That those who preach the gospel should make their living off the gospel First Corinthians nine, right? So we're supposed and we'll see that when Paul writes Timothy, we're going to look at those letters, because he's going to be pastoring in Ephesus, and he writes to him, their church leaders should be paid, he tells him that, especially those who teach so anyway
in the message just turns the other way, right. But he also says this, a man of God can do with less. Yeah. So we'll get to First Timothy six after that, right. You know, he calls it Oh, man of God, flee from these things, right? This just material wealth, it's caused people a lot of money pains, a lot of problems. For the love of money is the root of all evil. It doesn't say all kinds of evil in the original, by the way, kinds of see what happens when our culture gets put through to money is the love of money is the root of all evil service. That's it. That's what it says in the Greek. It's one thing King James gets, right. All right, so false teachers will often talk about a man of God being enriched to hear this especially in like charismatic circles. Now, God is supposed to be rich. I mean, it makes me laugh, because the prophets have like a really bad retirement plan. Like I never understood that. So when you look at people called man, God, Timothy, right, he says, fleeing from these things, oh man of God, right? No, you and I, that we came into this world and nothing. We can't take anything with us when we go out. It's exactly so Okay, that's a man of God. So let's look at the Old Testament because they're always bringing up these add context Old Testament examples. Elisha called Man of God more than anyone else in the Bible. A lot, Elijah a lot. Right? So if you know let's see, so Jesus, so Jesus talks about Naaman the Syrian - was healed. Healed. No one except him. He's doing that to make the Jews angry or jealous, right? So let's look at that story. Elijah heels name in the Syria naman shows up, wants to get healed why she doesn't come out. And he just like the messengers, like dip in the Jordan River seven times does it? And he's mad at first because he's like, No, he's you cannot see me. And I talked him into it. He does it. Bam. He'll do his leprosy. Sorry if I didn't say leprosy guys loved it. healed of leprosy. He's excited. He has all kinds of silver gold clothes, all kinds of he wants to give it to Elijah. Elijah says, No, he doesn't take it. Oh man of God. A man of God refused to pay but you know, who did his wicked servant Gehazi. And as a result he went and kind of tricked him asking for, but he got the stuff. So there's two prophets coming in town from Efrain. Kill him in a lie got the money. And so what it allows you to do, he said, You'll be stricken with Naaman leprosy from now on, cursed him for his greed, the greed of the Ghazal. So learn context right before listening to people who say men of God should be enriched. That's a lie. It's not true. The Word of God does not say that. False teachers will twist scripture or scriptural examples, relying on you not knowing it. Right. That's why we need to you need to read this for yourself. It's important to know protects you. But remember this, the devil twist Scripture. He promises to bless Jesus, right? He's trying to bless him out of what his mission to get crucified. devil doesn't want that to happen. Interesting, right? So go ahead, jump off, you want to get your foot on a stone, you'll hear your foot on the stone. You don't put the Lord God to the test. And we'll talk about that in a moment. So let's go back on and look at a couple of these typical false teachings. But well, I'm going to spend a little more time on this one than I will on some of the others because I realized how much time I spent on it. So now the guy 310 Pretty much everybody if you've been in church for like, five minutes, like you've heard somebody say this right? It's really popular. Now the guy and he's if you don't know the verse, you will when I read it, you'll know what's going on here. So there are a few problems. I talked about it a little bit last week, so I'm not going to go too far into it, but I want you to see it for yourself. So There are a few things that surface level which are really kind of foolish about this teaching and using it. First thing is same people who say we're not under the law, we're under Grace, we'll go to the law, and then put you under that. What? You know, and it makes no sense at all. It's just stupid. If I'm being honest with you, it makes no sense. We're not regulations. Again, read Hebrews. Again, we're not under the law. We don't have to do that. We're free from that. All right. Paul likens it to slavery, right? It's no good, right? That's the first thing. As far as the law of Moses, we're not under. Second thing. It's dumb. Because, well, you know, if you're smart, the New Testaments way better as far as giving go to x, they gave everything. Why not go there? They gave everything so now it doesn't. That's what it doesn't 10 percents on great now. Yes, it should. Right. You can keep 90%. Good for you. Right. Now, the only other thing too, they say it's the only place I said this last week, so I'll do a quick to only place where God says to test him. Now, so to me, you know, just I don't know. It just seems like a red flag. Right. But I've also heard him say, didn't we hear Jesus say like, don't test God. You know, so it's the only place that's not a good argument, right? We don't usually use that as we usually say it's redundant. And then Oh, yeah. Okay. It must be important. Because I want like, why would you brag about it being a one off? It makes no sense. Here's the other thing. It encourages people to be greedy. And not give for the right reasons. Like I said this last week, I'll say it again. Like always wanting to just take like money, and just burn it lit on fire. That's it. That's the point. I trust you God, that's worship. It's just an act of worship. It's an exercise of my personal faith. So that is, right. And then it's sacrificial. It's supposed to be you're not expecting anything back you it's why it's called a right. It should be obvious, right? A face. I know. I feel like I'm crazy having to explain this stuff. At face value. It should be obvious, right? But this encourages people to be greedy. Because what it is, and you'll see, if you give, your ballrooms are going to play nothing, but your windows of heaven are going to open up and you're going to be showered with a blessing. Well, that's the wrong motive, isn't it? That's not sacrificial anymore. Thank you, Tony. It's not official anymore. He's the best I can I love having you here. Except I'm wrong. But anyway, it also encourages you to test God, which is also sinful. It's wrong. So why is it saying does let me now here's a quick thing. I'm going to go to an LE v. So if you really want to know like, my favorite outside the original, the Greek I like the Greek best, because the original, if I'm going to go to English, I like Leb Lexham English Bible, it's really good. It's a great translation. So I'm going to go there. But while I read from the NLT, because this version can be hard to understand and extremely choppy. It doesn't lead the way we speak. So it's translating in like an old language, and we just don't speak that way anymore. So the NLT it's smoother. And if you've been here for a while, you know, when it goes a little paraphrasing, I go back to the Greek and I give you the Greek words, not that anybody cares. Anyway. So Malikai three, here's where you're going to see me struggle, reading. Will a human dare to rob God, yet you are robbing me. And he's saying, however robbed you. In tithes and contributions. You are being cursed with the curse for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there will be food in my house and test me please in this says, Yahweh of hosts, God, if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour forth for you and overflowing blessing, I will rebuke the devourer for you, it will not destroy the fruit of your soil. Your vine in the field will not be unfruitful says Yahweh of hosts. And all the nations will call you blessed. Because you will be a land which one takes joy says Yahweh of host. Okay, so what's the idea here? Well, the idea that you're getting initially, and especially if you stop here is to operate here. Give 10% And I get back, right. So God is a cosmic vending machine. That's the idea you're going to get right. We'll keep reading Malikai 313. Your words have been harsh against me, says your way. But you say how have we spoken together against you? You have said it is useless to serve God. What is the gain if we keep His requirements, and if we walk his mortars before y'all we have hosts. And now we are calling the arrogant blast. Not only do those who do wickedness prosper, they also test God and escape. Imagine that you only had to go like what five verses ahead to get the truth. Interesting. Keep reading. So see, see how foolish it is. When you know the Word of God, you're like, let me just keep reading to you. If you read your Bible, you'd never use that as an art. Well, I don't know. But I wouldn't. Not a good argument anymore. Is it who tests God? The wicked. That's why Jesus said Satan the wicked one. No, you don't put the Lord COD's test. All right. So now we got that one down. So no, no joke. Someone starts Do not like a 310 get up, walk out, just get out, it's not worth being listening to anything else that person says, This is simple. I mean, we got to the tricky stuff. This is so simple to refute. It's so easy. It just breaks my heart as a pastor to see all these poor sheep, you know, and, you know, they they're a little to blame, because it was right here the whole time, be put back into bondage and slavery should be generous as an act of freedom and faith. You know, like, I'm free from that it doesn't matter, whatever. Why am I counting the cost? You shouldn't think like that. So this is how God speaks to the wicked and greedy people and Malikai. It's an hyperbole. It's not a contradiction. Otherwise, we had this the other problem, we'd have a contradiction to Islam. So you got to get the right form of speech. So we talked about, we talked about like, people briefly, about how people get you to give now a lot of that is appealing to your sin. And you'll understand that right? So they'll appeal to your sin, right? That's like a big thing.
The big one, too, is telling you what you want to hear. That's where you got to start. Right? Because you're saying you don't want to hear don't sin, like the Bible says, like, all the time. You want to hear that? So people will affirm it. Right? So like the greed we saw here, greed is a sin. So they're going to affirm that right you test God, if you give, you'll get all wrong. Like, that's all bad. Those aren't Christian ways of thinking. Now, you may like it, but you know, it's wrong. Like demons, I hope like deep inside, right? So think of it this way. Like who else tells you what you don't want to hear? Like pastor Jean, I tell you what you don't hear? Like the doctor. The doctor tells you what you don't want to hear, right? So who else has gone to the doctor lied to him? Or her? It doesn't matter who we're not about this church. So you can be a female doctor if you want.
So who else is? Who else? Are so who else has lied? Right? I've lied, right? Especially about what you eat and what you drink. I used to drink real heavily. Right? Do you lie? Or how much do you drink? You know, like, a couple drinks a night, right? Eight beers and a fifth of vodka, right? Yeah. I don't I don't say the truth. Right. So you know, I drink a bottle of wine, right? Believe that are so you don't tell him those things. But so just imagine a scenario where you go to the doctor. And you're actually honest with the person. Imagine that like so imagine that. Like you're totally honest with the doctor. And here's the funny thing, right? The doctor is dishonest with you. Imagine that. Right? So he's not making enough money. He's not getting enough clients, the comedian guy, just tell everybody what they want to hear like the church, then I'll get more people more customers, right? So just you know, that's it. I am Doctor positive. Like we're going to change everything and we're just going to be positive no matter what anyone says. You go in. Okay, so what's your diet like? Wow, not so great. Like, I'm going to be honest here. For breakfast, ate sour patch kids lunch, a licorice dinner doughnuts. That's it. That's what I eat. You know? Just imagine him being like, that's great. Sounds like you're on the right track. Like a three year old. No parents, but that's good. So, smoking, do you smoke? Yeah, yeah. a pack a day. We're going to have to get that up to two because they're like cancer busters. They're really good for you. So that's good. Okay, the drinking? Are you drinking? Are you drinking? Yeah, six pack a day. Every night I come home and crack open a cold one, I go through six. There's the problem, says the doctor. There's the problem too many calories. Here's what you're going to do, we're going to change that. You're going to go to hard liquor instead. Because you will be able to get drunk faster, right? And then, you know, you don't get all the galleries and the great. Now this sounds stupid. Okay, some don'ts. Foods, don't say no. I know. You want to say no, a lot of you. You're like, no, that's perfect. Can you become a doctor and just do that? No, right. But here's the thing. It's all night. It's ridiculous. But this is what the church is doing. This is what for the most part, I say that you're not this church. But for the most part. This is what they're doing. See, the truth heard the Bible's mostly corrective. If you really know the Word of God, you will be nodding. There's not like a whole lot of like, hey, great job. You know, go sit in some more. You know what I mean? It says the exact opposite when people get healed and sin no more. So nothing worse happens to it's even in the best moments. Jesus is like a party pooper upset, right? He's always going around the negative. But it's because we need it. We need correction. God is the great physician. If we could get everything right. Jesus would not have had to die. Think about it. Right. So correction is really important. So you know, people are trying to sell you something when they're just telling you what you want to hear. Now, here's the thing. A lot of people I talked about this, you want to say a phrase you want to, like really ticked me off, say, I'm not getting fed. Like, just wool. Like, I hate that. Listen, this is the word of God, you're hearing a lot of the Word of God here. That's all you need. Right? You need a person and the Bible, and that's it. Is it fellowship, Bible, share some food, pray, you're good. Alright. So this, if you're hearing about this, and you're saying you're not getting fed, what? Like I don't I just don't understand. I can't comprehend it. But people say what they really mean is right there like the lights on Wally Christians ever see that movie? Right? They just, they're just lazy Christians are consumer Christians. They just want to get fed. They don't get fed off. And that's it. They don't understand. And we get these messages all the time. Like, if you're here today, you sent me this message. I'm sorry, but not. So you know, like, you know, what do you have for me at the church, right? So they'll, they'll, they'll messenger, just want to find out what programs you have for me? Like, what's at the church for me? Jesus, you know, like it, but that's not enough. Right? So you got to have this program and that program and do things for this particular group of people and to do things for that. My group of people in my particular thing, and you have a section segregated area for me there. No, no, we don't, you know, and when you come, quite frankly, like real worship is what Romans 12 via living sacrifice. So we're kind of asking you to be sacrificial, if you want to call yourself a Christian, kind of like a prerequisite, deny yourself, pick up your cross, follow me and translate that for you. Don't be selfish, you're going to die because of me, probably. Then you can follow me exactly what he said. So I think you, you don't know what Christianity is, and you're not going to like it here. And I'm getting close. Like, just no, like, you don't get it at all right. Philippians. Two, make your own attitude that Christ Jesus, who existing in the form of God did not regard that equality is something to be taken advantage of. Interesting, it's not about you. I don't like to hear that the salvation is God loves you, everything we sing is true. But then your response to that is a changed life. Right? You're just looking forward to heaven pressing on toward that prize, and just trying to get more people and right spread the gospel. I'm just so joyful about that. And that's it. I just want to give everything away. You know, it's like, that's the response. Don't get scared. You don't have to. Unless you're the youngest ruler, then we got to talk. Right? So the question is, if you are getting fed, or if people are like, if they're satisfied, right, so they're not saying, Oh, I'm getting fat in my church? Well, natural question comes into play. What are you getting fed? What? What are you getting fed? Or rather, what are people feeding you? Proverbs 1514, a wise person is hungry for knowledge. Well, fools feed on trash. What are you being fed? Well, have you ever heard the phrase that you are what you eat? Well, you'll your mind becomes what you digest with your eyes and your ears. It gets in there pretty good. And it's kind of like there's a lot of like correlations between that and junk food and what it does to you. Right? So junk was no good for you. You put it in there, it ruins your body. Well, same thing with these bad teaching ruins your mind. All right. So it's addictive. Lots of what additives, additives in bad food. Bad teaching, lots of additives. It's addictive, MSG. And it's like MSG teaching, just want to hear more of it. Why? Because he's feeding your sin. That's why you like that. You're addicted to it. It appeals to sin and emotions, and makes you want more, but leaves you completely hungry. And that's the point. It ruins your mental palate. And it makes good teaching almost unrecognizable. Now, if you've been here for a long time, you've seen this happen. You've seen people come in and like after the message or like, why it's like they've never heard any of this before. Maybe that was you. You're like, this sounds this guy's crazy. What's he talking about? Well, I'm just reading you the Bible. It's pretty simple. I'm like, no, he's reading the Bible. So I did the easy.
Why does that sound foreign to a Christian? We should desire pure living water. They say also, the water is pure is closest to the source, which is why
that just I do the cultural additives to try to bring it into today's culture and make it relevant. I do tell some pretty bad jokes. I'll work on it. I'll make them better. So anyway, right little additives and puzzles. But the truth is mainstream Christianity and I got to say most of it has developed a well thought out, highly processed product. It is high with way too many additives, way too many things. It's developed to manipulate the emotions of the buyer and enrich the seller. That's it commercialism, it preys on consumerism, it feeds your sin. People are lazy, right? So when you when you when you hear like, it's going to all these things, add products, it's going to make your life easy, right? So we're going to make your life because that's one of the first go twos right there. Right? It's going to make everything easy. And you'll Christiania, we know Jesus said that this is going to be difficult, but let me tell you something else. Right. So Christianity is easy, dunked done, right. So I get baptized, good. There's nothing else I have to do. But that's not what the Bible says. Now, if you didn't sue, we are saved. By grace through our faith in Jesus period. Yes. Right. That's how we get salvation. Grace alone faith. Oh, that's it. By works. But keep reading Ephesians two, were created a new and Christ Jesus, for good works. That was the point again, so you could go good, you're saved. You're going to have eternity. In the meantime, while you're wait here in this waiting room. You're a temporary resident and alien is what the Bible says this is not home. I keep going and going and going right? While you're here in the waiting room. Get out there and try to get other people in. Right? Important. Be grateful. That's the point. doesn't call for laziness. Ecclesia. That's the word under there. When it says church in your Bible. It literally means assembly. It means to gather together in person. But people have become too lazy to do that. They want me to stream which is why I stopped streaming. Now every pastor is like, oh, but you can't stop streaming. What are you going to do? And I had dummies say that to me? What are you going to do? Oh get motivate real Christians to come to church? You know, but why did I stop? Why did I say, well, a good pastor kicks the crutches out when the person doesn't need it anymore. And I said, I did. Come to church come to church got no, okay. I'm turning church off in your bed so that you can go out drinking late at night, right? You don't sleep with people you're not supposed to. So you can't be lazy. Get up 10 o'clock, wake up. Joshua got off early in the morning. I read it. You know, we're supposed to get up early and get out there and get to work or get to church. It's a crutch. So what if we lose people God will take care of us have faith? That's it. Right? So laziness. So that's what they're doing. They're appealing to laziness and consumerism. I could just pick different churches every Sunday. You don't have to commit to any body of believers. Anybody in the past? no family, no accountability, and nothing sounds pretty good, doesn't it? All right, so virtual, right? This whole virtual church is an oxymoron. Just by definition alone. There's no such thing as a virtual church, oxymoron. It's like eating through a feeding tube. If you're getting fed. false teaching preys on your emotions, right. So what do you got to do before the message right now the one that drives me nuts, right? He gets people's hearts primed for the message pastors. And I'm like, Where was the worship band? Like when Jesus did the Sermon on the Mount? Like, I don't get it, right. Yeah. Why? Like, I don't know. But this is a real thing in church. I started on the worship team, and we were guilty of it, are guilty of trying to be like some famous worship band production and all the money, we got to get people and drum up their emotions, right? What is that? What is worship? Again, what a living sacrifice. There's nothing wrong with having like a band or music. If you can handle it. That's fine. But it's just an extension of us being a living sacrifice. Right. So if we are then fine, God hears us because we're not. Isaiah, one equals five. Peter, right? They all talk about it. He's not listening. New and Old Testament says that, right? Wasting words, be a living sacrifice, and the singing is just an outpouring. That's all it is. That's it. That's fine. Nothing. Obviously. I don't have anything against it. But I do. When it's just a production. It's just entertainment, drumming up your emotions. But it's for playing for the false teaching. That's what I have a problem with. Do you think people worship themselves? That's the thing. preys on narcissism. We know by social media, that that's a real big thing. People really like that, and spills over into so many ministries so I can speak of the worship ministry. Narcissism is off the hook. You got every worship leader taking the selfies right. So whatever they did and worship me, here's an even like, it's hard. Here's my pedal. For us, it's all over their social media, right? Nothing about Jesus I've actually seen it's like nearly all about Jesus is all about that. What's like, what does that person worshipping? I would spend like six hours a day practicing in like, two minutes reading my Bible. merciless. What do you do? And I asked myself that question. I was like, No, that's not happening anymore. Just stupid. Right? And then on the other end of it, how many people worship the worship or worship the worship leaders? There's the people worship the worship leaders who've been in church while you've seen that, maybe did it? Repent? Anyway, it happens all the time. Right? Gosh, really? You need this like? We talked about First Corinthians like tongues. We saw it today. tongues? Yes, yes, yes, yes. But what was the purpose? And what was Paul hyper redundant about? Unless it's done in a certain structure with the speaking in tongues? And there's someone to interpret it unless has a purpose beyond you, and drawing attention to yourself? Then don't do it? Where's the love chapter say? 13. Right, you're claiming what? Like, I can't understand you I'd rather speak five intelligible five words, people can understand that 5000 is someone who just goes on and on and on about it, you go into church, and people are just like, it was like three or four of them doing it at the same time. Nobody understands what's going on. But everybody's paying attention to the people making a lot of noise. You're not going to go to parties. Never see people just fall down in church, just like flopping around and like, or somebody like push touches on a fall down. I'm like, I'm going to say a bad word. You're not just in the Bible. What the hell is that? Like, what
else is in the Bible? I'm going to say, that's what I want to say. What is happening? Call 911. What's going on? Why did you push them down? Like, you know what I mean?
This is all wrong, you know. So what do you think? And Paul says, Don't go speak in tongues and stuff, or people are going to think you're crazy. The Bible actually says that first Corinthians 14. If you are an acting nuts, they're going to think you're nuts. Right? And you're not, this is crazy. And then they go to play this so funny. Like, I know and feel like, well, it's because the words just mean don't, don't you dare like because if you're you wouldn't do that. If you knew the word like another word. You wouldn't even do that. And where are you going to go? I know where you're going to go. Does he kill one? You're going to be Daniel eight. Daniel 10. You're going to go to Revelation one, verse 17. I know, I know, you know, but these are people in the presence of the Lord and they fall down, by the way on their face, like worship, you know, I mean, they're falling down like scared, right? angelic presence is crazy. The whirling wheels and all this stuff. They're seeing things no human has ever seen, you know, like, so they're falling down. That is with a quote, that'd be like, That's called being slain in the spirit of like, twice. Like that's not anywhere in there. The longer like Saul, Saul, Saul was, took his clothes, falls down naked and flops around like prophesying, if like a really long time Saul king saw that wicked first king. Why? Because he was going to kill David. That's how God stopped him. And like the three groups before him, right? That's what that was. So you're going to be like, crazy Saul, like, great. Let me get the harp. You know what I mean? Like, this is dumb, I guess. Thank you for knowing your bottle. But you know, I mean, this is crazy. But when you think people do that, draw attention to themselves. That's what that is. draw attention to yourself. Now, I'm not going to touch on this a lot. Actually. I'm going to kind of probably go over this. I talked about it last week. And I'm really just to be honest with you, I feel like June, like I wanted to talk about, like, these spiritual things. Also, some of wormed their way into the church. And now I got to talk about this, right. So it just, it just gets exhausting. We have this stupid deliverance ministry thing. Okay, so just really, I'm going to try to do this really, really fast. But the most things that make us yes, we saw today seven sons of Skiba. Yes, there are demons cast out. Yes. It's talked about in the New Testament. Yes, they do it to unbelievers. Right. Second Corinthians six, when we talk about last week, the Holy Spirit and demons can have fellowship and what? This the temple that's the direct context. He's talking about the tent, remember the temple, the Holy Spirit. So I'm about to tell you your body if you're a Christian. So if you're a Christian, and you're saying that you're demon possessed, you are not saved. That's the bottom line. Demons, a Holy Spirit has delivered Jesus has delivered you at baptism. You have the Holy Spirit in you and you are free. That's it. The teaching is horrible. You're speaking against the work of salvation that Christ, the Holy Spirit of the Father does for us. If you're saying, Yeah, I know I got the Holy Spirit, but you know, demons still in there. It
wasn't good enough. Wow. The arrogance. That's how powerful narcissism is. Why do I say narcissism?
Well, what's the thing right? So what is it really if a Christian is sinning, it's the flesh in the Holy Spirit. Galatians five read it. The flesh that's what it is. It's you. It's your sinful nature. You are sinning and The Holy Spirit are always at odds with one another right? That's going to happen especially in the beginning, progressive sanctification happens. And the Holy Spirit wins the war. Right? That's what's supposed to happen. You just you're going to struggle, especially in the beginning of it. That's you. You're to blame for First Corinthians five What did he say the guy in sin? Now let's get the deliverance ministry out. No to get Kikko handed over interestingly enough to who satan because that's who you're working for right now get out. Right. But deliverance ministry takes all that away. It's wonderful. We don't have to listen to the Word of God at all right? So they're going to point to places in the gospels unbelievers getting demons cast out, yes, it happened, but they're not believers. They don't have the Holy Spirit. Okay. But why is that great? Well, I don't have to take any responsibility for my sin. I can just say a devil made me do it. And what else do you get right when they're praying? They're giving you a boatload of attention. So instead of getting rebuked for your sin, like the Bible does you get attention for your sin? Narcissistic and manipulative? So they're gone done. Not with the whole thing but that so obviously, prosperity gospel, talk too much about it, because you guys know what it is right? The health and wealth all the time gospel, I call it the half gospel because, look, God clearly has blessed newest stuff, like whatever, right? It's his selection. Sometimes he doesn't, whatever, right. So we do get blessings as Christians, but it doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. It's both. Right. So we see that there are reasons you read First Timothy six, there are rich people in the church. Can you tell them tell them to be generous? He doesn't say get out? Because you're rich? No, because it just be really generous help float the ones who aren't. Make sense, right? So it's the half gospel, it's the perishable gospel. It's the focus on things here. Right, the short change gospel, but here's the thing. Here's where I'm going to take you off. So here's the thing, a lot of people even conservative Christians don't realize that they espouse political preaching, you preach a prosperity gospel. You don't realize it. But check it out. Watch like the news for a little while, like, especially conservative news, right? Watch it for a little while, and you're going to hear him say the word prosperity. Listen, that's what all the people the politicians are promising Correct? Prosperity. Prosperity is front. So think about it. Politics is prosperity gospel. Now, it's wrong when you preach hate in the church, right? That's the world. This is the word. That's it. That's why it's wrong. If you have political fit, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with having political beliefs or affiliations. Totally fine. That's okay. So what I'm saying, but it's prosperity gospel. It's all about your stuff. Let's just be totally honest. Right? Let's taxes why keep my money, bow stuff, things shouldn't change. They don't take away my guns and my money, right? To things that, you know, every Christian should load up on. Because that's what Jesus said. Arm yourselves and be greedy. Yeah, I just got to say, Republican is not a Christian denomination. Even if we're being honest, they're not they don't represent neither side represents Christianity, and nothing in the middle represents Christianity. You know, but it's all about stuff. And here's the thing, the anger, right, it's all to rile up your anger to, they use your anger they play if you're getting angry watch TV, they are playing you. They're robbing your joy. They're robbing your joy Don't get angry. Anger, sin. Seven Deadly Sins, anger, wrath, it's a sin. The anger of man does not produce God's righteousness, James one. All over the place. Read the Proverbs. That's a sinful trip. Take you back to Galatians five, if you don't believe me, Galatians five, sin of the flesh, outbursts of anger as well. You're not supposed to be like that. As a Christian. It can happen but I mean, come on. You get addicted to it when I talk about getting addicted to your sin. And here's the other problem. It causes divide and the church seen that happen? Here's the thing that pastors do. That is horrible. So if I'm a pastor to you, I love all of you. Right? I love all of you not except like you and you. But you don't sit in front. So you know, I love all of you. I don't whatever your political. I don't care, right. So I don't care about any of that stuff. I don't care. Whatever. You know, I just You're my family and Christ. I don't I don't see political affiliation. I don't see color. I don't see any that doesn't matter. And it shouldn't as a Christian, right. We're all family. It doesn't matter where you came from what you've done. Great. All right. Let's see your testimony. That's fine. But we lose all that hopefully, if we're Christians when we come in here. So we come in here, none of that exists. We're all just brothers and sisters in Christ trying our very best to just love one another. That's it. That's it but what happens when fall Last teacher greedy Pastor, I shouldn't call him pastor comes in says, Ah, I have mostly red sheep, like, you know, so we've done the metrics, this is the thing, we've done the metrics and you know, 86% of our sheep are red, you know, so they're, so I'm going to preach that stuff hardcore. And we're going to reject right or the other, whatever. 14% what you care for the whole flock, the whole flock, but that's what they're doing. They're pandering to Republicans and pushing away, Democrats or anybody else. That's not a church. That's a country club. No good. No divide here. We've seen it with doctrine, or doctrine divide, but denominations divide. That's why we are nondenominational. Right? It divides people and we've seen just you know, I'm not going to take you back through the tour again, read on your own. Romans 14 First Corinthians eight through 10. A divided church is a sinful church. So really, really bad thing. The word of God tells us about so you have they had their issues done right the meat sacrificed to idols even though it came down from James Jesus, brother, the head of the church, don't eat that stuff. What does Paul say? If it causes you to divide didn't just you know, eat it, whatever, donate it, whatever, right? Like just stop, don't divide. Right? Another issue Romans 14, the Sabbath, right? If one person thinks one day is holy, great, and another person thinks, no, there's like, great, don't please don't split the church up over this. And then what do we have a whole denomination 7000 cysts divining over it. If you don't believe this, you can't come to this club. What I mean God's words is no known divine, even though it may see in the Sabbath is pretty important. One of the 10 commandments still don't, don't divide. So that's why we're non denominational. Really important. Understand that? What is that? Well, all those things. I'm talking about their secondary doctrine, clearly the women speaking in church, so it's not going to save her and save you. The Word of God clearly says like, don't give a gospel I think go to the website look at like what we believe full doctrinal statement. Really like baptism. If you click on that, it'll give you a list of things I asked when I baptize someone you to affirm. First Corinthians 15, the basic tenants of the gospel like that's a hell I'm going to die on. Right who is Jesus? He's God. We serve a Triune God Father, Son, Holy Spirit, right. He's, that's it. Second person's son. Right? Surely he died. according to Scriptures for us. He was crucified died was buried on the third day he rose again, fulfill all those scriptures, right? He ascended to heaven. see to the right hand of the Father. He's coming back to get us right. Those are the very, very basics like we can't do we will divide over the elegant you know, and even people come in, they're not believers. I'm like, Okay, stay, listen, don't talk. But listen, and see anything just to shut up. But do a lot of listening. Right? Two ears, one mouth, big reason. So anyway, practice what you preach. So anyway, but even if people don't do I love you. That's all that's the only way to get people to gospel. I love you. I love you. That's it. Okay, great. I don't care. I love you. So denominational churches are places that say, you know, look, if you believe these things outside the gospel, and they're different for us, you're not welcome here. Some even say you're not saved, like the tongues. Like if you don't speak in tongues come out the baptism thing. You're not saved. I'm like, so where's everybody? Do they fake it? No, it's like this a culture of lies. That's what it is a culture of faking. It was funny because someone here on I was asked to search for a church for someone in areas Big City area. Okay, find me a non denominational church, and I'm like, okay, and plenty to choose from. But I spent my time on it, you know, just really, okay. Let me look around and try to find look at the websites first, you know, see what they're preaching. I narrowed it down like four or five, you know, I'm like, Okay, this seems good. And as I pull back the layers up, nope, not nondenominational. Oh, where did he go to seminary, Baptist Church? And actually, I was sent an article it said, like most of the seminaries are Baptists. That's why I pick on them, because what do they do? Well, they take and I've been in meetings like this, actually more than one. And this is that, hey, everybody's taking the name of the denomination off the sign, and we're getting more people let's do it, too. So they're going, but you if you keep thinking, I'm going to be honest with you, real nondenominational churches are extremely rare. In fact, so much so that if you talk to people like I go to non Amish, I'm almost like confident in saying probably not you know, probably not ask the pastor if women can preach, they're going to be pastors, you know, and you're not, you're not he went to Baptist seminary, you know, it stick or they adopt these other practices and make them primary, you know, so yeah, Tom is all the other stuff, but let's just keep this a pretty neutral palette, focus on the Word of God and do those other things and other times it's bases, that they're presenting those secondary things out front and is important. That's not nondenominational. That's uncomfortable for a lot of people, right? But what is it, it's called a bait and switch. That is a worldly marketing tactic. And when people do that sales tactic, when people do that they are of the world. They're not of the word, they're telling us the first thing they are there, that's the best foot forward really, is deceit. I remember what the false teacher day would distort the use deceit. So leave, like quality places, don't use these tactics, they don't feed you junk. They don't tell you what you want to hear and tell you what you need to hear. That's what the word does. That's really funny, because, sadly, we're different. I related to fast food receipts, you know, like, you know, we're never going to be huge. If we keep doing this. Jesus had the roads narrow, right? So we're never going to be a huge church. We just know that it's fine. We just live to serve the community. I've been there done that tried to be rich and famous in my previous life. Right. So we're done with that futility. So, but it's really funny, because it's like fast food, right? There are always more fast food restaurants, and there are fine dining, you're going to really, you know, and I feel like what I'm like, I'll talk to you about food later. But it's really important, right? Fine dining, you know, there's so much less of it really, really good places. Quality is hard, right? Quality is difficult when you put your quality over your profit. It's going to be tough, right? We're not willing to do that here. But it's really funny. Just as we close, I want to share something with you. It's kind of funny, maybe you had this experience. Sadly, we're different. But have you ever had the if you've been here for a while, but have you ever had the experience of talking like, you have a Christian friend, they don't go to this church? And you find yourself there? Like, what's your church like? And you find yourself like apologizing? Have you ever done that? Like or like, like, well, it's a little different, you know, like, automatically kind of making excuses for it. Like, you don't want to bring them here because you like, think you can handle your do that. It was really funny. I found myself doing and to the point now where I'm like, like, if they're a Christian, like I'm a Christian, I'm looking for a church, but you're going to hate to hear it go somewhere else. Because I'll go through like all the things I'm like, Okay, we really just narrowed this down to the Word of God for things and acts, what did they do? We observed them doing these things. So we just copy that, right? So just do that. It was all about the word of God. Like, we're the Word of God, the Word of God is a lot of the Word of God, right? We fellowship together, we have to assemble. We don't do this training thing. There's no virtually, you got to get together. We love each other, right? Because we actually want to like, see each other in person. Whoa. So we do that we do that. Then we break bread together, right? And everybody's welcome. And no, no, no, there's not like 100 different ministries and segregating everybody throughout the church. We all just eat together. So like, the homeless person is really over the millionaire like, it's, it's amazing. It's beautiful love. They're all together. We don't have a patronizing homeless ministry we just did. They're just different. Everybody's family, right? There are people from all I have people from all over the world coming to the church. It's amazing. And people like Ethiopia. It's unbelievable is multicultural church. There's this really and see that just like the word tells us not to write, there's no longer slave, female, female, Jew or Greek. We're all one in Christ. Jesus is beautiful, just totally beautiful. Just all the people all the nations is Jesus commanded, right all the Ethany we learned that word go to all the ethnicities, regardless of race, creed, but just That's it. We're all together. And it's just a beautiful thing. It's like heaven almost. That's great. And we pray because we LISTEN to Jesus over any person. Does that? That's our church, right? Immediately. So do you have like a worship band? I'm like, go somewhere else. But immediately they start asking about worldly things. Immediately. I'm like, I just described like heaven to you. Like eating at the Lord's banquet festival. You know what I mean? This is awesome. And you want trash you just want worldly material stuff. Okay, now here's the saddest thing you want to know the really sad part. I do the same thing and I give that description to someone who's not a Christian they say that sounds great. Ouch so low quality and work takes dedication so it's not encouraged you guys and what we do I'm on fire. I'm on fire so you guys have come follow me. As for me and my house, we're going to worship the Lord right? So we're going to do it right. This is why I'm here to keep you can cough that's yeah, that's good. Or somebody like that their worship like, that's why clap ahead of everybody else. I'm like, I hope you guys. So yes, yes. Yes, coffee, ma right. You're my boast. Right? Thank you for getting it. Right. So look, guys, this is why we are going to keep I'm going to keep preaching faithfully. I don't care if I'm just here, preaching to Jesus. And that's it. I I'm just going to keep saying without apology. But the word of God says, that's why we're going to keep breaking bread with all who want or need a meal, regardless of where you came from, right doesn't matter. I don't care what your socio economic status is. I don't care what your color is. I don't care what you believe about the Bible. And I love you. That's it. So you are welcome at this table. Period. We're going to keep gathering together as a family of faith. And we're going to keep praying and seeking the Lord, because Christ is the head of this church. Amen. Let me pray for you. Lord, thank You for this church. That is the body of Christ that people hear everybody in the sound of my voice, and everybody who needed to watch online. Lord, I just pray that you just work on us. So we're just better vessels, humble vessels of Your Holy Spirit so we can bring this broken world your love your joy, your peace, your patience or kindness, your mercy Lord. I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.