The Curse of the Tithe: Grace vs. Transaction

[00:01:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:01:36] While the youth and children have activities, these times are from 4 30 to 7 30 pm. If you're attentive, dependable, and have a heart to serve behind the scenes, this is a meaningful way to care for our church family. You can serve monthly or even weekly, depending on your interest. Another opportunity is with our Beulah Go team. Our Beulah Go team plans and leads our outreach efforts in our community, meeting practical needs,
[00:02:07] and sharing Christ's love through action.
[00:02:10] If you enjoy planning, teamwork, and making a real impact beyond the church walls, this is a meaningful place for you to serve.
[00:02:18] Help us be the hands and feet of Jesus by reaching our neighbor.
[00:02:23] Upcoming serving dates are March 28th, May 16th, September 12th, and October 10th.
[00:02:31] If any of these opportunities interest you, please contact Elizabeth Green at BeulahChurchLife at gmail.com or call the church office at 704-872-6971.
[00:02:45] We look forward to serving with you.

[00:02:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:02:57] Good morning, good morning.
[00:02:58] How many's ready to church, have church today?
[00:03:01] Is that you? Come on.
[00:03:04] Would you sing the words of the Lord with us this morning?

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:03:06] Our Savior is done, has done great.
[00:03:46] I want you to do something for me this morning.

[00:11:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:11:41] We've not done this in any other service, but I want you to shout out he you ready y'all ready one two three again one two three sing it

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:12:08] church he won't he won't fit out in this room right now come on sing it out morning I speak Jesus

[00:20:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:20:24] I speak Jesus church family in this holy moment I just want you to hold your hands out like this as we hold our hands out we confess and know that we have a savior who his name is power
[00:21:01] his name is healing his name is the anchor his name is above every name that the name of jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to the glory of god the father
[00:21:14] we have a savior who has a name that is the only name given under heaven whereby men and women must be saved and born again we have a savior who has a name that is written on his thigh and it is
[00:21:29] alpha and omega beginning and end first and the last he is the wonderful counselor almighty god everlasting father he is the prince of peace he is the only one who is the deliverer and just as
[00:21:46] he heals the lame lets the blind see again causes the deaf to hear he raises the dead all by the power of his holy name. And today I want to encourage you, whatever it is that you are going
[00:22:04] through, I want you to just envision it being in your hands. And I just want you to move your hands forward. Like you're giving it to him, whatever it's your family, it's your future. It's your
[00:22:18] marriage. It's your children. It's your parents healing in your body, financial stability.
[00:22:25] You're going through a season of grief, trying to figure out what's next for you.
[00:22:33] Maybe your heart, the Holy Spirit is convicting you and it's time to leave sin and become faithful in Christ.
[00:22:39] I just want you to give it to him right now.
[00:22:43] Just speak the name of Jesus over this as you give it to him.

[00:22:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:22:58] Shout Jesus from.
[00:22:59] Sing that again.
[00:23:25] Shout Jesus.
[00:23:26] Come on, shout at church.
[00:23:32] Time just like that.
[00:23:50] Shout Jesus.
[00:23:59] Jesus.
[00:24:00] And I wanna tell you, I love that line, Gary,

[00:27:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:27:02] where he says, shine through the shadow.
[00:27:04] You know, I'm grateful I don't have to wait for a leaf to fall or the nature to be right to know God's alive and who speak to me. Amen.
[00:27:14] I'm grateful. I ain't got to check out my horoscope today to know that his promises for me are yes and amen. Amen. I'm grateful. My heart hurts for some of my friends who are entrapped
[00:27:26] in contemporary religious movements, but I want you to know that it's not by my works. I'm going get there. It's by the work God did for me on the cross. I'm grateful today that I know my sins are
[00:27:38] forgiven, that the tomb is empty and he is alive and well, and he loves you. He is for you and not against you. So let's lift that name up. His name is power. His name is healing. His name is life.
[00:27:56] Come on, church family.
[00:27:57] Come on.
[00:28:57] I want you to turn to the person on your right.
[00:28:58] Give them a high five.
[00:28:59] Say, the Lord's alive.
[00:29:01] Turn to the person over here.
[00:29:02] Say, he is risen.
[00:29:03] Turn to this person.
[00:29:04] Say, he is good to me.
[00:29:06] Tell this person, say, he is good to you.
[00:29:09] Give this person a high five.
[00:29:10] Say, he loves you.
[00:29:12] Give this person a big high five.
[00:29:13] Say, he loves you.
[00:29:15] Come on, church.
[00:29:18] Amen.
[00:29:19] Thanks, bro.
[00:29:20] You may be seated this morning.
[00:29:22] We're about to have church.
[00:29:23] up in here, bro. Oh, I love it. I love it. I love it. Oh, thank you so much for being here with us this morning. Those of you who are watching online and for some reason not able to be with us, we
[00:29:35] would encourage you to always, if you can find your place here. Uh, it's good to be able to have online services, but there ain't nothing like being in the house. Amen. Amen. So how many of
[00:29:44] y'all were able to be with us on Friday night last week? Amen. Super grateful for that. Would y'all be okay if we drop one of those in every so often? Not weather induced, but gospel induced.
[00:29:57] Amen. I love it. I love it. I love it. I just want to say a huge thank you to Parker. Is Parker over there? Did he make it to church today? Parker, man, I love you, brother. Nothing but love for you.
[00:30:11] I'm grateful to know that the gospel is strong in you and you can persist. And it's always next year, man. Keep coming back. I love you, dude. Thank you so much for preaching for me while
[00:30:23] we were at the Florida conference and super grateful. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has served in some kind of capacity, not only throughout the year, but in the last
[00:30:31] couple of weeks with all the snow and the inclement weather, many of you have come here and you've scraped and shoveled and brought your equipment and all kinds of things. I cannot thank you enough to be able to do that because while all that's going on, there's still normal ministry
[00:30:44] that's happening, and so I'm super grateful.
[00:30:46] We've also been in a very intense season of funerals, and those of you who have served, who have greeted, who have planned meals, who have supported, I'm just so, so grateful for you as well.
[00:31:01] And today we have a funeral after this service, so I wanna ask you if when you, before you leave, if you'll kind of police your area and not leave any candy wrappers or tissue and stuff like that so that it'll make it
[00:31:13] an easy transition we also have another so this afternoon is randy hush randy is one of our deacons a marine strong man of god he and his wife have been servants here and i've been able to serve
[00:31:24] with them throughout the years monica teaches in our not only our student ministry but also in our women's ministry and so please if you can be here today to celebrate with us we would be very very
[00:31:35] grateful this thursday we'll also have another funeral as i was called out late friday night Virgil Whitener, that is Brenda Whitener.
[00:31:44] Brenda normally sits kind of almost three rows all the way to, oh, hey, Brenda.
[00:31:49] Hey, mama girl, we love you.
[00:31:51] And so Virgil is Brenda's son.
[00:31:54] And I wanna say thank you for being in the house of the Lord today and super grateful.
[00:31:58] Can we celebrate our sister?
[00:32:01] Super, super grateful.
[00:32:03] And we definitely are praying for the Hamricks, Scott and Shannon with the passing of Schuyler.
[00:32:08] I wanna tell you, the Lord saved 62 people at that service and celebration of life.
[00:32:15] So guys, just be praying.
[00:32:16] I wanna ask for your prayers for me as well, just on top of normal duties.
[00:32:20] Y'all know how serious I take funerals and I wanna be able to represent the Lord well and remember that person well.
[00:32:26] So just pray that my brain and heart and the Holy Spirit will be on me strong to be able to lead in those times.
[00:32:32] Y'all ready to get to business?
[00:32:34] Amen.
[00:32:35] You ready?
[00:32:36] So let's pray this with me.
[00:32:38] Let me pray and then I'll ask you, invite you in. Father, in the name of Jesus, I believe that this word is strong for us today.
[00:32:45] And Heavenly Father, I thank you for letting me see it, maybe like never before. But Lord, unless you bless it, all I have are a few fish and a few loaves. But if you will bless it,
[00:32:57] it'll feed the multitudes and there'll be enough left over to do it again.
[00:33:02] So I'm asking, Lord, that you would speak to us today. Just simply let me be your mouthpiece.
[00:33:07] and by your Holy Spirit, you speak to every man, woman, boy, and girl in their capacity to hear that you may grant them repentance, allow them to come to their senses and acknowledge the truth of God
[00:33:20] that they may escape the trap of the devil.
[00:33:23] And God, would you help us to be strong and faithful in you?
[00:33:27] Now pray this with me, church family.
[00:33:28] Jesus, speak to me.
[00:33:31] Teach me how to be faithful to you at all times.
[00:33:37] show me how to teach others as well in jesus name we pray and all god's people said amen how many of y'all have ever paid attention to like a big light tower and the portable ones
[00:33:53] y'all know what i'm talking about yeah anybody like when you're riding down the interstate right they're the ones that you turn on you crank up and they normally have like four light heads to them
[00:34:00] you know over the years i really didn't pay much attention to them and then we started using them a lot for our fall festivals and our Christmas Eve services. I've become quite acquainted with them. Let me give you a cheat code. Before you ratchet that thing all the way in the sky,
[00:34:13] make sure you point the lights where you think they need to go, because that is an arduous task of having to redo that. Over the years, they've grown from pretty basic to pretty sophisticated.
[00:34:25] Back in the day, the control panels were just basically one key that you turned on and one set of breakers that you flip the lights on. But now these jokers, they are high tech, rednecks let me just tell you you know only because they're most of them are diesel engines
[00:34:38] now you got to prime them up pretty good right then you turn them on they got to set and reach to a certain level and then they have uh they have breakers in reference to the main breakers
[00:34:49] and then they have breakers for each of the lights and there has to be you got to have the right buttons got to be pressed in the right sequence so that the lights will work if you don't you will
[00:35:00] mess up some stuff. It will become highly dysfunctional quick and you'll blow one of these lights. And even when you got to power them down, you got to go through the right sequence to be able to do that for the longevity of the light, the light tower. Now thinking about this in our
[00:35:16] series called buttons, triggers, and truth, I really infirmly believe that God has called us here at Beulah and really every local church to be the lighthouse for Jesus. You and I live in a dark world. And if you hadn't picked up on that, wake up. And I know every preacher this side of
[00:35:35] the fall in the garden have said, we live in a dark world. But friends, I'm telling you, these days are dark. We truly are in a season of what Paul tells Timothy throughout 1 Timothy
[00:35:48] and 2 Timothy, that in the end times, people will not put up with sound teaching, but they will amass for themselves teachers who apply or give themselves over to teach things that their itching ears want to know. They will not be lovers of God. They will be lovers of themselves. They will be
[00:36:05] abusive. They will be lovers of money. They will be hateful toward parents. They will be sensual in everything they do. I know not of another time, and I'll turn 50 in a couple weeks, another time
[00:36:18] that it has been this dark.
[00:36:20] Let me give you some understanding of that.
[00:36:23] When you are a medical professional, a medical doctor, and you sit in a Senate hearing where a senator asks you, do you believe that a man can have a child, can bear, can conceive, carry, and bear a child?
[00:36:42] And you say, yes, that is demonic on a whole nother level.
[00:36:48] And it's demonic. Go ahead. And what I want you to understand church family is this not all, he just a right wing. No, no, no. I'm a believer. My great hope is not the right or the left. It
[00:37:01] is Jesus Christ. He sits in the center of the throne. He sits in the center of the throne.
[00:37:07] But what's so demonic about it is that when you sell your soul so strong that somebody can put a price tag on your soul that you switch scientific evidence to keep a dark agenda moving forward,
[00:37:26] you are on, let me say it like ACDC, a highway to hell. And if I could play a guitar, I'd pick up an electric and play it right now. And maybe you're visiting this morning. You're like, man,
[00:37:39] I thought they said Brian was a cool guy. Like he was funny. This ain't too funny.
[00:37:42] I want you to know where we're at when you stand at the Grammys like what we saw entertainers do I'm like man shut up and sing songs and you feel like you need to use your platform for
[00:37:53] for political statements some of y'all may feel the same way about me as a preacher like preach the gospel I am preaching the gospel so you'll know how dark it is but when we stand up and we
[00:38:01] say oh we have stolen lands and and and and and I don't know what to say homegirl you live on a private island run by natives with walls taller than Samson, with a security system bigger than
[00:38:20] any ninja you could put on there. I can't show up at your front door and ask for an autograph.
[00:38:26] So who in the world are you trying to tell me that borders don't matter? What you just told me was that your personal security matters, but national security does not matter. That's not even dumb. That's dark. Their logic doesn't even make sense. Here's the point. How many of you have ever
[00:38:48] tried to post a social media reel using a song, but the song didn't have permission by Facebook or Instagram and they shut you down. So don't you dare tell me that borders don't matter when I
[00:39:03] can't even use your music unless I buy it. And you got lawyers for your own intellectual property that I can't have access to. You see how dark we are. I know you didn't come to church looking for
[00:39:18] all that, but here's the deal guys. I want you to understand truth so that when you hear it, you, when you hear non-truth or advice of demons or teaching that you don't drink the Kool-Aid.
[00:39:32] let me drop it let me drop another one here i've heard this a couple times over the past couple months that all the church is growing pastor brian he he's not as humble as he used to be
[00:39:42] don't you dare say that lie from the pits of hell don't you dare do it let me tell you this when i step in this pulpit and i'm grateful that the lord has allowed us to grow but when i step
[00:39:53] in this pulpit and i come through as bold it is not haughty and it is not prideful it is in the same instance that I would, you and I, you are my player and I am the coach and we represent a big
[00:40:07] school, the kingdom of God. And in the midst of the band playing and the lights and all the tension and the fan, the opposing fans who are demons yelling at you and the defensive line, who's like
[00:40:21] and I, and you're over here just, I don't know how to live. I don't know how to parent. I don't know how to be a husband. I don't know how to be a wife. I don't know how to be a single person.
[00:40:29] I don't know how to be a middle schooler or a high schooler.
[00:40:31] When I step in bold, it is as a coach.
[00:40:35] I want you to hear my voice, which I pray is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
[00:40:41] Amen.
[00:40:42] But when it comes to the growth that we have, I'll never forget, Jeff was with me when somebody from Western North Carolina, they said, Brother Brian, the church is around here.
[00:40:50] Maybe a big church is like 70 people.
[00:40:52] When y'all running 1,803 services, what's that like?
[00:40:56] I said, it's humbling because the pressure is real and the responsibility for all of you and your souls is very humbling. And therefore I beg God, please don't let me mess this up. Please keep your hand upon us and please do something in us
[00:41:15] that can only be said, God did it. Amen. Come on church. Come on church. So here's what I want us to understand, I believe there's a secret sauce to being light. And notice Jesus has called those
[00:41:33] who are born again to be the light of the world. So the light that comes from this church, I hope y'all did recognize that's Beulah. The light that comes from this church in a dark world is because
[00:41:44] Christ is in us. And Christ is in you. This isn't just your pastoral staff that is making this place shine. No, no, no. It's every one of us. And that's why it's so important that our walk
[00:41:58] with the Lord is grounded in faithfulness. And I believe there's a secret sauce to it.
[00:42:04] If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn with me to 2 Timothy chapter two. My boy Parker preached this passage, but as I was getting ready for what I thought was I was going to preach next,
[00:42:15] I began reading the whole context again and saw something in this verse like I'd never seen before that I really do believe is the game changer to the church. You see, many people have many expectations of what the church is supposed to be. They think the church is supposed to be a
[00:42:29] soup kitchen. It's supposed to be a closed closet. It's supposed to be a homeless shelter. It's supposed to be an open checkbook to every benevolence need that's out there and friends.
[00:42:38] And most of the time people expect the church to just be a reflection of everything that's important to them and their personality, regardless of how sinful they are, how righteous they are.
[00:42:47] Are you with me? And this is where you and I have to understand that the church is the body of Christ, grounded in Christ's saving work, guided by biblical principles, so that you and I can be the special theater of the Holy Spirit. How many of y'all are old
[00:43:06] enough to remember drive-thrus? Anybody remember drive-thru? Yeah, that's how some of y'all got here. Sorry, I set you up on that one. Yeah, not drive-thru, drive-in. Well, for some of y'all, it was a drive-thru and uh oh i'm gonna get an email on that one hold up thank you for the
[00:43:28] correction my deacon's over here trying to help me over here i appreciate that one right just making sure y'all paying attention all right this is where when you go to that theater when you go
[00:43:39] to that drive-in that large theater showed the movie to numerous people at one time the church the local church is supposed to be the special theater for the Holy Spirit. In other words, if there's a place on the face of the earth where someone could say, how can you know that the Holy
[00:43:58] Spirit, what the New Testament talks about and the Old Testament talks about the Spirit of God, how can you know it's real? A person ought to be able to point to the local church.
[00:44:06] And this is the reason why today there are many people that don't believe is that because the local church has been corrupted in so many ways, not because they've been grounded biblical, but because of a lot of itching ears.
[00:44:18] And they don't have preachers, they have devils in dog collars.
[00:44:23] They do.
[00:44:24] I get in all kinds of trouble when I say that.
[00:44:25] I really don't care, because it's true.
[00:44:27] People want a shepherd, but they never really consider biblically what a shepherd is.
[00:44:32] Most people think a shepherd is just this guy going out like a petting zoo going, oh, don't we have such a wonderful flock here?
[00:44:38] They're so amazing.
[00:44:40] Shepherds in the New Testament were hated.
[00:44:42] That's why when the angels appear to them, everybody's in shock.
[00:44:45] They're like, what do you go to them?
[00:44:46] because they're dirty, they're nasty.
[00:44:48] You know why?
[00:44:49] Because they stay with their people all the time.
[00:44:51] They stay with their flock.
[00:44:52] And they have to fight wolves.
[00:44:55] They have to fight wolves.
[00:45:00] And they have to be prepared to do so.
[00:45:03] And in our modern culture where people get offended by everything, they don't understand when a pastor stands up to fight off wolves because he actually cares for the body that God has made him responsible for.
[00:45:14] I don't want us coming in all mangled up because we have let wolves into our house.
[00:45:21] And I also don't want it to be a free reign that wolves think they can bite and nip and chew and pee and scratch and try to leave their mark on everything here that belongs to God.
[00:45:33] And all God's people said, amen.
[00:45:35] Let's go to the text.
[00:45:36] I'm preaching before I'm preaching.
[00:45:37] Here we go.
[00:45:38] Read it with me.
[00:45:39] You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
[00:45:44] And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Let's read it one more time. You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And what you have heard from me in
[00:46:03] the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Let me take us through this passage before we move on to our notes. Paul is writing this to
[00:46:15] Timothy. Timothy is a young man who is the pastor in Ephesus. Ephesus is Mestown Mediterranean.
[00:46:23] And Timothy is at a place to where he's almost shrinking back because of the pressure that is on him. And because I think of what Paul is saying here, Timothy is really at a place to
[00:46:33] where he's wondering who's standing with me. As a leader, sometimes you can struggle with that to say, who really has my back? Who really understands the mission? Who really understands what we're trying to accomplish here? And if that doubt ever sets in, it can trip you up in numerous,
[00:46:52] numerous ways. He writes to him like a father and he calls him his child. And he says, I want you to strengthen yourself by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Grace is the unmerited favor of God.
[00:47:06] I like to define it like this.
[00:47:08] It's the ridiculous generosity of God that he pours out on us who are so undeserving.
[00:47:15] And there is a way, my friend, that if you are a believer, you are born again, that you can be strengthened by the grace of God.
[00:47:23] Now, let me ask a question.
[00:47:25] Whether you're watching online or listening on the radio or you're in this room, if you know Christ as your Lord and personal savior, not just because you prayed a prayer, but because you believe that only Jesus can save you,
[00:47:35] you have repented of your sins, ask him to come in your life and forgive you and save you eternally.
[00:47:40] I want you to raise your hand right now. Praise God. Now watch this. You can be strengthened by the ridiculous generosity of Christ. The first thing that you can do, and I don't have notes
[00:47:58] for this, but as I came to church this morning, the Lord said, you need to describe this. Number one is it is by the grace of God that you have been called out of darkness into his marvelous
[00:48:08] light. In other words, being saved is not one of your latest, greatest harebrained ideas. You ever had a harebrained idea? Oh boy, I've had a bunch of them, right? That's why I don't have any hair
[00:48:19] anymore, right? That means that the calling that God was thinking about me before I ever even knew his name or could think about him. Backed up in the scripture now from Jeremiah lets me know that
[00:48:32] I am fearfully and wonderfully made in him.
[00:48:36] And so he has called you out of darkness.
[00:48:40] In other words, my dear friend, it doesn't matter how dark this world gets or what HR says to you or what gets handed down from some of the most demonic strongholds of this world.
[00:48:50] You have no reason to live in darkness because you were called out of it by God's grace.
[00:48:56] Strengthen yourself in that.
[00:48:58] And every time darkness tries to call you back to its dark side, No, nope, nope, nope.
[00:49:03] I'm a recipient of God's grace.
[00:49:06] Secondly, it is by the grace of God, not only are you called out of darkness, but that you are saved from that darkness.
[00:49:14] It is by grace through faith as a gift of God, not of works so that no one can boast that you are saved.
[00:49:22] You are the workmanship of Christ created under good works.
[00:49:26] So strengthen yourself in the grace of God that it is not your works that make you right with God.
[00:49:32] It is the work that God did through Christ that makes you right with him.
[00:49:37] Strengthen yourself in the grace of God.
[00:49:40] That to know the things you had done against God that separated you from him have been cast as far as the east is from the west now.
[00:49:48] Drown in the deepest of ocean and Jesus himself puts the no fishing sign there.
[00:49:53] Never to be brought up again.
[00:49:55] That's how you can strengthen yourself in the grace of God.
[00:49:59] So when the enemy says, well, you used to do this and you used to do that.
[00:50:02] You go, you're right.
[00:50:04] You are grammatically correct, used to, but I am called and I am saved and I will be strengthened in the grace of God.
[00:50:13] You can be strengthened by the grace of God because when you got saved, George, the Holy Spirit, Jesus put the Holy Spirit inside of you.
[00:50:21] That's the spirit of Jesus given to believers to accomplish his will for you on this earth.
[00:50:27] In other words, God gives you his GPS, yes, the God positioning center is the Holy Spirit.
[00:50:33] And the Holy Spirit works in you to teach you and remind you of all things.
[00:50:39] So if there's a moment in your life, you're like, I don't know what to do next.
[00:50:41] I don't know how to make this decision.
[00:50:43] I don't know what the word's saying.
[00:50:45] Holy Spirit, guide me and lead me.
[00:50:47] Strengthen yourself in the grace of God.
[00:50:50] And then through the power of the Holy Spirit, when you got saved by the grace of God, you were given a grace gift.
[00:50:57] It's where we get our word charismatic from, charismata.
[00:51:02] Charis is the word grace, mata is the word gift.
[00:51:05] You were given a grace gift to serve Jesus in the local church.
[00:51:10] Now the question is, is do you know your spiritual gifts?
[00:51:13] If you don't, in the foyer, we have spiritual gift inventories that you can take home.
[00:51:18] That's a series of questions that help identify things that naturally you get passionate about.
[00:51:24] And then it helps you translate them to biblical responsibilities and biblical characteristics and we'll help you explain them.
[00:51:30] But in those gifts, you should be serving the church.
[00:51:34] That's why it's not about volunteering.
[00:51:36] It's about serving because why?
[00:51:38] A volunteer, just show up and leave whenever.
[00:51:40] But a servant will graciously, giftedly serve Jesus until Jesus comes back.
[00:51:49] Are you with me?
[00:51:51] This is where you can be strengthened.
[00:51:55] When you, you ever felt like an idiot?
[00:51:58] Am I the only one?
[00:51:59] You ever felt like, yeah.
[00:52:01] If you're, you ever felt like you can't do anything right?
[00:52:04] I mean, if you're a husband, that is definitely, that is definitely, no, just, oh.
[00:52:09] And if your wife's like, I can't either.
[00:52:10] I can't either, Pastor Brian, smart mouth, right?
[00:52:15] Guys, when you get in those seasons of life, strengthen yourself by the grace of God.
[00:52:19] I am called, I am saved, I am equipped with the Holy Spirit.
[00:52:24] I am gifted to serve the Lord.
[00:52:26] I am not an idiot.
[00:52:28] I am not a loser.
[00:52:30] I am not just a waste of space.
[00:52:32] I am called.
[00:52:33] I am gifted.
[00:52:34] I am saved.
[00:52:36] I am endowed with the Holy Spirit.
[00:52:37] I have been forgiven.
[00:52:39] I have a hope in heaven.
[00:52:40] Strengthen yourself in the grace of God that is in Christ Jesus.
[00:52:45] Now notice what Paul says in verse two.
[00:52:47] He says, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses.
[00:52:52] Now this is where Paul says, look, this ain't no cult. I didn't just hide in the shadows and go, you know, drink Kool-Aid, hold snakes. All right. No, no, no. This is where Paul says, Timothy, since the time you've been
[00:53:03] with me, I've taught publicly. Even when it meant Paul, his own life, he's bold. He's bold by the grace of God. He says, what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses in trust to
[00:53:13] what? Faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Now, when you go back to first Timothy, Paul gives us some schematics of how the church should function. He gives some schematics on what the role of a pastor or the elder, lead elders should look like. He gives some schematics
[00:53:37] for what the lead servants of the church who are known as deacons, men, along with their wives, how they should lead to show everyone what daily service and the gospel looks like in daily living.
[00:53:51] But here's what I found over the years, guys.
[00:53:54] I think the majority of the church, as long as I've been a part of the church, just thinks, well, if the pastor's doing his job and the deacons are doing their job, then we ought to be rolling along.
[00:54:03] And that's just not the case.
[00:54:05] When Paul is saying, entrust these things to faithful men, I think Paul has deacons in mind.
[00:54:13] I think he has elders in mind.
[00:54:14] But I think he has every person who has been called out of darkness, saved by God's grace, equipped with the Holy Spirit, and given a spiritual gift.
[00:54:23] This is why I believe 2 Timothy 2.2 is the game changer for the local church.
[00:54:29] That you and I are to be faithful men and women and students who are able to teach others.
[00:54:38] If you're taking notes this morning, maybe this will help you.
[00:54:41] You see, faithful men and women strengthened by the grace of God are the sequential power buttons for the church.
[00:54:49] It's the sequence.
[00:54:50] we're turned on in Christ Christ has flipped the big power breaker now the goal for you and I is which buttons do we push in order that we may grow up into Christ and shine bright from him in this place and from this place and this
[00:55:07] is where church is not about how long someone has been here but how willing they are to be shaped and used by God this is where one of my friends and I came up with this we always talk about believers ought to be fat faithful available and teachable
[00:55:22] I like that don't y'all that were you and I are to be faithful we're to be available and we're to be teachable this is where the church is not about the size of the building or the programs
[00:55:35] but the depth of obedience and reliability among God's people and I'm going to keep this one in front of us because I pray that the good Lord allows us to continue to grow and reach people
[00:55:45] God's put a vision on my heart to somehow or another buy radio stations in the most pagan of countries and have 24-7 gospel going, 24-7 gospel going.
[00:55:55] I don't know how we're going to do it, but it's in my spirit.
[00:55:58] I presented it to the deacons.
[00:56:00] And I don't know, man, could you imagine the next mission trip we go is not just to feed people, but it's to climb a tower and put a new receptor on it so the gospel message can go out,
[00:56:11] dodging bullets while we're doing it.
[00:56:12] Let's go!
[00:56:18] Because why?
[00:56:19] You got the Islamic Brotherhood riding around shooting antennas down that present the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[00:56:26] And I just am crazy enough to believe that maybe one of us up there on that tower putting that receptor back on and that dude's getting ready to pull the trigger and comes under the Holy Spirit.
[00:56:36] He comes up there and says, I was gonna kill you, but now I wanna help you.
[00:56:39] How do I get saved?
[00:56:44] Do y'all not dream like that?
[00:56:51] See, when we get over the dreams of just paying off all the bills and being able to retire somewhere and drink beer with our friends and have all the sex we want and have all the money we want,
[00:57:02] you start dreaming for something bigger.
[00:57:07] Y'all, I thought 1030 was alive.
[00:57:09] Where'd y'all go?
[00:57:12] This is where the church at this point is not who holds the loudest opinion, but who consistently lives out the gospel with integrity, humility, and teachability.
[00:57:24] Guys, this isn't about who's got the loudest opinion and I know I'm loud.
[00:57:29] This is where it's about who is consistently walking with Jesus with integrity and humility and teachability. So what do we do? What's the sequence here for this? I want to take you back to 1 Timothy chapter three. I want you to see the qualifications of a deacon. Go forward with me,
[00:57:47] guys. 1 Timothy chapter three, verse eight. Read this with me. Look at that. Listen to that sound.
[00:57:55] that's like man that's like joe von musk in the 1980s right there that's a sweet fragrance that's like dracar norie to the to the 1990s go to prom dude trying to hook up with his girlfriend i mean
[00:58:10] that is a powerful here in bible pages flip is awesome that that is that yeah anyway okay here we go here we go read this with me deacons likewise must be dignified not double-tongued not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of
[00:58:32] the faith with a clear conscience and let them also be tested first. Then let them serve as deacons. If they prove themselves blameless, their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one
[00:58:53] wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons will gain a good standing for themselves and a great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. In other words, if these are involved in a deacon and a deacon is a lead
[00:59:13] servant in the church, that's what the word deacon means. It means a servant. He said, if they do these things well, they'll have a good testimony and they will prove that they've not wasted the gospel of Jesus Christ. So let me unpack some of these, so maybe they'll help you
[00:59:27] as we move forward. These deacons, go forward with me guys, are to be dignified. In other words, they're respectable, they're steady, they're honorable. In other words, they don't flake out for too much. You don't see them. And then they show back just hard charging. They're stable along
[00:59:44] the way. They're not to be double-tongued. In other words, they're consistent in speech and They're not two-faced. What they say, what they say in front of you, they say in front of maybe another person that is interested in the conversation. My, to wonder how many churches
[01:00:00] in Iredell County that God has taken his hand off of because the church was full of two-faced people and two-faced pastors. That's how some of y'all ended up here. This is where I always want you
[01:00:14] to understand if you've ever been in a meeting with me, in a discipleship meeting, I tell you three things at the beginning. One, number one, I take confidentiality seriously. Number two, I'm not easily shocked. So say it like it is. Number three, what you and I talk about goes on
[01:00:27] a shelf in my brain and my heart. And the next time I see you, I'm not thinking about what we talked about unless it's pertinent for why we're meeting. And I always tell people, I say, look,
[01:00:36] if you ever hear me say something that sounds a lot like one of our counseling appointments, please know this. I'm not a chicken pastor. In other words, I'll wait for the pulpit to pistol whip my people because I'm too chicken to say it in front of your face. I want you to have
[01:00:49] everything about Jesus that you can have. Do you understand that church family? I want you to have everything you can have that Jesus, that Jesus has for you. And I'll say more about that in a second.
[01:01:03] Here's where these individuals, these men are not greedy for dishonest gain. In other words, they're trustworthy with money. They hold a faith. They hold the faith with a clear conscience.
[01:01:11] these men and their families have strong, sincere convictions. This is where they're tested first.
[01:01:16] In other words, they're proven faithful before they're appointed and they're blameless. There are no major accusations against their character and they're faithful in their marriage. They're one woman, men, and, and, and they're, they're, they're faithful to their spouse and their spouse
[01:01:31] is faithful to them. And, and their spouses are not gossips and slanderers. This is where these men are to manage their own household. Well, in other words, they lead and care for the family responsibilities. And this is where these men are worthy of respect. In other words, they have a
[01:01:45] life that reinforces the gospel and not contradicts it. Now, if you're a deacon in this room, either past or present, just raise your hand real quick so folks can see you. Raise it. Take a look around.
[01:01:56] We got some awesome dudes I get to serve with. Some of you guys are brand new. Some of y'all been seasoned here. This is where Paul leads us. And he says, look, these guys are your lead
[01:02:08] servants. And these are the qualifications and the characteristics that will be in their life.
[01:02:13] This is why this is so important to us, deacons and elders, that it matters. Over the years of Beulah, they've had like 12 deacons and then 17 deacons. And now we have 30 deacons. 30 are
[01:02:23] responsible for the 1800 of you that call this place your church home and visit and are active in your attendance. Okay. But what if it's not, what if it's not just the 30? When Paul tells
[01:02:37] Timothy, instruct these things to faithful people and faithful men. What if it's, what if these qualifications are for every one of us? What if instead of 30 men and their families living out these qualifications, what if all 1800 of us lived them out? Come on, decide if you're going to clap
[01:02:55] or not. Let's go. Right. What if all 1800 of us live these out? So let's go back to them again.
[01:03:02] What if all, what if it's not just the deacons? What if all 1800 of us are dignified? That we are respectable, we are steady, and we are honorable. We are not drama queens and drama kings.
[01:03:14] We don't look like a bunch of clowns in the midst of the circus. We don't believe everything is coming down the pipe, that we are respectable in our lives. We are steady. We pay our bills. We
[01:03:25] treat people with respect. We don't burn bridges. Come on. And if a bridge gets burned, that one should have been burnt years ago. And if I burn it, it's because Jesus said burn that bridge.
[01:03:37] what if it's not just the deacons but what if it's every one of us is not to be double-tongued in other words we are consistent in our speech that what I say in front of Abby is the same
[01:03:51] thing that I would say in front of Jonah that what I would that what I would say in front of Todd would be the same thing in the same interest that I would say in front of Ashley and that there
[01:04:01] would be no slander in there there'd be no two-facedness in there it'd be no what we call what I call aisle 13 of food line conversation.
[01:04:09] Oh, how you doing?
[01:04:10] It's so good to see you.
[01:04:11] Good Lord, if we, oh, we're glad we got away from her.
[01:04:13] We'd never get home.
[01:04:16] What just happens?
[01:04:18] Why doesn't the gospel liberate us to go, what's up, my peeps?
[01:04:21] How you doing?
[01:04:22] Look, I got to go because you and I will talk forever.
[01:04:24] Love you.
[01:04:25] See you at church.
[01:04:26] Call me later.
[01:04:28] See the difference?
[01:04:30] And when we respond like that, I don't let the enemy have access to my buttons and my triggers that makes me a liar and a two-face.
[01:04:38] Amen?
[01:04:42] What if it's not just deacons?
[01:04:43] What if you and I are to not be addicted to much wine?
[01:04:48] In other words, these are men who have self-control.
[01:04:51] And to have self-control, the last fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control.
[01:04:54] So that means these are men, and all 1,800 of us are living, yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit.
[01:05:02] And Paul here is using the context of wine, which was a part of their culture and their context.
[01:05:09] But what about you and I today?
[01:05:10] what about our food addiction what about our sugar addiction our caffeine addiction our money addiction the porn addiction vape addiction zen addiction trying to go through them real quick uh help me out here huh social media oh i love it social media addiction um
[01:05:33] weed addiction that pens and you lick it smoke it rub it everything all it is they're trying to get us acquainted to it so they can choose the taxes off of it. But we already know there's
[01:05:47] enough tax dollars now. We just got to quit misappropriating it. That's a freebie. So in other words, all of us are living self-controlled lives. What if it's not just the deacons, but what if it's all of us who are supposed to be not greedy for dishonest gain? In other words, we're
[01:06:08] all trustworthy with money. You know, in church, it's always funny with money because somehow or People can spend their money on everything, but when they get to church, it's like super, like not even super spiritual, superstitious.
[01:06:21] That's the Lord's money.
[01:06:23] What's the Lord's money before you ever put it in the offering plate?
[01:06:28] And the reason we know that is it has to take the Lord in your heart for you to become a tither.
[01:06:34] And guys, when I talk about money, if you're new here, when I talk about money, I'm not talking because I want a hairpiece in a new pickup truck, okay?
[01:06:41] When I talk about tithing, it's because I'm a tither.
[01:06:44] My mama taught me how to tithe when I was 10 years old my parents got a divorce. I've been tithing for almost 40 years and you will never ever convince me that my life has not been blessed as a direct result of obedience to God and worshiping him
[01:06:58] through tithe and offering. Amen. And I want you, I don't want you living under the curse of God.
[01:07:04] That's what Malachi 3 says. Where does a man rob God? He robs him in tithe and offering.
[01:07:08] And there is a curse upon the land. I don't want you living in that curse and bringing that curse here. I want you to live to where God says, test me, and I will open up the windows of heaven and
[01:07:19] pour out blessings where you don't have enough room to receive. How many of y'all seen God pour out blessings that didn't make no sense, and they came through, and you're like, yabba-dabba-doo. Whoa, I want you to know those great blessings. I want you to teach your children
[01:07:35] to tithe off of birthday money. You're like, whoa, you're just going too far now. No, because why?
[01:07:42] That's bigger than just, here's a dollar, put it in a plate in Sunday school.
[01:07:45] No, no, no.
[01:07:46] God blessed you with that.
[01:07:49] Honor him with your first fruits.
[01:07:50] Because why?
[01:07:51] You honor him with your first fruits, it'll be very difficult for somebody to steal away your heart.
[01:07:59] It's where you watch people be jealous over money.
[01:08:03] It always cracks me up when it comes to church budget times where it's salaries or we're gonna spend money or this or that.
[01:08:08] And maybe somebody has never been to that level of living or ever spent money on that.
[01:08:13] Or it's like, rabish, rabish, rabish, rabish, rabish.
[01:08:15] just gossip, gossip, gossip, gossip, gossip. And this is where the gospel teaches us that money is a tool. And if you have more of it, you have better tools. And if you don't have a lot of
[01:08:26] money, then you better learn to be resourceful. And prostitution is not one of those resources.
[01:08:32] Just making sure y'all paying attention this morning. So you laugh, but as a pastor, how many people do I have to deal with that shack up? Cause they can't pay their bills and they don't keep the marriage bed undefiled. And they're living in witchcraft,
[01:08:50] demonic activity, but they all say, oh, we love one another. We're going to get around to it at some point. Well then go ahead right now. Y'all didn't ask for that one either, did you? It's so
[01:09:05] harsh. I'm a shepherd. I don't want you mauled to death by wolves. And I don't want you mishandled by wolves. So when you actually run into another lamb that, that they still got some chops left for
[01:09:18] them. What if it's not just the deacons, but it's every one of us that's the hold the faith with a clear conscience. In other words, it's not just that we're strong and believe, but we have sincere
[01:09:30] convictions. A conviction is when a belief becomes a standard, which you live by. What if it's not just the deacons who are tested first? What if it's every one of us who are tested? In other words,
[01:09:43] we're proven reliable. We're proven faithful before we're appointed. I want to teach a class.
[01:09:50] I went to ask him to teach a class, but my pastor asked me like 12 questions. I'm never going back here again. You could be an ax murderer, pagan. You could be flying the wrong flag for the wrong
[01:10:04] reason. And I never know it unless what? You're tested first. And that testing, this culture doesn't like. Look, I am intolerant to milk. We call that what? Lactose intolerant. I've learned in pastoring, there are some people who are gospel intolerant. They come to church, but they don't
[01:10:27] want to hear the gospel because why? It brings conviction. I've learned in pastoring over the years that there are people who are accountability intolerant. They don't want anybody asking them questions or checking up on them or holding them to the gospel fire. And the only way they see it
[01:10:43] is rejection. But friends, I'm telling you, when the gospel is in your life, accountability is beautiful because it means you are loved by somebody who is also loved by Jesus. And you are loved by somebody who doesn't want you to waste time in the kingdom of God. Listen, I can
[01:11:01] tell you what, I'm going to get upset. As your pastor, I want you to follow Jesus so close that if he were to put the brakes on, you'd ram right up into the back of him. I want you to have that
[01:11:12] much of Jesus. If you've got your gospel card and you're following Jesus through the kingdom grocery store and he stops, I want you to run all over his ankles. You ever had your kids do that
[01:11:24] before. Oh, that's a talk to Jesus moment, isn't it? I don't want you to waste time. There will be times as your pastor, I'm going to push you because we've coasted too long. And that's the
[01:11:36] reason why there's sin in our life and wolves in our life and bad things in our lives that don't honor God. And to be tested is not a bad thing. And to be blameless, no major accusations against
[01:11:50] their character. Look, this message isn't about being perfect. This message is about becoming faithful and learning to be faithful. Look, I got days in my life I wish never existed on the calendar, but I also know that I've been forgiven and I've been convicted of the Holy Spirit and
[01:12:07] I've been reestablished. And this is where I'm always saying, it's not the fall or the stall of a man or a woman. It's what they do with their call. And I want to encourage you to take that
[01:12:17] step forward in faith, to experience the best of God so that man, if Jesus tarries y'all, I hope I'm old enough to be your pastor that I can pull my teeth out and set them on the pulpit
[01:12:30] and go, y'all wasn't ready to chew on that one, was you?
[01:12:34] Here you go.
[01:12:35] You want to borrow my Whopper Chompers?
[01:12:37] No, I'll retire way before then.
[01:12:39] I'll always share the gospel.
[01:12:41] But no, okay?
[01:12:43] But if we all get to grow older together, I want us to be like flashlights that shine so bright.
[01:12:53] How many of y'all in your bathrooms have ever bought a light bar to go across like where you get ready.
[01:12:58] Anybody know what I'm talking about?
[01:13:00] And it's not just one light.
[01:13:01] It's got like four or five or six of them, right?
[01:13:04] Y'all know what I'm talking about?
[01:13:05] How aggravating is it to only have three of those working and there's six of them or seven of them and two of them, one of them's out and two of them are flickering.
[01:13:15] That was me this morning.
[01:13:18] We remodeled our bathroom.
[01:13:20] Bought these high dollar light bars, man.
[01:13:22] They're sexy too, dude.
[01:13:24] I'm telling you, they're awesome.
[01:13:25] They're LED lights.
[01:13:26] and the lady at the store, she told us, she said, when you buy these, you can't fix them.
[01:13:30] You gotta redo the whole thing.
[01:13:31] This morning, there's like 10 on one strip and they're really cool.
[01:13:35] There's three of them out.
[01:13:38] And when two of them are flickering and I'm going, rabby, rabby, rabby, rabby, rabby, rabby, right, I'm all tore up about it.
[01:13:45] And they were expensive.
[01:13:48] And as I'm sitting there this morning, the Lord's like, that's what my house is like sometimes.
[01:13:52] I made my people to be my light bar and I got five or six that are really strong, but I got two that are out and two that flicker.
[01:14:01] And he said, what they don't see is the price I paid to make them my light bar.
[01:14:05] It's an expensive price, Brian.
[01:14:08] So my question for us is, which one are you?
[01:14:09] Are you burning strong or are you totally out?
[01:14:12] And if you're totally out, there ain't no way to get it right except Jesus forgive me, cleanse me, make me new in you.
[01:14:17] And if you're flickering, there ain't no other way to get right except Jesus.
[01:14:20] Help me be strong in you.
[01:14:22] And if you're burning strong, say, Lord, there ain't no way I can burn strong and keep burning strong unless you, guess what?
[01:14:28] Every one of us is dependent on Jesus.
[01:14:31] What if it's not just the deacons who are to be faithful in their marriage?
[01:14:34] In other words, one, I messed this up in the eight o'clock.
[01:14:37] We about became a woke church, okay?
[01:14:39] Hold on here.
[01:14:39] One, a one woman man and a one man woman.
[01:14:43] No side chicks, no Facebook flirts.
[01:14:45] That this is what you're about.
[01:14:50] How different would our world be to where if it's not just deacons, but you and I are called to manage our households well.
[01:14:57] In other words, that we lead and care for family responsibility.
[01:15:01] I have men that tell me, I don't know about my wife, it's kind of weird.
[01:15:04] I'm like, have you ever had sex with her?
[01:15:11] And they're like, oh yeah, what's that got to do with it?
[01:15:14] I was like, if you can be that close to her, why can't you pray with her?
[01:15:20] Y'all didn't expect that one either.
[01:15:22] And I know we got young ears here and this is where I want my young people to understand that your pastor loves you enough that it ain't about the booty call.
[01:15:32] It ain't about his abs.
[01:15:34] It ain't about all the shape.
[01:15:37] It's about what shape has the gospel formed that heart into and that person that you're drawn to.
[01:15:47] That to see if they can be a godly best friend forever.
[01:15:53] And that makes the difference.
[01:15:54] And you learn that now by being a godly best friend forever.
[01:16:00] What if it's not just deacons, but what about you and I?
[01:16:04] What if we are to be worthy of respect?
[01:16:06] In other words, that our life reinforces the gospel, not contradicts it.
[01:16:11] Now, here's why this matters.
[01:16:12] Y'all know I don't do stats a lot, but I did this study on Pew Research and notice what they said.
[01:16:19] They interviewed United States adults.
[01:16:23] And do you know how many adults in the United States claim to be a Christian?
[01:16:27] 62%, 62%.
[01:16:30] Now look, I'm not a very smart man, but some things stand to reason with me.
[01:16:35] If we're on 100% scale, 62% is a majority, right?
[01:16:40] So if 62% of the adults in the United States claim to be a Christian, why is there so much darkness allowed in our world?
[01:16:47] All it takes is 51% to be the majority owner in a company.
[01:16:52] I have never seen the minority owner of a company rule the company.
[01:16:57] Because why?
[01:16:58] The majority has to sign off on it.
[01:17:01] So if the majority of the population of adults in the United States claims to be Christian, why is there so much darkness?
[01:17:07] Well, stands to reason.
[01:17:08] Y'all ready?
[01:17:09] Only 88% of them believe, 88% of the 62% believe that the Bible's actually accurate.
[01:17:17] What's up with that other 12?
[01:17:18] Are y'all with me?
[01:17:24] What's up with the other 12%?
[01:17:25] Y'all look, the Bible is not a horse that I get to saddle and go, yee-haw, I'm gonna tell you where you're going.
[01:17:31] No, no, the Bible saddles you and tells you where you're going.
[01:17:35] And the faster you learn that, the more godly your life will be, the more powerful your life will be, the more meaningful your life and your relationships and your decisions will be.
[01:17:44] David said, your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide your word in my heart that I will not sin against you.
[01:17:52] Here's the reason why there's so much darkness is because only 29% of the 62% read their Bibles monthly.
[01:18:02] That's bad when the devil knows the Bible better than we do.
[01:18:06] The reason why only there's so much darkness is because 33%, half of the 62% only attend church monthly.
[01:18:15] Well, no wonder church is boring.
[01:18:16] I don't go to church, it's boring.
[01:18:18] I don't get nothing out of church, it's boring.
[01:18:19] Because why?
[01:18:20] We're not reading the Bible and we're not serving.
[01:18:25] When you read the Bible, bro, it is like pouring fuel to the fire.
[01:18:32] How many of y'all are good at starting fires?
[01:18:35] Come on.
[01:18:36] Now, how many of y'all, when you go to do a fire, you start with a little lighter fluid?
[01:18:42] You're the smart ones.
[01:18:43] All right, the cautious ones.
[01:18:45] How many of y'all are like, no, no, no.
[01:18:47] If I'm starting a fire, I'm a can of gas.
[01:18:50] Throwing a whole can in there.
[01:18:53] Yep, y'all are reckless.
[01:18:55] You're my reckless ones.
[01:18:56] How many here are like, forgive that, Pastor B.
[01:18:58] I got me a propane potain, homie.
[01:19:00] I got a long hose and I got a flamethrower.
[01:19:05] You're just scorching the wood before everybody gets a chance to get their marshmallows out there, right?
[01:19:10] That's what reading the Bible does for your soul.
[01:19:14] It lights a fire.
[01:19:15] Jeremiah said, I grew weary and I said, I was never gonna preach the gospel again.
[01:19:18] And he said, but there was a, your word was a fire shut up in my bones.
[01:19:22] And I grew weary of trying to hold it in.
[01:19:25] I'm telling you, man, if you got the word of God in you and you try to hold it back, you, oh, you will squirm like a, oh, like a third grader in class wanting to go to recess.
[01:19:37] There is no power like that at all.
[01:19:40] Some of y'all think that me getting excited about the gospel is just me being an extrovert.
[01:19:44] No, no, it's because the word is rich and it builds a fire.
[01:19:48] and the more the word's in there, the stronger that fire gets.
[01:19:51] I love to be somewhere and somebody go, good Lord Almighty.
[01:19:55] And I love to go, he is good and he is almighty.
[01:19:59] I didn't even know you were a brother.
[01:20:06] Be somewhere and somebody go, Jesus Christ.
[01:20:08] Do you know him today?
[01:20:11] You can't turn him away, oh Jesus.
[01:20:16] That's just not because I had concussions from fist fighting and wrecking dirt bikes.
[01:20:20] That is because the word is in there.
[01:20:22] At any moment, it can flip.
[01:20:26] At any moment.
[01:20:28] Why?
[01:20:29] Because he's living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword.
[01:20:32] And the joy of my life is in the gospel.
[01:20:36] And I want that for you.
[01:20:39] Here's what I believe this word teaches.
[01:20:40] Y'all got room?
[01:20:41] Oh, let me do this last one here.
[01:20:42] You know why there's so much darkness?
[01:20:44] It's because only 14% of the 62% that say they're Christians believe and have a biblical view of sin.
[01:20:59] Now, we can talk about going to church and read your Bible all you want to.
[01:21:04] But when 40, about 40% of the people who say they're Christians don't believe in a biblical view of sin, then that's why our lights don't shine.
[01:21:17] See, sin isn't just the wordy dirge you say or the bad thoughts you have.
[01:21:21] Sin is choosing your way over God's.
[01:21:24] And when the majority of people who don't go to church and don't read their Bible, but claim to be Christian, don't believe in the biblical view of sin that it is what separates you from God
[01:21:36] and it's what initiates death and it is punishable by an eternity in hell, then no wonder we want our churches to be baptized habitat for humanities and goodwills and booster clubs.
[01:21:50] Because why?
[01:21:51] We don't wanna hear the truth.
[01:21:54] But Jesus said, you shall know the truth and the truth will what?
[01:21:58] Set you free.
[01:22:01] So here's what I believe this.
[01:22:02] Y'all still got room in the tank?
[01:22:03] Hold on.
[01:22:04] I know I got a funeral here in a second.
[01:22:07] Here's what I believe this passage teaches us.
[01:22:09] Number one, go forward with me, guys.
[01:22:12] I believe this passage teaches us that a church full of faithful servants is endued with the power of God.
[01:22:19] This isn't just about our programs.
[01:22:21] It isn't about how big our youth ministry or our children's ministry is or how crazy our pastor is.
[01:22:26] This is about the power of God in all of our lives.
[01:22:30] And holiness is the secret sauce, not self-righteousness.
[01:22:33] godliness the inner desire for christ that makes itself known outwardly in everything we do that's the secret sauce not self-righteousness where we're just looking to pardon we look pretty for sunday mornings and he is the eternal power source that never wanes so we're to burn bright
[01:22:51] for him secondly well let me let me help us understand you see we get triggered into thinking that ministry is for qualified leaders only but paul says and trust these things to faithful and reliable people. You see the qualities listed for deacons are dignified and honest and disciplined
[01:23:07] and stable, and they show what a faithful believer is to look like every day. So if the whole church lived faithfully like this, then discipleship would multiply instead of bottlenecking in just a few leaders. Secondly, I believe this passage teaches us that a church full of servants live
[01:23:23] on gospel character that replaces triggers with truth. You see inconsistency and emotional reactions derail believers. You ever been there? How many of you have ever come to church, really felt the Lord speak to you, but by the time you got in the car, got on the interstate,
[01:23:41] you were already in a fight? Come on, anybody? Come on, let's just confess this morning. It's good. This past year during Father's Day, man, it was so joyous. I didn't have any discipleship meetings in the afternoon. Angie was cooking us a big old dinner.
[01:23:57] and I went home.
[01:23:59] I took my preaching clothes off.
[01:24:00] I got in my jogging pants and my comfy big oversized shirt.
[01:24:04] Got my shaker bottle full of ice water and I was sitting there just waiting for dinner to be done.
[01:24:09] And next thing I know, there's this rumbling upstairs.
[01:24:13] I mean, sounds like upstairs is coming down.
[01:24:15] I run up there.
[01:24:16] I got my kids are in a full-blown MMA, just throw down.
[01:24:21] I'm in the middle of them having to play bar brawl, you know, bounce.
[01:24:25] I got Angie over top of all this.

[01:24:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:24:26] it's good to have a holy ghost filled woman in your life bro because she will drop the jesus

[01:24:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[01:24:36] bomb on you when you least expect it i always get tickled when i got angie and my mama praying for me i'm all it's like the tractor bb i can't even make decisions for myself it's like i'll call a
[01:24:46] texan brother like are y'all praying for me or something i don't even feel like myself i wanted

[01:24:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:24:50] to get mad traffic today but i was like jesus bless that guy right you know what they were

[01:24:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[01:24:59] fighting over? They were fighting over signing my Father's Day card. And look, I'm going to tell you, when you got athletic boys who can scrap, don't mess with one of them, but they'll beat the tar out of one another too. So funny, man. Now I share those stories, not to just help y'all
[01:25:16] know how weird we are, but I share those stories and say, look, the same stuff we preach to you, we got to figure out how to live too. And this is what, that when we begin to live on gospel
[01:25:26] character, it changes us. You see someone's lack of integrity or self-control can trigger chaos in a church and deacons are commanded to be self-controlled, not double-tongued, not addicted and not greedy. And the character traits every Christian should imitate. So here's the point.
[01:25:45] When the whole church, the whole church walks in stable Christ-like character, we starve satan of the buttons he tries to push how many of y'all have washed your car like three times in the last five days right you get all the stuff off of how many of you are ill it's like
[01:26:02] okay there's so much stuff right i went to wash my vehicle the other day and i went to make change and when i got up there the out of order light was on but then i looked at it and said that's
[01:26:17] a sermon illustration when the devil tries to come with his currency to press the buttons that he used to. I want Christ to rewire us to where we're like, nope, out of order. We don't operate
[01:26:28] under that currency anymore, Satan. Not today, homie. The Lord God rebuke you from our life because we have gospel character and we starve him. I love it when you, any of y'all ever gotten in an old school pickup truck that the ignition don't work anymore, but a good redneck came in
[01:26:46] and put a toggle switch in there?
[01:26:49] Oh yeah, baby.
[01:26:50] Satan, you can crank on this all you want to, but uh-uh, there's a gospel toggle switch over here.
[01:26:55] That's the button we use.
[01:26:57] Thirdly, I believe this passage teaches us, go forward with me, fellas, is that a church full of servants understands that the gospel spreads faster when everyone teaches the truth of God, not the triggers of the flesh
[01:27:11] or their own personal buttons.
[01:27:14] many a church has been inoculated and paralyzed because the teachers have taught their own flesh and their own personal buttons and preferences rather than gospel truth some of you may say well pastor i'm not gifted to teach that excuse doesn't work here anymore
[01:27:34] you see paul says entrust to faithful people who are able to teach others deacons must hold the mystery of the faith with clear conscience, meaning that they understand the scriptures deeply enough to live it and explain it. And isn't that the truth for you and me, Christians?
[01:27:54] Aren't we to live the gospel so consistently that we know him deeply enough that we can live the gospel and explain it to someone else? Imagine a church where everyone can explain the gospel and help a new believer grow or disciple someone younger. And that's exponential kingdom buttons
[01:28:13] right there. And lastly, I believe this passage teaches us this truth. God uses a church full of servants to change a city, a county, and a culture. You know, we've been reading in Ephesus, as we're studying first and second Timothy, we're reflecting back on Ephesus. And when all those
[01:28:33] believers got saved and they begin to divulge their, their sorcery and their secrets and their sin. They burned $5 million worth of demonic material. And the economic structure of Ephesus changed just like that to the point that the chamber of commerce and the better business
[01:28:50] bureau wanted to kill them all. My, how much difference can we make? You see, this is where many believers treat serving as optional, but deacons are models of servant leaders, but they're not the only ones who are called to serve. They are the example to the entire congregation. But
[01:29:09] what if I could look to my right and my left of a servant leader? You see, when men and women live with integrity, faithfulness at home, trustworthiness with responsibility and hearts for people, the church gains credibility and power in its community. And if the whole church
[01:29:26] live like faithful deacons, then watching the watching world would then see the beauty of Christ through everyday service, just the simple stuff that we do. So can I ask you a couple questions for you to think about? Here's the first one. And let me say this, see those glowing
[01:29:49] crosses? And look, I know some of you drive from Knoxville and Clemens and Winston and Moravian Falls and Conover and Lincolnton and Denver and the other side of Charlotte to get here. And I am
[01:29:58] so grateful. Years ago, there was a lady that came here and she said, you know, pastor, it takes me an hour and 10 minutes to get here. She said, it is not convenient to get here. And I was like,
[01:30:07] I'm so humbled. I said, if I can help you find a church that's closer. She said, no, I don't want to go to another church. She said, here's the deal. If it's alive, it's worth the
[01:30:15] drive. Okay. I want your house. I want your business to be that, that glowing kingdom button. That is not just a button. It's the cross. I want your household students. When you go to class, there might be 27 people in that class, but if there's three of y'all in there, I want
[01:30:44] at that button is just press me, just press me and you'll get Jesus. When you're on the field, when you're, when you're on vacation, when you're traveling with your sports and, and maybe you're away from church that it, you don't dim that button. You don't unplug that button for the
[01:31:02] weekend. No, no, no. It burns brighter. It burns brighter. Where in our lives is God calling us to become more faithful, become a more faithful and reliable servant. So the gospel can spread through us and not around us. Guys, the biggest fear of my life is that God would say, can't use
[01:31:30] him. I'm going to have to go around him. I want the Lord to look at us and go, no, no, that's my people. That's my girl. That's my man right there. Straight through. Number two, which buttons in
[01:31:45] your life, your emotional reactions, your habits, and your attitudes still give the enemy easy access. And how is God asking you to grow in self-control and integrity? Look, you can't let him have that access anymore. How many of you, let me ask this question. I know we got to get
[01:32:12] going. Any of you ever, you ever ridden by a apartment complex that has a trash bin and the trash is just everywhere. You ever seen that? What that is, is that apartment complex has a
[01:32:25] trash compactor and somebody has gotten in there with the buttons. And I put these in over the years. So I know, and they've yanked that button around where the compactor doesn't work. There should never be that much trash. And you see when the enemy has access to your buttons and your
[01:32:40] triggers, he lets the trash pile. Now, how many of you have ever been by an apartment complex where the trash is piled up and you went, I'd never lived there. Glad I don't have to live
[01:32:52] there. And you see the enemy loves it when the trash piles up in your house and you go, I'm done living here. I'm not, no, I ain't gonna have nothing to do with you. And this is where you
[01:33:05] got to shut the buttons off to him so that the trash that we have lived once in our life is now yielded at the foot of the cross. Thirdly, are you someone who knows God's truth well enough to teach
[01:33:22] model or explain it to someone younger in the faith? And if not, what's your next step? If you're sitting here and you go, well, I don't know enough. I couldn't ever teach anybody. Okay.
[01:33:37] So what's your next step? What's your next step? You got to make a decision. And lastly, if everyone at Beulah served, loved, and lived like I do, would we be spiritually stronger or spiritually weaker? Let me ask it one more time. If everybody here at Beulah loved,
[01:34:05] lived and served like you do, would we be spiritually stronger or would we be spiritually weaker? And what needs to change in you and what needs to change in me so we can become stronger?
[01:34:22] This is not a message about perfection. It is a message about faithful, being faithful. And God honors faith-filled service. And all God's people said, did you pray this with me? Jesus, forgive me. You are faithful. Lord, I'm going to follow your lead right now. I believe you're
[01:34:55] interrupting me. I want to ask before I finish this prayer, is there a man, woman, boy or girl here today that says, Pastor Brian, I do not know Jesus as my Lord and personal savior.
[01:35:08] you're talking about all this. And I know I've never given my life to Jesus and I need to be born again. I see how faithful God is and I see what God's doing and he's convicted me
[01:35:24] and I need to give my life to Jesus so that my sins may be forgiven. I have heard it since the beginning of this, of this sermon that he is calling me out of darkness. He wants to save me.
[01:35:35] He wants to equip me with the Holy spirit. I need to do that first. Pastor Brian, if that's you today, I want you to borrow my words. I want you to ask Christ to save you. Christian, would you
[01:35:45] pray? Would you pray that God would grant public repentance in this place right now? You've never given your life to Christ. This is your moment. Jesus, I am a sinner. I have chosen my way over
[01:35:58] yours and I need you. I humble myself. I turn from my sins and in faith, I turn to you. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my life and save me. Make me yours. Be my savior. Be my Lord. Teach me to
[01:36:18] follow you. And I will follow you all the days of my life. With every head bowed and every eye closed, if you just borrowed my words as sincerely as you could and gave your life to Christ,
[01:36:28] when I count to three, I want you to raise your hand. Here we go. Ready? Lord, I trust you for this. One, two, three. There'd be one. Raise it and raise it high. I promise you, I won't embarrass
[01:36:42] you. There's one, there's two, there's three. Come on. There's four right over here. There's five.
[01:36:53] Come on. Anybody else? Maybe you thought you'd be the only one to raise your hand.
[01:36:57] I don't want to miss anybody. I want you to hold your hand just as high as you can, because I have some friends who are coming to give you a bag and that bag is a free gift to you.
[01:37:07] And once you receive your bag, I want you to put your hands down and I want you to look, look at me. This is the most important decision in your life because this is where life begins.
[01:37:18] You walked into this room undone and separated from Christ because of your sins and really on a highway to hell. But God loved you enough to forgive you of your sins and to come into your
[01:37:29] life and prick your heart and call you out of darkness. And now you belong to him. And the angels in heaven are rejoicing. They're throwing you a spiritual birthday party right now.
[01:37:37] and the Holy Spirit has been deposited in your life and will stay with you until the day Jesus returns.
[01:37:46] And inside of that bag that you were given is a Bible.
[01:37:49] That's God's holy word.
[01:37:51] And it'll be a lamp into your feet and a light into your path.
[01:37:54] Next to it is a new believer's guide, which will help you answer some questions in the next couple of weeks that you have as you're trying to walk through God's word.
[01:38:02] And next to it is a connect card.
[01:38:05] And I'm begging you to fill that out.
[01:38:07] And before you leave today, I want you to drop it in the offering plate so that we can follow up with you and make sure you understand the decision that you made. Now let's go back to the main prayer for all of us. Can we
[01:38:20] not give God glory today for saving people? I was going to blow through it and the Holy Spirit said, no, you better stop. I pray this with me. Jesus, you are faithful. I'm not. Work in me that I would
[01:38:38] become able to teach that I would know you and follow you so consistently that I could teach others. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. I love you church family. God bless you.