The Family Business Part 1
March 2, 2019
27:33
The Connection with Skip Heitzig
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The Family Business Part 1
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- Looking for a ray of light
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- Looking for something better than this
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- Oh, tired of the black and white
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- longing for a prison letter
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- Oh, the bliss
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- Forward at the speed of life
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- towards the color and the light
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- Moving at the speed of life
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- towards the color and the light
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- Joy unspeakable and full of colors
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- Found our hopes so bright and clear
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- Living in the realm of grace so vivid
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- Our Savior's radiance so very near to me
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- male announcer: No matter what kind of career you pursue,
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- as a believer you must have a higher calling on your life
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- that comes straight from God.
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- Today on "Connect with Skip Heitzig," Skip talks
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- about the family business all Christians are part of,
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- explaining how you are God's instrument in this world.
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- Now, open your Bible or your Bible app to Philippians
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- chapter 1 as we start today's study.
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- Skip Heitzig: I have a friend who was a director.
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- He was a crusade director of the Billy Graham Association.
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- His job was to get on planes and fly to different parts of the
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- country and help organize those huge evangelistic crusades
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- for Dr. Billy Graham.
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- So, one day he's in an airplane, he's flying across country,
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- and sitting next to him was Tom Cruise, the actor,
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- who asked my friend, "So, what do you do for a living?"
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- My friend was always looking ways--for ways to get the gospel
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- presented, so he looked at Tom Cruise, and he said,
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- "I'm in the security business."
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- Now, that's a huge buzz word for actors, 'cause actors and
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- musicians are always looking for good security people,
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- so he goes, "Really? You're in security?"
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- So, my friend went on to tell him about how to have eternal
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- security in Jesus Christ, and that was the platform
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- that he used.
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- "I'm in the security business."
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- You're part of a business, you have a business, and I'm not
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- just meaning that, that you have a occupational business,
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- a professional business.
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- That I know, but you have another business.
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- You have a spiritual business.
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- You have a vocational business.
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- You have a high and holy business and that is God's
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- business and that's what I wanna talk to you about here,
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- so that you might be a financial investor,
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- but you have another business.
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- You might be a consultant, but you have another business.
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- You might be a construction worker.
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- You have another business. You might be a student.
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- You have another business.
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- You might be a single parent. You have another business.
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- You might be in between jobs, but you're always on this job.
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- It is a business that comes from God.
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- What's more, it's a family business.
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- That is, now that you're a part of God's spiritual family,
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- you're part of the family business.
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- You remember what Jesus said when he was, I think,
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- 12 years old and his mother found him in
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- the temple speaking to the leadership there?
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- And he said to her, "Don't you know that I must be
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- about my Father's business?"
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- We are in that business, that family business,
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- and I want you to just make a note in verse 5,
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- even though we haven't even read it yet.
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- Notice the word in verse 5, "fellowship."
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- Do you see that word?
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- Some newer translations translate it "partnership."
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- I think that's a better choice. It is a partnership.
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- It is the word "koinonia" translated "fellowship"
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- or "partnership."
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- We are partners with God in a family business.
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- God is our Father.
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- Jesus said, "I am going to my Father and your Father."
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- The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is not ashamed
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- to call us brothers, so we are part of a family business.
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- I was reading a little article in "Forbes" magazine this week
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- about businesses in the United States of America,
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- and the article said that family business in America
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- is responsible for 50% of the gross national product.
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- That it is, essentially, a country
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- built on family businesses.
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- Now, some of us think of family businesses as a store down
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- the street owned by a family, and it's been in the family
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- for a few years, but the article goes on to say that Walmart
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- is a family business, as is Ford Motor Company, Tyson Foods,
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- Sears, and Comcast.
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- All of those are family businesses, but the same article
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- noted that less than one-third of those businesses
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- will survive the transition from the first generation
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- to the second generation.
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- And those that do survive, 50% of them will not survive
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- the transition from the second to the third generation.
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- Why is that?
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- The article says these are businesses that get stuck
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- doing things the same way.
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- In other words, the business outgrows the structure.
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- So, we are in a business.
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- We are in a family business, a partnership with God,
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- with the Lord, and with others.
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- Now, we in this business have a product.
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- Every business has a product.
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- Yes, we have a product.
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- Our product is the gospel. That's our product.
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- That's what we give out. That's what we disseminate.
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- That's what we're always sharing: the gospel.
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- You'll notice in verse 5 he says,
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- "For your fellowship in the gospel."
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- Down in verse 7 he talks about the defense
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- and the confirmation of the gospel.
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- In verse 12 he speaks about the furtherance of the gospel.
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- That is our product.
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- Why is it our product?
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- Because it's only the gospel that brings change.
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- That's where the life change comes from.
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- Now, you know what the gospel is.
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- You know what the gospel means. Gospel means the good news.
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- The good news that what Jesus did on the cross was enough
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- to get you from Earth to heaven.
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- That's the good news. That he paid the price.
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- He did the heavy lifting.
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- We can trust that he died, was buried,
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- was risen from the dead for our justification.
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- That's the gospel.
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- Now, it's that gospel that changed Paul's life.
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- He heard it. He received it.
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- It changed him from a persecutor into a preacher,
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- from Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle.
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- It changed Timothy, also mentioned here
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- in our text in verse 1.
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- Timothy was probably 15 years old when he first heard the
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- gospel preached by that Paul, who came through his
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- town on a missionary journey.
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- It changed him.
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- It was the gospel who changed the lives of people at Philippi
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- like Lydia and like the jailer, the Philippian jailer, and now
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- there is a church there all because of the gospel and now
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- they, church members, are partners with Paul in the family
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- business of the gospel.
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- Let's look at our text.
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- Let's get familiar, at least, with it as we jump in.
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- I'm gonna be looking with you today from verses 3 to verse 8
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- of chapter 1, but can we just begin in verse 1 and go down
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- to verse 8 for the sake of context?
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- "Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the
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- saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops
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- and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father
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- and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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- I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in
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- every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,
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- for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until
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- now, being confident of this very thing, that he who has
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- begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of
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- Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of
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- you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my
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- chains and in the defense and the confirmation of the gospel,
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- you are partakers with me of grace.
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- For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you with
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- all the affection of Jesus Christ."
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- I wanna share with you some principles of partnership.
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- Look at these as three partnership principles in
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- keeping the family business strong.
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- They're pretty simple.
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- Be thankful, be confident, be aware.
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- Be thankful, be confident, be aware.
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- Could you say those with me?
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- Be thankful, be confident, be aware.
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- Let's begin with the first: be thankful.
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- Paul was thankful.
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- Be thankful for God's work collectively.
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- Go back to verse 3.
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- Listen to what he writes.
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- "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in
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- every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,
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- for your fellowship," partnership, "in the gospel from
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- the first day until now."
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- Okay, Paul is writing from a prison cell in Rome.
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- We have discovered that in our first study and while he is
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- in that prison cell he's got a lot of time on his hands,
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- so he goes reminiscing.
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- He goes through--he has a large inventory of memories and one of
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- those memories is about the church of Philippi, how it
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- started, where it is now, and he says, "I thank my God upon
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- every--I put a smile on my face when I think of you
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- and remember you in prayer," he would say.
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- Now, the way I see it, the words "I thank God,"
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- or "I thank my God" in verse 3 and the word "joy"
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- in verse 4 seem like strange words to apply to Paul's
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- experience at Philippi, because Philippi was sort of
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- a pain all the way around.
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- First of all, Paul didn't even wanna go to Philippi, remember?
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- He was trying to go several places.
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- The Holy Spirit was shutting that down.
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- Finally, he ends up at Troas.
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- He gets a vision of a man from Macedonia saying, "Come over
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- here and help us," so he goes to Macedonia, Philippi being
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- the chief city, and he's probably looking around
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- for a man that he saw in his vision.
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- Doesn't see a man.
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- Goes to a group of women at a riverside, Jewish women who are
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- praying, and one of them, one of them named Lydia, listens
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- to the message and receives Christ as her Savior.
- 00:12:07.020 --> 00:12:11.160
- So, Paul may have been thinking--I don't know,
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- but this is what I would be thinking if I were Paul.
- 00:12:14.060 --> 00:12:17.150
- "Okay, we got one.
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- You know, I've had more success on other missionary journeys.
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- I didn't wanna come here, to begin with, but here I am.
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- We got one."
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- But then, things go from that place to much worse to really,
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- really bad, because the next few days a girl demon-possessed
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- follows Paul and his team wherever he goes,
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- and one day they even mock him while they're praying.
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- Paul discerns she is demon-possessed,
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- delivers her from that demon.
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- Paul gets taken to the center of town and gets beaten
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- with rods and then put in jail.
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- R. C. Lenski, a commentator, tells us what that
- 00:13:00.250 --> 00:13:03.210
- would have felt like.
- 00:13:03.220 --> 00:13:05.270
- "Under the many blows the skin would be broken, the blood would
- 00:13:05.280 --> 00:13:09.090
- ooze out, the inflamed welts would cover the whole back."
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- The rod that it speaks about was called a vitis.
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- A vitis is a 3-foot-long stick that centurions carried.
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- The centurion used the vitis, the vine stick, for--
- 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:28.270
- how shall I say it?
- 00:13:28.280 --> 00:13:30.070
- To motivate lazy soldiers.
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- Paul got the full brunt of that vitis, that vine stick,
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- those rods across his back.
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- Then he gets put in jail. He gets put in the stocks.
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- Stocks were designed to pull the extremities out to their maximum
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- reach so that you were immovable, so it's interesting
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- that with that as the background he says, "I thank my God
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- upon every remembrance of you," 'cause that's not
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- what I would write.
- 00:14:04.180 --> 00:14:07.130
- I would say, "When I think back to Philippi,
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- I get sick to my stomach.
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- My skin crawls.
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- I break out in a sweat."
- 00:14:14.010 --> 00:14:17.250
- But Paul says, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
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- always in every prayer with joy."
- 00:14:21.290 --> 00:14:24.000
- Now, there is a key there in how joy is produced.
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- When the Holy Spirit-- and he does this.
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- It's a work of grace, when you look back through your catalog
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- of memories, and the Holy Spirit is able to push the Delete key
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- so that what your mind lands on are not all the bad things
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- people have done to you, not all the injustices,
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- not all the wounds, not all the hurt, not all,
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- "Well, let me tell you what's not right with other people."
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- When all that stuff goes away, and you can look back through
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- all the maze of pain and say, "But God was working
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- and for that I have joy."
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- What is he thankful for? Simple.
- 00:15:07.030 --> 00:15:10.070
- He's thankful for what the gospel produced.
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- It produced life change. People's lives were changed.
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- A church grew. A family was extended.
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- His memory of Lydia's salvation brought him joy.
- 00:15:19.110 --> 00:15:23.040
- His memory of the Philippian jailer's conversion and
- 00:15:23.050 --> 00:15:26.090
- subsequent baptism brought him joy.
- 00:15:26.100 --> 00:15:30.010
- His memory of how just a few people gathered around and now
- 00:15:30.020 --> 00:15:33.110
- there is a larger church, a vibrant church, at Philippi.
- 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:36.140
- All of that brought him joy, so listen to this principle:
- 00:15:36.150 --> 00:15:39.270
- Paul's joy and thankfulness were directly proportional
- 00:15:39.280 --> 00:15:44.160
- to the growth of the family business.
- 00:15:44.170 --> 00:15:48.140
- "I'm thankful for your partnership in the gospel.
- 00:15:48.150 --> 00:15:54.150
- My joy is directly proportional," Paul would say,
- 00:15:54.160 --> 00:15:57.260
- "to the growth of the family business."
- 00:15:57.270 --> 00:16:00.110
- That's how he saw his life.
- 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:02.190
- Yes, this hurt, yes, that was painful, that was horrible, but,
- 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:06.280
- but the gospel changed people's lives through it.
- 00:16:06.290 --> 00:16:12.290
- He was joyful.
- 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:15.090
- Same thought is expressed a few verses down.
- 00:16:15.100 --> 00:16:18.050
- Verse 12, "But I want you to know, brethren, that the things
- 00:16:18.060 --> 00:16:20.240
- which have happened to me--"
- 00:16:20.250 --> 00:16:22.180
- Now he's speaking about his present incarceration.
- 00:16:22.190 --> 00:16:25.250
- He's been unjustly accused.
- 00:16:25.260 --> 00:16:28.040
- He has been a prisoner of the Roman government.
- 00:16:28.050 --> 00:16:30.210
- He's now locked up in a Roman prison.
- 00:16:30.220 --> 00:16:32.140
- Those are the things he refers to.
- 00:16:32.150 --> 00:16:33.270
- "The things that have happened to me have actually
- 00:16:33.280 --> 00:16:36.180
- turned out for the furtherance," of the what?
- 00:16:36.190 --> 00:16:40.000
- The gospel. The product has gone out.
- 00:16:40.010 --> 00:16:42.170
- The life-changing element has gone out.
- 00:16:42.180 --> 00:16:46.100
- "So that it has become evident to the whole palace guard,
- 00:16:46.110 --> 00:16:50.190
- and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;
- 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:54.020
- and most of the brethren in the Lord have become confident
- 00:16:54.030 --> 00:16:57.180
- by my chains and are much more bold to speak
- 00:16:57.190 --> 00:17:01.010
- the Word without fear."
- 00:17:01.020 --> 00:17:03.090
- So, "My painful hardship has extended the family
- 00:17:03.100 --> 00:17:10.000
- and for that I'm joyful."
- 00:17:10.010 --> 00:17:12.030
- This is Paul looking back.
- 00:17:12.040 --> 00:17:15.020
- This is the Holy Spirit pressing the Delete key, Paul looking
- 00:17:15.030 --> 00:17:18.030
- back saying, "Bless you, pain.
- 00:17:18.040 --> 00:17:20.130
- Bless you, problems.
- 00:17:20.140 --> 00:17:21.290
- Bless you, prison.
- 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:23.150
- Bless you, chains, because as hard as those were,
- 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:28.020
- I see the effect the gospel has had and for that I have joy."
- 00:17:28.030 --> 00:17:32.140
- Boy, that's an attitude. That's an attitude.
- 00:17:32.150 --> 00:17:36.080
- I read an article.
- 00:17:36.090 --> 00:17:37.180
- I found an article this week about your attitude, and it was
- 00:17:37.190 --> 00:17:41.100
- all about the right kind of attitude in life, and it was
- 00:17:41.110 --> 00:17:45.180
- found in, of all places, "The Huffington Post,"
- 00:17:45.190 --> 00:17:49.150
- and the article was called,
- 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:50.270
- "Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude."
- 00:17:50.280 --> 00:17:54.270
- The article spoke about how your attitude affects your ability
- 00:17:54.280 --> 00:17:58.160
- to enjoy your life.
- 00:17:58.170 --> 00:18:01.100
- It affects your ability to be grateful for blessings, to note
- 00:18:01.110 --> 00:18:04.270
- that "these things are blessings to me," and the article went on
- 00:18:04.280 --> 00:18:09.020
- to say it's the reason it's so important to hang out with
- 00:18:09.030 --> 00:18:14.030
- the right kind of people who will influence your attitude.
- 00:18:14.040 --> 00:18:19.100
- You know, there's an awful lot of people, even Christian
- 00:18:19.110 --> 00:18:21.130
- people, who look like Basset Hounds?
- 00:18:21.140 --> 00:18:25.260
- You know, they're on their way to heaven, but you'd never know
- 00:18:25.270 --> 00:18:28.010
- it, and it's important to be with those people like Paul
- 00:18:28.020 --> 00:18:32.080
- who can look back and go, "Oh, but look at--filter through it.
- 00:18:32.090 --> 00:18:35.220
- Notice how God was at work.
- 00:18:35.230 --> 00:18:39.150
- I have joy because of that. I rejoice in that."
- 00:18:39.160 --> 00:18:45.000
- My mind could go back, as I go through my catalog of memories,
- 00:18:45.010 --> 00:18:50.000
- I could think about the hardships when we started,
- 00:18:50.010 --> 00:18:52.070
- the trials and the tears that we experienced,
- 00:18:52.080 --> 00:18:55.040
- the betrayals I've had in ministry, but as I look back,
- 00:18:55.050 --> 00:18:58.130
- honestly, so much has been deleted.
- 00:18:58.140 --> 00:19:01.000
- I remember things happened, but I don't remember the
- 00:19:01.010 --> 00:19:03.080
- particulars, and I thank God for that selective memory disorder,
- 00:19:03.090 --> 00:19:07.230
- and I think it's from him.
- 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:10.190
- I think back to changed lives and churches planted
- 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:13.050
- and souls saved and for that I rejoice.
- 00:19:13.060 --> 00:19:15.260
- I'm thankful for God's work collectively.
- 00:19:15.270 --> 00:19:19.080
- Here is the second partnership principle.
- 00:19:19.090 --> 00:19:22.110
- Not only be thankful for God's work collectively,
- 00:19:22.120 --> 00:19:24.230
- be confident in God's work personally.
- 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:27.220
- And that's what he draws our attention to in verse 6.
- 00:19:27.230 --> 00:19:33.020
- "Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun
- 00:19:33.030 --> 00:19:38.290
- a good work in you will complete it until the day
- 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:41.120
- of Jesus Christ."
- 00:19:41.130 --> 00:19:42.220
- Now, allow me to unpack this little verse.
- 00:19:42.230 --> 00:19:44.260
- There's a lot in it.
- 00:19:44.270 --> 00:19:47.090
- This personal work was began by God.
- 00:19:47.100 --> 00:19:51.050
- It's God's work. Notice what it says,
- 00:19:51.060 --> 00:19:53.020
- "Being confident that he who has begun this good work."
- 00:19:53.030 --> 00:19:59.000
- Paul is not referring to what the Philippians did.
- 00:19:59.010 --> 00:20:02.150
- He's not saying, "Kudos to you guys.
- 00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:04.070
- You did such a great work at Philippi.
- 00:20:04.080 --> 00:20:06.000
- You planned. You strategized.
- 00:20:06.010 --> 00:20:07.180
- You took demographic studies of the greater Philippian region."
- 00:20:07.190 --> 00:20:12.210
- Nor is Paul talking about himself.
- 00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:14.160
- He's not talking about or bragging about the work that he
- 00:20:14.170 --> 00:20:16.270
- and Silas and Timothy did, because, frankly,
- 00:20:16.280 --> 00:20:21.080
- he just showed up, and God did the work.
- 00:20:21.090 --> 00:20:26.030
- Now, you might hear that and go,
- 00:20:26.040 --> 00:20:27.130
- "Skip, you're not giving Paul enough credit.
- 00:20:27.140 --> 00:20:28.230
- He did more than just show up.
- 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:30.030
- He spoke the Word to Lydia."
- 00:20:30.040 --> 00:20:32.230
- Yeah, but Luke, who was with him, put it this way:
- 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:35.270
- "The Lord opened up her heart to heed
- 00:20:35.280 --> 00:20:39.110
- the things spoken by Paul."
- 00:20:39.120 --> 00:20:41.200
- So, who did the work, Paul or God?
- 00:20:41.210 --> 00:20:43.270
- Well, Paul spoke, but he spoke sorta 'cause he was there,
- 00:20:43.280 --> 00:20:48.070
- and the Lord opened her heart.
- 00:20:48.080 --> 00:20:50.060
- The Lord did that.
- 00:20:50.070 --> 00:20:52.200
- Then Paul was put in prison, and his back was covered with welts,
- 00:20:52.210 --> 00:20:57.180
- and he's in stocks, and it's midnight, so he turns to his
- 00:20:57.190 --> 00:20:59.280
- buddy and goes, "Hey, let's sing,"
- 00:20:59.290 --> 00:21:03.050
- so they start singing hymns, and what happened?
- 00:21:03.060 --> 00:21:07.090
- An earthquake happened.
- 00:21:07.100 --> 00:21:08.280
- An earthquake shook the prison and opened the doors
- 00:21:08.290 --> 00:21:11.290
- and the chains fell off.
- 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:14.030
- Did Paul do that? That wasn't Paul's work.
- 00:21:14.040 --> 00:21:16.280
- That was God's work. Paul showed up.
- 00:21:16.290 --> 00:21:19.060
- The Lord opened people's hearts. An earthquake happened.
- 00:21:19.070 --> 00:21:23.120
- It is God's work that he was doing.
- 00:21:23.130 --> 00:21:27.070
- I love that verse in Ephesians 2.
- 00:21:27.080 --> 00:21:29.030
- "For we are his workmanship," his poiema, his work of art.
- 00:21:29.040 --> 00:21:37.130
- God is the master artist, skillful artist, always looking
- 00:21:37.140 --> 00:21:41.160
- to express himself.
- 00:21:41.170 --> 00:21:43.100
- It's his work. Not only is it God's work.
- 00:21:43.110 --> 00:21:46.020
- Notice more carefully in the verse it's a gradual work.
- 00:21:46.030 --> 00:21:51.150
- It says, "He who has begun a good work."
- 00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:56.000
- Now, that word "begun" implies it's still going on.
- 00:21:56.010 --> 00:22:02.020
- Think for a moment of the good work that God has begun in you.
- 00:22:02.030 --> 00:22:08.250
- Think of the first time you heard the gospel.
- 00:22:08.260 --> 00:22:11.220
- Maybe you heard it and parts of you said,
- 00:22:11.230 --> 00:22:14.040
- "Yeah, I'm sort of touched by that."
- 00:22:14.050 --> 00:22:16.060
- But then, you heard it a second time, and your heart softened,
- 00:22:16.070 --> 00:22:20.090
- and a third time.
- 00:22:20.100 --> 00:22:21.190
- Maybe it took several times till you finally said, "I give up.
- 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:24.110
- I surrender my life to Christ."
- 00:22:24.120 --> 00:22:27.150
- At that moment, on that day, God began a work.
- 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:32.170
- He initiated a task.
- 00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:35.260
- It's an ongoing work.
- 00:22:35.270 --> 00:22:37.240
- I bring this up because some of you that I'm talking to feel
- 00:22:37.250 --> 00:22:41.120
- very discouraged as you look at your own life.
- 00:22:41.130 --> 00:22:44.220
- There are problems in your life, there are imperfections in your
- 00:22:44.230 --> 00:22:47.280
- life, and you're tempted to look at yourself and say,
- 00:22:47.290 --> 00:22:51.000
- "This is God's masterpiece?
- 00:22:51.010 --> 00:22:53.270
- This is the workmanship?
- 00:22:53.280 --> 00:22:55.130
- This is the poiema, the great work of art?
- 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:57.150
- Doesn't look very good to me."
- 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:00.030
- But what you're looking at is what a visitor to a great artist
- 00:23:00.040 --> 00:23:04.270
- studio would see if he walked in and there is that artist with
- 00:23:04.280 --> 00:23:07.270
- that white canvas spread out on a beautiful frame.
- 00:23:07.280 --> 00:23:11.290
- And the visitor notices a splotch of orange and yellow
- 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:15.030
- and green, and the visitor thinks, "I could do that.
- 00:23:15.040 --> 00:23:19.010
- That's not art.
- 00:23:19.020 --> 00:23:22.050
- I can throw paint at a canvas and put color on it."
- 00:23:22.060 --> 00:23:26.150
- And that visitor might even say, "Excuse me, Mr. Famous Artist,
- 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:31.040
- but that doesn't look like a great piece of art to me."
- 00:23:31.050 --> 00:23:33.080
- And the artist would say, "That's because you're looking
- 00:23:33.090 --> 00:23:35.080
- at a work in progress.
- 00:23:35.090 --> 00:23:37.280
- I have something in my mind.
- 00:23:37.290 --> 00:23:39.130
- I have a goal for this, but you are just seeing it
- 00:23:39.140 --> 00:23:43.030
- at its early stages," just like you are seeing you
- 00:23:43.040 --> 00:23:47.000
- in the middle of the job.
- 00:23:47.010 --> 00:23:52.250
- You see, holiness is not a light switch.
- 00:23:52.260 --> 00:23:56.070
- It's not like you come to Christ, and he flips a switch,
- 00:23:56.080 --> 00:23:58.250
- and it's like, "I'm perfect."
- 00:23:58.260 --> 00:24:01.220
- We all know that's not true.
- 00:24:01.230 --> 00:24:06.030
- The Christian life is not a sprint.
- 00:24:06.040 --> 00:24:07.160
- It is a marathon. You put in your time.
- 00:24:07.170 --> 00:24:11.200
- You go through the paces.
- 00:24:11.210 --> 00:24:13.060
- So, it's God's work, it's a gradual work,
- 00:24:13.070 --> 00:24:16.150
- but notice more carefully in verse 6 it's a growing work.
- 00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:19.250
- That is, it has to do with your spiritual growth inside of you.
- 00:24:19.260 --> 00:24:25.000
- Notice it says he who has begun a good work, where?
- 00:24:25.010 --> 00:24:30.000
- In you.
- 00:24:30.010 --> 00:24:31.100
- You see, God's work is always an inside job
- 00:24:31.110 --> 00:24:35.110
- before it's ever an outside job.
- 00:24:35.120 --> 00:24:37.100
- God works in you before he works through you.
- 00:24:37.110 --> 00:24:44.000
- It's sad, really, but most of our concerns in life
- 00:24:44.010 --> 00:24:47.140
- are outward concerns.
- 00:24:47.150 --> 00:24:49.280
- Most people, their focus, their concern is about outward thing.
- 00:24:49.290 --> 00:24:53.210
- "How do I look? Do you like my hair?
- 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:56.070
- Do you like this dress on me? Do I look too fat?
- 00:24:56.080 --> 00:24:58.250
- Am I too thin? Am I too wrinkled?
- 00:24:58.260 --> 00:25:00.070
- Am I too pale?"
- 00:25:00.080 --> 00:25:01.170
- It's usually outward stuff that we are preoccupied with.
- 00:25:01.180 --> 00:25:05.190
- How's the weather? How's the temperature?
- 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:07.060
- How do I feel? It's all outward stuff.
- 00:25:07.070 --> 00:25:09.010
- Rarely do people really get concerned about the inside work.
- 00:25:09.020 --> 00:25:15.270
- 00:25:15.280 --> 00:25:21.030
- announcer: God wants to use you to change the world.
- 00:25:21.040 --> 00:25:23.170
- Now, we can't wait to tell you about this resource
- 00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:26.050
- that will give you a fresh perspective on serving.
- 00:25:26.060 --> 00:25:29.130
- 00:25:29.140 --> 00:25:37.090
- announcer: Remember the last time you went to the theater?
- 00:25:37.100 --> 00:25:39.100
- The heavy curtain, the bright spotlight,
- 00:25:39.110 --> 00:25:41.140
- the actor's first words.
- 00:25:41.150 --> 00:25:43.090
- It's easy to remember what happens on stage, but what about
- 00:25:43.100 --> 00:25:46.060
- what happens backstage?
- 00:25:46.070 --> 00:25:47.260
- It takes people behind the scenes to make it successful.
- 00:25:47.270 --> 00:25:50.190
- Likewise, a successful church requires believers
- 00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:53.130
- to serve behind the scenes.
- 00:25:53.140 --> 00:25:55.090
- Learn the qualities of a true servant of Christ
- 00:25:55.100 --> 00:25:57.270
- in Skip Heitzig's lifestyle booklet,
- 00:25:57.280 --> 00:25:59.160
- "Backstage: Serving When No One Is Looking."
- 00:25:59.170 --> 00:26:02.050
- Get this resource when you give a gift today to help expand
- 00:26:02.060 --> 00:26:05.050
- the Bible-teaching outreach of Skip Heitzig.
- 00:26:05.060 --> 00:26:07.130
- Give online or call today.
- 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:10.080
- Skip: I'm thrilled to invite you to take your life's purpose
- 00:26:14.220 --> 00:26:17.250
- to a whole new level with a degree in biblical studies
- 00:26:17.260 --> 00:26:21.290
- from Calvary College.
- 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:23.250
- We have retooled our School of Ministry into an associate
- 00:26:23.260 --> 00:26:27.050
- degree program, and it all happens right here on campus.
- 00:26:27.060 --> 00:26:31.270
- Calvary College instructors are theologians who are passionate
- 00:26:31.280 --> 00:26:35.200
- about the text of the Bible and our curriculum trains students
- 00:26:35.210 --> 00:26:40.010
- to study the Bible academically, think about it critically,
- 00:26:40.020 --> 00:26:44.000
- and serve God practically.
- 00:26:44.010 --> 00:26:46.170
- Classes are evening only, and you have the option
- 00:26:46.180 --> 00:26:49.210
- to attend full or part time.
- 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:52.230
- If you've always to learn more about God and his Word in
- 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:56.110
- an academic environment, visit calvaryabq.college.
- 00:26:56.120 --> 00:27:01.150
- Applications for the upcoming academic year
- 00:27:01.160 --> 00:27:04.050
- are due by August 16.
- 00:27:04.060 --> 00:27:07.010
- announcer: And be sure to join us next time as Skip
- 00:27:09.280 --> 00:27:12.020
- shares practical ways you can be sure that God is working
- 00:27:12.030 --> 00:27:14.170
- in you and through you.
- 00:27:14.180 --> 00:27:16.160
- You don't wanna miss that.
- 00:27:16.170 --> 00:27:19.040
- announcer: "Connect with Skip Heitzig" is
- 00:27:20.130 --> 00:27:22.070
- a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting
- 00:27:22.080 --> 00:27:24.280
- you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
- 00:27:24.290 --> 00:27:28.050