WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:25.860 Oh, how wonderful it is, there's a good spirit, you ought to be downstairs, it's just jammed 00:25.860 --> 00:33.820 with little kids, how exciting that is too, and also many things have been going on, I'm 00:33.820 --> 00:38.380 just so proud of the things that have been happening, I'd like our sermon title this 00:38.380 --> 00:44.580 morning has to do with one by one, speaking of victory, just one by one. 00:44.580 --> 00:51.500 The Spanish said mano a mano, and you've seen me do that, hand to hand, how cool I am, that's 00:51.500 --> 00:57.020 personal isn't it, someone says I'd like to talk you mano a mano, you better have your brass 00:57.020 --> 01:03.500 knuckles, because it's close and it's perfect, and that's what victory is, it's close, it's purposeful, 01:03.500 --> 01:10.780 it's a fight, if there's a victory it means a fight was won, and boy we in the school know 01:10.780 --> 01:16.140 how that works, and we've lived by faith for so many years, it's God's longest continuing 01:16.140 --> 01:20.460 miracle is the school, and I'm just thankful for some of the things that are happening over there 01:20.540 --> 01:27.180 too, how precious are those victories in God's name, and Paul just does an unusual thing, he was 01:27.180 --> 01:33.740 born to do unusual things wasn't he, well a great man of God, I'm reading in Acts 16 starting with 01:33.740 --> 01:39.580 verse 29, now the story was that in the church at Philippi, when they were trying to start a church 01:39.580 --> 01:47.500 at Philippi, why they throw them in the husk out, and how did they respond, well they preach and 01:47.500 --> 01:53.660 teach and sing songs until midnight, now if I was in jail, I've been in jail, I don't know about you, 01:53.660 --> 02:01.820 but I wouldn't be singing songs in jail, I'd keep my mouth shut if I were in jail, these guys didn't, 02:01.820 --> 02:08.700 and God sends an earthquake, I'd reckon from what I read that it would be between seven and 02:08.700 --> 02:14.300 point two and seven point eight on the Richter scale, why because it opens the jail door and 02:14.300 --> 02:19.900 they're free to go, but they don't go, instead they stay and they convert the jailer, what an 02:19.900 --> 02:27.180 awesome man, see one victory, one step at a time, he works a great hand-to-hand battle if you will, 02:27.180 --> 02:33.580 one step at a time to mix those two analogs, now look what he says, the jailer called for 02:33.580 --> 02:38.060 lights and rushed in, fell trembling before Paul and Silas, he then brought them out and asked 02:38.060 --> 02:45.260 sirs what must I do to be saved, oh you can spend, you can spend years before someone comes to you 02:45.260 --> 02:51.740 and says what do you think I should do to be saved, and that's frightening, that's sad isn't it, I have 02:51.740 --> 02:57.420 been thrilled a number of times to have someone literally, well that's like throwing pork chops 02:57.420 --> 03:04.620 to a dog isn't it, man their eyes light up, something happens, what must I do to be saved, 03:04.620 --> 03:08.860 that's what Christians are here for, the Lord came to seek and save that which was lost, 03:08.860 --> 03:14.380 and someone comes to you just like to him, what must I do to be saved, I could weep for the number 03:14.380 --> 03:18.460 of times, they are so few that someone's actually said that to me, well aren't you a preacher, 03:18.460 --> 03:24.060 yeah, but don't you have a testimony at work, yeah, but maybe it's not good enough, 03:24.060 --> 03:28.380 maybe it's not a good enough preacher, maybe my testimony isn't good enough, see what must I do 03:28.380 --> 03:33.500 to be saved, verse 31, they replied, believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your 03:33.500 --> 03:40.540 house, now that's pretty affirmative, you will be saved, now I think the world needs saving, 03:40.540 --> 03:46.380 and I've heard people say saving, that's a little old fashioned isn't it, no, hey it's the only stable 03:46.380 --> 03:52.460 thing in the veil of tears, is that there's peace, there's hope, there's heaven, I wouldn't want to 03:52.460 --> 03:58.620 raise my kids without the prospect of heaven for them after this veil of tears, I wouldn't even want 03:58.620 --> 04:03.980 to raise them without that prospect, and you and I have that prospect, then they spoke the word of 04:03.980 --> 04:09.420 Lord to him, see what a simple thing it was, they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the 04:09.420 --> 04:13.740 others in the house, and that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds, 04:13.740 --> 04:17.740 then immediately he and all his family were baptized, hey you all, let me make a plea for 04:17.740 --> 04:23.580 Wednesday night, I'd love to do that all over here, we had about 60 people, the precious Miller 04:23.580 --> 04:30.700 family, three of them were baptized, three adults, and we had a marvelous message by one of God's men, 04:30.700 --> 04:38.300 one of our boys that's come home, Dave Robinson, and I suppose he's the greatest of our ministries, 04:38.300 --> 04:42.460 when I just look at all of our wonderful sons and daughters who have gone out and I can't be 04:42.460 --> 04:48.460 judge of that, but I've always looked up to him as if he were a thousand feet tall, what a giant 04:48.540 --> 04:54.380 spiritually he is, and I could have just cried as I heard him pour his heart out about the ministry 04:54.380 --> 05:01.340 down there in Papua New Guinea, now he mispronounces it of course, it's Papua New Guinea, but other 05:01.340 --> 05:08.060 than that it's alright, ah y'all these are giants that walk among us, and I wish we could live that 05:08.060 --> 05:12.860 Wednesday night again because you know these folks were baptized that same hour of the night, 05:12.860 --> 05:19.660 and thus they were born again and start a new life, see, the jailer brought them into his house 05:19.660 --> 05:24.940 and set a meal before them, he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God, 05:24.940 --> 05:31.260 he and his whole family, well you see, they use an occasion of being in the who's gown, 05:31.260 --> 05:38.940 of being in jail for what, to take one more step in the victory, to convert one more person, 05:38.940 --> 05:42.540 most of us would have run out because I don't think I'd want to have been in a Philippian 05:42.540 --> 05:47.100 jail, you know they don't have running water, well at flood time they do, 05:48.620 --> 05:52.220 but you know it's not a nice place to be, and I would have gotten out of there, 05:52.220 --> 05:56.780 but one step at a time they made that great victory, and I would say that spiritual victories come the 05:56.780 --> 06:03.980 same way, I wish there were snap your fingers kind of origin, but there is not, I want to personally 06:03.980 --> 06:09.180 comment, now some people say you're not supposed to do this, but I think we're different, I'm happy 06:09.180 --> 06:15.340 that we are different, you would allow me to do such a thing, we've had some great successes lately, 06:15.340 --> 06:20.380 as you watch different people witness, and I just want to compliment Todd Erickson with the work 06:20.380 --> 06:26.940 that he has been doing there at the hospital and studies and conversions that have been made there, 06:26.940 --> 06:34.540 and I just praise God for that one victory, one step, one consistent life in the middle of people 06:34.540 --> 06:41.100 who don't care two hoots about spiritual things, and I wanted to thank Jim Holster, and I tell you 06:41.100 --> 06:49.340 I have just seen this wonderful person just grow as a giant, and you know he's not very big, 06:49.340 --> 06:55.740 but he's a giant spiritually, and he studied, he's having things happen and decisions are being 06:55.740 --> 07:00.220 made, and that's part of the excitement that's here this morning, and I hope that you feel that I 07:00.220 --> 07:05.100 really do, and Jamie or maybe some of you have got a little funny piece of bread, the bread of life, 07:06.140 --> 07:11.420 you know our ladies do so much too, but when someone comes around and drops off a piece of that 07:11.420 --> 07:16.860 sweet bread and speaks of the bread of life, just be reminded that someone cared to give you a piece 07:16.860 --> 07:23.020 of fresh bakery, and in the name of God's church, Paradise Valley Christian Church, and I just thank 07:23.020 --> 07:28.460 God for that ministry, and her winning people, she has been such a faithful witness hasn't she, 07:28.460 --> 07:33.740 to so many people, and I praise God because I know that takes courage, see I know that that 07:33.740 --> 07:41.340 takes courage, and you know I thank Louise DeVault, and she wasn't here last time, I don't know whether 07:41.340 --> 07:49.020 she's here this time, but you know last Saturday we had 40 people who came to study under a national 07:49.020 --> 07:54.940 authority on how to teach kids, and she had the courage with the Sunday School Department and her 07:54.940 --> 08:01.580 committee to say let's try two Sunday schools, because we can get more kids, because the church 08:01.580 --> 08:09.340 holds it in a neighborhood this huge, with so few churches to serve it, only 100, 120 kids is not 08:09.340 --> 08:15.820 good enough, and that we need to be doing more, and I believe it's working, if you could just look 08:15.820 --> 08:21.420 downstairs there's little bodies everywhere, there's a hubbub, and there's excitement, big guys, little 08:21.420 --> 08:27.340 guys, and that's what the church is all about, please get involved in that, it is so important 08:27.980 --> 08:36.140 that you do, and I'm thankful for the work that she has done to make such things, it is easy 08:36.860 --> 08:44.860 to just go oh I wish we were bigger, but I believe there's more to it than that. With all of my heart 08:44.860 --> 08:52.140 I really, really do, you know Romans 6, 13 says this, give yourselves completely to God, every 08:52.140 --> 08:56.540 part of you, now that's a funny thing, give yourselves to God every part of you, that must mean that 08:57.260 --> 09:04.220 Christians sometimes exercise a cosmetic view of things, they give God on the shiny part on the 09:04.220 --> 09:08.540 outside, like if you ever had a little red-headed boy that comes in after playing Indian all day, 09:08.540 --> 09:14.380 and he sits down before a supper table, do you think his face is always circumspect, 09:14.380 --> 09:19.820 do you think his little hannies are maybe quite as pure as they might be, and maybe he has to go 09:19.820 --> 09:23.980 and wash it, see like that little boy, you can wash his face and rub his hand, but you know there's 09:23.980 --> 09:28.700 dirtier parts elsewhere, but you're going to leave well enough alone, just let that be for lunch time, 09:28.700 --> 09:32.700 see, are Christians a little bit like that, they kind of have a layer, give God the upper part, 09:32.700 --> 09:38.300 the part that shows, or maybe that your friends see, I tend to be that way, maybe perhaps you have 09:38.300 --> 09:44.860 tried that from time to time too, every part give completely to God, he says, for you are back from 09:44.860 --> 09:50.700 death, King Jamie says something like, you're redeemed, you're born again, you're bought, 09:50.700 --> 09:56.540 blood bought, there's a number of ways to say that, but I like that, don't you, you're back from death, 09:56.540 --> 10:05.500 hey man, you're a specter, you were dead, now you're alive, you're cool, you have been born again, 10:06.300 --> 10:09.900 you walk with a new kind of walk, and you talk with a better talking, 10:10.620 --> 10:17.580 wow, you're God's Superman, you're God's precious man, precious woman, whatever it is that God gave 10:17.580 --> 10:24.620 you to be, and you want to be tools in the hand of God, we were going to do this, I just, you know, 10:24.620 --> 10:28.220 Pat was going to hold a block of wood over his head, and I was going to take a big old axe, 10:28.860 --> 10:34.620 and I was going to split that block of wood, because you know I have iron control with sharp 10:34.620 --> 10:40.300 instruments, you know that, and then Pat said, well, he had a headache already today, and maybe 10:40.300 --> 10:44.060 we wouldn't do that, but it would make a great illustration of a tool, if you were going to 10:44.060 --> 10:49.020 cut somebody's head off, you'd want the blade to be awfully sharp, wouldn't you, dull blade, 10:49.900 --> 10:56.380 that's a blunt way, that's not the best way to do it, see, you want to be tools in the hand of God, 10:56.380 --> 11:01.340 so get prepared, sharpen your tools in other words, in other words, there is a motivation, 11:01.980 --> 11:06.940 there is something within me that wants to be better, and I know that's the same thing with you, 11:07.580 --> 11:13.340 you want to do better, I've stayed awake many a night thinking, you know, with your education, 11:13.340 --> 11:21.340 with the background you've had, and a godly family, a total support of the church, you ought to be 11:21.340 --> 11:28.940 doing more, you ought to be more successful, you know that bugs me, you say, well, you're 11:29.020 --> 11:35.580 eternal and secure, what do you care, well, I never felt that way, that I really wanted to be 11:35.580 --> 11:42.780 more effective for Jesus Christ, you see, that's the point, I translate this business of church 11:42.780 --> 11:50.940 into winning little ones, winning the elder, winning the young couples of God, you know, 11:50.940 --> 11:57.820 this is important to me, winning the scientist, that's a tough field, and that's where I am, 11:59.020 --> 12:04.700 and I'm not that satisfied with my own conversions from, I'm not a gym or I'm not a Todd, 12:05.500 --> 12:11.580 and that bugs me, because I want to be God's super saint, just like everybody else, I don't 12:11.580 --> 12:18.460 want to be mediocre in the household of the faith, I really do not, well, I tell you what, 12:18.460 --> 12:24.380 if you're going to be spiritual it is because you are committed to being, it's not going to happen, 12:24.380 --> 12:29.820 you're not going to become a giant in the faith unless you desire, as a man thinks in his heart, 12:29.820 --> 12:37.180 so is he, and you want to be great, you will be great, you must have that intention to be 12:37.180 --> 12:44.060 more effective as a servant of God, to make steps forward one at a time, no brilliant 12:44.060 --> 12:50.540 leaves, no snapping a finger, but just to grow steadily into the fullness of the Lord Jesus 12:50.540 --> 12:56.700 Christ, 1st Timmy 4 verse 8 says, for physical training is of some value, it's obvious I've 12:56.700 --> 13:06.060 had a lot of physical training, isn't it? You can tell a weight lifter, weight swagger, 13:08.300 --> 13:12.140 I've had a little physical training, you know, what's more important, listen to this, 13:12.140 --> 13:25.180 he says it has, but godliness has a value for all things, now that's funny isn't it? I suppose 13:26.060 --> 13:30.860 half the people in Casper are trying to get rich, at least trying to make a great living, 13:30.860 --> 13:36.860 at least make a better than average living, that's true, isn't it? Politics sell the idea that, well, 13:36.860 --> 13:41.100 hey, we're the party with an influencer, we're the party that's making you money, whatever, 13:41.820 --> 13:46.700 be careful in your discernment there, I don't know what the answer is, but I'll tell you, 13:46.700 --> 13:53.100 everyone's looking to be a million dollar outfit, aren't they? And a lot of people really suspect, 13:53.100 --> 13:59.180 why would you respect Bill Gates? He's a spiritual pygmy, but we can respect, you see, 13:59.180 --> 14:04.380 the money that he made, and that's kind of a funny, it's a kind of a two-way view of things, 14:04.380 --> 14:10.780 isn't it? Not really right, godliness has a value for all things, not just in this veil of tears, 14:11.660 --> 14:16.940 but in the world to come, why do we have a school? Because we want to educate for eternity, why do 14:16.940 --> 14:21.820 we want to have a Bible school filled with kids? Because the education is not just to entertain 14:21.820 --> 14:28.540 them, but to prepare them for eternal life, we educate for eternity, and that's what we're here 14:28.540 --> 14:36.780 for today, aren't we? Holding forth, holding the promise for both this present life and the life 14:36.780 --> 14:42.540 which is to come. Now it takes time to be spiritually fit, and it's hard to be spiritually 14:42.540 --> 14:48.140 fit, it takes some time, you know, it's a growth process, and if you look at all the literature, 14:48.700 --> 14:56.860 why there's books and books and VCRs and tapes that you can get on how to be a Christian, 14:57.580 --> 15:04.300 how to be more holy. One of the blessed men of the church years and years ago had a Sunday 15:04.300 --> 15:11.020 night sermon, Charlie Eichenberg, and he got a great big encyclopedia, and he covered it with 15:11.020 --> 15:18.540 paper, and on the top it says, how I, Charlie Eichenberg, became more humble, and he had 1,000 15:18.540 --> 15:24.700 reasons, see, I forget exactly what the title was, and see, you can't have a book toting how 15:24.700 --> 15:31.020 humble you are, if you're humble, can you? If you're humble, you just simply are humble, you can't 15:31.020 --> 15:36.060 brag on how humble you are, because you, you just destroyed the thing, didn't you? You stepped on 15:36.060 --> 15:43.100 the cat's tail while you're trying to get to move forward, won't work, see. Well, Ephesians 4-13 15:43.100 --> 15:49.420 speaks of a maturity that doesn't come with the snapping of a finger, see. He says, speaking of 15:49.420 --> 15:56.700 maturity, and Ephesians 4-13, that measure of development which is meant by the fullness of 15:56.700 --> 16:08.220 Christ. What is it to be a mature person, to be filled to the fullness of Christ? You know, if you 16:08.220 --> 16:12.620 make a lead weight for fishers, and we've got some few fishers in here, you pour the lead in there, 16:12.620 --> 16:16.860 and it fills the mold, you take the mold off, the cast is a perfect replica, isn't it? That's 16:16.860 --> 16:22.380 what he's speaking about. We're filled to Christ, if you'd take away the body, inside would be the 16:23.100 --> 16:28.700 Holy Spirit, inside would be the Spirit of Christ, inside would be that Holy thing which is going 16:28.700 --> 16:34.380 to take you to heaven. I'm not taking this ugly thing with me to heaven. I'm not just alluding 16:34.380 --> 16:41.420 to the suit, I'm talking about the body, it's ugly, and it seems to be deteriorating. I'm not 16:41.420 --> 16:48.300 taking that to heaven, how about you? Now, when I get to heaven, I'm going to see a lot of people 16:48.300 --> 16:56.940 with great noses like I have, because I figure big noses are handsome, don't you? You with little 16:56.940 --> 17:04.460 noses, how inconsequential. What a total bland external physiognomy you have. But a handsome 17:04.460 --> 17:11.740 nose, a striking nose, a vibrant nose, if you will, is what I consider glory and beauty. But 17:11.740 --> 17:16.700 that's the outside, and I'm not taking that nose to heaven. Thank God, I am not taking it to heaven 17:16.700 --> 17:22.060 with me. Well, there comes a time, if we're to be filled with the Spirit of Christ, 17:23.500 --> 17:34.540 that talk must cease, and action must begin. James 2.18 says this, show me your faith without 17:34.540 --> 17:42.300 deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. Do you know that there are whole churches that 17:42.300 --> 17:50.780 exclude the text of James as being untrustworthy, because it interferes with some of their dogma 17:51.420 --> 18:00.780 that you need to work somehow or another? It's a nasty word. It is not. Work glorifies God. Work 18:00.780 --> 18:08.460 does not get you to heaven, but he says, I want you to see my faith by the works of my hand, mano 18:09.020 --> 18:17.180 Emano. I want you to see what I can build a cathedral. I can worship God in music. I can use 18:17.180 --> 18:26.380 my hands to make a living and give that goodness of my life to the Lord. And I need to show people 18:26.380 --> 18:33.660 what I can do, and my faith will become manifest or therefore seen. And listen to Matthew 7.16, 18:33.660 --> 18:42.060 by their fruit you shall know them. It is a terrible thing to wonder if you have a fruitful life. 18:43.260 --> 18:48.620 You know, I've talked to a lot of people in this veil of tears, mostly outside the church, but you 18:48.620 --> 18:58.220 know, you don't want a life that doesn't bear fruit. If you don't see the goodness that you have 18:58.300 --> 19:03.660 within you born in your children, if they're not bearing fruit, then you don't feel right as a 19:03.660 --> 19:12.220 mom or a papa, do you? And if your friends are not being lifted up and encouraged by your behavior, 19:12.860 --> 19:19.740 then you feel like, I'm not lifting anybody up. I'm not, I have no ministry of reconciliation. 19:19.740 --> 19:26.300 I have no ministry of encouragement. I just do not. And what a fruitless life so many have led 19:26.300 --> 19:33.340 because it was for money, it was for fame, it was for glory, it was for power. But you and I exist 19:33.340 --> 19:39.420 for eternal things, more than just studying about them, but doing those things. You see, 19:40.620 --> 19:47.260 talk seizes, but the action begins. Well, we need to sharpen our styles. Here's Ecclesiastes 1010. 19:47.900 --> 19:55.180 If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed. I said, you can get the job done 19:55.740 --> 20:07.100 with a dull axe. You'll excuse me, please. You can get the job done with a dull axe. 20:08.140 --> 20:13.980 You can bludgeon something. Hey, we can build a church with a dull axe. We've probably practiced 20:13.980 --> 20:19.900 it a little time from time to time. Sharpen our tools, therefore. Get the cutting edge. Find out 20:19.900 --> 20:25.340 what people are thinking and go that way with the gospel. Now, I didn't say go away from the 20:25.340 --> 20:31.180 gospel, but I said take the gospel to them for a change, see, and let them listen how important. 20:31.180 --> 20:41.900 I really believe that's very, very important. Well, I think that the axe has sometimes been too 20:41.900 --> 20:51.500 blunt, for he says more strength is needed, but skill, sharpen your tools, see, but skill 20:52.540 --> 21:01.340 will bring success. So what can I as a Christian do to win victories hand to hand, to win victories 21:02.300 --> 21:09.020 one at a time, consistent, by the way, the word habit is imbued with that, isn't it? Habit. 21:09.820 --> 21:16.300 Step by step, day by day, hand to hand, up close, personal. It's real. It's a fight. I'm fighting, 21:16.300 --> 21:22.300 you see, that it might happen. Well, study the word of God. It begins with that, done. Prayer time. 21:22.860 --> 21:28.300 My lands, we have a massive amount of prayer in this church, and maybe that's why things are going 21:28.300 --> 21:36.860 so well. We had a great crowd today. I'll tell you, it's exciting. Things are happening. I thought 21:36.860 --> 21:44.620 the music was beautiful this morning. I, I just pray, I just pray that when you leave here, you've 21:44.620 --> 21:49.260 heard the word of God, you've been elevated, you've been lifted up, you found here the comfort and 21:49.260 --> 21:54.940 love and courage of others, and you go out and want to fight the good fight and do something worthwhile 21:54.940 --> 22:00.940 for the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then put it to work. See, practice, prayer and practice. 22:00.940 --> 22:05.820 Boy, those two go together, don't they? Prayer and practice go together very well. Well, 22:06.780 --> 22:15.100 secondly, I really think that to win victory, one at a time, one at a time, slowly but steadily, 22:15.820 --> 22:21.980 consistently, learn about love. For I think love makes all things possible, 22:22.940 --> 22:26.140 and I tell you, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else today than here. 22:26.620 --> 22:33.580 I'll tell you, I would encourage you to continue to love one another. The word love one another, 22:33.580 --> 22:41.820 or love one another, is used 74 times in the New Testament. Did you know that? Love one another 22:41.820 --> 22:51.740 is used 74 times. Now, I feel that there's a subliminal message there. You all, you quit picking 22:51.740 --> 22:58.780 on each other, and you love one another, and you grow in the faith. It's kind of like Kitty, 22:59.900 --> 23:07.580 poor Kitty. She's not here, she's downstairs. Well, Kitty, you know how grandmas are with little kids, 23:08.460 --> 23:13.020 and so they just want to do something for those two little kids, and so she says, 23:13.020 --> 23:20.460 I'm going to buy them a monkey. I said, a monkey? My, where are you going to put him in a chicken 23:20.540 --> 23:24.620 house? Oh, it's too cold out there. She's going to stay in the house. Well, where's he going to sleep? 23:25.500 --> 23:31.340 Well, he can sleep in our bed. And I thought about that, and I said, well, what about the smell? 23:31.340 --> 23:36.300 She said, the monkey's going to be all right. She said, I've lived around you, and I've smelled 23:36.300 --> 23:41.420 you for 48 years. The monkey's going to be okay. Don't worry about that. See, well, now that's hand 23:41.420 --> 23:47.500 to hand, isn't it? You know, if you've lived with someone for 48 years, buddy, there are not too many 23:47.500 --> 23:52.540 secrets left, and yet you're constantly being surprised. Now, you ask her about that monkey, 23:52.540 --> 23:58.540 maybe you could like to discourage her, see, because the old timers are, well, the top of the 23:58.540 --> 24:04.780 peak are eating at our house, and you may have roast monkey. See that the monkey has an accident. 24:04.780 --> 24:14.700 See, Hebrews 10, 24 through 25 says this, and let us consider how we may spur one another 24:14.700 --> 24:19.500 on toward love and good. Now, that's a chicken fighting term to spur. Have you ever seen a 24:19.500 --> 24:30.940 fighting rooster? Horrible. Bloody, ooh, insane, frantic. Ah, I'm glad we don't allow cock fighting 24:30.940 --> 24:38.700 in America. It's horrifying. That's the same term he's using there. Don't spur one another 24:38.700 --> 24:44.780 the wrong way, but spur one another on to good things, see, to love and to good deeds. Why do 24:44.780 --> 24:49.660 we come to church? Because we encourage one another. I look at you and I feel better. 24:51.180 --> 24:56.620 There are beautiful faces here. There's gray hairs. There are seam faces. There's baby fat faces. 24:56.620 --> 25:03.420 There's gorgeous faces. There's handsome physiognomies that would stir Atlas himself. I tell you, we have 25:03.420 --> 25:07.740 everything under the sun. We should be able to witness to any category on the face of the earth. 25:08.300 --> 25:14.380 Shouldn't we? We have so much, so much that we need to share with the world in the name 25:14.380 --> 25:21.340 of Jesus Christ. Well, we should spur one another on to good deeds, but verse 125 says, 25:21.340 --> 25:27.420 let us not give up meeting together. King Jamie says this, forsaking the assembly of 25:27.420 --> 25:33.180 ourselves together, the custom of some, you see, as some are in the habit of doing NIV says, 25:33.900 --> 25:40.860 you're in the habit of leaving God's house empty. You're in the habit of that. And he says, now, 25:40.860 --> 25:45.900 you don't do that, but let us encourage one another. And all the more, as you see the day 25:45.900 --> 25:52.540 approaching, what day? The day of his coming. Hey, we don't know when he's coming. Every time I read 25:52.540 --> 25:59.180 Revelation, I toss and turn at night. Or I'm excited and I go to the phone and I say, Hey, 25:59.180 --> 26:06.300 are you busy? I'd like to drop in on you. Revelation says, I don't have forever. Revelation 26:06.300 --> 26:13.660 tells me I'm not really frightened of anything, but I have so short a time you all. Man, I'm in 26:13.660 --> 26:24.300 the fifties now. And I don't have forever. And then some, then quite a bit more. Matter of fact, 26:24.300 --> 26:33.020 most of you, if we would add your age to mine, would still be under 70. Well, 26:34.940 --> 26:40.540 I don't have forever. I'm not Maudi Muller on a summer's day, done rake the meadow all 26:40.540 --> 26:46.940 sweet with hay. I don't have the rest of the long life to give. And all you young people, 26:46.940 --> 26:53.260 what's so exciting about you is I see tremendous potential for you young people. 26:54.460 --> 27:00.460 For the dozens who have gone out across the face of the earth, who are God's saintly men 27:00.460 --> 27:09.100 and women all over the world, you shall multiply tenfold what has been done thus far. And we have 27:09.100 --> 27:15.260 done much, believe you me. And all the more, as you see that day when he may come, I don't know. 27:15.260 --> 27:24.460 I would wish it would even be now. Even so, Lord Jesus come, but until he comes, occupy until he 27:24.460 --> 27:30.300 comes. Pragmatia omnihi, occupy, do something practical. There's a little baby with a run of 27:30.300 --> 27:37.500 nose. Grab it. There's a lonely lady that needs to be visited. Go visit. The jail is filled with people. 27:37.500 --> 27:44.780 Go see them. I was in jail. You didn't go see me. There's an old folks down here that's just filled 27:44.780 --> 27:51.260 with people. And less than 5% have any kids come to see them. There's about 345 people down there. 27:51.260 --> 27:59.740 And less than 5% visit their parents on any given weekend. And so maybe the church ought to be a 27:59.740 --> 28:07.900 surrogate child. A surrogate, you know, a guest visitor, a guest son, a guest daughter who should 28:07.980 --> 28:17.020 have done what they should have done. And listen to this. You know, Christians need fellowship 28:17.020 --> 28:23.500 to grow. Matter of fact, I think it's mandatory. I believe if you're going to grow, you need the 28:24.060 --> 28:30.700 symbiosis, the mutual sharing together and the mutual profitability of being in close position to 28:30.700 --> 28:38.780 each other. It's a little bit like a radio reaction, isn't it? A radioactive bomb. You get 28:38.780 --> 28:44.300 to the critical mass and you have an explosion. In the meantime, you just have a warm ball of fuzz. 28:46.060 --> 28:51.180 But if you get enough of that uranium together, you had a cataclysmic event. 28:51.340 --> 29:00.380 And that great cloud of fire and destructive toxic poison. Well, Christians could be that 29:00.380 --> 29:06.620 if they will get together beyond the critical mass. So few numbers and gained numbers and 29:06.620 --> 29:18.060 began to win the world one victory at a time.