Reaching Out in Boldness

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:05.759 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours. S and me, 2 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:11.349 Lord, I am yours, I am yours. I'm welcome to the 3 00:00:11.429 --> 00:00:17.309 Gospel Center Pray Life Podcast, a podcast designed to equip, encourage and challenge 4 00:00:17.350 --> 00:00:20.910 you in pray life ministry, and always with a focus on the Gospel. 5 00:00:20.949 --> 00:00:35.380 Stay tuned. I felt show passish, touch your heart, use me well. 6 00:00:35.500 --> 00:00:39.409 Welcome back to the Gospel Center pray life podcast. Appreciate you guys joining 7 00:00:39.450 --> 00:00:42.850 us and, as always, would appreciate if you guys would share this podcast 8 00:00:42.890 --> 00:00:47.289 episode with others who might be blessed, people that you know that are serving, 9 00:00:47.409 --> 00:00:52.399 maybe alongside of you on the sidewalk, or maybe you have connections with 10 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:57.079 people in social media that also do sidewalk ministry or that are thinking about doing 11 00:00:57.119 --> 00:01:00.240 sidewalk ministry. We think this podcast would be a blessing to them and we 12 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:04.989 hope that this episode will be a blessing to anybody who's listening, and we 13 00:01:06.030 --> 00:01:10.590 would like to just be an encouragement. That's that's the goal of these things. 14 00:01:10.909 --> 00:01:14.950 We have some experiences. We've been involved in sidewalk ministry for a good 15 00:01:15.030 --> 00:01:18.739 while and think we have something we can teach you, guys. May Be 16 00:01:18.939 --> 00:01:22.219 learning from our mistakes, and so you guys don't have to make your own 17 00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:26.060 mistakes. You can let us make mistakes for you. But we hope to 18 00:01:26.299 --> 00:01:30.099 encourage you and we hope this episode, where we're going to be focusing on 19 00:01:30.420 --> 00:01:36.930 the subject of boldness, will just in do you with boldness and with courage. 20 00:01:37.890 --> 00:01:42.689 So so we're going to jump into it pretty quick right. Yeah, 21 00:01:42.730 --> 00:01:46.170 I mean some, some counselors. I train counselors. That's what I do, 22 00:01:46.290 --> 00:01:49.280 is I train the sideblock counselors. Some of them come right from the 23 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:53.159 beginning just bold. Yeah, you can tell you you got to hold them 24 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:59.200 back almost from from speaking with authority and boldness, and then some are very, 25 00:01:59.239 --> 00:02:05.510 very timid and and will change over time, and then some never seem 26 00:02:05.670 --> 00:02:12.069 to quite get that. Yeah, but I do believe it can be developed 27 00:02:12.629 --> 00:02:17.300 and, as in all things, the best way to develop any quality or 28 00:02:17.379 --> 00:02:23.020 characteristic that's going to be necessary for ministry is through the Bible. Figure it 29 00:02:23.060 --> 00:02:25.620 out. What is the Bible? Tell us how how did because it, 30 00:02:27.259 --> 00:02:34.689 interestingly enough, the Bible gives great guidance in how to be bold. You 31 00:02:34.770 --> 00:02:38.490 know, how to develop that quality of boldness. Yeah, yeah, I 32 00:02:38.610 --> 00:02:44.090 think just to preface this. Above and beyond anything, our boldness comes through 33 00:02:44.250 --> 00:02:49.000 God's work in us. And there is, I mean, what we definitely 34 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:53.280 do not want to embrace and what we definitely own this podcast do not want 35 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:58.949 to push and encourage people in his pride and like this idea of mean, 36 00:02:59.469 --> 00:03:02.789 let's say, self confidence. We should be confident in ourselves as far as 37 00:03:02.949 --> 00:03:07.189 what God has done in us and what God is able to do through us. 38 00:03:07.990 --> 00:03:13.939 But self reliance, we want to just I mean a whore self reliance. 39 00:03:14.419 --> 00:03:17.580 Self reliance is not a Christian quality. We're supposed to rely on the 40 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:22.580 Lord in his work through us, for sure. And so, Hey, 41 00:03:23.379 --> 00:03:28.849 we're not talking about pride, we're not talking about you doing everything in your 42 00:03:28.889 --> 00:03:30.490 strengths. Matter of fact, that's kind of where our boldness comes from, 43 00:03:30.650 --> 00:03:34.969 is doing things in the strength of the Lord. But we are talking about 44 00:03:34.969 --> 00:03:38.409 a confidence, a confidence, I mean I think like David. That's that's 45 00:03:38.490 --> 00:03:44.000 probably where my mind always goes when I think of boldness and confidence and just 46 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:49.759 kind of that balance between humility and confidence and which the opposite of humility would 47 00:03:49.759 --> 00:03:53.039 be pride, right, and then self confidence. You See David, the 48 00:03:53.120 --> 00:04:00.669 young shepherd boy with a total boldness and confidence in that whole showdown with Goliath 49 00:04:00.710 --> 00:04:03.030 right and even before that, as he's talking to the you know, to 50 00:04:03.110 --> 00:04:08.550 the king, and he's talking to the other Army folks that are supposed to 51 00:04:08.550 --> 00:04:12.659 be doing something about this Goliath, about this giant, and he really speaks 52 00:04:12.740 --> 00:04:16.139 in some what you might perceive to be prideful ways, but you'll notice his 53 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:20.220 language is not one of like self reliance and self confidence, but more of 54 00:04:20.379 --> 00:04:24.449 what the Lord like. The Lord delivered the lion in the bared to my 55 00:04:24.529 --> 00:04:28.610 hands and he's going to deliver this uncircumcised Philistine into my hands. So he's 56 00:04:28.850 --> 00:04:31.810 he's really this is he's putting the ball in the Lord's Court, so to 57 00:04:31.850 --> 00:04:35.089 speak, and he knows, he has confidence in what the Lord has done, 58 00:04:35.730 --> 00:04:40.519 knowing that God is the same and knowing what the Lord is going to 59 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:46.319 do to this uncircumstance Philistine. So I think about David and that real balance 60 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:53.709 between humility and confidence, and you know, as it translates into really a 61 00:04:53.990 --> 00:04:59.470 boldness that this young man shows up on a battlefield with a sling and ultimately 62 00:04:59.589 --> 00:05:02.029 takes the sword of that Goliath, that giant, and lops his head off 63 00:05:02.110 --> 00:05:05.870 with his own sword. That's that's yeah, that's a story of boldness in 64 00:05:05.949 --> 00:05:10.819 action. And then there's a story that you pointed me to when we were 65 00:05:10.860 --> 00:05:16.740 talking about this podcast. That is in acts, for yeah, and I 66 00:05:17.060 --> 00:05:21.889 had I've certainly been familiar and red acts for many times, but I had 67 00:05:23.009 --> 00:05:28.689 never looked at it in you know, kind of broken it apart, looking 68 00:05:29.009 --> 00:05:34.129 for what gave Peter and John Their boldness and the fact that boldness is discussed 69 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:44.759 throughout this this chapter of acts, and it was really an interesting exercise to 70 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:49.189 go through and I just broke it apart step by step because I think it 71 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:55.670 is a beautiful validation of what you just said, how we find our boldness 72 00:05:55.790 --> 00:06:01.149 in the Lord. But there were some very specific things that are pointed out 73 00:06:01.149 --> 00:06:08.740 in that chapter that were true of John and Peter that gave them the boldness 74 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:16.379 that I think just are directly applicable to you if we're volunteering and we desire 75 00:06:16.860 --> 00:06:21.050 that boldness, because that that boldness is is an important equipping work of God 76 00:06:21.850 --> 00:06:28.610 for a ministry to go like ours, a sidewalk ministry, to go forth. 77 00:06:29.569 --> 00:06:31.490 So I mean, look at the look at did different point when make 78 00:06:31.569 --> 00:06:36.600 me for I well, you know, I would say the opposite of boldness 79 00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:43.439 would would be timidity, and we know that famous passages of scripture, or 80 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:46.360 Paul Tells Timothy. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but 81 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:50.029 of power, love and a sound mind, and that word fear could actually 82 00:06:50.029 --> 00:06:55.110 be translated timidity. God has not given us a spirit of timidity. Like 83 00:06:55.269 --> 00:07:00.509 we shouldn't be timid. Now there's meekness, and we know Jesus is meek, 84 00:07:00.670 --> 00:07:02.740 right, he says, learned from me, for I am meek and 85 00:07:02.939 --> 00:07:09.139 lowly of heart. Right, but Jesus was not timid. And so there's 86 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:13.779 these words that we use like timid and meek, that that kind of could 87 00:07:13.899 --> 00:07:17.370 mean the same thing in some sense, but they don't mean the same thing 88 00:07:17.529 --> 00:07:24.490 and it really comes from a confidence and a reliance on the Lord. God 89 00:07:24.610 --> 00:07:27.529 has not given us a spirit of timidity. So when we're on the sidewalk 90 00:07:27.569 --> 00:07:30.040 in particular, we don't need to be timid, we need to be meek, 91 00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:33.040 we need to be humble, for sure, but we don't need to 92 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:36.560 be timid. And listen, you guys that are on the sidewalk, you 93 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:41.240 have to remember that. Of course we're dealing with life and death. We're 94 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:45.550 dealing with people that are eternally lost, like they're separated from God through their 95 00:07:45.589 --> 00:07:49.670 sin. Right, and what you have in you, as far as Christ 96 00:07:49.829 --> 00:07:53.389 in you, the hope of glory, is what they need. And so, 97 00:07:53.509 --> 00:07:58.149 guys, you, what you have to say is important, right, 98 00:07:58.230 --> 00:08:01.620 you have no reason to be timid. What you have to communicate to these 99 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:05.139 women, to these men, to the abortion workers, it's vitally important. 100 00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:11.180 Right. It's like you've got the cure to the worst sickness that that has 101 00:08:11.259 --> 00:08:16.170 ever came across humanity. Right, you've got the cure to it, and 102 00:08:16.250 --> 00:08:20.810 so you need to be bold in and really conveying the truth of that cure. 103 00:08:22.009 --> 00:08:24.250 WHO IS JESUS CHRIST? So you don't need to be self reliant. 104 00:08:24.730 --> 00:08:28.680 We're not talking about self confidence, but we're talking about you've got truth that 105 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:33.519 people need and you need to be confident that that truth is is what God 106 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:39.000 wants them to have. And you know, don't be timid, right, 107 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:43.389 and and and so, to validate that scripturally acts for a so it's right 108 00:08:43.470 --> 00:08:48.309 at the beginning, you know, kind of maybe set this stage for what's 109 00:08:48.350 --> 00:08:52.909 happening in nacs. For so Peter and John have they've just healed a man 110 00:08:54.190 --> 00:08:56.940 who is crippled from birth. It's a miracle, clearly a miracle, and 111 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:03.340 the people are just amazed and they're listening to Peter and John, who are 112 00:09:03.460 --> 00:09:11.129 then boldly proclaiming the truth of Jesus resurrection. And the religious leaders and a 113 00:09:11.330 --> 00:09:16.610 palace guard are watching this and they're seeing these throngs of people coming to listen 114 00:09:16.690 --> 00:09:22.049 to John and Paul and they are Peter and John and they don't like that 115 00:09:22.090 --> 00:09:28.679 at all. Yeah, and so they actually arrest them and and then they 116 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:35.759 they arrest them and and and then they bring them to trial in front of 117 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:43.429 the people and tell them that they will let them go but that they must 118 00:09:43.870 --> 00:09:46.470 be silent, they can no longer speak the name of Jesus. So that's 119 00:09:46.509 --> 00:09:54.379 kind of the backdrop of of what is happening in acts for and right away 120 00:09:54.539 --> 00:10:01.220 in acts and eight. Here's the first clue, I think, in why 121 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:05.259 we should have an attitude of boldness, or maybe how we have an attitude 122 00:10:05.259 --> 00:10:07.409 of boldness. Yeah, so that first says. Then Peter Filled with the 123 00:10:07.610 --> 00:10:13.450 Holy Spirit, said to them, rulers and elders of the people, and 124 00:10:13.490 --> 00:10:18.049 then he goes on, but the keep the key phrase there. Peter was 125 00:10:18.730 --> 00:10:22.759 filled with the Holy Spirit. And that goes back to what you first said, 126 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:28.559 Daniel, that it's not of us, it is not of us that 127 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:33.159 any act of boldness, any words of boldness, proceed out of a heart 128 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:39.830 that is filled with the Holy Spirit. And so I think as a believer 129 00:10:41.710 --> 00:10:46.110 will they're there are things you can do to be certain that you are walking 130 00:10:46.190 --> 00:10:50.500 in the spirit, and we've said them many, many times. Be In 131 00:10:50.539 --> 00:10:58.980 the word, be in church and and be in prayer. Yeah, and 132 00:10:58.299 --> 00:11:05.769 so kind of how I would characterize this first section of boldness where we see 133 00:11:05.009 --> 00:11:11.769 Peter and John speaking filled with the Holy Spirit. They abided in Jesus and 134 00:11:13.370 --> 00:11:20.759 listen to acts for thirteen because I think that that really points that out very 135 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:26.840 explicitly. It says now is they observed. So the the rulers, the 136 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:31.000 and the guards and as there as they're watching John and Peter Speak, they 137 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:41.710 said as they observed the confidence of Peter and John, Um, they understood, 138 00:11:43.149 --> 00:11:50.539 they understood that they were uneducated and untrained men. They were amazed, 139 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:56.980 and here's the key point, they began to recognize them as having been with 140 00:11:56.100 --> 00:12:01.850 Jesus. Yeah, that's key. Only abide in the Lord, when we 141 00:12:01.929 --> 00:12:05.090 abide in Jesus. In their case they were directly with him. We're not 142 00:12:05.809 --> 00:12:09.769 in the same way, I guess, physically with him, but we are 143 00:12:11.129 --> 00:12:15.009 in a very real sense with him because when we've submitted our lives to him, 144 00:12:15.009 --> 00:12:18.840 the Holy Spirit enters us. Yeah, and when we spend time with 145 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:24.159 him in prayer, in and fellowship with other believers in the especially in the 146 00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:33.549 word, we're abiding with Jesus. And so significantly did Peter and John Abide 147 00:12:33.990 --> 00:12:43.379 in Jesus that these unbelievers knew that they spoke with authority and confidence. And 148 00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:50.019 they point out two things that don't give authority or that they perceived from a 149 00:12:50.100 --> 00:12:54.659 worldly point of view, does give authority. But they knew that wasn't true. 150 00:12:54.740 --> 00:13:01.330 Them Education. They they were uneducated and untrained. They were not trained 151 00:13:01.490 --> 00:13:05.409 speakers. Yeah, so I think again that goes back to your original point, 152 00:13:05.009 --> 00:13:09.409 that it's not of them or their skills or their talents, but it's 153 00:13:09.490 --> 00:13:16.240 of they were with Jesus. They had been with Jesus. Yeah, absolutely, 154 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:18.799 and you notice the word is confidence. The word confidence is used in 155 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:24.039 there now. They observed the confidence of Peter and John. Again, it 156 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:26.870 was not a self confidence, but it was a confidence in their abiding in 157 00:13:28.070 --> 00:13:31.149 Christ. Now, the Pharisees, of course, wouldn't have you know, 158 00:13:31.190 --> 00:13:35.830 they wouldn't really have articulated in that way. There may be thinking along the 159 00:13:35.909 --> 00:13:37.870 terms of, you know, Jesus was this. I mean they have they 160 00:13:37.950 --> 00:13:41.580 viewed him as a great teacher. He obviously had a big following, right, 161 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:45.779 and they wondered like how does he know all the stuff that he knows? 162 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:48.940 But they they acknowledge that Jesus knew a lot of stuff. So their 163 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:54.419 thoughts are not that like in a spiritual sense that somehow Jesus is working through 164 00:13:54.580 --> 00:13:56.490 them, but more in a practical sense, as Jesus taught them a bunch 165 00:13:56.490 --> 00:14:01.049 of stuff, you know. But of course we realize that this is Jesus 166 00:14:01.090 --> 00:14:05.409 actually working through them and we realize that this having been with Jesus is more 167 00:14:05.490 --> 00:14:09.080 than just Jesus taught them a bunch of stuff, but actually Jesus discipled them 168 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:13.639 in how to walk with God. And that's really he right. They're walking 169 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:18.120 with God. One of the phrases that we often use, and that often 170 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:22.480 use as I'm encouraging people that are new to this ministry and if that are 171 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:24.830 the been in this ministry for a long time, is that you can't give 172 00:14:24.950 --> 00:14:28.830 what you don't have. And the people that we encounter at the abortion centers, 173 00:14:30.389 --> 00:14:33.029 they don't have Jesus right. They don't know him, they don't have 174 00:14:33.110 --> 00:14:37.429 a relationship with him. If they do in some measure, they've obviously walked 175 00:14:37.429 --> 00:14:41.740 away from that right. They've turned away from that relationship and they need to 176 00:14:41.779 --> 00:14:46.659 be brought back into right relationship with Jesus. What they need is an encounter 177 00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:52.259 with Jesus. What they need is a confrontation with the truth of who he 178 00:14:52.620 --> 00:14:56.730 is. Right, and we have him in us. Right, he's he 179 00:14:56.889 --> 00:14:58.009 says, I will be with you and I will be in you by his 180 00:14:58.129 --> 00:15:03.289 Holy Spirit. Right, and so we have what they need. That's why 181 00:15:03.330 --> 00:15:07.320 we can be confident again, not in ourselves, not that we have all 182 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:11.679 of the answers, because we don't. Right, we don't got it all 183 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:15.879 figured out. We can't give them every resource to meet every need. But 184 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:18.960 spiritually speaking, if we have the spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead 185 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:24.509 living in us, and according to the Bible we do, then we have 186 00:15:24.830 --> 00:15:30.590 ultimately in above and beyond anything else, we have what they need. Spiritually. 187 00:15:30.590 --> 00:15:33.669 They need Jesus, and so we need to be like it says in 188 00:15:33.750 --> 00:15:39.100 this passage, those who have been with Jesus. We need to be constantly 189 00:15:39.259 --> 00:15:46.059 in prayer, we need to be cultivating intimacy with Jesus ourself and we need 190 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:50.570 to be in the word, constantly in the word, seeing what the Bible 191 00:15:50.690 --> 00:15:54.250 says about certain things, and the answers that we give, as far as 192 00:15:54.490 --> 00:15:58.769 you know, whatever the issue might be, ultimately need to come from the 193 00:15:58.809 --> 00:16:03.690 word of God. And the course there's practical stuff, there's resources. You 194 00:16:03.809 --> 00:16:07.679 guys know the three talking points right. But if we do all the practical 195 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:12.080 stuff and give all the practical reasons why woman shouldn't have an abortion, you 196 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:17.240 know through resources and through fetal development or whatever, and we leave out this 197 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:19.590 fact that they need Jesus, then we're leaving out the most important thing. 198 00:16:19.830 --> 00:16:23.110 And so we've got to be with him. And I'm telling you, as 199 00:16:23.110 --> 00:16:27.389 you walk with Jesus, as you're in prayer before you go out to the 200 00:16:27.470 --> 00:16:30.429 sidewalk, and you need to be in prayer before you got to the sidewalk, 201 00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:36.700 God will give you things to say in the moment. God will help 202 00:16:36.700 --> 00:16:38.860 you to know, because we know always know how to respond, and that's 203 00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:42.700 why I've said so often on this podcast. If I could give you one 204 00:16:42.779 --> 00:16:47.730 key to being effective on the sidewalk, you'd be walk with Jesus, do 205 00:16:47.889 --> 00:16:52.009 with these disciples did right. That's right. I'm with Jesus Right, and 206 00:16:52.649 --> 00:16:57.210 that flows into the the second thing that kind of progresses in that book of 207 00:16:57.289 --> 00:17:06.920 acts about they knew that their authority was Jesus, not men, and so 208 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:11.039 the leaders are kind of flummox they don't know, what are we going to 209 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:15.160 do about about these these people that we can't control, and they've got all 210 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:18.950 these followers and they're saying all this's crazy stuff that's turning them away from us 211 00:17:19.150 --> 00:17:25.789 and our beliefs. So they they're going to release them because they really can't 212 00:17:25.829 --> 00:17:29.069 hold them. They had not committed a crime. But but you know, 213 00:17:29.190 --> 00:17:33.420 they tell them you must not speak or teach in in the name of Jesus, 214 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:38.019 and I that to me is like how many times have we heard that 215 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:41.779 on the sidewalk that, in fact, we did a podcast about that. 216 00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:45.849 The people turning around and saying, shut up, stop talking to me, 217 00:17:45.210 --> 00:17:48.890 you're making me feel bad, don't talk about God, and we'll hear it 218 00:17:48.890 --> 00:17:52.130 all the time. I don't even believe in God. To stop talking about 219 00:17:52.210 --> 00:17:56.329 Jesus. But look at Peter and John's response, because it was a similar 220 00:17:56.529 --> 00:18:00.240 thing that they were told from the leaders. Will let you go, but 221 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:06.240 stop talking about Jesus. Yeah, here's what x hundred nineteen says. But 222 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:10.720 Peter and John answered and said to them whether it is right, in the 223 00:18:10.839 --> 00:18:15.390 sight of God, to give heed to you rather than to God, you 224 00:18:15.589 --> 00:18:21.109 be the judge. Yeah, they're saying, we follow God, we're going 225 00:18:21.190 --> 00:18:26.109 to heed God, not men. They understood what the proper authority that they 226 00:18:26.259 --> 00:18:33.099 needed to submit to was, and we, of course, are under that 227 00:18:33.180 --> 00:18:41.059 same authority. You're submitting to the Lord and he is clear, which we 228 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:45.930 have talked about so many times, that we are called to speak for those 229 00:18:45.089 --> 00:18:48.490 babies. Yeah, absolutely, we are to rescue those being led away to 230 00:18:48.569 --> 00:18:53.170 death and we are to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. So 231 00:18:53.289 --> 00:19:00.319 if we're being told be silent, we we can't, because that would be 232 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:07.559 heeding men rather than God when God has told us that we are to speak. 233 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:10.990 Yeah, yeah, and you kind of touched on it from kind of 234 00:19:11.029 --> 00:19:14.910 like the individuals going into the abortion center telling us to shut up and not 235 00:19:15.069 --> 00:19:18.309 to talk or whatever, and of course pro aboords telling us to shut up, 236 00:19:18.390 --> 00:19:21.230 not talk, and I won't go on a rabbit trail with this, 237 00:19:21.509 --> 00:19:26.140 but certainly I think we realize more and more in this day and age that 238 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:32.299 the government, the government, coming in city government's, state governments or whatever, 239 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:34.180 trying to pass laws and trying to make it illegal for us to be 240 00:19:34.299 --> 00:19:40.049 on the sidewalk things like that, is something we need to consider. I 241 00:19:40.170 --> 00:19:44.089 mean, we dealt with that with the whole coronavirus back in early part of 242 00:19:44.130 --> 00:19:47.049 two thousand and twenty, when they basically told us we couldn't be at on 243 00:19:47.089 --> 00:19:49.609 the sidewalk or we couldn't be out in front of the abortion center's praying, 244 00:19:49.650 --> 00:19:55.200 and of course we defied that because we knew that we have a mandate to 245 00:19:55.240 --> 00:19:57.599 speak for those that can't speak for themselves, and if they're letting the abortion 246 00:19:57.640 --> 00:20:03.599 center be open and kill babies, then we need to be there. If 247 00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:07.910 what they do inside of that abortion center is considered essential, then certainly what 248 00:20:08.029 --> 00:20:14.029 we do and what we're called to is essential. Right. And Yeah, 249 00:20:14.190 --> 00:20:18.710 we said that and we made that stance. Took that stance with confidence and 250 00:20:18.430 --> 00:20:22.700 really with this attitude. You, state of North Carolina, because that's who 251 00:20:22.740 --> 00:20:26.500 we're dealing with at the time or city of Charlotte. You you judge yourselves 252 00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:30.819 whether it's right that we obey you rather than God. We're going to play 253 00:20:30.900 --> 00:20:36.009 God, basically. Yeah, and for a new councilor I think most of 254 00:20:36.009 --> 00:20:38.730 the time, I think where someone struggling with boldness is the cint their new 255 00:20:40.009 --> 00:20:45.690 oftentimes they're new, you're young, or combination of the both. But what 256 00:20:45.890 --> 00:20:49.640 I would advise, that is something you can do is know the scripture. 257 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:56.720 Scour the scripture, find the biblical commands that support you being out there on 258 00:20:56.759 --> 00:21:00.000 the sidewalk because, if you know it is your authority, Jesus is saying 259 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:03.720 you need to be there. Now, he's not going to say the sidebox 260 00:21:03.799 --> 00:21:07.109 of abortion centers, but he's going to be clear that we're to speak for 261 00:21:07.589 --> 00:21:11.430 those who can't speak and to protect the vulnerable and hold back those being led 262 00:21:11.430 --> 00:21:15.750 away to death. So the principles are certainly there and if you know that, 263 00:21:15.390 --> 00:21:21.660 you know what scripture says, you can be more confident in then standing 264 00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:25.299 firm, yeah, for what God has called you to do. On the 265 00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:27.380 other hand, if you don't, if you don't know what scripture says, 266 00:21:27.579 --> 00:21:32.779 you're probably not going to be real confident or you're going to easily lose your 267 00:21:32.890 --> 00:21:37.170 confidence and believe what the world is telling you. Yeah, absolutely, and 268 00:21:37.210 --> 00:21:41.970 if our desire in our calling to be on the sidewalk at the abortion centers 269 00:21:42.049 --> 00:21:47.240 comes from anything other than the word of God, it's a shaky foundation. 270 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:49.160 You know, we've talked about this before, the motivations of the heart. 271 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:55.480 If you're if you're motivated by, you know, a political persuasion and that's 272 00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:59.000 why you're on the sidewalk, you're going to be shaken. You have to 273 00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:03.349 be able and you know, if we just dealt with something here in California 274 00:22:03.390 --> 00:22:07.029 recently, there was a law that was passed by governors, governor newsome here, 275 00:22:08.029 --> 00:22:12.910 and it look like initially there was some concerns that you couldn't hand out 276 00:22:12.990 --> 00:22:18.220 brochures within a hundred feet of the entrance of an abortion center. Now it's 277 00:22:18.299 --> 00:22:22.220 not actually what the language was, but it could could have been construed in 278 00:22:22.339 --> 00:22:25.380 some people and just reading it in a cursory way, it look like it 279 00:22:25.420 --> 00:22:30.890 could have been construed to say that, thank God it's not and it doesn't 280 00:22:30.930 --> 00:22:33.809 really affect what we're doing. But it is that. I was telling our 281 00:22:33.809 --> 00:22:38.450 people here locally, any of these laws that they pass that have anything to 282 00:22:38.529 --> 00:22:44.089 do with being at the abortion center really had to do with filming people and 283 00:22:44.170 --> 00:22:49.000 taking pictures of people that are going in, like taking pictures of abortion patients 284 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:55.119 and posting those online or threatening to post those online and expose people for having 285 00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:57.240 abortions and stuff. We don't do that. It's not something we do. 286 00:22:57.359 --> 00:23:00.029 It's not something we see to be what God has called us to do, 287 00:23:02.509 --> 00:23:04.710 and so it's not a concern for us. But what I'm saying is, 288 00:23:04.990 --> 00:23:11.309 as they pass more and more of these like really freedom of speech laws and 289 00:23:11.390 --> 00:23:15.940 things like that, it is these are incremental steps from the pro abortion side 290 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:19.700 because ultimately they want us off the sidewalk. They don't want us out there. 291 00:23:19.779 --> 00:23:23.140 They wanted to be like, I think in Canada they've got some laws 292 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:27.769 where you can't be within a hundred feet of an abortion center. In Australia, 293 00:23:29.009 --> 00:23:30.529 I know we've got some connections with folks there. I think you have 294 00:23:30.609 --> 00:23:34.970 to be, I don't even know, three hundred meters away from an abortion 295 00:23:36.130 --> 00:23:40.049 center if you're going to be, quote, protesting. There's going to be 296 00:23:40.089 --> 00:23:44.119 a point, I believe, and less God brings US sends us revival in 297 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:47.319 this nation where we're going to be told it's illegal to be out there on 298 00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:49.079 the sidewalk. And again, this is a little bit of a rab it 299 00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:53.000 true, but we need to have boldness and confidence, because if our confidence 300 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:56.670 is just in you know, we've called ourselves into this ministry and we don't 301 00:23:56.710 --> 00:24:00.829 really have a solid foundation of the word of God like the disciples did. 302 00:24:00.910 --> 00:24:03.549 Hear they had a solid foundation with Jesus told them. So they could with 303 00:24:03.710 --> 00:24:11.299 confidence defy the governing authorities because they had someone's word who spoke more authoritatively than 304 00:24:11.339 --> 00:24:15.819 their word, like the Pharisees, the Sadducees, that sanhedrink council. They 305 00:24:15.859 --> 00:24:22.460 had authority for sure, but the disciples knew that the authority they were under 306 00:24:22.579 --> 00:24:25.890 was higher than the authority of these people. And we need to know what 307 00:24:26.049 --> 00:24:29.130 we're doing, and I think this is maybe a key to this thing, 308 00:24:29.250 --> 00:24:33.329 to boldness really, is to know that we're operating under an authority that's higher 309 00:24:33.450 --> 00:24:37.599 than any other authority. Right, operating under an authority, the Authority of 310 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:44.119 Jesus Christ, that's higher than government authorities, that's higher than you planned parenthood 311 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:48.839 or the abortion center with their authority is and of course, the authority of 312 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:52.509 any other entity. Right, and so that's really, I think, where 313 00:24:52.549 --> 00:24:57.789 we get our boldness from is that we know with confidence whose authority were operating 314 00:24:57.789 --> 00:25:00.990 under. I go back to David as. He was a shepherd boy. 315 00:25:02.589 --> 00:25:07.299 He knew whose authority he was operating under. Right, he was operating under 316 00:25:07.299 --> 00:25:11.700 the authority of the Living God, and he knew he would have victory because 317 00:25:11.740 --> 00:25:17.140 of that. Yeah, so the disciples not only knew who was their authority, 318 00:25:17.700 --> 00:25:22.809 they knew script and and they believed it and they knew that it pointed 319 00:25:22.890 --> 00:25:29.289 to Jesus. Yeah, but they also had a community of believers, and 320 00:25:29.369 --> 00:25:33.009 I think that's one of the next key point. That's that comes through in 321 00:25:33.410 --> 00:25:37.680 acts four of why they were so bold. They just been arrested. Jail 322 00:25:37.799 --> 00:25:42.480 was not a pleasant place back in those days. They didn't have televisions enough, 323 00:25:44.039 --> 00:25:48.200 you know, and and gourmet meals or windows with the sun streaming through. 324 00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:52.269 So right after their release, you know what they did and and I 325 00:25:52.390 --> 00:25:56.670 guess I never really noticed this, they they went to their companions, the 326 00:25:56.750 --> 00:26:03.109 the verse tells us, and we're meeting. Basically they did. But but 327 00:26:03.380 --> 00:26:07.059 don't get ahead of me in a prayer, because we've got that's actually different. 328 00:26:07.099 --> 00:26:07.980 We are going to talk about that, but that's different. But let 329 00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:11.299 me let me read the the verse first. It's in as four hundred and 330 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:18.059 twenty three. When they had been released, they went to their own companions 331 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:23.170 and reported all that that the chief priests in the elders had said to them. 332 00:26:23.650 --> 00:26:30.450 So I think this is a very, very important point. Jesus always 333 00:26:30.490 --> 00:26:34.000 sends us out at least in groups of two for any kind of ministry. 334 00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:37.200 Right. Well, there's all kinds of reasons for that, but one reason 335 00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:44.119 is when we're going through trials or any kind of persecution, when you're all 336 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:48.069 alone, it's a whole lot harder to endure. Absolutely. But if you 337 00:26:48.309 --> 00:26:52.190 have companions, people you can go to, you can you can tell them 338 00:26:52.309 --> 00:26:59.230 what happened, you can be encouraged and and edified and held up by them 339 00:27:00.029 --> 00:27:07.099 it, it makes it easier to stand firm have that group supporting you. 340 00:27:07.099 --> 00:27:15.099 So a supportive community is so critical and you can build that. You know, 341 00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:18.089 applying that to sidewalk ministry. We do it with we have a personal 342 00:27:18.210 --> 00:27:23.809 facebook group for our community of volunteers. We have a group email where we 343 00:27:23.930 --> 00:27:30.599 contact them, we have ongoing group training, we do get togethers and then 344 00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:34.480 we've got the actual team structure for each day, where there's a team lead 345 00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:41.480 that's staying in touch with every member so that there is always a community that 346 00:27:41.160 --> 00:27:48.509 we can go to to be maybe to complain a little sometimes and how to 347 00:27:48.630 --> 00:27:52.829 talk about what we've been through, where we know we're going to be with 348 00:27:52.910 --> 00:27:57.819 people who understand and who who will support us. Yeah, yeah, I 349 00:27:57.900 --> 00:28:03.619 would say we have technology in this day and age that lets us do things 350 00:28:03.700 --> 00:28:07.779 that these folks couldn't do. Yeah, they went because, you know, 351 00:28:07.940 --> 00:28:11.180 that's what they had at their disposal, to gather together in set a prayer 352 00:28:11.259 --> 00:28:17.250 meeting. Yeah, we've got social media and though facebook may be a horrible 353 00:28:17.329 --> 00:28:19.410 thing in a lot of ways it is and social media can be a horrible 354 00:28:19.490 --> 00:28:23.329 distraction, some of the things that we've found, one of the really, 355 00:28:25.769 --> 00:28:30.920 I think, important aspects of social media for us is that connection that we 356 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:36.519 have. We have a secret group, like you mentioned, that is just 357 00:28:36.839 --> 00:28:40.440 in Charlotte, and each of our cities are have this or are forming this. 358 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:44.029 There's some kind of way that only people that are on the sidewalk can 359 00:28:44.109 --> 00:28:47.589 really converse with each other and it kind of you know, it's exclusive, 360 00:28:47.630 --> 00:28:52.990 right, and it's exclusive on purpose because that context on the sidewalk is so 361 00:28:52.029 --> 00:28:57.299 unique and you could say some things in a public setting that people just wouldn't 362 00:28:57.299 --> 00:29:00.980 understand, like they just they they're not picking up what you're laying down. 363 00:29:02.539 --> 00:29:04.339 But you say it into a group of people that are minister on the sidewalks 364 00:29:04.380 --> 00:29:08.420 and like they know exactly what you're talking about and there's a certain encouragement that 365 00:29:08.539 --> 00:29:11.369 can come right. There's a certain way that we can encourage each other that 366 00:29:11.490 --> 00:29:17.849 maybe wouldn't be encouraging for other people in other ministerial settings, right. And 367 00:29:18.009 --> 00:29:21.930 so that secret facebook group just seeing on a regular basis what God is doing. 368 00:29:22.049 --> 00:29:23.680 So just so you guys know how we structure our teams. You know, 369 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:29.799 we've got our sidewalk teams. That the latrobe abortion center in particular, 370 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:32.599 because they're open six days a week. We have a Monday team, a 371 00:29:32.680 --> 00:29:36.079 Tuesday team, Wednesday team, so forth and so on. Then we have 372 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:38.549 a as we're building this. So you guys pray for us on this. 373 00:29:38.630 --> 00:29:41.789 You want to build afternoon teams. So we'll have a Monday morning team and 374 00:29:41.910 --> 00:29:45.869 a Monday afternoon team. Each of those teams will have a team lead and 375 00:29:45.950 --> 00:29:51.430 so that person and has some responsibilities and all that stuff. But that team 376 00:29:51.950 --> 00:29:55.099 they converse with each other, they encourage each other for the stuff that happens 377 00:29:55.180 --> 00:29:57.980 on Monday. Right the Tuesday team, there's some unique things that happen on 378 00:29:59.099 --> 00:30:02.339 Tuesdays and so they they encourage each other. They're intentional. I think they've 379 00:30:02.339 --> 00:30:07.210 have like text groups or whatever, and then we've got that group where all 380 00:30:07.369 --> 00:30:10.410 of the people that volunteer. The team leads and all the people that volunteer 381 00:30:10.490 --> 00:30:15.490 can just talk. But the Monday team will share on Monday, when they're 382 00:30:15.490 --> 00:30:18.490 done with ministry, just a quick little summary of what happened out there and 383 00:30:18.650 --> 00:30:22.079 that's a way for you know, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and the other 384 00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:26.000 teams to see what God's doing on Monday. It's just a way to build 385 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:29.519 that camaraderie. It's a way to share our burdens. You know, maybe 386 00:30:29.640 --> 00:30:34.359 the Tuesday team experience some kind of, I don't know, explosive situation with 387 00:30:34.440 --> 00:30:37.990 one of the pro boards or some like something like that. I think a 388 00:30:37.029 --> 00:30:41.670 couple of weeks ago there was a situation with one of the police officers who's 389 00:30:41.829 --> 00:30:45.309 kind of a knucklehead that was causing some problems and in one of the teams 390 00:30:45.349 --> 00:30:47.990 put some videos out there. We're able to kind of talk around that, 391 00:30:48.109 --> 00:30:52.420 encourage each other all for some advice and things like that, and that's really 392 00:30:52.579 --> 00:30:55.980 it speaks to that community of believers. Now I will say, above and 393 00:30:56.019 --> 00:30:57.619 beyond anything, you need to be in church. You need to be in 394 00:30:57.660 --> 00:31:02.980 a community of believers within a local church, the church chair, you need 395 00:31:03.140 --> 00:31:06.410 to be in that. No doubt about it. You should be. I 396 00:31:06.529 --> 00:31:10.130 think if, especially if it's a huge church, you probably need to have 397 00:31:10.210 --> 00:31:12.650 a small group within that church or something, people that you can really connect 398 00:31:12.690 --> 00:31:15.690 with. You, as they say, do life with right. We need 399 00:31:15.690 --> 00:31:22.000 to have people that we can commune with on that on that level. Beyond 400 00:31:22.039 --> 00:31:23.799 that, though, if you're doing sidewalk ministry, you need to have some 401 00:31:25.119 --> 00:31:29.119 way to communicate on a regular basis with people that are also doing sidewalk ministry 402 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:33.309 because, again, there's some particular things that some encouragements that can come from 403 00:31:33.309 --> 00:31:37.190 people that know that setting, that know that ministry, that other people just 404 00:31:37.349 --> 00:31:41.309 can't give to you. Some challenges that you face, questions that you ask 405 00:31:41.950 --> 00:31:47.940 that other people that are not involved in this ministry really just don't know anything 406 00:31:47.980 --> 00:31:52.819 about. So that community of believers is really important. It is really important, 407 00:31:52.819 --> 00:31:55.460 and they make that clear and act for but I think they it is 408 00:31:55.619 --> 00:31:59.500 doubly important when you're in ending kind of ministry where you're going to face persecution, 409 00:31:59.579 --> 00:32:05.450 and this is a ministry of persecution, constant persecution. You're going to 410 00:32:05.490 --> 00:32:10.089 be taunted, threatened, terrible language, things thrown at you, car swerving 411 00:32:10.170 --> 00:32:15.480 to hit you, whatever. It's daily, it's regular. You Are we 412 00:32:15.640 --> 00:32:21.319 calling the Ministry of rejection. Right, people aren't for these things that you're 413 00:32:21.319 --> 00:32:23.440 angry with it. Now, that doesn't happen all the time, that people 414 00:32:23.720 --> 00:32:27.960 throw things at you, but it can't happen from ten from from time to 415 00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:32.029 time. But one of the most potentially discouraging things is when people just playing 416 00:32:32.109 --> 00:32:37.269 ignore you. Right, that's the Ministry of rejection. You're being rejected, 417 00:32:37.349 --> 00:32:40.589 and so that that can be discouraging as well, which, again, we 418 00:32:40.670 --> 00:32:44.940 all experience that. If you're in the sidewalk and you can encourage each other 419 00:32:45.500 --> 00:32:50.500 in line of that, that's right. So, so it is a ministry 420 00:32:50.500 --> 00:32:55.380 of persecution and when there is persecution, people who are being similarly persecuted are 421 00:32:55.500 --> 00:32:59.210 the ones you're going to want to go to. That community of people who 422 00:32:59.210 --> 00:33:01.410 are going to understand. But, and now you can talk about what you 423 00:33:01.490 --> 00:33:06.210 were going to talk about. They also prayed. It became a prayer session. 424 00:33:06.250 --> 00:33:07.849 I'll read the verse and then you can talk about that, because it's 425 00:33:07.890 --> 00:33:14.359 also key, a key element of boldness, and I don't think I've ever 426 00:33:14.400 --> 00:33:19.039 seen a verse that points that out more clearly than this one. Acts and 427 00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:22.319 thirty one, so it said. And when they had prayed, so they 428 00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:24.839 meet together, they gathered, they basically complain, they tell him what happened 429 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:29.910 when they were arrested and what they were told. And when they had prayed, 430 00:33:30.430 --> 00:33:34.950 the place where they had gathered together was shaken and they were all filled 431 00:33:35.390 --> 00:33:37.950 with the Holy Spirit. A key on back to our original question. How 432 00:33:37.990 --> 00:33:40.779 do you get filled with Holy Spirit? Will, apparently, prayer. They 433 00:33:40.940 --> 00:33:45.299 plays a big part in that. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit 434 00:33:45.700 --> 00:33:52.619 and began to speak the word of God with boldness. So isn't that interesting? 435 00:33:52.940 --> 00:34:00.289 It was persecution, gathering with the Community of believers and then prayer, 436 00:34:00.009 --> 00:34:06.049 and the result they were able to speak the word of God with boldness. 437 00:34:06.130 --> 00:34:10.119 Yeah, yeah, ultimately it's calling on the Lord right when you experience friction, 438 00:34:10.519 --> 00:34:15.719 rejection, persecution out there on the sidewalk whatever it might be, you 439 00:34:16.280 --> 00:34:21.880 need to be individually, certainly lifting up your prayer to the Lord, saying 440 00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:24.469 God, you know, like they did in this in this particular passage, 441 00:34:24.469 --> 00:34:28.750 or like Lord, you see their threats and and all of this and they 442 00:34:28.750 --> 00:34:30.869 kind of lay it out and then of course the Lord shows up. So 443 00:34:31.190 --> 00:34:36.150 maybe be doing that individually, certainly, but also have some times of corporate 444 00:34:36.309 --> 00:34:39.139 prayer together, and I would say again, you know it's not always easy 445 00:34:39.260 --> 00:34:43.699 to do that. I'm trying to do that here in southern California as we're 446 00:34:43.739 --> 00:34:46.619 meeting together on Sunday evenings, just kind of opening up our home here and 447 00:34:46.659 --> 00:34:52.099 just inviting everybody to come who's a part of love life here in southern California 448 00:34:52.139 --> 00:34:54.489 and let's just have a time to worship and pray together. And that's that's 449 00:34:54.530 --> 00:34:58.570 the point here, as I want. I want us to be praying for 450 00:34:58.570 --> 00:35:01.329 each other, wants to be encouraging each other. But maybe you don't have 451 00:35:01.489 --> 00:35:05.369 that where you're at. Maybe it's just you serving on the sidewalk and there 452 00:35:05.409 --> 00:35:07.599 aren't a lot of other folks around you to be able to call a prayer 453 00:35:07.639 --> 00:35:14.000 meeting like that. Ask Your Pastor put it before your pastor and say hey, 454 00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:17.320 would you be willing to encourage the church, maybe put it in the 455 00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:22.150 bulletin or whatever, to be praying for the ministry and just get folks praying 456 00:35:22.230 --> 00:35:27.030 for you and God's going to God's going to move, God's going to give 457 00:35:27.070 --> 00:35:30.030 you boldness. Maybe he'll through that prayer and that request for a prayer in 458 00:35:30.110 --> 00:35:34.510 your congregation, maybe your small group that you meet with on a regular basis. 459 00:35:34.829 --> 00:35:37.619 They're not, maybe involved on the sidewalk or whatever. You're praying that 460 00:35:37.659 --> 00:35:40.420 they would. But put this out to them, put this out your struggles, 461 00:35:40.539 --> 00:35:45.539 you're the stuff you're facing, and just have them pray over you, 462 00:35:45.659 --> 00:35:49.659 lay hands when you and pray over you and you'd be surprised at how God 463 00:35:49.699 --> 00:35:54.530 feels you with boldness for the battle. Yeah, and then I think also 464 00:35:55.210 --> 00:36:00.289 reframing the idea of persecution as being a bad thing. It's actually, in 465 00:36:00.409 --> 00:36:02.449 many ways, a very good thing. You're not going to be persecuted if 466 00:36:02.449 --> 00:36:06.800 you're of no threat to Satan. Specifically, if you're not a threat, 467 00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:12.039 he'll let you go your married way. Yeah, so if not only are 468 00:36:12.199 --> 00:36:19.309 you being persecuted because you are a threat to what Satan is trying to make 469 00:36:19.869 --> 00:36:23.389 happen, the death of a baby and the destruction of these people's souls. 470 00:36:25.389 --> 00:36:34.460 But persecution can also lead you to be ultimately strengthened as you go to that 471 00:36:34.579 --> 00:36:37.099 community of believers, as you engage in prayer, as you go back to 472 00:36:37.219 --> 00:36:43.019 scripture to help shore you up. Yeah, you're ultimately bolder and strengthened in 473 00:36:43.139 --> 00:36:46.570 your faith, and so persecution is, in many ways kind of a almost 474 00:36:46.570 --> 00:36:52.090 a good thing. Yeah, yeah, I mean it's not fun. No 475 00:36:52.369 --> 00:36:55.849 go through no, nobody. I was talking to a lady here in California 476 00:36:55.889 --> 00:37:01.719 who's experiencing some, actually some, some rejection in her family for her stand 477 00:37:01.880 --> 00:37:06.760 and for her being involved, even on the sidewalk, and I was just 478 00:37:06.920 --> 00:37:09.360 encouraging her. You know, when you when you surrendered your life to Jesus, 479 00:37:09.519 --> 00:37:13.039 you made a commitment to him, Lord, I will serve you all 480 00:37:13.079 --> 00:37:15.309 the days of my life, and he made a commitment to you, and 481 00:37:15.469 --> 00:37:19.070 his commitment to you was not just to take you to heaven. That's sort 482 00:37:19.110 --> 00:37:22.510 of a brought by product. God's commitment to you, and you became a 483 00:37:22.550 --> 00:37:25.429 Christian, was to make you more like Jesus, and you are never more 484 00:37:25.510 --> 00:37:30.860 like Jesus than when you are being rejected. You look at the Ministry of 485 00:37:30.860 --> 00:37:36.579 Jesus and I'll certainly he walked in victory, he walked in intimacy with the 486 00:37:36.659 --> 00:37:40.780 father. So that those things, that's that's being like Jesus. But also 487 00:37:40.860 --> 00:37:45.329 he was rejected and misunderstood. And if you're going to be like Jesus and 488 00:37:45.530 --> 00:37:50.769 God's gonna grow you to be more and more like his son, then you're 489 00:37:50.809 --> 00:37:53.690 going to experience rejection and it's a way for you to grow. Now your 490 00:37:53.809 --> 00:37:59.880 reaction to that rejection is what really determines whether or not you grow right. 491 00:37:59.920 --> 00:38:05.639 If you just complain and you just withdrawal, because that is the temptation when 492 00:38:05.719 --> 00:38:09.079 we're rejected on the sidewalk, you know, we could temptationism. I'm not 493 00:38:09.119 --> 00:38:14.030 going back out there. There's people don't want me out there. The people 494 00:38:14.070 --> 00:38:15.710 are obstinate, they're not listening, so I'm just not going back out there. 495 00:38:15.829 --> 00:38:19.030 Well, of God called you to there. He didn't change his mind. 496 00:38:19.190 --> 00:38:22.030 So you need to be faithful and take that rejection before the Lord, 497 00:38:22.510 --> 00:38:29.260 bring it before other believers that can be praying for you and and let God 498 00:38:29.500 --> 00:38:32.739 teach you to be more like Jesus through it. Yeah, now the the 499 00:38:34.019 --> 00:38:42.170 acts for believers had something that appears to have been maybe even different than than 500 00:38:42.250 --> 00:38:46.849 what we have now, but they seem to be very unified and I think 501 00:38:46.969 --> 00:38:52.889 that that is a key point in that community of believers being as strong as 502 00:38:52.969 --> 00:38:59.920 they can possibly be, in supporting individuals that are in ministry and supporting each 503 00:38:59.920 --> 00:39:05.679 other and in building and growing the church is being unified. And and saw 504 00:39:05.800 --> 00:39:09.110 read you the the passage, the couple of verses that that talk about that, 505 00:39:09.230 --> 00:39:14.949 and maybe we can talk about how why they were so unified and how 506 00:39:15.070 --> 00:39:19.110 that was useful and maybe how we as as the church, can work more 507 00:39:19.269 --> 00:39:22.349 towards unity. But in acts for thirty two to thirty three, it says, 508 00:39:22.429 --> 00:39:28.019 and the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, 509 00:39:28.780 --> 00:39:32.019 and not one of them claimed that anything, anything belonging to him, was 510 00:39:32.139 --> 00:39:37.219 his own, but all things were common property to them. I do not 511 00:39:37.340 --> 00:39:42.889 think this is a treatise on communism, but I do think it. I 512 00:39:43.090 --> 00:39:51.530 do think it is talking about the prob make that good is there into communism 513 00:39:52.849 --> 00:39:57.239 and with great power the apostles. It comes after, by the way, 514 00:39:57.320 --> 00:40:01.039 talking about this unity, notice the next phrase. And with great power the 515 00:40:01.159 --> 00:40:07.190 apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace 516 00:40:07.389 --> 00:40:13.510 was upon them all. So there was something very important about that und of 517 00:40:13.550 --> 00:40:17.989 the believers that they were of one heart and one soul and they recognize that 518 00:40:19.429 --> 00:40:23.380 everything they had basically didn't belong to them. Yeah, it belonged to the 519 00:40:23.500 --> 00:40:28.739 Lord. It was all from the Lord and it was all to be given 520 00:40:28.860 --> 00:40:35.380 back to the Lord. So that that unity when when we are one in 521 00:40:35.460 --> 00:40:39.570 Christ. You know, you've heard there's so many kind of slogans. United 522 00:40:39.610 --> 00:40:45.090 we stand, divided we fall. A house divided against itself will not stand. 523 00:40:45.250 --> 00:40:51.360 Those are also biblical verses. Yeah, but there's so many verses that 524 00:40:51.599 --> 00:40:57.880 talk about unity of the body. Yeah, that's where we find a community 525 00:40:58.719 --> 00:41:01.760 that is most going to be able to stand around us and give us boldness. 526 00:41:01.800 --> 00:41:06.510 Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. And you know, I know 527 00:41:06.630 --> 00:41:09.230 that we're speaking to people who are in cities, who are in cities where 528 00:41:09.269 --> 00:41:14.510 love life is and there is a group that's there with you, people that 529 00:41:14.550 --> 00:41:16.429 are served alongside you. Maybe a small group it, maybe a bigger group. 530 00:41:17.230 --> 00:41:22.699 But then also we're speaking to people who maybe just starting prolife ministry, 531 00:41:22.739 --> 00:41:25.980 who maybe not a part of love life or whatever reason, and they're just 532 00:41:27.099 --> 00:41:30.019 starting and maybe you're by yourself, and so it's hard to kind of imagine. 533 00:41:30.699 --> 00:41:35.969 We're talking about unity, we're talking about the body of Christ, this 534 00:41:36.130 --> 00:41:40.329 community of believers working together, and you're not seeing that as far as prolife 535 00:41:40.409 --> 00:41:45.489 ministry is concerned. And so I want to speak to that real quick and 536 00:41:45.610 --> 00:41:49.159 just encourage you that, yes, you may not have a team yet, 537 00:41:49.239 --> 00:41:52.320 they can share these burdens, but that's why you need to be a part 538 00:41:52.360 --> 00:41:54.480 of a local church, because you can still share your burdens. Even though 539 00:41:54.519 --> 00:42:02.190 there is a unique aspect to this ministry, it's not so unique that other 540 00:42:02.309 --> 00:42:06.389 people, other believers in Jesus, can't relate to it. You need to 541 00:42:06.429 --> 00:42:12.909 be in close fellowship with other believers and get encouragement from other believers. And 542 00:42:13.070 --> 00:42:15.460 you'd be surprised again, as you put these prayer requests out to people and 543 00:42:15.500 --> 00:42:20.539 you have people praying for you. You know, I knew, I think 544 00:42:20.659 --> 00:42:23.900 Trese, who's our missionary in Washington. She's got a small team there, 545 00:42:24.500 --> 00:42:28.940 but she also has a team of people praying for her. So, even 546 00:42:28.980 --> 00:42:31.010 though they're not on the sidewalk, she asked people within her church and with 547 00:42:31.090 --> 00:42:37.250 an in other congregations. Can you be praying while we're out there, and 548 00:42:37.610 --> 00:42:40.250 that is kind of helping build a unity in that camaraderie. Even though they 549 00:42:40.289 --> 00:42:44.679 can't be out there on the sidewalk, she's got people behind her that are 550 00:42:44.719 --> 00:42:49.440 praying that that unity is there and that's powerful. I actually did that myself 551 00:42:49.840 --> 00:42:52.440 as I was here in California. We're in kind of a little uncommon scenario 552 00:42:52.519 --> 00:42:55.000 for our family. We're not used to being out here on the left coast, 553 00:42:55.159 --> 00:42:59.989 you know, and there's some challenges and stuff and certainly anytime we step 554 00:43:00.030 --> 00:43:02.349 out and obey God there's challenges. And so I reached out to some brothers 555 00:43:02.429 --> 00:43:07.590 that I know, that I trust and that I know will be serious about 556 00:43:07.590 --> 00:43:12.150 praying for me and assembled myself a prayer team. These are brothers that are 557 00:43:12.150 --> 00:43:15.539 not necessarily involved in this type of ministries. Matter of fact, I don't 558 00:43:15.539 --> 00:43:17.579 think any of them are involved in this type of ministry, but they're involved 559 00:43:17.579 --> 00:43:21.500 in ministry in some capacity, and so I reached out, Hey, will 560 00:43:21.539 --> 00:43:22.820 you pray for me on Monday? Will you pray for me on Tuesday? 561 00:43:22.980 --> 00:43:27.650 Just five, ten minutes a day, just focused prayer, and so I 562 00:43:27.769 --> 00:43:30.170 simpled a prayer team for our ministry out here, for what God's called us 563 00:43:30.170 --> 00:43:35.329 to here in southern California. And I'm telling you, I have experienced since 564 00:43:35.690 --> 00:43:38.889 since that was in place, I have experienced some victories that I was not 565 00:43:39.090 --> 00:43:44.679 seeing before and just encouraged by what the Lord is doing. So that's a 566 00:43:44.800 --> 00:43:49.119 way get creative, in the ways that you get people connected kind of with 567 00:43:49.320 --> 00:43:54.869 you and encouraging you along, because you need that encouragement that comes from being 568 00:43:54.949 --> 00:44:00.510 unified with the body of Christ. Yeah, and and of course the danger 569 00:44:00.869 --> 00:44:07.670 for any group is that there will be bickering, backbiting, gossip and disunity. 570 00:44:07.710 --> 00:44:13.219 Yeah, even disagreement, which we do see in the book of acts. 571 00:44:13.219 --> 00:44:16.780 There are disagreements that occur at different times. They and sometimes they're handled 572 00:44:16.860 --> 00:44:21.940 well and sometimes they're not. I think we did a podcast on dealing with 573 00:44:22.460 --> 00:44:25.409 if there's disunity, how to do with that. Yeah, I mean you 574 00:44:25.489 --> 00:44:30.809 see it the next chapter, that six. Accept six is when basically the 575 00:44:30.889 --> 00:44:38.000 there was some confusion or disunity over the distribution of, apparently food for widows. 576 00:44:38.519 --> 00:44:44.079 So yes, right, the Helena is widows were being neglected, and 577 00:44:44.280 --> 00:44:46.840 so there's this this whole thing. This is right after this awesome unity and 578 00:44:47.480 --> 00:44:51.679 where the building is shaken because they all pray together, and just how they 579 00:44:51.920 --> 00:44:55.869 can call apart right, I mean, yes, right after this, what 580 00:44:57.030 --> 00:45:00.309 people say is communism kind of took place, which is not this. People 581 00:45:00.309 --> 00:45:01.909 willfully giving up their goods. By the way, communism is not that. 582 00:45:02.349 --> 00:45:07.380 But after this awesome display of unity, nobody considered their stuff to be their 583 00:45:07.380 --> 00:45:10.179 own right, and then a couple of chapters later, here they are fighting 584 00:45:10.260 --> 00:45:15.340 over these widows getting neglected, and so, yeah, this unity can creep 585 00:45:15.420 --> 00:45:19.980 in. It's yeah, I mean it's a human propensity to kind of be 586 00:45:20.099 --> 00:45:24.010 selfish and think about ourselves and and not strive for unity. And so we 587 00:45:24.170 --> 00:45:28.610 do need to be intentional about striving for unity. But again, that all 588 00:45:28.769 --> 00:45:31.170 comes from us. We need to be in the word of God. God 589 00:45:31.210 --> 00:45:36.840 will confront us. Well, we're not walking in love toward our other brothers 590 00:45:36.880 --> 00:45:42.159 and sisters that either were serving with or maybe we're not serving with. God 591 00:45:42.199 --> 00:45:45.760 will confront us right, gotta Gott'll show us in his word and in our 592 00:45:45.840 --> 00:45:50.909 time with him that we're not doing what's right and he'll correct us. And 593 00:45:51.230 --> 00:45:54.510 we're unified around the truth of who God is that's found in his word. 594 00:45:55.070 --> 00:46:00.590 That's right and you can't control if others are going to cause division or be 595 00:46:00.750 --> 00:46:06.099 gossips or whatever, but you can control yourself and and save gotta you know 596 00:46:06.340 --> 00:46:09.179 you be. You be as much as you can. You be a source 597 00:46:09.219 --> 00:46:16.260 of unifying as opposed to divisiveness, and that goes a long way towards solving 598 00:46:16.340 --> 00:46:24.130 that problem of disunity. But another way, I think, to to be 599 00:46:24.369 --> 00:46:30.610 unified as the community is to keep your eyes on the goal. Keep your 600 00:46:30.650 --> 00:46:34.960 eyes on the goal, keep your focus where it where it needs to be, 601 00:46:36.000 --> 00:46:39.079 and in in acts, going back again at the beginning of acts. 602 00:46:39.559 --> 00:46:45.519 But it is because of all these other things that we have gone through. 603 00:46:45.440 --> 00:46:52.190 This is the result when we do all these things, when we are filled 604 00:46:52.230 --> 00:46:59.510 with the Holy Spirit in prayer, in community, unified, bold because we 605 00:47:00.429 --> 00:47:07.420 know the scriptural underpinnings that have commanded us us to be bold. And in 606 00:47:07.539 --> 00:47:13.820 that verse it said but many of those who had heard the message believed and 607 00:47:13.980 --> 00:47:17.329 the number of the men came to be about five thousand. I mean that's 608 00:47:17.409 --> 00:47:25.210 an enormous revival in in because of their boldness and that they had all of 609 00:47:25.369 --> 00:47:34.480 these things in place that we talked about. There were five thousand people brought 610 00:47:34.800 --> 00:47:38.559 to the Lord through through their bold message, through their proclamation. So, 611 00:47:39.079 --> 00:47:44.159 Um, you know, if we keep our eyes on what the goal is 612 00:47:45.630 --> 00:47:51.030 and and we remember all of these things that we've talked about in the in 613 00:47:51.150 --> 00:47:59.179 this podcast, it amazing miracles can happen. And we sometimes think the goal 614 00:47:59.420 --> 00:48:04.579 is saving babies lives, and that might be in a way, it's almost 615 00:48:04.619 --> 00:48:10.099 a byproduct, but the that's not the overarching goal. The true goal, 616 00:48:10.659 --> 00:48:15.010 the you know, the most important goal, yeah, which is supportant claim, 617 00:48:15.889 --> 00:48:20.610 is the glorified Jesus and, as you're about to say, proclaim his 618 00:48:20.769 --> 00:48:23.130 word. Yeah, and then he does the he does the baby saving. 619 00:48:23.889 --> 00:48:29.440 That's word doesn't return void and it goes forth and babies are saved, souls 620 00:48:29.480 --> 00:48:34.199 are saved, and you know that that is the goal. Glorified Jesus, 621 00:48:34.840 --> 00:48:39.440 that is and a great kind of closing verset. That that I found in 622 00:48:39.599 --> 00:48:45.550 Psalm when I did a weird study of bold was from Psalms one hundred and 623 00:48:45.550 --> 00:48:49.670 thirty eight, verse three. On the day I called, you answered me, 624 00:48:50.429 --> 00:48:55.059 you made me bold with strength in my soul. I can reiterating what 625 00:48:55.139 --> 00:48:59.460 we've said all along. It is it is God, ultimately, that that 626 00:48:59.619 --> 00:49:01.900 gives us the boldness that we need. We need it. You know he'll 627 00:49:01.940 --> 00:49:06.659 give us what we need. Amen. Amen. Yeah. Well, guys, 628 00:49:06.739 --> 00:49:08.619 we hope that this podcast was an encouragement to you. We hope that 629 00:49:08.699 --> 00:49:14.409 it encourages you to be bold, to be confident in the Lord, not 630 00:49:14.570 --> 00:49:16.809 in the flesh. And so, if this was a blessing to you, 631 00:49:16.929 --> 00:49:21.650 as we encouraged you at the very beginning, share this podcast episode with other 632 00:49:21.769 --> 00:49:24.800 folks. If you have questions or maybe other subjects you'd like for us to 633 00:49:24.880 --> 00:49:28.400 cover, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach out to me, 634 00:49:28.440 --> 00:49:30.840 Daniel at Love Life Dot Org, and reach her, Vicki a love 635 00:49:30.920 --> 00:49:36.440 life dot Org. We'd love to hear from you, and also consider leaving 636 00:49:36.480 --> 00:49:40.789 us a review. Maybe you're using apple podcast or some other podcast service. 637 00:49:42.269 --> 00:49:45.750 Leave us a good review, five stars, if you think we deserve it, 638 00:49:45.389 --> 00:49:50.590 and that would be a tremendous blessing to us. But until next time, 639 00:49:50.789 --> 00:50:02.219 God bless got that shall give me our love for love, give me 640 00:50:04.019 --> 00:50:15.250 our love for gratitude. I know it will cost me my life. Nothing's 641 00:50:15.369 --> 00:50:19.010 too precious in some you