The Secret to Being a World Changer: Wholehearted Dedication

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New beginning.

Pastor Greg Laurie points out how the Lord wants us to be world changers.

He wants us to impact those around so what is the secret to being a world changer will keep going even when we are discouraged the race of life.

Here's the answer Jesus, we do it for Jesus. We keep running for you because one day we will stem before you will see him face we turn off any necessary anything that will purchase power is a good strategy to follow Servo more. Is there anything siphoning off energy that could be used for God today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie helps us dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to the task of serving the Lord God will learn how to be that I was a kid I always wanted to be an awfully but I never was very out what that's probably because of my high school. As you know the jobs as we call them yet all the girls love the guys run the football team, you know, so I wanted to be on the football table.

Obviously it was the quarterback in I was in the linebackers are that maybe I could do something more I would run and catch the ball a bit.

You know it, and the split in whatever so I went out it would do all the training it was hard and amazingly, much to my suck. I was accepted to be on the football team. I was so excited and then I got my good shape but it was worth it was a big deal to me that she now it would be nothing but then I had this great blonde hair little server wavier.

I do this all the time.

I said I sacrifice my here to be on the team the day after I got my head shaved him called to the office in the principal's office.

He said Greg you cannot be on the football team.

I said why they said your grades are too low. Could you told me this before I went to training that shaved my head no, but you know I wasn't great in football but I was pretty good at running primarily go to the short burst of energy, but I would not do good on the marathon side races and I would often fall back so as I've gotten older I tried to run but all mandated just heart you know even if you get a new pair of running shoes. I read an interesting start that said that 87% of those who purchased running shoes never use them for running the bingo much running shoes cost now right and so you spend all this money and you wear your shoes to the markets or whatever, but you're looking pretty good right side and I don't like exercise. I am not actually not inclined to work out when I talk to people who think that I had a great workout felt so good the only thing that feels good to me about a workout is when it's over with.

Right it so bad I don't even like to jog my memory.

Okay the other day I was at the gym I was stretching I was bending I was lifting and I was just getting out of the car, but seriously though, I I go to the gym five days a week. Why should say go by the gym because it's on my way to Krispy Kreme donuts to see. But seriously, I'm not a real athlete but I know people who are in and I know one thing they're very committed. I read a statistic that said if you want to be a successful Olympic athlete you want to work out four hours a day, 310 days a year for six years to compete for the goal of the hat is commitment will I bring this all up because now as we come to the close of our world changers series in Hebrews 11 we picked up with Hebrews chapter 12 were the author and we don't know the author of Hebrews is something it's Paul.

I would agree with that but we know was the Holy Spirit for sure working through this person, but chapter 12 begins with the word therefore, because the writer of Hebrews is picking up on what is previously been said so in light of Hebrews 11, we come to Hebrews 12 that is telling us what we should do in light of what we have just learned in here before us is the secret of the world changer. So let's read together. Hebrews 12 starting verse one. Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking under Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

For the joy that was set before him in word the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. There so what is the secret to being a world changer. What is the motive that will keep us going even when we are at times discouraged in the race of life. Here's the answer.

It's Jesus we do it for Jesus. We keep running for again because one day we will stand before them will see him face to face.

Let me take you back again the verse one it says therefore I've often said whatever you see the word therefore in the Bible. Find out what it's therefore it's always drawing upon what is been previously set so the author of you resisting.

Therefore or another way of putting it in light of what we have just learned from these heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.

Because of this example. Therefore, let us run with endurance.

I want to share with you six principles about being a world changer number one world changers are in good company world changers are in good company.

Verse one says you're surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses when we were in the White House and we went upstairs to the second floor and were walking down the hallway you look at all those portraits of Pres. you're reminded of the rich living history of this house. The house of the people the house of the president and those that serve with him and you think of all those that have come before you think about Pres. Lincoln and Pres. Kennedy and Pres. Reagan and Pres. Jefferson on the list goes up all these luminaries while we look back in Hebrews 11 are all these great people of faith, they ran the race of life so well. They were perfect they messed up their flaws. We pointed this out but yet they change the world. The world changers in Hebrews 11 oppose the Pharaoh and they counseled Nebuchadnezzar they pass through the Red Sea, they shouted down the walls of Jericho. They shut the mouths of lions.

They both called down and walk through fire know the author of Hebrews is a lesson run like they did live like they did this can be done to keep this in mind, the world changers of Hebrews 11 did not have as much light as we do. By that I mean they they didn't know all that we know, for starters, they didn't have Jesus Christ living in their heart. That's a new covenant, a possibility, not an Old Testament possibility that they didn't have the Holy Spirit empowering them.

That happens for those in the new covenant because of that death and resurrection of Christ, and so they didn't know all that we know but yet they pressed on. Hebrews 1113 says all these people died, still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised. But they sought from a distance and they welcomed elicit the same God who is their God, is also our God, the God of yesterday is a got a book today and tomorrow is not grown weaker. He is not lost interest in us and he is telling us to run on Dell.

Some of wondered at this cloud of witnesses, therefore since were surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run with endurance is referring to people watching us from heaven sort of the idea of a heavenly grandstands. I don't know. I do know that we like encouragement right go back to my days of running I always notice that when I ran if there was a pretty girl watching I ran faster than the motivation my granddaughter Allie is playing soccer. Now she's become very good at first. She was a little reluctant and now she's like taken the ball down the field and scoring goals and it's amazing that so I watch her play the other day and they took a little break and you give him she's a popper that you see the goal I just scored yes I did out a way to go so great. She says wears them. That's what she calls my wife Kathy. I said now most sick today. She said Papa did you take a video and send it to Nam of me scoring a goal cites another summons rooting for you is so are we been rooted for by loved ones that have gone to heaven before us. Some would say there's no way because people in heaven have no knowledge of what is happening on earth. There just so absorbed in God's glory and worshiping him there. They don't care about life on this earth.

They're not watching you.

Others would to get to the other extreme, and safe. Although our loved ones are watching this every day. In fact, I even have conversations with them and I feel their presence with me at times and sometimes even tell me what to do.

You might be surprised. I don't really agree with either one of those points of view. First of all your loved ones are not speaking to you, so don't be having conversations with them. Okay. And they're not guiding you and they're not with you. If your loved one is thy there with Jesus. If they put their faith in him and you'll see them again. As David said of his childhood died, he cannot come to me, but I will go to him okay but no. The other extreme or the other side I should say some would say they have nothing to do it that they don't know about us or care about us.

I don't know that that is completely true because of the book of Revelation we read about the martyrs who died go to heaven.

Their lives are taken from them in any heaven, they pray, how long, Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those that dwell on the year so that says right away. These people are not angels.

The regular people like us are aware of an injustice done on earth they're aware of the passing of time how long the Lord and tell you avenge this. They want this long to be righted so there is an awareness at least on their part about what is happening on earth.

And then Jesus said, there is rejoicing in heaven over every sinner that comes to repent. That means there must be a lot of rejoicing in heaven because people are coming to Jesus all the time.

Could it be that if one of your loved ones or someone you knew came to Christ on earth. You might be aware of it in heaven. I think it's possible so I don't know if this is referring to heavenly grandstands, but I know this much. They set the pace they have provided an example that we should follow. Therefore, since were surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run coming up.

Pastor Greg has some practical advice running our race with speed and endurance. Stay tuned. We love to hear stories of how lives have been changed to Greg Laurie's teachings of God's word through the years, Pastor Greg, I grew up listening to you whenever we were in my moms car driving somewhere my first concert was in the fourth grade to see Sally Carly Riverside campus recently had been overcome with anxiety and fear in regards to the coronavirus end of the world.

Staff started listening to your sermons again and you helped me so much your voice and teaching is one that really calms me. The Lord is drawing nearer and closer to him when I had unknowingly been distanced. Thank you for the wake-up call and for your continued ministry. I find myself tearing out because I'm so blessed.

Thank you so encouraging when we hear that listeners are by hearing the studies you have a story to tell how Pastor Grace teachings of impact in your life.

If so, would you let us know Collis and 1-866-871-1144, 866-871-1144 will today. Pastor Greg is bringing us six principles about being world changers. It's the final message in his world changers series available@harvest.org.

Point number two world changers are in a race for their life world changers are in a race for their life. Verse one. Let us run one of the reasons I think Paul may be the author of Hebrews is because Paul often use the analogy of running and other writings like Philippians in first Corinthians in Galatians and first Corinthians 924. Paul said, remember, in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets a prize so run in such a way that you will win.

Do you hear that we limited time away.

Say everyone's a winner. We get participation trophies for just showing up right, we say that the kid doesn't matter what the score is euro winter know they're not. There's a winner. There's a loser and that's how life works to write and here's something that may come as a revelation God says I want you to be all winter. I don't want you to be a loser. Paul says run that you may win when Allie was my granddaughter was playing soccer. At first I said she she was a little reluctant. You know she wasn't really going for so I give her the pep talk that color over the break, Allie Al Inglis, you need the eye of the Tiger team GGG to get. I didn't do that but anyway You Need the Other Tiger Cheeselike Pop-Up I Just Allie Try Harder.

So Then I Tried Something Else. Is It If You Score a Goal. I'll Buy You a Dull Fit.

She Scored a Goal and I Bought Her, Though Then It Escapes. He Scored Two Goals and I Got Her a Dull Then She Scored Four Goals I Said I Could Give a Dollar for Every Goal He Will Go Bankrupt, but She's Doing That Well, but the Idea Is Winning Play to Win during a Game Score in the Game and Were in the Race of Life. This Is Very Important. You Are Not My Opponent I'm Not Competing with You, You're Not Competing with Me As a Church Were Not Competing with Another Church in Town. I Say for All the Churches in Our Community, Preaching the Gospel Teaching God's Word. God Bless All of Them, All of Us Were All Sure My Competition Is in with Another Pastor Listen My Competition. If You Will My Opponents of the World the Flesh and the Devil.

I'm Running with Fellow Christians Were Running Together. Point Number Three World Changers Run Light World Changers Run like Verse One, Let Us Lay Aside Every Weight in This Sin Which so Easily Ensnares As an Run within Torrance the Race of This up before Us and You Don't Want Excess Baggage in the Race of Life Is It's Hard for Me Because I'm the Original Pack Rat Nine I Was in the Rat Pack Come up Pack Rat. I Just Saved Everything I I Slept Everything along with Me When I Travel I Think Way Too Much Stuff. I Don't Know Why but I Do It I Fill My Suitcases up When They Check Them on the Scale They Look at Me like That You Know You and I Always Way a Little Too Much to Know That Dragon This Stuff and It's a Bad Idea Because Sometimes If You Your Flights a Little Late Landing in Your Connector Is Taking off Run to the Next Plane to Catch It so I Have Everything on Wheels. Now My Suitcases on Wheels Everything the Wheels Is on Wheels. I Pulled Know This Is a Wheels That Wheels Are Great until You Get Carpet or Asphalt Than the Parties over so My Philosophy Is a Kick. I Shouldn't Take It and so but This Is Weight That Slows Us down. This Can Be Jewellike to You Know Carrying Extra Poundage on Our Bodies Know Sometimes As We Get a Little Older. Was It All Just Getting Old.

You Might Begin Fat to.

You Can't Stop AIDS Which You Can Work on the Bats Maybe Lose A Few Pounds.

You Probably Feel Better.

But Here's the Thing I'm Talking A Lot about Weight Gain or Loss or Suitcases or Wheels Is What I'm Really Saying. Ask Yourself This Question in the Race of Life and I'm Speaking of the Christian Life Is There Someone or Something That Is Slowing You down to My Running the Race and Some Is Hanging on to Me That Dragging the Present and Productive Relationship or Winning a Race, No If I'm Trying to Have an Appetite for the Things of God and Somebody's Feeding Me Something That Goals My Appetite Is That a Good Thing Doing so Periodically I Have To Take Stock of My Life and Ask Myself of Certain Relationships. Is This a Good Relationship for Me. You Need to Run the Race with Godly People That Spur You on. Not with Ungodly People That Slow You down to Look for Godly Friend. And Even More the Ungodly Friend in One of Our World Changers That We Looked at Was Abraham We Remember God Said to Abraham, Leave Your Country, Leave Your Family and Go to a Land That Also You and Abraham Obeyed Sort of He He He Loved His Country and He Left Most of His Family, but He Took along His Nephew Lot Was Sort of like Spiritual Dead Weight and Cause Conflict with Abraham and Ultimately They Had to Part Ways.

But It's Interesting. This Sin Is Abraham Sort of Cut off Contact with Lot God Spoke to Him Again. Sometimes We Have Relationships like That That Are Hurting Us in the Race of Life Lay Aside the Weight and the Sin That so Easily Beset You Ask Yourself the Question This Thing Is It's Speeding Me up or Is It Slowing Me down This Thing That I'm Doing Is Building Me up.

Present Tearing Me down There Certain Kind of Food They Care Energy Foods until the Bananas and Energy, Food, a Glazed Donut Is Not an Energy Food. Okay, so Syllabi Need Certain Things That Will Affect Me Mentally and to Some Degree Physically and We All Have Different Metabolisms. This Is Important.

Notice It Says Lay Aside the Weight and the Sin That so Easily Beset You, There's a Distinction. See Sin Is Sin Is A Lot Of Sins out There Breaking God's Commandments Falling Short of the Standards Are Not Doing What God Told You to Do Which Would Be the Sin of Omission.

But Then There's the Weight See What Maybe I'll Wait for One Person Is Not Necessarily Awake for Another Person.

You Might Say Will Look That Christian Is Doing Doesn't.

So in There. Okay Why Can I Do It Because You're Not That.

Maybe It Doesn't Affect Them the Same Way That Affects You. What Is Awake to One Is Not Necessarily Awake for Another Greg Laurie Good Insight Today on How We Can Run Our Own Race for the Lord and There's More to Come As He Completes His List of Six Principles for Being a World Changer. Pastor Greg Has a Final Comment before We Go Today As Well, and You Can Hear the Study Again Online.

It's a Message Called the Secret to Being a World Changer. If You Missed Any Part Just Go Online to Harvest.org. There You Can Stream It from the Site or Download a Copy to Hear Later for CD Copy. Call Us Anytime at 1-800-821-3300. What Were so Happy to Be Making Available an Outstanding Resource for Kids for the Holiday Season. It's the Jesus Storybook Bible, a Christmas Collection by Sally Lloyd Jones, You Know II Think There's a Book That's Called Something like Comedy Is Serious Business and along the Same Lines As I Think You Could Say Writing for Children Isn't Child's Play Takes a Certain Amount of Talent and Understanding a Word Child Coming from to Be Able to Communicate Effectively on Their Level and Sally Is Such a Gifted Children's Author Sally You Know How to Speak to Them in a Way That Really Resonates. Let Me Ask You, What Can You Tell Us about the Dynamics of Sharing Spiritual Truths with Kids While I Think Someone Said This to Me That the Difference between a Piece This Complexity in This Unit Bible Stories That Very Complex Outmanned to Understand Them Enough to Make Them Simple Enough for a Child.

You Have To Get Three Complexity out the Other Side to Simplicity. If You Don't Do the Work. Can You Stay This Side of Complexity Then You Dumb It down so I Just Think Whoever We We Have To Make Sure That We in Our Own Hearts Have Have Freely Responded to the Truth of What the Bible Is Saying Fast.

That's the Most Important Thing and We Need to Know God Loves Us so That We Can Tell a Child God Loves Them and I Love How, and Sally Began Often Times in Telling Your Story You Bring in the Adult and the Child into a Place of Wonder and Amazement and Seeing with Childlike Eyes Because Were Not to Be Childish, but Were to Be Childlike and Not How Often You Referred to the Bible and Referred to the Bible Stories As a Love Story or the Story at an Adventure Story about a Young Hero That Comes from a Far Country to Redeem His Lost Treasure. Those Are Things That Really Speak to a Child's Heart into an Adult Heart As Well Because Deep inside for All Longing for That to Be True and Then You Turn. But This Isn't Just a Story. This Is Real.

This Happened and down and It Impacts Our Lives to This Day and Night. I Just Love How You Come out It with That Because I Child Will Relate to It.

Every Talent Relate to an Adventure Story or Love Story and down and It's All There in the Scripture and Eight and the Readings That You Have for Adherent Beginning on December 1 Will Take Us through These Incredible Stories. She Is Selected from the Jesus Story the Bible and Peggy Had Not for NiCd. The Handpicking for SL. It's Easy for Us to Get into the Story during Yeah Yeah and I Think If I Was to Really Sum up How You Take Very Big Concepts.

You Made Me Remember and Really Comes down to Story and We Make a Mistake with Children When We Think We Get We Got to Summarize Michael Taft Client Send Again to Say to Some We Might Be Destroying Them Eccentric Child or What That Story Means Is Whatever We Put on the Other Side of Means Is Is Basically Going to Limit What God Might Want to Say to That Child and I Think the Best Thing You Can Do Is Tell a Story Because the Story Is Powerful and It Will.

Eli Concedes This Plantation. You May Not See What It's Doing but It's Working and It Might Be between God and the Child and You Don't Have To Sort of Wrap Everything up in about If You Do, in Fact, He Might Actually Kill the Story so I Just Recommend People Trust the Story. Choose the Right Story and Then Trust It and Let the Story the Story and It Will Be Powerful Wheel Can Point Back to Stories That Have Changed Us This Quite Apart from the Bible Story Which Changed Us, but You Know Stories Very Powerful.

That's Right. And If You Want to Read with Sally Is Done with the Greatest of All Stories the Greatest Story Ever Told the Story of the of the Birth of Jesus. But It Wasn't Just the Celebration of Jesus Being Born Because When Christ Came to This Earth That Wasn't Just an Arrival. It Was a Departure He Left Heaven to Come to Work As Isaiah Says, for unto Us a Child Is Born, unto Us a Son Is Given, so from Earth's Perspective. A Child Was Born from Heaven's Perspective. A Son Was Given and Sally Writes about That the Beautiful Understandable Way That You Can Read to Your Children or Grandchildren in the Special Resource That Were Offering Called the Jesus Storybook Bible, a Christmas Collection Including Story Songs and Reflections of the Advent Season, and We Want to Rush You a Copy of This for the Holiday Season for Your Gift of Any Size You Try to Cheer Investments in His Daily Radio Ministry That Allow Pastor Greg's Insight to Keep Coming Your Way Here on the Station and of the Lord Is Putting on Your Heart to Support Us on a Regular Basis.

Ask about Becoming a Harvest Partner There. The Close Friends Who Help Us Reach so Much Further with the Gospel with Your First Gift As a Harvest Partner Will Be Glad to Send You the Jesus Storybook Bible, a Christmas Collection Just Try to Set a New Beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or Call 1-800-821-3300, You Can Dial Any Time 24 Hours a Day and Again the Number 1-800-821-3300 or Go Online to Harvest.org and Will Only Be Mentioning This Resource. A Short Time Longer Next Time.

The Final Installment in Pastor Greg Series Called World Changers Will Turn in. But before We Go. Pastor Greg Closes with This Illustration from Today's Message Called the Secret to Being a World Changer You Know When I Was Younger I When I Was in My 20s and I Would Finish Preaching. I Would Always Go out to a Restaurant Called Naugle's Comedy Reverted Naugle's Yeah and There There Was One Here in Riverside and in Their in Orange County and Someone Heard Me in the First Service of There's One in Fountain Valley to Do Some Research on That Is I Love Naugle's. I Thought It Was the Best Pickup Mexican Food Ever End up Either Was Set My Always Order There, so I Hate to Admit This but I'd Be Preaching the Sermon unto the End of My Message an Item Speaking and I'm Literally Thinking Much of Combo Burrito Budget, Breath Thinking about Project Took Five Minutes Much.

A Couple Brief Aside Finishes. There Is yet They May God Bless, Rick Drive through Kennett. The Thing Is like the Size of a Sleeping Bag.

It Was Hughes's Absurdly Large Car You Eat This Thing Was Massive and It Had No Effect on Me Fighting Get Heartburn. I Did Feel Bad Afterwords. I Couldn't Even Think of Eating Something like That Late at Night Now Gone from Passive Rock to Acid Reflux That Part of the Problem World Changers Run like Possible by Harvest Partners, Helping People Everywhere Know God Sign up for Pastor Grades Free Daily Email Devotions and Harvest.org