So What?: How Others See You Is How They'll See Christ

You are listening to a new beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. Visit our website and learn more about harvest partners@harvest.org as like you know what services we believe everyone would we be afraid sure everybody enjoys is reaching the lost culture is not just the leaders influence those around pastor Greg Laurie says we need to consider whose following our example using every one of those plays a role in definition are the representatives of Jesus Christ the Lord's � where people learning about why watching how we conduct are so today on a new beginning after Greg Laurie points out how we have certain resource time, talent and treasure the wrong loan from God wants us to use those resources for the kingdom today. Pastor Greg is in good health, practical insight series called essential/Jesus Christ is coming back again. So what's okay Christ is coming back again. So what am I supposed to do well for starters I'm supposed to be an active functioning part of the church. Hebrews 1022 says let's hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm for God to be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works, this not neglect our meeting together, as some people do but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

So how are you doing in that regard is a question what everybody attended church the way you attend one of every Christian was just like you. You would services be attended faithfully what pews the empty or full. What if everyone prayed like you pray, would we be a praying church.

Whatever everyone worship like you would we be only worshiping church or would we be a silent church.

One of everybody evangelize as often as you evangelize. Would we be at church reaching the lost culture. What if everybody gave his faithfully of their finances as you give. We have a church that had the needs met, or would they be neglected using the church is made up of all of us together and we either contribute to its strength and growth or to its weakness and decline. But every one of us plays a role in the church story is full from history of the King of Sparta they was boasting to a visitor about the walls of Sparta. The visitor looked around and couldn't see any walls at all and the Spartan King told is just using an Sparta everyman is a brick and pointing to the Army. He said these are the walls of Sparta.

And that's true of the church. Every believer is a brick or of the Bible says were living stones of the great theologians Pink Floyd reminded us all and all, you're just another brick in the wall. Yeah. So we are were a brick were a stone, we play a part in the church, so we should not be spectators. We should be participants in this is what can make the difference between church being life altering for you and just another thing that you do is calm when you have time and we can work it in. You just kinda check in and check out early and in your in a passive spectator mode. The church is one thing, I mean, will do you some good.

Still, but then you come and say no I'm I want to be in the game. I want to be involved. I want to serve. I want to glorify God. I want to play a role in this church minute will make all the difference in the world.

Pres. Theodore Roosevelt said years ago.

Quote is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or the doer of deeds could have done betterRoosevelt. The credit belongs to the man was actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who wears and comes up short again and again because there is no effort without error or shortcoming" so in the same way the credit goes to the believer that's in the arena that doesn't just talk about it, but the believer is doing it. You know some Christians are sitting in the world on fire while others are still looking for a match.

You need the church and the church needs you because were part of that family.

This is one of the problems with church hopping. A lot of people like to do that. I like to go to lots of churches ago to this church in the morning this church on the night and then sometimes it would church the next Sunday morning and entered the room on the next Sunday morning and sometimes I'll just watch them on TV and they think that's a great thing like there's so much over the good of all, these churches actually that's a bad thing.

I think you'd be surprised another most pastors would agree with me on this. I mean if someone's coming to our church emerges one of the churches they visit. You know what I say to them it's here welcome budget gave what you need to look into a single church and be a part of that church wife because first of all you need to consistent theology, number two, you need a pastor, number three, you need a body of believers, we are accountable to will help you and build you up and call you out of your crossing the line. You know some people I think they don't want to walk as they ought to walk as a believer so they figure if they keep moving. No one will know that's a way for them to avoid that. You need to be in a place where you can contribute with your gifts that God is giving you you need a place to serve. You need a place to give. We all need to be a part of the church looking out. With that in mind, let's look now at the words of Jesus in Matthew 25. This is a parable that he told me in order parable is right parable of the story. It's an illustration it's been defined as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning so to make this point Jesus would tell a story we all love a good story.

Don't wait.

We remember stories Jesus illustrated his messages a lot and told stories to bring the point home. So Matthew 25 is one of those stories showing us how we are to live as we wait for the Lord's return.

Matthew 2530 verse 14 and him and read from the new living translation. Jesus is again the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a trip he called together his servants, and give the money to invest for him while he was gone he gave five bags of gold one, two bags of gold to another. One bag of gold to the last dividing it in proportion to their abilities. Then he left on his trip. This revenue received by bags of gold began immediately to invest the money and he soon doubled the server with two bags of gold went right to work and doubled the money but the servant oversee the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and get the Masters money for safekeeping. After a long time. Their master return from his trip and he called them to give an account and how they use their money and the servitude whom he entrusted the five bags of gold said Sir gimme by bags of gold to invest and I doubled the amount the master was full of praise will my good and faithful servant. You been faithfully and handling the small amount now will give you many more responsibilities let's celebrate together.

Next comes the servant received two bags of gold with the reports are beginning to bags of gold will invest and I doubled the amount the master said well done good and faithful servant. You been faithful in handling the small amount. I'll give you more responsibilities.

Let's celebrate together. Then the servant with one bag of gold came and said Sir I know you're a hard man harvesting crops you didn't planning gathering crops you didn't cultivate.

I was afraid I would lose your money so I hit it in the earth. And here it pulls out of the ground. Worms coming out of it. That's my commentary by the way that text but the master replied, you wicked and lazy servant, you think I'm a hard man, do you harvesting crops. I didn't plan for gathering crops. I didn't cultivate well at least you should've put my money in the bank so I could obtain some interest.

Take the money from that servant given to the one who was 10 bags of gold. Now here's the conclusion Jesus always comes to a conclusion to those who use well what their given even more will be given and I'll have an abundance but from those were indeed full even with little they Will be taken away stop there.

Alright so in this parable.

Each person is given a different amount to invest verse 15 hit by bags of gold one to bags and go do another one bag of gold of the laws dividing it in proportion to their abilities and then he left on his trip so this master did not give them his money to keep, but to investigate and say here.

This is yours now. It was still here. He said invest my money. Not everyone was given equal amounts in the same way. We don't have equal abilities. You know it's not how much you have that matters to God is what you do with what you have that matters to God. Some of us are what we might describe as a five bag person you know we we have a lot of advantages in life. Some may be up you know one person that doesn't matter what.

What matters is what you do with the opportunities that are given to you were not all dealt the same hand, if you will, at birth, you know, some are born into wealth. Some are not. Some are born perfectly healthy.

Others are not.

Some are born into intact homes others are born and a broken home. So again were not dealt the same hand but each of us has a God-given opportunity to play the cards we been dealt for the glory of God and the good about when we say that again everyone of us is a God given opportunity to play the cards you been dealt with the glory of God. Mr. Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message just a moment, emails, letters and phone calls let us know that you're gaining benefit from pastor Greg's teaching its valuable feedback during right now I get why Eric now every single bank will make it back in my life. I can't wait there now I listen to you program every morning at 635 modern get to bed at 10 o'clock or 12 o'clock I'm always something better to just energize me when I hear the message renewable everyday. God bless you.

So Greeks pastor Greg's messages touching lives. If you have a story to tell of how the studies you call us and give us all the details. Here's the number 1866-871-1144 1-866-871-1144 were looking at the parable of the talents today as Pastor Greg leaves her study in Matthew chapter 25 it's the final message in his series called essentials and you can get an instant replay of today study@harvest.org with this first guy I could hardly wait to show the master what he had done. Verse 20 about to 25 the one that he gave five bags of gold. I doubled what you gave me Masters very pleased with how well done of the second I did was also heat.

He took with the master given doubled it, but this third kind and he's just pathetic. He didn't really do anything with what the master gave him enough the first two servants brought forth effort. The servant brought forth an excuse in the third category says will I know you're a hard man harvesting crops you didn't plant gathering crops you didn't cultivate.

I was afraid I would lose your money so I hit him in the here and here it is said of loveliness master like the other two axons at this guy resented his master.

He actually blames his boss for his own shortcomings and sometimes people are that way with God was so we know God is just not fair way. My life turned out.

It's unfair they had you dealt me and I'm mad at you I'm angry at you because you are always out to get me when faulty view of God. Maybe it's true. God's always been out to get you but he's been out to get you in the same way that the father was out to get the prodigal son he wanted to get to them and throw his arms around him and Seamus love, but maybe you have a concept of God as is someone who is out to ruin your life to to spoil your fun, etc., nothing could be further from the truth. The problem with this third guy. He was just lazy my friend James Merritt summed it up this way. He said this quote instead of doing the possible he's attempting the impossible. He's trying to defend the indefensible. That's because there's no excuse and there's no defense for refusing to seize an opportunity to take responsibility to use any ability for the glory of God."

With Benjamin Franklin who said and I quote, now I found the people who are best at making excuses are not much good at doing anything else on this and be with her just crave excuse makers, or this is why it didn't happen. They always have their excuses and then there are those people that just go out there jetted.you see this guy was offering an excuse or to be blunt, it really was a lie. Now here's an interesting thing. The ancient Roman empire had a banking system not unlike what we have today. The interest earned on deposits back then was around 6%, which is in back and so this guy couldn't just put it in the bank and earn 6%, but instead he buries it in the ground. Can a person takes money and buries it in the crown. Actually, I read a little news article the other day about a Sierra Nevada couple who dug up $10 million worth of 19th-century gold coins tufted the rusty cans turns out that the original owner of them took all of this money and put it in cans and buried it in their yard.

They thought that was the best place to keep it. I was a bad decision and we can do the same thing we can take a gift that God gives to us and we can just bury it can use that gift of nothing to develop that gift, I'm looking to cultivate that gift. But think about this.

There is three things that God is given to every believer to use a lot. Three things they are time, talent and treasure. We all have we have time we have talent and we have treasure awarded take those things and use them for the glory of God. So how are you using so look at how the master deals with this one irresponsible servant. He says take the money away from the servant given to the one with the 10 bags of gold to those who use well with their given even more will be given in the have an abundance but from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away. Interesting in God's kingdom. The redistribution of wealth has a different meaning doesn't does not take it from the guy was alive and given to the guy who doesn't have anything in this story. It's taken from the guy who didn't do anything with what he was given, and give it to them in with faithful with what the Lord gave him so maybe we need to be thinking about what God is given to us is, as I said, he's given to us gifts when you become a Christian US God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. The Bible promises that he gives gifts of the spirit to Christians that Romans 12 says we have different gifts, according to the grace that's given to us of your gift is prophesying the prophesy according to your proportion of faith that your gift is serving, then Sir, if your gift is teaching then teach if your gift is encouraging. Then encourage if it's contributing to the needs of others in give generously of his leadership, then govern diligently if it's showing mercy to it carefully. We have different gifts, not according to our merit about us as we been many, are one body in Christ, having then gifts differing from each other. According to the grace that is given to us. So God gives you these guests but the kids don't come fully developed.

You have to take that gift and development of the passing of time share the story before but I only have four stories all recycling.

I always wanted to be a graphic artist, a cartoonist and I love the Disney films when I was a kid growing up, and so I really wanted to be an animator and so one day my mom who had a lot of husbands and boyfriends between daughter home guy up on a home guy brought a guy home loan home guy is generally a homeboy Woody's own God. So she brought a guy home there was an actual living breathing animator for dissident. I didn't believe it. I said prove it pulls out a pencil draws a flawless Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. I can't recall.

And then he said to me, great. If you will take this pencil in go away and go to bed now and put the pencil under your pillow when you wake up in the morning you'll be able to draw like me why believed it says there was 30 kn for you so I grabbed the little pencil in my mind the magical pencil. I went to bed so excited I can hardly think. When I wake up to be able to get Disney animator and I woke up the next one pulled the pencil out and sure enough I do this and where do the day before because there's no such thing as a magic pencil.

Looking back in retrospect, I think that I just want to be with my mom but sometimes that's how we want to give to come to fully develop know God will give you a gift that you take to get any development through usage. Even that talent can be compared to it though gifts and talents are different in many ways but maybe you have a musical ability, but you get good at what you do.

Through practice update these musicians they practice. They work hard at what they do and if you have a gift in another area you weren't at that one on the same way God gives you these gifts of the spirit so you develop the good insight in putting our gifts of the spirit into practice from Pastor Greg Laurie's message called so what. And there's a lot more to come as this study continues here on a new beginning, and our thanks to our harvest partners and others who support us faithfully for making today's program possible today.

Study is a kind you want to preserve for the future. You can do that by going to harvest.org yesterday were excited about making available a couple of wonderful resources from our good friend, author Sally Lloyd Jones is always a good friend of yours and Kathy's and yes I know as you've done your way through these new resources.

They really touched your heart as well.

Absolutely. Dave yelled there just what is the right word. There just charming their adorable there there biblical and yet there done so beautifully well so a child can understand them. You know it's been said that the objective of a preacher is to get the cookies on the lower shelves of the children can get to them and I think that Sally Lloyd Jones does an amazing job with the project. She works on from the Jesus storybook Bible to this special resource were offering right now that is simply called near, and she always brings it home and away. A child can understand, so she works with this very talented artist name job go and this is beautifully illustrated and is a graphic artist. I really appreciate is his design sensibilities and his attention to detail and this is based on some 139 so this is something I want to put in the hands of the folks out there especially. You then have young children or you then have grandchildren, you give them this little book and they're gonna want to open it and look at the pictures and read it or you can read it to them, but I promise you there gonna want to open this and check it out because this is so well done. Otherwise, why would we offer it to you were very intentional on what we choose to bring to your attention here at harvest because we want to provide you with the finest spiritual resources so you can reach your family, both young and old. What you got a copy of the right in front of you maybe you could read just a little bit of the book for a chair so Dave, if I was going to be this to my grandkids. I would read along these lines, I could fly either the highest star I could dive into the deepest sea however far I go. He's always near me. I can climb the highest mountain and I could zoom as fast as like what we need to DG what I can see why your grandkids love hearing your read to them.

I Pastor Greg is reading from the book called near from Sally Lloyd Jones and we want to make that book available to you along with Shelley's resource called babies carry along Bible and adorable little board book with 10 Bible stories told in rhyme, addressing both resources near and babies carry along Bible to thank you for your donation right now, it's your partnership and support that allows us to bring Pastor Greg studies each day. So thank you for your generosity and you can write us today at a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and while you're online with us. Why not begin receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions via email every day there free of charge will send them to the email address you provide for us and when they arrive. You can read them or with one click. Listen to the audio version.

Sign up today free of charge@harvest.org well next time.

The final installment of this message Pastor Greg's essential should be sure to tune in your beginning and everybody thinks or listening to this podcast to learn more about harvest ministries follow the show and consider supporting it. Just go to harvest.org and find out how to know God personally go to harvest.org and click on know God