Do You Have the Time? Part 1 (cont'd)

The first thing I want you to know is just as with money so generously the same principle applies to the use of your time so we generously looked like my time. Glad you asked us some quality time into what I call the seven habits of highly effective Christians. Have you ever wondered what made the First Christian Church so effective hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, Senior Pastor destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California for the early church had bold charismatic leadership and power the Holy Spirit given to followers of Christ on the day of Pentecost the church we see in the book of acts had something else in its favor today.

Pastor Paul Shepherd takes an in-depth look at the First Christian Church and highlights what he calls the seven habits of highly effective Christians stay with us now. But remember, you can always stop by Pastor Paul.net dear in a recent Destin for victory message on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net must join Pastor Paul. Now for today's message. Do you have the time get you to frame your thinking around what Moses said, teach us to number our days, teach us to number our days okay Lord, teach me to put my days in perspective so I can make them count father you're giving me 24 hours every day. I like to think in terms of weeks.

I like the fact that even the Bible gives us that since weekly living talks about. For instance, you know, the Sabbath day under the Old Testament covenant Sabbath day, which was the seventh day of a week and then after Jesus rose again before too long. In a matter of decades. The early church began meeting rather than on the Sabbath. When the church was distinctively Jewish events of the church began meeting on the first day of the new week.

Why, because that was the day that Jesus rose so get into it.

By the way, would Sabbath keepers and fuss and fight I just tell Sabbath keepers only to know the Lord of the Sabbath.

If you know Jesus as your Savior, then you're good to go. But let's not have a knockdown drag out about what I'm supposed to worship Saturday versus Sunday because if I read my Bible right now. Study did most of my life, my Bible tells me that in Christ is not about the day in Christ.

It is about the reality of serving and worshiping the resurrected Christ. The law was never given to me. Anyway, I'm a Gentile, don't hit me up with the law of Moses have to worship on the first week. The church did that traditionally in celebration in honor of the resurrection of Christ, but to be honest if we all decided weekly worship was Wednesday afternoon at 242 weeks to schedule and guess who would show up with the Lord Jesus said if you gather a woodchip I'll be there so let's think in terms of the week God gives us 24 hours a day. Multiply that by seven what you did you get 168 hours every week. How much time do I have I have 168 hours every week except my last week on earth get that we but every other week.

I know exactly how much time doesn't give me hundred 60 that was you got it. That's the way I want to frame your thinking as we answer the question what is God wants to do what our time teach us to number our days, Moses says something father, I want you to teach me to maximize that 168 hours. Could you give it to me every week except my last week on earth, so teach me to use that well use that wisely. So how my going to use 168 hours wisely. The first thing I want you to know is just as with money were called the so generously the same principle applies to the use of your time is well past. I know how to so generously with money.

That means give my tithes and offerings. What is selling generously looked like with my time. Glad you asked, means spending quality time so Wayne quality time into what I call the seven habits of highly effective Christians.

For years I've use this language backend was made in the early 90s I first read Stephen Covey's book 7 habits of highly effective people. You'll read that back in the day when it came out it was a very very popular book written by Christian per se, but certainly a man of faith and a man who who had a clear moral sense that was obvious as he wrote all the book references no Bible scriptures or anything like that.

I found a lot of the concepts helpful and it was easy for me to to interpret them in the light of Scripture. Also like the language seven habits of highly effective people.

When he talked about seven things that he noticed highly effective people do, and that it was a consistent pattern and so he taught on those things in that book, best-selling book, great. What I did at a certain point in my pastoral life was realized as I was studying the book of acts. One time when I got to acts chapter 2 I said Lord what may be early church so effective that I started focusing on what did they do after they Pentecost will talk about the Holy Spirit fell on the hundred and 20 that were in the upper room and a spilled out into the streets of Jerusalem, speaking the wondrous works of God speaking in languages they never learn and revival broke out in 3000 people got saved in one day.

Wonderful said Lord what did they do help me focus on verses 42 through 47 of the book of acts. I want to look at it real quick with me. Chapter 2 verses 42 through 47 and you will see the seven habits that I talk about accepted to verses 42 through 47. Here's what they say.

This is after Pentecost. This is the postlude to Pentecost. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with all many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Now when you look at those verses what you find our I grouped all the information in those verses into what I called over the years, seven habits of highly effective Christians.

Here is what those habits are number one learning God's word learning God's word number two. Building godly relationships learning God's word building godly relationships number three praying with authority learning God's word building godly relationships praying with authority. Number four giving sacrificially, giving sacrificially number five praising God, praising God.

Number six influencing the world, influencing the world and number seven leading others to Christ.

When you look at verses 42 of 40's through 47 of acts chapter 2. You find that after the day of Pentecost, the early Saints devoted themselves to practicing seven habits one more time.

They are learning God's word building godly relationships praying with authority, giving sacrificially, praising God influencing the world and leading others to Christ. So when I say to you, God wants you first and foremost to so generously your time.

What I mean is, God wants you to make sure that quality time. It's less about quantity.

It's more about quality. Quality time is spent in your life, developing and practicing those will be right back with more of today's destined for victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard to listen any of Pastor Paul's recent broadcast. Be sure to stop by Pastor Paul.net any time to listen on demand.

That's Pastor Paul.net. There you can also contact us from prayer. Make a safe and secure donation to the ministry online. It's one thing to know about God but truly know God, you need to spend quality time in his word and with his people is Pastor Paul and the rest of today's message you have the time, quality time in your life where you learning God's word to be at church on Sunday.

It's a place where you will learn God's word. The church is a place where every time you leave, you will have heard a word from the Lord, going to church and you know pollens and nice thoughts and feelings in gospel light, less filling tastes great. I believe when God's people coming from the more and should be because the glory cloud fail when we praise and worship God so much I never got to present a couple times in the history of my pastor.

We had it happen here. Destiny once or twice.

I never got the priest on Sunday, but next week I'm preaching what we know God will set you free trade and the truth will make you sorry.

When we don't preselect Pastor Paul preached 45 sometime 15 minutes and spend more minutes watching the house to reach up in here solid sense of people to be ashamed of themselves. People themselves and their families and they know how to be watch keeping up with the Kardashian and you about the Jews priest 20 minutes and let you know service nine 9095 minute no question is why do you sit up and watch a football game coming for you. I'm coming for you, don't even ask the question I'm coming for you so you 500 minutes harvest, but you get the actual span from opening to golf last battle to the game on 2 to 3 hours, so now instead of 3 1/2 hours. If you jack on your commute each way to the game.

Now you five hours vested game that's only playing on the clock for 60 minutes football game is only 60 minutes of playtime. Do you know the 60 minutes of playtime. The amount of time where they are actually using actually one another is probably about 20 minutes. When you get a chance to put a block on it every time you snap the ball, and the whistleblowing and stop it and put it back again to snap again, you'll probably end up with 17 to 20 minutes of actual football resident on a walk around mainly they hurt his leg was ready for you today want to fool around, so will experience the day you've invested six hours playtime that only have 17 to 20 minutes of actual action and you are happy know you mad about is if your team loses again and you think, be worried about what should think about how long will this is preach the devil is a liar get you to have something to be glad about his priorities priorities spend big money buying season tickets obtained on the day they don't get a room celebrate anything you can have a bad football team, you celebrate when I get a first down you screaming and running as a matter that's what you want to discipline your time say Lord give football 5 1/2 hours when I go to the game 3 1/2 hours when I don't give housewives of this city or that an hour my time if I give Cardassians if I get mad I just make it up new shows, reality show, just make up Hollywood husbands and cut us on this country safe stupid show. Can we come up with on TV today called a come on for a second season was interviewed she jumped in with both feet. She said, saying, so y'all don't dance, not actresses and girls and their mama laid out what they were. In this he said and yet you're famous what I'm said, I think it's all the more impressive that we can't do anything and were famous: can't do anything, but they didn't have those kind of talents is talk back to the TV watching Barbara. The problem really isn't all Cardassians.

The problem is. America is we sit up and spend doing a thing of tea talking anyway. Make all the money you will make millions of prioritize things that require hours, but you need to invest way, given quality time in God's word number one coming to church in a timely word then supplemented with my daily reading of Scripture you can eat one meal a whole weekend think you will be healthy.

You saw one service and think you will be spiritually healthy, rightly divide the word help you understand something you go home and you feed on the word as you read the Lord speak to me as I read the Scripture this morning and you feed on the wire put in some quality time. Make sure you set aside some time every day. Read dress and jump out in the streets and get the job you don't have anyone you get your chapter or two and say Lord help me to center my mind and you if you read the chapter and it didn't really move you the discipline of reading the word of getting in the presence of God and say Lord I want to hear from you is the discipline. Devotion is exciting and wonderful bells going off and angels sing so good I got it didn't really speak to me but your presence so bold you want to say something to me today, so spending time learning the building the relationship goals, spending too much of your time on people raggedy out people yes but when I'm this time in godly relationships where people were strengthening. So when you go hang out with the raggedy ones you have strength, your filming. Thanks so much for being here for two days destined for victory message.

Do you have the time before we let you get out of your busy Tuesday stay with Astellas pastor Paul Sheppard joins me from a studio in California pastor.

We are beginning to see some signs of encouragement in relation to the pandemic, which is so greatly affected this entire world over the last year, but truthfully it's left so many of us weary and need of some encouragement. Would you take a moment and share your heart with us before we wrap up today when I'm really just like you are and I'm sure many of our listeners.

Probably the best way for me to encourage them is to let them sort of eavesdrop on my self talk.

I'm telling myself things like this too shall pass.

It's one of my favorite things I'm saying to myself, reminding myself this I know it's been long and drawn out and it's getting on my nerves. It's I'm down to my reserve nerve that's that last one. But this too shall pass. Circumstantially speaking, there are indications at least from my vantage point that there is light at the end of this tunnel and I don't think it's a train barreling toward me.

I really do believe that things are going to get better for us even circumstantially, and so I just want people to remember. Most importantly, something that's in the life-changing and timeless word of God, which is God is our refuge and our strength. That's true in good times and that's true in bad times, God is our refuge and sometimes when you're in the midst of a storm he will be your strength to get you through it so I hope our listeners will remain encouraged and know that God is with us and he is more than the enemy and the world and the pandemic against us.

Scripture is from Psalm 46 verse one God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.

Thanks for that reminder pastor, you know, as I think about the pandemic, I'm reminded that Jesus never promised that we'd avoid life storms, only that with his help we could survive them. We need to cling to that truth during times like these, and to help you do that pastor Paul would like to offer you his booklet built on a solid foundation to great reminder that when we build our lives upon the solid rock of God's word will be able to withstand any storm that comes our way that's built on a solid foundation our gift to you this month by request.

Your generous gift to Destin for victory. Call 855-339-5500 or visit pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 and I'll repeat the address it's destined for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 charges become a place where people are saved to be are Christianity that your folding God change you want to place that is to let you be real. That's tomorrow would pastor Paul Sheppard's message. Do you have the time. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory