This broadcaster has 435 podcast archives available on-demand.
Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.
July 20, 2021 8:00 am
CLICK HEREto ORDER this2-part series on MP3!
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, is the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much more if you see the Day approaching.
As Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25 and this is destined for victory and coming up next pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message. We are a flock. But first he joins me from a studio in California pastor for many, listening, life is beginning to get back to some semblance of normalcy. But I'm wondering in doing so, how quickly we will forget about some of the things we've learned over the past year plus. So let me ask what are you thinking about what is the hope that us as followers of Jesus we remember as we emerge from all of this.
I'm committed to taking no day for granted. That's what I learned during this pandemic is a passage in James chapter 4 actually that is really spoken to me in a fresh way. Now listen, you who say today or tomorrow will go to this city or that spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Then he said why you don't even know what will happen tomorrow and he asked the question what is your life and he answers the question you're a missed that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Boy if that was never driven home before the pandemic drove it home because we saw a loved one's friends who we expected to live long and prosperous lives there now with the Lord and it reminds us that there is no guarantee for longevity.
We all hope to live long and fruitful lives, but the reality is we gotta take each day for what it gives us the opportunity to listen to God's voice to do his will to follow his spirit because that's what's most important day by day and even making daily plans. We had a preface everything by saying, Lord willing mechanical because when I was know what's around the corner. Yes sir I grew up around saints who when they would hear you say when you go to do something they would just tell us present when we were kids. They say if the Lord wills and then we have to put that in.
In the sentence before they let I think we've relearned that this yes absolutely it's only going to happen if he blesses us with the life, health and strength to do it well. In light of everything we've been through and because we know life will bring more challenges in the future pastor Paul has a bucket to share with you this month. Finding strength in tough times you discover three lessons from David years as a fugitive that will help you handle life's troubles in a way that prepares you for the promise God has ready for you that's finding strength in tough times of booklet from Pastor Paul in our gift to you by request for your generous gift to destined for victory today so call 855-339-5500 or visit pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online or mail your gift to destined for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 that's destined for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 now let me say this will eliminate days where there are wonderful tools we can use many churches live stream that worship services. Those resources are necessary. Very helpful in their proper place. Technology has made it possible for you to listen to destined for victory on demand or watch live telecast right from your computer or mobile device today on destined for victory pastor Paul Sheppard shares some practical reasons why this is so important, so let's join him now with this message. We are like granite you got a week with the rest of the and make it back home. That's the world we live in today. We gotta be ready and ready to die at a moments notice somebody, you gotta be ready to go if you got ago. You don't want to go yet be ready and that's why we need shepherds who are called of God to gather God's people for instruction and utilization of all of our gifts for us to encourage each other and see each other and do whatever we mean shepherds are called to do so. We must gather people regularly. Now let me say this will eliminate days where there are wonderful tools we can use many churches live stream that worship services. Those resources are necessary. There helpful in their proper place. But we have to be more committed to what God has ordained us to be.
Do than anything else you can be more committed to your convenience than to God's purpose.
So we are supposed to gather as the people of God as often as we can. Motel got it made. In today's world we typically most churches gather weekly gather the people in weekly so read chapter 2 chapter 2 said they got together every day church buildings, big church building, so they got together in homes and houses and that's how the church multiplied and in the shepherds, the elders, the pastors of the church checked on the health of all of the gatherings to make sure the people's needs will be.
And so when you see accept all that and the people have financial need.
The apostles got together and told the same job. Gotta give. Don't just come up in the house and sing them and shout and worship and go home and leave us with no resources and the church began putting their money together. That's how they for one another, and we got to take another I just had somebody join our church and say now, I'm happy to be here experiencing God here I just want to make sure I'm coming from another city and in that city was a church that was good but the past. Y'all need to give you but if you ever need anything don't become and asking she said I'm glad to be here just need to know my information where you stand on stand on that is where the New Testament church stood on that when there are needs among faithful people, we take them to the best of our ability because we have a growing church that the California 1989 came to a charge of 34 people, churches, budget was $60,000 a year to California to hold 60,000 a year and I said no way will pay me right.
We want to be full-time. In fact, they made me commit. Now we want to call you to be our pastor, but you gotta know our church has had for I think 14 years last 10 years they had had only full-time pastors and they were small church they got down to 34 because they split. How does a small church split but it did and so when they called me to be the pastor they say we want you to come.
We had a split they are now 34 of us, but we want to come but the commitment you have to make is you will be full-time with us, you cannot get a second job. We know you preach around the country with her to a convention.
That's how we came to know you because of your traveling ministry. We know you travel and preach from time to time. That's fine and we will be happy to support you as you do that, but when you're here at home. We are used to having a shepherd who is available to us. He will counsel us.
He will pray for us. He'll visit us we use today so we can have you on your other job. What I don't.
And I said I now know how big the budget is a $60,000 as I know how much of that is my and they said we have budgeted 24,000 for you pastor. We know you're coming from a church in Philly of a thousand members, and so we we would imagine they take much better care of you then that they certainly do. All I had a package that was nice, but these folk didn't have a package they had a check when you gotta get it done. That check, you will get one on the first one on the 15th and it was 1000 1000 and I said yes before I had come and figured out what it cost to leave the and I made the commitment. Common. This was in January 1989 when it officially extended the coal but had been out here how shopping yet here in the trustees took me take you to the East Bay East Bay versus the West.
Beatty said no, not the West Bay is the peninsula okay little church was on the Peninsula in East Palo Alto. But they had me over in Fremont looking for house and explain because we want to get you the nicest house for the money that you'll probably be able to stand and so we will take you to the East Bay, but you get right over a bridge and you be at the church in 15 minutes passed.
Okay, that's good, and the brick back then. Dumbarton Bridge was $0.50 on telling me all I remember a sense go across the Dumbarton Bridge summary I remember for some real bright little bad that I could go there on the night and you got to know you come back for free alright so I get over there for come back for free me over here looking at houses wonderful. Praise God, look at how short we can be let go the house in the neighborhood would nice them and they just didn't look like when I came from coming from the hood. I found out that was a house in the hood right next to my mother-in-law to get in the mortgage would be $200 because it was in the hood not hold out a focal movement in so I sent will yet I sound like God to me and we bought in 1986 and lived there until 89. We will not have gotten used to the past three ($200 a month for and I get out here. The trustees over on the side wall saying that we asking God to give the new pastor a house for under $1000 a month. I walked over there and I've been admiring the little harden and lose low flowers on the bird of paradise and bird of paradise where I come from. You got me out in the in the burbs to get some but I heard the walkover and corrected him. And so I walked to let let me clarify I'm going to be going anywhere so they wanted me to buy house so I wouldn't leave and I said was one of these days, but right now I'm just looking to rent. They said yes thousand dollars.
I just want to get his basic was the problem. I said well you know get this straight.
You all actually asking God to give house to that belongs to somebody else thousand dollars and it will be go away were only about halfway through today's destined for victory message with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California.
Be sure to subscribe to pastor Paul and YouTube to watch some of his best video clips for more details. Be sure to visit us@pastorpaul.net that's pastor Paul.net. You can listen on demand recent messages or find links to all of pastor Paul's social media right now is returned to the message with pastor Paul. The rest of today's message. We are a flock house was 99 and that was made by somebody in the property management company because the owner rented several houses that she owned in Fremont and she told them what she wanted for and they hadn't gotten the proper word to the proper person she wanted 1254 that house and somebody in the office had messed it up and put 995 because God does trust and course now that was 1989 now focal pray for someone to 2003 thousandfold thousand. I got over here but the Lord so to be the shepherd of we believe is going to grow and use it when you came to do the interview when you're a candidate for our people.
You said that the Lord had shown you that the houses were going to be under your leadership before it was all over pastor Windows thousands come we will hook you up like me you take somebody vision and working against I'm saying all that to say shepherd about the house and so we must gather in the name of the Lord. Number two, we are watch for the souls of God's people. We are called to watch for their souls. Not just gather them but a shepherd watches for the sole use of language in 2028. We have a job to watch over overseers because we see over were supposed to see what's going on.
The people souls that God given job charged me a piece of paper used my job description supposed to watch over the souls of people pray for you on a regular basis and ask God to give me another leaders this so that we can minister to you at the point of your me sometimes will come to me after service a woman talking to you because the message hit him square between one person said this week. Department message that was right for me. Somebody must've told you so. Bold enough to come to me like that humbled enough to come back. You come to me. I'm coming back for you know.
And so since I went there I said yes and I did talk to me his name of the Holy Spirit and he told me to put this in the message and the make sure to put this in and clearly now I know why because you standing here with attitude. Watch for their souls. Hebrews 1317 says obey those who have over you like roll over me. It simply means God has given you the oversight the jurisdiction of these souls and you're supposed to watch for them. It's not an eagle. I don't think I'm somebody because God made me an overseer that means he gave me a job that means I have a responsibility to watch the souls of people watch what must give account. Hebrews 1317. That means that I can just skip through the gates one day like you're going to skip through and give an account you want to know how did you take my flock. Did you tell him what I want you to tell them the way God reads whether they liked it or not that's my job. So we all then you sure bring some stuff does not make you happy because I got I will have God stop me, how come you never told him anything hard. You only made him feel good. Every Sunday he only made him feel wonderful will be called wonderful Christian Fellowship God dresses me down like that I can pass the wonderful Christian Fellowship. Sometime I got the past they all jacked up Christian Fellowship when they leave the church they brew and they beat up but the convicted by the it's the one that calls us up to be God's will by God. And so maybe when you know what that's like a man. I don't care how much the message was far believed to lead the charge man so let it be and so you need to know. We gather God's people. We watch for their souls and the other thing I want to mention is we lead and feed the flock we lead and feed the flock.
Psalm 23 talks about that the Lord is my shepherd it shows me as a shepherd what my ministry needs to have as part of my job Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Take care of the needs of the people.
The Bible lets me know that if I see my brother sister in need. How can we shut up our bowels of compassion. Now we have to learn every church has to learn how to give people a hand up and not a handout.
We have had to learn how to design an echo of people come because sometimes they'll play on your heart play on your compassion, so I've been a minister in 1982 I know what I know a story when I hear one I know what running game looks like for you get happy to soon all he said. A happy living make a call, not go up there and cry in front of them. I got tissue here baby dad's we we help the needy. We can help the greedy, but we do what we can to live people up and all but the point is you gotta know shepherds gotta make sure the basic needs of the protecting camera Psalm 23 said says he leaves me beside still waters to Green pastors we leave and feed the flock, the church, because they are sheep wandering around going somewhere with a eaten brown grass and drinking dirty water so it's our job to provide Green pastors and give them leave them beside still clear water where they can drink and eat and be healthy. Don't go to a church where just because you know somebody who goes there. If you're not being God. If you're not drinking from the living water. That's not what you need to go sell a place that isn't committed to your spiritual health and so I got a lead in the flock of God. Make sure they have a healthy spiritual so that one day they will hear the Lord say well good and faithful's thanks so much for joining us for today's message. We are the flock to find out more about destined for victory with a special gift. We have reserved for you as a thank you for your support today. Be sure to stop by our website Pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net these days. With technology you can watch the services of many screaming churches at home and what a second shot in. That's not well and not to go out well and allowed me to go out to the house of God. When you connect with other people you connect your life. You pray for them. That's tomorrow.
Would Pastor Paul shepherds message. We are a body until then. Remember he who began a good working you will bring it to completion.
In Christ, you are destined for victory