Why Throw a Praise Party Here?

Rejoice in the Lord always again I say rejoice. That is Philippians 4 verse four. And this is destined for victory. Just a few moments, Pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message. Why throw a praise party here before we get started.

He has been kind enough to join me from a studio in California pastor your ministry to us each day of the radio and with the various online sources for destined for victory. So encouraging one more thing that you do and you feel strongly about this is the monthly encouragement letter that goes out to everyone you want talk about that for a moment. Yeah, absolutely.

The one letter I feel strongly about making sure we produce every month is an encouragement letter and so I take some time and based on some teaching of that month, and occasionally is not related to the teaching just something that God put on my heart and that particular time I write a letter to let people know. Not only are we preaching messages but were really trying to impact your life and help you with application because again, our ministry exists to help people know God. Some apply God's word and fulfill God's purpose and my encouragement letter is designed to help you know him apply his word fulfill his purpose and so I feel strongly about it and I would encourage people who are not on our mailing list to please take a moment and let us know.

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The only partnership is the only companionship so find the partners God will raise up all they used to be my best friend what anatomy more clearly. When you don't you just love that when people show you who they are believe them and there's more great advice from Pastor Paul Sheppard coming your way next year on destined for victory today.

Pastor Paul takes us to ask chapter 16 to share the story of two men two missionaries who went their separate ways because they couldn't agree on who should go with them. As you'll see today. God took this conflict and worked together for the good of the gospel of Jesus Christ is Pastor Paul. Today's destined for victory message. Why throw a praise. Ask chapter 16 verse 25 but at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. My subject why throw a praise party. He why throw praise party here there in prison.

At midnight, what up with the praise party. Now, this verse is in the middle of the chapter and so you know if you want to really understand any passage in any book you can just grab some out the middle of a chapter and expected to make sense. So let me just walk you through the larger context. In the chapter before when you get a chance read acts 15 and you'll see in the latter part of that chapter that Paul and Barnabas were called by the Holy Spirit. In acts 13 to begin a specific work of of doing missions work in reaching people in other locales and they had done that successfully together as a team. Paul and Barnabas, and so now here in acts 15.

The latter part of 15 Paul and Barnabas. Okay, it's time for us to go back out check on the churches and that we established in certain city and let's go to some new places and reach more people and so Barnabas said oh yeah I'd be all right. Let me go get John Mark so we can get together and go across another note, John's not going because he left was the last time he's a mama's boy and he got rough out there, and John. John's mom hosted one of the churches in Jerusalem. You know the early church did have buildings like we have.

They met in homes and so one of the homes where the church met with John Mark's mother's home and he used to say surround him, eaten and singing and and what have you. And he was used to those comfort. He out there whether unbelievers are, and they were threatening them, as though my daddy so I'm going home and Paul reminded Barnabas that he is so given him a chance to do that again people course soldiers spoke broken troopers and do what needs to be done and Barnabas about housing or learned waveform away because he showed us what a rookie he was even gotta be able to recover from their positive note, I have that question. I don't know what I do know he will do it may, and so the bottom line is 15 tells you those guys were contentious with each other. Barnabas, that will I feel strongly he's got a go and pause it will not go with me and I went back and forth. I love that about the Bible don't quit thinking Christians of the grin, sometimes you grandma. Sometimes you shake your finger in somebody's face and you try to keep the words proper come off trying to help somebody and somebody all succeed as some of you fail we got to have communion just go ahead and say a few things. The bottom line is separated. Sometimes you got to agree to disagree and go your separate ways and that's what they did. The first thing I want to mention to you on my way to the point about the praise party on my way. I want to make a few points. One is when disagreements prevent a partnership from continuing don't go it alone recruit others and move forward. It's important you understand, just because you have a fallout with somebody who used to be a best think used to be somebody who you wrote was a road dog know you all rolled together and all I got yeah sometimes goes away for disagreements or what ever. Seasons change and people's priorities sometimes change any of your youth aroma with somebody who no longer is feeling you have to let them go their way and you have to continue on, but don't continue on alone.

That's what I'm trying to tell you, you still need partnership is the only companionship so find the partners God will raise up all that used to be my best friend what anatomy more clearly. When you are believe when don't make him prove it all over again. I'm learning that seen in the 60s with them up in the 60s that I didn't have in my 30s, 40s, I got to California I was 31 were not playing ball on the weekend with brother that we now more look like sneakers going by my wide-angle and important, but I got that I didn't have in my 30 so so you and just like Barnabas and Mark which was something from God. By the way number one because they were able to go to city that Paul and his new companion Silas didn't go to so that this agreement allowed the gospel to spread see sometimes God will take something that was meant for evil been disastrous. But if you love God and submitted so that was my main I just know how to live dead man well because in some way now you have available to you. Since you have somebody else that's supposed to come into this time in my life.

I'm available to you that any old train coming down where another may help you real quick to get to happy to so let me help you on the track is you all some stranger got mine all that, they move on down so don't look so sometimes ship changes which should decide God still has other people who will come alongside to help me to help me get through season of my life.

Some people therefore reason some people were there for season when the reason is fulfilled when the seasons over.

They may go and don't worry.

Just entrust yourself to God and say Lord I'm looking for the other that you will raise up Barnabas had to do something else. Thank God because he was successful in helping John Markham the majority. We know that even Paul later came to attest to John Mark's maturity. When Paul's dying in second Timothy chapter 4, the last words of Paul written for us are in second Timothy chapter 4 before he was beheaded. He wrote to his spiritual son Timothy to come see me and he said, and when you come bring John Mark with and it was his testimony sickos.

He's been helpful to me beneficial to me in the ministry, saying he wanted to go on the second trip with Paul but have is worked with them and help them grow up.

Sleep also has majority began to use them, and he testifies before he dies.

A young man really became. So you got understand things saying don't go away were only about halfway through today's destiny for victory message with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. Be sure to subscribe to pastor Paul and YouTube to watch some video clips for more details on this and all of the social media be sure to visit pastor Paul.net that's pastor Paul.net you can also listen on demand recent messages or find a variety of resources in our online store. Now here's pastor Paul with the rest of today's destiny for victory message. Why throw a praise party here now. The Holy Spirit then led Paul and his new partner Silas and the rest of their team always traveled in a team will be a Lone Ranger be with folks who can help you get where God is taking you they eventually go to the city of Philippi, where we are in acts 16 and I want you to notice a few things look in verse 13 of acts 16 on the Sabbath.

We went outside the city gate to the river where we expected to find a place of prayer. Pause right there. Paul and Silas and their team are in a city that doesn't have any believers.

Anybody was a follower of Christ there there as missionaries to teach people who Jesus is and how good he is and they get to the city and what are they do, they save we gotta find some way to pray, let me help you will understand who are still praying for love one people who haven't yet come to Christ. People who are still lost in their sins and all of that help you understand something is not going to get it by itself. You can talk to people about the need for the Lord, all you want on tell you we are seen in prayer until you bombard heaven and say God I want you to show been able to show them. It takes prior dualism Empire go hand-in-hand to school and then teach you how to pray because player is the old of evangelism and prayer is essential to evangelism and you can pray anywhere you can pray anywhere.

That's something I need to know is why stopped in verse 13. You can pray anywhere you don't need to have a chapel only to have a certain place where you in your home or apartment you in your bedroom wherever you have a room I'll have a lot of privacy way to pray to go outside and play to a park and do prayer walk.

I have a lot of friends.

I sometime probably about to be bravely without walking exercise. But the thing about me is I want to pray for you when I'm walking and so I'm not telling what it was going to labor is also going to hang up in a walk-in pray this and get credit just Starbucks and pry what you gotta do is send in your junk coming by guess out of whatever you don't need a certain place you made a heart and prayer is essential to evangelism. So look at him there outside the city gate.

They go by the river, expecting to find a place of prayer and while there there. Keep looking at this verse.

We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered their and one of those listening was a woman named Lydia, look at this.

She's a dealer in purple cloth. She's a worshiper of God you know about Jesus but she's a worshiper of God you know some people don't know the Almighty. But they know there is an Almighty and to their extent to their ability.

They worship the Almighty, and I was this woman. She said I don't know God, but I'm a worshiper of God and so she doesn't know yet about his son, Jesus Christ, and the good news of salvation, but when they began talking to the women they're allowed to find out a little more about them and that is the road to sharing the gospel. So let me help you understand something evangelism often starts with friendliness now charge for gotta get this charge for gotta get this chart focus on the meanest people I know on earth on earth with on earth. I just saved me say, praise the Lord.

A soundman Lord, thank you represent God's will chart starts with this big way.

Let them know about Jesus and his starts with friendliness and guess what, this is the first century A.D. in the 21st century A.D. we are right there again, y'all got understand something, almost a month. America is a Christian nation wake up wake up gallop recently did a poll lives this year 2021 gallop did a poll that revealed that only 47% of Americans attend church, synagogue, mosque or any other place of religious practice. Note that means less than half of Americans have any desire to be involved in any religion, so that means more than half the people you encounter on your job in your neighborhood.

More than half of them have no current interest in seeking the Almighty. They either don't know, don't believe, don't care and you know what, that's the way it was in the first century. That's where the charge was born born in a religious place in a society where there was all kinds of idol worshipers and people. It was God's city that you read about poles of prostitution that they said were places of worship, you went there and you quote unquote worship the story of how the charge was in that environment so we we we know to cruise the mission anymore. Now we get a chance to tell people about Jesus. Not until about church, Jesus will only have an interest in church was a get to know the head of the church. This is good. You just got to realize were back there again so it's time for us to evangelize and his thoughts would be incredibly y'all be nice to your neighbors been nice to your coworkers have a big Bible is the people. I like the lifestyle so the police people's lifestyle. God knows how to change people on these can believe my niece is what would you be nice and friendly. If you want to set a standard we don't come this college and be nice to know you coming to town and I love you. You know I would feel comfortable with y'all staying in the same bedroom so it was the same view. I love to have you with me to ask her to stay as is that all right with you face what's coming to you Michael mean people into the kingdom say because you won't get Don and Alex. He's so we got this.

I to be friendly.

Ask God to baptize you with friendliness. Just get the friendly being nice to the folks starts dragging of these terms as they found out that he is a worshiper of God and she is a businesswoman, a dealer in purple, was the boss and she is doing her thing and they are cool with that. They just wanted to know Jesus, to and as a result of them sharing Jesus look at what it says the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message we need to do, pray Lord as I talk to people and is on nice to people open their hearts and open job hearts look good on my face will believe that, Prouty, face pronouncing the hail say will look I love you and I just want the best for you and I'll be praying for you. I know you don't believe in prayer you don't believe in God will be praying for you and and if there's anything I can do to help you say you left something that is attractive if they want welcome to all the Bible every time the deposit went places.

There was some folk that got saved and stumbled to try to kill what is which we got a knife. Let's go be fruitful everywhere you go, what you do have to share with folk how good he don't ever forget what David said okay the Lord is in the best way for them to see he's good is emceeing his goodness in your let us not hide the light of Christ within us under a bushel. Instead, Lydia shined brightly to all people, even to those who grown comfortable in the dark is all the time we have today if you'd like more information about Destin for victory or how you can request your copy of Pastor Paul Shepard's DVD message influencers for Christ. Be sure to visit our website which is Pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net. These people are in the worst condition of their lives. They are hurting.

They are blabbing they are and whether they decide to do. They say Mr. Singh.

Let's start praying. That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Shepard's message. Why throw a praise party here. Until then, though, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory