Move It

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. As a matter of character Andy Stanley says this character is the will to do what is right, as defined by God regardless of personal about as good a definition of the joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana.

Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word.

Our world survey was done of the average Christian United States gives $0.20 a week, commission 26 submissions Missy Latin just means dissent, so that means someone sent in unusual the Bible mean that we have this tendency to think of something else. Apostle now there were A apostles, but apostolic see what it means 1% angels.

Angels and loss Moloch in Hebrew means messenger messengers Somerset we start getting the idea the gods in ascending business. That's what he does.

God sent his son Jesus said in John 20 as the father has sent me, I send you see we see ourselves that way. This whole idea of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we say across the street and around the world being part of that seeing ourselves that way you know the passage but let me just simply say what Paul writes in Romans 10. He said whoever will call on the name of the Lord shall be saved and then he puts four questions in a row.

After that, he says but how will they call if they haven't believed and how will they believe if they haven't heard and how will they hear if there is no preacher and that's a bad word. We think again. Preachers are like missionaries.

It simply means a proclaimer seat gospel is proclaimed.

Ravi Zacharias says it is beyond opinion. The gospel just plain that's all not what people think about it, you can discuss the gospel itself is the gospel in any said and how will they preach if they aren't sent. So often churches around our country we have this whole idea.

Let's get together and send somebody there's nothing wrong with that at all.

Let's not send Dr. Joe harm to the Congo for part of God in Jesus has something else in mind. I guess a lot more mind and that I think he would say were all sent by God. I think he says were all missionaries told in the past of God has a big missions map in heaven. There is a pin in that map with your name on it where you are, your believer in Jesus Christ. You see, and that sort of then begs a couple questions. If that's the truth. How can you be sent. If you don't go and how can you go if you don't move, God sent Jesus. Jesus did go because you smoke God sent John Chung to go because I know okay let me be clear and specific move. It move it. It's time for all of us to move it. You see, it's not really that our church has a missions program, but that God's missions program has our church. You see, we have this tendency to think that were doing something almost like it's down here lagniappe.

This is one of our programs got a spy mission is about sending he's about sending sending a son sending the site will sending apostle sending missionary sending you and sending me that's the business work product submission mission is not a product of the church. Alan Hirsch writes this because the Holy Spirit lives in us and we are all bearers of the gospel message. We are all agents of the King right here right now and willing to go anytime and anywhere for his kingdom. We are sent people daily bread, and an excerpt minutes at a missionary in Africa was once asked if really liked what he was doing his response was to I like this work. No, he said that my wife and I don't like the dirt we have reasonably refined sensibilities. We don't like crawling in Bauhaus through goat refuse exhibit is a man to do nothing for Christ, he does not like God pity him. He said if not liking or disliking has nothing to do with it. We have orders to go and we go.

Love constrains us move it she'll want to say this morning. There are four ways to move it is a process of four necessary they are obvious. It should be shocking to you but I hope it's sort of Burstein and you and you say you know my moving it my acting. All I want to sent Matthew 28 a very famous passage. Verse 18, the first specific way. We have to move.

It is simply this, we must be willing to move out.

We must be willing to move out nebulizers gospel by saying in verse 18 and Jesus came up and he spoke to them. It's all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the people groups.

All the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I commanded you below I'm with you always, even to the end of the age go was he doing there, sending us descending us go we have to be willing to move out.

Mark ends his gospel by saying going all the world and proclaim the gospel what you think about that for a moment before going all the world to proclaim the gospel. Doesn't that include your world is a bigger world. If it's all the world, then it has to be your world. We have to be willing to move out. She didn't have to go to Africa I will if he calls I have to see myself sent by God to my world you have to do that folks you have to be willing to move out and then you have to be willing to move in turn to first Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 16. Process 45 preach the gospel. I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion to pose one of you. It's not even a discussion among the compulsion is a go. So I went Jesus toward me. If I do not preach the gospel for if I do this voluntarily said I have a reward, but if I sit up against my will. I have a stewardship entrusted to me. He said he doesn't even matter what I'm motivated by. If I want to do it.

They'll be greatly rewarded and I don't want to do it. I still have to do it. He said what that is my reward. He said that I proclaim the gospel that I may offer the gospel without charge so as to make full use of my right in the gospel is over, though I am free of all men. I have made myself a slave of all. So that I may win more of the Jews. I become as a Jew, he said, so that I may, when the Jews to those under the laws of the law, though not myself be set on the law that I'm a Windows around the law to those without the law as without the law not being without the law of God, he said, but under the law of Christ, so that I might Windows he said without the law to the week. I became weak that I might win the week I have become all things, all men, so that I may by all means save some pulses I have to engage is not just a matter of mowing them about Lord I'm going willing to move out for you is are you willing to move in Syria willing to move in and our culture is so diverse.

You see, that's his whole life. The whole idea.

My willing to move in. You know the passage in the sermon amount. Jesus said to the light of the world that the statement now is that there's only one thing you can do to mess this up sticky light under a basket. He's a sticky light under a basket and see your light. In other words, we have to move into our world willing to move out for God and willing to move into the world in which we live. The culture is so diverse. The ministries are so diverse this congregation is so diverse young people and old people, rich people for people, black people, white people.

Professionals in blue callers couples with young children and empty-nesters people who have vacation homes and people live in convalescent homes as we are. We move into those areas. You see like to come that whatever is said I become whatever it is I need to become in order to win some because I'm willing to move in. You willing to move out willing to move in and then willing to move alongside turn to the book of acts chapter 17 again. The apostle Paul and will look at verse 17. I want to see what he did so he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles in the marketplace every day with those who have to be present. Paul finds himself in Athens. Cultural capital the world is a Jew, not that well thought of in Athens because the Jews and by the way, when he went to the Jews. How do you think he acted Jewish very Jewish.

After all, he was a Pharisee of Pharisees, we could do that well. But watch these and also some of the Epicureans in the story philosophers were conversing with them while philosophers were there only really two kinds of loss for Stoics and Epicureans minutes pretty much it means Stoics are pretty much like the precursors of modern-day existentialists and other whole viewers you know really got to be sober about life and I wanted to really think about it kinda stinks the kind of approach Epicureans were a maybe so, eat, drink, and may be married for tomorrow we die.

I mean that's the mantra so you have these two groups not notice the talking to Paul Sommer saying what would this idle babbler wish to say.

Others were saying. He seems strange to be a proclaimer of strange duties because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection, and they took him and he brought him he said airing the Areopagus and saying may we know what this new teaching is what you are proclaiming you are bringing some strange things to our ears and so we want to know what these things mean.

Now all Athenians and the strangers visiting Teresa spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new development that's Luke's opinion is a lot like a college campus. That's pretty much what everybody does. You waste all the time just talking hypothetically about something that might be no and that's called by the way in America intellectualism okay so Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and he said men of Athens. I have observed that you are very religious in all respects. While I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship. I also found an altar with the inscription to the unknown God. Therefore, he said what you worship in ignorance.

This is what I proclaim to you the God who has made the world and all the things in it since he is Lord of heaven and earth. He says does not dwell in temples made with hands, neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all people life and breath and all things and he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth having he says determined their appointed times and boundaries of their habitation and he said that they would seek God, if perhaps they might group for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us, for in him.

He says we live and we move and exist and even some of your own poets have said, for we also are his children while also Jew is talking to Stoic and Epicurean philosophers. It happens and he knows him and he knows about them is, rather, poets he's come alongside them. He understands that they have a statue to an unknown God is good to take advantage of that. In other words, he looks for common ground and he finds it, he builds a bridge to them because that's how the great commission is carried out. Ravi Zacharias is this Paul's approach to reaching the lost requires us to adapt our style and paradigm of doing evangelism. Apologetics according to the cultural context specific to the audience the people we are engaging. Therefore, it is critical to learn how we can respectfully ask probing questions of genuine interest. He said earlier, I propose that we take the study of other religions and worldview seriously. He said this knowledge should not merely be the facts about the beliefs and their practices. It is equally crucial that we establish vibrant relationships with people of other cultures and religions. He said as net when another writer rightly stresses our knowledge of other cultural tradition should involve actually knowing followers of other religions in a personal manner with humanity and intrinsic dignity of the other person is experienced. This requires us to identify with the questions and the struggles that confront our friends in their native cultures.

Then hopefully we will be able to walk alongside them and lead them to consider the truth of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what I'm talking about come alongside you. See you have to be able to come alongside. By way Ravi Zacharias comes alongside some of the best intellectuals of our day that this particular gift does not ask me to do that and he has ask you to do that now.

Just think about this you know that the people that work for you work pretty much like you pretty much our the people live in your neighborhood. The pre-much like you, you see the parents of the kids that go to school with your kids are pretty much like your my with a tremendous advantage is that gives you a tremendous advantage. By the way is said earlier in the testimony. Almost all the people you associate with her.

We do in the context of the culture in which we live is almost all your family and friends who don't know Christ Roman Catholic just like you were a tremendous advantage.

There's a dialogue. You see, you have something to say you have to commit alongside them. That's what you're saying. You see, we have to be able to do that the relationships we have when Matthew got saved in Matthew chapter 9 the Lord called you what the first thing Mathew did was to party. You know, invited tax gatherers know why he knows tax gatherers you seen as old here. What resonated with me. I'm sure can resume with my friends. I'm certain is that key is that the same thing. I know these people. Let's get them together. You see something just as meaningful and significant can happen in a backyard barbecue that can happen in the Congo somebody can come to Jesus Christ, we have to see ourselves. We are sent people if he sending us we have to go but the only way we go as we have the movement we have to move out. We have to move in. We have to move alongside. We also have to move from turn to first Thessalonians chapter 1 growing church but I love it.

Paul writes them beginning in verse two he said we give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers constantly bearing in mind your work of faith, your labor of love, your steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of a godfather knowing brethren beloved by God's choice of you using for our gospel did not come to you in word only visa but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full convictions.

In other words, it's clear that Paul says we proclaim the gospel to you, but then he says this he said just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake he said you also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit so that you became an example to all believers in Macedonia and Acadia is a for the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Acadia but also in every place.

Your faith toward God has gone forth so that we have no need to say anything.

He said you became examples you know what kind of people we were what you talking about you son of a character. You see it's one thing to move out and then move into the world and move alongside the world. But one thing I gotta do is I got to carefully move from the world as well. Scripture says you need your in the world but you don't need to be of the world you have to have character CS Lewis basically said said this, he said non-Christians by large respect people who tell the truth do good for others a live moral lives non-Christians. By and large respect people who tell the truth, do good to others a live moral lives should the suspect's character is one of the problems I've seen with folks. I know people I've known people in our own church, especially young people that say I'm ready to move out, ready to move and I'm ready to move alongside, but I don't move from because I'm afraid my friends won't like me know.

Character boy that has an enormous effect on the message you see is a matter of character Andy Stanley says this character is the will to do what is right, as defined by God regardless of personal cost is about as good a definition as I've ever read characters the will to do what is right, as defined by God regardless of personal cost, and then he says this, just look around your neighborhood, your office, your family, it doesn't take a great deal of observation to recognize that God's standard for character was designed for the preservation of relationships. He says those who follow it intentionally or unintentionally, will be rewarded relationally. Those who don't either by stubbornness or ignorance will forfeit the joy of authentic relationships. He said where there is character there is compatibility where character is lacking. There is conflict. See have to be distinct.

That distinction, though, becomes part of being salt and light you see what I character Jesus in the sermon amount not just your the light of the world. But he said you are the salt of the earth than what they say.

What happens if you lose your saltiness is not good for anything. You see, we are under orders in a sense to not only go but we are under clear orders to be like our Lord and Savior.

So it's a matter whether were willing to move mission is for all of us, not just the missionaries that we support. He has sent us proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Some people we know gone all over the world. Some of us going on across the street. Some of you may only have to go across the hall which got ago she have to go if you go you have to move. You gotta move it move it move out move-in move alongside and move from the only limitation. The only limitation is your own willingness.

God is already saved you so apparently you know the gospel, God has empowered you with his spirit. He indwells you.

As Paul said I can do all things through him who strengthens me in God's place to write where you are an amazing you are placed right where you are that seem so simple, but on another level that so profound you are strategic. The plan of God already ask you to do is that at the right time in the right place if you move out move-in move alongside and move from to give an account for the hope that sin will be amazing that some of your mission pastor broke your heart on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever missed one of our broadcasting or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on today's broadcast. So many of our previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible.

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Once again our website is FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt and Jason Gebhart. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order