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January 21, 2022 7:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ and the names of Rev. so it's always there just for slaves again greeted particularly by the great apostle that made him feel is being greeted makes a person feel really good. We need to join up 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 Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work is not I can add on PS this is this Scripture. This is just as much God's word is a 10 Commandments are and it's interesting when you think about that point if you watch what happens first three great purse going to call my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risk their own next to whom not only do I give thanks, but also to all the churches of the Gentiles also great. The church that is in their house. Great happiness. He says my beloved was the first convert to Christ in Asia great Mary who is worked hard for you greedy said Donica's and Junius my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. He said, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ Jesus before me. Great.
He says and politeness. He said my beloved in the Lord greater Banas, our fellow worker in Christ instead is my beloved in green the palace, the approved of Christ.
Great does he center who are of the household of Aristotle's great a roadie in my kinsmen great those of the household of narcissists who are in the Lord. Great. He says try Pineda and trifles workers in the Lord.
Great purses, the beloved who is worked hard in the Lord and greet Rufus a choice man of the Lord and his mother and mind and greed he says as similar protests, he said, and for Legion and Hermes and paratroopers and hermits in the brethren with them and greet Polonius and Julia Ann Mirus and his sister Olympus and all the saints are with them and greet one another with a holy kiss all the churches of Christ greet you notice any redundant word in their greet, greet, greet one another. That's twice. Greet one another with a holy kiss greeting one another while being being he said, in a sense kind to one another, were not exactly a greeting, culturally. If you do say a word insert typifies American mallets rage that's that's America Haywood, you have to be very old to realize when you're young you never heard of brokerage you never even heard of it here all the time now we have road rage. We have airline passenger rage.
That's always interesting on the news a bunch of people laying on top of some guy trying to stop him on an airline because he's full of rage. We have checkout line rage people get really upset like that. It's amazing how angry we are and maybe the worst social media rage. That's kind of what social media is about rage. I'm just so angry.
I'm so mad while Paul says twice to the Corinthians, you need to greet one another and use the term holy kiss you, to greet one another with a holy kiss. By the way a lot of people vastness with a holy kiss while a holy kiss is a cultural cares that you do because of your love for the Lord.
In other words, how did this culture often greet itself culturally.
The kids comes the culture is as you have it for you as a child of God. You do a holy kiss.
Why, because this is what God expects of you. He wants you to do this. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
Francis, if you're in Europe, a lot of times, and you greet people they kiss each other on the cheeks.
They kiss each other.
That's just the way he wants to go to the Asia and often when you greet someone you bow that you greeting in America. A lot of America has no standard thing.
I used to think the handshake was standard that I moved to New Orleans and there's a lot more kiss and a New Orleans and there is another place.
But the point of it is simple. You need to greet people why it's good to be greeted. You see, it makes you feel good that you greeted now this is the one place where you do. Probably more greeting and you do any other place that's a little bit said but there's a problem with it. You look forward to greeting people who are your friends see you come to church and you find your friends and you greeted me will finally one afternoon a church you see music while they were really friendly to each other you know then say were to meet churches of tried to fix this and I've been in churches where they'll say okay anybody here for the first time today and then a happy please stand and you stand up and then to go great this person is like on my hi hi doing great. It's one of great good to see you here and then next week you're nothing but next week no, it's just like it's our duty to greet now got a new person standing up. That's a person will greet know it means greet people because it makes people feel really really good about themselves.
That's the way this works.
That's the way you greeting is interesting. Penn State University to study and these universities.
Major studies always amaze me public cost $5 million and a did the study. There's a conclusion. Hunters are happier. I don't know. I guess that when you visit huggers are happier than people don't. It's an interesting thought. From that point of view but notice how people feel when they do this.
Paul said he panicked.
This was the first convert in Asia he sit and thereby the letters being written to me. His first convert. Then he says amply us and our banners and Hermes and for logos and Julia greet them in what those names are slaves that all slaves, the apostle Paul, the great apostles and be sure to greet them for me. Aristotle us. Aristotle us is the brother of a group of the first he's the grandson of Herod the great is in church is the grandson of Herod the great is in your greet him and narcissists.
He said narcissists as the secretary to the Emperor of Rome Claudius.
This is amazing. He said he agreed on greet Jews greet Greeks greet Romans greet Asians greet men greet women. It's an interesting thing that he says you greet all of them. He says I don't care if they're an aristocrat or slave greet them. How do you think people felt especially the slaves never Paul Wright reader name and the names are forever here is in the word of God. So it's always there is for slaves to get greeted particularly by the great apostle. I do think that made him feel I got a hunch that they told their children and their children to the gravid children gone generation my great great great grandfather was personally greeted by Paul, the great apostle is being greeted makes a person feel really good. We need to greet Galatians chapter 5 verse 13 next Galatians 5 verse 13 again. The apostle Paul. He said for you were called to freedom, brother.
Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, through love serve one another is not all, of these imperative moods are all commandments serve one another serve people, real servants of God are not limelight people. It's amazing how many people tremendous servants of God and no one would know it just serve the Lord. That's who they are.
I think Andrew how often you think of the great apostle you think a mandrel.
Not a lot about his brother Peter ever heard of him that right any of and to friends ahead, James and John. Now it's interesting, by the way, Peter, James and John are part of Jesus inner circle. Three. What about Andrew. In fact, it's really strange, who led Peter to Christ. Andrew so he didn't get any publicity. Then again was just fine with that and was a servant of God. He doesn't need to be in the limelight. He's a servant anything of, from this time of year for something a little bit different. I think about this.
I want you to think of a very simple, very plain, very quiet teenage girl. Her name is Mary.
What's amazing to me is that the she comes from a dusty nondescript nowhere town.
Now she's living in a nowhere place of the world. Judah nobody in the world and never heard of that but she's living in one of the worst places possible Nazareth. Remember the remark could anything good come out of Nazareth.
You see, is that it's the same thing I always use the analogy you know measures like man check if you're from man check. I'm sorry but the point would be. She's from a nowhere place that's who she is and find that kind of interesting. One writer describes her as extraordinarily ordinary.
That's Mary, talking about what is been made over by the church. I'm talking about what you really is the word of God. It's interesting to me when she was given the news that she would be the chosen vessel for the incarnation of the son of God is what you said. I'm a servant of the Lord, let it happen to me as you say, just a servant course see that idea of servant is such an important thing. Think of the words of Jesus. If you want to be first you have to be one so you have to be that software world works. If you want to be first to climb over everybody that's in your way to get there.
She's in a decent if you want to be a leader you have to be servant. See, that's a whole different way of looking at life. That's what he saying it's a very different way. It's all based on this idea of service cheaper. So many of us. I think that that we think that the world exist to take care of me and the truth is, Jesus says you exist to take care of them. You should serve as an amazing thing hold a place of just for a minute. Go with me to Isaiah 58 Isaiah 58 and when I start at verse 10. This is what Isaiah writes again 700 years before Jesus. He said if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday what you mean to be happy. Your gloom will become like midday you mean if I give myself to the hungry, and I desire to help the afflicted. Yes sir, people, he said, and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire and scorched places and give strength to your bones and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water which he saying that if circumstances proof. If you are servant of God, no matter how much the world strengthen you and keep you vibrant be happy see that's what he saying you need to serve one another. When you encourage one another tolerate one another. Regard one another as more important. We need to greet one another and we need to serve one another. Now go with me again to Romans 15 in verse seven he says therefore, accept one another, yet accept one another in one another covers all of us. After accepting the gift except me. This is hard for us to select love isn't it easy to love people you like.
See if I like you and not too hard for me to love you but Jesus said love your enemies, love people you don't like I don't like that. See. But if you don't will be happy she was. The way this works. Jesus said it this way and in that sense, he said, therefore, except when okay accepting weight just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
How did Jesus accept you completely totally what conditions the place on you. Nine. This accepted me, God accepted me he loved me so much he sent his son to see.
It's amazing.
It's just an open acceptance and he said that's exactly what I want from you accept one another. He says, as Christ has accepted us see when we accept people.
It doesn't mean in the sense that we overlook everything about Newsweek septum.
Think of the woman caught in adultery. Jesus said to her, I do not condemn you. That's grace and then what you say to her going sin no more truth you see accepted on the basis of grace but he told her the truth so it doesn't mean it's just blind I except you just the way you are and I find this in our culture is becoming more and more difficult for Christians to accept people the way they are.
I'm amazed at how many people I run into as believers in Jesus Christ who are mad because I'm save sinful people in our country are sitting in that way and were angry. Adam what do you expect of them. They don't know Christ, the product of the culture.
Why are you angry because a simple once a person is sending what makes you angry about that. You see, we don't. I don't want them. The reform I want them to repent and come to Christ. As I said God from God's point of view only two people in the world. Save the lost those people. Our mission field, but I find Christians angry because I'm see people were sitting in a way they don't like no by the way, you're also sending in a way you should like. But what angers us as we get very angry when people sin in the way we wouldn't. So when somebody has sin that I would never do that makes me so angry. Now the sins that I do all the time, not so much what the word of God said if you're guilty of one part of the law. One part in Jesus said one thought you guilty of the whole.
So, how much more are they a sinner than I am no different to their no different. So he said what I want you to be able to do here is accept one another. One last one to go with me to first John chapter 4 verse 11 in this sort of takes it all into play. He says beloved, if God so loved us, we also love one another love people. If God so loved us. This is the one of the one another's most repeated in the Bible 11 times in the New Testament.
He keeps telling us to love one another.
It should be something everyone in the world should see as our badge.
It should be what marks us in the world because Jesus said this to his disciples, if you love one another. The whole world will know what you are my disciples, you be my disciples, if you look see is the perfect tool of evangelism but think of our reputation in this country. Even people are unbelievers going to do with something like that, when it be nice if they said look I don't quite buy what they're saying but I have never seen people who love each other like these people. They have enormous love for each other.
I've never heard one unbeliever ever describe the church outweigh the should you see, we should love one another, and every time it's said in the New Testament is agape. Agape is the way God loves us, is not a feeling it's a choice of will I choose the love you. You see I choose the love you and I choose the love all of you. I choose to love the people I like in the people I don't I choose the love everybody because that's how God loves us. It's agape love of God. That's it. All these other things are sort of incorporated in this great idea of love that we have for one another. It's interesting we often feel we don't have the capacity to do that but we do think of just two versus one. Are you a new creature in Christ think it says your how much is passed away all things okay and Paul said I can do all things through him who strengthens me. So if you're saying your child of God, and you struggle loving people. It's not because you can't, it's because you won't see it's not because you can you can do all things through him in your new creature in Christ all the old things are passed away so you want to have a Merry Christmas and happy holiday.
Remember what Jesus said it's more blessed, more happy to give than to receive. Even modern studies confirm that people are much happier who give themselves other people. Everyone knows this to be true. And one of the things that that Christians often overlook is this, I'm so happy that now that I put my trust in Christ am going to heaven who is unhappy with. I am, I have the Shorty of heaven, that's wonderful and that's for some day and night, and I find great peace and hope in that, but what about today and tomorrow Jesus. What I got that covered up come to give you life and give it to you abundantly number to tell you how you can do get that abundant life right now. See that's what is going to say when I tell you right now how you get that particular kind of life you need to encourage one another.
You need to be tolerant of others, you need to regard others more important in new unity. Greet one another before me to one another. You need to serve people. You need to accept people and most of all you need. Love and I guarantee if you did that happy and we are always looking for happy in all the wrong places. You see, and we find ourselves two out of every three of us unhappy and you say, look, I know how to make you happy. May we should take his word seriously. I am as a child of God. If I do these things I think.
Then I'll find myself singing Joy to the world the Lord is come not just on Christmas every day because I'm so happy Spring father at the sad thing is one of your children the for so many of us. Happiness eludes us. We simply don't understand what were capable of doing the happiness that Jesus speaks of is a happiness like everything else that he gives us and he says and you can have this in your lives, and I'll call the abundant life, but you need to do these things you need to give yourself away to others because it'll make you more happy father. For those of us in the struggling every day with unhappiness and depression in our lives when we take his words, the heart may we examine our own hearts say one of my withholding when am I doing because happiness is right there. Father I pray that we were able to apply these words, it will give you glory serve others. Pastoral government on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like a listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help with radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word.
4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA not to RG at our website you will find hundreds pastoral sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series are looking for. You can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for. You can listen online work you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own.
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