True Ministry Is Costly

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. We often look at ministry in an old, the famous names in the big reach friends ministry is costly stage for the line of fire with your host activist, author, international speaker and theologian Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice is more cultural and spiritual revolution Michael Brown is the director of the coalition of conscience and president of fire school of Ministry get into the line of fire valves like always 866-34-TRUTH that's 866-34-TRUTH paradigm is Dr. Michael Brown (line of fire brought this is Michael Brown coming your way, live from Fort Worth, Texas as our first time broadcasting from a new studio that has just been put together so we can broadcast while I'm doing classes for the spiritual leadership school just birth. Today was the very first day in the history of the school. We came together for chapel and I did it and opening teaching plant reporting to the students here on a monthly basis in order to do that put together a studio. The team here build the studio for us. This is our very first day broadcasting from your so there may be some glitches.

We got our team here in Fort Worth connected with our team in North Carolina are two teams in North Carolina so God helping and everybody doing well will get this out without a glitch. Everyone listening sound exactly the same on regular podcast with you watching that's a different look at the studio here and if you got any streaming issues. We will hopefully get them all resolved for you so thanks for being patient with us as we broadcast for the first time ever, from a brand-new studio for summer call 866-34-TRUTH 866-34-TRUTH age 7884. Any subject of any kind that you want to talk to me about. I will be focusing on some really important truths regarding ministry running serving God you have any question of any kind by related theology related especially ministry related if if you feel called or for struggling with ministry related questions. I love to help you with those today. In particular, 866-34-TRUTH also maybe doing some book giveaways, so stay tuned. The first book ever wrote is now the newest book that we just put out in a beautiful, brand-new, updated, revised edition compassionate father consuming fire, engaging the God of the Old Testament beautiful hardcover coffee table type book and ready getting some great responses as the book is just getting out so I may do some book giveaways as well, but never call not for book away not not yet this with questions 866-34-TRUTH okay so here's why this topic is on my mind today.

Here's what I'm thinking about this today about the costliness of ministry. I have been teaching ministry school students since 1982 with very very rare break it in. Over the years. Over the decades.

It's something I have done with regularity for decades in the spiritual leadership school is not just for those called to vocational ministry of pastoral ministry missions or evangelism is more broadly for those called to leadership unit in the business world or be it in media work or or teaching children in public school as well as mission pillows things over the period of years with internships about things people get to express those but but I felt it was so important on the very first data silicates all about land foundations it's it's all about links solid foundations. If you want to build a tall building.

You need a deep foundation.

If the foundation cracks the building crumbles. You see a tree that withstands a massive storm or hurricane.

How this happened, how did this. How did this tree stand in all these of the blue-and-white look at the roots the roots are underground.

What you don't see that's what really matters and and public ministry friends is simply the extension ministry you do in front of people. That's the public extension of your private life. So the real question is not what you doing an outward ministry with who you are in private. Who you are when no one's looking how you live your life.

The condition of your heart before God. That's what matters most and and often we see especially especially these days with with such mega ministry with people who are relatively young and ministry with massive online audiences with that the lights in the cameras and that it you can get a certain impression of ministry is like being famous or ministry is about being prominent for ministries having big budgets. It's really quite the opposite ministries about service ministries about sacrifice ministries about bearing the reproach of the Lord and most of the ministry that takes place around the world is not from a camera. Most of what God's doing is is more hidden. Some of the greatest work that God is doing around the world is by people whose names are not known to us who are not prominent in the eyes of people who were great in the eyes of God, look what Paul wrote, you tell me. Aside from the Lord Jesus the Messiah himself on the earth, living God incarnate. You tell me about a human being who did more effective ministry than the apostle Paul that there is not any meat he writes almost half of the New Testament so used by God is, but very few people have ever lived to pay the price that Paul paid have suffered what Paul suffered endured what Paul endured.

I tweeted out last night that that makes a massive difference in your mentality when you when you understand that you are called to be a servant, not a superstar, and that your task is to make God's name famous, not your own. It makes a massive massive difference, as I've prayed for many years that God would expand our reach to minister the more people it so that he can be exalted Lord amplify my voice so I can glorify your son. Look at what Paul writes first printing is chapter 4 beginning in verse eight prescriptions for eight it in the Corinthian. Some I have this idea that being God's kingdom.

Now that they were supposed to live like kings and in some of the false apostles were feeding them.

This is false information as well.

So he writes this already. You have all you want. Already you have become rich yet begun to rain and that without us.

How I wish that you really had begun to rain so that we might also reign with you and this is this, for it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the present procession, like those condemned to die in the arena so we are not the ones the megastars the superstars the exalted ones we're the ones good be brought in to be killed by wild beasts or gladiators in the arena for everyone to cheer on his that's that's the way it seems to me, and MVB made a spectacle.

He says to the whole universe to angels as well as to human beings. He says we are fools for Christ, you are so wise in Christ we are weak. You are strong you are honored. We are dishonored to this very day.

This is Paul this is Paul okay.

Nothing I do nothing you do will compare to the way God used Paul and in the way his words are read as part of God's word. To this day right, this is Paul. To this very hour.

He says we go hungry and thirsty. We are in rags, this is Paul was the lack of faith on his part wasn't we all Paul you don't know your authority and got no Paul understood his authority. Jesus, to this very hour we go hungry and thirsty. We are in rags with a composite pause and exaggerated. This is not some preachers hyperbole is literally what had lived through. We are brutally treated.

We are homeless.

He said we work hard with her own hands.

We are cursed we bless were persecuted. We endured we are slandered, we answer kindly will become the scum of the earth. The garbage of the world right up to this moment all I want to be an apostle Paul's and will move this what you call to all I want to be used by God with a mighty ministry. Will you make to go through stuff. Paul said I know have abundance and I have little and I know how to to abound. I know how to be based God blesses you with good things beautiful for wonderful possessions with the fine fusion audience brings five but remember we are called to be servants called to be servants in the greater the calling the Lord we must go. No one is more highly exalted than Jesus with the name above every name, no one went lower than he went. Let me read another passage to you this time from second Corinthians chapter 6, as you can see again what Paul lived through and he said, secreting 63 we put no stumbling block in anyone's path that are ministry will not be discredited. He said rather servants of God we commend ourselves in every way in great endurance and troubles, hardships and distresses and beatings, imprisonments and riots in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger, impurity, understanding, patience and kindness in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love and truthful speech and in the power God with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and the left through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report genuine yet regarding this imposters known, yet regarded as unknown dying, and yet we live on, beaten, and did not kill sorrowful, yet always rejoicing poor, making many rich, having nothing, and yet possessing everything. That's what ministry life was like for Paul and to the degree that we give ourselves to God's servants that he can use us any differently to the degree that we say Lord.

This is about you not about us that he can use us in any kind of way to the degree that we think ministry is the way to make money ministry is the way to be famous or ministry is a way to have influence and power over people. To that extent we don't understand the work of ministry. I have colleagues who pastor some of the largest churches in the world in the world. They are men of God. They are men of integrity that they are men of high character.

That's one reason God has entrusted them with what he has.

I have other colleagues who pastor unknown churches work in unknown small-group networks are doing phenomenal work in prayer and service behind the scenes and nobody knows their name and and it's it's all the same.

Everyone is in at the same way serve God again. If you get a ministry related question to take some calls shortly and that I want to share more about this with you if you're just tuning. If you been watching online and and anything is kind of in and out were broadcasting from brand-new studio that I use when I'm down here in Fort Worth Texas is the very first days of our teams, North Carolina, and here I've really been working hard, checking double check and triple checking but I would do this daily live for 13 years and it's not uncommon that an issue comes up during the broadcast.

Either or studio in Winston-Salem the home studio elsewhere, North Carolina, from which we broadcast something else.

So we get all the glitches out extra be patient with us. But let's let's just do this really quickly protect our first break all caller number seven is become that this file is light a fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH here again is Dr. Michael Brown so I haven't had the joy of sitting with students pouring in getting to know them so so thrilled to have this connection.

This opportunity in Fort Worth with the do we get our or studio set up so doubling each day will get the smoother and smoother and appreciate the team running hard to make this work. All right 866-34-TRUTH before I go to the phones and take your calls about ministry related subjects.

866-34-TRUTH caller number seven want to give you a free copy of the new edition of the very first book and you find it super relevant compassion.

Father were consuming fire, engaging the God of the Old Testament is the God of the Old Testament the same as the God of the New Testament. When we do all the verses were God smites and destroys that in harmony with the father of Jesus about the call to kill the Canaanites. What what about what happened with Job and things like that so those are some of the questions we address in the book and will giveaway the caller number seven 866-34-TRUTH 87884 free copy of the brand-new edition of compassion father or consuming fire okay with that, let us go to the phone.

Starting with Jake in southeast Michigan.

Welcome to the line of fire, a Dr. Michael Brown thinks electric macaw truth not been a while since I called in and on Gilmore that would seem to me like a dire situation brother in the Lord brother in the fellowship is dealing with persecution from his own family on so he was actually put out of his own home because he came out of the on the tour group that that they're part of and now he is being told okay. You can even come back in your own home and matter fact you are worth an infidel, because you're on the streets preaching the gospel with people but are not able to even take care of your family because you don't believe what we believe. So how how do I encourage the brother and how to lie, how to edify Hammonton but Laois. I give him as far as Palm the big issue of course is doctrine right and so they hold to this book called the stuffer by Stephen Pugin and it really changes add a lot to the Bible and changes a lot and on and she broken free from all that thing in common is struggling to you and communicate doctrine because they disrupt totally different sources right so the first thing is he used to be rejoicing in his freedom.

That's the first thing yeah that that's that's 99% of it. He's free.

He came out from bondage. He came out conception came out for wrong doctrine. He's free.

He needs to be praying for the others for their eyes to be open and pitying them and feeling bad for them that they're still in bondage. Okay so that's that's the first thing it's persecution for the gospel. It's persecution for religious liberty.

It's it's persecution for obeying Jesus and taken the message out to the lost soul as painful as it is. It's positive in his whole heart. His burden should be for their well-being is burden should be there the ones that are in bondage. They're the ones that are hurting, he's the one that's free of the fact that they have kicked him out in their their own way of trying to follow the Bible except they got it backwards. You know they're there that the cultlike group kicking out the believer supposed to the believers kicking out the cultlike member of it. It's grievous in terms of its painful but that's their choice. If they're saying what will you can take your your own family worse than the believer that that's completely bogus that that is that shows how completely abusive of there being it's like this. It's like I tie you up and throw you in the trunk of a car and so you are responsible for you to go to work today, that's they're doing any anything that that they are making it difficult for him to do with his own family is entirely their own doing and their responsibility. So he honors the Lord he does what he can.

If God enables him to administer to his family and help them great yet so of that security answering long look at it keep on preaching the gospel understand the gospel. You know like the 80s worried that you know that he wants to watch Derek again for his family and these worried that sometimes when he outran the gospel that you know his family. His family might be looking down on him till you get your came to care of us. Out you know Sharon got only with the homeless people or whatever might be if he is willing on an emergent keep on yet it if he is willingly neglecting the needs of his family right that they need. They need them. They are in her care for them and he is willingly neglecting them to pour himself out on homeless the people. That's a problem if they have kicked him out and disfellowshipped him that that's they've closed the door, by all means let him go to the homeless limit of the end of the poor hurting but by all means that that's a virtue that's a good thing. That's a positive thing and in looking over what what was it that helped him come out. Of. Of this group is related on the growth factor and photographed it and then very fundamental and start thinking reading the Bible about the gifts and so you start speaking. After that, and it kind of went down weird path towards the Torah movement a little bit and in his family is his bowel and some of their inner circle got set up in that and he was on and he was still in the five lines on that and he finally decided him to speak after a guided talking about in the Bible, waited the following willingly spending be led by God, and so he repented and turned to the Lord and that he wanted nothing to do waited with the going back under the law found that an employee what happened on yet salute the whole belief system. He blames himself for the situation right well again it's big right I am not in a position to giving pastoral counseling and situates that I don't know up front and personal. Obviously, whatever he can do to be reconciled with his wife and families is important to do on every level, but not you cannot change what you believe about God and the Bible. So if if someone finds meaning right now we are right in the midst of Russia should know that the Jewish new year, which is the biblical day of the signing of the trumpeting of a right route right and that that very very day. Right now, and if someone finds it meaningful to to look at the prophetic meaning of the feasts. Some of finds it meaningful to to obey certain affiliate a look, God gave dietary lost Israel and the reason why we shouldn't keep them etc. of that's fine if it's just a positive and when it becomes we are coming under the Sinai covenant we are coming into the Torah. If we don't live by every of without celebrating the new moods of were not scrupulously celebrate the seventh day Sabbath of Florida.

Therefore, if we follow the dietary laws and God's anger.

This displeased with us work out of his will or disobedience. That's when it becomes really dangerous. That's one of the gutters group changes.

Yet the group changes the idea of the new covenant Lake. They renewed covenant of a breakout new covenant altogether right right considering the renewed old covenant right so that all this is the old covenant now written on our hearts, and you know a good question to ask folks like this was while in Hebrew or Greek if God wanted to say new. How would he say it it in. In other words, for example, the Hebrew cut DOS because Doster my 31 versus 3134 got to make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, and in its and it's called cut DOS will house could got upset it one of the word with the abused to convey that and since he says I'll remember your sins no more. Under the new and better covenant, then you obviously don't need everything to have under the Sinai covenant with regard to sent for example, Hebrews tells us in the seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th chapters, that there are changes that have come in its is explicit that had to be a change in the priesthood because it is a priest from Judah after the order of multicentric as a poet someone 10 as opposed to the priestly line through Aron exit at an end. Hebrews is the tortoises anything about that.

So that's a change that is being brought about where and sacrifices offerings were he races those aren't needed anymore because there's been the once for all sacrifice of the son of God. So of course changes of common in significant ways and we watched over the years, you know that the messianic Jewish movement where where Jewish believers who felt they would identify with her people continue to live as Jews we want our people to know you can be Jewish and believe in Jesus and his beautiful expression through it and richer understanding of Scripture. Then you end up with other people joining in and then going further and now it's no we must come under the Sinai covenant or it's just a renewed covenant in all of this is mandatory in all New Testament believers and then if you watch inevitably I'm sure you heard me since many times the focus gets off Jesus Yeshua. The focus is on touring commandments. There is very little outreach there is very little worship. Even the idea of the deity of Yeshua gets lost more and more and you see people basically try a conspiracy God warning God gave me all the way back in 1984 that this whole temptation to be more Jewish is in the sole realm. It will fascinate stimulate, complicate, suffocate, therefore, be on guard so board may grace be put on this man is whole family coming to freedom is an error on the line of fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown. Your voice is more cultural and spiritual revolution there again is Dr. Michael Brown but a great team and they will be on top of everything. If you have a question, especially relating to ministry work 866-34-TRUTH 866-34-TRUTH 87884 is number to call, but let's do this. Let's give away a copy of my newest book. It's actually my oldest book and really pleased came out in a brand-new beautiful addition.

I updated it. I revised it. It answers a lot of big questions that you will be asking and have asked and will be asked about the God of the Old Testament.

I will give away for free, compassionate father, or consuming fire caller number three, so this is a quick one. 866-34-TRUTH 784 866-34-TRUTH: number three want to send you a free copy of this book. With that, let's go to the phones and we will go to Sterling in Charleston, South Carolina. Thanks for calling the line of fire. Michael actually just arboriculture challenge will suite glad, glad to have you stumble her way. Yeah, you know, I read the caption in it about the cost of ministry and then I read the description that you know about the price for all. Yeah.

And of I assume that no audible had a general question about martyrdom because you knew just because there are markers doesn't necessarily prove that the religion is true right I mean, for example, like like the 9/11 terrorist would consider themselves to be martyrs right right in a way that ugly perverts the whole idea of laying down your life to save the lives of others laying down your life and loyalty to God. It's a complete perversion of the concepting monument in fact there was even debate in the Muslim world as to whether suicide bombers were true martyrs are not as opposed to of you know invading armies marching to your city and they they put a gun to your head and say deny Jesus or die use. I could never deny the Lord in the future.

Okay, so that's a martyr, as opposed to seven blowing themselves up and coming men, women and children and many Muslim scholars those long as it's for for the cause of all law work Friday for the occupation of Palestine allies like that right. The fact that people may die for cause you. You may have an atheist devil diver because you may have a freedom fighter for some perverted causes no die for that is not the proof of faith, but if you are called to follow Jesus recall to follow him by life or by death. Call to follow in the matter. The cost of consequence what he says when he when he calls us right out of the bat and you find.

For example, in Matthew 16 Mark eight Luke nine if anyone would come after me, let him do what deny himself and take up his cross and follow me forever saves his life will lose it. Suffice it would its is too costly to follow the Lord of these my friends release my businessmen to lose my reputation. Ravinia thrown in jail, you lose your life in doing that because you are now living as a slave of people and opinion. You are now living to take to get ahead in this world. You are not free to obey God's if you save your life, you lose if you lose your life for the Lord's sake and the gospel that you find now your free beat because you live and die to God when he says to all of us take up your cross and follow me. That means that we go to the place of death. We go to the place of reproach we go to the place of rejection and out of that God may give you ministry. We are the most famous person on the planet.

Forgot to give you ministry where you're at your tortured in prison for the gospel. Either way we live to do the will of God and and everything we do is an expression of our love for God and our love for others and I try to be martyrs not try to be persecuted were not troublemakers were peacemakers, but we know, for example, John 15 Jesus of the world hate you know that it hated me first or second Timothy 312. He says no that everyone who lives a godly life in Messiah Jesus will suffer persecution. So there's always going to be some level of opposition, difficulty challenge for those of us who follow Jesus and in some cases these to physical martyrdom in others it's death to reputation death to our plans and our future. But the good thing is we live to God. John 12 Alyssa grain of wheat falls in the ground and dies, it remains alone. If it dies, it bears much fruit that held at 100 yeah yeah not ethically agree that there can be martyrs, and they probably have them. Some examples of some degree of martyrs in each religion may or may not disagree with that but basically martyrdom doesn't prove truth and it sounds like it's a liquid agree to absolutely limit them to sit this one of the thing that the word for martyr in Greek. It's the word from which we get martyr in English that word itself means to be a witness that that's where it starts the same. The, the Arabic word for martyr Shahid come from Shada, which is also to be a witness in an assignment in Aramaic so the point is that initially with the gospel. It was so common that to be his witness met. You'd be killed that to be a witness often meant being a martyr that that word for witness actually became martyr and then made its way through through Aramaic into Arabic with the concept is but you you have people around the world willing to die for their faith willing to die for their conviction that doesn't make conviction of the faith right when you join together right faith with a sacrificial lifestyle Lord work through me. Whatever the cost of consequence. That's when you find some surreal beauty and liberty. Hey, thank you for the call a let's go to Betsy in ozone Park, New York.

Welcome to the line of fire around my question to you is your opinion.

I think that I know what I should do that I really respect your opinion. Sure think I'm part of a very small ministry where the leader is the woman and she has undoubtedly a call of God to to to you now to minister. She has a strong prophetic gift and down.

She's a woman of very strong faith in. She believes it got closer to New York City to raise up leaders to transform men and all that she has some innovative ideas that include combining faith with economic empowerment and think like that and I have been in this ministry now for about four years, partly II had lost a large Assemblies of God church where had been a member of her 10 years because I was just really drying up inside my gifts weren't being used in there had been some changes in the leadership really were not good and that took me a long time to realize that I needed to leave and I prayed and the Lord clearly told me to come to administrative time and now by. I've been in a serious dilemma because the pastor despite her gifting she she's really harsh and she has no board. She doesn't believe in traditional church structure, she make efficient just on her own and that there's very little planning and she truly controlling tactics and and everybody in my life wants me to leave and I've been wanting to leave, but I tried to leave several times, most recently about a month ago and upon my decision to leave. I came under a lot of spiritual attack against my mind and I think well either. I either at the enemy that does want me to leave for it. The Lord is telling me not yet and and I'm stepping outside of his will and enemies attacking me. Let me ask you this is her method of leaving. Let's put aside the question of whether the weekly pastors ministries.

Let's just put that aside entirely okay let's let's just say that they can or the monster connection there could Betsy hopefully can still hear me out. So we put aside entirely about women in ministry women in leadership.

Just ask, is this woman functioning in a biblical way.

Put aside the question of whether women should be leading ministries because of the debate over that that's that's not the issue. Let's a God restaurant is she functioning in leading a biblical way, is there biblical accountability is, is there a team of of elders for unanimity before the Lord. What accountability structures are based from her life and does she conduct yourself in a Christlike way of gentleness and grace, etc. this is no then you have no business being there and if you come under spiritual attack could very likely be the enemy or just your own mind or some type of controlling aspects in her life.

But no matter how gifted she is that the gift is not the issue, the characters, the issue in the leadership structure is is the issue and in the doctrinal things that are being put forward by the people of gifts and and saw sometimes what happens is that right is that that we reconnected Betsy okay alright so what I was saying was her gifting is immaterial to me. That's from a dog that's that's material and whether or not she should lead as a woman. Let's just say God raised drops we put that aside, the way she's leaving is not biblical based on your description writes of course I don't know names details that so I can speak freely there's no accountability. There is no team leadership structure diminishes the leader team leadership structure. Forget a traditional board you need to have a team of Eldridge need to have other leaders with the union directs your ministries one expression of of other expressions.

There used to be that apparently you were finances go how do you know how things are used in that regard and interest be harsh that's on Christlike silk. I want to send you a free copy of my book, playing with holy fire. I'm assuming you don't have that I want to send it through. II have a chapter in their about abusive leadership and I give you. Okay, isn't this it is this is this if it's this get out of their fleet.

It would not surprise me if if it really is abusive that that some of the oppression that you're coming out from that that the persons control the way of doing things can be oppressive spiritually and then you'll have this thing all you disobey the anointed woman of God, are you how don't touch the anointed are God's angry just dismiss that it's it's just look at it like static that's in the spirit that has to be condensed. Lucent Betsy stay right there a will you get your your address to send playing by anybody else have I will send evaluated. It's the line of fire with your host activist, author, international speaker and theologian Dr. Michael Brown voice of more cultural and spiritual revolution get into the line of fire now by calling 866343 here again is Dr. Michael Brown joining us our new studio in Fort Worth Texas will be broadcast gobbling on a monthly basis is with your pouring into students spiritual leadership school in Mercy, culture, church, and yet we got couple of glitches will come, but amazingly smooth thus far. Hopefully everyone listening on radio podcast.

Everything is sounded totally normal.

Everybody watching we work through a couple little glitches and some dead space but think were all good. 866-34-TRUTH 866-34-TRUTH 87884 is the number to call, especially with ministry related questions and I want to go over the second Corinthians 11 as a been talking about the costliness of ministry. I heard a story years ago from the ministry of Catherine Coleman. I was not there to see it but I'd I heard this from someone that was there she was speaking to a group of pastors and Christian leaders and said how many of you would like to have the ministry that I have the healing gift that I have. Who would want to have a wonderful healing gift like that me think of the people that are touched that suffering and pain and dying.

Think of the expression of God's mercy to them and think of how Jesus is exalted through this I mean who would not want have a ministry like that gift like that all the hands without peaceable. Let me tell you what this ministry has cost me, and what it presently cost me and what it meant in her life and in the price that she had to pay you not earn anointing but with great gifting is great responsibility with great gifting is great accountability with great gifting is often great attack and after she described the way she lived in everything she's been through. Then she said. Now how many of you would like this ministry, not a hand went up. So think of Paul.

Think of how the power of God work through even raise the dead, the authority of God that was on.

Think of the fact that he was so full of the spirit that that it enacts 19 units is God that extraordinary miracles through three is making tense navies get a sweat rag or air around us around his his four head or on his wrists and the they take those and put them on sick people and demonize people in their set free. While how extraordinary and the intellect and insight to me. Think of the theology writes in Romans the theology writes elsewhere in the New Testament's understanding of justification by faith is understanding the atoning work of Jesus is his understanding of of life in the spirit and only Bible he had was the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament and I'm sure there is.

There are teachings of Jesus that were passed on to mother was to receive things by revelation extraordinary but that look at look at what he writes when he talks about his own life. So he's dealing in Corinth with the super apostles like the makeup off.

We waited us.

They come up. But in today's terms, like in the limo and opened the door with the entourage and and you know the slick outfit like the superstar, the movie star in the almost like the red carpet kind of thing and who all powerful, so smooth and so eloquent wall posted okay I'm to do something crazy.

I gotta be on my mind to do this, but they boast omnibus with you and talk about all the people he raised from the dead, all the miracles that God did through him all the prominent people he came to faith through him that what he is going to talk about later this second Corinthians 11. He says this beginning in verse 21. Partly Teresa's whatever anyone else dares to boast about.

I'm speaking as a fool. I also did a post about the humor so much of the Israelites.

So my the Abraham's descendents, so I or the service of Christ. I'm in my mind to talk like this.

I am more okay prove it. Paul show us a bigger ministry budget is proof how anointed your show us how many people you reaching on social media every week.

Paul prove how anointed your time. I am in a New York Times best selling books you written, Paul show how powerful your now God may give you a budget of hundred million dollars for your ministry to feed the poor and needy around the world. He may give you a New York Times best selling book every week he may use you to reach hundreds of millions through social media. This is the proof of anointing or grace or favor because there are plenty of companies with big budgets of billions of dollars. There plenty of people with bigger social media followings there plenty of better selling authors so none of those things are necessarily proofs of success or of God's hand, it could just be totally natural because the devil can even be behind me thinks of the most famous people in the world and some of them are pretty rotten, so positive, boast, or yeah of the servants of Christ. I am more house so Paul I've worked much harder. I've been in prison more frequently. I been flogged more severely and been exposed to death again and again not like the superstar apostles five times. He said I received from the Jews the 40 lashes -15 times. He was involved in enough controversy in enough cities with Jewish populations can go to synagogue first that on five different occasions he was beaten, received 39 lashes because of the Jewish tradition that even though the loss of 40.

You don't want to go over that go one under you don't want the person to be despised even more. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones sex 14 resort for dead three times, not the one that the book of acts records three times I was shipwrecked and here is record acts. I spent a night and a day in the open sea would go see my credentials.

Here they are looking what he says here, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from a fellow Jews danger from Gentiles, endangering the city endangering the country in danger at sea in danger from false believers.

I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep. I've known hunger and thirst of often gone without food. I've been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face to the pressure by concern for churches who is weak and I do not feel weak, was led to sin and I do not inwardly earn. This is this if I must boast I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

The Godfather of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever knows that I'm outline in Damascus, the governor under King Aratus had the city of the demand schemes guarded in order to arrest me, but I was lower than a basket from a window in the wall and slid through the use of that's willing to boast about your love. I joke with folks hey out my goal is the day comes when you could introduce me like that will not not that the privilege of everything Paul with repair but have been blacklisted by this group, this organization that one I been slander belied by this one that one was arrested for the gospel here of a risk by life preaching. They are with Ed I got a few of those I do have a few credentials I can boast about, like Paul before his for his thousand again like a three you know but I hate that may be more proof of obedience to God and living for God than all but the positive testimonies and fruit we can point to the bottom line is this an essay in all seriousness ministry real effective ministries costly because you love people and you carry burdens for people and even if you're not quote vocational ministry love is costly… To every every one of you list everyone watching love is costly.

There is no way that you can love people without suffering pain.

There's no way you can love people without caring burdens. There is there is no way you can love people with without the repercussions in your own life when you don't love you don't care you know fruit for some years when we lived in Maryland and I love the school their Messiah Biblical Institute graduate school of theology are our offices. The congregation and the school they were directly across from the funeral parlor and some days when I'd be driving by. There was a funeral taking place or the service was just letting out her people were just gathering and I see people weeping in his other's arms or friends or family members running to each other and embracing and crying, maybe just a sudden death or young person or something.

It was heartbreaking and and I prayed and I saw it and I pray for comfort for grace for God's redemption.

Then I drove on and I was pretty much unaffected because I didn't know the people I didn't have an investment in their lives. There their pain was not my pain when you do the work of ministry, and when you just love as a parent is a friend is a coworker is a sibling when you love. Love is costly, following Jesus is beautiful and wonderful and glorious. Nothing like it on the planet that the more wonderful.

Nothing more fulfilling nothing that will bring more eternal fruit than following Jesus, but following Jesus is costly. It means being rejected as he was rejected, misunderstood, as he was misunderstood and it means sacrifice for dying hurting loss world so may God entrust us with more of his heart started spiritual leadership school today and he seems a bit in my mind that I prayed about the broadcast and it will get politically want to talk about these other things I thought. Let's just about the cost of ministry but even just the cost of following Jesus. The cost of love and let each of us say Lord here I am 70. Here I am. Use me what I want my life to glorify Jesus alone. People see me when they see me they see Jesus. They learn about you, Lord. Through seeing me my life. My example in the good news.

Love never fails. Our friends, we will be back with time.

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