A Challenge Toward Authenticity

Just as Jesus and Dr. Tony Evans says the Lord knows when were not being a matter how together we appear on the outside got the look that you will have the worst part about it is don't even know this is the alternative only have other speaker, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative is what a Christian who looks the part. Not as easy to spot one who lives the part a believer who is authentic, through and through you discover how to become the kind of disciple today as Dr. Evans takes us to Revelation 314 for today's lesson church to the final body of Saints Bible Fellowship was a wealthy city no for three things lay on the seal was known for its finance industry, its banking industry. It would be akin to, and a Wall Street.

It was a very wealthy place to live and work and raise a family was also known for its fashion industry in New York you would call it the fashion district where they made fancy clothes that would go out to the retailers to sell the general public.

Not only was it a financial district and a fashion district but the city of Laodicea was a pharmaceutical district was known for its medical industry, particularly when it came to diseases. It was specializing in the sample the eyes to improve the site of those struggling with seeing that is why you will see three areas finance fashion and pharmaceuticals referred to in Revelation chapter 3 verses 14 to the end of the chapter Jesus as he does in each one of these churches introduces himself as he wants you to see them now. The ruling came and head of the church, he says in verse 14 to the angel of the church at Laodicea right I am the amen amen means so be it. So that the way it is. He says in verse 15. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold. I wish you were cold so because you are moving along and neither hot nor cold. I will spit you out of my mouth, he addresses the problem that legacy in Bible Fellowship of Mormon's you stand why is saying this, you have to understand Laodicea's unique location on one side of Laodicea. The city was populous, which was akin to hot Springs, Arkansas. You've ever been the hot Springs, Arkansas.

You know, the heated water that comes up from the earth. The steam that shows up because of the heat and that water is used for healing and refreshing propolis was the hot Springs, Arkansas. The day – water flowed down the Laodicea but on the side of Laodicea was the city of Colossae where we get the book.

Colossians and holding water came down from the mountains into Laodicea. When the water came down from Annapolis and the cold water came down from Colossae.

They met at Laodicea and Coldwater. The water now became mobile when reach Laodicea so Jesus Christ uses this geographical reality to express a spiritual reality operating at Laodicea Bible Fellowship.

You are neither cold. In other words, they are unacceptable. I want to isolate and lastly even his coffee but I don't load his lukewarmness, his lukewarmness that is linked spiritual state there in between Christian commitment mixture that has made them unusable, unspiritual is unacceptable how unacceptable is Jesus I want to spill my mouth. Verse 17 because you say I am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing. He says I have a problem with how you view your self.

You say I am rich I am self-sufficient. I got it going on got my job got the money got my car got my house got my close some land on the church is not stop. I go to Laodicea Bible Fellowship because that's what Christians do go there because I need Jesus. I don't have to fulfill my religious obligation. He says to the Leo to see a Bible Fellowship that you have allowed what is now the definition of success in the world to give you the definition of success in the church. You think because you got money in your wallet.

You think because you have a nicer close the Knights of because the nicer job that some have you been into this false theology, that stuff not to be a blast when actually you know stuff made me sick and you make me want to throw up and spew you out my mouth because you have brought the world into the church instead of letting the charge. Define who you are and how you function in the world you allow the world to tell you whether your success you've allowed. To tell you whether your successful you allowed to graze on the wall to tell you if your successful promotion in the marketplace to tell you whether your successful but I'm a man like you kids like it is you all made me want to throw the fact is the physical and the more you have. Camouflage is the spiritual so that you, the spiritual must be okay because we got this coping in the physical and because the coating looks good.

The inside must be okay because I wasn't close to God's likeness.

One close the door be where I am Education that I have okay if I wasn't close to God. His portrait second verse 17 you do not know you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. He says when you come to a close genetic so you see the district finance fashion pharmaceutical what you think you can see what your expensive glasses on your block to be black is to be blind to not know it's bad to be met. But it's mostly negative and not know you undressed the people you don't know it's bad nonstop and you don't know you well come to church or Bible Fellowship, but your playing games committed to me, not dedicated to me what you're doing is coming to showtime at the church you come for the performance of the choir. The performance of the preacher you come for the firemen, but when it comes to your commitment you trying to satisfy the public. You try to satisfy the success of Wall Street and replace out there because you got a but I will give you the amen disobedient. The final word. The conclusion and what I say is the bottom line is that you will see you like a beautiful call on the showroom floor of an automobile dealership with no engine you got the look, but you don't have the reality and the worst part about it is you don't even know you know anybody was messed up deluded messed up because you will not accept the spiritual perspective. First, you would judge yourself by what they say not what I'm saying in what I am saying here is different than what everybody else is westward in your veil along and I am right because the amen I made you not on the creator. So what we do once we make that realization. Dr. Evans will come back with the answer just a moment. First I want to let you know that the lesson your hearing today is being highlighted and bundled with 19 other powerful messages from Dr. Evans. If you make a donation to help us keep Tony's teaching coming your way we'd like to send you this new collection.

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Right now get back to today's lesson we want to do law would want to do what you do. Verse 18 is you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, could you not rich you think you rich, but you not in white garments because of the fashion district so that you may close yourself and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed because of the pharmaceutical district to anoint your eyes so that you may see. So guess what I want to do.

I want to make you truly rich. I want to give you real close and I want to open your eyes so that you can see, but the only way you get any of that is from buy from me. In other words, I'm the only one who can do that to you trick you will be impressed by you. You need to I need to we need to be close to full cooling to give us Jesus's perspective, even if they don't have your money, your car, your house, close. That's why James two decries the man who's got stuff you got stuff. He's got monies got wealthy got recognition. He's got no erotic he's got power and somebody poor comes and sits next to this person don't have all the finest) none help much money this person don't have much to give.

But they know God, but the rich person don't want to sit next to a poor person because they got the world standard world standard so not in my class what Jesus was classically accept you and Jesus gladly accepts me is that you James and tell the poor man when you go into the back because we favor the rich folk. This is up front. He says don't you know you are evil people with evil motives of classism in the church of Jesus Christ because some people have other people don't know that the spiritual is first. That's why we don't have people on the back give a lot of money because you know better than the widow of a fixed income. Maturity law is the law of classism and racism rates in the church of Jesus Christ says to the church make can't stand world jump into the family of God better than somebody else. Did you have more than somebody else when somebody that would you have. Maybe the present God that you got the MVA PhD.but you know better than a high school graduate with God's is God that which God has entrusted you, but you know better than God, is God who can speak way into your life. I have chosen the poor of this world to be the speaker into the life what God does on never to be an elitist church that only response the big-name people with big-name monies and big-name homes of big-name car across across across the world in the same grace. So Jesus said, I got some advice for focal put the physical in front of the spiritual battle for me. You got to get all my page.

You gotta start with me, not what they say and not with the television is not with the media saying the pundits say if you start with me. Verse 19 those whom I love your child of God who loves you those one love, I reprove and discipline, I will create some situations in your life is called discipline.

I'm going to bring some corrective measures into your world. I will put you in the situations money can buy you out of I will put you in situations you can dress up for. I will put you in situations to deal with your blindness will bring some plan into your life actually know that all stopped at the world makes you feel wrong about Joseph can go until I can get so undivided attention remain but I am trying to correct some things that need to be corrected, so I don't have to. You of my to do with you is because I love you because I don't want to be divided from you when you and I can't see the spiritual because we let the physical block the world's ideology block, then you will not be able to see what God wants to do new member Joshua and Caleb when they were going to the promised land intensifies that we can go that could look at the physical physical sales. Their giants in the land Joshua and Caleb sent not seen, but I you not seen because if you were sitting with God to see.

You can see we can go in and take that, but they were so entranced with the physical that they missed the spiritual and wind up wondering for 40 years in the wilderness. You don't want to spend the rest of your life wondering looking good.

Wondering around in circles with money in your pocket, wondering not getting anywhere but you got a nice house the spiritual being able to see things from God's perspective seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

When the spiritual is put ahead of the physical place throughout the Bible God says farmers worship me on my kingdom glorify Jesus and the spiritual must be put in front of the physical.

So what would we do okay what verse 20 behold, I stand at the door and knock. Behold, I said at the door and not all of Leo Bible Fellowship is knocking me down in charge of United page up and open up. You shall not, so you can get all the things I want to get around and they got good all the time God is not just because you have been charged only Jesus and what the sanctuary is lukewarmness. Christians who are not all just one a little religion to make them feel like something, but do not want Jesus Christ to rule in their lives in their direction. Their decisions do not spiritual energy business. I cannot. So how do you know for sure what you're hearing is really Jesus knocking on the door of your heart. Dr. Evans will have a final thought about that when he comes back in just a moment to read about this message.

Called a challenge toward authenticity. If you like to hear the full length version comes as a part of our current series the best of Tony Evans 2020.

As I mentioned earlier, all 20 messages in this collection are our gift to you. When you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station and for a limited time. We are also including a copy of his devotional book called for a purpose described by Tony Evans.org we can get all the details and make your donation online again that's Tony Evans.org or you can call her 24 hour resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 let one of our team members help you with your request.

Dr. Evans is back now with the question for us to consider. So the question is how do you know what you heard. Here's how you know the knocking on the door God is convicting you of your blindness you feel convicted that yes that's me standing in the need of prayer that you feel this child of God on your heart you know you playing games with me. You know you just going through the religious motions you know that there is not a full commitment to me and he starts talking you start to feel uncomfortable squirming in your seat. Although he did not move this assault on the inside you know God is talking to you. That means you hearing and he's calling your name. He says if anyone hears my voice cannot disturb you world I messed up your situation that you had money and I keep things breaking down that you can pay for college about nice clothes and you lost your job. You know how to create a disciplinary situations and now you never made the connection between what's going on in the stuff you have from the world. But now you see that as a possible link you just heard. If you're ready to open the door and let God in go to Tony Evans.org right now, and click the link on the homepage that simply says Jesus there. Dr. Evans has what could be the most important message you've ever heard. It's a quick explanation of how you can find God's forgiveness for everything you've ever done wrong to be 100% sure that you have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ that guarantees you a place in heaven. You can also download some free follow-up resources, so check it out today.

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