Bible Study 3-24-26

((music playing)) Oh my ((music playing)) baby. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Hey, ((music playing)) hey, hey. Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Oh yeah. ((music playing)) Oh yeah. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. N. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat. Heat. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat. Heat. N. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) It's ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Oh, ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) hey.

Heat. ((music playing)) Heat. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Yeah. ((music playing)) Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat. Heat. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Hallelujah. Wherever you are, just lift your hands. Let's just begin to usher in the presence of the King ((music playing)) of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Lord, we thank you and we praise you. Hallelujah. >> Yes.

The world [singing] will bow down and say you ((music playing)) are God. Every man will bow down and say ((music playing)) you are king. [singing] So let's ((music playing)) start right now. [singing] Why would we come on? Let's sing this together. [music and singing] >> Fill this place. >> Fill this. ((music playing)) >> I just want to be w to be with you. >> Just wanna be with you. >> Just wanna [music and singing] be with you. >> So let's start right now.

So let's start right [singing] now. ((music playing)) >> Why would we wait? We ((music playing)) can praise you now [singing] >> in victory ((music playing)) and see your glory. [music and singing] ((music playing)) >> Just want to be with you. >> Want to be with you. Just want to ((music playing)) be with you. >> Just want to be with you. >> Oh, the king ((music playing)) of glorious.

((music playing)) >> I just want to be want to ((music playing)) be with you. >> Just want to be with you. >> Just wanna be with you. So we'll [music and singing] sing halleluah until you come again. ((music playing)) Halleluah. [singing] And we'll dance in your presence ((music playing)) until you come again. So we'll [music and singing] sing hallelujah until you come again.

((music playing)) And we'll dance in your presence until you [singing] come again. ((music playing)) Oh sing hallelujah. [singing] >> Sing hallelujah. >> You come ((music playing)) again. >> Yes. [singing] We'll dance in your presence. >> We'll ((music playing)) dance in your presence. >> We'll sing hallelujah. We'll ((music playing)) single you ((music playing)) again. >> And we'll dance your presence. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) [singing] >> Just want to be ((music playing)) with you.

Just want to be with you. >> Just want to be with you. ((music playing)) [singing] ((music playing)) >> Just want to be with you. >> Just want to be with you. >> Just want to be with you. ((music playing)) >> Just [singing] want to be Come on, let's do it together. The king of ((music playing)) glory, >> king of glory. >> Fill [music and singing] this place.

Just want to be with you. >> Just want to be with you. >> Just [music and singing] want to be with you. >> Come on, let's sing. Say, King of glory, >> King of [singing and music] glory, >> fill this place. >> Build this. We just wanna be >> just wanna [singing] be with you. >> We just ((music playing)) wanna be with you. >> We just [singing] wanna be with you. >> Hallelujah.

((music playing)) >> Good evening. Good evening. Good evening everyone. Thank you for joining us tonight at First Baptist Church of anointing for our Bible study tonight. God bless you. Let me let me start by thanking our young people for leading us in praise and worship tonight. Thank them singing about the King of Glory.

So proud of our young people who have a they have a vibrant relationship with God. And let me thank the Lord for you who've joined us tonight. I'm finishing up a series I started a couple of weeks ago uh dealing with purpose. And I'm going to pray before we get into the final se section of this teaching tonight.

And uh if you are joining us tonight for the first time and don't have the notes, they're going to put a a link or a website to go where you can go and download the link to Bible study and all you have to do is fill in the blanks.

So they'll put that up in just a moment. But let me thank you again for carving out the time every Tuesday night to be with us. I'm so thankful and so grateful from the depths of my heart that there are people who really do believe in the study of God's word.

And I'm thankful that God is allowing us to be able to study together. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the privilege and opportunity to share with the people of God these uh lessons. We pray that you guide us this night. Pray that you would speak to our hearts. help somebody get the clarity of why you created them, what your purpose is for their lives.

I pray, Father, that if there are persons here who are unsaved and don't have a relationship with you, that you would draw them to your kingdom, draw them to a place of having assurance. Help them to recognize what you've called them to do in their life. And I thank you, Father, tonight for your uh your privilege of giving us this ability to cry out to you for clarity and direction.

In the mighty and precious name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen. Okay. Uh yes, I'm going to really quickly go through what we've already covered. I'm going to start, let me start by reading Romans 8:28 through30. Romans chapter 8:28 through30 because it gives us uh really a framework for understanding what our purpose is.

Uh here's the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome and he says this to them. One of the most famous verses. If you don't have this verse highlighted in your Bible, you should. Is a very very significant verse. And it says, "And we know." I like that right there.

We know. We don't assume. We don't think. We don't hope. We know. There are some things we hope for, but there are other things that we know. And here's what he says. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose.

Take a pen. Pause right there. He says, "We know that everything that happens in our lives works together for good if you love God and if you have been called according to what his purpose is. And if you've accepted the Lord Jesus, that would that would be you. uh hopefully that you've been called according to what his purposes are.

That you know what that means? It's not your purpose. It's not your assignment is his. And he says we know here's something we know that all things work together. Everything that happens is working toward good for us to become and be what God wants us to become and be and do. to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose, for whom he forneew.

He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. That too is a key verse. He forneew. God knew ahead of time. He forneew. He fordetermined. He predestined. It says he forneew for those who he already knew ahead of time that he had a purpose for them.

He also predestined, predetermined that they would be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. God already determined and predestined that whatever would be necessary in your life for you to be [snorts] conformed to the image of Jesus. Whatever God had to make happen, so much things, so many things that have happened in your life occurred because God was setting you up to be used for his purpose.

So where you were raised, where you were born, who your parents were, what part of the world you or country or state, city, whatever you were born in and raised in, all of it plays a role in helping to shape you for what God wants you to do and be uh in your life.

We're over verse 30. Whom he predestined, these he also called. And whom he called, these he also justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. Look at that progression. He predestined, he called, he justified, and he glorified. I love all of this. He called you. He issued a buck a beckon for you.

Some of you, God's been calling you, but you haven't responded. He wants you to respond. He's calling you and he justified you. I love that word justification. It means God made you holy. It means God lifted you up from whatever pure, whatever condition you were in. And that word justification means to be made holy.

God uh declared you innocent and he made you holy. Oh, that's wonderful because you can't get not you cannot get holy on your own. But in fact, God made you and I to be holy. and those who he justified. Oh, excuse me. He also these he also glorified.

He glor He's going to put you in a place to help him get be to be glorified. That's what all of that means. So, so that's why that's why you're here. God created you to give him glory, to bring his name, his kingdom, his character to a place where he gets the glory.

God elevates you and puts you in a posture to glorify him. Miles Monroe said that the here's what he says. He says the original intent for the creation of a thing is what purpose is. That's how he defined it. The original intent for the creation of a thing.

What is the original intent for why God has created you? God created you for a specific purpose, a specific specific deal. That's the original intent. And m matter of fact, I believe when something is used for something other than why it was created, that's called abuse. So when you utilize something for something other than why why it was created, that's abuse to it.

So if you're not being used for what God created you for, you're being abused. uh he also Miles Monroe says that the original reason for the existence of a thing why God created it in the first place and he says that the cause for the creation of a thing that's what purpose is God gives us a purpose for that now having said that in Romans 8:20 8:28 I'm just going to go through this real quick all things we know that all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose uh you know what let Just mention for a moment all things that means that everything that may have happened in your life, God's causing it to work collectively together for your good.

Uh and this is true for those who love God and to those who are called according to what purpose he set forth for you. Now purpose also has a definition in the Bible to say to mean this. It means to set forth place in view and to be show showbread.

What does that mean? To set forth, place in view, show bread. Here's what that means. Here's what God is trying to get us to understand. That he um they would put 12 loaves of bread that was placed on the table in the t temple each Sabbath that would be offered to God.

And the purpose of that uh being there, the whole reason it was is placed there is the bread was stacked on the table every week and the bread was placed close to the presence of God and it was set in a holy place. By the way, all of these things also reflect about you that God has prepared you to put you on a table and place you in close proximity and in the presence of God.

He put you in a holy place. Uh, and these 12 loaves represented the 12 tribes of Israel. Ain't that that's important that each loaf e each loaf of bread represented the 12 tribes. That means all of the people in the 12 tribes every Sabbath was put on the table.

And they were put on the table presented to God every Sabbath for the purpose that it would be there for seven days that it would give a representation to God. But it was 12 loaves that was to be fresh and always on display. Here's the key word, on display.

The 12 loaves that were to be fresh and always on display. God wants to put you on display. And I think I talked about this already last week. God wants the world to see his power working through you and working through your life. It's important for you to get that and understand that that God has called you, anointed you, gifted you, brought you out of darkness, and brought you into his marvelous light uh for the express purpose of you and I being put on display.

That's what showbread means. The bread was put on the table for the express purpose of being put on display. And here we are. Uh you and I are called together according to Romans 8:28. uh to for his purposes. We are predestined according to what he created us for.

Uh there you get Romans 8:29 and Ephesians 1:11. Uh we are created to show his power. Romans 9:17. We have been put in a posture or place to show the power of the Lord, to show his might in and through your life. I I I I don't know how to make people understand how important and how significant this is that God's eyes are looking to and fro.

God's looking about the world for people to whom and through whom he can show himself strong and mighty. And that's what God wants to do with you. Uh he wants his power to be demonstrated through you. Amen. I think that to me that makes me want to shout and celebrate it.

And what I love about 2 Timothy 1:es 8-11, it tells us that we are called regardless of our failures. I know sometimes the devil wants you to think and believe that once you have failed, once you have made a mistake that God cannot use you. And a part of what I want you to get in your heart and mind is we serve a God who makes you holy.

That's what justification mean. He makes you holy. He brings you out of the hole you were in and how raggedy you lived and the mistakes that you made. God brings you up out of that for the purpose of showing his power and might. And for some of us, when you look back over your life and what you've come through, the fact that God could pick you and do something fabulous with your life, some people think that's impossible to happen, but that's the reality.

That's the truth. that God wants to show himself strong and mighty in you, through you, through your life. So, uh, I want you to get a hold of understanding that truth and that revelation that that's what God wants to do. That regardless of how you have failed, let me read this real quick.

Uh, 2 Timothy 1:es 8-11. Therefore, we do not Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. I'm just going through this real quick. They might not put it up on the screen, but I'm going to real quick. Oh, there it is. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.

What did the power of God do? Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, not according to what you did, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. I I I can't remember if I talked about this last time, but here's what God did.

I And I love this verse right here that God calls us and gives us and extends to us a holy call. That's what he get he extended to us a holy calling. Not according to what our works are, not according to what you did, but according to his own purpose and grace, according to what God's purposes are, and according to the grace that he extends to us, which was given to us in Christ Jesus.

And when did he give it to us? Before the world before time began. Before the the world was created, God already assigned grace to you and I. He already knew we would fail him. He knew ahead of time. Then it says in verse 10, "But now, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

This is the power of the gospel. Oh, can let me read that one more time. It's been revealed by the appearing of our our savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death. And when he abolished death, he abolished the power of death. We don't have to fear dying. He abolished death and its power and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Verse 11, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. Paul says, "This is the assignment God gave me. Here's what here's the anointing he gave to me. Here's the call that is upon me. He appointed me a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher to the Gentiles.

That was Paul's a part of what Paul's assignment was. Now, you you and I have been saved also. Likewise, God has an assignment to us for us, and he has given us grace to do it before time began. Amen. I I I love that verse right there. I love it.

I think it's a very important thing. Now, I want to go back and take a look real quick. I want to just highlight. I know I'm rushing a I'm ahead. I'm I'm going over this. It's so good. This is This is, you know, every time I go through this stuff, I have to slow down and think about what God did for me.

How he created me so that I could be an instrument of his power. How he called me according and predestined me according to his purposes for my life long before I even knew I had a purpose or who I was. And that he called us regardless of the failures that we've made. that that I don't know if you get that or not, but that's God extended grace to you and I.

We have the grace of God um that God has given to us so that we could fulfill his assignment for us. Now uh this is demonstrated through the uh life and we can know our purpose by watching the example that Nehemiah sets and that's what I want to do.

I want you to know your purpose through the example. Nehemiah gives us insights on this. Again, I'm just re rehashing real quick what I already covered in the previous uh last couple two weeks ago. Uh how do we know what our purpose is? Number one, we know what it is because God gives us a burden, a passion.

I think I called it a passion. uh and that's in Nehemiah 1:es 3-4 and chapter 2:1 17 that uh here Nehemiah had a burden for the his home country his hometown his home city Jerusalem the walls had been torn down broken in pieces burned with fire Jerusalem had been attacked and and and invaded and the walls torn down and the people were living and feeling unprotected back home and he had a burden about it and in those verses, he tells us that he had a he had he wept and cried and mourned and even was turned to fasting and praying because he was so burdened by what the condition of his home city, hometown, home country was.

Here's how you know what you'll call it begins with a burden. Something that you just can't shake. It won't go away. It keeps on beckoning you. keeps and you and you have a you you have something beckoning you to come and do something about it. You you feel uh and a a draw to do something about it.

You you you get an appeal and that's what that's what this burden or this passion I I called it passion in my sermon the other other Sunday is a passion that that just will not go away. And then secondly um he got resources or provision. I use the term provision.

God gave him uh gave Nehemiah resources. The the king that he was working for, Nehemiah was u a cup bearer in the king's uh house and he would eat the king's food and drink his drink before he the king did so that in case someone was trying to kill him, kill the king that uh Nehemiah would uh die instead of the king.

That was his job. Uh and he told the king one day who saw him looking sad. You know, the king said, why are you so sad? This is Nehemiah chapter 2:es 2-8, why are you so sad? He said, you know, my my my homeland is in shambles. Uh um let's look at verse three of chapter 2.

Let me see if I can call up verse three of chapter 2. It says, "And said to the king, may the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my father's tombs lies waste and its gates are burnt with fire?

Then the king said to me, "Why do you what do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. He said, I pray to the God of heaven. Verse four. And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if you if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my father's tombs, that I may rebuild it."

And the king said to me, the queen also sitting beside him, "How long will your journey be? And when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time. Furthermore, I said to the king, verse 7, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the river that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah." and a letter to Asth, the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me timber, to make beams for the gates of the citadel, which pertain to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.

And the king granted them to the to me according to the good hand of my God upon me. I what I so much I love about this, Nehemiah had the courage to ask the king for resources. He asked him for a letter, a passport that I can pass through the cities and countries and territories to get back to my homeland.

And he says, "I'm asking you uh to let me to let me go and to to your to the uh the store, the the keeper of the king's forest, that he'll give me timber to make beams for the gates and uh gates for the the citadel, which pertain to the temple.

Give me give me wood that I can rebuild the walls. Give me woods that I can build the gates and give me wood that I can build a house that while I'm there I have a place to live. And I love this. And the king verse eight. And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

He knew God's hand was upon him. And some of you need to know that God's hand is upon you. God has put his hand on you. And he wants you to know and understand he has a call upon your life and he wants to use you for his glory.

And so uh point two is God gives you not only a passion but he gives you provision. He gives you resources to help make it happen. Here's number three. He gives you opportunity or I I use the term possibilities. God gives you the opportunity. He opens up a door.

Whatever God has called you to do, he gives you the opportunity to do it when the time is right. He gives you the opportunity. So it's is it's critically important that you recognize that. So verse number Nehemiah chapter 2:6, it says, "The king said to me, the queen also sitting beside him, how long will your journey be and when will you return?

And here's a here's the opportunity." So it pleased the king to send me and I set him a time. God gave him time off. The king gave him time off. Yes, you can go and take care of this uh and just let me know when you're going to come back.

And that's that's opportunity. He gave him the opportunity. He said, "Your job will still be here when you get back." He g he gave him possibilities. God will give you opportunity. I tell people all the time, if God's called you to preach or whatever whatever God has called you to do, whatever the assignment is that God has called you to do, he will make it possible for you to do it, he will raise up an opportunity for it h to happen.

Then we come to this fourth thing here. You also know that you uh whatever your call is, you'll have player haters. That's what I call it, player haters. You will have opposition. That's what that means. You will have people who will stand against you, fight against you, try to halter you, try to distract you, hate what you're doing.

Don't be surprised. It goes with the territory. It goes with the assignment. I want to say that again because it's so easy to get distracted and discouraged when people come along and say bad things about you. You know, and some of some I think it's unfortunate that some people have allowed the words and the hatred of some people to discourage you from what it is God has given to your hand to do.

And and and I want to tell you, don't get discouraged by anything that anybody uh has to say or do to discourage you. Matter of fact, I view and I embrace opposition as God's indication that I'm headed in the right direction. That's matter of fact, that's what I believe.

I know. I know that to be true. The enemy is not I know y'all heard me say this a million times. Let me say it again. The enemy is not going to sit back and watch you walk into God's purposes for your life without trying to halt you, distract you, dissuade you, or turn you in a different direction.

Of course, that's an indication you're headed in the right direction because the enemy knows if you ever get to the place where you function in why God created you, he knows you represent a serious threat to his kingdom and he doesn't want you to get there. And so here's these fellas Sam Ballot and Tobaya uh uh who tried their hardest along with another era named Gisham.

They tried to dis they created lies. They said that Nehemiah was trying to replace the king and he was rebelling against the king and he was doing everything he could to try to discourage uh discouraged them from doing what it is God had called them to do. And thanks be to God, uh Nehemiah did not get discouraged.

He did not get dissuaded. And don't you get dissuaded in what it is God has called you to do. I think that is so important. Okay. And then number five, point five that I shared I think I shared this last time. God will raise up supporters for you or I I think I used I used the word partners.

God will raise up some people who will walk alongside you who will help you bring it to pass. God will raise up partners and God raise up some men. We don't know their names. They don't they never tell us their names but they are support they are supporters.

Uh it says in uh uh Nehemiah 2, it says uh in verse 12, he says, "One night he got up and a few men went with him. He told nobody what God has put in his heart, but some men still went with him. Some men supported him. They partnered with him.

Uh and there was nobody with him except those few men. Uh he didn't have any animals or anything like that. He just had one. Matter of fact, he had one beast that he rode on. Just the one that he rode on. uh one one animal uh the one that he wrote on and that was it.

And yet he recognized he had to go and do what it is um that was upon him. Let me read verse 18 of chapter 2 real quick for just a second because this too when you talk about partners, the biggest partner you need to know that you have is the is is God on your side.

And he says this, "And I told them of the hand of my God, which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me." So they said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to do this work.

These men went with him. In verse 12, it says, "And a few men went with him." And he all he had was one animal that he rode on. And he said, "I" he said, I told these men about the hand of God that was upon me. Uh his good hand uh was good upon him.

And he said also the king's words that had been spoken to him. The kings gave him instructions, gave him resources, and they said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to this good work. Now, so you're going to have partners. Now, here's one other this my here's the the sixth and final thing I want to say is affirmations.

Affirmations. I think that's an important point, too. I don't think I gave I think this is where I stopped last time is affirmations. Let me just say a word about this. I I I I don't have a verse to give you per se, but I think it's important for you to recognize that God will not only raise up partners with you, he will raise up people who will recognize God's hand on your life, and they will affirm what it is that you choose to do.

They will affirm that they see God's hands upon you. Uh, I think it's one thing some people been called uh not by God but by others. That's one thing to think that your calling comes from others. What I'm not talking about you thinking that because somebody told you you supposed to be a preacher that you're a preacher?

No, no, no. Do you have a burden? Has God given you provision? Has God opened up opportunities? Has people hated on you because of it? The direction you're going in? Have you got supporters to help you bring to pass what it's necessary? Here's what I'm talking about. After you've gone through a bunch of that, there ought to be some affirmation from people who see God's hand on your life.

I think I'm I am persuaded that this is a very very important element is is that and some of you see God's hand on other people and I want you not to be afraid to affirm uh that on them. Um I want you to I I think it's important that you have that affirmation. uh because sometimes people struggle with knowing is this just me or [clears throat] feeling this uh or is God in fact does God in fact have a destiny for my life and so look for affirmations and I hope I can I I hope I'm making a distinction between um whether or not uh you you know you you feel it or whether or not God is affirming it in you and I believe God will give you affirm ations.

So that's important. Now having said all of that, let me go to yet another component of this. And I want to tell you um that for many of us, God's assignment on your hand is widespread. It's not and and here's what I say about it. I said God created us for not just one thing, but God, you and I have more than just one assignment in our life.

You know, you might do one thing, but it it spreads wider than just one element. And we see ele we see this repeated repeatedly in scripture. And I think I do think this is important that you just don't narrowly put yourself in such a narrow uh arena. And I look at my own life and I I see how God has given me multiple assignments for my life.

I um I am a I am a preacher of the gospel. I at one point in my life I was an evangelist. My my assignment was preaching the gospel as a youth pastor. That was that for that section and time of my life. I was going around preaching youth revival and youth services on Sunday.

But I didn't stay in that posture. God had yet more for me. And ultimately one I I became a pastor. God called me to be a senior pastor. I pastored a small church in King George, Virginia. And then I transitioned from that to be the pastor of First Baptist Church, Glen Art.

And that that's an that's an anointing that is still on my life. That's a call that's still on my life. But that's not the only call on my life. I am the president of a denomination. I'm leading pastors. I'm coaching, mentoring pastors and teaching them how to be effective communicators, teaching them how to lead churches.

I am mentoring pastors across this country. Uh, and I'm I'm honored that God would choose to let me be an instrument to do that. I'm humbled by that, that God open up those doors. I am also the chairman of the board of the National Association of Evangelicals. I am leading an organization.

I am the president of a denomination, Converge. I got multiple hats I'm wearing. And and I'm saying all of this to say uh your giftings and call can spread throughout a multiplicity of opportunities, a multiplicity of opportunities for you to let God use you to impact people's lives.

I never dreamed when I was a teenager uh and started preaching as a a youth minister that God had all of these doors in front of me, all of these opportunities in front of me. You cannot imagine where God is going to take you. And and a part of what I'm trying to do is trying to push you along and tell you recognize what God's call is on your life.

What is the burden that you have? What is it that God wants you to do? What what what has God done? What provisions has he provided? What doors has he opened? What opportunities has he given? What what are people hating you about? Uh what supporters have been raised up? and where what's the affirmations that you get and all of these things that I'm talking to you about that I'm doing now I got affirmations from them I got affirmation that came along I remember when uh I remember when uh pastors start coming to me and saying will you be my covering pastor I I rejected it I I I dismissed it I I didn't I thought I actually thought they were joking with me because at that point in my life I never felt that God could use me in that way.

And yet more and more people kept coming to me. I think the first five or six pastors that came to me, I I rejected thinking that I could do that. I didn't think that that's something that God would have for me to do. But when they kept when people kept coming and I then I started praying about it.

And those people coming to me were affirmations for me that that's what God was calling me to do. And it was the opportunity that they wanted me to coach and mentor them. And so I'm here today to and right now I'm I'm pastoring and covering 126 pastors around the country, around the world.

We got a pastor in Canada. We got a pastor in Germany. We got a pastor in the Philippines. Uh these are opportunities that God opened up and I got the affirmation when so many people came. So many of these pastors can said, "Will you be my my pastor?

Will you cover And so I I'm just trying to coach you and mentor you on the on why what it is God wants you to do. And for many of you, it's going to be multiple things, multiple arenas that God wants to use you for his glory. And I just want you to get a hold of that and an understanding that what God wants to do with you is much greater than you ever dreamed or imagined.

Now the there are examples of of of things God created having multiple purposes. Let me look at for example the sun. Look at the sun. Oh, let me start. Oh, I'm sorry. Before I go to that, let me talk about uh let me talk about Moses. How God used Moses uh and Moses did a number of things.

God used Moses uh to be a spokesman uh for God to the Pharaoh. That's and I hope you understand that's good news. God used used Moses to go to the Pharaoh and tell them, "Let my people go." He used Moses uh to bring them uh give them victory over the Amalachites when they had a battle.

God used Moses. Moses was the instrument that God wanted to use. God used um uh the priest uh again uh he was God's priest for Israel. He was the the avenue that communicated to the people on behalf of God, on behalf of him. God God used uh uh uh Moses for that.

And he was the lawgiver of God's command. It was Moses who went up into the mountain and came back with the ten commandments from God. Uh even though when he got down there, he got so angry he threw the ten commandments down. But it came back that he recognized um uh he shouldn't have done that and he went back and God gave him a fresh batch, a fresh tablets again uh with those ten commandments.

He was God's uh uh lawgiver. God gave him the law to take to the children of Israel. And God used him to be the author of the first five books of the Bible. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. The Torah as we know it, as we call it.

God used Moses to bring that to pass. These are a multiplicity of arenas that God used Moses to be an instrument for his glory. Ultimately is for his glory. He was a spokesman that spoke to Pharaoh for about the people being set free. That God used Moses for the children of Israel to defeat the Amalachites.

He was God's priest. He was the person that God used to bring the give the law to the children of Israel. And he was the author of the first five books of the Bible. one man has has all these opportunities that God raises up for him to have the capacity and the ability to be his servant.

Now you can see all those verses and hopefully write them down. I hope you will take the opportunity and the time to go and read these passages and see how God used this one man uh in a tremendous way. And again, I these he's a he's an example for us that God wants to use him for these things.

Let me let me also go a step further and let you see how God um created all of us for more than one purpose. And Paul is an example of that. Paul was used by God. What was he used to be? He was used to be a minister and a witness for God.

He Acts chapter 26 here, God raises him up to be a minister of the gospel. He went from being a torturer of the church to be a mouthpiece to the church. That's how God used him. He was God's instrument. God used him to bring the gospel to the Gentiles.

It was Moses. Ephesians 3:8. Matter of fact, call that verse up for me real quick. I want to read that verse very quickly. That God used Moses to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. You and I are Gentiles. And the gospel came to us uh through the apostle uh uh Paul.

Uh and so um here's what here's what Ephesians 3:8 says, "To me who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given that I should preach among the Gentiles the uncarchable riches of Christ." I love that verse two. He said, "I'm I'm the least of all of the people, but God gave me grace.

This grace was given to me that I should preach among the Gentiles. That's you and I. We're Gentiles. Well, us, we're not Jews by birth. We're Gentiles. But Paul was given the assignment of preaching the gospel and bringing forth the riches of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

And that's you and I. So here here he's a minister of the gospel. He brings uh the gospel to the Gentiles. And finally, he is the person used to write the majority of the New Testament. Paul wrote most of the New Testament. Here's a man again who once tortured the church, but now God's using him to uh build up the church.

Get he's getting people saved. He's preaching the gospel. He's he's discipling the church. He's teaching them how to live for the Lord. That's what Paul is doing. He's teaching them how to live as a Christian. And here he he he shares this. And matter of fact, the church in Ephesus is one of the most powerful churches out of all of the seven churches in Asia Mana.

This church was really celebrated by the Lord. It was highlighted and celebrated. And that's that's how God used him. And and I I read all of this to tell you that God wants to use you in such a way. Now, let me let me let me close with this.

This is not going to be on your on the slides, but let me just tell you that even in nature, we see that God used the sun. He used trees. He used animals to be able to demonstrate that we have multiple purposes. The sun, for example, separ separate here.

The sun has multiple purposes. It separates the night from day, the day and night. That's what it does. It's a day and a night. The sun m makes that happen. It marks the seasons uh the days, the years. the sun, you know, the earth circles around the sun and we have our seasons and we're able to count once we go around one time the the years and helps us to count the days.

Uh the sun gives light to the earth. It brings light to the world. Uh that's those are just some some of the purposes of the sun and I can go on and on with how it gives food to plants and how it it uh uh controls the tides of the water.

We can talk about how the sun does all of that. So it it has multiple purposes. Let's look at trees. Trees give oxygen into the atmosphere. It gives shade from the sun. Some trees produce fruit that we can eat. Fruit that grows on the tree that we can eat.

So it has it has multiple purposes. Animals what do they do? We from animals. We have food. We eat we eat some of these from some animals. Yes sir. And it it can provide clothing for us. It has multiple purposes. Now, if God could cause the sun and the trees and the animals to have multiple purposes, so can you.

That there's so much of a broader scale of what God has for you. And God wants you to recognize it and see what it is he's created for you to do. Every last one of you have a purpose. You're not just the result of a encounter between your mother and your father.

You are the creation of God. He created you and brought you in to this world. God can and will use you and he will extend to you grace. That makes me want to shout right there that God will give you some grace. He will smear you with grace.

And that word grace means God empowers you to be what you're supposed to be, do what you're supposed to do, and have the desire. He'll give you the desire to do it. He'll give you the gifts to do it. He'll give you the passion to do it. He'll give you the burden to do it.

He will empower you to be what you're supposed to be and do what you are supposed to do. Now, for those of you who are running from God, it is my assignment here today to try to rebuke you and tell you to make your way back to the things of God in your life and say yes to him.

Stop running from God. Stop avoiding him. He He has created you for purposes to give him glory. And I want you to know that's what God wants to do. He wants to use you. So don't run away. All right. Now, I got a bunch of questions coming in here.

So, let me just begin by taking some of these questions. Let me see. Um, let's see. Here's question number one. Good evening. Do the affirmations come from people or does God speak to you in some way? I believe affirmations come in both ways. I believe it comes from people and I can I also believe God can confirm it by other ways.

He can affirm it by speaking to you in scripture. So many times God has affirmed my call by causing a verse in scripture to just leap off the pages at me. If you some of you maybe have uh experienced that how God will take uh the scriptures that you have read a thousand times and cause you to see something that you never seen before.

That can be an affirmation from God. That can be a uh a word from the Lord to say, "Yes, I've called you." But it's also God can use people to come and speak to you. Not not again, this is not you asking people. This is people seeing something in you that they want to affirm that they see God's hand upon your life.

And so, I believe that's an important deal. Here's number two. Does everyone have a calling on their lives or only certain people? I've been looking to understand my purpose and identify what it is, asking God to reveal it to me, but I'm still unsure. I believe everyone has some sort of call on your life, some sort of a an assignment.

Yes, I believe everyone has a calling. Now, is everybody called to the ministry? No. Some people are called to other matters, other things. So there are all kind you know and I think the way we've discovered what our call is first of all is as I've already taught this earlier in this lesson learn what your spiritual gifts are.

Uh if you can't figure out what your call is my prayer is to encourage you to learn what your spiritual gifts are. And we we spent already a couple uh weeks ago we looked at the types of gifts you know the motivational gifts the uh ministry gifts and the manifestational gifts.

I don't have time to go through them all again. You might want to go back and see if you can get those teachings. But discover what your gifts are and start with the motivational gifts. What motivates you to do what it is that you do? What's motivating you?

So I'm my motivational gift is mercy. I'm compassionate. I feel the pain of other people. And it is manifested in me through my pastoral gift. My pastoral gift. That's my ministry gift. I have a motivational gift of of mercy. I have a ministry gift of uh a pastor.

I I'm called to be a that's how my gifting is manifested. So I would I want to tell you um anybody who's unsure to tell you to that's step one. Learn what your spiritual gifts are and then use those gifts and serve. Find some arena to serve with that gift.

Do something. Go and see. And you'll find yourself being fulfilled. And by the way, whatever you do, it might not last forever. I I guess that's also what I'm saying. You you you might go and serve in an arena. It doesn't mean that you have to do whatever you're doing forever.

Do until God gives you a motivation to go do something else. Um so ultimately God I believe has a calling on everyone's life that he wants you to recognize and do. So that's what I tell you to do. Number three, pastor, can you can your passion just be excellence no matter what you serve in instead of a passion for a specific thing?

Um, well, um, I think that your passion, you might want to be excellent about something, but you you got to want to see excellent in something, you know? I I don't believe you want to be excellent in nothing. Uh, the let me let me slow down. The reason God would give you a passion for excellence and and you recognize that something's not excellent.

God lets you see that it can be excellent because he wants you to serve in that area to make it excellent. Make it an excellent thing. So don't don't get frustrated or defeated. um just whatever you see something that you think can be better, go and serve in that arena to help it become excellent, to help it become what it is that is bothering you.

So, I think when you you have the call of excellence, there's something that you want to see changed that's not excellent. So, go serve in that arena. Again, it doesn't have to be forever, but just serve until you see it get excellent or until God moves you onto something different.

Go and help it become excellent. I I can't imagine God want to show you excellence and don't want you to do anything about it. Why would God show it to you unless he wants you to do something about it? Why would he give you that passion for excellence and yet you don't do anything about it?

He wants you to help whatever it is that you you see that can be better. Go and serve in that arena to help it become everything that God might want it to be. Okay. Uh, can your purpose cause you to feel burnt out? Uh, you know, yeah, you can get burnt out.

Uh, and that's part of the reasons why the scripture tells us that there's ought to be at least one day a week that you rest. That's what the purpose of the Sabbath is, to keep you from getting burned out. That's why you work six days and you rest on one.

Uh, that it's possible to get burned out, but you know, set aside time for rest. to be rejuvenated, to be replenished. God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day even God rested. So people get burned out when they don't rest, when they don't set aside time to be renewed and to be strengthened.

God wants all of us to get uh rest and don't and don't get burnt out. Don't allow the enemy to frustrate you and cause you not to recognize that you need an opportunity for rest. So yes, it is possible um that you can get burned out. So it doesn't matter what your purpose is or even what your gifts are.

There ought to be seasons and times of you getting rest. God never called anybody to continue to work until you burn yourself out. That would be a misuse of your gift if you getting burned out. So take the time to get rest. And you know uh everybody has to figure out a cycle for their life.

What is your cycle? Maybe it's once every one one day every every seven days you take a rest. Or maybe you know you you you get a vacation period or time or you take a season off. Whatever it is, get your rest. Yes. God wants you to have rest.

Is your gift is your gift connected to your purpose? Yes. I believe I believe that's true. you have um uh a purpose and God gives you gifts to fulfill the purpose for your life. There they go together. I don't I'm not sure if I understand the question, but I don't think uh they would be separated.

I don't think God would give you a purpose for doing something, but don't give you the gifts to do it. Whatever your purpose is, God gives you the gift to fulfill the purpose. I don't I don't believe God's going to give you uh a purpose, but don't give you the gifts to fulfill it.

Yes, I believe that's true that that's what God wants you to do. Good evening, pastor. Do you do we have to limit ourselves to the service of the church? There are many people with multiple gifts that may not be celebrated in the realm of the church. Whatever you can do to give God glory, it doesn't always have to be in the church.

Even though I believe uh whatever gifts you got can be and should be used somehow in the church, but you know there's other Yeah, there are gifts outside of the church that help that if it can give if it can help give God the glory and let his name be praised, then you can use those gifts even outside the church.

So yes, uh you you can have multiple gifts. Um, you can have gifts that God will acknowledge that he's given to you to use even outside the church. I hope I hope I'm answering your question and I I'm hoping that that's what you're asking me. I am I am out of time.

Let me thank y'all for uh joining me tonight. I I don't know how to tell you how humbled I am that you all join me every Tuesday night. And we'll pick up next Tuesday uh with a new lesson. And again, I'm humbled and grateful and thankful to all of you for your love and your support and the fact that you join me uh on these Tuesday nights.

If you're on this call and you don't know the Lord Jesus, there's a phone number that's about to come up. There it is right there. There's a email address. There's a button you can click. We would love to minister Christ to you. We want to offer him to you.

Let you know that we can connect you with the Lord Jesus. And right now would be a perfect time for you to reach out to us. Or maybe you're backsliden. You need to rededicate yourself to the Lord. You started with him, but you drifted away. Now would be a perfect time for you to come.

Or maybe you're not sure of your salvation. This would be a perfect time for you to have assurance. We can help you get that assurance. Or maybe you're already saved but and you need a church. I would love to be your pastor. We would love to have you as a part of our church family.

Matter of fact, our church is a church that you can work out your soul salvation. You can you can absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt, you can work out what it is God created you to do. All right. So, thank y'all again. I love you. Pray. Keep us in your prayers.

We're praying for you. Father, thank you for the people of God. Let your perfect will be done in their lives. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Good night everybody. This is FBCG News. ((music playing)) Be a disciple and make a disciple. Be a disciple and make a disciple. ((music playing)) Here's what's happening on our church calendar.

Join Pastor John K. Jenkins, Senior, as he preaches at the pastoral installation of Dr. Jonathan Queen located at Greater First Baptist Church of Washington DC, 27013th Street Northwest. FBCG will provide transportation from the worship center. If you plan to attend, please ((music playing)) register. Let's support Pastor and Dr. Queen in his new assignment.

It was a weekend that changed the world. Experience ((music playing)) the storytelling and celebration of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection with the First Baptist Church of Glenn Arden, April 3rd through the 5th. On Good Friday, ((music playing)) April 3rd at 7 p.m., experience Glory to Glory, a powerful production that brings to life the story of Jesus's journey to the cross through compelling storytelling and original music.

With only one presentation that week, it's a meaningful opportunity to experience and invite someone in your life to experience ((music playing)) the hope and truth of the gospel. Then on Saturday at 6 p.m., we're asking our FBCG family to attend this special resurrection service as we make room for the many guests who will join us on Sunday.

On resurrection Sunday, there are four opportunities to invite your friends and family ((music playing)) to come and experience the message of Jesus through the celebration of his resurrection. 6:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and noon at the worship center with all services also streaming online. Come celebrate the hope we have because he is risen.

Ladies, it's time to get away. Join us for the Grace Girls Getaway ((music playing)) at Hilton the Maine in North Virginia. This year's theme, Beloved, is a powerful reminder that you ((music playing)) were intentionally created, deeply known, and fully loved by God. Throughout the ((music playing)) weekend, you'll experience space to be healed from what has hurt you, freed from what has held you back, and loved the way God intended.

Hear powerful messages from Dr. Kalita Forbes, Alexandra Hoover, Pastor Mary Seight, ((music playing)) and Reverend Shalita Fombi. Come experience what it means to live as his beloved. Registration is now open at ((music playing)) fbclenordan.org/getaway. ((music playing)) That's the news for this week. To learn more about these events, monthly gatherings, and all things FBCG, visit fbclarden.org. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing))