Wednesday Night Bible Study
by Nathan Whitley
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: Bible study
Scripture: Jude 21, Ephesians 5:9-11, Luke 6:36-38, James 5:19-20

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/nathan-whitley--wednesday-night-bible-study-102
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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if you have your bibles we begin sunday night looking at the near conclusion of the letter of jude and i want to share some more of that with you is that was that okay to be able to share some more from the book of jude i have the opportunity this is my third year to go to my hometown a church there asked me to have a letter a new testament letter to teach through this is my third year to do this i taught colossians first and then hebrews last year and then this year i felt led of the lord to teach through the letter of jude and so i'll be going sharing that with them this weekend so be in prayer for that i love to study the word of god i love to study it i love to teach it i want to help people to see the great truths and treasures of his words anybody love the word of god does anybody love the word of god i love the word of the lord let's go to jude there's only one chapter in jude and we're going to begin reading at verse number 22. i know bishop has been teaching from this verse i know pastor has preached from this verse recently and so i'll try to do my best to bring something out from it as well jude verses 22 and all the way through 24. he says and if some have compassion making a difference and others save with fear pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by the flesh and then he opens up and concludes with a doxology a praise or a hymn now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding great joy i want to continue our our lesson from sunday night continuing in the faith let's pray father we thank you for your word it's a lamp and to our feet and a light unto our path lord we pray that you would keep bishop and sister mccool and pastor and sister mccool safe as they travel to missouri keep them safe on their way there and tomorrow and then on their way home this weekend we also pray for those that are here those who are fighting sickness and illness and circumstances we may not know about and i pray that your word would bring some sort of refreshing and encouragement help us to see as david prayed open up my eyes and i might see wondrous things from your word help me as your servant with your word tonight in jesus name we pray and everyone said amen amen continuing in the faith now we begin uh i preached on this or taught on this a few wednesday nights ago jude wrote this letter to jewish christians they were jewish simply because we know that they have familiarity with the old testament jude refers to the old testament many times he also refers to extra-biblical content that's not found in scripture that jewish people would be familiar with such as the works of enoch and the assumption of moses which were not included in scripture and so these were jewish believers and he wanted to write and to talk to them about their shared faith their common faith their common salvation but he said i have to write to you to urge you earnestly to contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints and he goes on and begins to describe all of these false teachers or apostates those who have denounced the faith those who have left the faith let me say this as well there's a couple of words that as christians we we misunderstand one of those is blaspheme or to blaspheme the holy ghost or blasphemy and we are so scared of that word and i think it's a it's important to be fearful of that word but i want to say this you will not accidentally blaspheme do you hear me i don't think you heard me you are not going to accidentally blaspheme uh people who say well i'm afraid i blast from the holy ghost so first of all if you're saying that you didn't because somebody who has blasphemed the holy ghost is doing it with the intent of degrading the spirit and saying he is not real you're not going to accidentally do that okay the next word is apostasy which is similar to to blaspheme apostasy means to leave the faith now what i'm want to make clear to you is that you are not going to accidentally leave the faith either you hear me you're not going to accidentally blaspheme and you're not going to accident accidentally apostatize you're not it has to be an intent of your heart it has to be the intent of your being to say i denounce god and his word it's uh as the writer of hebrews was he was telling his uh his audience he said if we he said pay close attention to it lest we drift from it and what he was talking about was simply going back to the jewish rights or the law of moses after you have tasted of the truth of jesus christ that he is the fulfillment of all the things that the old testament was pointing to he is the he is the fulfillment of the types and shadows he says if you leave christ and go back to judaism you are denouncing the faith he said what else is there you can't you are you are trampling him under your feet because you're saying i've tasted i've i've experienced it but i'm still going to go back to judaism because i feel the pressure of my forebears of those in my family those who i'm connected to i got to go back to that it's easier this way you're not going to accidentally do that you have to make up your mind you have to decide in your spirit that you are going to leave the faith you will not accidentally black backslide you hear me you're not going to wake up one day god i'm backslidden it is a it is a intent of your heart that you turn around and turn just as you are repenting from your sins blasphemy and apostasizing is a repentance of what you believe in christ i repent of knowing that believing that doing that do you see what i'm saying i want you to know that there's a difference there is a difference between apostasy and doubting i want you to understand that that there is a difference between leaving the faith all together and simply having doubt now these certain these certain people who had crept into the church i talked about the sunday night they slithered in through through devious means and they begin to teach false doctrine jude would say that they've turned the grace of our god into lasciviousness or to unrestraint denying his lordship he is so he's saying there they've revealed what they believe in who they are and so be careful of them and he begins to describe them in the way only that jude can it's a fascinating a fascinating letter and he goes through this he he says they're uh the the the way of cain the air of balaam the gang saying of korra there are spots in your feasts clouds without water trees whose fruit withers raging waves of the sea wandering stars that is what these apostates these false teachers were about that's what he is trying to describe he's telling the people these jewish christians to contend for the faith they want to talk about their common salvation but instead i've got to warn you i've got to tell you to take up your sword and get ready to contend for the faith now we went through that sunday night here he says in verse number 22 and of some have compassion have compassion making a difference now going back go let's just go back one verse from sunday night keep yourselves keep yourselves before you can help somebody you got to keep yourself you can't help people if you're not helped yourself i think i think it was pastor who talked about this um in his sermon from this letter where he said he used the illustration from the uh you're riding in an airplane they tell you before you take off and they go through all the procedure of what to do if case you know you there's a emergency landing you're going into water what you're supposed to do you're supposed to help yourself before you help somebody else you can't help those who are sick if you're sick yourself you have to be healthy you have to be whole keep yourselves in the love of god and of some have compassion now he's he's told him he's told him he's warned them contend for the faith but contending for the faith involves more than just adhering to biblical doctrine and objecting false doctrine what i mean by that is the apostle james he said that religion is pure and undefiled before god is this visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep yourself unstained so contending for the faith and continuing in the faith is more than just self-preservation it's more than just defending the faith and knowing the faith you must behave the faith you must show and display the faith well how do you do that you keep yourself in the love of god and then on some you have compassion faith in christ should always lead to good works now good works does not save us but if you are saved you're going to do good works are you hearing me good works will not save you but if you are saved you will come you will do good works paul wrote in ephesians 5 9-11 for the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth proving what is acceptable unto the lord he says this and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but reprove them reprove them you are to be the light in a dark world are you hearing me if you are saved if you are redeemed and the spirit is working within you put a smile on your face and show compassion we should be the least hateful people in the world we should be the most loving kind people on our job in our classrooms why because we are making a difference if we're going to make a difference you can't be like everybody else you can't be woe is me down and out of course everybody goes through that but it's what you know about your circumstance that my circumstance doesn't change my faith and my circumstance doesn't change god but god can make a difference in my circumstance and so i'll put a smile on my face i'll i'll worship i'll lift up my hands i'll continue doing what i'm called to do i'm to be light in darkness we can't be darkness and make a difference if a world is dark we can't remain dark we have to be light we have to be in contrast with the world jesus said this in the sermon of the mount you are the light of the world you are you are to be the light of the world a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden you are to be light wherever you go even in traffic anybody ever felt like being darkness in traffic hello darkness my old friend just like it just comes over you it's just there but you know if you know what would make a difference for somebody if you smiled and said come on out right it's okay just you're already out there anyway just go ahead and just come on in you know it's i'm going to give you a little something extra here a smile now i might be a sarcastic smile but it's a smile right anybody ever felt that way but you were to be light you're to be light when things when you have to work with people who might not be light you have to be light when your boss is not light you have to be light when the doctor says it's dark you are the light of the world christians should be light salt and light everywhere we go we should bring flavor everywhere we go when you sit down at the restaurant table be salt and light put a smile on your face show somebody kindness that is making a difference contending for the faith is important but we contend for the faith by showing others what it's like to live a life of faith why would they want to be a part of christianity if you look at sound respond just like them not a difference right but somebody should say well man there's something different about you there's something there's something different about you because everybody else doesn't act that way everybody else doesn't seem to respond the way you respond what is that let me tell you what it is it's christ he's made a if you're if he's made a difference in you you should make a difference for somebody else right if he's made a difference in you you should make a difference for somebody else now he goes on and says on some have compassion on some have compassion on some have compassion does this world need compassion or what does this world need some compassion now other translations of this text say mercy compassion is being merciful to people i think we need to show some mercy jude uses the word mercy four times in this letter he says this believers have received multiplied mercy they await the merciful return of christ they show mercy to those who doubt and they show mercy to those stained mercy is god's currency mercy is god's currency and the church should do business in god's economy i don't think you hear me i'm gonna say it again mercy is god's god's currency and the church should do business in god's economy jesus said this in luke 6 36-38 be ye therefore merciful why be merciful why as your father also is merciful why should you show mercy to somebody because he has shown mercy to you has anybody ever received mercy you know what mercy is it's not getting what you deserve it's not getting what you do you're getting the opposite of what i deserve death i deserve addiction i deserve i deserve all the things that come along with how i lived but instead i've got i received light i received mercy i received newness of life does anybody receive mercy in the house that's why we should show mercy to other people having compassion mercy we are to show mercy because god is merciful has he put up with me has he put up with you long suffering is what the kjv says longs has he suffered long with you some of y'all hadn't hadn't hadn't been around for too long some of us have been around a while we're like he's been suffering along with me i live with me he's suffering long with me he continues judge not here we go i like that now we like that part don't judge me but are you showing mercy don't judge me okay you got to have something else then mercy judge not and you shall not be judged i like that stuff i like that a lot condemn not oh yeah give me that and you shall not be condemned okay now he changes things up forgive oh now hold on jesus now i like the mercy judge not condemn not stuff but forgive why would i want to do that now we use this text to talk about money but jesus he's not changing mid-stream and talking about money he says judge not and you shall not be judged condemn not you won't be condemned forgive and you shall be forgiven give he ain't talking about money i'm so sorry give we would rather give money than mercy sit you can be seated please stop stop please stop running please calm down we would rather give money than mercy we'd rather give of our finances than forgive we would rather this text be about money well you can sit there if you like i'm still teaching we would rather give anything but what people should get mercy now i want mercy but he goes on and says give and it shall be given unto you what mercy no condemnation forgiveness does anybody need that in the house does anybody need that in the house you know how you're going to get it by giving it if you're going to get mercy you got to give mercy if you want forgiveness you've got to give forgiveness oh somebody hear me right now come on shaken together running over shout what men given to your bosom men given to your bosom for with the same measure that you met with all shall it be measured to you again that's god's economy that's god's economy we wish that text was about money it would be easier for us to say it's about money but it's not about money it's about mercy and it's hard to give mercy it's hard to give mercy when you've been offended it's hard to forgive when someone's talked bad about you it's hard not to judge when they don't live like you it's hard not to condemn when they've hurt you but i want you to know if you want mercy if you want forgiveness if you want freedom i'm telling you you got to give it to somebody you're going to have to give it i've been around a while i've been around a little while i don't look like but i have but i see this in people all the time they want mercy for their family but they don't want to give it to anybody else's family somebody does wrong here they come pastor you know what they did pastor you know what they did you know what she did you know what they did and then it happens in their family pastor please forgive us oh i can't believe people would judge us you know what's happened you didn't give it in the first place you're getting what pastor talked about sunday you're going to reap what you sow if you will not sow forgiveness and mercy you're not going to get it oh somebody help me now it always you know i'm just going to be honest with you it always worries when people start asking me what you gonna do about them what you gonna do about them and then when it flips to their kids pastor i can't believe you'd set my kid down now that's not how you were talking five years ago when so-and-so's kid did the same thing you wanted to hang them up by their toes are you hearing me right now i'm preaching if you want mercy you're going to have to that's god's economy god's economy is if you're going to get mercy you better have plenty in your bank account of mercy you better have plenty in your bank account of love and compassion are you hearing me right now i know this is not popular but i'm telling you it'll change your life it'll change your life if you'll forgive somebody come on it'll change your life to get rid of that bitterness if you forgive somebody and show them some mercy oh somebody help me right now showing mercy and compassion is not a sign of weakness this is what our world needs right now showing mercy is not a sign of weakness it's displaying to others what god has done for us he says to show to show compassion making a difference now that phrase making a difference has been translated from the greek to the english as those who doubt those who doubt jew distinguishes between those who doubt and those who have completely abandoned the faith doubt does not equal unbelief there are people in this room who are at different faith stages there are some who've been here for 40 and 50 years and there are some who walked in here five weeks ago and there are some who have solidified what they have believed over years and then there are some who have doubted and you know what we should do with those who have doubted show mercy i just wish they'd get their act together i just wish they'd just come on why can't you get this why can't you just now back when i got the holy ghost well they're not you they come from a different context a different background you don't know where they're coming from you don't know where their starting line is don't judge somebody's starting line by your finish line i just wish they get their act again why don't you just get it just get it just do it just come on have compassion some people have to be loved into obedience let me say that again i don't think you heard me again some have to be loved into obedience there are sometimes i tell that little girl who lives with me i can't say her name because she gets mad at me i got this little girl who lives with me she's seven she lives with this other woman who lives with me and you know i just wish she would do what i tell her to do you know i just like i just wish that once i tell her to clean her room she'd do it and i'll say little girl who lives in my house is your room clean and she'll go man that lives in my house i'm working on it a few minutes later little seven-year-old girl who lives in my house have you cleaned up your room and she'll say man that lives in my house i'm still playing i by that point i just it starts on my feet you know it's just you just start to feel the heat just coming from your feet you're just like if i walk in there a little girl who lives with me and that room is not picked up right now i can come with the law i could come with a judgment and i might get her to change with me driving home do it do it do it do it do it do it do it or else or i have found that when i show a little compassion and i help her pick up her room there's a change in attitude there's a change in spirit right and she gets on the bed just watches me this is not the point here like this is not what i'm supposed to like right you know what i'm saying she's like get that over there yeah hey man get that over there look at that who made this mess but it changes right i'll tell you what i like to do and the other woman that lives with us sometimes gets on to me is that when the other little girl who lives with me walks out i'll go clean her room for her right i love when she walks back into that room and she goes daddy you clean my room there's a difference right showing some there's some people who you're just gonna have to help them along with their unbelief they're gonna have to help them along with their questions there are some people who just don't get it i wish everybody got it but if everybody got it the first day they got the holy ghost i wouldn't have a job wouldn't have a job but we make disciples of all men and we show compassion and mercy when they have we shouldn't show people the door just because they don't line up the first day and we shouldn't show people the door if they haven't lined up after 10 years you know what i'm doing hey they're here aren't they they're here aren't they they're i'd rather than be here than the bar i'd rather than be here than watching netflix i want them here why because it might click if i show some compassion and i'm cleaning up behind them and i'm trying to help them i'm loving them into oh yeah it's mercy it's mur how many times has he come up behind me going oh my goodness nathan here we go again and he's picking up after me that's what we should do for others who have some doubts that's showing compassion it's showing mercy that's contending for the faith and continuing in the faith someone say amen oh hallelujah and he says and others save with fear pulling them out of the fire but remember verse 21 keep yourselves keep yourselves some who doubt get drawn away they get drawn away by people who are friends those who never never attempt to get fully in they get drawn away and they get drawn away into the flames of false doctrine or sinful living but we are to be apathetic towards those people he says we should pull them out pull them out a firefighter cannot save victims from fire by tolerating the flames which engulfed them you hear me firefighter doesn't show up to a home that's on fire with a family in it going hey guys i'd love to help you the flames you just need to tolerate those flames we'll be with you in just a minute just you know these these flames aren't intending to hurt you just stay right there no they do everything they possibly can to get him and get out we can't tolerate people's sin hey guys it's okay the flames aren't going to get you the sins not going to hurt you nothing's wrong with that sin there's nothing wrong with that rebellion disobedience nothing wrong with that just you just you just make your way out when you feel like it no we got to pull them out that's why we're on tv that's why we're on the internet that's why we're at uh ut campus that's why we have pia that's why we have be free that's why we have project 180 that's why we have apostolic christian school you know what we're trying to do we're trying to snatch them out of the fire we're trying to show them get out get out of sin get out of this world we're doing we're trying to save them this is not a social club this is not a social club this is a hospital this is a hospital to see send sick people healed you snatch them out it will sin will kill them we gotta hate sin we can't tolerate it but you can show mercy to people and not tolerate the sin that kills them hear me back to verse 21 keep yourselves keep yourselves he goes on to say this hating even the garment spotted by the flesh show mercy show mercy contend for the faith pull them out but hate what's killing them hate what's killing them show them mercy show them compassion sinners apostates false teachers yes they will they will they will come before god and experience his judgment but before then show compassion before then preach the gospel before then love them show them what it's like to have your life changed hate sin he says hate even the garment spotted by the flesh james says something similar in the last chapter of his letter brethren if any of you do heir from the truth and one convert him let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins that's that's the business we're in we are in the business to pull people out of sin and are they going to be stained yes they're going to be stained they're going to be they're going to be hardened by a life of sin and ungodliness but you show mercy with fear being cautious of your soul now listen to me okay many well-intentioned believers stain themselves with former vices to reach old friends or family members you hear me well i just got i got a guy got to get them yes of course we want to snatch them out but if you're an alcoholic and god has delivered you of that the best place for you not to be is the bar well i'm going to go this party tonight and i'm going to preach the gospel all my friends keep yourselves in the love of god snatch them out don't get stained yourself it's dangerous now if you've been set free for 20 years perhaps then you can wade out into old relationships and reach out to them but you got to be cautious you got to be cautious and there are some now listen to me now showing compassion being merciful but there's some people you might just have to i can't go back to that you know we we've we have be free here and we've had addictions ministry here for at least three years now and one of the first things that you have to teach those who are coming off of addiction is that they can't go back to the old friends we had one we had one that we had a few years ago we were just starting this out and and he had gone 90 days 90 days without doing drugs and alcohol and so we were so excited we were so excited and where he was living he was living in a halfway house and the rules of the house are you can't have you can't have any you can't you can't dabble you can't do anything with drugs and alcohol while you're in this house and if you do you get kicked out he was here we had a bible study he was so excited 90 days it's coming up we were so excited we celebrated we praised god for it the next week of bible study he wasn't there and i said hey where's so and so they said oh on the 90th day he went with his friends and partied and got high to celebrate kicked him out of the house back into all the the the things you have to go through to get them back into society to celebrate that's just their mindset not you're not strong enough you're not strong enough spiritually or mentally or emotionally to go back into that environment and think you're going to be okay there's some relationships you pray and you show compassion and you sow mercy but you say i can't go those places no more i can't hang out with you can't text can't get in those chat rooms can't whatever it is we're gonna have to we're just gonna have to separate i love you here here's where i am if you wanna come see me come to church but i'm not gonna go to the party or the club or the bar to see you are you hearing me right now you can show mercy and compassion by not getting yourself and making yourself vulnerable to past vices are you hearing me we pull them out realizing what they are in can destroy them former addicts may not want to return to old stomping grounds for fear of putting themselves in the way of temptation be wise he who wins souls is wise and we must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves realize there's boundaries you know what we need more of in our personal lives hear me personal convictions developed personal boundaries it doesn't listen if you're waiting on if well bishop angle teach on it and preach on the pastor's not going to teach and preach on i guess it's okay how about you pray put your nose in this book fast and get some convictions there are some things that i believe and i hold dear convictions it's not in this word but i'm not going to preach it to you you know why it's mine he gave it to me and you know what you need to have in your life some personal convictions personal convictions realizing hey this puts me in harm's way this this this puts me in temptations way why listen god put one tree in the garden and said don't eat from it and where's eve in chapter three of genesis at the tree do you see the rest of the world here eve it's ours and you're at the one thing you can't have isn't that humanity just kind of hanging around i'm not doing anything you know just here it is you know just you know and just kind of just oh just a little touch there and a and guess who always shows up a slithering serpent will always show up when you put yourself into harm's way oh jesus help me right now where did david i'm sorry where did samson kill that lion in a grape vineyard where was as a nazarite samson not supposed supposed to be he is not to eat grapes drink grape juice wine touch it anything and where is he great vineyard and where's the lion your adversary the devil is as a roaring lion don't be surprised when the lion attacks you when you put yourself in temptations away if you are tempted by this thing or that thing or this thing or this place and that person in this environment or this setting don't be there are you hearing me don't put yourself where the lions are don't put yourself where the serpent is get your tail hey if you want to find me if you're going to get near me i'm going to be in god's house i want to be in god's presence i'm going to have some barriers and some boundaries and some convictions that god's put deep within me to keep me from the line and to keep me somebody say amen drawing to a quick close showing mercy while hating sin is tricky isn't it showing mercy while hating sin is tricky some are so merciful they fall into the trap of twisting god's grace into disgrace while others are so cruel and hateful they dare not show any mercy i've been around those types of people too it's both both are wrong those who pervert god's grace into disgrace and unrestraint and i've seen those who show me air heirs a sin like what do you all do you can't leave your house can you i mean they just they're so hateful and mean you know what you know what that spirit is pharisees it's a fine line isn't it the balance loving god and loving his word loving his laws and and reminding ourselves i got to keep myself here while also showing mercy and compassion to those who are in the fire but you'll never get people out of fire if you're in the fire with them you stay here and you reach that's why we do every every time every day we're reaching here at apostol christian school every day we're reaching here at first apostolic church you know why because we want to reach them and snatch them out while not compromising what we believe and who we are showing them this is the best way right it's tricky we have to find that balance one must love people while hating what sin does to people jude's use of the word hate means to detest jesus used this very same word when speaking to the ephesian church in revelation 2. he says yet this you have you hate the works of the nicolaitans which i also hate or detest the nicolaitans are a heretical group promoting false doctrine idolatry and immorality like balaam and jezebel overtones of jude and what he says the ephesian church tirelessly opposed the doctrine of the nicolaitans but he says this to them you left your first love you can hate so much that you lose your love we can get so caught up and i'm against false doctrine i'm against this and i'm against that and i'm against this and i'm against that that you forget love we get so caught up in the defense of the faith and the contending for the faith that we've become contentious and cantankerous everything's a devil i was i was somewhere between north east south west one time and i was with this guy god bless him that's what we say in the south you know god bless his heart i mean everything i mean i'm talking everything there was a devil in everything there was a devil at the mall there was a devil at the restaurant i remember we were driving down the road he said hey brother my god brother have you ever heard of these mp3 players i'm like yeah i've got one in my pocket and i'm like yeah he's like my god devil babylon he said babylon i was like don't see this you know got my ipod video in my pocket here i don't have one brother and i don't know what you're talking about i mean everything was devil when we walked in the mall we walked in the mall walked by this kiosk you know they have all these kiosks and they're trying to sell you stuff he's like my god brother that was a witch back there i was like really she was just trying to give us some cologne man like just can you please chill out like i don't have to cast out a devil everywhere i go sometimes i just want to go buy a tie you know everywhere fans are devil and everything and i finally had it i got i got i got it started in my feet and i got a little bit of i mean he well i'm almost at what i said but well you can get so caught up in hating everything that you lose your first love you can get so caught up in the battle and detesting sin and detesting the things of this world that there's no there's you see no good there's a devil behind there's always obviously he's here i feel him he's here how do you ever feel his presence like feel god's presence how i mean how how terrible i mean just i mean just to me you're you're you just it's your mind you're seeing things and you get so caught up well there's this this is this and this and it's kind of like these um conspiracy theorists here's a conspiracy and everything the it's like guys it's just denny's it's the it's the home run platter it's not the it's not the grand masons or whatever you call them like trying to put like it's eggs and toast please for the love for the love for the love for the love for the love for the love for the love for the love for the love for the love for the love get off the internet see and you're seeing i mean do you see anything from the word yeah devils there's a devil's head i'll just you can lose your first love stand with me share this before i'll share it again i can't remember what book i read it and i wish i could find it because if i could find it i would i'd print it off and say that i think it was in a john maxwell book he tells of a story of a man who was a he mastered records so this is before the days of uh digital music and so he would master records so he was his job was to listen to the music and listen with you know headphones on and listen to make sure there is no defects or errors or a wrong note or something happening uh it's just the minutia of a of a record of a song he's listening for the negative things in the record that was his job every time he put a record on and go to work he's listening for the errors he's always listening for the mistake he's always listening for the wrong note he's always listening for the feedback he's always listening for the the thing believe it's maxwell who goes on to say that he got to the point that he could no longer listen to any music whatsoever when he was driving down the road all he could hear on the radio were the mistakes all he could hear were the errors and the feedback he couldn't find any joy in what he loved if we're not careful we're always going to look for the negative then the devil and the sin and i'm not saying it's not real it is real this is a battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities but don't leave your first love don't leave love for god and love for people we don't have we're not waging war we're not waging war on people i'm sorry to break the news to you we're not waging war on democrats we're not raging war against republicans we're not waging wars against any person our our warfare is not against flesh and blood it's the demonic spirits and the thing the darkness of this world but don't you lose your love if you lose your love and all you have is the hate for those things you won't save anybody and can i say this you'll never you'll never snatch somebody out of the fire getting into debates with people on social media nobody's changed their mind because you posted that meme nobody's changed their mind because you got in the comment section and i'm going to tell you how about just scrolling past it might make your day better might help your your your mind don't leave your first love and being contentious all the time we'll reach more people by showing them love and mercy and compassion than we ever will by tearing them down judging them and condemning them let's pray father your word is still relevant today as it was two thousand years ago that we must show compassion to those who are in the flames those who doubt those who are stained we're called to rescue them but first we must keep ourselves in your love we must be reminded every day that you've been merciful to us that you gave you did not give us what we deserved but you gave us love while we were yet enemies and i pray father that this week we would show mercy and compassion to people in this world god that we don't have to compromise our morals we don't have to compromise our convictions but i pray that you to help us to be light to be love in a world that's hateful god i pray that you would open up our eyes as somebody that we might be a witness this week lord keep your hand on our bishop and our pastor and their wives as they travel be with your people this week as they work as they labor to bring you glory and i pray that you'd bring us back here sunday for a time of worship and word give us revival in jesus name we pray and everybody said amen greet those around you in your personal way and you can be dismissed in the name