Wednesday Night Bible Study

praise the Lord everyone praise the lord we greet you tonight in that wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ what a great Bible class we've got here tonight I'm telling you this looks so great to see all of you here and we welcome one and all and I concur with pastor about all the things that's coming up we want to make sure that we're here for camp meeting that's long been a a highlight of the year for the tri state district we have we have hosted the camp meeting for many many years and it starts the 17th and let's be here to welcome all of our guests that'll be from different churches from uh across our region we have a a great lesson tonight um we are a little behind uh C in the uh monthly dates and so forth but as uh you've heard me tell brother um over in Elizabeth and uh brother Lewis his wife was reading for him and he gave the scripture and as she missed it she said he said she said what did you he said just read anywhere it's all got to be preached anyway so uh but tonight we are studying the invitation to prayer and last week we studied about the Lord's Prayer which actually is our prayer it was uh his model prayer for us to pray and uh tonight we're going to be uh still talking about the invitation to prayer but this uh tells us what we need to be praying about that is very important and uh let me read well the invitation to prayer and then Matthew 7 uh bigger part Matthew 9:17 through 38 then said he unto his disciples the Harvest truly is plenty but the laborers are few and then Jesus gave a prayer request now if you heard Jesus request prayer would you not pray for what he asked you to pray for Jesus gave a prayer request then he said pray ye therefore the lord of the Harvest that he will send forth laborers into his Vineyard so we're going to be talking about laboring and not just laboring but praying for Laborers to uh go into the vineyard and help us um every uh every Harvest you find uh there is a limit to it if you don't uh get the fruit picked if you don't get the corn shooked if you don't get the cotton picked it will eventually ruin by way of the elements so when it's ready you need to to get at it and and get it done and that's that's what we're going to be talking about tonight and Jesus went out uh here's our lesson text Jesus went out about all the cities and Villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among them now notice this verse of scripture he went about all the cities and Villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom uh he he he did not only just preach in their synagogue he he preached the Mount of Olives he preached on the streets he preached wherever he was and uh we would be wise to take a notice of this that uh if we're going to help uh Gather in the Harvest we need to reach out and and everywhere we are you may not even call yourself a preacher but if it's in the marketplace if it's on the job whever it is you can be a witness and and and be a soul winner and Jesus saw their needs and whatever their needs were Jesus ministered to those needs now you don't have to be a preacher to be a harvester uh some of the greatest Soul winners there are are people that just have a a great love for souls and they reach out to to people that are lost and this is very important what I'm about to say is is we need to know how to witness and some feel like that uh it's our duty to to be very straightforward and harsh and and that that sometimes is not the correct way um I was asked uh several years ago Brother David Johnson was the uh uh head of uh the Sunday school department and he asked several preachers and I was one of them to write certain chapters in in the book and U there were some brother J Frank Wilson brother Pipkin uh uh brother tetri and well I can't remember all of them right now I don't have the book before me but and that they were asked to speak or to write on their particular subject and they did a tremendous job and of all things I was asked uh now the the the name of the book was good advice from Great Men I don't think we were able to get that on the screen or uh I was late getting my notes into brother Derek but the the title of the book was good advice from Great Men and of all things I I wrote the last chapter chapter chapter 8 and they asked me to write the the chapter entitled techniques that will improve your preaching now that is something to be asked to do writing for a bunch of preachers and here's the way I started it out and I want to start this lesson off with this to accept the honor and challenge of writing this chapter on this assigned subject reminds me of the familiar words of of Alexander Pope who in paraphrasing William uh Shakespeare uh who quoted Alexander Pope who in paraphrasing uh William Shakespeare that Fools Rush In were Angels feared to tr I was the fool the to spend time and space explaining my inability and extoling the virtues of my humility would be a waste the product of my pen will most assuredly take care of that so heeding the words found in Acts 13:15 which I shall Hereafter thrust at thee my brethren quote if you have any word of exhortation for the people say on so let's get on with it before defining our subject let us discuss some important prerequisites for preaching first one must be a born again Christian Christian means Christ like yes we will have reasons we all have reasons to question the christlikeness of some preachers and and you can uh uh substitute that word preacher here for any any witness for the Lord first of all you if you're going to be a a worker in his Vineyard and win souls you need to be a born again Christian yourself I've heard a lot of folks say don't don't do as I say but don't do as I do as I say and I've heard a lot of folks say well so and so don't live right and so and so don't live right but if I ever if I ever become a Christian I'll sure live it well that's a a pretty good Alibi for not living right but before we can really be a witness we need to have it in our own heart and need to be living it and they can feel the sincerity of the individual second one must be called of God my father used to have a saying uh some was called and some was sent and some just bundled up and went well that was a pretty good saying you do not have to be a preacher to be a soul winner and to be a harvester in this Vineyard don't think that you got to have a license to preach and you got to hold Revival you can be a great Witness and soul winner and and reach out by the life you live the kindness you demonstrate to others you can sometimes be more influenced than the preacher himself with all due respect there have been precious men put under the awful weight of acknowledging a call which did not exist what I meant by this and let me reiterate some some of us are are are guilty of telling young men or young people you're called to preach you better get out here and get to do what God tells you to do well that is a bad mistake you need to let the individual feel the call of God oneself and and but you may tell somebody something and put them under the awful weight of acknowledging a call which did not exist we must encourage everyone to obey the call of God but many are the men who were successful helpers but became miserable Misfits when they stepped outside their calling the tragedy of this situation is that this person may become a prisoner of others expectation and a slave to his own poor self-image the overzealous convert out of whom the legions were cast was told when he tried to get into the boat with Jesus quote go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee this young man that dwelt among the tombs this young man that nobody could uh could chain uh would tear his clothes off break the chains when Jesus came into the presence the cemetery and he cast the legions out of the sh young man and the the demons went into the swine they went down the slope into the sea and drown this young man was so filled with joy he got in the boat with Jesus he wanted to go with him well every one of us needs to go with Jesus but maybe not in a bodily form and Jesus told him to go home to thy friends go home to thy friends and tell them how great great things the Lord ha done for thee some Men's Ministry is of far greater value in the home Church than sailing the rough Seas of pastoral or Evangelistic work David was fleeing from his Insurrection as son absam he had paused for a brief time of worship at the top of Mount oliv it his loyal companion advisor husha came to meet him with his coat rent and with Earth upon his head unto whom David said if thou passest Al with me then Thou shalt be a burden unto me but if thou return to the city then mayest thou for me defeat the Council of a heyel so it is a person who may be a burden in one field of Labor may be a tremendous blessing in another a misplay a misplaced Prophet is a menace now what I just said in this book and and before I started giving any advice on techniques that will improve your preaching I tried to impart this bit of information don't let somebody else call you into something that you yourself haven't been talked to by the Lord a and it can it can put you under uh unrealistic expectations and then as David said to husha he said if you go with me you're going to be a burden to me I'm going to have to look after you I'm going to have to take care of you go back and pretend to be a a uh an advisor to a to my son and you could help me more there than you could going with me and uh I have through my Ministry I have seen people who well-meaning as could possibly be but step out of their calling and their ability and they are a constant um um question to be encouraged they're despondent they're discouraged things are not like they thought it would be and you got to encourage and and they become more of a burden then if in the church every one of us have a field of Labor and when Jesus said lift up your eyes that the field is already ready for the Harvest he wasn't calling everybody to be preachers he was calling everybody to be Harvesters L's Harvest sister sister uh Johnson the late uh sister Johnson I heard her make a speech and she said this fellow went to Florida to pick in the fruit in the fruit field when she he went to this Orchard where they was uh picking lemons and and he asked for a job and the fellow asked him said ask said have you had any experience picking lemons he said I guess so I've been married four times so so he was he was in the wrong field of labor but having said having said that I I'm trying to say that uh while it may look glamorous to stand up before a congregation it might be a a little uh encouragement to one's ego uh but to do what God has called you and I would not for one n second discourage anybody from preaching that's really called to preach but don't let grandmother or mother or good friend call you to preach make sure that God has called you to preach then said he to the disciples the Harvest truly is plenteous there's not the fields not burn over the the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few and then he said pray therefore the lord of the Harvest that he will send forth the laborers into his Vineyard then going back to verse 35 and Jesus went about all the cities and Villages teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among them right off Jesus zeroed in on the needy that those who had a need Jesus was is going to minister to that need by healing them and we as a church we as a people we need to pray that God give us the power that we'll still see healing take place and he is still the same yesterday today and forever I could ask hands to be raised tonight of those who have experienced the healing from God and I would get a lot of hands well he is is still doing it today and Jesus recognized this and he began to heal but when he saw the multitude he was moved with compassion on them the church must be a compassionate body it if I'm not careful I will only see the need to correct I'll only see the need you need to do this and you need to quit doing that and you need the and if I'm not careful I will only see the negative side of telling folks what they need to quit doing well I I'm for one not a compromiser but we need to have compassion and understand that the folks are needing love and some of the worst Among Us he loves as good as he loves the best of us and wants to help you with your problem when he saw the multitude he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no Shepherd they were in such poor shape the Bible said they they fainted I see people today that are in a fainting condition they may not have physically passed out on the floor but they've gone just about as far as they can go they're despondent they're depressed they're discouraged and and they need something to lift up their Spirits I'm not talking about simply preaching a a psychological message to make feel make people feel good but let them know that we've got a God that said the joy of the Lord is our strength if you want to be happy get happy in the Lord if you want to have joy get to know the Lord he called us to to to preach the go the gospel means good tidings that's what the gospel means good news and and and I all several times in this teaching I will remind you what I'm saying I'm not preaching against Stern straightforward preaching that's got to be there were times Jesus called them the Pharisees um Hypocrites and so so forth but let me tell you his ministry first was to those who were down and out and fainted and and given up now Jesus is calling us to get into that same field of Labor and find folks that needs compassion that needs lifting up that needs the burden lifted from their soul then said the in disciples the Harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are are few pray ye therefore the lord of the Harvest that he will send forth laborers into his Harvest that's something we all can do we can pray for God to send us laborers and and let me say this God did not save any of us to just come and be a sponge and soak up he said in Matthew 28:19 go ye therefore and teach All Nations All Nations and then he said go ye into and Mark go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to Every Creature it's every person on this Earth needs to hear the word of God you and I have this calling we have this commission this commission every person we talk to to tell them about the Lord pray ye therefore the lord of the Harvest that he will send forth laborers into his Harvest here's a conclusion of the foring account of Christ preaching his miracles in verse 35 he went about all the cities teaching and healing though the Pharisees opposed him he went on with his work he preached the gospel of the Kingdom he told them of a kingdom of Grace and Glory good news Glad Tidings of great joy who wouldn't want to hear something like that Glad Tidings of great joy he said which shall be to all even the the announcement of his birth in Bethlehem the angel said the same thing uh of this great peace and joy that he came to bring to everyone and if if we aren't careful we will start out by telling folks all the things they have to to give up when you go in to buy a new car they don't tell you how expensive all these extras are they don't tell you this is going to cost this and this is going to cost it that tell you all the good things about it well I'll tell you the good things about salvation you get off of a of a money wasting habits you get off of drugs you get off of alcohol you get off of a temper that gets you in trouble and you get your life in harmony with the Lord and you're going to find a peace and joy that you've never had before in your life what what who who has anything to compare with what we have to offer and I don't need to slap them in the face with it acts 238 or hell I don't need I need to tell them what a joy what peace what a great time we have going to the house of God worshiping the Lord Give the Lord a hand clap oh Hallelujah well where was I he told them of a kingdom of Grace and Glory good news Glad Tidings of great joy observe how Jesus in his preaching uh had the the respect for the people to the private towns he visited not only the Great and the wealthy cities but the poor obscure Villages there he preached there he healed The Souls of those that are meanest in the world are as precious to Jesus and should be to us as The Souls of those that make the greatest figures Rich poor meat together in him he taught in their synagogues that he might bear a testimony to Solemn assemblies even then when there was corruption in them you know I don't care how bad a person is the Lord came to this earth he didn't come to save elders and preachers and teachers he came to save Sinners he came to save one and all whoever needs him and that's what we Glory I I I remember story that brother Robert Perry told me about this boy uh was struck on the girl and and the daddy didn't like them going together and the boy out of spite now you you may not know what Johnson grass is but with cotton Farmers we knew what that was there something you can't hardly get rid of the Johnson grass it goow so fast and so tall and goes to seed and continues to to uh to scatter and this boy got angry at this fell and he got a handful of Johnson grass and he went through through the old man's Feeling Just scattered that Johnson grass seed yeah I'll I'll show him well by and by the old man kind of relented and let him spark and and the boy got married married the girl and inherited that field well you see if you're going to if you're going to reap a harvest be sure you don't seow Johnson grass in the field that you're trying to harvest what I'm saying by that you can do a lot of damage to your own testimony by the way you act but in a restaurant in a business Place sister M and I were in our one of our favorite restaurants last night actually was in Johnson City and uh cracker bell and they had it's a cool I I carry a coat with me when I go out anymore if it's 95 degrees you go in the restaurant they'll have it chilly and I'll grab me a jacket but this lady was in the the next compartment there was beyond the the petition and you could hear a fellow over there he was wrapping the silverware and he was talking so loud and carrying on and and this lady couldn't get waited on and she finally got up home came sit down on the table next to us and you could tell she she might have been cold physically but she was hot-tempered because she was she was really upset and she finally got the manager over there and she told that manager uh that that fell what I can't get anybody to wait on me and so on and so on went on well uh I'm not saying this to criticize her but maybe she had every reason to to be upset we were in the same restaurant I was cold too but uh had a little jacket but sister mul started talking to her and talk to her nice and kind she kind of calm down and but I just thought you know uh if I if we show a bad attitude in a restaurant or a business place or wherever you are first of all it doesn't do any good it don't settle anything at all and secondly if you're wanting to witness to somebody you don't need to have that kind of attitude that's not the right attitude now the rich the poor the good the bad the contrary whatever we need to show love and kindness to all we must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is now I thank the Lord for uh the internet I thank the Lord for being online and I know when we were taking care of uh brother Mack uh sister M and I took turns coming to church and and on I would come on Sunday morning she would come Sunday night and I would turn on the the the the internet and I would get to see the services i' I'd put a laptop in front of ma and he would watch and we enjoyed it I'm so thankful for that that's great and I'm sure there's folks listening and watching right now and I appreciate that keep on listening just keep on listening don't don't let me discourage you but let me tell you this the Bible said forsake not the assembling of yourselves together when I look at and I see your faces I see you I'm inspired I'm blessed we bless each other and there's nothing like assembling together with the family of God forsake not the assembling of yourselves together back to one of my old stories that I when you've been around 75 years you you had so many stories I I get embarrassed sometimes no matter what anybody else tells I've got one to cap it I got one a little more interesting or so forth but the this boy loved the girl and he went to Alaska and going to make a lot of money and he said I'll write you every day I'll write you every day and and about a year's time I'll have enough money and and we can buy us a home and so he wrote her every day and when he got home she had married the mailman so forsake not the assembling of yourselves together we need each other and when you're not here you are missed now I'm so thankful if you can't be here I'm so thankful that you can watch it online but let me tell you something if you can be here I need you and you need us we need each other all right uh he taught in the synagogue that he might hear their testimon the solom assembly even when they were in corruption we must not for for sake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is that he might have an opportunity to preach there where people were gathered together with an expectation to hear thus even where the gospel church was founded and Christian meetings erected and the apostles often preached in the synagogues of the Jews it is wisdom to make the best of that which is wherever you are make the best the field is white it's ready for the Harvest and if I take advantage of that particular opportunity uh uh something happened several years ago uh brother Gino Magnus uh of course he was a great Sportsman uh football player and so forth and uh he was driving down the street he and a fell walking down in one of the projects and he said I believe I know that fell and he was Larry is it Larry Holmes was that was that the box or somebody tell anyway he stopped and introduced himself and brought him to church and baptized him in Jesus name he witnessed to Brother Steve Hammer back there and brother Steve Hammer is is a is an absolute Legend among the sports people in the the state the Tennessee and what a legend he is in witnessing fact last Wednesday night when everybody was out of town brother Steve carried on the service for us and did a fantastic job and what I'm saying is whatever you do wherever you are you need to behave yourself in a manner that you will be a good witness for the kingdom of God all right thus even when the gospel church was founded the Christian meeting the the apostles often preached in the synagogues of the Jews it is wisdom to make the best of that which is he pities them that was most and was most concerned for them he was moved with compassion on them not upon the temporal account as he Pi the blind the lame the sick but upon a spiritual account he was concerned to see them ignorant careless and ready to perish for lack of vision Jesus is a very compassionate friend to Precious Souls misery is the object of Mi of mercy and the miseries of sinful self-destroying souls are the greatest miseries Christ pies those most that pies thems the least can I say that again Christ pities them most who pities themselves the least those that are down on themselves down on the world down on there he they're the ones that need to hear this great message the most Christian Compassion is compassion to souls it is most Christlike see what moved his this pity they fainted they were destitute they were vexed they were weared and he ped them them and reached out to them with great compassion um we often say First Apostolic Church the friendliest Church in town we need to make that be true whoever comes through those doors we need to to welcome them uh we we had a u we had a we had a had a funeral I believe it was and and there was someone came in and sat down and the fell didn't take his cap off or half whatever and the fellow was no what was a a a regular member attender of the church whatever but he went over to him asked him to take his cap off and that fellow left and said I'll never come back to that church again well first of all it wasn't that Fell's place to tell him to take his cap off it wasn't his place and for heaven sake for the sake of the lost soul let the preaching come from the pull pit and let the good personality and fress handshake and smile let it reach out to those that come through those doors and how many have I had to tell me I've never been to a church that I felt so welcome and folks out there in the the the the lobby that's shaking hands with folks and we inside we need to make folks know that that they are welcome here at at First Apostolic Church they needed help for their souls and had none the scribes and Pharisees filled them with a vain notion burdened them with the traditions of the elders deluded them into many mistakes they were scattered abroad as sheep having no Shepherd the expression is borrowed from First Kings 22:17 notice what it says and he said I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills as sheep that have no Shepherd now this is the way Jesus in one moment he'll be talking about sheep and Shepherds and taking care of the sheep and then he turns and starts talking about farming about harvesting the the the Farms he's got an analogy for every situation and for every person he's got the story for them no creature is more apt to go astray than a sheep and when going astray none is more helpless and exposed are more apt to find a way home again sinful souls are as lost sheep they need the care of shepherds to bring them back the Harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are few if we could visualize um if we could visualize the lost sheep those that are Lo that they're needing help they may have done they may have done a lot of bad things let's see if I have it and I do have this uh brother Paul cookan hour gave me this it's entitled of the essence the essence of teaching how do you teach how do we teach an old man meets a young man who asks do you remember me and the old man says no Then the young man tells him he was his student and the teacher asks what do you do what do you do in life the young man answers well I became a teacher a how good like me asked the old old man well yes in fact I became a teacher because you inspired me to be like you the old man curious asked the young man at what time he decided to become a teacher and the young man tells him the following Story one day A friend of mine also a student came in with a nice new watch and I decided I wanted it I stole it I took it out of his pocket shortly after my friend noticed that his watch was missing and immediately complained to our teacher who was you then you address the class saying this student's watch was sto stolen during classes today whoever stole it please return it I didn't give it back because I didn't want to you closed the door and told us all to stand up and form a circle you were going to search our pockets one by one until the watch was found however you told us to close our eyes because you would only look for his watch if we all had our eyes closed we did as instructed you went from pocket to pocket and when you went through my pocket you found the watch and took it you kept searching everyone's pocket and when you were done you said open your eyes we have the watch you didn't tell me and you never mentioned the episode you never said who stole the watch either that day you saved my dignity forever it was the most shameful day of my life but this is also the day I decided not to become a thief and a bad person you never said anything nor did you ever scold me to take me aside to give me a moral lesson I received your message clearly thanks to you I understood what a real educator needs to do do you remember this episode Professor the old professor and answered yes I remember the situation with the stolen watch which I was looking for in everyone's pocket I didn't remember you because I also close my eyes while looking this is the essence of teaching if to correct you must hum humiliate that is not teaching Hebrews 8:12 says for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more I thought how great it was we're not here to humiliate and embarrass we're here to bless we're here to lead people to the Lord through the mercies of God there's a chapter in in The Book of Psalms about 30 or 40 times he said that for his mercy endureth forever and we need to understand that that his mercy endureth forever would you stand your feet with us please may God help us to uh stand strong stward bold but we can have boldness with love and kindness and we're going to win a lots more people by doing that than we would to be harsh and unkind don't let up on preaching this message but let's do it with love and in closing I'd like to request prayer of Sister Lisa and Brother David Lynch who used to attend the church they moved down a little loud but uh her her son-in-law I think he's just in his 40s what 41 passed away yesterday he had uh cold and cancer I believe they said and he was in horrible pain and uh Sister Lisa called and asked us to pray and and I did pray that if it wasn't God will to heal him and get him out of the misery the pain so they gave us word yesterday that he had passed away so let's pray for that that family that God will give them comfort in this hour of their great loss father we thank you tonight for the Blessed word of God we thank you for truth and we thank you for love we thank you for Mercy we thank you for kindness but we're thankful Lord for the great gospel that cleans our hearts Hearts our minds and Spirits to make us to be more like you dismiss us from this place but not from your presence bang us back at the next appointed time in Jesus name we pray amen God bless you shake hands and be friendly you're dismissed in Jesus name