plant the word, plant the gospel, the hearts of these. It's Main Street in this small town and there's a fair amount of traffic, even on this jury day. You could come to this location because the store is closed and you have a bit of a balcony. Let's see some people here. Down that way. We want to share with you this evening about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to tell you about the good news that Jesus came into the world, the Son of God, Emmanuel, God with us. He came into the world out of His love for His children. And He laid down His life. He died. He suffered. And He was buried and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. So that all those who believe on Him will have everlasting life. This life is not over at our death. We're going to either go in one place or another We can go the way in which Christ has provided that leads to eternal life or we can go the way that leads to an eternal death and we would encourage you and to Come to that way, that is, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. We point you to Him as He is the life everlasting. And through Him and His death, burial, and resurrection, We can have life and have it more abundantly through Him, because He is God our Savior. That is, all those who have trusted in Him to save them, and all those in the future who may also trust in Him, believe upon Him, trust in what He did on the cross to save from sin. So we would encourage you to think about those things that involve your eternity. Not just the here and now, because the here and now is going to be over one day, but to the forever. In fact, really, you look to Jesus and it really affects today, and how you live and how you can enjoy life here, but especially for eternity, which is a much longer period of time. So it stands to reason to want to look into that. We also need to recognize too that Jesus said that in the last days that there would be an increase of iniquity, a coldness of love, much deception. And just like it was in the nation of Israel, which was God's institution in the Old Testament, we find in the New Testament there are that kind of deception that there was corruption in Israel and among the synagogues and so forth, and even in the temple, and the latter part of Israel's history in the Old Testament. And so it is as far as churches are concerned. Do we really recognize whether our church that we go to is a true church? And we also want to, and this is rarely done too, because that tells you something about the kind of church Paul had said on a number of occasions in the Bible to make your calling and election sure, lest you believed in vain. That is that we There are people who believe in vain. What does that mean? It means that it's like the parable that Jesus spoke of, of the seed and the sower. And there was seed that was sown by the wayside, no fruit of eternal life. We have the seed on the rocky ground, it sprung up real quick, and when persecution came, or difficulty came, there was no fruit. Then there was a seed that was sown on the thorny ground, And the cares of this world choked it out and there was no fruit. But there was one that was planted in the good soil and produced much fruit, 30, 60 and 100 fold. So there are those who believe outwardly and inwardly, and they are truly converted. But there are those, as a matter of fact, most of the instances that Jesus relates to are those who believe, but they don't believe inwardly. And that, of course, takes the work of grace. The Holy Spirit makes some good soil so that we can have a reception of God's Word and it produces the fruit of the Spirit. And so, that's why we have to... Lord, search me and try me and see if there be any wicked way in me that I'm not deceiving myself into thinking that I am converted. Do I have the fruit? Is my motivation simply to glorify God when I do the religious activities that I do? And do I seek to, in His Word, to make sure and pray that I am doing it with the right attitude, the right intention, and of course, scripturally right as well. Those are things that the examinations of the heart is a rarity in our day today. It's all about outward appearance, how big a church building you got, how good looking is the pastor, and all these kinds of things. How well-grounded that particular church is in the Word of God? How about how well they practice the Word of God and evangelize communities? You see, I hear people say, well, what do you got for the young people at church? We got Jesus. That's who we got. We got the Word of God. What kind of activities? Well, we do things like this. And we go and do stuff together in different places and different groups and different people. That is what's so important. We are so entertainment-oriented that in comparison to what we have in the New Testament, That is nothing like the New Testament. And if it's not New Testament Christianity, I don't want it at all. I don't like this wimpy Christianity that we see today that always wants to be pampered and entertained. Now, there's nothing wrong with entertainment, obviously, but that's not my motivation. Our motivation should be, if you're a child of God, is to glorify God and honor Him and lift Him up. the way that we live and the things that we say That's why so that's one reason why there's such a disinterest in religious things is because people see the hypocrisy of So much of what is called Christianity today. They see that the hypocrisy of it They see that that there is no one willing to really suffer and put themselves out for the cause of Christ It makes the world stand up and take notice Those kinds of things that we wonder what's happened. The world's beginning to see through the facade of so much of religiosity in our culture today. And if you want to be a part of something that is real and genuine, then I encourage you to speak with us after I speak, or you can just interrupt me and talk to me now. And that is an invitation that's open to anyone. who adhere. And again, if you have something that you feel is more the truth, then I encourage the dialogue. I promise you, I don't talk in this volume of voice when I'm talking one-on-one. It's only to get the word out. And thankfully, God's given me a voice that I can project my voice without the need of artificial amplification. And besides that, we know that there are some municipalities that have laws against that, and I get that. But the bottom line is, I would love to dialogue. Matter of fact, I'd love better to do that because I have some interested party, as opposed to an open-air preaching scenario where there are those who don't appreciate it. And yet, Jesus didn't say to go out into the whole world only when people appreciate it. No, He says to go out into all the world, period. There's no exceptions there. And so, that's what we must do. And I say many times, Noah had a hard time. Not everybody received it. Not everyone was happy. Not everyone was inviting him to preach somewhere. Neither was Jeremiah in that same situation. And yet, they proclaimed the Word of God. Just like the Apostle Paul. And even Jesus was not welcome everywhere that He went. But He went and gave us an example of how that we are to live our lives so that we can be a testimony to the world. And you know, it's like the Bible says, one plant, one water. But God gives the increase. So you have to plant the seed of the Word of God, or there won't be any increase. No one's going to be converted. And you don't wait until they come to church, because people don't come to church today like they used to. And besides that, Jesus said, go into all the world. And so there's no way that we can wiggle around that. And sadly, people still are against it, which really is amazing. I tell people, if you've got something you want to believe, we live in a country, thankfully, that we have freedom of speech. You go and preach your message somewhere else. That's exercising our freedom, and I would not ever deter someone from doing such a thing, because that is a blessing of being an American. And when I served in our country, that's one of the things that motivated me because of the standards and ideals of our country, and one of them is freedom of speech. I was glad to serve my country because we have this freedom of speech, freedom of religion, all these things we have in this country that are worth preserving. But if we don't use it, will they say you lose it? We have to speak up, and we ought to speak the truth in love, but we need to speak it, because people are not going to know the truth of the Bible, and the truth that will make you free. Jesus said, He is the way, the truth, and the life. Yeah, that's the best kind of truth and life and freedom you can have, is in Jesus Christ. See, there's people with a kindred spirit here. And so we rejoice in that. I rejoice that in every place that I've ever been, there's always been, though maybe a remnant, of those who do appreciate and love the proclamation of the Bible, of the truth, of the gospel. And yet, at the same time, we're looking for those too. who are willing to stick with it, to engage in more deep conversation about the things of cruelty that Jesus came into the world to save sinners from damnation and from hell. That's where you start out at. But that is, of course, living the Gospel involved as well, living according to the Word of God, so that we won't be like a castaway, as Paul said. We have to do something that is part of... Yes, we can pray. Praying together corporately is a biblical principle that we see that we can do as well. And going different places to share the good news of Jesus Christ is something that a believer... You know, when I was first converted, And I was involved with things I shouldn't have been involved with, to my shame. And I didn't grow up in church. So there's a lot of things I did I shouldn't have done. But when God saved me, I didn't know much. And I came across this fellow that I used to go to high school with, and they would go down to the streets of Atlanta. And we would go to Atlanta. and pass out tracts and tell them what great things God has done for us. Now, I could do that. I could pass out a tract. I could tell people what great thing God had done for me. Just like the madman of the Gadarenes with a legion of demons in him. He could do that. He didn't know much. I didn't know much. I just knew that I was a sinner and I was going to split hell wide open if God hadn't saved me. But someone told me about Jesus Christ, what He did on the cross, so that I could have eternal life. And I believed on Him, turned from my sins. And that is the simple message. But going there in Atlanta, in the downtown Atlanta, wasn't the greatest place in the world in terms of our safety, but these people were willing to go there. And that's what we did. And the police tried to even stop us from doing that. Can you imagine that? That was back in the 80s, early 80s. And yet, we just kept on doing it because it was our right as citizens to do so. But Atlanta, sadly, is a very liberal city, and that's one of the reasons why they got the mess that they have down there in Atlanta. But that's something that even someone who doesn't know a lot of quote-unquote theology, they can tell what great things the Lord has done for them. The Christian that even is a newborn child of God can at least say that. And that's why I say don't feel intimidated. Don't feel that you can't do that. But you can go one-on-one with someone and want to tell them some good news. That Jesus can give you a reason for living. Give you purpose and meaning for life. and will make your life so much better here and now and into the eternal future. That is something that should never receive negativity and yet it is very strange that it does. That should make people wonder, well, why would I dislike that? Is it something to do with the sinful nature I have? And the sinful choices I have made? And that's where it all begins. That is the big stumbling block, is that when you tell people that they're sinners. And really look at it the way the Bible does. It's not the, oh, I'm a sinner and everybody's a sinner, it's no big deal. Yes, it is a big deal, because Jesus died for sin. He suffered for sin. He suffered the equivalent of hell for sin of all those who would believe on Him. So yeah, it's serious. It's something that we should bear in mind. But that's where we've got to get to. We've got to be honest with ourselves, look at what God says in His Word, and say, yes, I am a sinner. I'm sorry that I've sinned. I've done wrong. I shouldn't do wrong. Lord, help me. Help me. And call out to the Lord. Believing on Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross so that we can have everlasting life and make a positive impact in this world for the glory of God. That is something worth living for that's beyond just these little old towns. People don't know who we are and we're just little people that that, you know, nobody even knows or cares about in so many ways. But here we have a greater cause than just ourselves. We got something greater than just our little old selves. We have the cause of God in Christ that we're dealing with. Every single person that is part of the kingdom of God is important to God. And all of us have a part in making a big difference in our world that we live in. There are certain people that you will have an impact on that I won't have an impact on. But it all begins with, first of all, and again, I have to see myself as someone who has broken God's law. I've really incriminated myself because I have broken God's holy law. And there is only one option if we choose to ignore that, and that is we have to pay the price. We are incriminated wherever people go when they break the law, and it's a serious offense, and an offense against God is a serious offense, then they go to the slammer, or they go to prison. Hell is a place that is a prison. You cannot ever get out. But, the thing is, as long as you're alive upon this earth, there's hope. In a sense, in the humanly speaking way of saying it, as long as you're alive, you're not in that prison house of hell. That's why Jesus came. So that people would not go to hell. So that they will have eternal life in heaven. In a place where there's no pain. No sickness. No sorrow. No sin. No Satan. A perfect paradise, in other words. Forever. But you know, there are a lot of people who would not feel comfortable in heaven, because heaven is a holy place. There won't be any sin. And some people would rather die and go to hell than to go to that kind of a heaven. And that's sadly and tragically the case. As foolish as that is, that's exactly what people are choosing when they reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what I am trying to tell you, is that man's foolishness... I mean, even when we think of ourselves, We think of our own flesh. Foolish things. Doing foolish things. Thinking foolish things. But when we look to the light of the Scriptures, and the light of the world Jesus Christ, it makes all kinds of sense that God, He is a God of love. And in showing that love, He demonstrated that love when He died on the cross. for sinners who blasphemed Him. I mean, it's amazing. And He paid the price in place of sinners. That's logical, biblical sense. And that God would require that would be the case makes sense even to our finite mind. And that's one of the reasons I believe that he did the things the way that he did that even a child could understand. That when you do wrong, then there has to be consequences. And that there is, of course, forgiveness. You know, when a child does something wrong, they turn from their sin, and they say, I'm sorry, and they change, then there is forgiveness. The thing is, though, with Christ, is that we can't do that on our own. Because of our sinful nature, that's why we cry out to God. That's why salvation is by grace alone, through faith. It's not of ourselves. I mean, if it's of ourselves, then why did Jesus come to the cross in the first place, if we could save ourselves? So, once again, we're not talking about some far-out leap of faith We don't believe in that. We're talking about a reasonable, biblical faith. One that is logical. If you have the willingness to reason with a person. That's the problem right there. People are scared to reason. Because they don't want to let go of their sin. They don't want to let go of what their lifestyle. They don't care if they have to go to hell for it. That's the scary part. And to own up to that is something that God alone could produce in a person's life. Because naturally speaking, that's just not going to happen. And that's my prayer is that people will. Wake up to that reality and recognize, Lord, I am undone like Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah chapter 6. When he saw a vision of God, when he recognized who God is, he's a thrice holy God. There's no way that he could ever stand before Him. There's no way that he could ever escape the judgment of God in and of himself. And so, God in His mercy intervened for him. That's what we're dependent on. And when you have truly had that happen to you, you're taking on some Christian that's not living the Christian life. You're not believing in that Christian, you're believing on Jesus, not that so-called Christian. We can't take comfort in things like that, building a straw man to try to ease our conscience, when our conscience really needs to be arrested, so to speak, so that we will wake up to the reality of life and death Not just in this life, but in eternity. Because we are made in the image of God. We have certain characteristics about ourselves that is distinct from all other creatures that God created. And we have abilities to reason, and yet some They seem to have lost their ability. I encourage you to reason. Don't run away from it. It's only to your own damnation if you would do that and you're not saved. Why would you want to be closed-minded and not even consider these things? That's what is concerning in America today. Now, this is probably one of these small-town conservatives, and we need to put our trust in Christ. And while we have these freedoms still, we need to hit that iron while it's hot and get out there and be zealous for God. You see these athletes today, how zealous they are to promote themselves and to make that touchdown and all this kind of stuff? Should Christians have less zeal than that? It may not be physical, but spiritual. Speaking to others. Studying the Scriptures. And trying to live that life seeking the truth as it is in Jesus Christ. Questioning things that, you know, as we see, People are compromising biblical truth. Now, there's nothing wrong with compromising in and of itself when you're dealing with people, but we cannot compromise the Word of God to get greater numbers in our churches or to, you know, whatever the case might be, a bigger building and blah, blah, blah. But that's exactly what we see happening today. is that people are doing these things. Some people are thinking they can have a Christianity without church. Jesus built His church, His true churches, and the gates of hell should not prevail against it. So, yeah, there is true churches. We cannot, you know, get a false comfort out of thinking, well, there's no churches around, so why should I go to church? That's just really a lazy cop-out, really, to be honest. That's what that is. We have to just come to reality. Well, Jesus has churches here that are His. And the only way I can know is by knowing my Bible and checking these people out. That's what I encourage you to do. I encourage you to come to Grace Baptist Church in Germantown, North Carolina. Just not too far from here. Maybe start a church here. I don't know. But we... believe that for some reason this is a place that God has impressed upon my heart to come every so often and preach the Word of God. We've got other preaching points. Of course, the church I pastor, and of course, we have places in other states North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, those are some regular places we go in terms of evangelizing, but we preach all over in Idaho, and Georgia, and South Carolina, and many other places that we would preach in our travels. We're to go into all the world. And they've got Romania, and Dominican Republic, Wherever we can go, we want to go. Yes, there are missionaries. But then we got missionaries who are pastors, and they're doing mission work because that's what pastors do. They pastor the church, yes, but Paul told Timothy to do the work of an evangelist, not just in the four walls of a church building, which they didn't have back in those days, but to go into all the world. It's all of that. And some people get the idea that foreign missions, well, that's great, but I'm not going to not pray for home missions and not encourage home missions. That's what every single pastor ought to be doing, just like some of the foreign missionaries do. It's the same thing. It ought to be the same thing. We don't have any apostles. There are very few. There are just simply true missionaries where they don't pastor anywhere or get any salary from another place. And they're totally dependent upon the offerings of others in other churches, like the Apostle Paul. And even the Apostle Paul was a tent maker. And so he supported himself as well. These are things that pastors ought to be willing to do. Missionaries ought to be willing to do is to work a public job if necessary. Because the Gospel is that important. The souls of people are that important. To be willing to spend and be spent, if you will, for the cause of Christ. Just like those in the New Testament. Again, another reason why I think there's such a disrespect and disregard for churches today is because they're not even doing what the Bible says to do. In so many cases, even in America, where we have all this freedom. We've been spoiled like spoiled brats, and we're not willing to pay the suffering that may come along, the difficulty and trials and troubles that may come along with serving Christ. even to the point to where, you know, there are those who have given their life, who have gone to prison and things like that in other countries, in communist countries today, and in Mohammedan countries. You know, that's why it's just so scary why we would allow Mohammedans to do the things that they do here in this country. And we reject Jesus Christ at the same time. I mean, Mohammedan religion is a religion of violence. That's just all there is to it. Read the Qur'an, you'll find out. I've read it. And I've seen people practice some of those things. Jesus Christ is the true religion. I've studied religion most of my adult life. And the more I study Christianity, the more I realize that is true religion of the true God. I could have very well gone anywhere I wanted to go. But in reasoning through the Scriptures, we found that the God of the Bible is the God, the Creator, the Savior. And that's who we point you to. There's been a surprising number of people out tonight on this, well, not really night, Certain times of the year it's night and dark, but people here coming by, listening, throwing the thumbs up, some not. We have a tap house across the street there, some people looking and listening. Now, we know that drinking in and of itself is not a sin. I mean, Jesus turned the water into wine, and the Lord's Supper should be wine. But drunkenness is what is the sin. But I personally wouldn't go into such a place because of the testimony, and of course, my past, I wouldn't either. But I would encourage people to Don't be addicted to the things of this world. You become the slave of that thing, or that drug, or whatever it is, alcohol, whatever it is. And being a slave is no fun. But to be, as it were, a slave to Jesus Christ, now that is a good thing. Because He's a good Master. He's a Master that loves and takes care of His servants. And not only in this life, but in the life to come. Far better than any king that has ever lived in this short time in this world. Because Jesus continues to take care of His children, His servants, throughout the eternal future. Think about these things and not just the toys and the gimmicks and gadgets of this world that people are so caught up and mesmerized by. We don't like to admit that we might be mesmerized by the gadgets of the world, but I think we need to take an honest look at it, be willing to be honest at least, and not just diss those kinds of thoughts. Because pride, the Bible says, comes before a fall. And so we have to be careful with these technological advances that don't take a hold of you, because I'm going to tell you right now, they are great tools of Satan if we're not careful. We can use it to glorify God. But we must do it to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, just like right now. Here's a smartphone recording the message, trying to encourage those of God's people to broadcast the Word, so that sinners will be saved in God's sovereign grace. That we are responsible, in spite of God's sovereignty, as a means of the gospel, to let people know about the good news. The gospel that Jesus came into this world virgin-born. Became a man to be so they could be the substitute and the sacrifice being the spotless sacrifice Jesus was tempted in all points as we are yet without sin because he was God and He could take the eternal wrath of God to pay the penalty in the place of all who believe and whose lives are truly transformed and so they can have that eternal life and That is good news that will change you on the inside and it will make life on the outside so much better. In spite of the circumstances, you can overcome the circumstances by the power of God. That's what Jesus provides for those who trust in Him. That's what we encourage you to consider these things. Don't have a closed mind and a prejudiced mind about those things. Think about them. For your own eternal well-being, I mean, I'm good to go. I'm going to heaven not because I'm so good, because I'm no good, but because of the grace of God. I could just go back home and take it easy and I ain't gonna let nobody else know I'm good. That's all I care about. Well, that's not what you're supposed to do as a Christian. You're supposed to care about other people. And you care about God's command to tell everybody the gospel of Jesus Christ. used to in our country, we had people preaching on the street corners left and right. What's happened? You think maybe that's a reason why our country there is the way it is, is that those who say they're preachers don't preach, except within the four walls of the church building. That's just quite amazing. And yet, I've been there too. I know what that's like. And part of it is because I didn't know any better, because there aren't many good examples of people who are out there that would teach you what it is to be a preacher, to be a pastor. And that means go out and do the work of an evangelist, like Paul told Timothy. Do the work of an evangelist. Don't just minister to the church only. Timothy was a pastor there at the Church of Ephesus. Then where are the evangelistic pastors that's going out into all the world? That's what we need to have. As awkward maybe or uncomfortable it might be, we still must do, we must step out by faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit and love and compassion in our hearts for souls. and proclaim the good news, to tell the bad news of you're a sinner, and then proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ saves sinners. And the evidence of it is repenting from sin and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did at Calvary to pay that sin debt. His people when that becomes personalized Then you got a change on your hands in your heart actually that Jesus makes Therefore if any man be in Christ 2nd Corinthians 517 he's a new creature old things have passed away behold all things have become new and You know, that's what Jesus does. I used to serve beer in a place like that, Bavaria and Alpine Inn, around Atlanta, Georgia, before God saved me. After God saved me, I didn't want to do that anymore. I didn't want to do that. Because I knew what it did to people. And I decided, you know, I want to do what God says to do. I don't need that to survive. I don't need that to be happy. I don't need that to be satisfied. All I need is my Lord Jesus Christ. He says, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. All the things that we need, all the earthly things that we need, He'll provide if we'll simply trust Him. That's the kind of good God that we have in the Holy Scriptures. And that's the one I would desire that you would rejoice in, not just grumble, well, I'm already a Christian and I go to church. Well, right now, I mean, when I hear that, I'm thinking in my head, that person probably isn't a Christian because they're not glad to hear the good news. That's scary. You have churches and some so-called churches that are full of people like that. And that is a crying shame. And yes, I know there is preaching in these churches to such people who act like and say they're Christian and yet they never change. Their life's never been changed. That's just a farce. That's what it is. That's all. They don't have Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that a Christian is perfect. I'm simply saying that they're not like they used to be before God saved them. That's a sign of a true believer. I mean, really, I'm a Christian, but I'm the same as I always was. Well, I don't want to hear what you got to say because, you know, I want something better. And that's what Jesus Christ provides. And that's what I would want you to have in your heart, in your life, in your family, in this community. Which is why we come. So that people can know and can come to believe on Christ. And to have that life that is forever and ever and ever. That's why Jesus said, I give you life and I give it more abundantly. It's more than, you know, eye has not seen, or ear heard, or entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him. I mean, it's something that's beyond our comprehension. Our ability of our finite minds to wrap our head around. It is that great. But even the things that we have revealed in God's Word is enough to grab our attention, or should, should grab our attention. But we've become so cold and indifferent to the Gospel in our country today that it's just a shame. God is not some dummy, and we just cry out to Him when we're having problems, and then when the problem's solved, we forget about Him. He doesn't put up with that. He knows all what's going on behind that. He wants a commitment, you know, to Him. That's what He's called His people to do. That's an indication that we are His people when that's happened to our life. That's what the kind of Christianity that we see in the Bible. That's the Christianity. That is true Christianity. It's not like some of these prosperity gospel, so-called gospel preachers like Joel Osteen and some of those. They never talk about sin. They never talk about hell. Because that doesn't give them the money, you see. And they're big buildings. And they're big followings. That's not the preaching of the Bible. The reason why people flock to people like that? Because... I mean, he looks fake to me, but anyway... It's because they don't know their Bibles. They don't study their Bible. They don't, like the Apostle Paul, he says that he commended the church at Berea because they searched the Scriptures whether the great Apostle Paul was telling them the truth. Now, if that's what you got to do with Paul, I know it's something I got to do with people like Joel Osteen. I'm telling you. that just because they have big money, big buildings, and they got a big name, that's probably a reason why you shouldn't follow them. Because Jesus said that we should not follow a multitude to do evil. We ought to follow the truth no matter what, if we're the only ones. You know, narrow is the way that leads to life, Jesus said, and broad is the way that leads to Destruction. What kind of destruction? Eternal destruction. Where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. Do you want that? If there's a danger of that, wouldn't you want to know a way of escape? Or just diss it, right? Just diss it. That seems convenient. But it's not. I can guarantee you. It's not. Talk to the rich man in hell that's there right now. He didn't think of those things. He had all the comforts and riches that you could have in that day, but He's in hell right now. According to Luke chapter 16, that's what we find. I should say 15. But either way, we see that those are realities we cannot ignore. It's not the only message to preach, obviously. But it's something, a person will not see the need of a Savior from their sins unless they've told their sinners. Now, if he's just going to be a Santa Claus that's going to give you what you want, that's not the God of the Bible, folks. And that's the kind of God that Joel Osteen and some of these other TV evangelists preach. That's not the God of the Bible. Yes, He's a giver of every good and perfect gift, but that's not all there is about God. They present a one-sided thing. They don't preach the whole counsel of God like Paul did to the church at Ephesus, as he said in Acts chapter 20. Now, this won't be necessarily popular. I mean, they crucified Jesus, didn't they? And many of the apostles lost their lives. But it's worth it when you think about the consequences. People are so caught up with the cares of this world and the comforts of this world that they don't even think about eternity. That's a new strategy of Satan, by the way. It's not intimidation. It's not poverty. It is prosperity. The Book of Proverbs talks about praying, don't make me poor that I'm tempted to steal, and don't make me rich that I would forget about God. Because I've got everything I need, I don't need God for anything. There's that temptation in this country. That's the big temptation in our country. Is that, like the church at Laodicea, they were lukewarm. Because they felt like they had all that they needed. They were well off. They had a good economy there. And they became lukewarm. And told that, you know, they'd get spewed out of the mouth of God because of that. In other words, they'd cease to be a true church. And where are those seven churches of Asia Minor today? They don't exist because they lost their candlestick, just like many churches in our country. They might say church, but they're not God's church because they don't practice what God says that a church should practice. They don't believe on the things that churches in the New Testament believed. These are things that may be foreign to your ears, but it's something worth investigating and checking out for yourself, rather than thinking that we know everything already and some preacher on the street corner can't tell me anything. You know, it's amazing, but God uses children to tell us things, you know, that you wouldn't think God would use. He's used slaves, a maid there of this Assyrian general, you know, that had leprosy. His maid, we don't even know her name, but God used her to point him to Elijah where he'd be healed of his leprosy. So God uses the most insignificant people to send a message. It shows us our pride. that, oh, I know everything already, I can't learn anything from anybody. That is a bad position to be in. And yet that is what proud Americans, sadly, are very much comprised of. They'll never learn anything because they think they know everything already. I'll tell you one thing, I'm always learning. I'm always willing to dialogue with people, to talk with them about their problems, what their perspectives are, and try to show from the scriptures, and if they have a scripture, I mean, I've had that happen to me when somebody showed me a scripture and said, you know, you're right, I was wrong. Those things happen. But we have to have a humble spirit in order to receive that. We might be well-known, we might be famous, we might be rich, and all these other things, and popular, but if we're not in harmony with the Word of God, it's not worth it. We might walk a little with a strut in our step and all this other kind of stuff. It means absolutely nothing. Because we're all going to die and go back to the dust and have to stand before God. Think about that. People can run away and walk fast and do all the other stuff that they do in this world today, but it's not going to change a fact. You're not going to be able to run away from the truth. You're not going to be able to run away from God. Adam and Eve tried that. It didn't work too good. So it's always better just to face reality. You know, I have to face reality. We have to face the fact that, yes, I'm a sinner, and one day I'm going to leave this world and be probably forgotten as far as this world is concerned. But my purpose is to serve the God that created this entire universe. That is the purpose of life. That's our reason for living. And if we miss our purpose, it's no wonder that people get depressed because they don't know what their purpose is. They've missed out on that. It might be just a small little piece of geography that we make a difference, but let's make a difference. Don't let the littleness of our sphere of influence stop us. But once again, and I hate to sound like a broken record, but so many people say, yes, I like to hear that positive stuff, but I don't want to hear that negative stuff that I'm a sinner. We have to. Otherwise, there's no need to have a Savior. What's the point? We are sinners. We do things wrong. That's sin. And what's the standard of right and wrong? The Bible. The God who created us has preserved it in His Word. What's the way of escape? Through Jesus Christ. And He was punished in the place of sinners. What's the result of that? People want to live holy lives and be like God. It's real simple. Very simple. And yet it is offensive to the flesh. But just because it's offensive to the flesh, does that make it wrong? No, not really. I mean, I remember going to football practice. That was very offensive to the flesh. You know, in that hot summer there in Georgia where I grew up, it was hot, it was offensive to the flesh, but it was good for me if I wanted to be a halfway decent football player and make the team. So just because it's offensive to the flesh doesn't mean it's automatically wrong. That's what we have to realize. And I encourage you, I just hope that the Lord opens your mind if it isn't already, and that He will give you life abundantly and eternally through Jesus Christ. Seek the truth. I encourage you to come to Grace Baptist Church in Germantown, North Carolina, where I'm the pastor. And I encourage you to look to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners like you and like me. That's the good news. It's worth telling. A lot more worth than what the news they put on the television programs today. May God bless you.