Edifying the Body of Christ

Well, brethren, as I mentioned earlier, the theme of this year's General Conference of Elders was Edifying the Body through Spiritual Gifts. Of course, it's talking about the Body of Christ, the Church of God. Now, the conference is over, but what can we all gain from considering the topic that was covered? Several messages were given in regard to Spiritual Gifts at the conference. It is a very important topic and one that we all need to understand better. Most importantly, we all need to be utilizing the Spiritual Gifts that we have. Of course, we have to recognize them before we utilize them, I think, or at least to some degree we need to. I'm sure not fully, but it would be good to know what gifts we have, wouldn't it? So, we need to be utilizing the Spiritual Gifts that we've personally been given so that we can build up, edify, and help the Body of Christ in the most effective and powerful way. What about you? Has God given you any Spiritual Gifts?

Perhaps you think not, but I can assure you that God has given you at least one Spiritual Gift and maybe a number of Spiritual Gifts. So, what gifts have you been given? And how might you better use your Spiritual Gifts to edify and build up the Body of Christ, the Church of God? How should you look at others and their Spiritual Gifts as well? That's another question that we will discuss somewhat today. So, as I said, there were a number of men who spoke about Spiritual Gifts, about edifying the Body of Christ, and you heard the sermons that were given as well, which were also relating to this particular topic. You heard the sermons last Sabbath on the webcast. Some of the things that you did not hear, Mr. Kubik gave a presentation regarding Spiritual Gifts. In his presentation, he mentioned working with Ukrainians. That comes up quite a bit because I know they had a big impact on Mr. Kubik, and he's stayed in touch with the Ukrainians over the years. He said they are now adopting the Sabbath in greater numbers as they realize it is not Jewish, but indeed Christian. He also said that in his contact with the Ukrainians some years ago, they felt that our explanation of the Holy Spirit was too passive, that we needed to make it more active. So I'm sure Mr. Kubik would like us to understand more fully the Holy Spirit and how it works in our lives. I know that we would all certainly like that as well.

He mentioned that the Ukrainians that were Sabbatarians there, they believed the Holy Spirit is God's power. They don't believe in the Trinity. They don't believe the Holy Spirit is a third person in a Trinity. They said God has a face, God the Father has a face, God the Son, Jesus Christ has a face, but the Holy Spirit has no face. And they referred to it as the Faceless God. It is indeed the power of God, the divine nature of God. And we do need to understand it more fully. Let's turn to Acts 2, where we read of a man who denied Christ three times. Just less than two months earlier, he had denied Christ three times in one evening when Christ was being taken and crucified. And yet here we hear of a man, or we read of a man, who was emboldened by the power of God's Holy Spirit to speak very bluntly and very powerfully and very plainly the truth of God. So beginning in Acts chapter 2, verse 14, it says Peter, standing up with the 11, raised his voice. So he was not timid. He raised his voice and said to them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heed my words. You know, I'm sure he said, I have a feeling he said it rather powerfully. He got their attention. Heed my words. For these are not drunk. And that's what some people were saying about those who the Holy Spirit had come upon. He says they're not drunk, as you suppose, since it's only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass in the last day, said God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your men, your young men, shall see visions. Your old men shall dream dreams. And on my men servants and on my maid servants, I will pour out my spirit in those days. And they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath. Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and the awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Eternal shall be saved. So this was a powerful message that Peter was giving. And he went on, and I don't have the time to read all of this, but a very powerful message regarding Jesus Christ and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And he compared David, who they respected highly, as one who was both dead and buried, but Jesus Christ was alive. Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and he was alive. What a powerful message Peter was giving on that day of Pentecost. And he was moved by the power of God's Holy Spirit. And frankly, brethren, that's how we need to be moved by God's Spirit. We need to be moved to speak boldly and plainly regarding the truth of God whenever it is possible, whenever we can make a difference, whenever anyone is perhaps listening.

We need to be willing to step out, to be counted. I think oftentimes we are too timid, and we don't speak as boldly and plainly as perhaps we should.

Something to think about, isn't it? Is something to consider. Why should we not be like Peter? Do we not have a spirit, the same spirit?

You know, Mr. Cubick talked about a guy named Mort. Mort bought a chainsaw. And this chainsaw was guaranteed to cut down five trees in one day. Five trees. That's, you know, these are huge trees we're talking about. This was a hardworking chainsaw. So Mort went back to the store after purchasing it. He went back two days later and he said, you know, it took me all day to cut down one tree. One tree took me all day long. What's the problem? You know, you told me that this chainsaw would cut down five trees easily. Well, the store owner took the chainsaw. He pulled it just once, and it roared to life. And Mort quickly asked, what's that sound?

What's that sound? Mort had never heard the sound because he'd never pulled the chain. He never pulled the... he never started the dumb thing. So, you know, how many trees could you cut down? With the chainsaw that wasn't running, I think he did pretty well with one. He must have worked pretty hard with that chainsaw. I wouldn't want to take on that job. The point is, as Mr. Kubik brought out, perhaps we're just not pulling the power cord on God's spirit.

Perhaps we're not stirring up the spirit of God. And as we draw close to Pentecost, brethren, let us stir up God's spirit because God's spirit is alive and well. God's spirit dwells in you. Those of you who have been baptized, who have repented of your sins, who have accepted Christ as your Savior, be assured that God's spirit dwells in you. It's a promise. Let's walk in faith. Let's believe that God's spirit is alive and well. And it's in us. And let us have the power that Peter experienced on that day of Pentecost. Peter and John were imprisoned, as we know. They were asked, by what power do you do these things? Let's go to chapter 4. I didn't write down the exact verse here.

But they were... okay, I think it's verse 7. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name have you done this? Because a man was healed, remember? A crippled man was healed.

And so they brought Peter and John in verse 8. Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, God raised from the dead. Now, this is very similar to what he said to the mob. He said, you crucified this Jesus, who now lives, who's resurrected, who's at the right hand of God. So he's telling them again, even after they've been arrested, he said to Jesus Christ, it's by him this man stands here before you whole, completely healed, a man who had been crippled from birth. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. You know, there is power in the name of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. There is power in his name, not so much the name itself, but in his being. The name represents Jesus Christ. It represents who he is. He is the Son of God. And there is power in the Son of God. And there's power in the spirit that both the Father and the Son share. And frankly, they share that spirit with you and me. So there is power in God's people when we yield to God's Spirit, when we stir it up, and when we allow God to work in us. So let's not cut short the power of God in us. Let's not limit God's power by being doubtful and wavering. But let us have faith, because that is truly a gift of God. It is a gift of the Spirit. It is a spiritual gift. Faith is a very, very important gift. And the Bible says, ask and you shall receive.

It says, ask for God's Spirit. And then believe that you're going to receive it. This is a spiritual gift that God can continue to give us in greater measure if we step out in faith and ask Him first of all, and have faith that He's going to answer our prayers. I believe we as a church do need to wake up to the power of God's Holy Spirit, not just here in Tulsa, but around the world. We need to wake up to the power of God's Spirit. We need to pull the cord and we need to hear the power of God's Spirit in our lives.

So by what power do you do the things in your life? Are you counting on God's Spirit to give you strength and to empower you and to embolden you and to move you forward in a proper way?

You know, it was only Paul who really had a higher education of all the disciples. The others were fishermen or carpenters. They really didn't have a really more distinguished education, you might say, but certainly Paul did have a greater education. It's fine either way. If you have a great education, that's wonderful. If you don't have a very good education, that's still okay.

The leaders were astonished at the power in which the disciples acted. Now granted, this was a unique time in history. God was working with them in a unique way. But you know, from what I just read, it talks about the last days. It talks about the time when there will be heavenly signs. When the book of Revelation will come to life. When these things will be fulfilled. And are we not close to those days? Who's to say that God will not pour out His Spirit in great ways in those who believe? In those who have faith? In those who trust Him and look to Him for His direction in their lives? In those who trust Him and look to Him for His direction in those who believe? Mr. Kubik said that he had asked God, could you do the same here today in the United Church of God? Could you pour out your Spirit in a great way as you did back during the days of the disciples? And after Christ had died and was resurrected, the early church that was growing by leaps and bounds, when healing was taking place, that was a spiritual gift. Peter and John had the gift of healing by the power of God's Spirit. Perhaps the timing is not yet here, but who's to say how long it will be before God does pour out His Spirit in greater ways in these last days? So, brethren, let us not doubt, but let us have faith that this prophecy is going to be fulfilled. What I just read from Peter speaks of the days before Christ returned. We're closer now than ever. We're drawing ever closer. What we see happening in the world today is so disgusting in so many ways. This latest revelation in Cleveland, Ohio, a very midwestern town, you know, of an area that could be any area in the United States, conservative area to some degree.

And what was happening, a monster was living there, and for 10 years he abused three young girls.

That's what goes on in the world around us. That's what goes on in our own country, in our own state. You know, God will only put up with this for so long. He is sending His Son back. And who knows when He says enough is enough? When He's had enough. It's disgusting to us. Can you imagine how bad it looks in God's eyes? God who is perfect, God who is righteous, God who is spirit.

God is moved by these things.

But He has a plan. He's working according to that plan, but we're drawing ever closer to the return. Of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Mr. Kubik also mentioned a trip that he had taken with another minister in 1992, back in the former worldwide Church of God. He went to Russia, or I guess it was called Russia back at that time. He met with Sabbatarians there. He gave a sermon about what the Holy Days meant to him and to the worldwide Church of God. Afterwards, people thanked him for his presentation, for his sermon. Their custom, however, was also to have people stand up and share a vision or teaching at the end of the message. One woman there was a gynecologist. She was well educated, but she had become a street sweeper. She was now a street sweeper because she was being persecuted for keeping the Sabbath in Russia. She lost her job. She was sent to Siberia because of her belief. This lady stood up after Mr. Kubik spoke, and she said, I had a vision last night about you two men. It was about the marriage supper, and the bride wore a garment. Half of the garment was white and clean. The other half was dirty. Change your dress.

The pastor came up to Mr. Kubik later on and said, oh, Brother Victor, I'm sorry, but well, at least the bride is half clean. That was in 1992. We know what happened in 1994-95. Interesting. So some of these prophecies are being fulfilled in various ways around the country, not as prominently and not as often perhaps as all of us would like to see. But some people still have visions, dream dreams. Now, some do it falsely, and they're deceived, and they think they are. But there are some legitimate happenings like this that do occur. I think Mr. Kubik has a rather unique background. Hopefully, God will be able to use him in a special way in the next few years. I'm hoping and praying that, as we draw ever closer to Christ's return, that God's Spirit will move in us in a way that God intends. Mr. Kubik mentioned that there were two booklets that the Ukrainians reprinted back in the 90s. Why were you born and the seven laws of success? They reprinted them and distributed them throughout Siberia. They evangelized in Siberia. It did have some impact, but consider the courage that it took for these people to do this. I mean, that would not have been an easy audience, I wouldn't think. Like I said, the gynecologist became a street sweeper. Because of her beliefs, but that did not keep them from evangelizing, from going out and telling the truth.

Mr. Kubik asked us in the ministry, he asked us if we are managing our area to maximize the spiritual gifts of the people that you serve. I'm hoping to enlighten us all a little bit. You do have spiritual gifts, and you should be utilizing those gifts. There is a place for everyone to serve in this church, in this Tulsa congregation, in perhaps small ways, but some larger ways. But any single way is important. Any way that you can help and serve and help unify the body of Christ through your example, through your faith. You know, that's powerful. So don't minimize what you can do in this congregation. So let's stir up the Spirit of God and ask God to show us our spiritual gifts, to show us what we can be doing to help one another and to edify God's church. In 2 Timothy 1, verse 6, it speaks of stirring up the Spirit of God. Again, as we draw close to Pentecost, we do need to be stirring up the Spirit of God. We do need to do it all year long, obviously, and during the Days of Unleavened Bread, I talked about those days that we're counting 50 in between the Days of Unleavened Bread and Pentecost, and encourage you to stir up the Spirit of God and to walk in the Spirit. So in 2 Timothy 1, and I know we're quite familiar with this verse, but let's read it here together. 2 Timothy 1.

Verse 6, Paul writes to Timothy, a young minister, Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Brethren, when we repent and accept Christ as our Savior, when we humble ourselves and go under the waters of baptism, when we have hands laid upon us, as it says here, we receive the gift of God's Holy Spirit.

It's not just for the ministry. It's for all of us, and all who were ministers were members first, and they first received the Holy Spirit at baptism. We're all in this together. So we need to manage the gifts of the Spirit here in the Tulsa congregation in this area.

Mr. Kubik asked, Do you have the right people in charge of various activities in East Church? Well, I hope we do. But if we need to make some changes and you have some input, you know, I'm all ears. I'm willing to listen. I think we have some very fine people who are serving very, very well, but that doesn't mean we might, you know, we could always give other people opportunities. The men who serve, they're not, you know, they're not coveting this position. They don't feel like it's theirs for life.

I mean, those who are ministers are ministers, of course, for life, but a lot of the jobs I'm talking about, physical jobs, things that we do, social committee, this, that, the other thing. I mean, I think we have a great team together on our social committee. We're getting things done, and that's important. And, you know, if you have any input, again, I'm listening. If you think there are programs we need to start, you know, I'd like to see us do more in the community. I think, you know, I've talked to this congregation in the past about doing certain things with the little lighthouse, and we did a little something.

I think we had one project, or at least I went in there and talked to them. I can't remember exactly. Seems like we had a clean-up project or something there, but, regardless, I'm sure there's more we could do. You know, we need to be more active, I believe, and we need to get a little more involved.

Let's serve each other first, because clearly that's a biblical principle. Let's take care of the needs of each other. But if there's something that we can do in the community to be of benefit, to be of help, certainly that's a godly principle. So I would encourage all of you to put on your thinking caps and think about this.

Discuss it somewhat amongst yourselves, because I am a very open-minded pastor, at least I think I am. And if some good ideas come forward, if it makes sense, I'll do my part to try to implement those things. I know there's only so much we can do. I'm not naive. I've been around here long enough to know that we may not have a huge impact. We probably won't be on Channel 8 News anytime soon. But that's not what we're trying to do anyway. We're not using our spiritual gifts to be seen of men. We're using our spiritual gifts to serve men.

To serve women. To serve the church and the community and those around us. So I know we're doing a Ronald McDonald thing, and that's helpful. You know, that's something that people are doing. They're making food for Ronald McDonald House. And that's a good thing. There's certainly nothing wrong with that.

I hope no one would ever think we shouldn't be involved in the Ronald McDonald House. So let's stir up God's Spirit. Let's have more faith. Let's be ready to give an answer as to why we believe what we do. And let's not be argumentative regarding God's truth, because the Bible is against that. If people aren't interested, then don't try to convince them. But if they show an interest, then why not discuss these things with them?

And if they're downright belligerent, then you can just boldly say, well, I don't agree with you, and this is why. And that's all I've got to say.

But at least they know where you stand. They know what you believe.

All right, let's go to some scriptures to talk about spiritual gifts. Let's get an idea. Let's go to 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4, verses 3-11. 1 Peter 4, verse 3.

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lewdness, lust, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it's strange that you do not run with them in the same blood of dissipation speaking evil of you. Many people have made some big changes in their lives when they came into God's church. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason, the gospel was preached also to those who are dead that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit.

Verse 7, But the end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers. And praying is a very important aspect that all of us should be doing, no matter how old we are or how young we are. Our prayers do matter, and God does hear our prayers. And we should pray in faith and know that God does hear our prayers and that God will act according to His will. But He does want to hear us ask. Ask and you shall receive, and we should be asking for others, not for ourselves. Verse 8, And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbly. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. There are many different types of gifts, and whatever it is that God has given you that you can share with others, then by all means please share it. Minister it to one another, as it says here. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles or the scriptures of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. See, that's the whole purpose for spiritual gifts, is that God may be glorified, that Jesus Christ may be glorified, that we do all things in Christ's name, that we know the power that we do things comes from God and from Jesus Christ living in us. To whom belong the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. So we need to be glorifying God in whatever we do, whatever our hand finds to do, we should do it with our might. We should learn to love God with all of our soul, our heart, our mind, our strength.

Spiritual gifts are not given to us by God as a purpose of puffing us up or emboldening us in a wrong way.

But it is to embolden us in a spiritual way. That we might have strength and power and faith. In Romans 12, Romans 12, verse 1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. This is reasonable. God's not asking too much of you to become a living sacrifice. We know that Jesus Christ died for us, and God wants us to learn to live for Him, for His Son, who died for us, for God's cause. And do not be transformed to this world. I'm sorry, do not be conformed to this world. We're not to follow the world in its sick and deviant ways. But we are to follow God in His pure and righteous ways.

So don't be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say through the grace given to me to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. So we are to be humble and realize that God has given every one of us a measure of faith. We're not to think more highly of ourselves, but we are to look to the needs of others, as the Scripture tells us in Philippians. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, when I look out, I see one body. I see many individuals, but I see one body. This is the United Church of God in Tulsa. This is the body of Christ, United Church of God here in Tulsa. Again, I think there are others who have God's Spirit that aren't here with us today. There are other groups, but this is where we are, and this is where we need to make a difference.

Verse 5, So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Members of one another. We're all in this. We're all on the same team. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us. Now, this word, grace, is the word chorisma. Chorisma, I don't know exactly how to pronounce it. In English, we say chorisma. But it's the word for gifts here. Having then gifts differing according to the grace. This is Strong's Greek word 5483. It means a divine gratuity, deliverance from danger or passion, a special spiritual endowment. This is from Vines words. A religious qualification or miraculous faculty, a free gift.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace. Grace is the word. It's related to the word chorisma. It's charis.

It means graciousness of manner or act, especially the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life, including gratitude, acceptable benefit, favor, gift, grace or graciousness, joy, liberality, pleasure, thanks, thank worthy. So this is the word grace that is also used in this verse. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us. These are all gifts. Grace, God's graciousness, God's gifts to us. Let us use them if prophecy, and generally this prophecy is speaking mostly of inspired preaching. It's giving God's word accurately and in an inspired way. It can also mean prophecy in terms of prophesying a future event. But generally it's often used of just inspired preaching or teaching.

If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. We need to have faith. If we're going to get up here and speak, all of us who speak up here, we should have faith. We should believe what we're telling you. We should have faith in what we say. We should trust God that He will work in us, that you might be exhorted, that you might be taught. So prophesy in proportion to our faith or ministry. Let us use it in our ministry. He who teaches in teaching, He who exhorts in exhortation. To exhort someone means to stir someone up. To exhort them, to stir them up to action, to do something better than they've been doing. To make a difference. Exhortation. He who gives with liberality. We should be generous. And we should give according to what we've been given. I mean, you can't give what you don't have. And I'm speaking of physical things now. If you don't have it, you can't very well give it. But if you have it, then share it. Give it. So we all have different gifts. Some have more to give than others have. It may be because they've applied themselves better. They've worked harder. They've done a better job. Or maybe it's just because God's given them a gift. Bless them in certain ways. But God does hold us accountable to use our gifts.

He who leads with diligence.

There should be leadership among us. We should lead with diligence. He who shows mercy with cheerfulness. We should be a merciful, forgiving people as well. A cheerful people, a joyful people. For these are the gifts of God's Spirit. And these are the fruits of God's Holy Spirit.

I'm not saying that the fruit and the gifts is exactly the same. But there's certainly a connection there. We ought to be producing the fruit of God's Spirit. God's Spirit working in us helps us produce fruit. It helps us to be more loving, more compassionate, more kind, more joyful, more peaceful, more patient, more faithful. God's Spirit working in us.

Verse 9, let love be without hypocrisy. God hates hypocrisy. Jesus Christ in Matthew 23 showed how much He hated hypocrisy when He took the Pharisees and the scribes to task. So let love be without hypocrisy. Let's be honest and true and genuine, sincere. A poor one is evil. Learn to hate one is evil. Now, we should grieve when we hear things like we heard this week. And that we hear every week. The Jodi Arias trial, that was in the news this week. So was the obviously the House of Horrors, as it's being referred to, in Cleveland, Ohio. We had a bombing just recently in Boston. There's always something that shows man's inhumanity to man.

So learn to abhor what is evil and learn to cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. Not lagging in diligence, but fervent in the Spirit. Fervent in God's Spirit, serving the Lord. We won't continue to read on, but it's... Well, actually, I think I will read a little bit further. Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation. When we get persecuted, to take it patiently. I'm sure the woman that is no longer a doctor, but a street sweeper, had to show some patience. Continuing steadfastly in prayer. Distributing to the needs of the saints. Helping one another. And I know that there have been many acts of generosity from you people. All of you. In one way or the other. You're a generous people. You are a loving people. You are a godly people. You are a chosen people. Sanctified and set apart for a holy purpose.

So we need to stir up God's Spirit in us that we might be more like God. That we may be more like Jesus Christ. And it is a wonderful blessing to be associated. You've heard me say this before. I'll say it again. I'm grateful to be a minister. I'm grateful to be your pastor. I love all of you. I care for all of you. I fall short in many ways. But I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve you. And I believe that's how you feel. I believe you're here for the same reasons I am. I believe we all care for each other. And we want what's best for each other. We want God to work in us. We want to change and grow and become like Christ. That's our desire. That's our goal. So what better group of people can you be associated with than a people like this? You know, there is no better group on earth. So let's believe in what God is doing in our lives together. Now, let's come here knowing that we should be here every week. Shouldn't be a struggle whether we're going to come or not. Unless we're sick, why are we not here on a more regular basis? Some of us. Most of you are here very faithfully. But there are a few that still struggle. This is where you need to be. This is the best time that you could be. This is right here. Believe it or not, between 10 and 12, every Sabbath morning, I believe it's the best place for you to be. For a lot of reasons, not to hear me speak. When I'm not here, it's still the best time.

So I would encourage all of us to just step it up a notch. You know, let's be our better selves, all of us. I have to preach to myself because I'm human. You know, I have weaknesses. You all understand that. I'm not deceiving any of you, am I?

But again, I am very grateful for my calling. I'm grateful to God for opening my mind, for calling me out of this world, for showing me a better way, for taking me out of darkness and bringing me into the light.

So God is good and God is gracious, and we should praise Him every day.

Mr. Kubik asks, Do you direct the utilization of the Spirit of God in your area as the director directs an amazing choir? You are an amazing choir. Let us sing beautiful music together.

Mr. Kubik talked about the end is not here yet. In some ways, it's just the beginning. If we stir up the Spirit in humility, then perhaps we will hear the Spirit of God roar to life. In us. You know how exciting is it going to be when God does pour out His Spirit in greater ways? I would think you would want to be here when that begins to happen. You would want to be a part of that. Let's not lose sight of what God may be doing in all of us in the days ahead. I'm no prophet. I don't know how soon Christ is returning, but I do have faith that God is going to pour His Spirit out in greater ways. I believe that is coming. I believe that the Scripture speaks to it. The Bible says it. I believe it. So let's all believe it, and let's look forward to the fulfillment of that happening.

Now let's move on to another keynote. I've deviated somewhat from Mr. Kubik's. You can probably go online and hear it in person if you'd like. Mr. Darius McNeely gave a keynote address as well. There were a number of keynote addresses. He talked about creating an environment for growth. And it's all tied into, again, stirring up the Spirit of God in us. He said that changes in the Church will only be effective if we change ourselves. So it has to start with each and every one of us. If we're going to make a change in the Church, then first make a change. And then, rather than sit back as the judge and wonder why more isn't being done in the United Church of God, why don't you start by saying, why isn't more being done in your own life?

Why are you not doing more? If you think Mr. Kubik needs to do more, or Mr. McNeely needs to do more, or any number of people, or I need to do more, isn't it better to start with yourself and make sure that you're doing more? That's, again, what the Scripture tells us. We need to look to ourselves first, that we might be of some benefit to others. So let's make sure we judge ourselves first, that we don't need to be judged by God.

If God judges us and sees us lacking, then we're the ones that will suffer. We are the ones that are suffering already. So let's judge ourselves and let's stir up the Spirit within us. Let's put a higher priority on what we do every day of the week, not just Sabbath morning, but every single day of the week.

He talked about an environment for growth, and he said he used the example of the church at Antioch, where people were first called Christians at Antioch, remember? They began to be called Christians because they followed Christ. They followed Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He used that as an example, so you might want to Google Antioch and look up all the scriptures that talk about Antioch. I guess you don't have to Google it. You can Bing it, or any number of other web browsers, but you can go to e-sword and you can find all the places where it's used.

He talked about Barnabas. Barnabas, of course, was an encourager, a great encourager.

He made changes in his life. He went to bat for Paul and showed people that Paul really had repented, stood up for Paul. He gave three points in how we can create an environment for growth, allowing God's Spirit to be stirred up and to be utilized in us. The first point was to listen to one another. If we listen, we will come to understand each other. If we listen, this is a very fundamental point. Whenever people are being counseled for marital problems, oftentimes it's because they don't listen very well to each other. They don't understand each other very well. So if we listen, we will come to understand each other and we will come to understand why people do what they do. We may not agree or be the best of friends, but when we do listen to one another, then we learn to understand each other. And that will help develop harmony and a unique sound. He actually used an analogy about the eagles and how they have a unique sound. I guess they... I don't know the dates. I mean, I've listened to the eagles. I like their group for the most part. I guess they were apart and then they came back together again. And they're old men now and they still sing. I don't know a whole lot about them. I'm not all wrapped up in the eagles or any other rock group or musical group.

His point was you produce better music when you listen to each other.

So let's listen to each other better. Let's reproduce harmony in our lives and in our church here in Tulsa and around the world. Let's develop a unique sound. The eagles have a unique sound that people want to listen to. So we can develop a unique sound as God's people. As we listen to the shepherd, the good shepherd, we hear his voice. We march to the beat of Jesus Christ drop.

The second point was to encourage each other. Listen to each other and then encourage each other. Paul learned it from Barnabas. He passed it on to Aquila and Priscilla, who in turn passed it on to Apollos.

He gave the example of how he was encouraged back in 1969 after he had been rejected from Ambassador College. He applied to Ambassador College and was rejected. Daris Meneally, who's now on TV. He was rejected. He said that there were two... Now, this was a little different. You know, there were a lot of people God was calling the church back in the 60s. By droves, you know, God was calling people in. And there were a lot of young men applying to Ambassador College. They weren't accepting everyone back then. And he was denied. But two others in the same church area had been accepted. He said that his minister, who was Bob Steep, and I don't know if any of you know Bob Steep. I've heard of him, but I don't know if I ever met him or not. I've heard of the man long since gone. I don't know if he's dead or what he's doing. But he came up after services. He had already heard that Mr. Meneally had been rejected. He told him not to get discouraged, not to take it too hard. He said, you're sitting on a gold mine.

And it's all up to you to dig it out. Now, Mr. Meneally could have gotten depressed. He could have given up. He could have quit. He could have gotten angry. Instead, he applied the next year and got accepted.

He was encouraged by his minister to go forward and not allow himself to be sidetracked. Now, we can encourage each other. So let's do that. Let's encourage each other. Someone's hurting. Let's care enough to, first of all, see that. You know, see that someone's hurting. And let's try to help them in any way we can. Sometimes you have to speak up, though, because we don't, you know, unfortunately, we're scattered. And I don't always know what's going on. You know, I'm spread out too much. I've got four congregations. I've got a pre-teen camp that I'm going to be directing in less than a month. I've got nine other camps that I'm trying to coordinate. Thankfully, it's not that overwhelming. It sounds very overwhelming. But it's keeping me busy. So I can't always know what's going on in your life. So please come to me. Tell me you'd like to talk. You know, I'll find time for you. You know, because you're important to me, and I'll find time for you. And that leads us to the third point, which was to trust. Now, I know that trust has taken a hit in God's church over the years. We're much smaller now than we once were. Not everything has been done decently. And in order, as God would have had it be done, you know, God is not the author of confusion. But Satan is, and Satan has made inroads. And has hurt the church in many ways. So trust has been a problem for a lot of people. They don't, you know, they have a hard time trusting anyone. Of course, our trust should be earned. Now, we should earn one another's trust. But let's try to look at the fruits of one another and see if there's any reason for trusting someone. For trusting someone. You know, if there's some reason for it, then by all means give it. It's a good thing. You know, it starts with God. You have to trust Him first. You have to trust His Son, even when things are bad. You know, I had four funerals in a month.

I mean, that takes its toll. But it doesn't lessen my faith in God. It doesn't lessen my trust. In Him, He says He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. That's what gives me the strength that I have to do the job I'm given to do.

So we have to place our faith and trust in God first and let that dictate everything else that we do. Put Him first. I mean, Mr. Meenely went on to say that the important thing is not the gift. The important thing is not necessarily the gift that God gives us, but the one who gives the gift. And that's where it all begins. It begins with God and Christ and being thankful and grateful for their direction and guidance in our lives. So we need to become Christ-like. Now, that is a buzzword in the Church of God now that we all need to realize that. You need to become Christ-like. I need to become Christ-like. I was sitting in a Council of Elders meeting a couple of years ago when they were talking about this subject, this topic. And that's where this phrase was, they were discussing what they needed to call what was it? I forget what we called it in the past. It had to do with Christian leadership or it was servant leaders, Christ-centered, or this or that. There were a number of different words that were being tossed out, but the one that stuck was Christ-like. We need to become Christ-like in all that we do. And if we become Christ-like, then we're going to be in good shape, aren't we? Because Christ was perfect. If we become like Him, nothing can stop us. Mr. McNeely concluded his presentation by saying that we need to become Christ-like. We need to be God's Church. We need to become that Church, that Church that becomes without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, the Bride of Christ, or we will divide again and again and again and we will become a footnote in the history of the Church of God. Speaking of the United Church of God, we as the United Church of God hopefully are learning our lessons and we won't have to suffer some of the same problems that we have in the past or they will be lesser in the future.

So let's see what time I've got left here. I don't have much time to go further.

I think you've probably heard enough teaching for one day, or at least for one morning. I'll save some of this for later, some other time. I will conclude, however, by sharing this with you.

A conductor was holding a rehearsal one night with a vast array of musicians. A hundred-voiced choir. We have a few less than that here, probably around 70 or 75 people. So a conductor was holding a rehearsal one night with this hundred-voiced choir and with a lot of musicians and different instruments and so forth. While the mighty chorus sang out, the horns blared and the cymbals clashed.

Sitting far back in the orchestra, the piccolo player thought to herself, with all these loud instruments, it doesn't matter what I do, they don't need me. She was kind of feeling sorry for herself, a lowly piccolo player, and so she stopped playing. Suddenly, the conductor stopped also. The music stopped, and everyone looked right at the piccolo player. Instead, it doesn't sound right without you. It doesn't sound right without you. Something's wrong. Something's missing. It doesn't sound right without you.

Cooper's waving at me. You know, you got to wave back. Come on!

So it does matter who you are if you're Cooper. You know, Cooper is an integral part of this church. That's right. He's a good guy. All of us are. All of us, even though we may just play the piccolo, we have an important role to play. So let's not sell ourselves short, because when we do, we're selling God short. Because remember, God don't make no junk. You heard that, right? God doesn't make any junk. So we're all in this together, and we all need one another. God has given us gifts, and now He wants us to use those gifts. If you have the gift of encouragement, by all means encourage. If you have the gift of faith if you have the gift of faith, then walk bozing with faith. If you have the gift of healing, let me know. Because whoever you are, I'll send people to you. Nobody is nobody in God's true Church. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.