Greg Lorry and Harvest Ministries recommend a new resource from best-selling author Max Lucato dealing with your thought life.
So many people have Max Lucato books already in their library, but this is his brand new book to help you learn how to team your thoughts. Our thoughts really ultimately affect pretty much everything. And folks, we want to offer you this book by Max Lucato. Team Your Thoughts. for a gift of any amount at harvest.org.
Sometimes people will say, I left my faith because this person that claimed to be a Christian was a hypocrite. Pastor Greg Laurie recommends focusing on Jesus himself, not on people who may disappoint us. Jesus Christ has never been inconsistent or hypocritical or abandoned me. He's kept all of his promises to me.
So regardless of what all y'all do, I'm staying with Jesus and following him to the end. And that's what we all should do. This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Of ancient graves have freed the sound.
Again, you hear all the angels are singing. This is the day, the day will lie in. A ship's captain, approaching the ship. approaching a foggy seaport. will navigate based on the light from the lighthouse, not from the light of other boats.
Boats drift. Lighthouses stand secure. Do we navigate the life of faith based on the conduct of other believers? or based on the one we believe in. What's the hymn say, On Christ the solid rock I stand?
All other ground is sinking sand. Today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie helps put that objective into practice. Why don't you grab your Bible and turn to 2 John. If you don't know where it is, it's right after 1 John.
And right before third John. And the title of my message is P.S. I Love You. Before we dive in, let me just quickly review some of the things we learned in 1 John. 1 John was written to give assurance to believers, believers who were having doubts about their faith.
Have you ever doubted if you're really a Christian? Have you ever doubted? Your salvation. Have you ever wondered, do I know for sure I'm going to go to heaven? Because you think, how could a person who says they're a Christian, have just said the thing I just said.
How could a person who claims to be a Christian have done the thing I just did? Am I really a Christian?
Well, 1 John was written so you could know. That you have assurance of salvation. He says in 1 John 5:13, I've written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so you may know that you have eternal life. He didn't say so you may feel like you have eternal life. Your salvation is not based on your feelings.
It's based on what Christ did for you at the cross. It's not based on what you do, it's based on what He does. He did. And the Bible promises that God, who began a good work in you, will complete it under the day of Jesus Christ. You see, salvation is God's work from beginning to end.
He's the author and he's the finisher of your faith. I don't know about you, but sometimes I start projects I don't finish. Like my office will get really cluttered. And I'll say, it's time to clean the office. And I'll start sorting things out and putting them in little piles, and I'm almost done.
putting everything in its proper place, but I'll just leave a few things out. And then those turn into the new messes again.
So I don't always finish what I start. Isn't it great that God finishes what he begins? Can you imagine saying, I'm going to save that person right there? I'm going to transform them. I'm going to do an immediate.
I'm done with them. I'm moving on. Just here. Wait, what? You know?
He completes what he starts.
So your salvation. is complete. 2nd John. Starting in verse 1, he writes: The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth. And not only I, but also all those who have known the truth because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever.
Grace, mercy, and peace be with you all from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. God wants us to walk in truth and love. You really can't have one without the other.
So, if I see something in a fellow Christian's life that is harmful to them or Dragging them down. The Bible tells me I should speak. the truth in love.
So it comes down to this. Truth anchors us, but love moves us. Truth gives us the message. Love gives us the method. We need to speak the truth in love.
Now we ship gears to third John. Coming to Christ is life-changing. Continuing with Christ is life. Sustaining. Look at 3 John.
One John says, I rejoice greatly, brothers. As you testified of your faith that's in you, as you walk in the truth, and I love this. I have no greater joy than to know my children. Walk in truth. That's so true.
No greater joy. You know, people have asked me, Have you ever thought about just being a full-time evangelist and not being a pastor? back when we started our Harvest Crusades back in 1990, I was being asked that by quite a few people, and then one day Billy Graham asked me that question. We were sitting around talking, and he said, You know what, Greg? I think you should leave your church and no longer be a pastor and become a full-time evangelist.
I said, Billy, You know, it's almost like Moses said that to me just now, and he kind of smiled. I said, Your words do carry a lot of weight.
Now I'm going to think about that and pray about it. And I did. And honestly, it messed with my mind for about three months. Like, should I do that? Billy Graham said it.
Surely that's the will of God. And after I thought about it and prayed about it, I realized that I'm called to be a pastor as well as an evangelist. Look, I love to preach the gospel. And it's a privilege to go to a stadium. And proclaim the gospel and to see a lot of people come forward, that's very exciting.
But the greatest joy I find in my life. Is not doing that. The greatest joy I find in my life is standing behind this pulpit and preaching to you as your pastor. It's true. You say, Greg, you're just pandering to us.
True. No. Actually, I'm not. I'm telling you the truth. This is where I find my greatest joy.
It's great to see people come to Christ, yes. But it's even greater to see people grow in Christ. And to see lives transformed, and then to see generations of people where I think of. Families here that their grandparents served, and maybe they've gone on to be with the Lord, and the parents, and the children, and then their children. And I see it just being passed on, that brings me the greatest joy.
And seeing my own son, Jonathan, in ministry today, that brings me great joy. It really does. Whatever my legacy is, the greatest thing I hope to leave behind is just people who have come to Christ and have grown in Christ. C.H. Spurgeon put it this way, and he said this to me personally.
He didn't. A lot of you don't even know who C. H. Burchin is, but. He was a British preacher for many years ago.
He said this, and I quote, a good character. is the best tombstone. Those who love you and were helped by you will remember you.
So carve your name on hearts. Not on marble. End quote.
Well said.
Next point, God's people should underwrite God's work. 3 John chapter 1 verse 5, dear friend. You've been faithful to God. When you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you, they have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God, for they are traveling for the Lord.
And they accept nothing from people who are not believers.
So, we ourselves should support them.
so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth.
So John's addressing these itinerant preachers that were traveling around. to the church and sharing the gospel. You know, they didn't have hotels they could go to. There was no Marriott or Sheridan or Holiday Inn.
So he's saying to the Christians, hey, take these guys in. Give them a good meal, put a rope over their head. Take care of them. Show hospitality to them. Invest in what they are doing.
They don't want to ask non-believers to pay them. We, the believers, should take care of their needs. Bringing up this point, it pleases God when we support God's work financially. He says in verse 6: continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God. It pleases God when we invest our money in the work of ministry.
We should never have a discomfort hearing about this. We should welcome it. Did you know that there are Approximately 500. Verses in the Bible about faith. Approximately 500 verses in the Bible.
About prayer But then there are 2,000 verses in the Bible on the topic of money, possessions, and giving. Yet we get uncomfortable when the subject is brought up. And maybe it's because that's an area that we're not. really giving over to the Lord as we ought to, or missing the blessing there. The Bible says, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
So you also share in the reward when you invest your money. They shouldn't go to a non-believer. We should underwrite it. That's why the Harvest Crusades have been free of charge for over 30 years. No charge.
Right?
Now you have to pay for the parking. We have nothing to say about that. But, you know, if we charged, it would be much easier. And by the way, it. Did you know it costs money to put a harvest crusade on?
I think we get a lot of bang for the buck. I think we're great stewards of the way that we do it financially, but We want to pay for that so the non-believer will have no barrier put in front of them to hear the gospel.
So that's what John is saying. Let's do that, let's take care of that. Pastor Greg Laurie. We'll have the second half of his message in just a moment. Whenever you send us an email, letter, or post a comment on social media, We read every word.
I appreciate that God has never left my side, and Even when I wasn't living for Christ, I would still call out to God in times of need, after living in my own strength for many years. I found Pastor Gregg's podcasts. God obviously gave Greg a gift by helping draw his listeners to the Word of God. I am so thankful. that Pastor Gregg has now helped me find my way back home to God.
Thank you. What a great story of how Pastor Greg's teachings from God's Word have made an impact on this man's life. And if you'd like to listen to Pastor Gregg's podcasts, you can do that through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast apps. Or go to harvest.org. That's harvest.org.
Well, we're studying the wisdom of 3 John today in Pastor Greg's message called P.S. I Love You. Let's continue.
Next point, there are real and fake Believers in the church. There's real ones and there's fake ones. 3 John 1. Nine. I wrote to the church about This but theotrophies who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us.
Can you imagine who is this diatrophyst dude? He wants nothing to do with the Apostle John? who personally walked with Jesus? He loves to be the leader, says John. When I come, I'll report some of the things he's doing and the evil accusations he's making against us.
This guy's making. evil accusations against the apostles. And not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church. Dear friend, don't let this bad example influence you.
Follow only what is good. Remember those that do good. Prove that they are God's children, and those who do evil. prove they do not know God. One of the greatest criticisms of the church It's hypocrisy, right?
Too many hypocrites in the church. And I've often said, if you find a hypocrite free church, don't join it. Because you'll ruin it. Every church has hypocrites, and let's be honest, every one of us has moments of hypocrisy, no exceptions. But we have to consider something else.
Jesus told a parable about the wheat and the tares. And the tar is very similar to the wheat. And the story he told is: a farmer went out to sow wheat. And then he had an enemy that sowed tares next to the wheat. Initially, both the wheat and the tare look the same.
But as time passes, it's revealed that one is bearing fruit and the other is not.
So the point he is making is in our churches there will be true and false believers. There'll be people that genuinely know the Lord. and people that don't.
So sometimes people will say, I left My faith, because of hypocrisy, that leader was a hypocrite, or this person that claimed to be a Christian was a hypocrite. Were they? Or were they actually never a believer to even begin with? What if they were a satanic plant? What if it was all a strategy from the devil to put these fake people in who sat next to us in our pews and sang the same songs with us and gave in the same offering and even amened at the right times in the sermons?
But never will real believers begin with. And then we actually walked away from our faith because of that. care Among the wheat. Then I would say that was a very clever strategy on the devil's part. I think people sometimes walk away from the faith, not because they saw so-called hypocrisy, but because they didn't want the faith to start with, and that became their convenient excuse.
I'm not justifying hypocrisy, but I'm saying there's fakes out there.
So let's get them and throw them out. Like the atrophies. But he was throwing out the wrong people. That's a problem with him. But Jesus said, No, that's not for you to sort out.
That'll be sorted out in the judgment.
So I don't need to worry about who the terror is. Are you a terror? Look to the person next to you. Are you a terror? Are you a fake?
No, the question you should say is, am I fake? Maya fake. I I don't want to be the fake. Remember when Jesus said, One of you is going to betray me? What did the disciples say?
Is it me, Lord? I love that. Is it me? You would have thought they all would have pointed in unison at Judas Iscariot. It's him, isn't it?
We always knew it was him. We all wore white robes and he wore a black leather one. With his wallet on a chain No. They didn't know it was Judas. Is it me?
So instead of pointing fingers and saying, is it him or is it her? Make sure it's not you. Remember the story when Jesus was talking to Peter and John and And said that John was gonna live longer than Peter. And Peter didn't really like that idea. And he said, Well, what about this man?
Jesus said, What is it to you? Follow me. The point of it is simply this. Just take care of yourself and just make sure that you are walking with me. Listen.
Jesus Christ is who I signed up to follow. over 50 years ago. Jesus Christ has never failed me. Jesus Christ has never been inconsistent or hypocritical or abandoned me. He's kept all of his promises to me.
So, regardless of what all y'all do, I'm staying with Jesus and following him to the end. And that's what we all should do. As the old song says, though none go with me, so I will follow. I want others to follow him. But My focus should be on my own relationship with God.
My last point, one of the weirdest points I've ever made. Try to write this down, I dare you. Be a Demetrius, not a Diotrephes. Be a Demetrius, not a Deotrephes. Let me explain.
Remember I mentioned the atrophies in verse 9? He says, I wrote to the church. About this, but Deartrophies, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us.
So here's the thing. It'd be really cool to have your name written in an epistle. To be read for all church history. Unless your name was Deotrophies, then it's not such a good thing. But if your name is Demetrius, it's a great thing.
So John writes about theotrophies, then he talks about this other guy, Demetrius. Third John 1:12. Everyone speaks highly of Demetrius. As does the truth itself, we ourselves say the same thing for him. And you know we speak the truth.
What a great reputation. Demetrius has.
So, who are you? Are you a Demetrius or a Deotrephes? Dimitri has had a good testimony. The octopus had a poor one. Demetrius was respected by everyone.
John says everyone speaks highly of him. Deotrephes was rebuked by John the Apostle for being divisive and proud. Demetrius was welcoming and faithful. Theotrophes kicked people out of the church and drove them away. Demetrius was a bridge builder.
The atrophies. was a bridge burner. Are you a Demetrius? Or are you a deotrophy?
So let's Wrap this up and conclude. What have we learned? Number one, walk in truth and love. Number two, support God's people in God's work. Number three, be a bridge builder, not a bridge burner.
Number four, leave a godly legacy. Fifth and lastly, don't be a deatrophist. Be a Demetrius. The ultimate example of truth and love was Jesus. He was the very truth.
He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. And it all came together at the cross. When he died there, in our place. And I close with this question. He did that to assure your salvation.
Do you know that you are saved? Is there any more important question I could ask you right now? Do you know that you will go to heaven when you die? If you don't. You need to know this.
You say, well, how can I know? By accepting that Christ paid the price for you. shedding his blood. And it is completed. purchased and finished.
From the cross of Calvary, Jesus cried one word. And that word was, it is Finnish, that's how it's translated, but it's from the root word telestai. He said, Tesla Stai, or it is finished, or it is accomplished, or it is completed. He did it all for you. And you need to say, Lord, thank you for that, and I believe in you.
But there's somebody I'm talking to here that doesn't have this assurance, but you can have it. Listen, Jesus is coming back again. And I ask you, if he came back today, would you be ready to meet him? What if death knocked on your door today? Would you know you would go to heaven?
If not, respond to this opportunity. that I'm going to give to you. as we pray. Let's all pray, Father. I pray for any person here or any person watching or listening, wherever they are.
If they don't know that they know, that they're saved. If they don't know with certainty, they'll go to heaven. If they don't know with confidence that they're ready for your return, help them to come to you now, we pray. Amen. Pastor Greg Laurie.
with an important prayer. And if you'd like to make a change today in your relationship with the Lord, Pastor Greg will help you in just a moment before we wrap up today here on a new beginning. Are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions each day via email? If not. Let's take care of that right now.
You can sign up today free of charge at harvest.org. and you'll receive a daily inspirational thought from God's Word each day in your inbox. Again, go to harvest.org.
Well, Pastor Greg, you've mentioned before how someone can become a Christian. With just a simple prayer. Maybe somebody would like to do that right now. Could you help them with that? Sure, I'd love to.
A simple prayer is right. In fact, I would like to just pray a prayer and I would ask you to pray it after me. You might even pray it out loud. This is a prayer I've led a lot of people in over the years, and I've seen God change lives. There's no magic in this prayer.
It's the God you're speaking to who will hear this prayer and answer this prayer.
So, if you want Christ to come into your life, If you want to be sure your sin is forgiven, you will If you want to be confident that you will go to heaven when you die, just pray this prayer. even out loud, after me right now. Pray these words, Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. But I also know that you are the Saviour, Because you died on the cross for my sin. and he rose again from the dead.
Jesus, come into my life. and forgive me of every sin I've ever committed. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Thank you for answering this prayer, Lord.
And I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. If you just prayed that prayer and mint it, I want you to know on the authority of Scripture, God Almighty has heard your prayer and He will answer this prayer. You are now a newly minted child of God.
So, congratulations, you've made the right decision, and welcome to the family of God. I want to send you a special gift because of that prayer you've just prayed. It's called the New Believer's Growth Packet, and in it is a copy of the New Testament in a very understandable translation called the New Living Translation. It also is filled with hundreds of notes that I wrote that will encourage you in this commitment you've made to follow Christ. And there's some other.
Outstanding materials in this little packet, I'll send you as well.
So, order your copy today, and let me be the first to say to you. Congratulations and welcome to the family of God. Yeah, we'll be glad to send it all your way, free of any charge, if you prayed along with Pastor Greg today. Just ask for the New Believer's Bible. when you call 1-800-821-3300.
You can reach us anytime 24-7, again at 1-800-821-3300. or write a new beginning box 4000. Riverside, California, 92514. or go online to harvest.org and click Know God. And then let us take a moment to thank you for praying for this ministry and for supporting it through your generous donation.
It's an investment in kingdom business. Isn't that right, Pastor Gregg? Yeah, it's really true, Dave. And I believe it's so important because, you know, the gospel saves lives, it saves eternal lives. Because when a person believes in Jesus, according to Scripture, they pass from darkness to light.
From the power of Satan to the power of God. And then, of course, that changes the course of their future. That impacts their children and their children's children. The gospel changes everything. and thousands and thousands of people respond every single year.
Thanks to the Lord. Also, thanks to you for your investment in this ministry, enabling us to reach people. Wherever they are.
So if this is something you care about, I encourage you to make a financial investment And a new beginning in Harvest Ministries. Yeah, that's right. And we really do appreciate your support. Thanks for partnering with us today. It can make a real difference, not just for today or this week, but for eternity.
So get in touch with your support today by calling 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. or write a new beginning box 4000 Riverside, California 92514. or go online to harvest.org.
Well, next time, Pastor Greg launches a fascinating new series in the book of Joshua. called Living in the Land of Promises. Join us here on a new beginning. with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins.
