What does it look like to be a true disciple of Christ? Find out next on today's Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepard. But before we kick things off, Pastor Paul's wife Meredith has a few words she'd like to share with you during this critical season in the life of our ministry. Hi. This is Meredith Shepherd.
Pastor Paul was my beloved husband. I want to take a moment to thank every person who has supported Destined for Victory through your prayers and financial gifts. Your generosity allows us to continue bringing the life changing message of Jesus Christ to listeners near and far. Many are encouraged, surprised. Strengthened and reminded of God's faithfulness because you chose to invest in this work.
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Simply visit our donate page at pastorpaul.net/slash donate. Together, we can continue proclaiming the good news and touching lives for the glory of God. Thank you for your faithfulness, your generosity, and your commitment to advancing God's kingdom. I thank God for you and pray His richest blessings upon you and your family. Thank you, Meredith.
When you choose to give generously today, we have a special gift to share with you as our way of saying thanks. It's our latest booklet, When Humans Attack. You may remember the story of Mary and Martha from the Gospel of Luke. We find Martha busy preparing a meal and doing household chores, and she grows frustrated because Mary, rather than helping her out, is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching. Pastor Paul Shepard takes an honest look at the story in When Humans Attack, contrasting distraction and devotion and showing the value of pausing to be near Jesus.
It also offers some biblical wisdom about how to handle unmet expectations and personal conflict. That's When Humans Attack, our Thank You Gift This Month, When You Make a Generous Donation to Destined for Victory. Give by phone by calling 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. Or visit pastorPaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online.
Or mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538. One of the other things that really is a trait of following Jesus that doesn't get a lot of press or a lot of attention is Jesus cultivated. A personal support system for his life. Jesus knew that in order to do the will of God, he had to build a support system. He had to have a sort of infrastructure that supported his life in the will of God.
To be a true disciple of Christ is to mimic the life he lived on earth, to study his actions and imitate them as best we can. In our last Destined for Victory message with Pastor Paul Shepard, we talked about the Lord's consistent lifestyle of prayer. Today, we'll talk about an equally important practice, one that involves the help of other people.
So let's get started with today's Destined for Victory message: Neglected Areas of Discipleship. The only way you're going to really get rid of worry in your life is to develop a prayer life. As a follower of Christ, you need to develop a prayer life. Our Savior. Often, not every now and then.
often withdrew. to lonely places. And he prayed. And if he needed to pray. You and I have to pray.
Prayer. Prayer is one of those neglected areas of discipleship that I want to encourage you to. become diligent about. One of the other things that really is a trait of following Jesus that doesn't get a lot of press or a lot of attention is Jesus cultivated. A personal support system.
for his life. Here's what I mean by that. Jesus knew that in order to do the will of God, He had to build a support system. He had to have a sort of infrastructure that supported. His life in the will of God.
He needed. to ensure That he would be successful in accomplishing the purpose of God. And so, Part of that was to develop what I call a personal support system. What that means is. As you live your life in the will of God, you are going to be drained, you are going to be tapped on.
Because God's will for all of us is to be a blessing. God's will for all of us is to help others, to bless others, to share our faith with others, to let our light shine before others, to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 says, You and I were created for good works. God prepared us in advance. That we might do some good works in his name.
And so, as you live your life doing those good works, giving glory to God. You're going to be drained. As you share wisdom, as you teach those who are coming behind you, as you are a mentor, a parent, a grandparent, as you work on your job, you're constantly giving out. And you're drained. And Jesus understood.
That you have to counter draining, which is important, which is necessary. I feel sorry for people who are living their lives expecting to be filled all the time by everybody. You're missing the boat. You are supposed to give out. There are supposed to be some people who drain you and don't do anything for you.
You got to get that straight. That's part of God's will. Stop getting mad at your kids because they're always draining you. That's what they're supposed to do. You are the giver.
They weren't created for you. You were created to teach them and instruct them. They weren't created to convenience your life. Your kids will inconvenience you.
So when you feel awfully inconvenienced, awfully tapped out. That means, hopefully that means you're doing your job. And so You got to understand, there are people on your job. There are people in your ministry sphere. I can't get mad at people tapping into myself and the other pastors, always tapping into our wisdom and our spiritual insight, and need our prayers, and need our counsel, and need our direction.
That's the way they're supposed to be. But God says, in order to match the draining that's going on in your life. There ought to be some things that fill you, that refresh you, that renew you. And it's interesting to me when I study the life of Jesus. That he didn't just give out.
Now, again, Jesus was all God and all man. If anyone could just give endlessly, it would have been Jesus. But I notice as I study the life of Jesus that Jesus had not only drainers. Healing the sick, preaching the gospel to the poor, and all that stuff that he constantly did. People tapping into him, crowds following him, all that.
He got to work miracle after miracle. These folk are hungry. Come on, let's break some bread. Let's feed them. He's just constantly giving out.
But I notice when I read about his life that he found those persons. Who could refresh him, who could renew him, who could energize him? Among Jesus, the people in Jesus' support system were six in particular. There were among his twelve disciples, there were Peter, James, and John. And outside of his twelve disciples, There were three persons, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
And you notice that the role they played in Jesus' life was unique because these six persons weren't just those who received his word and received teaching from him, they did. But they also had a unique place in his heart. For instance, when you get to Luke chapter 10. Beginning at verse 38, you see that story of Martha opening her home to Jesus. They lived in a village called Bethany, about two miles down the road from Jerusalem.
Jesus could go there and just chill out. Because Martha who lived with her sister Mary. Opened her home. To Jesus said, Come on in, bring your disciples. Yeah, you all come on in.
I'll feed you, I'll take care of you. This is a place where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem. Place where it's safe for you to chill out. Just be yourself. Do you know that I don't care how super strong you think you are.
You need people who will help you. and strengthen you and refresh you. You need people Who look not only to take from you, but look to give to you. If you are a David, you need a Jonathan. When Jonathan found David, he always left David stronger than he found him.
He always left him more encouraged, left him better off. He would divest of his wealth. He would give into the life of his friend. Clearly, the Bible says this was a God ordained relationship. David so honored his relationship with Jonathan that years after Jonathan was dead, you see David saying, who is still alive of the household of Jonathan that I can be a blessing to?
You need people in your life. Who meets you at the point of those kinds of needs. You need people who help you. Get strengthened when you are drained. People who say, listen, what can I do to help you?
And they open their homes and their lives. and their resources. For your benefit. In fact, there in Luke 10, when Jesus went to their house, you know, we have that story there of Martha then beginning to prepare a meal and she got distracted about all the preparation she making. She got Jesus and all these disciples in her house, and you know, she got stressed about it and what have you.
And then she comes, you know, into the room where they are reclining, and Mary is sitting there, her sister sitting there on the floor, just listening to Jesus. And Martha got mad. You read it there. And she said, Lord, why don't you tell her to get up and help me? And, you know, Jesus responded: you are troubled about many things.
You're stressed out about many things, but what Mary has chosen is better. In other words, she understands that the things I'm sharing are really important. And as compared with the stress that you're under, this is better. And it's not going to be taken away from her. The implication is: you wanted to do a nice thing for us.
You should have made sure you had the wherewithal to cook and keep a good attitude. But here is my point. When you read that story, Jesus wasn't there to talk to Mary. Jesus waiting for the food to be done. Because Martha had invited him in.
So she could minister to him.
So she could give him a meal and give him a place to recline. And he's just waiting for the food while he's waiting for the food. They're sitting there and he's just talking and you know Jesus started talking. If there were going to be words of truth. But he wasn't there to minister.
He didn't come to take a text. He came to relax. You need places, you need people. that help you relax. That fill you up when you've been drained.
You need people who care. That you don't just go and go and go and give out indefinitely. And you need people. And the example of Jesus is that you will find them if you search in your sphere of influence. God will see to it that there are persons there.
Who can meet you at the point of those needs? Mary and Martha were among those people. Their brother Lazarus was among those people. In fact, the Bible says of Lazarus in John's Gospel, chapter 11. You're told in the first three verses that Lazarus got sick.
And that Mary and Martha didn't even panic. They sent a messenger to Jesus who was out of town and said, Tell him That the one you love is sick. He was so close to Lazarus that the messenger Didn't even have to call him by name. They said to tell you that the one you love is sick. Your boy is sick.
Obviously, Lazarus meant the world to Jesus.
Now he came to be the Savior. But in being the Savior, he understood that not everyone will play the exact same role in your life. You and I have to get that straight. A lot of us think the Christian position is you treat everyone exactly alike. Not so.
There are some people the only role in your life is for them to drain you. Don't expect anything out of them. You will be bitterly disappointed. 'Cause they will tap you to within an inch of your life. And then walk away happy.
Come on, that's just where some people are. They'll take everything they can take. And you there on a respirator. Emotionally speaking, and they are so glad. Oh, you helped me so much.
Give you a hug, and they are gone. And so you got to understand it and quit getting bitter. Because God sent them into your life so you could be a blessing to them. Don't get mad at the wrong folks. You got to say, Lord, help me to discern the people.
Who not only do I minister to them and I help them. But you have uniquely equipped them. To be a blessing to me. And Lazarus and Mary and Martha were like that.
So were Peter, James, and John. When you study the Gospels, there are times Jesus took Peter, James, and John places He didn't take the other disciples.
So you got to get this straight. A lot of us think, well, that's favoritism. No. It's discerning the role that people are to play in your life. There are some folk, if you're going to be blessed, if you're going to be happy, if you're going to maximize that trip, if you're going to really enjoy it, there are some people who need to be with you, and there are some people who do not need.
Are y'all feeling me? There are some people who do not need your best bet is don't let them know about the trip. I promise you now, I'm trying to help you. Don't let some folk know you're going. They will invite themselves.
And if you're going to get the will of God done like our Savior did, you're going to have to learn to discern the roles. That God would have people play. There were times Peter, James, and John got to go play, so the others didn't. And you say, What was that about? He was building a unique relationship with them so that when he needed them most.
In the garden of Gethsemane. Matthew chapter 26. Jesus takes all of the disciples, except Judas, who has already gone to betray him. All of them go into the garden. Jesus is heavy of heart.
Takes all the disciples into the garden and then notice what he says. He says to the other eight, stay here. And he takes Peter, James, and John. And he walks farther. Into the garden.
And he says to them out of earshot of the others, He says, Fellas, my soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death. He says to them, I feel like I'm about to die. This is the most difficult moment. That I've ever had on earth. And he communicates his heart of hearts, his most raw feelings to just these men.
And he says to them, Watch with me. In other words, I need your moral support. I need your strength. There's not a lot you can do for me, but I just need to know that you care for me in this moment, that you are supporting me. And then he went farther and he began to pray.
And you need people in your life. That you can say things to that you dare not say. to everybody else. You do know that you have some things that only certain folk can hear, don't you? I hope you've learned that by this point in your life, that you better not just let anything come out of your mouth.
when you're around certain people. They can't handle it. They're not built for that. But God will raise up the Peter, James, and Johns. The Marys, Martha's, Lazarus.
Who can handle you not only at your best, But at your most tried moments. When things are difficult. God will raise up people who were built for tough times. in your life. Who will say, you're going to make it?
We got your back in prayer. We're going to help you. We're going to strengthen you. We're going to take care of you. And you need to find and build.
That personal support system. You need to understand the importance of people like that in your life. Not only is it people who will play that role, but you've got to find the activities that strengthen you and refresh you. And not all of them are spiritual at all. You gotta find what rejuvenates you.
And you got to invest time in that. That's part of your personal support system. You got to give your time, some of your time, to activity of refreshing. Do you know that's what the concept of vacation is all about? The concept was: you work, you give your life in meaningful activity, but you need to balance that by having time when you vacate.
What is the normal giving out in your life? And you vacate that and you find things that refresh you and strengthen you. And you got to do that in your life. Whether it's trips or whether it's just a hobby that you really enjoy and really get into. You'll be surprised what refreshes people.
I was watching TV, I think, a couple of days ago, one of the morning shows, as I was getting ready for my day, and they were doing a little feature on the relationship between Cracker Jacks. And baseball. And you know, they were just talking about how Cracker Jacks really came into its own. And then, when they created that song, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, you ever heard that song? And it has Cracker Jacks right in the song.
You know, buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks. And so they were talking about the relationship and how cracker jacks really took off as they became part and parcel of going to a ball game in American society and what have you. And then they showed that there is an annual convention. No lie. I was standing there.
I was dumbfounded. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. An annual convention of people who trade prizes. That come in the Cracker Jack's box. And they talk about these prizes go way back decades and decades ago.
That there was a period of time way back before my lifetime when in Cracker Jacks they had certain medal prizes. And then they had a period of plastic prizes and then paper prizes. And there's an annual convention, and there were people. who had gotten in their cars and on planes. And gone to a convention, and they have booths and setups and displays, and they're trading Cracker Jacks memorabilia.
And I thought, look at what people can get into. I mean they had on the hat. You know, the Cracker Jacks box that was a, you know, that little sailor hat? And the people had these hats on. Grown intelligent people.
And you know what? I stood there and thought, I'm not mad at y'all. Cause you have found something that floats your boat That makes you excited, and they're doing deals and trading memorabilia and what have you. And I said, if it works for you, work it, baby, work it. Cause I'd rather be silly at a Cracker Jacks convention.
But refreshed and renewed than to be walking around mad and mean and cranky. Because I don't know how to get a break from my life. And the church is plagued with a bunch of mean spiritual folk.
So holy that you're like a rattlesnake. And you need to go somewhere and chill out. and find what afloats your boat. And find what you can get into. It doesn't have to be any big.
Some folk go out in their garden. And their garden just blesses them and renews them. I'm not coming with you, but go. Go in Jesus' name. I don't play dirt.
I try to stay as clean as I can. The idea, oh, digging all over. Oh, come on, Pastor. No, I'm not getting down in there. But whatever it is that floats your boat, go for it.
My help is not in the garden. My help is at the beach. Oh, a cruise speaks to my spirit. I'm telling you. Just.
Oh my goodness. Get out there, get on that balcony, sit in the lounge chair. The water is just like music to me. Whatever did then, when we get to the ports of coal, I find the man that rinsed the jet skis. Get out there and Mary said you were in the air You and that whole thing were in the air.
I said, that's where I wanted to be. I didn't rent the jet ski and just be putting along in and in and in. No, no, crank that puppy up. Find myself awake of a boat or something. Bam!
Hit it in the door. I'm out of time. Let's stand up. You know, the Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. Even Jesus had a trusted inner circle of friends who supported him and who partnered with him in life and ministry.
Thanks for being with us today for Destined for Victory: Neglected Areas of Discipleship was our message. To find out more about Destined for Victory's mission and purpose, or about the special gift reserved for you when you give generously today, please come see us at Pastor Paul.net. Once again, Pastor Paul.net. Because you need some prayer support, some moral support. You need a word of encouragement.
You need somebody to put their arm around you. And in order for them to know how to help you, you're going to have to get past that blessed and highly favored and tell them what's really going on. That's tomorrow in our message, Neglected Areas of Discipleship. But until then remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.
In Christ, you are destined for victory.
