R370 Why Are We So Different

God's Word has encouragement for each of us as we open it together and discover why we're so different. That's a topic from Dr. Don Wilton.

Yes, the message today is why we are so different. We'll be headed to the book of Ephesians in just a moment, but Dr. Don wants to remind you that we're here for you 24 hours a day connecting keyboard to keyboard on our website at www.tewonline.org and this phone number 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 or tewonline.org. Many folks online are taking a peek at the book the Dr. Wilton released recently called Saturdays with Billy, plus the 31 Days of Prayer for Our Nation, a powerful resource.

Again, take a peek online right now at tewonline.org. Now today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton on The Encouraging Word. I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to Paul's letter to the Ephesians in chapter 4 and while I'm turning there, Britt, I wonder if you wouldn't mind, we're going to need this box up here down here on the floor. If you could bring that up there because we're going to need that in a minute as a congregation. We're going to be looking at a very special subject this morning.

If you would just look at me for a moment please. We're going to be looking at a very special subject in Ephesians chapter 4. Do you know it's an amazing thing to see how God's people come together. What do we, what do we, a basketball? Do you know that it's a remarkable thing to know that in our congregation that we have so many people who work and give of their giftedness in the Ministry of Recreation.

What is this? Well, Pastor, you know, even as we speak there are a number of men and women, boys and girls, that are helping downstairs take care of some of the most essential of needs of our little ones even now so we can worship. Well, I'm glad you gave me a clean one, Britt.

This is a diaper. Do you know that as we worship the Lord Jesus today, but do you know that we've literally got scores of little babies that our people are looking after right now so that moms and dads can be in this church service. Do you know that we've got some people, Britt, who very rarely if ever get to come into a worship service because they serving you and me. They love us so much and you know what I'm told?

I'm told that the older a person becomes, the less likely it is that they're going to give their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ and the key lies at this stage. These little ones who mean so much to us personally but they mean so much to the Lord Jesus Christ and how much we thank God for the army of men and women who minister to our little ones. What else do we have? Oh, what is this now? Okay, you can take that. This is a First Baptist Church Spartanburg Sanctuary Choir.

All the music programs that we have. What a blessing. There's a t-shirt. Ah, I recognize this. This is our young people will recognize this. This is Mirror Image. You can see a map from last year. Mirror Image went all the way down to the Keys in Florida.

The year before went all the way up to Toronto, Canada. Sang in prisons. Went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City. We saw over 1,000 people give their hearts to Jesus Christ the last two years. Do you know that our young people are training every single week putting in hours upon hours all for one reason and that is to go and share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Parents who give up of their time to work with our young people. What a blessing. This is interesting.

Thank you. See why we needed this up? I had to have this Brit. This is a map. It's an interesting thing. It's got the whole world. You can see India there. I think of our medical hospital in in India. I see Russia back there. Do you know that we've got some of our men? Jess Brown and Tom Arledge going to Russia in a couple of weeks again. South Africa. Boy they got some funny people that come from there and they've got... Look at this. Over here in the United States and Australia down under. Good day mate.

And all the rest of it that goes with it. Do you know that our church every year for the past several years has given $10,000 in our budget to help build churches in Brazil and we have teams of people who go down there every year and I'm open to correction but I believe that our church has participated in building ten new churches for the witness of Jesus in Brazil. Missions. We've got people involved in missions and in giving all over our church.

Pastor you don't have to go far though to be involved in missions as well. Oh I love this and I'm so glad he gave me oatmeal. I love oatmeal. I love going to crack a barrel and Brannan's in Landrum and getting a big bowl of oatmeal.

Let me tell you oatmeal is not oatmeal without a jolly good pinch of brown sugar, a little dab of butter and a spot of milk. Marvelous. Absolutely on the spot. Do you know folks that our people in our church many many of our people spend many hours giving to the poor and the hungry and the needy, bringing food to our food kitchen, dispensing items so that others can have and others can have their needs met as well. There's another ministry. Oh I love this. This is a flag.

Do you know what this reminds me of Britain? It reminds me of our scouting program. We have the most incredible scouting program at First Baptist Church. In fact we've got a whole lot of our scouts here today because this is scout recognition today. Scouts and those involved. Would you stand up this morning?

Would you just stand up? Let's recognize them and greet them this morning folks. What is done for the Lord Jesus Christ in the minds of our young people through the Ministry of Scouts at First Baptist Church has inestimable value.

Just a couple more things. This is marvelous. I went into someone's home yesterday. They have three little ones and I so enjoyed sitting on one of their couches and talking about the Lord Jesus Christ and when I see something like this I think about all of our Sunday school teachers. I think about all the men and women who spend literally hours talking about Jesus Christ and teaching others about the wonderful truth of knowing Him as their personal Lord and Savior. Our Sunday school is such a vital part of our church. I hope that you're involved. I hope that if you're a teacher or you would love to teach that you've volunteered. You've said Lord Jesus this is my love gift to you. I want to be used of you. I hope that you're involved in our discipleship programs that we've spoken about. Master life and K groups and and and all different kinds of things that are going on in Life Institute on Sunday afternoons. Thank you so much.

Brent I guess that's about... There's one more thing pastor that kind of reminds me where I need to be right now. Oh wow. Thank you sir. A television monitor here. Where would we be without our television and communication ministries that reach so many people for the Lord Jesus. I wish that each one of you could see the letters that dear people write to us. Prayer requests from nursing homes and from places all over the show.

People in every kind of circumstance of life. They bring such joy to our hearts and how much we thank Britt Dillard and our folks in the media ministry of our church who means so much to us. Thank you Britt. I do appreciate that and it seems to me remarkable to think that Britt couldn't pick that box up by himself. It's amazing but it's true.

You look good Britt but you're not quite at that point yet are you? It's great. Let's turn in our Bibles to understand what it is that God is trying to teach us. Ephesians chapter 4. What is it that makes people want to serve the Lord Jesus Christ like this?

How do you explain it in today's day and age? I want to remind you in Ephesians chapter 4 in the verses that we've already discussed together and particularly verse 7 the Bible says that to each one of us grace has been given as the Lord Jesus Christ has apportioned it and then you go down to verse 16 and Paul puts this all into one whole nutshell as it were. He says for from him that is the Lord Jesus Christ the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work. It is absolutely mind-boggling to think that in this church that God is raising up a group of men and women and young people who are willing to say Lord Jesus you have blessed me and in return I want to bless you.

Now how do we explain this? Well today and next week we're going to be looking at Ephesians chapter 4 and from verse 17 because Ephesians 4 and from verse 17 explains to us what it is that is taking place in our hearts. Why is it that so many people want to serve God in such a fashion? Let's read it together verse 17 so I tell you this and insist on it in the Lord Jesus Christ that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

Having lost all sensitivity they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity where they continual lust for more. You however did not come to know Christ that way surely you heard of him and were taught of in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus Christ you were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires in order to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. There's a lot more but may the Lord add his blessing to this reading from his word.

How do you explain to the world what happens amongst God's people in God's church? How do you explain that a group of people who have so much to do seem to know no limit to what they are prepared to do in order that others may come to know Christ? You my friend are a developing disciple. You are in the process of growing in the nurture and in the admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. Next week I'm going to be doing an exegesis of verse 17 through verse 24 explaining to us according to God's Word how we came to this point but this morning I want to answer a very simple question what is a developing disciple? What is it that causes you and me to come to church on a Sunday morning or to read our Bible or to talk to the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer or to meet at a prayer retreat in a group or to be around other men and women boys and girls who love the Lord Jesus and to suddenly begin to feel a strange stirring within our hearts and lives a compulsion if you please to want to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. If you're a developing disciple two things are happening in your life first of all you are you have a developing purpose and secondly you have a developing strategy that is taking place as a result of your developing purpose we're going to discover that this is what the Apostle Paul was talking about Jesus put it like this he said if any man woman boy or girl would come after me he or she must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me Jesus said it like this to his disciples he said as you are in the process of following me I Jesus will make you fishers of men we don't make ourselves fishers of men it is in response to our following of the Lord Jesus Christ as we go in the progressive maturational development of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as you follow me I will in turn enable you by my grace to become fishers of men it is a discipleship principle that is written in the heart of God what was Jesus saying he was saying that if you love the Lord Jesus Christ two things are going to happen number one you're going to have a developing purpose and number two you're going to have a developing strategy what does it mean to have a developing purpose well according to God's Word it means four things it means number one that you really want to worship God it's as simple as that your purpose is to worship God God created us with the ultimate purpose of wanting to worship him and a developing disciple finds himself more and more wanting to be drawn into the heart of God wanting to worship God it has been said and I believe this to be true that you never have to beg a born-again believer to come to church why because a born-again believer is in the process of growing in Christ of developing that sense of spiritual purpose and what is a sense of spiritual purpose do it means that you really want to worship God in two ways corporately together as believers the gathered church and personally in your own private time in your own quiet time in your own prayer time that's what God does for you second you really want to obey God's Word if you're a developing disciple with a developing purpose you going to really want to obey God's Word it's very simple what is God's Word say what does the Bible teach me on the basis of the authority of God's Word I want to do what God wants me to do I have the privileges all of our ministers do of praying with couples who have been married for some time some for not so long some for very long time once in a while a couple will come and see me and a lot of strain and friction in their marriage do you know that many times the cause of the friction in that marriage is the refusal of one or the other of the spouses to submit themselves to the one they say that they love let me say a word to the men for a moment if you've married that dear lady and you love her here's the question why don't you want to obey her obedience not in the sense of a dictatorial authoritarian obedience either vice versa but obedience in the sense of a willingness to want to submit to everything that that person represents a willingness to say I just simply love you therefore I want to submit to you I want to do whatever it is that is going to make you perfectly happy and make you a complete person what is a developing disciple in his relationship with Jesus Christ you really want to worship God you really want to obey God's Word number three you really want to contribute to God's work how do you contribute to God's work number one in relationships that's why we're here this morning there are so many men and women in this congregation that I know when they sit and when they worship and when they function according to God's grace that it seems to me that everything and every time you meet always on your mind is the compulsion to want to reach out to somebody else in true God-given spiritual loving relationships God's family is all about relationships that's why it's important to be a part of God's Church I don't know how people can survive in this world without being a part of God's Church friend let me tell you something when you suffer need when you lose a loved one when you diagnosed with a dreaded disease when your children hurt when your marriage suffers strain at the edges I want you to know there is nobody who will minister more to you than those you go to church with those who are your genuine friends in Christ we want to impact God's world in God's work in relationships in the giving of our money I'm praying beloved friends that the time will come in this church that no member of this church will ever give money to this church because of the pastor who preaches in the spoken no one will ever give money to this church because of a program that your children are involved in no one will ever give money to this church because of anything else other than the Lord Jesus Christ you're listening to dr. Don Wilton our teacher here on the encouraging word please don't go away he'll be back to complete this message while we are so different in just a moment but dr. Don wants me to remind you that we are connecting you with resources that can change your life every day so many have been talking about the 31 days of prayer from my nation a resource you'll find on our website right now at TEW online dot o RG it's just one of many resources both audio resources written book resources and yes we still have copies of the fresh new book from dr. Don Wilton called Saturdays with Billy a wonderful treatment of the time that dr. Don spent with Billy Graham of the last 25 years in that dr. Don was his pastor all the details are on our website at TEW online dot o RG now back to today's great teaching with dr. Don Wilton this is his church why do I give I give because it's his church I give because I'm a developing disciple I really want to worship God I really want to obey God I really want to contribute to God's work with my relationships with the money that I've got with my talents that's what happened last week that's what's happening this week people are saying I'm giving this love offering to God because I am a developing disciple but in the fourth place you really want to impact God's world you're a developing disciple you're not prepared to just sit there you're not prepared to just pay somebody else to do missions for you if you just paid somebody else to do missions for you that's not missions that's mercenary not everybody can go but God's Word says beloved friends that because we are developing disciples we become active participants in the giving of our money in our prayer in our encouragement in the notes that we write in the practical participation that we enter into by God's grace evangelism discipleship missions you see friends these are biblical values that we stand firmly upon you have a developing purpose but secondly you have a developing strategy how do you put this all together if you're a born-again believer what do you do what's your strategy where do you go to next how do you use your gifts for the Lord Jesus Christ three ways three considerations in a developing strategy related to our purpose number one you need to refine your purpose you need to refine it I believe that in this churches there are in all of our churches no doubt that first Baptist Church of Florence South Carolina there are just many many wonderful diamonds but you know most of us friends are rough diamonds do you know where diamonds come from they come from a lump of coal God begins with a lump of coal and he creates a beautiful priceless precious thing called a diamond and before a diamond is cut and refined it is an uncut rough diamond and God takes us as his precious jewels and he begins to refine us and cut us and shape us into that precious commodity he wants us to be but secondly if you have a developing strategy you need to reaffirm a lot of things that you're doing that God is doing not only as a church but as individuals reaffirm your commitment to him reaffirm your giftedness reaffirm the things that God has blessed you with but then perhaps sometimes in a developing strategy you need to replace some things don't you sometimes as developing disciples we're not prepared to replace anything oh we've always done it like that we've never done it like this before this is the way we do it this is the way I function I'll never forget the story about the two hunters elk hunters hunting up in Alaska they went hunting and the pilot came to pick them up on this frozen lake in the mountains of Alaska and when he landed on the frozen lake he got out of his plane he said gentlemen there are two elk here you know you're only allowed one elk we breaking the regulations they said oh come on oh come on let's just take the two back home he said I couldn't anyway my planes too small I said oh but last year we put two elk on the plane that picked us up so he said okay and they crammed these two elk into this small little airplane began to take off guess what happened they crashed into the side of the mountain fortunately none of them were killed as one of the hunters began to dig him dig his way out of all the rubble in the wreckage he turned to his buddy he was also climbing out of the wreckage and said to him man where are we and each friend looked around he said I don't know but looks like we're about a hundred yards from where we crashed last year isn't that just like us sometimes isn't that just like us oh and how quickly the days pass by perhaps today is a unique day for you a day where you realize it's time for a course correction an adjustment in your trajectory and God's used the encouraging Word of God the Bible itself and the teaching of dr. Don Wilson to help bring that to light if you've heard dr. Don preaching the last few moments and been stirred by God I pray you'd open your heart to what he wants to share with you next God has spoken to you hasn't he and you ready to give your heart to Jesus I'd love to help you right now would you pray this prayer with me and accept Jesus into your heart and life dear God I know that I'm a sinner I know that Jesus loves me and died for me on the cross right now I repent of my sin and I confess my sin to the Lord Jesus Christ come into my heart and save me today and forgive me for my sin in Jesus name I pray amen if you've prayed that prayer we'd love to get alongside of you and celebrate with you and send you some literature and help you as you begin to grow and I want you to know that I love you very very much if you just prayed along with dr. Wilton welcome to the family of God perhaps you rededicate your life to Christ or gave your life to Jesus for the first time we have wonderful resources in both situations that will help you grow they're free for the asking if you'll call us at eight six six eight nine nine word that's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three I pray you would jot that number down store it in your cell because it's much more than just an opportunity to order a Bible guide or order a book it's there for you for that but it's also a powerful avenue for us to pray together first Timothy 2 1 through 2 says I urge then first of all that petitions prayers intercession and Thanksgiving be made for all people for Kings and all those in authority that we may live peacefully and quiet lives and all godliness and holiness in the times that we live our lives are anything but peaceful and quiet how can we find peace we can find it in daily prayer and Bible reading God wants to give us his peace we just need to ask for it we would be honored to pray for you we would be honored to pray for his peace in your life the encouraging word has a 24-hour live prayer line you can call eight six six eight nine nine word that's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three and talk to a real person who will be glad to pray with you the encouraging word is a viewer and listener supported ministry thank you for listening today our times gone for a day but all there's so many more great messages from dr. Don one from Romans one from Ephesians coming up peace joy and forgiveness and real commitment the two messages over the next couple of days here at the encouraging word if you want to take a peek or maybe listen again today's message all of our resources every broadcast is available for you both to watch and to listen to on our website at TEW online dot o RG that's TEW online o RG while you're there be sure and follow dr. Don and all the social medias he loves getting connected with you whether it's on Twitter Instagram Facebook all of those points of connection are right there on our website at TEW online dot o RG as well as at the other end of the number eight six six eight nine nine word we would love to pray with you