Who is Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

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Paul wanted to take him along the journey. So he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in the area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek as they traveled from town to town.

They delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to a base of the churches were strengthened in the faith and group daily in the numbers but here's the verse verse six Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Fergie and Galatia having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia when they came to the board of mycelia they tried to enter Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by mycelia and went down to Truax as during the night. Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him to come over to Macedonia and help us. After Paul had seen the vision we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them and I know there's some people out there who say will this was back in the first century and God doesn't speak to us today in why got a word for that. It's baloney, you know, I, I, 100% believe that God speaks to us today, and in God's spoken to me over the years and it is matter fact Robbie you had a dream about a whale in a dream about a whale this morning that actually which is just really unusual for me, and I think about when is she peers voice obviously there must be some voice to hear or otherwise why would Jesus tell us that in John 10, but I was no maybe 330 somewhere in there this morning. Also, I have this dream. My youngest daughter Mariah is swimming in the ocean at the beach and I'm not a dream person you know this. I write I'm not amongst the dreamers but anyway slather stream and also may see this whale jump out of the water is not a huge whale to gray whale but it's frolicking and I thought, man. How cool is that I could see well my daughter start to come up Mike, this universe is coming up out of the water in this whale attacks. I think it attacks are all I know is it not so off her feet. She falls in the water looks like it opens up to her mouth and also the I'm immediately terrified that my daughter is being attacked by this whale is however uncounted. So freaked out that I haven't moved at this point and so I finally get up whatever gumption I start running towards the whale and the water in my daughter and all of a sudden the water just goes draining like somebody pulled the plug in the Ocean Spray sets with complaint is an Brian started to stand up and then I woke up terrified, literally terrified. I know just it's hard to explain. You think you're when your children's, Diana seemed very real to me because it was a kind agreement was very, very real.

So now I normally get up about that time.

It's about quarter for so I just get up and I start praying like God, give me some interpretation of this is this some kind of what it what it what it why did I see this was going on with us yet. And so you know through the season. I always asked for my word for the year for the upcoming 2021 and he told me that word literally was to contend or to engage in so he kind of just said Robbie want to take a look at your word. Okay, now for the year and so I go to my little Bible searcher and type in the word contend it takes me that Isaiah 4925 I not just had this dream terrified and I'm asking God for some interpretation and I think you got it pulled up 30 so says but thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken captive in the prey of the terrible shall be delivered, for I will contend with him that contend with with you. There's my heart contend right half and I will save five children while I mean the water dried out of the ocean. What's up.

Well I was trying to get there and all of a sudden I started to see that wow I thought this might word engager contend we had to do with me engaging or contending, but I think now. But God is really trying to show me is it Robbie I'm a show you how I contend it so that you can see how you should contend, if you engage the first person engages God because I mean it was clear to me that you just clear as it took what I knew in my head that he was gonna save my children in in between the dream and this it went from my head to my heart but I went back and ask them what what about the dream.

He said Robbie the dream was just an attack to take all your peace of her but I allow that, essentially, so that you could get the real message that I got sick.

He's in control.

It is in control and you know what when you are saying that Robbie it's funny because you actually talk about Isaiah 49 but what came to me was Psalm 91 and this is something that we've talked a lot about this year and in it starts out it says he who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in him I will trust. Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the Fowler or the of the following from the perilous pestilence.

He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shall take refuge, his truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night energy is to be afraid of the dark hood actually was.

When I came to Christ. My wife and tell you Robbie Gilmore maybe 6 foot five and 200 pounds, but his biggest chicken ever met know in your life because when it gets dark. You know he's asking me to go check out this noise in literally frozen bed as a child as a young child I wet the bed continually because I was too afraid to get out of it as I just was terrified of the dark so if your picture in the biggest chicken ever saw in your life, you start to see me there in 1995. This particular dream may not drain this particular situation happen. So my wife had to go to Pennsylvania to visit some friends and I was left in this house. It was real creepy old house in the night she left us in sending out another forget it was really creepy.

It was raining thunder, clapping. I'm laying in bed terrified had been a Christian like four years and and so I didn't even know how to pray exactly. I just knew that what this must be sin because it sure feels like fear and so I said I don't know how I'm supposed to do this God but you know you I'm supposed to give you this fear. So here you go, I want you to have it I don't I don't know what's the next step in be giving you this fear. And Jesus says to me very plainly to me.

I was hearing this, said Robbie what's the worst thing that can happen and I was like using psycho guy with that I Batman it is not pictured in death and destruction and all the stuff God says to me I have my mind is still blown by his the way he said this to me was with such compassion. It's unbelievably distance Robbie, what would be so bad about that. Okay. And I went all sounds pretty bad because none of us think about it. Okay, what would be so bad about that and I'll send it hit me.

Wow you're threatening me with heaven. What's up with that and that became absolutely another one of those moments where this went from my head like I'm supposed to not be afraid. It went to my heart and began to heal me of this fear that it paralyzed me all my life critical part of the equation. Was it that was about maybe nine or 10 months before I was diagnosed with type lymphoma that was posted kill me within two months and immediately as soon as they told me that diagnosis the same thing hit me with okay if you can unleash you, not your kids are young and all that but what would be so best that I went well know God.

Whatever word were up to here.

I know that you know you're you're in control of this and it and it really isn't a life-and-death thing for me anymore.

It's a to live his Christ and to die again and we were talking about this a little bit before reading the book by JD Greer what are you going to do with your life and he said right around. I think he was a junior in college right around this time he had a vision came to his mind and he said there was a little baby that was on the railroad tracks and he saw he saw the train coming. The train was common and the baby was sitting there.

Nobody was doing anything and so what happened was he said he instinctively knew. He went to go pick up the baby and he got the baby off the tracks and the baby was fine and he was trying to figure out the meaning of the interpretation of this and what he figured out was this, he says you don't need to have a calling.

You don't need to be called to go share the good news with people to tell people about Jesus. It's something that he's called us all to do. We we look at people like you know whether it's pastors or are you know somebody like Stu Epperson that guy. Of course he would be up to preach the gospel. Robbie don't butt or even your local pastor but we we all have a part we all have a part in inlet and when you're we are talking about this. It's like I see that with the wheel dream that God cares about you individually. You know I used to see a time in my life for God was just this thing that was way far out there.

He knew that I knew that I was supposed to fear and that I do. There is heaven help, but I didn't know that you can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ you can write. That's the personal part and it's so is such a beautiful thing that he is showing us through his love. How to love other people so you want to get student since we got right yeah we were talking about vision drip stew, you actually had a dream when he was in high school and you said you were you were reading the Bible you were listening then you had a dream that can change things wasn't a Christian camp. It was the summer before my senior year and I was under deep conviction. The Holy Spirit is under the preaching of the got the word of God. I was challenge. The biggest way the Lord convicted me was the one of the pastors got up at his cabin said Satan's goal is not to say to attack you. He knows he can't change. He can't make you an unbeliever of your believer can tickle your salvation. His goal is to make you hypocrite's goal is to kinda neutralize you to make you kind of blah like just a social kinda get along Christian. That's what I was for the first part of my high school years ago I was that good guy, but I wasn't at godly canisters in the death of my kids bring home a guy my daughter say this is a good guy like I want to guy.

The guy does he love Jesus. Well, I mean he's religious. I don't care hogwash get out here. He's gotta love Christ is going to be a soul winner. You know this is it in.

That's a normal Christian by the way normal cushion so I was under conviction and the Lord was just working on the hard anise play basketball and I was summer time reamer in the middle of all the sermons and messages and I was being mentored and I had awesome counselors night's dream Miller night and one of my good buddies in the bashful team in a stream.

I'm in heaven I'm in, I'm good standing before God's throne. God is about to throw him into hell in this young man looked at me across this little space with tears flooding down his eyes saying stew.

Why didn't you tell me stew. We we were buddies we carpool to practice.

We talked about girls and we talked about's books and sports and we goofed around and we went bowling. We did everything in basketball, bashful, bashful, but you never told me about all this about what was the most important thing in your life, and as you say in this. He's being thrown in the lake of fire.

It was graphic. It was frightening devastating. I woke up sweating in the middle night in my cabin I members who I was, which bunkhouses cabin up in the wilds Christian camp Brevard, North Carolina, and I just God broke me and I said got him to go back my senior year Emma told you about Jesus and everyone she has teary-eyed his right senior year were in a party was my last time these people will God convicting this the last time I'll ever be able tell these people that Jesus I may never see people that I would iced with again that something may die go to hell. It will forever seem to get after school. I may never see no so God is present.

I know how to how a woman receives folks so that dream really droving me and cemented what God was telling me and that is go reach your teammates and go reach your classmates for Jesus you got one more senior year. Make it count for Christ. It was really a life-changing summer at this Christian camp and I got back to school Mount Tabor high school 1987 and I said I got on my knees as a God I don't know how I'm going to take Jesus to my high school there and I think I'm a lunatic. There is a guy you know I lost my marbles what I do, I pray you, God will show me I'm weak or strong I'm ignorant you're the wonderful counselor. Show me how to do it if you call me to.

I pray you will show me out walking the first day of school, I dove into coaching. Fred will it he said still be to use a believer went to my church. I said coach I said we got a recharged campus for Christ. He said stupid you we get a start FCA and I said what in the world is FCA and I thought of you know to what is that Fellowship of Christian athletes and he had been talking those guys and Scott. It is turning him, but he said it has he started by student and so I said well let's do it and so I said let's have a meeting and boom boom boom well this administration try to shut us down.

They said separation of church and state. We can have God on the excuses of public school can have Christ and so I called my my dad breaks do. He knew all these Christian attorneys and one of them sent us a like a Jay Sekulow kinda got sent us a 40 page document called the establishment clause that she did demonstrated that if the student initiated. It was it was up. The Supreme Court passes this. If a student initiates a Christian club Bible club at FCA young life on campus. Then they can have it so I took it down the hall to the administration and I'd I have this 40 page document and they said well I guess you have FCA, they had dozen force in it.

We were all gracious of your trust in God we are all praying we are fast and pray and rest God to give us a breakthrough that I can. Let's have a stricken club. We had the first club meeting on Friday at 200+ kids showed up. Everyone was excited have to bashful team came to Christ the Lord. Just use that as an open door and in in a really use that conviction. Holy Spirit and that dream is as a way to push me over and over the top. It was just amazing seeing. It was crazy when I stood up for Jesus and a high school which I had no intention of doing until guy just got all my heart and convicted me and broke me. A broker lost right when I stood up for Christ. You know you know how many Christians came in the closet at school their kids.

I had no idea love Jesus started showing up at FCA for start lead other kids to Christ the start want to get it get together. Pray before school. We hook connected to all kinds of guys to be prayer partners and were get in the word and on Friday nights are on the go party. We go to my dads house and his piglet Safari we get our Bibles that we have Bible study we go share Christ. You know, and so is need to see how God used kind of all of that to really counted.

Challenge me and now inferred for 2530 years since high school. I would challenge the young people to get off the fence into be a normal Christian normal Christian was that of someone who's on fire for God. The someone who tells you about Jesus. 1 kg we don't have to be.

You are commanded like you just said secondly are commanded to share the gospel to go and make disciples of all nations. So who are you discipling who's discipling you losing your life challenge you to bring people to Christ.

Who are you gonna bring to Christ in 2021 next counter salespeople defined 21 new accounts.

We have sales goals writer, one does I said take what you find. 21 new partners ministry partners businesses that will partner with the Truth Network this year in 2021 521 new partners observing all why doesn't every Christian. We challenge every Christian to go find 21 souls deleted Christ and disciple, 20, 21, we better not talk about that the gazettes is estimated radical well III tell you one thing you know it's it's in Scripture. Romans 831 it says if God be for us, then who can be against us in and when I hear you saying that Stu was gone. He told you you know you I need to use you.

I will use you to help pull people out of the flame all the school came to you and say oh no no no no you can't do that will guess what God had an answer yet. After the needs of her that I mean I was actually listening this morning to a song all we are is dust in the wind and it was an old song by Kansas. I don't know if you guys remember that Sen. Sugrue about that is an old song by Kansas. But what when I read it when I was listing to think about. Good luck.

That's what that's what that's how the world thing. There's no purpose in life were all just dust in the wind.

Nothing.

When we die just did nothing can happen every six weeks. I've said this to myself.

People often want to hear about Jesus going hear about the gospel. Guess what they do another part of page 7 and in the book by Judy Greer what are you doing with your life. This generation is a restless one. You have been the beneficiaries of greater technological advance in wealth acquisition than any other generation in history, but still you know something's not right. Quarterback Tom Brady may have summed it up best. After winning his third Super Bowl. He was asked by Steve Croft in and and then interviewed this whole upper to direct what had you learned about yourself, Brady answered, what do I have three soup what why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still there's something greater out there for me. I mean, maybe a lot of people would say hey man, this is what it is I reach my goal, my dream, my wife mean I think God it's got a got any more than this, and what else is there for me. Croft asked what's the answer. Brady smiled for a moment. Then the smile faded. I wish I knew. He said I wish I knew. Another of our generations. Greater greatest philosophical mind comedian Jim Carrey said the same thing. I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything that they ever dreamed of, so that they can see that it's not the answer and so many of these things given as Christians. So many of these things that we go after money.

They whatever it is on the we/the world we don't we don't deal with that stuff.

Baloney. So many of the things that that were going after these are people who made it. They've got and they're saying it's not answer.

It doesn't give me happiness, but there is somebody who can give you happiness and his name is Jesus Encino JD code CT study the great missionary, great prayer warrior who said this famous quote, only one life will soon be passed only what's done for Christ will last and we are dust in the wind. James chapter 4 says our life is but a vapor it's going to be gone and so how my investing in eternity how my pouring my life into others, discipling others building up kingdom worse in my home like one of the kids will want to start fathering a bunch of kids that are your biological kids.

Timothy was in Paul's biological kid, yet he called his son in the faith first. First Corinthians 417 Philippians 223 team mentor. He fathered he loved him. He built into him and we have the opportunity with people all around us will whom I can do that will there's kids just find a kid take a kid to get a milk sickness in my dental ministry in a mentoring word were letting these kids go right into hell. We can be there rescuing them. Loving them. Being a champion for them.

Believe in them, encouraging them that that that kid that you walk by every day. This do-nothing waste his time playing on his phone back in the next kilogram that can be next deal.

Moody how are you taking interest in him and then your thinking well will I don't understand will. Let's ask this question who took an interest in you when you're just a stylist, kid, we're just a young man in college looking for a did a girl yet no desire for God.

In this girl said, I'm going to go out with you if if I can tell you about Christ and taken to church and then you got sated are you doing a radio show called is not forgotten your name is Michael Zwick somewhat took an interest in the Christian car guy, someone to share Christ with him. The Christian car guy and I knew a guy named Ted Ted probably discipled and built up 300 men. No exaggeration, and who are's discipling people today and Ted was sitting there drinking as is Coors light with a cigar in his comfortable chair watching Jimmy Swaggart on the TV and he got radically saved. He's in heaven now, but guess what's going on earth me Robbie Michael so many people that are our advance in the gospel because Ted met with us once a week twice a week when there is a meeting he would show up.

He pulled Robbie aside, Robbie, how can I pray for you Stu hey how are you going are you to tell you love your wife. How can I building you know when I had kids you know this. This is something to really work for me and I did. Little did I know that he was a Paul. I was a Timothy and now I'm doing that with younger people will and I was gonna say something as well and I was out ask you this rub because I remember when I was in high school. It seem like you know there were these kids who are Christians and it's like man I don't want to be like then I don't hang out that they can't drink they can't have sex. I mean, they live a boring life. But Robbie is is Christianity is a boring life. I don't think so. Now I get to see that every week on kingdom pursuits right.

These people would've answered God's call to minister in some way write a book or do a movie or book or or be a kids camp. How many counselors know lead thousands of me now many kid goes to Christian camp and doesn't actually see that. But the interesting thing I could a Cup and laugh about your Kansas song is not done to shows in the Christian car guy on what I called but best one in, but does to because another since the homework said you are but dust and the little girl sit in the front row mommy what, but does have the truth is we are Adamo which God took the soil the ground and in writing breathed life and next thing you know that the question is how do we be good soil right but God can plant seeds in the take root. How can we help to referral the hallowed ground. I mean, you know, how can we help see the of what is in some and and pray and say because it is. It's the same thing that I saw in Isaiah 49 is that if he is going to do it.

He did it for firms to in high school and the FCA but he allowed him complete honor of taking part in it because he got Stu's heart. If you get Stu's heart knowing Stu as I do or you get Mike Zwick start. You know these people that are living wholeheartedly know that's good soil it's good soil in the in the Christian life can be an exciting life. I mean, I never knew what excitement wasn't happiness was until until I met Jesus. And if you're listening today and you don't know Jesus you're kind of on the fence say yes Jesus followed Jesus some excitement about what follow Jesus.

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