A Daily Walk

John Randall: Next on A Daily Walk, we’re encouraged to remain faithful to God even when you might be tempted to think it’s not making any difference. Maybe there are moments when you think it’s insignificant. Maybe you think nobody really sees. But know this, it’s making a difference. Keep on doing what you’re doing. Be faithful. Be faithful, and God will bless you, and there’s a reward.

Guest (Male): Welcome to A Daily Walk. We look forward to sharing this time with you each day and pray that God uses it in your life to help you grow in your daily walk. Pastor John Randall is about to open Third John and introduce us to Gaius. He stands out in scripture as a faithful servant of God who walked in truth. We’ll hear of how he faithfully cared for ministers who traveled through town. And Pastor John will relate this to our lives and ministry, urging us to be faithful even in the little things.

John Randall: In Proverbs 28:20, it says, "A faithful man will abound with blessings." And it is true. Now, there are certain things, if we’re all honest, that we find easier to be faithful in than others. There are certain tasks that are less desirable, and there may be the temptation to be less faithful in those areas. Or if the motive for what you do is that people will constantly commend you or thank you for everything you do, when that doesn’t happen, rather than being faithful, you become frustrated.

Nobody is seeing what I’m doing around here. I’m doing a lot of stuff. Does anybody appreciate what I do? It's like, well, there’s your motive. Why are you doing what you’re doing? I’m doing it for you, God. Why else? Actually, you’re doing it for you because you’re more concerned about what people think than what I think. I’m just talking about conversations I’ve had with the Lord, not you. You guys are way more together. I’m talking about me. And God has had to just say, "Listen, your heart is not in the right place. Your motive is not right. You need to repent of that and let’s get back to work."

God is so good like that. The Bible says in Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do," you might want to underline whatever, "whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men." The Bible says in Luke 16:10, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." Just give me the big thing to do. I’m totally ready for it. Why don’t you start with this little thing right here? That’s for other people. Be faithful in what is least, and God will bless. Be faithful with what He gives you and do it as unto the Lord without complaining, without murmuring, and God will bless it.

Don’t do it for the applause of men. Do it for the glory of God, and God will bless it. God will honor it. Is that your heart? If it isn’t, ask the Lord to change it. There have been more than one occasion, in fact, more than I would like to admit, when God has put this to the test in my life to teach me what it is to be faithful. So many times through the years and different seasons of ministry, over the last 25 years plus now of ministry, there have been moments when I’ve had to really check whether or not I’m going to be faithful to do what God’s called me to do.

I can think of a time very far back when I was a young adults minister. I ministered to young adults, college-age students. I remember I used to do these Bible studies on these campuses. They were little junior colleges, but there were groups of people who were there who wanted to get together and meet and have a Bible study. There was one of the colleges that was really exciting. We did outreach there. We had a band there. It just was flourishing. It was just like, wow, this is exciting. We had a stage and we had a band, and it was in the school college newspaper. I had my Bible and I was preaching Christ. It was just awesome. It was exciting.

And then there was another place that wasn’t that at all. There was no fire, not even a spark. And I remember we would have this meeting and we decided to meet out in the courtyard. So I would show up with my Bible and my guitar at the school, coming from this other school, thinking, why am I here? I remember I would have to park my car and I would come up over this hill. If we were going to have a study, sometimes I was thinking, Lord, let nobody be there so I can just go. I just can’t take it. I don’t want to do it.

That’s my wicked heart. And I’m walking up, thinking, please. And I remember just getting up there and thinking, yeah, there they are. There are two people over there. One was a girl and one was a guy. And I remember sometimes the guy wouldn’t show up. Then it was super awkward. Or the guy would come late. But there would be this one gal sitting there. And it was worship, so I would just open my guitar and start playing. My eyes were closed, and there’s a lady sitting there. You know, it's just awkward. Somebody’s thinking, oh, that’s so sweet. He’s singing songs to her. No, no. I’m singing to Jesus. I’m singing to Jesus in the middle of the courtyard.

Another guy would show up and he would interrupt the Bible study and have all these questions. It was just so awkward. People would be walking by like, what are they doing? And I would wonder, I don't know. I have no idea. I don't know why I'm here. Put some money in the guitar case if you want to, maybe get some lunch. But sure enough, one day it was like that. I was coming up over the hill and there they were. On this particular day, I really didn’t want to go this day. And the Lord whispered in my ear, like He does, "Be faithful. You going to be faithful?" Yes.

So I went and sat down, did the whole thing, and then suddenly a guy walks by that I hadn’t seen in years. In fact, we didn’t recognize each other until I realized I knew him in elementary school. We were at a summer day camp when we were children. This was in a completely different county now. We grew up in Orange County, and we were down in North County. I happened to be on this campus this particular day. He was walking by, saw what we were doing, sat down. When the study was over, I dialogued with him. Suddenly I was like, he looks so different. He had grown. We were men.

But we started talking and I’m like, I remember you. We went to the pool party with you. So we started talking and talking. Turns out this one guy had gotten swept up into a cult. It was a very controlling, controlling cult. I happened to run into him that day and, by God’s grace, was able to help him. He came out of it. He came out of it. And I was like, wow, that was amazing. That wasn’t the end of the story. Then after that, that guy, I gave him my number, the church I was at. He calls me and says, "Hey, I got a guy that works for me." He was a tow truck driver, and he would send people out.

He said, "My friend, he and his girl have been together for 14 years. They have four kids." Never married. "I told him about Christ. I told him he should come talk to you." I’m like, "Alright." So he brought him to the office where I was at at this church. I sit down with this guy and he said, "Man, I really want to give my life." This guy was like that fruit that’s just hanging; you just go, "ting," and it's like right there. Those are great. I love that. So he comes in, he gets saved on the spot. Boom. Gets saved right there in the office.

I’m like, "Are you sure you know what we’re doing? We’re praying to receive Christ right now." "Yeah, I want to." "Okay." I said, "Well, you want to walk with the Lord. What do I need to do?" I said, "Well, you need to marry this woman that has four of your children that you’re currently living with, or you need to move out." He’s like, "I’m going to get married." I’m like, "Okay." So he goes home, tells her they’re going to get married. So we’re going to do this wedding. Hispanic family, came out of the gang life. So he goes to get his girlfriend, mother of the children who’s going to be his wife, and they said, "Would you do the wedding?"

I was like, "Yeah, I could do the wedding." I’d never done a wedding before. So they come to the church. They were going to do the wedding in the sanctuary. There’s nobody in the sanctuary except me, this guy, his soon-to-be wife, their children, his brother, and his parents that didn’t speak English. So it was interesting. I did this thing they didn’t know; they were just like... and we did their wedding. And then his wife got saved. And then his kids got saved. And then I baptized their entire family.

And then we had this outdoor event and his brother came forward at that event and got saved. And I baptized his brother after that. Oh, wait, there’s more. And then his son got saved, and then I baptized his son. And then only a few years not long after that, the brother that had come forward and gotten saved at that place, came to Christ, was baptized, was walking with the Lord, he drowned. He died. But this is what I want you to know. What if that day I just said, "Nah, I ain't going. I've been doing this. This is pointless." What would I have missed?

God said, "Listen, you be faithful with the little, and just watch what I’ll do." Just watch what I’ll do. Amazing. Amazing faithfulness of God in the midst of my unfaithfulness and lack of desire. God is so good. Like, Lord, I would have missed it. I don't want to miss it. You don’t want to miss it either, right? You don’t want to miss it. So be faithful. And then it says in verse 6, "who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth."

Here the Apostle stressed the importance for Gaius to continue doing what he had been doing for these traveling pastors, for these missionaries, for these evangelists. He said, "Keep on doing what you’re doing, Gaius, because it’s making a difference." And I think sometimes you need to know that what you’re doing is actually making a difference. He’s saying don’t stop doing that because God is actually using that. You didn’t know, but I’m telling you. John is writing to Gaius. He’s faithful, he’s consistent, he’s reliable, but he wants him to know, "You keep doing what you’re doing because it’s making an impact in people’s lives."

And what’s happening is these teachers are able to do the work for the Lord and they’re being supported by the people of God and they’re able to continue to minister. And he’s saying you ought to receive such; you ought to help them, support them. And that’s exactly what Gaius was doing. And by doing that, they didn’t have to go to the Gentiles who were non-believers and say, "Hey, um..." They didn’t have to receive anything from them. They could serve free of charge because Gaius was supporting them. He met their needs, so they were able to go into the next town or the next area of ministry free of charge.

They didn’t have to say, "Hey, listen, we’re here, but before we get started, could we take five offerings just to be safe that we’re covered?" They didn’t have to do that. And so they weren’t a burden to anybody because Gaius was willing to bear the burden and help these people get to the next area. They didn’t have to be a burden to anybody they were ministering to. And this was very important to the Apostle Paul. If you read some of his other epistles, you’ll find that he will stress this on more than one occasion. Whenever he went to a new place to establish a work, he never asked for money.

He labored with his own hands. He was a tentmaker by trade. He would work and then he would preach, and then he would work and then he would preach. In fact, in writing to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, this is what Paul said concerning this. He said, "So affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but our own lives, because you became dear to us." And then he reminds the church, "You remember, brethren, our labor and our toil, laboring night and day," and why? "that we might not be a burden to any of you."

He was reminding the church, "When we came to you, you were dear to us. We didn’t just give you information; we imparted our lives to you and we showed you, we demonstrated it for you as we worked in the midst of the people. We didn’t ask you for anything. We weren’t there to take something from you; we were there to impart something to you. That’s how we roll. That’s how we operate in ministry. We’re not here to fleece the flock of God; we’re here to feed the flock of God, to serve the flock of God. That’s what we do."

The last thing Paul ever wanted to do was to be a burden to anybody. On the other hand, once the church had been established, oftentimes they would support the work in the ministry. And some churches were extremely generous, like the church in Macedonia, the church in Philippi. Paul said these people had partnered with him from day one. They were partners with Paul from the very beginning of the ministry. And yet in Corinth, the church that he spent so much time and labored there, they didn’t even think twice about supporting Paul.

Paul said, "Hey, I’m going to run something by you here in this letter." He said to the church in Corinth, 2 Corinthians chapter 11, "Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches." Not literally robbed other churches. But he’s saying, "These other churches supported me so that I could minister to you. I took wages from them so I could be a blessing to you. And when I was present with you and when I was in need, I was a burden to no one. Whatever I lacked, the brethren in Macedonia, they supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will continue to keep myself."

He’s basically saying, "This is how we minister. We minister to serve, to impart something to you so that you can be blessed, so that you can be encouraged." And that is why Paul is saying specifically right here to Gaius, "What you’re doing by supporting these guys, they’re able to continue to do the work of the ministry in places where they could not be supported." And you know the blessing of that is that he says in verse 8, "We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth." Gaius couldn’t go all these places that these itinerant preachers were making their way to, but he could support them as they went.

And what that did was it made him a fellow worker. The fruit that came from the ministry that they were involved with, that was fruit to his account. He was a part of that. Even though he wasn’t there physically, he supported them so they could go and God blessed it, and it was fruit to his account. That was added up to what he was doing as well. We become fellow workers with them. And what a blessing it is to be able to do that. Paul would write to the Philippians in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 17 and he said, "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account."

I’m not here to ask you to dig deep and lock the doors and let the ushers come through four more times just to be sure that I feel that God is telling me that somebody here has... that’s just foolishness. That’s not what we do. We’re here because God called us here. And so what Gaius was doing, he said, "Keep on faithfully serving, ministering to the needs of others, walking in truth, living according to the truth." And that was a blessing. This week, in light of all that’s been going on that we’ve been in, all of us have been going through the last several months, as a board and leadership, we start to look at different things.

One of the things that we were looking at, because what goes on here doesn’t just go on here; it actually goes out far beyond these walls into other parts of the country actually, and other parts of the world. And we didn’t start out to do that; we just started out to be faithful to minister to people who were here. But over time, what started out as one radio station became over a hundred in all different places around the country. And again, it's just something that God developed and God put together.

But recently we were looking at all the things that we oversee or are in charge of and thought, you know, maybe it's not making a difference in these areas. Maybe we should withdraw from those areas. This was on the East Coast, actually, up through Boston, Delaware, Philadelphia, all these states. It’s interesting, when it comes to ministering outside, you’re not there, but I’m here. So here, I’m in it. I’m with people. I can see what’s going on. I get to be hands-on and see what’s taking place on a regular basis. But as it relates to radio, as it relates to other things, you don’t know what God’s doing.

So it’s hard to tell sometimes. I mean, how many times have you ever heard a Bible study on the radio and you thought, "Man, I need to call them and just say, hey, you know what, that was awesome. Could you send me that resource, whatever it is, and also tell so-and-so that I really appreciate..." I’ve listened to thousands of Bible studies on the radio that ministered to me over the years, and I maybe one time, I think, I called or emailed and said, "Man, that was amazing." But all the rest of it, I just took it in. "Yeah, boy, that was a good word." I never told them.

So, you know, it’s by faith. So all that to say, we decided, well, maybe we should just pull off this one station for the time being. It goes all the way up Delaware into Philadelphia and all these states that connect together. So we let them know, "Thank you, it’s been a blessing to partner with you for the last seven years or more, eight years, whatever. Thank you. It’s been awesome to be a part of what you’re doing, but we feel at this point, God bless you." And they said, "Boy, we’re so sorry to hear that and we understand. Thank you for investing in us all these years."

So they put out a note to their people on the air saying John Randall is no longer going to be on, A Daily Walk is going to be taken off the air. That’s what they did. And how I know that is because our phones blew up. Blew up. People were calling. Calling. And then messages were sent to me. My secretary sent me messages. It was humbling, really humbling. Because some of the messages were like, "Really? Please, Pastor John, do not go off the air." "Really? Why?" And they would say, "We don’t have solid Bible teaching out here. Please, don’t go off the air. I wish I could support it financially, but I have this thing and I have that thing and I really wanted a t-shirt, but I don’t have a computer. Please stay on."

All these things. "Please don’t go off the air. Please stay on." And then somebody else called, "Pastor John, listen, I hope you’re doing okay. We really love you out here in Philadelphia. Please don’t go off the air. And if... this is my number, call me." I didn’t call, but it was so sweet to think. And I was like, "Alright, we’re staying on the air. We’re going to keep doing it. We’re going to trust God." But this is what I want you to understand. That has less to do with me as it has to do with us as a church. Because friends, listen, as we collectively invest in what God’s doing here, we’re feeding multitudes that we may never see until heaven.

But I want you to know something. I found out this week that, I guess, it’s important. I found out. I didn’t know if it was important, but I found out it was important and it’s making a difference going into cars, going into homes. And these emails were just overwhelming. And this one person wrote the sweetest email and just highlighted different points in their life. And it was through years because we’ve been on for years. Different times in their life when the particular broadcast was ministering, and these were critical moments.

And so I realized this is important. But this is what I want you to know. It’s fruit to our account. I’m just one part of the body. It’s this body of believers that is making a difference on the East Coast. Not me. And when I show up or if I have the opportunity, when I used to fly on airplanes to go places, I always tell people when they say, "Oh, thank you so much," I always say, "Thank the people at Calvary Chapel," because it’s because of them and their support and what they do that’s making a difference in these places. And so he’s telling Gaius, "Hey, what you’re doing... maybe there are moments when you think it’s insignificant. Maybe you think nobody really sees. But know this, it’s making a difference. Keep on doing what you’re doing. Be faithful. Be faithful, and God will bless you, and there’s a reward."

Guest (Male): Well, I hope you found that encouraging. Whether you’re a small group leader, a custodian in a church, or greet people as they come into church, be faithful. You just might be surprised by the great things God does through it all. We’ve been in Third John today on A Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall. It’s a message called Walking in the Truth. To hear this message again, you can do so by podcast at adailywalk.org or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Download the Calvary South OC app to listen to Pastor John on your mobile devices too.

This month, we’ve picked out a book for you moms. It’s A Mom After God’s Own Heart: 10 Ways to Love Your Children. Bestselling author Elizabeth George shares practical tips and encouraging advice to help you raise your children in the knowledge of the Lord. You’ll discover how to help them experience His love, His blessings, and provision when you become a mom after God’s own heart. It’s available now to our A Daily Walk listeners for the cost of $12 at adailywalk.org or call us at 877-242-0828.

Please remember that your gifts help us to bring these shows to the radio and the internet every day. We can’t do it alone, so please consider standing with us in this endeavor to get the good news of Jesus Christ out to a world in need. Again, visit us at adailywalk.org or call 877-242-0828. Today we heard Pastor John share how God really blessed and encouraged us recently as people from just one network of stations poured out their hearts and shared how the program blessed them. Maybe the Lord is stirring in your heart to share your story. We want to hear from you. You can contact us through our website at adailywalk.org. Next time on A Daily Walk, we’re learning how to deal with difficult people. Pastor John Randall has one more helpful study from Third John to share with us, and we’ll have that for you on our next two programs.