Destined for Victory

Paul Sheppard: My friend, I want to let you know, whether friend or foe, the Bible calls us to seek to get along with everyone. In your sphere of influence, make sure that you are doing what promotes harmony and peace in your relationships with other people.

Guest (Male): Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Turn the other cheek. No one said the Christian life would be easy. Hello and thanks for stopping by for today's Destined for Victory, featuring the teaching ministry of Pastor Paul Sheppard.

You know, when Jesus asks us to treat our enemies well, to forgive them and to pray for them, he was only asking us to do what he himself had always done. But how can we as sinful human beings hope to follow in the steps of Jesus? Stay with us for the next 20 minutes or so to find out.

But if you can't, remember you can visit our website, PastorPaul.net, where you can listen to any recent message on demand, including today's. That's PastorPaul.net. You can also subscribe to the podcast at Spotify or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. Now let's listen closely to Pastor Paul's Destined for Victory message, Improving Your Serve.

Paul Sheppard: One of our families was in a dire need about to lose a home, and we said, "We've got to do something." We had taken the tithes and offerings earlier in the service and I got up before preaching and said, "There's a need among us, I've checked it out, it's legitimate and it's urgent, and so let's do what we can. We're going to take a second offering if you have something to share. Please know I don't want to put them on the spot, but if you give, we'll make sure that every dime goes to meet this need of one of the sisters in our fellowship." And so we took up the second offering.

And that was a day when we had as one of the visitors a rather noted author. I didn't know her at the time, but some of our people knew when she spoke her name. I heard this little buzz in the church. And so during the meet and greet time someone ran up to me and said, "Do you know who that is?" I said, "No." And they said, "Oh she's a famous author," and they told me the books that she has written and how popular they were. I said, "Oh great, well glad to have her." So, I knew who she was, so it didn't register with me much but was glad to have her like all the visitors.

After that, I went on and preached my message. Well, after this service she walked up to the stage. I was breaking down the instruments with the other musicians and she walked up on the stage and introduced herself and told me she really enjoyed the service. And then she said, "You know, and the thing that impressed me the most," and I thought she was going to say the message.

She said, "The thing that impressed me the most was that you took time to meet one of the needs of the people in your church." And she said, "You know, I live far away. If I lived closer, I think I would come here because this looks like the kind of thing that I really want to be part of." And she then said, "Pastor, I know I'm just a visitor, but would you mind if I help meet that need? God has blessed me," she said, "with lots of money." And she said, "Would you mind if I help?"

Now here's a lady who was visiting for the first time, didn't know us from Adam's house cat, but she sensed she was among people who were genuine and sincere, and she wanted to participate. And we were a small church and I think the part of the offering that we raised was probably seven or eight hundred dollars if I recall. She pulled out her checkbook when I said, "Oh sure, anyone's free to give."

I said, "Why don't you write a check directly? Let me give you the name of this sister so you can write a check directly. Everybody else is writing them to the church so we could just cut one check. But here was a visitor and I didn't want her to think that we may misuse her money, so I said let me give you the name so you can write it directly to this sister." And she wrote a check for a thousand dollars to somebody she never laid eyes on because she saw the church being the church.

Her thousand was more than all of ours put together. And God used it. It took her thousand to help us meet the need. And I thought, "God, your word is right. They will know that we are your disciples by the way we love one another." So you gotta practice generosity and he mentions hospitality. You have to remember in the first century church, churches didn't have wonderful buildings and places where they could go and fellowship, a place where the church could gather, so they gathered in homes. Whenever there was a gathering, it had to be in homes.

Even these days when we have buildings, all of our churches have buildings or we have places of worship, there's nothing like being able to from time to time share the blessing of where God has given you to live by bringing in some other believers for times of fellowship. And so we have growth groups and places that meet where people just turn their house over.

You got a great big house and just a couple of y'all in there, perhaps God wants you to open it up and make it available for some other meetings, some times of fellowship, or you can create your own gatherings once you get to plug in with some of the other believers and have times of fellowship and sharing.

In the early years of the church when you're really just launching out, you have to be everything as the pastor, and I was the youth pastor, I was the senior pastor and the youth pastor. Young folks would come over my house and eat up all my food. I'm not telling you what I think, I'm telling you what has characterized our ministry across the years and we'd have different groups in and what have you so that they would know the church is a place where there's somebody who cares about you and there's somebody who wants to make sure that they speak into your life in the area of meeting the need for fellowship and connectedness.

I want to encourage you, my friend, that God can help us to improve our serve by simply making ourselves available to practice generosity and hospitality. Now the fifth point he makes here is to seek to get along with everyone. Look at verse 14 and then verses 16 through 18. 14 says, "Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse." 16 says, "Live in harmony with one another, do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

Paul says no matter who they are, whether friend or foe, you want to seek to get along with everybody. If you want to represent Christ in the world, you want to follow his example. Do you know that Jesus' biggest enemies were religious people? And he did his best to get along with them. I mean he could have slammed them really hard but sometimes he would speak confrontational truth to them, but he always did it in a way that never disrespected one's personhood. That's an example for us.

My friend, I want to let you know, whether friend or foe, the Bible calls us to seek to get along with everyone. Now I use the word seek because getting along often depends on the other person as well as you. But in your sphere of influence, make sure Paul is suggesting here that you are doing what promotes harmony and peace in your relationships with other people. So he says when you're dealing with foe, when you're dealing with an enemy, he says bless them even if they curse you.

Now when he says bless here, he's talking about bless with the word of your mouth, bless as opposed to curse. Curse you got to say it. So he's saying what comes out of your mouth ought to be blessing. Bless people by the way you speak to them. Speak respectfully to them. Speak God's favor into their lives. To bless them is to say literally "God bless you" or something similar to that. Now it's easy to say God bless you in church, walking around shaking hands meet and greet time "Hey God bless you, hey." And it doesn't have to be that spiritual, can just be a "Good how you doing? Good to see you," that sort of thing.

But the idea is you want to speak favorably to a person. But there's an additional power when you actually speak blessing and say "God bless you." You are wishing that God's favor will be upon their lives. Now here's the thing: you can do that in church, you can do that with folk who aren't getting on your nerves, but the question is: how well do you bless people on the freeway? Can we talk? I got some more time, can we talk? On the freeway. See, when they are giving you the symbol on the freeway. Everybody tracking with me?

And you didn't even do anything wrong. Have you ever seen a driver they're the one driving like they lost their mind and because you're somehow not cooperating with where they want you to be, they will flip you off. Well the question is: what is your response? See, I told you you need to pray. Because some of you right now you know, "Flip me off and I didn't do anything? Oh no." See, look where you are.

The word of God, if you want to seek to get along with everybody, I've told you many times these people are crazy out here now. Sin is driving them crazy. They are hurried, they are frustrated, they got issues. It's just practical, not only does it glorify God, it just makes a lot of sense nowadays. It just makes a lot of sense to have the grace when they just have to get in or bust, get into your lane.

It just makes sense when they're flipping you off and cutting you... you can tell they're cursing by what you see them doing in their car. Just slow down and wave them in, let them see all of your fingers. Don't let them make the mistake of thinking one is sticking out now. Trying to help you glorify God and save your life at the same time because these people are crazy. They have guns in their cars, they will shoot you.

This isn't the old-fashioned days where people get out the car and fuss and bump chest. No, they're not bumping chest anymore. Only time they bump chest now is in the basketball game when they come in for timeout and they had a couple of good plays in a row, they come up and bump one another. But everything else they're not bumping now baby, they are shooting now.

Friend of mine said his father was in a car and these folks were out of a car in front of him in the middle of the street and there was a guy leaning into... you ever seen that guy leaning in talking to the driver and they're dead in the middle of the street? And he's behind them wanting to get around. Well he had enough room to get around but he's just agitated that instead of pulling over there's plenty of space over there they're standing in the middle.

He said my father just blew the horn and said, "Would you get out the way?" And he said the guy who was leaning into the car looked over at him, walked over to his door, pulled out a pistol and stuck it to his head and said "Excuse me?" Folks, we're dealing with people they are four cans short of a six pack. They are several fries short of a Happy Meal.

You don't want to mess with these people. I know you have an ego but that's what you ought to pray about so that God will put that thing in check. Don't let your ego write a check that your body can't cash. Don't blow your horn at these crazy people. If there's a way around them, ease on around. If there's no way around them and you're not in the biggest hurry in the world, just turn up your music or whatever it is, just enjoy yourself for a minute. And see you let your pride "I'm not going out like that." All right, so you'll go out stretched out then. How you want to go out?

Guest (Male): Still ahead the second half of today's Destined for Victory message featuring the teaching ministry of Pastor Paul Sheppard. We want to take a moment to thank all of you for your prayers and financial support and to let you know they are having a profound impact in the word. As God leads, please consider making a generous gift to Destined for Victory today. Donate by calling 855-339-5500 or give safely and securely online at our website PastorPaul.net. That's PastorPaul.net.

It's not always easy to roll with the punches, sometimes we'd rather throw a few of our own, but Pastor Paul reminds us there is a better way. Here's the rest of today's Destined for Victory message Improving Your Serve.

Paul Sheppard: When I taught both of my kids to drive, that was part of it. It wasn't just about learning how to brake and park and all that, it was if these crazy folk are in front of you don't blow that horn and just find your way out of a volatile situation. Get along with people whether they're friend or foe find a way to get along with people as much as you can. Do that.

Then he says number five, let me hasten to wrap it up, he says practice empathy. Look at what he says in verse 15. He says "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn." Practice empathy. Now empathy is different from sympathy. Empathy means I enter in as best I can I enter into the place where you are emotionally, psychologically. I want to identify with you.

Empathy is a stronger word and he says here if you want to improve your ability to serve other people, you want to practice empathy. And he gives us two very important illustrations. He says learn to rejoice with people who are rejoicing. When somebody's having a great time, when somebody's been blessed of God in some way, somebody's gotten a promotion on their job, they've just had a baby, whatever it is, the cause of celebration, he says practice rejoicing with them.

Don't stand off to the side and just looking. Enter in. Practice rejoicing with those who rejoice. Learn to get excited about somebody else's success. See some folk only get excited about their own success and a few people that they really like. If you want to grow in God and you want to improve your service to others, you want to learn to get joyful because anybody's blessed. I don't have to know you that well. Thank God for you. Congratulations. And rejoice.

If a competitor... now watch here's the challenging part. You're on a job and somebody gets the promotion you had hoped to get? Rejoice. Rejoice with them. Congratulations. Congratulations, I wish you well. And see that takes a discipline and it takes a maturity that will help you now to be able to represent God better day by day. So you want to learn to rejoice with people when they're rejoicing.

See some folk can mourn with you when you mourn, but they have trouble rejoicing with you when you rejoice. Some folk can mourn because mourning puts you in a bad place, you're bereaved, lost a loved one, or your career's fallen apart, or there's been some sort of tragedy, some sort of crisis, and a whole lot of folk can measure up to that standard to mourn with you "Oh I'm so sorry."

And by the way, when you're mourning with somebody who mourns, there's an art to that. You don't have to say silly things. Let me help you now for the benefit of somebody in your life who might need you to know this before you get to them. You ever been bereaved and had somebody come say something to you that makes you just want to say what in the world? Why would they think that's a helpful statement to me?

Here you're bereaved, you've lost someone who was near and dear to your heart and they come up, "Oh don't cry baby, he's in a better place." Well I know he went to heaven, he was saved and he's with the Lord, that's not why I'm crying. I'd appreciate you not expounding the obvious. Come on. Don't cry. Tell me don't cry. Somebody lived a life and meant something to you that's why God gave you tear ducts.

Don't cry. You don't cry when your folk die. Don't tell me what to do. If you want to stand there and look at them when yours are dead, go ahead just say "Mhm dead huh?" But don't come up to me telling me what not to do. Even if you mean well, that's not smart, that's not helpful. If somebody's lived an important life, a significant life and been in your heart, of course you're going to mourn.

You don't weep as those Paul says when it comes to the death of the saints, we don't weep as those who have no hope because of Christ we have hope. But we still weep. I heard a preacher years ago trying to be super spiritual say there is a level of faith you can walk in where you don't even mourn the loss of your loved ones. And I listened to that message and I say "Yeah there's a Greek word for that: baloney."

Somebody lived a life that touches you in a positive way, of course you're gonna cry. I check out of here and folk better not say "Oh he gone huh? Oh wow ain't that something? What y'all want to get to eat?" No, I want to have lived, I want to have had a little more impact than that and so do your loved ones. So there's an art even to mourning. Don't say silly things.

Somebody had an operation and you want to tell them "Oh well see it's all over now, don't have to worry about it." Yeah well but I did go through something and I'm got a process here if you don't mind. People want to be dismissive of that which is very heartfelt for you. And so there's an art even to mourning. But when it comes to rejoicing, that takes another level of maturity.

You can mourn with people kind of easily because they're down low and sometimes you can feel somewhat self-righteous or condescending. Ah, but when they're rejoicing, that you got to show character to say "Hey good for you. Congratulations. God bless you." Somebody's child did well and yours flunked out? Praise God. Come on somebody, trying to help you now. Get mad at them because your kid didn't study? And it takes maturity in order for you to practice this kind of empathy.

Guest (Male): The next time someone hurts or mistreats you, try to leave a little room for God to do his work. You already know that he's not finished with you yet, but that means he's not finished with them yet either. Well for years now Destined for Victory has been committed to using the media to reach as many people as we can with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I want to ask Pastor Paul to talk about why radio is so important not only to the ministry but to him personally. And here's what he said.

Paul Sheppard: Well, I want to tell you that it's important to me as a discipler that my voice is heard and it is used to help people grow in their knowledge of the Lord and in their faith walk with him. Fact of the matter is my voice doesn't sound like most of the other folks you hear on Christian radio. I'm well aware of that and I'm really comfortable with that. I come from my own unique background both ethnically and in terms of life experience. There are things I share, there are things I say, and there're the ways that I say them that are unique.

I believe that that perspective needs to be heard throughout Christendom. And so while I'm so grateful for all of my heroes, your heroes are mine. I listen to the same people, the guys who have been on the radio for decades and have proclaimed God's word faithfully. I really do appreciate those guys. But I've learned not to be intimidated by them because I've got my own way of processing and my own way of sharing and helping people to learn and to grow in their faith.

So it's quite intentional. Sometimes I like to be really colloquial in what I say and how I say it because I'm just using who I am and I think God wants to use that. He's the one who called me. I didn't call myself, he called me, and I believe he knows what he was getting when he called me into the ministry. And so I'm just trying to make a difference because the gospel really does change lives and I believe I have a unique calling to help present the gospel from my own perspective and I pray that that's resonating with listeners and I pray that that means enough to them that they'll make sure my voice can continue to be heard right along with our other heroes who teach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): That was Pastor Paul's mission and it remains our mission today to bring timeless truth for a victorious life to radio, online, and on our free mobile app. Now we can't do any of this without your help. So today we're asking you to send a generous donation to help continue the legacy preaching ministry of Pastor Paul right here on this media outlet.

As our way of saying thanks, we'd like to send you our brand new booklet Improving Your Serve. What are the keys to developing a lifestyle of service? What does being a servant look like in day-to-day life? Our latest booklet Improving Your Serve will help you understand the answers to these and other questions. That's Improving Your Serve our gift to you today for your generous donation to Destined for Victory.

So if you'd like to give, we've got several options for you. Stop by PastorPaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. Call us at 855-339-5500. That's 855-339-5500. Or if you prefer you can mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, California 94538.

Paul Sheppard: Now you're in a corrupt society but God still wants you to be a responsible citizen. Our affection is set on heaven not on earthly things but God has a plan for us to live a peaceful life here on earth. So he says it begins by submitting to governing authorities.

Guest (Male): And that's tomorrow in our message Citizens of Two Kingdoms. But until then remember: he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.