Dwelling Place

Al Pittman: Today on the Dwelling Place. How many times have we gone through a trial? We're like, God, what's going on? I went to church on Sunday, I helped old people, Lord, what's happening? I'm a good person. Hey, if you're going through a trial, welcome to the club. One thing, God will try your faith, which is more precious than gold to make sure it's genuine. Amen.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to the Dwelling Place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman of Al Pittman Ministries. The purpose of this radio program is to encourage you, strengthen your walk with the Lord, and grow. To support this program financially or learn more about the ministry, visit us online at alpittmanministries.com. That's alpittmanministries.com. Thank you for partnering with us. Now, here is Pastor Al.

Al Pittman: From your own steadfastness being led away with the error of the wicked. There's a lot of believers who've been led away by the error of the wicked. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. God wants us to grow through the revelation of Christ. He doesn't want us just to survive in this hostile world, but to thrive as believers.

How do we do that? Well, Peter also tells us in Second Peter Chapter 1, verses 5 to 9, that this is how you grow: adding to your faith. That's the beginning point or starting point right there. Adding to your faith, virtue, virtue, knowledge, knowledge, self-control, self-control, brotherly kindness, etcetera. He said if these things are in you and they abound in you, you will neither be unfruitful or barren in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

But if you're not growing, you'll be fruitless and barren. And how are you fruitless and barren? Because you stopped growing in the knowledge of Jesus. Is Christ to you just information or transformation? And if he's transformation, I'm going to be growing in virtue and all of these different things. But if I'm not growing, maybe it's because I'm not listening to the Holy Spirit. Maybe I'm not looking for Jesus any longer. I'm just looking for a way out.

Focus on Jesus, the author and the finisher of your faith. Amen. Now, what is the application? Let's consider the application of this text for us today. I think the first thing I want to, if you didn't know it already, not telling you something you don't know, we live in an age of non—what I call—nonsensical truth. Nonsense.

I remember years ago as a young Christian that you could reason with people. You could show them how Jesus, how God is in science and how the world was created and you could use apologetics to reason with folks and people, a light bulb would go on. But anymore, there's so much nonsensical truth, what I call nonsensical truth. If you say two plus two equals four, the world said no, it's seven because today I feel like it's seven. Tomorrow I may feel like it's eight.

And they live by their feelings regardless of the facts, regardless of the truth, regardless of reality. People live by their feelings and so that's why I call it nonsensical truth. Situational ethics and they've rejected the truth. And so what that tells me today is that if we're going to make an impact on a hostile Christian society, then it must be by the Spirit of God, the power of God, not by our own wisdom or just education. Education is wonderful.

But no one can come to the Father unless the Holy Ghost draws them. So what that tells me is that the work of salvation and impacting the world must be a work of the Holy Spirit. A work of the Holy Spirit. Listen, we live in an age where today where you could literally say reasoning has left the building. Amen? People don't reason anymore. Walking by their feelings. So therefore, we need desperately the work of the Holy Spirit. We need desperately the work of the Holy Spirit at Calvary Worship Center.

This church will not make it if we are not of the Spirit. If we're depending on the right sounding music or the decorated stage or did the pastor wear a tie or not, looking at all these outward things in the church, we're not going to make it. Zechariah said in Zechariah 4 verse 6, "It's not by might nor by power," the Lord God said to Zerubbabel, "But by my Spirit," says the Lord.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, it's by a people who are committed to being led by the Spirit of God, by the voice of God. This isn't to say we were perfect, folks. Amen? There's no such thing as the perfect church. But if we're going to be effective and impact Colorado Springs, then we must be a people who are committed to listening to the voice of God and following His voice. Being led by the Spirit, walking in the Spirit in our relationships with one another.

It's not the music or whatever. They didn't play my song this morning. No, true worshippers, Jesus says, will worship me in Spirit and in truth. That's not country-western or rock or R&B. We must be listening to His voice or we're not going to make it. When we were in Israel, one of the things—so many things to share with you—but I'm sure this, concerning the voice of God.

How many have been to Israel? Have you gone to the Shepherd's Fields in Bethlehem? Maybe you were as shocked as I was the first time I've seen it. I've seen them before but seeing them again, God just really kind of revealing some new stuff to me and our guide was teaching about the Shepherd's Field and all this. And one of the things he brought up, he said, when people think about the 23rd Psalm, "The Lord is my Shepherd," we always think about the green meadows of Ireland or England where you have fat sheep.

They just graze all the time. But when you look at the field when David said "The Lord is my Shepherd," the Shepherd's Fields of Israel are rocky, patchy places. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." And if the sheep is not listening to the shepherd's voice intently, the sheep can easily fall off a cliff or maybe even starve to death. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."

Because David knew that as he led the sheep, that he knew where the green pastures were. He knew where the water was. And the sheep had to follow his voice because it's a treacherous place, the Shepherd's Fields of Israel. And there are little patches of green grass and so you nibble there for a while with your flock and then the shepherd looks, he sees another patch and he calls his sheep and they go to another place. He leads them to green pastures.

Our guide pointed out that sheep in England are fat. Sheep in Israel are not so fat because not as much grass and they have to listen to the shepherd and they're going up steep rocks and all these different things. But what really struck me is that he mentioned the fact that the sheep—remember God calls us sheep—sheep are always looking down. They're nibbling, they're grazing. And the sheep follow the shepherd when the shepherd calls. They don't look up so much, they just follow the voice.

Jesus said, "I'm the good shepherd. My sheep know my voice and they follow me." They're not following by sight, they just hear His voice and they follow Him to the next pasture. The Lord is my Shepherd. Are we following because of His voice? Now, sheep and goats are different. We were in one place where we saw sheep and goats together, penned up together. He said goats rather are rebellious. They're doing this. They're looking for they're mischievous and all of this and looking around and everything but the sheep are always down there.

Some of us, we're sheep, but we're acting like goats. We're living by what we see, what we're going to do next, next exit, how can I get out of here? Rather than feeding on the faithfulness of God, listening for the voice of God. He says this way and we just go. If we're going to be the church He wants us to be, we must be sheep who are intent on listening to the Father's voice. If you're going to be the husband or the wife God has called you to be, the believer He's called you to be, are you listening to His voice? Or are you being like a goat? And remember, Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats on the day of judgment.

We must be followers of His voice. So if not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God, how are we to live an impactful life in a hostile world? By listening to the voice of the Lord. Our example is Jesus Christ. I know a lot of books have been written and all about how we can impact the world and all that, and that's great. But our example really is Jesus Christ and the early apostles because they surely lived in a time where people were hostile towards the Gospel.

They are our example and they followed the Spirit of God. They followed the voice of God and so should we. Now, there are three ways, practical ways, in which the Holy Spirit enables us to live an impactful life. And I'm going to go through them quickly here, as quick as a preacher can. Amen? Number one is by loving and not hating.

Be careful that you're not inundated with so much news and media stuff that is vexing your spirit and you find yourself hating more than loving. Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 5, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." Every time I read that, I have to chuckle because it's like, Lord, I can't do that. He says, I know you can't, but you can by my Spirit.

If I'm going to impact the world and love those who persecute me, I need the Holy Spirit. It's not by might or power, it is by His Spirit. And the devil has no defense against the love of God. No defense against the love of God. When you love somebody, they've been nasty to you and everything, you just love them. It just messes up their day. They don't know what to do with that. I was talking to our guide. His name is Rami and as I mentioned before, and he has a ministry there in Jerusalem called JEO Ministry, Jerusalem Evangelistic Outreach. And his ministry is primarily to Muslims.

He's on the corner of the one of the busiest street there in the Arab section of Jerusalem with a shop dedicated to spreading the Gospel. And he gets a lot of strange looks, had a couple of threats. He's right there in the epicenter of Islamic culture in Jerusalem, in the Arab section of Jerusalem. And we went there to visit his place and talk with him and the people working there. It was awesome. And they're just sharing the love of Jesus with young girls and young men, with people in the community.

You can't get out there with a bullhorn and yell in the streets because they'd be killed, they'd be run out of town. But they're still there as a presence making an impact for the Lord. And you'll hear more about JEO Ministry because I really believe God wants us to get behind what they're doing. But having said that, he was sharing with us about just sharing the love of Jesus with people. And he shared that—and this is what he said, he's an expert at it and I'm not, I'm not an expert in the Islamic faith—but he said that there are 99 names for God in the Muslim faith.

99 names, not one of them is love. And when you share the love of God with them, it blows their minds. When you do it in the name of Jesus, it blows their minds. Not one name says God is love. People desperately need the love of God. A lot of folks are estranged from it, they just can't believe that God would love me like that, but He loves you today. If you're watching online or you're sitting here in this auditorium, in this building somewhere in our overflow, God loves you. And as the person said, get over it. He loves you.

And that's a whole game changer for a lot of people when they really realize how much the Lord loves them. And so when we love people, the devil has no defense against that. The second thing that we can do into to impact the world and that is we can impact the world by faith and not fear. God has called us to be people of faith. Second Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear but that of power, love, and of a sound mind." Amen? He's not given me a spirit of fear. If you're fearful this morning, that's not Jesus.

And you just need to say within yourself, Lord, rebuke that spirit. I will not receive that spirit in Jesus' name, for God has not given to me. I want what God has given to me and He hasn't given to me that. He's given me a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind, peace of mind. And Jesus knew this, that this is the nature of the Spirit that He would give to them. And so therefore, facing a hostile world, Jesus, rather than saying, "Hey guys, circle the wagons," after His resurrection, He said, "Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel."

The Great Commission, Matthew Chapter 28, Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, all ethnos, all ethnicities, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen? He tells them to go and for them to know that He has gone before them and He is with them. Someone once said this that Christ has called us to be saved but not safe.

The fear of man is a snare. There's thing God want you to do but you're afraid of what men would say. There things places God may want you to go but you're fearful because you believe the hype you see on the news. But He still tells us to go. He's called us to be saved but not safe. The third thing and the practical way that we can impact the world is by His power and not the flesh. We can't do this in the flesh. We can't fake it. Amen? You can't bring that old mantra within the church that says fake it until you make it. No, you can't fake this.

We need the power of God to impact the world and Philippians Chapter 4, verses 12 and 13, we always quote verse 13, but the context is this when Paul says, "I know how to be abased," that means I know how to be broke. Anybody know how to be broke? "And I know how to abound. I know how to have a little extra in the bank. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." And then he says in context, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Doesn't matter how much money I have in the bank or don't have in the bank or whatever, amen?

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, who is my power. We can impact the world, my friends, with the love of Christ, with the power of Christ. Amen? We can impact the world by faith that is in Christ. But we can do none of this apart from the guidance and the revelation of Jesus Christ in our lives by the Holy Spirit. Now, these three aspects of Christian living—love, faith, and power—can be applied to haters without and within the church. Did you know there were haters in the church? Do you know within the church that people are envious? That people are ready to entertain more quickly the accusations of the devil against their brother or their sister than they are to entertain the promises of God that's in His word?

And so therefore we have gossips. Yes, in the church. Haters in the church. Haters. How do you address haters from without and within the church? Well, there's two ways. Number one, Romans 12 verse 21 tells us you overcome evil with good. That's not on the screen, just write it down. Romans 12 verse 21, overcome evil with good. And the second thing in Isaiah 41 verses 10 to 13, you overcome evil and haters with God. Isaiah 41, if you can turn there quickly, great. If not, let me just listen to these words.

Isaiah 41 verse 10. I have lived by these words for the last 20 years. It'll be 20 years next month that my wife and I and our family came up here. And for the last 20 years, God has kept me and reminded me of this very thing because from time to time you'll get haters and people will be saying things and that type of thing and you have to put things in perspective and I go to Isaiah 41 verse 10. Where the Lord God said, "Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Then He says three times, "I will." Like Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. "I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you." Those are the "I wills" of God. Amen? And He says, "Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced and they shall be as nothing. And those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them. Those who contend with you, those who war against you shall be nothing as a non-existent thing. They won't even matter anymore in your life. Why? For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand. That's the hand of favor. Saying to you, fear not, I will help you."

Aren't you glad God is your PR agent? Aren't you glad God is in charge of your reputation? Amen? Listen, as Christians, we are not to be hating. Don't be hating. We're to be holy, walking in love, in faith, and in the power of Christ. Let me close with this. In 2009, we actually got to see this other site while we're there in Israel. The ruins from the city of Magdala. Now Magdala, they didn't discover it until 2009. They just thought there was this ancient city here at one time by the Sea of Galilee, but nobody really knew where it was until they started building this hotel or resort and they discovered the city, the ancient ruins of the city of Magdala.

Magdala is the place that Jesus went over to in Matthew Chapter 15 verse 39. And the Bible tells us that He preached in all the synagogues around the Galilee area. In Magdala, as they uncovered the ruins of the city, they discovered a synagogue. It's the only first century synagogue to be discovered in the Galilee area. We actually got to go to the site and look at this synagogue. And there we're looking at a synagogue that more than likely, and many people are very sure, Jesus actually taught in. Magdala is the home of Mary Magdalene, the loose woman who was full of seven demons and Jesus freed her. And she became a lover of God rather than a hater of God.

The name Magdala in Jewish culture back then was a term that was used to speak about hair that was braided or plaited, braided hair. Because many of the women of the evening, you could identify them because they had braided hair. And so it was a term that was used to describe loose women. And I think Jesus took time to go to a place that had a reputation for prostitutes and there found Mary Magdalene and she was set free. The reason I share that story is because we need to be careful that as the world is hating us that we don't become like the world.

And communion reminds us of the very fact that Jesus came to die for haters. And Paul reminds us, and such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank God that He came for haters like me. You say, "I never hated God." Hey, if you're a sinner separated from God, you're a hater. And He has reconciled us back to the Father by His great love and His sacrifice.

Guest (Male): Learn more about Pastor Al and his ministry by visiting alpittmanministries.com. Also consider supporting us financially. You can send a check to Al Pittman Ministries at P.O. Box 5058, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80949 or visit us online. Thank you for your prayers and your support. Your generosity keeps this radio ministry going. Lastly, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing info@alpittmanministries.com. That's info@alpittmanministries.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Again, thank you for joining us and we'll see you next time on the Dwelling Place. God bless.