Steps to Christ in Song

The Work And The Life

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

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Series Code: SCS

Program Code: SCS000009


00:33 Chapter 9, The Work and the Life.
00:37 Here we are in the banks of the mighty Fraser River
00:40 in beautiful British Columbia. Today, we're gonna talk
00:43 about God's work in our lives and the work that
00:46 we as Christians must do in this world. But before we
00:49 I'm gonna ask Andrew to lead us in a word of prayer.
00:54 Heavenly father, thank you that you are always at work
00:58 in our lives. We have the assurance of this everyday,
01:02 simply by the feeling of our beatings hearts because
01:04 it is in you that everything lives and moves
01:08 and has it's be. The Apostle Paul wrote in
01:11 Philippians 2:13 that you are constantly working
01:14 us giving us the desire and the power
01:17 to do that pleases you.
01:19 Thank you for your work
01:20 in our lives in Jesus' name amen.
01:24 Christianity isn't just something that we put on
01:27 when we go to church and then set on the shelf
01:30 until the next weekend. It's really a way of thinking
01:33 and feeling about God, about others and about ourselves.
01:38 This is how it works, we start feeling good about
01:41 ourselves when we realize that God loves us and
01:44 forgives us for all the bad things that we've done
01:47 This leads to a deep love and appreciation for the
01:51 God, who loved us enough to send Jesus to rescue us.
01:56 As we study the Bible, we realize that God doesn't
01:59 just love us, but he loves everyone else as well.
02:03 And he wants us to love them too. Jesus says in
02:07 John 15:12, this is my commandment that you love
02:11 one another as I have loved you. We then began looking
02:15 for ways to help others realize that they are also
02:18 loved by God because we know that a relationship with
02:22 God is the best thing that could ever happen to them.
02:26 Eventually, this desire to introduce others to the God
02:29 we love becomes our main focus and we begin to view
02:33 this as the real purpose of our lives.
03:16 Love one another, for love is of God, He who loves
03:28 is born of God and knows God. He who does not love
03:39 does not know God, For God is love, God is love.
03:53 Love one another, for love is of God He who loves
04:04 is born of God and knows God. He who does not love
04:15 does not know God, For God is love, God is love.
05:06 Love one another, for love is of God He who loves
05:17 is born of God and knows God. He who does not love
05:29 does not know God, For God is love, God is love.
05:52 In first Corinthians 13 Paul says, though I have all
05:56 faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not love
05:59 I'm nothing. You know, we need to love one another
06:03 like Jesus loves us. I long to have much more
06:06 that love, so that I can better do the work that
06:09 Jesus wants me to do. One of the ways in which the
06:12 Bible says that God shows his love to us is through
06:16 the ministry of angels. He sends angels down to
06:20 this world. Sometimes people have entertained angels and
06:23 and they look like human beings, they were dressed
06:26 like common men. But they were really angels and so if
06:30 God is constantly sending angels to minister to us
06:33 and that's their work, then I'm wondering have any
06:36 of you ever seen an angel, I know that's a personal
06:39 question it's kind of private too. But is anyone
06:42 courageous enough, brave enough to share maybe a time
06:46 when you thought and you consider that this was the
06:49 work of an angel in your life. Well you know I've
06:53 never actually seen an angel that I know of, but I can
06:57 tell you about an experience with my dad when he was
07:00 a missionary in Africa. He was traveling from Johannesburg
07:05 to Zambia and he had to go through the country of
07:08 Zimbabwe, and this was a very dangerous country to be
07:12 going through because they had a lot of civil unrest
07:15 and they were just about to gain their independence, so
07:18 this was a dangerous country to be going through. And he
07:21 was trying to catch up with a convoy that would take
07:25 him through the country safely with armored vehicles
07:28 all around and everything, and so he got to the border,
07:32 but the convoy had already left without him, and he made
07:38 the decision to go on ahead into the country and
07:40 try to catch with them, and so he started out
07:43 onto the road and it got darker and darker
07:46 and about 11 o'clock at night his car
07:50 just sputtered and stopped and so he went off
07:55 the side of the road and looked onto the hood
07:57 and there was fuel in the carburetor and their
08:00 seem to be spark and he couldn't figure out what
08:02 the problem was. And he thought well I don't know
08:08 why the car stopped, but I'll try starting it
08:10 again and so he did and started up fine
08:14 and he thought well that was weird and so he
08:16 kept on going down the road and about an hour later
08:19 the same thing happened. The car
08:22 just sputtered and stopped once again,
08:25 and so he got out and he looked under the hood
08:29 and everything looked okay and he thought this
08:32 is really strange, that the car is not working
08:36 and he thought you know I don't know what to do
08:38 and this is, this is not good because I'm not here
08:41 in Zimbabwe and several people have been killed
08:45 recently in this area by the insurgents
08:47 and so he just sent up a prayer and said
08:51 Lord you know all about this car
08:54 and you know all about my situation
08:56 and I ask you to please send some help right now
08:59 amen. And within a few minutes a car pulled up
09:06 a BMW and pulled up right in front of him
09:10 and shown it headlights on the hood
09:13 and this man got out and he said can I help you
09:15 with anything, looks like you are having trouble,
09:17 and he started poking around there in
09:21 the engine and he said you know I think your
09:23 coil is bad and my dad said, well that's nice
09:28 but where we're gonna get a coil this time in night
09:30 in the middle no- where and the man said
09:35 well I think I have one in trunk of my car.
09:38 He just happened to have a coil in the
09:39 trunk of his car for his, yeah, car.
09:40 for his car, and my dad's car was different kind of
09:45 car, different kind of car, it wasn't a BMW
09:47 and so my dad said well that's interesting.
09:50 Well, let's put it in so the man went and got the coil
09:54 and they installed it and they started the car
09:58 and it started right up and so my dad said well
10:01 thank you so much what can I ever do to thank you,
10:04 the man said there is nothing you know
10:06 it's okay it is just enough for me to help you.
10:09 And so my dad gave him a couple of apples
10:13 and he said why don't you pull out and the man
10:17 said no, no, no, you go ahead, I wanna make
10:19 sure you are on the road and you are safe.
10:22 And so my dad just pulled out on to the road
10:26 and he turned to wave to the guy and there was
10:28 no car there. Nobody there, no one.
10:31 There is no man, there is no car and my dad
10:34 kind of looked around and said wow God answered
10:38 my prayer. Yeah, he send an angel to help me.
10:41 That's what I would consider to be an angel.
10:43 Someone who came out of nowhere and helped your dad
10:47 to the situation it's just unexplainable.
10:52 Thanks for sharing that. I find it interesting how
10:54 most of us consider it a sacrifice to live
10:58 for the good of others, but what many don't realize
11:01 is that when we bless others we gain a
11:05 bigger blessing ourselves. You probably heard the words
11:08 of Christ, where he says it is better to give
11:10 then to receive. This simple saying describes
11:14 our heaven is such a wonderful place to be.
11:16 You see, this spirit of unselfishness doesn't
11:21 just make the world go round. It makes
11:23 the whole universe go round in fact
11:26 this attitude of counting others better
11:29 then yourself is at the foundation
11:31 of the Ten Commandments. And it's by living
11:35 in harmony with the principle of love that we
11:38 find happiness and meaning in life and by
11:41 living for others I'm preparing myself to live
11:45 in the atmosphere of that perfect place
11:47 called heaven.
11:51 Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,
11:55 Do not wait to shed your light afar;
12:00 To the many duties ever near you now be true,
12:06 Brighten the corner where you are.
12:12 Brighten the corner where you are!
12:21 Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
12:26 Brighten the corner where you are!
12:32 Just above are clouded skies that you may help to clear,
12:37 Let not narrow self your way debar;
12:42 Though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer,
12:48 Brighten the corner where you are.
12:53 Brighten the corner where you are!
13:02 Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
13:07 Brighten the corner where you are!
13:13 Here for all your talent you may surely find a need,
13:18 Here reflect the bright and Morning Star;
13:23 Even from your humble hand the Bread of Life may feed,
13:28 Brighten the corner where you are.
13:33 Brighten the corner where you are!
13:42 Brighten the corner where you are!
13:43 Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
13:47 Brighten the corner where you are.
13:56 When we brighten the corner where we are,
13:58 the effort to bless others reacts in blessings upon
14:02 ourselves. So when we bless others, we are actually
14:05 blessing ourselves. In fact, you can never lose
14:08 in doing the work of God.
14:09 You know God could have committed all the work of the
14:14 gospel to the heavenly angels, but He chose to include us in
14:18 this work. In First John 4 verse 7 it says beloved let us
14:22 love one another, because love is of God
14:25 and everyone who loves is born of God.
14:28 So I have a question for you, if love is from God
14:34 have you met someone a real person we can talk
14:37 theoretically about love, but to actually see love
14:40 in action. Have you ever met someone who
14:42 has shown the real love of God in their lives?
14:45 Yes. Whenever my siblings and I look for role model
14:51 in our lives, we always think of our father.
14:55 But this was not always the case.
14:59 When we were children our father was constantly
15:02 on business trips. We had a nice house,
15:07 we had everything we could want,
15:09 but our dad. Then he got a divorce
15:17 and everything changed after that we lost the house,
15:20 we lost the neighborhood, we couldn't afford all those
15:24 things anymore, but that is when my siblings and
15:29 I, that is when we truly started to feel happy.
15:34 Is when he had the divorce and could realize
15:38 he could lose the people that was closest to him
15:41 that was when he decided he was going to be
15:45 the best father he could be to try and regain
15:48 the time he lost. It was at that point
15:53 that we truly gained a father.
15:58 And he started to teach us things that he wanted
16:00 us to learn that he was never able to do
16:04 before and taught us by example
16:07 we would constantly be driving around and whenever you
16:10 would see a homeless person, you just pull off
16:13 to the side of the road and he would help them.
16:17 And this had such a strong impact on me
16:20 as we were leaving a restaurant one day,
16:22 I saw this older woman with filthy rags,
16:25 this homeless person and I just reaching to
16:28 my pocket and pulled out a $10 bill and
16:30 just walked over and said, here.
16:32 So you saw your father doing this
16:34 and now you wanted to do that to help others.
16:36 When my father did, I wanted to do,
16:42 I wanted to be just like my dad.
16:46 And then when I gave this $10 to this woman,
16:49 where just tear streaming down her face.
16:51 She looks into my eyes and says thank you.
16:54 I'll keep you in my prayers. Thank you for the
16:57 kindness you've shown me today.
17:01 Then we all got the horrible news,
17:05 our father have been diagnosed with Leukemia.
17:11 We didn't know how much longer he had to live.
17:13 He didn't know how much he had to live,
17:16 but he knew he had to work twice as hard to
17:20 help us. He started redoubling his efforts
17:26 in order to teach us the things he wants us to know.
17:30 And then there was just one amazing experience
17:33 of when he was with one of his own girlfriends
17:37 he was praying and then just as they were
17:41 praying, all of a sudden she looks out and just
17:43 there is like look of shock and then he stops
17:48 praying looks over there and she is just she can't
17:50 say anything she is just staring at him and then
17:54 he says what is it and she says you,
17:58 you surrounded by a Holy light
18:03 and then another time when he was at the
18:10 hospital receiving his chemotherapy treatments,
18:11 he was laying on the bed and the nurse came
18:13 in and then she dropped everything just looked at
18:16 him, had that same look on her face
18:19 and then my father looked at her and she said
18:22 you have holy light about you. He later
18:26 found out that a friend had gone in front of a
18:28 church and ask for the whole congregation
18:30 to join together in prayer.
18:31 So at that moment they were praying for him.
18:33 At that very hour they were praying for him.
18:36 And then as this light was around him he just felt
18:41 this inner peace that God was with him.
18:43 And even when he was in the hospital,
18:48 even when he could barely lift his head,
18:50 he still wanted to help, and he came up and
18:55 he was always trying to be the best patient
18:57 for the nurses and he has had such a profound
19:00 impact on that, that they all got together,
19:03 got their money together and bought a
19:06 golden angel praying, then the day came
19:17 and it was the funeral my siblings and I, we were
19:22 taking it very hard we had lost someone very
19:24 dear to us. And then we walk into this church,
19:29 this church is huge, this church has two stories
19:34 there is the main island in front and there is two on
19:37 the side and then there is two above it.
19:38 And we walk in and then just hoards of people
19:42 start walking into the church.
19:45 The whole front area is filled. All sides are
19:48 filled and people had to start streaming in
19:50 to get on the top and then my pastor,
19:56 the pastor of the church, he never really got
19:59 to know my father he came up to my mom
20:02 and said who was this man, because your father
20:06 was always in the hospital yeah and so he actually
20:09 didn't get a chance to meet him properly.
20:11 He never really got to know the pastor,
20:14 he was so sick he was not able to get up out
20:17 of bed sometimes to go to church,
20:22 but when my Pastor saw just how many
20:25 people this man's life had touched.
20:29 He was just filled with amazement and looks and
20:33 he says to my mom I had never seen so my
20:36 people at a funeral before. Praise the Lord,
20:40 every single one of those lives he had touched.
20:46 So your father's life was changed when he
20:50 realized that he couldn't always guarantee
20:56 that people were gonna be around him. And
20:58 so he changed from being all centered on work
21:00 to being on relationships, but then he gets his
21:03 terrible news that he has Leukemia and it doesn't
21:08 cause him to stop loving people in fact he
21:11 continues loving them even more and it influences so many
21:14 people's lives. He had created such a profound
21:19 impact on our community that even weeks,
21:24 months after the funeral even years
21:26 after the funeral we would still walk into the
21:29 familiar places where our dad would take us.
21:33 And we would of course order the things
21:37 that we use to order and you know get the
21:40 things like our father would like to get,
21:42 and then the people behind the counter would just
21:45 look at us and be like you look just like your dad.
21:51 You look just like the person that used to come here.
21:54 So you resemble your dad in your features.
21:56 Yeah. And they would look at me, there is a guy
22:00 that used to come here he was so kind to us
22:03 and then we would tell them the story of our dad
22:06 and how he died. And then some of them would just
22:10 tears streaming on their faces and said we are so sorry,
22:13 he was such a nice man. Well that, that
22:17 perfectly shows the love of God in another
22:22 person that when that love is in your life,
22:25 it's almost like the fragrance of a rose
22:28 or a flower it just pervades the atmosphere
22:31 and everyone around can pick up that
22:34 fragrance and it changes their lives too.
22:36 Thanks for telling us that story Luke about your dad.
22:41 Just what does it look like when someone lives
22:43 to bless others. I mean does everyone have to quit
22:46 there jobs become full-time Gospel workers.
22:49 The Bible gives many examples of Godly people
22:52 who did ordinary things in an extraordinary way.
22:55 I think Jesus is the best example though because he
22:59 spend 90% of his 30 years on earth working
23:02 in a carpenter shop doing ordinary things
23:04 just like you and I. But after the life of
23:08 menial labor, God testified that this is my beloved
23:12 son in whom I am well pleased. This was
23:14 before he even started preaching, you see Jesus was
23:18 living a life of total unselfishness even when
23:21 working at a regular job and this pleased God.
23:24 Maybe you and I can do the same right where we are
23:27 with the people that we rub shoulders with everyday.
23:30 When Jesus comes back to the earth to take
23:33 his people home, I want to hear the words
23:35 recorded in Matthew 25:23 well done,
23:39 good and faithful servant you've been faithful over
23:42 a few things I will make you ruler over many
23:45 things enter into the joy of your Lord.
24:03 In the harvest field now ripened,
24:10 There's a work for all to do.
24:16 Hark, the Master's voice is calling,
24:22 To the harvest calling you.
24:28 Does the place you're called to labor
24:34 Seem so small and little known?
24:39 It is great if God is in it,
24:45 For He'll not forsake His own.
24:51 Little is much when God is in it.
24:57 Labor not for wealth or fame.
25:02 There's a crown and you can win it,
25:08 If you go in Jesus' name.
25:14 When the conflict here is ended
25:20 And our race on earth is run,
25:25 He will say, if you've been faithful,
25:37 "Welcome home, my child, well done."
25:45 Little is much when God is in it.
25:50 Labor not for wealth or fame.
25:56 There's a crown and you can win it,
26:02 If you go, If you go, If you go, in Jesus' name.
26:33 it says that when
26:37 Jesus returns, he will turn to those who are
26:40 faithful and been faithfully doing his work and
26:43 say well done good and faithful servant.
26:46 Can you imagine Jesus actually saying to you,
26:49 well done good and faithful servant that those
26:52 words are actually coming from his lips
26:54 that is motivation enough to want do his work.
26:58 You maybe an evangelist or minister, but you don't
27:02 have to be. You can be a mechanic, a nurse,
27:07 a teacher or housewife. If you are faithfully doing
27:11 the work that God has called you to do if others
27:14 are convinced that you desire to do them well
27:17 then you are doing God's work in your life.
27:21 You don't have to wait for extraordinary abilities,
27:24 you don't have to wait for some great occasions
27:26 to do God's work, you can do it right where you are.
27:30 I think though that you need to turn to God
27:33 in prayer and ask him to strengthen you.
27:35 So let's do that right now, let's turn to
27:38 him in prayer and ask him to strengthen us
27:40 so that we can faithfully do his work and hear him
27:43 say to us well done good and faithful servant.
27:48 Heavenly father often we do not feel
27:51 or even think that we are doing anything great,
27:53 but we choose to go forward quietly doing faithfully
27:59 the work of sharing your love with others.
28:03 Lord, you do not ask us to get stressed out
28:08 about the success of the work because this work is
28:11 yours Lord and you are doing it through us.
28:13 And so we commit ourselves to be your workers
28:17 knowing that together with you in this world.
28:20 We are being fitted for the world to come
28:22 in Jesus name we pray, amen.
28:31 Steps to Christ in song is a 13 part series.
28:34 from Fountain View Productions.
28:37 Designed to be an easy non-threatening way
28:39 to share the good news about Jesus Christ
28:41 with friends, relatives, and co-workers.
28:43 Order your copies now by calling
28:46 1-877-490-4141 or visit us
28:51 online at www.fountainviewproductions.com.
28:56 Steps to Christ in Song is also available at your local
29:00 ABC Christian Book Store.


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Revised 2014-12-17