Division Concluded Part 2: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 “I sent Timothy,” verse 17, “my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.” See, the team member wasn’t out preaching his own message. Are you there, church? You know, I can’t have a little Bible study at home and preach my own little [unclear] of the gospel. See, I need to be connected to the real ministers who are getting this fresh word from God and teaching it, and I pass it on. See, Timothy didn’t come with his own gospel. He come with the same gospel that they had been taken in everywhere in every church.

▶ 0:54 And I use the military as an example. You know, they give you a code of conduct, and they give you rules to, you know, have to be in the military by, to win wars by, and all the rest. And one isn’t given a different book than the other. They’re all given the same book. They all have the same code of conduct. And so they work together, and that’s how they win wars. And no one is left behind. They fight for their wounded. They get them out of there. Even their dead bodies, they want to take them back, give respect and honor. And the church needs to learn this stuff. I’m giving you this because if the secular world can do it, the church world can surely do it. Amen? People say unity can’t happen. Well, the world does it.

▶ 1:54 Corporations do it. Militaries do it. I was going to read you the Marine Code of Conduct. It’s very powerful at the end. It says your faith is in your God and in your country. You won’t leave anybody behind and you won’t surrender as long as you’ve got any chance of resisting. You don’t surrender and quit. And if you’re captured, you won’t do anything to put your fellow soldiers in danger. You’ll give your life up rather than do anything and say anything that will cause your fellow soldiers to be in danger. Folks, those are good things. And if these blockheaded Marines could do it, surely us Christians could do it.

▶ 2:46 These Marines come from all walks of life. A lot of them dropped out of high school or they come from bad neighborhoods or the country where there is no chance of success. So they went into the military to get some stability in their life or whatever. And the different religions and different cultures and different races and all that. And the Marines put them together and they fight and they work as a team. And they win battles. Hallelujah. So it can be done.

▶ 3:30 Can you imagine a Marine showing up late for reveille? Can you imagine him skipping calisthenics? Well, I don’t want to do exercises today. Does that work, Marines? No way. But in the church world? We show up when we want to. We get involved in what we want to get involved with and don’t get involved with what we don’t. It’s like Marines can pick and choose. Calisthenics is out. I’ll be the sharpshooter. That’s it. No marching. None of that marching.

▶ 4:12 I don’t believe in marching. It embarrasses me out there. I was raised timid. My culture background just don’t allow that public marching like that. Are you getting my point? But in the church world, we use all these excuses. “Raise my hands? Lift my voice? Oh my God, I wasn’t raised that way.” When they’re out there marching and that drill sergeant tells them to sound out cadence, is there anybody silent? No. They’re all sounding out cadence. They’re in unity.

▶ 4:53 But in the church world, we have been led to believe that we can pick and choose. And this is Paul’s argument. This is what Paul is driving home. It’s your own prideful thinking that makes you want to pick and choose. It’s your own wrong motive. It’s your own wrong attitude. And you’re crippling those that follow you. How are you crippling? They’re not going to grow. I say amen, Paul.

▶ 5:35 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. He says, “Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.” You know, you’re proud. Puffed up means you’re proud. Paul’s not going to do anything about this. He doesn’t have the authority. He doesn’t have the skills. He says, you know, you guys are proud. I’m over here in Asia. You’re over there and you’re proud and you’re cocky. As though I’m not going to come and deal with this. And that’s the problem. Churches don’t deal with this. See, real ministers will deal with things.

▶ 6:18 To win them all. And so they’re all cocky. And you know, we’re the strong ones. We have the authority. Oh man, we’re it baby. Hallelujah. Paul, he’s gone nuts on him. You know, Paul has gone nuts on him. We’re it. He says, I will come to you shortly. If the Lord will. And I will know not the speech of them that are proud. He said, I’m not going to be looking for your words. He said, I’m going to be looking for the power. What power do you possess?

▶ 7:00 And what power is being manifested that’s causing God’s people to grow because of your prideful opinions? I’m going to be looking for the power. I could [unclear] the least if you can quote some scriptures. I want to see the result. I want to see God growing people, changing people. And how many of you know Paul, like Moses, had the authority to do this? Yeah, he’s taking these people on. He’s taking them on and he’s over in Asia. He said, the kingdom of God is not in word, but in what? Power. Anybody can quote Wesley and Calvin and Oral Roberts and Billy Graham and, you know, all these book writers, Dobson and whatever anybody can quote, anybody can speak. But not anybody is connected with the gospel and Jesus and the cross to bring results because it’s those things that bring results. And it’s those things that we should be united around. Jesus Christ.

▶ 8:11 And if somebody says there’s another way, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Jesus is the only way. Somebody says there’s another source of truth. I’m sorry. Muhammad out. Joseph Smith out. Jesus in. Amen. Doesn’t the Bible say he is the only way, the only truth and the only life? Does it say that no man comes unto the Father but by Jesus Christ? Then how can we change this gospel? Paul is saying how can we change it and say, well, you know, all roads lead to the same God and, you know, you’re okay. I’m okay. Everybody’s okay. You’re not. The unity is around Jesus, his gospel, his word and the cross that gives us the right to inherit all of these promises.

▶ 9:04 Amen. He laid down his life. He picked it up again. No man could kill him. That’s the power of the cross and he lives in you. Nobody has more power than Jesus Christ. That’s why a Christian can’t have a demon and a Christian, you know, is not under the influence of Satan because Jesus is in us. He’s the big boss. He’s the power. Hallelujah.

▶ 9:37 And this is the God that Tebow talks about. I was asking one with Tebow on their T-shirt: “Do you have the character of Tebow?” Tebow stands up for the Bible, the moral standards of the Bible. Powerful. So he has a right when he Tebows. He’s not putting on an act. He is bowing to the king of his life. And I love it. He’s got more influence in America, in this world, than any preacher that I know of right now. Simply for living for Christ. He gets on TV and they want to interview him about the game. First thing he says, “I just want to praise my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Hallelujah. And he has a right to because he’s living like Paul did what he believes in.

▶ 10:44 In closing. Let’s sum this up here. My team, Paul says, my and my team’s ways in Christ I teach everywhere. I don’t have a gospel different in Asia than I do in Rome. Or I do for the Jews. The Jews get the same gospel that the people in Turkey get. The people in Iran, the people in Greece get the same gospel.

▶ 11:17 He says, my team teaches the same thing. Nobody’s out there teaching anything different than Jesus Christ, his gospel and his cross. Now folks, shouldn’t we be unified around that? Has nothing to do with the second coming. He’s going to come. I don’t care what your theories are. He’s going to come. And I have tested out every theory. They’re all wrong but mine. No, I’m just kidding. They all have a flaw in them. The bottom line is Jesus is coming and he’s coming to judge the world. So get over it if you’re wrong. And why try to reach details about something that doesn’t matter. Let’s keep the focus on Jesus, the gospel and the cross so people can grow.

▶ 12:11 The way you’re baptized. Who gives a hoot if you’re baptized in the name of Jesus, the Father, Son, the Holy Ghost, or 500 gallons of water, or in a creek, or in a bathtub. Who cares? It’s the power of the baptism that makes the thing work. You are supposed to come up a new creature. Your old man of sin dies in water baptism. Not the method. See, we divide over all this nonsense. But I submit to you today. We can be united around Jesus Christ, his gospel and the cross.

▶ 12:49 These people that say that Jesus didn’t die, they’re crazy. Without the cross, we’re doomed. And these people that say that Jesus was just a human, nice man. They’re nuts. He had no sin. That’s not human. Are you there? He didn’t have any sin. That’s not normal. And no human can die and pick their life up again three days later. He’s supernatural. He is God. No pride in ministers, in religions, self, or talk. But in the power of God, which is Jesus, the gospel and the cross, that changes life. That sums it up. That is his argument. And I say amen, Paul. I’ve been around a long time. And let me tell you, I say amen. Amen.

▶ 14:02 “What will you? Shall I come to you with a rod?” A rod of correction. He said, I’m coming. And your attitude toward this letter I’m writing is going to make the difference in how I’m coming. If I’ve got to come with a rod to correct, I’ll come. Or you can correct yourself and get with the program and start focusing on Jesus, the gospel and the cross. And accept people and love people. And I’ll come to you in love and in the spirit of meekness.

▶ 14:44 Hallelujah. Not a lot of words, just a meek, humble. This is the way of walking in it. Isn’t that right? Now, folks, if he gave one-fourth of this letter to division, isn’t it an important topic? Yes. Is it something the American church needs to address? Is it something we need to confront in our life? Listen to me. I’m going to give you some real nuggets here. Are you ready? You young ones, listen to me.

▶ 15:23 Jesus said, “You’ll know them by their fruits.” Would a real minister be late for service? Would a real minister ignore worship? Prayer? Reading and studying the Bible? Would a real minister substitute anything for the Bible? No. Would a real minister show his care for the church by his actions? Would he support it with his finances? Yes. Would he support it with his time? Yes.

▶ 16:15 By their fruits, you shall what? Know them. You’ll know if they’re babies by how they act. Amen.

▶ 16:40 Now, let me ask you this. Does the Bible say that we are all priests unto the Lord? First Peter, we are a kingdom of priests. We may not be official preachers and official ministers, which is a gift, but we’re all priests to minister to him, to minister to others. See, in that testimony tonight, you notice that people got saved by his sharing and by his life. It wasn’t actually a purposeful thing. It was just a normal thing as he lived for Christ. Wasn’t that good? And see, we can do that. But we got to decide to be people that focus on Jesus, not ministers, not church groups, not our little clique.

▶ 17:41 You see, I come to church on Friday night because I care. See, I care. I don’t have any speaking part. I don’t have any singing part. But as I was telling someone last week, the power of one member just being present, God uses to touch people’s lives. I said, you don’t understand the power you have just by being in the assembly. Yeah. And you don’t understand the power you have when you lift your hands and you just worship because the Bible says so. You don’t understand what God can do through a simple obedience to his word. See, he’s the one that causes the growth. It’s not you. And if you will contribute, God will empower and cause people to grow.

▶ 18:48 Hallelujah. See, we need to know these things so we can size ourselves up. Where am I at? See, like Friday night, when I know these young people are growing, they’ll clean up this room before they leave. So this old man doesn’t have to come in on Sunday morning and clean this room up. And I already see some growth. They’re in the kitchen working. Don’t get me wrong. You know, they’re taking responsibility. They’re doing things that’s great. And the more they grow, the more God’s going to say, hey, be responsible. Don’t wait for that old man to come in here and sweep on Sunday before you leave. Clean this place up. That shows maturity.

▶ 19:33 Amen. That includes us adults. Why should we leave this place dirty for somebody else to come along and clean when we can clean up our mess? Am I talking to the right church? Yeah. Hallelujah. See, I’ll know how young people are growing is when worship time comes, they don’t need a lot of coaching. When it’s time to worship, they just get in and worship. See, that’s maturity. That’s God’s growing. And they don’t come to play games and stuff. They come for Jesus. And then they enjoy the games and stuff. And the camaraderie. Which young people need.

▶ 20:25 You young and [unclear]. Hallelujah. But let me tell you something. They’re here this morning. Look at them. Does that show growth? Yes. Can they grow more? Yes. Yes. See, they could be out doing what other teens are doing on Sunday. But they’re here. And some of you may not like them talking every once in a while in the thing. Actually, leave the discipline to me. Or the youth leaders. We don’t need everybody in the world telling these young Christians and these young teens what to do.

▶ 21:09 Yes. I’m very capable of saying, look at me. Get your attention on me. And I was a teen once. Geez, you know. I was a jitterbug. I couldn’t sit still.

▶ 21:33 I submit to you today that Paul has given us a very powerful message of unity and division. How to recognize it. The cause and the cure of division. He has showed us what causes it. He has showed us what cures it. And it starts with us.