And the very people that you try to minister to often are the people that hurt you the most. But you gotta man up. You got to woman up, and you got to say that there's no opposition, even from the ones that I'm trying to minister to, that will make me stop doing what God has called me to do.
You're listening to Treasure Truth with pastor and author James Ford, junior senior pastor of the Christ Bible Church in Chicago. I'm Steve Hillard. Glad you're with us. As today we continue a message how to have an effective ministry. And pastor, any time that you are in any sort of leadership role and you're doing ministry, you're going to face criticism. People are going to be coming at you because they
don't like something that you did. And as you said very often, you're just going to have to learn to man up or woman up through that. For the person who's not encountered much of that yet, they don't have real thick skin yet. Um, what what maybe helped you early in your ministry days to when you encountered that opposition.
You have to know the value of opposition. Paul said in first Corinthians 16 he said, and a great effectual door has been opened for me, and there are many adversaries. Here's what Paul was saying. Man, look at this great door of opportunity, and look at this equal opportunity, because he uses not but he uses an, which is a conjunction that shows continuity. What Paul is saying is that the opportunity has equal opposition. Sure. So we you know,
here's what I tell our people all the time. Sometimes you have to realize that there hateration can be used by God for your elevation. Look, we said it. It's trite, but true. New level, new devil. I changed it, Steve did it. Yeah. I said.
What's it.
Now? New level. Stronger devils. True. Oh, yeah. I think it's a truism, man. And so it's part and parcel of it. If you're not ready for the opposition, you're not ready for the opportunity. And so just pray to God eases you into it like a tub of hot water, you know, put your toe in. But generally you get thrown in like, wow, I'm overwhelmed. This is too hot. But you hang in there, baby. God will cool it off for you.
He'll cool off and that's where you're going to see him step in and do something pretty cool.
That's right.
Well, we are in acts chapter 20, so join us there as we continue a message entitled How to Have an Effective Ministry. Here's Pastor Ford.
Now motivation tells us why we serve. Manner tells us how. Listen to what Paul says with all humility of mind, with all humility of mind and many tears. Here's what he's saying. Here's how I serve. realizing it was a privilege. Man, that sure brings everything together. When we understand to serve God is a privilege that God would use someone like me. What an awesome God. So with all humility of mine, I heard a story of a young man getting ready to do his trial sermon. And he he just, uh,
was was like, fired up. And he was going to get them straight. He had studied this message and he was going to get them straight. So when it came time to preach, he mounted up to the pulpit. He stormed up. Tum tum tum tum tum tum. He looked at him and glared at him. He's getting ready to preach. And then he forgot his message and he forgot his notes, and he walked down with his head down. He walked down. And when he was on his way down, one of the teenagers, one of the senior Saints met him and
this is what she said. She said, young man, if you would have went up like you came down, then you would have came down like you went up. Now you think about that. That's powerful. If you would have had humility that you had going down, coming up, then you could have stepped down in boldness that God had used you. And, uh. Wow, that's a powerful truth. You know, too many of us are arrogant, but but let me just tell you. Uh, you know, God doesn't need us.
He said I have 7000 that haven't bowed the knee to Baal. And we need to understand. It's a privilege. Man, I you know, I subscribe to the voice of the Martyrs and Open Door Ministries. Uh, there are other ministries, but those are the two that I felt led, uh, to follow and to support, and I do. And let me tell you, and I, when I read almost every day about the Christians who are being martyred in other
countries just because they're believers. Uh, the things that we take for granted, uh, where they count it a privilege to come to church and worship, uh, without being threatened, without, uh, being shot and all those kind of things. Man, we just don't know what a privilege we have. And so Paul says, yes. Listen, listen. You need presence. You need to be with them. You need participation. You need to be a worker. Here's the third ingredient that Paul says.
Paul says that you need and I need if we're going to have effective ministry proclamation, be a witness. So presence, be with them. Participation. Be a worker. Proclamation. Be a witness. Listen to this in in in verse 20. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and also to the Greeks. Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ. He says, man, you know, I shared the good news and that's that's it. That's all we have is the gospel. You know what I heard a preacher said? If I knew who he was, I'd tell you, because I know the ladies would want to get him. He said, if you tell a woman something, it goes in both her ears and out of her mouth. Uh, but if you tell a man something, it goes in one ear and out the other. Well, anyway. Well, you know, here's
what I want to say. If we would spread the gospel as readily as we share the gossip, more people would be saved. And so Paul says, I kept back nothing. I evangelize, and that's what we're called to do. Uh, we are to share our faith with those at our job, at the, at the school, at the health club, wherever we are in the supermarket, we're to share the good news of Jesus Christ with our neighbors. And Paul said, proclamation I was a witness. Now you're a witness. You're
either a witness or a good witness. And notice the qualifiers here. Notice, first of all, the comprehensiveness of his proclamation. Here's what he says and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you. Guess what that is? He said the comprehensiveness of my proclamation. I preached everything he says and have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have taught you everywhere, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks. I have shared with everybody.
Look at it. Everything everywhere to everybody. Evaluate your witnessing because that's what he said. Acts one eight but you shall receive power. After that. The Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Here we are all demographics. What is Jerusalem? The place of their greatest failure. What is Judea? Place of their greatest conflict. They were getting ready to leave. Well, the grace of the place
of their greatest failure. Uh. They all denied Christ, uh, and fled. And so go back there, witness. Place of your greatest failure. What about Judea? Place of their greatest conflict. Uh, they left ministry, went back, eight of them following. Peter went to the fishing business, and Matthew knew he ain't had no business fishing. He was a tax collector. Ain't know nothing about no fish unless he fishing money out of a men's pocket. And so here they went, back
place of their greatest conflict. How about Samaria, place of their greatest prejudice. Because the Jews had no dealing with the Samaritans. go there and witness, and then the uttermost parts of the earth, the place of their greatest uncertainty. We are called to those who go and share. And then don't forget, the Great Commission has largely become the
great omission. Go ye, therefore in all the world preach the gospel to every creature, baptizing them in the name of the father, son, Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded thee. And lo, I am with you always, even till the end of the age. He says, I had a comprehensive witness. How about you, my brothers and my sisters? Are you telling everything everywhere to everybody? Paul said he did. How many? Won't be like the Apostle Paul? I do. But then notice not
just the comprehensiveness of his proclamation. Notice the content of his proclamation. Repentance toward God. Oh, I'm sorry to say a bad word. Repentance. Yeah, it's inherent in the gospel. If you are going away from him, it takes 180 degree turn to turn to Christ. What did I just do? When I put faith in Jesus Christ, let's say behind me here is all the things I did, uh, in all of my sin. When I say I'm turning my back on that and I'm having faith in Jesus Christ,
it's 180 degree turn. Okay, I hate to get the Bible in this, but now word from our sponsor, second Corinthians 517 therefore, if any man, woman, boy or girl be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And so it is repentance toward God, faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, I love that Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe it tells us
that this content has to be saturated with Lord Jesus Christ. Straight, no chaser, Lord, his deity, Jesus, his humanity, Christ, his sovereignty. And so we want them to know the good news of Jesus Christ about his deity, humanity, and sovereignty.
And as Pastor Ford, talking about how to have an effective ministry, really a study from acts chapter 20, verses 17 through 28. And this is a message we're bringing you today that actually was part of an instructional video for Pastor Ford's leadership team. But we felt this content was so good, we had to make sure that it made it on the radio. So if you don't hear all the noise in the background, that's why this content is so rich though. We wanted to make sure that
you had the chance to hear it. If you want to hear it again, you can always come to our website. Treasure Truth radio.org order copies of the broadcast on CD. You can download MP3's for free, or you can simply stream this broadcast through your computer or mobile device. Another way to listen is to download the Moody Radio app. Now. It makes it really convenient for you to listen to
Pastor Ford's teaching whenever it fits your schedule. But not only can you listen to this program, but other moody produced radio programs. You'll find links to the app when you come to our website. Treasure Truth radio. Back to the message. Here's Pastor Ford.
That we have to be like those children in the play. Ah, I love this little story. I tell it often. They were going to do a play and, uh, come that that evening up the middle aisle with a big paper mache cross that they had made singing onward Christian Soldier. The adult that was over it said, no, that's too weighty. It's not. No, no, no, put it behind the door. And so they put it behind the door and they came ready. They opened the double doors. The kids began
to sing. Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war with the cross of Jesus. Then they all stopped and pointed, hid behind that door. They would not allow Christ to be hid. How about you? Can people see Christ in you and be drawn to him like a moth to the flame? Here's the fourth mark. Here's the fourth mark. Almost done. Hang in there with me. The fourth mark. Perseverance. Be a warrior. See the first three. Talk about the commitment we must have. The last two talk about the
cost we must pay. Now, when you start talking about cost, folk begin to drop off like flies. Because we want a gospel. That's all honey, all ease, all flowers. No bees. But notice what he says. Let me just walk through and show you in verses 22 through 25, the price. Paul says it's a sermon all by itself. But let me give you what he says. And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit. Here's the first thing he says the first cost. Have determination. Persevere. Have determination. I
go bound in the spirit. Now my Bible spirit is small s which is human spirit which means. Then he's saying, listen, in my humanity, I am not going, uh, to, uh, do anything but serve Christ. And so I will have determination. Lord, is this, he says, not knowing the things that shall befall me there. He's saying, expect the unexpected that that that the Bible tells us trials and tests, they just come, we fall into them. We're not expecting them. And so he says, if you're going to pay the price, you
have to have determination. Expect the unexpected notice. The third thing he says here, he says, save that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city that bonds and afflictions abide. Me. Know what he's saying? Be ready to suffer for Christ. Because remember what Jesus said, that we have to pick up our cross, die daily and follow him. There's a cost to follow Jesus. Salvation cost us nothing. Discipleship cost us everything. Notice what else he says. He says, but
none of these things move me. In other words, be independent of circumstances. Then he says. He says, neither can I my life dear unto myself. Be ready to die. Isn't that the same thing as what no one is? Be ready to suffer and be ready to give the ultimate commitment to Jesus Christ. Be ready to die. Then notice what he says. He says, uh, that I might finish my course with joy. What's he saying there? Keep your eyes on the prize that your ministry. You want
to hear Jesus say. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. You want to finish what you started because God said you were going to finish it. Where did he say that pastor for? Glad you asked. You ask intelligent questions. Philippians one six. He says, being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus. And then notice what else he says. He says, think of the impact on others. He says to testify the gospel
of the grace of God. He's saying, listen, as you testify the gospel of grace, people are going to come to it. Think of the impact on others. So as we begin to minister, there are people that are going to come, and the very people that you try to minister to often are the people that hurt you the most. But you gotta man up. You got to woman up, and you got to say that there's no opposition, even from the ones that I'm trying to minister to, that will make me stop doing what God has called me
to do. Here's the last one. I'm going to drop it. I'm not going to push it. He says, wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men. Listen to what he says, verse 27. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Here's verse 28 take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his
own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw disciples after them. Therefore watch and remember. By the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. Now get this first mark presence. Be with them. Second mark participation. Be a worker. Third mark proclamation. Be a witness. Fourth mark perseverance.
Be a warrior. Fifth mark protection. Be a watcher. He says, man, you gotta watch. Now, there's some words in here that I want you to see. Because there there are those who think that elder, bishop and pastor are three different persons. No. uh, he's talking to the elders. Verse 17. Now he uses the word overseers, which is the word bishop to feed, which is the word pastor in one passage. He's speaking to the same individuals, and he uses all three terms.
And the reason being, because the elder speaks of the person and, uh, pastor speaks of the performance and, uh, Bishop speaks of the position. Uh, and so it's one person, three aspects of that one person. Uh, so but he says, listen, you have to watch. Be on guard. Now, remember, the Jews had three watches in the night and the Romans had, uh, four, uh, started 6 to 10, uh, 10 to 2, 2 to 6. That was Jewish. Uh, Romans 6 to 9, 9 to 12,
12 to 3, 3 to 6. They thought that four hours was too long for anyone to be on guard and so hear what they're saying. What is our job to watch? He says don't only watch inside. Watch outside. I'll never forget we were having prayer and a person that joined us, uh, that just came from the outside. And of course, we're always welcoming people. We thought, what an opportunity. And everybody's trying to share the gospel with the lady. We get in our prayer circle, and we're
praying it's her turn. And she prays, Lord, help me because I'm a kleptomaniac. You should have saw the eyes open. Matter of fact, I opened mine. That's how I know everybody had their eyes open. And so I open up my eyes and. And then I did what the scripture says. Watch and pray. I had one eye on the woman, and I had one eye closed in prayer. And I watched the women as they were grabbing their purses, and men as they were holding on to their back pockets
and their wallets. And it was like, wow. We had to watch and pray And Paul says, listen, let me tell you why. Because there are those who are on the outside and we see it all the time, especially with doctrines that are detrimental to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul said it's another gospel, but it's really not another gospel. Paul said it is heretical. You know, like, dare I say it, uh, a prosperity gospel. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. But you know, Jesus never promised
we'd be healthy, wealthy and wise. He didn't say we couldn't be. He never promised that because he said, John 1633 in the world you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. So he promised us we'd have tribulation. Promise us there'd be trouble, you know. And so here, now, uh, we've got to be careful. We've got to watch. And then he said, there are wolves in sheep's clothing, that there are people
who come in. You know them, uh, as those who worship with you, but you better be careful because many of them as well are are like individuals in the Bible, like, uh, diotrephes who love preeminence and would not allow itinerant preachers to be ministered to by the church. And so how have you done in this little exam? How to have an effective ministry? Because you need presence. Be with them. You need participation. Be a worker. You need proclamation. Be
a witness. You need perseverance. Be a warrior. You need protection. Be a watcher. And if you do those things, one day you will hear God say, well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
You're listening to Treasure Truth with Pastor Ford, and it's our hope that as you listen to this program, you'll be encouraged and equipped with tools that you need so that one day you'll hear God say, well done. Well, of course, God's Word takes root best when it has a nurturing home environment where you can share what you're learning, where you can get shaped by feedback. Unfortunately, many homes are shaped by marriages that lack that biblical foundation. And
maybe that's where you're at today. You long for spiritual intimacy with your spouse, but you're not on the same page, and you don't know how to get to that next level in your relationship. We'd like you to have a book by Pastor Ford called Seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage. This in-depth resource will help you understand why God intended the marital relationship, and it will help you grow closer to your husband or wife. Request seven reasons why God
created marriage. When you give a gift of any amount to this ministry, call us at 888644 7660 or go online to Treasure Truth Radio.com. Org. If you'd like to send a check in the mail or address is Treasure Truth, 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. You know, Pastor Ford has been helping men and women grow in their marriages for more than 30 years as a pastor and a marriage counselor. And as you read his book, you'll strengthen the pillars of your marriage and reap the
benefits God intends for you along the way. So give a donation and request seven reasons why God created marriage. Call us at 888644 7660 or go online to Treasure Truth Radio. I'm Steve Hiller. Our producer is Amy Rios. Join us again tomorrow for more Bible teaching from Pastor Ford here on Treasure truth. A production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.