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Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue to be able to help you. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage.

We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family. So you have a Bible, open it. You’re supposed to always bring your Bible to church. What good is a soldier without a sword? How are you going to learn to fight if you don’t know your sword? The sword of the spirit is the word of God. So you need the word of God.

You want the Holy Spirit to use you? Use the sword. Learn the sword. Learn how to use the sword. Be skillful with the sword. sword. And in turn with me to the book of 1 John and chapter 3, 1 John and chapter 3. The title of that little song we just did was, Better Things to Do. Yeah, Better Things to Do. I cannot think of a poor excuse for not serving the one who died for me and you. He saved us from a place called hell and I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad that Jesus didn’t have better things to do.

I guess we need to keep our vision on what is the main thing and keep the main thing the main thing. So we’re going to talk about the main thing tonight. Here in the book of 1 John chapter 3, I want you to look with me there in verse 16. Verse 16, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But who so hath this world’s good, and seeeth his brother have need, and shedeth up his bowels of mercy, or a compassion from him?

How dwelt the love of God in him? That’s a good question. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but indeed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him. Where if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and north all things. So the word of God tells us that you and I are supposed to demonstrate what real love is in this world, especially to those that are of the household of faith.

Now, in the little paper that I just handed out to you, some of these things I cover at different times, but I want to hit it from a little bit different viewpoint tonight. Because I know that as we go through life, the preacher’s supposed to challenge you, motivate you, exhort you all these kind of wonderful things. But what if I can’t? What if I don’t have the ability to challenge and motivate you to do the things you’re supposed to do?

Well, if I simply did nothing more than a read a scripture, you’ll have to figure out how to get out of obey in that command, regardless of my inability to challenge and motivate you. You might say, well, I’d serve the Lord, but I just not motivated. I need somebody to really challenge me. Why? I don’t have anybody in almost 50 years to challenge me to serve the Lord. Nobody has to motivate me to serve the Lord because I know the command of Scripture.

Go into all the world and preach the gospel. That is a command. Whether I have the ability to challenge you or not. Are you getting my drift yet? You kind of get an idea of what I’m talking about. It is so important. Look there to note, the difference between a missionary challenge and a missionary command. The point, number one, we are not challenged to take the gospel into all the world. Why? Because we have been commanded to do so.

A challenge is something that you could either take or leave. I’m just not challenged to do it. I’m not motivated to do it. So we feel like I should only do that what I’m challenged to do. I should only do that what I’m motivated to do. I believe I have a responsibility whether I want to or not. A dispensation of the gospel is still committed unto me. I’m still responsible regardless of how I feel about it. Now am I still telling the truth?

All right. I just want to know if you’re still with me, or if you’re going to sleep on me or not. But I do believe it’s very important. Look at number one, we’re not challenged to take the gospel into all the world. If I challenge you, I am encouraging you, exhorting you, trying to persuade you to do what I am asking you to do. If you do it only because I, Yankee Arnold, pastor of the church, talked you into it.

But what if I don’t have the ability to do so? I mean, you don’t have to do it. If you don’t have to do it, why do it because of me? Who am I? You and I are supposed to do what we do because the word of God tells us what to do. Not because of the pastor’s ability in relaying the message. No, I do believe I have a responsibility to try to do all those things. But the real reason, keeping the main thing, the main thing is God said so.

Regardless of how I present or deliver the message, if you had nothing more than the word of God itself, and you read it, and not another soul was around to challenge or motivate you, to exhort you, would you still have the same responsibility? Yes, you would. And that’s why it’s so important to keep these things in mind. See, there’ll be a challenge is not an order. It puts you under no obligation. I may challenge you to, hey, let’s all go down to IHOP tonight, or to VI tonight.

Well, there’s no command, and you could take it or leave it. I may challenge you to do a lot of things, but there’s no command. But see, the gospel is a command. To preach the gospel, to tell people that is a command. And keep this in your mind also. I do not depend upon the Holy Spirit to lead me to witness. I depend upon the Holy Spirit to lead me as I witness. I do not depend upon the Holy Spirit to tell me who to talk to.

I depend upon the Holy Spirit to lead me to whoever I talk to and what I say because it’s already a command. You don’t need a leading to obey a command. We have been told, this is what you do, obey. Now I depend upon the Holy Spirit to lead me as I go. I depend upon the Holy Spirit to lead me in what I say and how I say it. But to do it or not, that’s already a command.

And that’s why you do the other. But if you waited on the Holy Spirit to tell you who to talk to, I guarantee you, you won’t have very many people to talk to. Because now you become the judge of, Well, I don’t want to do this in the energy of the flesh. Because that sounds so spiritual. I don’t want to do this in the flesh. I only want to do it in the spirit. So when the spirit moves me, then I know.

I wonder how long you’d have to wait. You might wait forever. So lo and behold, that’s why somebody like James will talk to those stick guys out there by that sign out there. because it’s a command. And some people obey the command. Some people you don’t have to try to challenge and motivate them to do certain things because they already know what to do. Are you supposed to read your Bible? Does God’s word say steady to show thyself approved unto God?

Why should I have to challenge and motivate you to do that? What you already know you’re supposed to do that? Well, what if nobody challenged you to do that? Then you don’t have to do that because nobody challenged me to do it. You know, you could use everybody under the sun as an excuse not to fulfill your God-given responsibilities. But I’m glad you’re not like that. Because that’s why you’re here tonight. You come because you do know the Lord and you love the Lord and you wanna study more and you wanna be stronger in the Lord.

What about prayer? Do you think prayer is something that God wants us to do, tells us to do? Or just, well it’s an option, you know, it doesn’t really matter. I believe that praying is a command of God. When He says, pray without ceasing. That’s a command. Why not? There are commands in the Word of God. We are commanded to love one another. It’s a command. And it’s not based upon feelings, but upon commitment. Like I said before, a man who loves his wife, that’s a commitment.

It means you’re committed to fulfill the responsibilities as a husband or as a father. And you fulfill that commitment. And if you’re not ready to come fulfill that commitment, then you are not married again. girl or that girl that may marry you if she’s not willing to fulfill the responsibilities of the wife. So that’s the way she goes. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew in chapter 24. The book of Matthew in chapter 24. Are there going to be hungry people in this world?

Oh yes they’re gonna be hungry people. They’re gonna be poor people in this world. There’s all kinds of people in this world. But I want you to look there at number two in your notes where we have, we are facing the largest task any generation has ever faced. The largest task any generation has ever faced. Look at letter C, we are dealing with the deepest need, the deepest need of the human race. A letter D is we are dealing with the greatest opposition and done in letter eat, we have the greatest message in the world.

In letter F, we have the greatest means. And then in letter G, we have the shortest time. We believe that we are the generation living when Jesus Christ could come back and shorten all of our opportunities. It’s just one thing if I knew I could live to be a hundred, but I believe the Lord may come back before I get to be 70. So I may have my time cut short. You know one thing about the book of Revelation in the book of Matthew in chapter 24, it says, and unless God shortened those days, shortened those days, no flesh would be left alive.

And I wondered if the shortening of those days would change the time schedule of Ted. Well, it’s interesting to think about some of these Matthew 24, look there in verse 6, this is what Jesus said, is coming down the road. So you and I ought to know we are not going to make this world a utopia. We’re not going to bring in the kingdom upon the earth. The church is not going to win the world of Christ, it’s not going to happen.

Why? I’ve already cheated. I’ve done read what he says happens in the future. So he says in verse 6, and you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. Do you know this world is getting shakier by the year? I mean it’s getting worse and worse. It’s not getting better and better. We’re not establishing peace around the world. Boy, if everybody was just in democracy, yeah, right. That ain’t working out too well either. He says here, see that you be not troubled for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

So we know these things are going to happen, but this is the beginning of the tribulation period. That hasn’t even got here yet. Verse 7, nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There shall be famines, pestilence, that means viruses or diseases and incurable things, earthquakes and diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Well, I think a lot of these things could take place before the rapture takes place. And I believe that if you look around the world, we’re having catastrophic events all over the world.

You know what all these various things are doing to the government of America? Every time something goes on a tornado hits or a hurricane hits or a flood hits or a fire hits, a snow blizzard. It’s a national crisis and so government gives millions and millions and millions and millions to bail out all these people. Do you ever wonder where they get all that money from? Do you know there was a time in this country where the government would not give a dime to help out any state on any problem?

But of course they started taking the money from the states and we’ll give you some help back. So now we got 50 states helping out that one little state that has that trouble. What happens when it’s 10 states or half the continent? Well, we have dug ourselves a hole, and now they’re even having trouble trying to figure out where they get the money from to bail out these crisis that’s all over the place. Fires on in Texas or blizzers up in Northeast or, you know, dry dust storms that are happening.

All these things, you know what it does? All it does is just drain the resources right out of our country. And we’re gone, Nicole broke our government. This is why. A loaf of bread is going up in price. Everything going up in price oil goes up in price. Everything’s going up in price. It’s not that you’re paying more money. It’s just mean the money you have isn’t worth as much. Anyway, that’s another sermon. But I want you to see that what Jesus said is going to happen and this is in the future.

But now look there at letter B. We are facing the largest task any generation has ever faced. And from a human perspective, we believe that the doctors and the scientists work together to find cures for diseases. They’re always trying to figure out, you know, give money for this, money for that. And they have been able to prolong life and have some cures for cancer and diabetics and all these various things, high blood pressure. They have figured out some ways to help solve some of our problems.

So the day we don’t have to worry about what we do or don’t do, just take a pill. And then you take another pill to solve that pill that creates those crisis is in your life. And if you ever listened to some of the side effects of some of the pills that you’re taking for something that’s supposed to be just a little bit of a thing and they’re not, I could, I could die ten out of the ways. This is enough to scare you to death.

Oh, I’m so depressed. I got to have another pill. Give me another pill. What were you taking up here? Oh, I got to have another pill for that pill because of that problem. There’s no end to it. and wouldn’t it be neat if God’s people knew how to trust the Lord and God will take care of things and when he made the statement that if you had served me he says as a nation he said I put none of these diseases upon you but because our nation is gone astray from God then as a nation and when God chastens this nation he’s gonna chasten us right along with it God’s people will suffer right along Now, and but God knows how to deliver the just out of problems, and He may just do that.

One of the best ways that I know of is just take us on out of here, and that day will come. Look at letter B under number letter B. Kings and presidents have sent delegations and ambassadors to foreign lands to establish political relations, solving problems. We have ambassadors over there, and they send their ambassadors over here. And so we all can talk and fellowship and solve all of our political problems. And so that’s why we have peace all over the earth.

That’s working real good, isn’t it? Let us see. Corporations have sent business professionals to expand their interest in world markets. Did you know one of the biggest problems I think right now in America is people that have corporation businesses? They are not only, in most cases, unable to hire, but they are afraid to hire because they are afraid to fire. You see, when you hire somebody, you have to have a way if you no longer are able to support that person.

You got to find out, well, how can I get rid of this person? Because now, if you fire them, now you can get into trouble because you fired me because of the color of my skin. You fired me because of my religion. You fired me because, and I had seniority, and you fired me, and it goes on and on and on. What some people they find out, it’s better not to hire because you have trouble having to fire because everybody’s so happy.

Now let me just kind of give you a little yank-yology. No charge for this. I do believe, and you may not totally agree with me, but it’s still what I believe. I believe if I want to start me a business of my own, I believe I ought to be able to hire whoever I want to hire, for whatever price I want to pay. And if I don’t like their work, fire them without an explanation if I so desire. And somebody said, well, that’s not fair.

So what? So I don’t like that big deal. Get over it. You’re discriminating against my religion. So what if I am? Who says living in America, I don’t have the right to discriminate? What happened to my opinion? What about what I want to do? When did I give up all of my freedoms because it offends you or it offends you or it offends you or it offends you? I wonder if anybody ever thinks about what a friend’s me. What’s wrong with I hire a person and they don’t do their job and I say I’m firing you and I’m going to hire this person?

Oh, sue you! Because we have on the federal level passed a little amendment you can’t discriminate on the base of religion or race and sober. Why not? So now you are locked in and it traps the people and they can’t get rid of some bums that can’t do the job and they refuse to do the job and teachers that can’t educate and principle that won’t discipline. And you can’t get rid of them. And don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about.

I most certainly do. I had a Christian school in Colorado and I had 42 full time people working for us. And if I wanted to fire the mud fire them and I owe you no explanation. This is what I’m paying if you want to work for it, you work for it, if you don’t like it, you leave. Period. And I didn’t have to give anybody any explanation if I didn’t want to. Oh, I loved having a Christian school. Say that don’t sound very Christian.

Yes, it does. It most certainly does. And by the way, who’s the one that says that you have to like everybody? Like every race, as a Christian, I do not put one race above another. But if somebody wants to start a restaurant and hire only black folks, well, they’ll bless you. Hire only black folks. If you start a Mexican restaurant, what probably kind of people would you like to have? Japanese.

You have an Italian restaurant in your old Germans. What’s wrong with having people that you want? And if you want to discriminate, well, do it. Government needs to get out of the business of trying to tell people how to run their business. Anyway, that’s my humble opinion. I just thought I’d tell you that. This will probably be on the YouTube tomorrow. Anyway, as we’re moving right along, turn over the page. I probably never finish all this anyway. Look into your Bible to the book of Luke, chapter 21.

Luke, chapter 21. Luke 21, and look in verse eight. And he said, take heed that you be not deceived. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and the time dropped near. Go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions be not terrified, For these things must first come to pass, but the end is not by and by. Oh, by the way, do you remember that I’d said about a year and a half ago that they’re gonna have protests in our streets?

And then after they have their peaceful protest, it’ll come to some violence. You just watch and wait and see. And then they’re gonna have to have the police step in and if it gets too bad, we’re gonna demand government do something and buddy, they are going to. It was interesting. I was in the office and Peter says, Pastor, put the CD in there. I put it in there. He liked telling me what to do. He said, now play it right there.

And I played it right there. And it was a year and a half ago that I said exactly what’s going on right now. So I got it on tape on video. I mean, on the CD. And so I’m not making it up. I told you before it ever. I told you before Glenn Beck did or Rush Limbaugh. But anyway, the Bible is true and tells us where it’s going. So all I got to know is the book and you win.

You don’t have to back up and you don’t have to apologize. But it says here in verse 11, And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places and get these famines, pestilence and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all of these, they shall lay their hand on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogue and into prisons, and brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. And verse 13, you ought to underline this.

This is a great verse. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. In other words, when they do this, this gives you an opportunity to give a testimony. So as you and I serve the Lord and sometimes it seems like things go wrong and but here things are going to go wrong and God says you don’t have to worry about what you’re gonna say. You don’t have to meditate. Oh what am I gonna say? What am I gonna say?

God says I’ll give to you at the right time what you need to say. It’s just like God giving you new grace to face moments that lies ahead that you and I have never experience before. Trusting and believing that God who gives me grace today will give me grace tomorrow and it’ll be new grace. Grace to face things I’ve never had to face before. So anyway God says they become opportunities. Just like Jesse gave a testimony this morning about the car, about the flat tire and it led to an opportunity.

So that’s what he’s talking about and God is going to give us an awful lot of opportunities in the days that lie ahead. So, regardless of what happens in the world, you and I are not to be afraid. Look there in verse 25, and there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity. And seeing the waves roaring in men’s hearts, failing them for fear, those are simply opportunities for you and I that know the truth to be able to help.

We should always be looking for the problems in life to give us opportunities to show people the truth, what God’s word says. So yes, even though it might get dark in the world to come, you and I are supposed to be the lights and the light shines the brightest when it’s the darkest. And the light shines the brightest at home. So if you can’t shine at home or at church just a sense you’re not gonna shine out there. Keep your testimony right and do right.

But just so that you see this, look there in verse 35. And as a snare shall it come upon all of them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Now look in Revelation chapter six. to turn into Bible to Revelation chapter six. Revelation chapter six, this is after the rapture takes place. This is the opening of the seals. And so here in Revelation chapter six, and look there in verse, verse seven of chapter six.

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth be say, come and see. And I looked and behold a pale horse. And his name that set on him was Death and Hail followed with him. Power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword, with hunger, death, and with the beast of the earth. Now this is doing the tribulation period and that people are going to be starving to death.

There’s going to be great famines, as the Bible says. So we know that there is always this humanitarian need that people have all over the world. And so that’s why in Mark chapter 16 and verse 15, where he made the statement, go in ye into all the world and install a sanitary sewers and do humanitarian things. Now those are good things to do and people need things. But we as God’s children must keep the main thing, the main thing.

And the main thing is what God says they need. He says, preach the gospel. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Part two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing tool free, 800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bible and programs, just go to our homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the Radio Broadcast link. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. friend one day it will happen the trumpet will sound and we will be changed caught up to meet the Lord in the air so live today and every day believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up