RRR_discipling_serving
Sit down, if you're standing up, sit down, if you're sitting down, stay there, but get ready, because what I'm about to share with you is not the traditional thing that you hear shared. And so I want a kind of preferences by suggesting to you that you understand yes, I've walked with Christ for 50 years. Been called into the ministry for 47 of those, and probably was called before then. Been to seminary, been trained, have a doctorate in theology.
I'm fairly well, a scholastically educated individual academically, trained a better professor; did a little bit of academic training of others. Bucked up against that system, and when you buck up against the educational system, what happens, you get eliminated, and I got eliminated, I had no idea what the battle that I was in. Went to be a pastor at one time. Got eliminated; had no idea the battle I was in.
Here's the thing that I'm going to suggest here, listen to this story and see how it goes with you; with your head about what I'm saying, because it will take some discernment. But here's the truth as I see it. This is from my point of view, and so I want you to understand this.
Not everybody's gonna love you as a Christian in the body of Christ. Not everybody's gonna love you, and that's hard to understand because you would think that as Christians brothers and sisters, we would love one another.
That's what Jesus commands us to do. But in commanding that Jesus was looking at men who would disagree with each other, they walked with Jesus, had contact with him every day, were taught the things that we can only guess at what they were taught because they were with him for 3 and a 1/2 years. And John says, if we tried to record every bit of that verbatim, the world couldn't hold the books.
Okay, granted. But what that also says is this; they still got into disagreements with each other, and when you really study the history of the faith, you'll learn that takes place. Well, I was fired up, I had been to seminary had started seminary, and I was excited, I was taking seminary training with the professor who wrote the book on preaching.
Professor emeritus of preaching for New Orleans, theological seminary, why I was excited man, I tell you, and it was at the extension at a Broadmoor Baptist church, in shrewport, Louisiana. I come from poor and we didn't have much money. And I was trying to support a family and go to seminary. And a dear friend, provided money for me to go to seminary.
Professor emeritus of preaching for New Orleans, theological seminary, why I was excited man, I tell you, and it was at the extension at a Broadmoor Baptist church, in shrewport, Louisiana. I come from poor and we didn't have much money. And I was trying to support a family and go to seminary. And a dear friend, provided money for me to go to seminary.
Well, left over after everything else that we had been through, was a $100. So my wife said, here's a $100 so that you can take this with you down there when you go to your first class man, I was excited and she bought me a new shirt of Red and white striped shirt with a matching red tie that had white in it, I had a new black suit. I had a preachers of black suit.
It was classy, I felt so cool, goin my 1st day to seminary, and so when I got down to Broadmoor, I was a little bit early, and I had time to to go out and get a Coke. Now picture this; Broadmoor is on Youree drive one of the main streets in Shreveport Louisiana, so I'm walking down the street to go get a Coke because I've got time before class starts. People are driving by, they're waving at me and they're smiling. A station waggon with kids in it, waving out the back windows, smiling as they go by and went to the store and I got the Coke.
And I offered up to the cashier that I only had a 100; "I was so sorry but man," I felt; you know what I mean? I felt proud is just cool. I get back to class and class is starting.
He's taking roll and Dr.Taylor comes over me and he says, "1st day in seminary?" "Yes, professor," he said "listen, you might want to close the barn door because the cows are getting out." Didn't catch it, for a minute, what's he talking about? And I look down, and my red and white shirt was hanging out my wide open fly.
That's what people had been laughing out and waving out and enjoying. Sometimes We need to overcome our own personal prejudices and think about what's the most ridiculous thing that's ever happened you, What's the worst thing that could happen. I guarantee you? It's not serving Jesus Christ.
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