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The Battle for Our Cities: Why Men Must Engage 0:01 Hey, guys. Welcome to the men's global livestream. If you have a Bible, I want you to hold 2 spots. 1 in Joshua chapter 1 and the other in John 14. If you're joining us for the first time,0:13 we're in a series called the city. And we're doing this series because every guy that's on this live stream right now, either he lives in the city, he's in the suburb of a city and drives0:25 into a city, maybe he's in the third circle perimeter of a city, or maybe you're even rural in the rural part, maybe you're fourth circle guy, but we're all in the regional area of0:36 a city. More than that, we all live in a community or a town. And wherever you have concentrations of people, let's take cities, for example,0:48 they're hubs, they're anchors, right, for logistics, economics, services. There's different kinds of people there. Right? And when you talk about large cities1:01 that are the hubs of the suburbs and the rural areas in the region, right, they're centers of power, centers of talent, centers of architecture, centers of1:13 urban planning. But listen, and this is why we're doing this series. They're also centers of restlessness and spiritual seeking, and there is a war1:25 going on for control of the city nearest you. And that's really the number 1 reason why we're doing this series is because there are 21:37 kingdoms and those kingdoms aren't conflict, there are 2 agendas. And where there's density of population, you have power. All of us need to be concerned with our city1:49 that we live near or even our community or our town because those are microcosms of larger cities. So cities are centers of spiritual warfare. And you know what Jesus said2:01 to his guys? He says, you know, that my kingdom I'm giving you the keys to the kingdom, and the gates of hell cannot prevail. Here's the problem. If his guys aren't driving2:13 God's agenda with the keys, opening doors of evil agenda and displacing that evil, guess who wins? So that's why we're doing this whether you live in the heart of2:25 a large metro urban city, whether you live in the suburbs, whether you live in a small town or a smaller city, all of us have a place, that place matters, and your city2:37 matters. K? The Bible also says just by way of foundation, right, that man and woman, we started in a garden, but everybody that came after that2:49 and God's plan of redemption after the fall, you You know where that all culminates? It culminates in a city. Right? The city of God.3:01 Right? So that is God's picture and fulfillment of redemption is that we all land together in a city that3:13 is diverse. There's every tribe. There's every nation. It's bustling. It's the center of god's glory, and we're all working and living in this diverse3:25 and this unified place where god is. Right? So cities are experiencing spiritual warfare. That's why we should be concerned. A, your future and my future, we end up3:37 in a city. That's why Abraham in Hebrews 11 says, he's seeking the city whose maker and builder is God. So we're God's men, and guess what we're3:49 seeking? That's right. We're seeking that same city. We're all gonna get up there. Now here's here's the third reason after spiritual warfare, and that's where we end up. It's you know where the birth of4:01 the church happened and how it happened? It happened in the city. It happened in the city of Jerusalem, and the miracle that god gave that city, listen to this, is a movement4:13 of spirit empowered men. Acts 2 14 says, and Peter stood with the 11 and says, brothers of Israel, men of Jerusalem.4:26 Wow. And then they went on, right, to be filled, transformed, and overflow the Holy Spirit in that city,4:38 transforming that city and birthing the church in a movement that we're a part of now. So the ripple effect of spirit empowered men, right, filled, transformed, overflowing the Holy4:50 Spirit in a city, we're still in the blast zone of those 12 guys standing up and those guys living out of the5:01 power of the spirit of Christ in their city. So that's why we have to teach the series called the city. Now we're in part 5. If you're just joining us, my encouragement, myA Turning Point: The Power of Personal Encouragement 5:13 strong encouragement is just to go back and watch parts 1 through 4 because there is a sequence and a continuity. But we're continuing to explore right now the specific ways that spirit empowered5:24 men are called in scripture to come together, right, and to impact the city that they live in individually, okay, as we go out5:36 into our individual spaces and places, but also as a collective. And just to get you thinking in the right direction for for for part 5, I just wanna tell you a little story about me and a a boss5:48 that I had at a church. I was, in my, early thirties, and, I'm doing men's ministry on a volunteer basis, maybe 20 hours a week. And me and 16:00 of the pastors in the lead team, we would we would go to lunch, you know, biweekly and just connect. And I would just, man, I would just glean all this wisdom. And so we got into this rhythm of going. And it was6:12 just a good fellowship. But 1 time we go to lunch, his name is Lance. Lance, we stop. Of course, I would pick him up in my truck, and then we'd go somewhere to eat. And then I'd take him back and drop him off at6:24 the, at the building. And, I'm just about to say, alright, dude. You know, thanks for lunch. You know, it was great. And he goes, Kenny, I don't know if6:35 anybody has, told you this lately, but I just want you to know how much we appreciate all you are doing with the men of the church. I6:47 know how much energy and effort you're putting in, so dude, thank you for all that you do. K? Amazing encouragement. My response, I'm,6:59 like, holding the steering wheel and all of a sudden, all these feelings start welling up inside of me. Right? I can feel my breath get shorter, and I can I can7:11 actually feel, like, tears, man? I'm like, no. No. I can't. And he's watching this. I'm like, I'm not responding. I'm kinda7:23 I'm trying to hold it together, and then, like, tears start dropping literally on my jeans. And it's like, what is going on with you?7:35 And so I have to say something. So I just kinda force myself to take a big deep breath. I go, and I just said, Lance, I'm sorry. I7:48 don't know where this reaction, is exactly coming from, but I have a pretty good, idea, you know, lately. I've been questioning8:00 whether I'm cut out for this. I've been doing this for a while here, and I no one's ever said to me at8:11 your level what you just said. And so I guess I was starved for a little bit of encouragement. Wow.8:24 So here I am. My passion is ebbing. My endurance is waning. I'm kinda getting confused and doubtful, maybe a little disappointed in myself or8:37 just discouraged. What does God do for me? He sends me a spirit empowered man as his messenger for the purpose, listen, of steadying8:48 and strengthening my feet in the midst of my own doubts about myself and my future. Now think about this. That was9:00 probably 20 years ago plus. The big wheels of what you see now with every man, you know, there's there's 14000 guys who are listening to this live stream. There's hundreds of thousands9:12 that listen every month after we listen to it live. There's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands that listen to, what what the what we talk about in these sessions from god's word over the year. There's9:24 millions in the course of a year. Everything that you see now, right, 24 books, blah blah blah. The big wheels of that turned on9:36 the small axle of that moment in my truck with my buddy, Lance, who dropped an encouragement bomb strategically,9:48 intentionally, personally, on me. And, man, that flipped my perspective on myself, what I'm doing. Somebody sees me.10:00 Somebody appreciates me. Somebody recognizes what I'm doing. Now, having said that, I know God sees me. I know God recognizes what I do. And I know that I'm not10:12 gonna report to Lance when I died or you or anybody else. I know that my reward comes from the Lord. But God knew that I needed a little10:24 skin on skin encouragement. And the most powerful and authentic encouragement happens in our lives, person to person.10:36 I I would venture to guess too. It comes unsolicited and as a surprise. At the right time, it addresses the person, listen, internally rather10:48 than externally. I mean, so often, we we think of people. We think of positive things that we like, about them. Right? But11:00 then it stops there. We we don't actually act on what we think or the positive thoughts that we have. You know what the holy spirit says? Speak it. Right? Go to them11:11 and tell them. Show up in their space of life, not just to do an activity, but actually to encourage, right? And when you do that, like Lance11:23 did, the root meaning and the force of the word encourage comes to life, which means to infuse or put courage into someone,11:36 Right? And so as we dive into part 5, just know this at the start. Everyone you know is running a deficit11:49 of encouragement. So let's talk about where we're headed. Let's see God's heart and what God models when it comes to discouragement and encouragement. Let's look at Jesus, his12:01 words to a group of men who would experience discouragement, and then we're gonna look at what the Bible says authentic encouragement is. Why? So12:13 we can agent that encouragement, and then we're gonna see how spirit empowered men encouraged a city. So if you have your downloaded notes, right, I want you to12:25 look at the top. We're gonna look at Joshua chapter 1 that that chapter where I I said to hold a spot. And here's the context. We're we're talking about a disappointed and discouraged man who who12:36 could potentially get very depressed. Isn't that how it goes? Maybe it starts off with a little disappointment, then a prolonged time, then it then it starts turning into discouragement and then a little bit more time.12:48 Now we're talking it could turn into something else, depression, right, and then destruction, right, which is how the dominoes fall. It just might13:00 start off as a little thing, and then over time and over time and over time. So we're seeing a guy who's disappointed and discouraged at this point. Alright? And he could get depressed, but god won't let him. Joshua13:10 chapter 1, we're gonna read verses 1 through 9. Just kinda listen in for for what god says to this man who is disappointed and discouraged. After the death of Moses, the servant of god,13:22 god spoke to Joshua, Moses' assistant, quote, Moses, my servant, is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I'm giving to the people of13:34 Israel. I'm giving you every square inch of land you set your foot on just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness in this Lebanon east to the great river, the Euphrates River, all13:46 the Hittite country, and then go west to the great great sea. It's all yours. All your life, no 1 will be able to hold out against you. In the same way, I was with13:58 Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you. I won't leave you. Strength, courage, you are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I14:09 promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out the revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track14:21 either left or right so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this book of the revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it14:33 day and night. Make sure you practice everything written in it, then you'll get where you're going, then you'll succeed. Have I not commanded you?14:46 Strength, courage, don't be timid, don't get discouraged. God, your god, is with you every step you14:58 take. Alright? So there it is right there. The police song there in Joshua 1 9. But what we wanna see is Joshua's process of life that he's15:10 going through is the same process of life on a broken planet that we go through. So let's make 4 simple observations. Alright? The first observation is15:22 this, what happens in life that we can't control? That's what we see. We see what happens in life that we can't control. Moses's death was unplanned,15:34 it was unscripted, it was unwelcome, and it was untimely. So think about it. This is the guy who went to Pharaoh. This is the guy who who God spoke to in15:46 the mountains. This is the guy on Mount Sinai. This is the guy who brought down the 10 Commandments. This is the guy who talked to the most powerful man in the world, Pharaoh, and told him,15:57 let God's people go. This is the guy who agented the plagues on Egypt. I mean, big footprint. Now he's gone. Big16:09 hole, right, in Joshua's life and a big transition. So can you blame the guy for maybe being a little disillusioned or doubtful or disappointed16:21 or or discouraged? So that happened to him, and he couldn't control it. Can I just say something? That's happening in thousands of lives of men that are16:33 listening with us right now. There's stuff that was unplanned, it was unscripted, it's unwelcomed, It's untimely. It's messing with your16:44 expectations of how you thought things would go. So, that's what we see happening with this man of god. Secondly, after what happens in life that we can't control, we see how16:56 it challenges us emotionally. You can see through the language that God uses that that Joshua is challenged because of the circumstance emotionally.17:08 He's paralyzed. Why else would you say, hey, get going. Right? You're look you say that to somebody who stopped. He's just not stopped and camped with 1000000 people17:20 behind it. It. He's stopped in in here and in here. Right? That's why you say, hey. There's a plan. Get going. Right? But then other languages17:32 used in his passions that suggest that he's questioning himself as the leader that God has appointed at this time and17:44 for this hour. And so there's this assurance to address the the questioning, the self questioning. Am I the guy? God says, you're going to lead these17:56 people. Will he be with me? There's a question that we don't see him say but you know that he's asking. I mean, that's Moses. Of course, god was with him but will he be with me and god say, I'm with you, right?18:07 God starts to slay the doubt by just speaking encouragement to him, speaking into his paralysis, speaking into his war of self perception,18:19 speaking into his spiritual dilemma, which is, I don't know if God will be with me. Right? So there's what happens in life that we can't control. There's how it challenges us emotionally. Third, then18:31 there's what God says about what's happening. Okay? So we're challenged, right? Emotionally, stuff's happening to us out of control and then God's like, I got it.18:43 Okay? I'm not surprised that Moses died. I'm not surprised that you were his assistant. I'm not surprised that that that you're gonna take over. I'm not I got a plan. You need to get18:55 going. I'm gonna be with you. Here's the future. Let me show you just a little glimpse crystal ball. You know, this is the boundaries of the land that when you step foot there, you're gonna take it19:06 all. Right? So there is this leading call that god affirms. Right? God says. Right? There's this spiritual integrity19:19 that Joshua has to model in the process. Like, hey. Gotta be in the word. You gotta do the word. Be in it. Do it. Right? Then you're gonna be successful. So God starts filling in the blanks19:31 sort of in his head, and he starts vaporizing, the down. You're gonna succeed. I got a plan. Here it is. And based on what I've19:43 just said about what's happening right now, alright, be strong. Be courageous. Don't be timid. Listen. Don't19:54 be discouraged. Just God fighting for this man against20:06 fear and discouragement and disappointment. So there's what happens in life we can't control. There's how that challenges us emotionally. Then there's God speaking into what's happening and he's saying,20:18 I'm over it and I'm in it and I'm driving it forward. You're okay. Don't be timid. Don't be discouraged. Then lastly, it's how it reframes our thinking and20:30 actions. So God intervenes with a disillusioned, disappointed, and discouraged guy. Just drops the presence bomb. I'm here. I'm with you. The future bomb. This is20:42 what's going to happen. The encouragement bomb, right, of you're gonna be successful. If you have model spiritual integrity, just know the book, do what it says, you're gonna be prosperous. Right?20:55 Now that reframes. His frame of mind before this interaction is 1 way. God reframes his thinking and his actions.21:07 We go on to the next verse, right, Which is verse 10, Joshua chapter 1 verse 10. It says, then Joshua gave orders to the people's leaders, go through the camp and give this21:19 order to the people. Pack your bags. In 3 days, you will cross this Jordan River to enter and take the land your God is giving you to possess. Hello. What a21:30 turnaround of an inner world he was living in. Right? You don't say be strong and courageous to somebody who's already strong and courageous. You you say21:42 be strong and courageous to someone who's living in fear and is discouraged. But now look at it. Verses 10 and 11. Look at the encouragement and perspective God gives. It21:54 reframes his thinking and his actions. That's God's model. God has a heart for the disappointed and the discouraged,22:06 and he he intervenes, and he fights for the discouraged. Now that's Old Testament. Let's fast forward to Jesus who is the heart of God22:18 expressed and the mind of God expressed. Let's go to Jesus and his guys. Right? And the headline for Jesus and his guys as he is headed toward22:30 the cross, and it's gonna appear like defeat because his guys and a lot of other people had expectations on him. They misunderstood22:43 the purpose of his first coming. Right? But the headline for Jesus and with his men is this, disappointment is inevitable, but discouragement is22:55 optional. And we hear this in in the last chapters of John, John 14, 15, 16. I just picked 2, John 14 1. So here's Jesus knowing what's gonna happen. He's gonna go to the23:07 cross. They're gonna be disappointed. He says this, do not do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in god. Believe also in me.23:18 So he's he's sort of hedging the discouragement that he knows is gonna come and he's saying to them in advance, he's planting seeds. Okay? Don't23:30 let your heart be troubled. Alright? You're gonna feel discouraged or disappointed, but don't let your heart be troubled as a condition. Believe in God. Don't focus on how troubled23:42 things are. Believe in God. Believe also in me. And then a little later in John 16 33, he says this, again, hedging, preempting, preparing. He says, I've told you these things so that23:54 in me, you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world.24:06 Again, Jesus is helping his men meet the challenges of disappointment and discouragement. He knows they're gonna face. Okay? And what we can glean24:18 are 3 simple truths by by what he says to his guys who he knows are gonna experience disappointment and discouragement. Number 1, that discouragement will be a battle within24:30 yourself. When Jesus says, do not let your heart be troubled. Where is the heart located inside or outside of the body? Right. Inside. Right. So he's talking about24:42 their insides, and he knows that whoever wins the battle, whatever wins the battle of their insides is gonna make their way make its way outside.24:55 So in the Bible, whenever you see the word heart, don't let your heart be troubled. Just think inside. Well, what are your insides? Your thoughts, your affections, your longings, your hopes, your expectations. Right?25:07 And life messes with your insides. Amen? So Jesus knows that their insides is gonna are gonna get messed with when he goes to the cross and he dies. And he's saying to them, don't let your heart, your25:19 insides be troubled. Just keep believing. Believe in God, right? Believe also in me. Secondly, discouragement is a battle of belief, right? So25:31 he says, hey, don't let your insides be controlled by trouble and discouragement and you're gonna have to make a choice of belief. You're gonna in this25:43 circumstance, you're gonna believe your disappointment in the devil or you're gonna believe me and the truth. And by the way, there's no real gray area. When life is imposing25:54 itself on you and you're in the midst of the battle, there's voices. Amen? There's in inside that you you you have thoughts, you have26:06 suggestions as to the why, the how, the what, and you're processing this. And your filter can be your belief in God26:18 or and and he's God, big g. Or you can focus on your circumstances, and your feelings, and the devil lying into your26:30 circumstances. You see, negative circumstances are a real war. Jesus knows this. That's why he's offering encouragement. But Satan is just as interested when26:43 unplanned, unwelcomed, and untimely things happen to you that you don't control. Because he knows you're gonna you're gonna process it, and he wants to get in on your process. And he wants to suggest26:55 stuff like, well, game up. Well, god's abandoned you. Well, you know, all that hope you have, all those prayers, well, you just chuck those into the pool. Right?27:07 So it's a battle of, belief. So we have a choice. We can we can believe our circumstances and the lies and liar,27:19 or we can believe in Jesus and his truth that he's gonna work this for his glory and for his good, and that man, that takes humility and faith to believe that.27:31 Third, discouragement is a battle of the mind. I like where Jesus, you know, mentions the cognitive process. He says, I have told you27:43 these things. Right? So I thought things and I spoke things, and then your ear canal listened and received things, and you processed27:55 up here, and you took in these things. He says, I've told you these things so that in me, right? So he replaces discouragement and disappointment with himself and anxiety that28:07 comes with that. He says, so that in me you may have peace. Okay? Trouble is going to happen. Your life's going to get bowling ball. Alright? So just expect it. Expect that to happen. Just kind of28:19 pressing the pause button. See, that's 1 of the big issues in today's culture is expectations. We expect, you know, life to be, you know, this linear non28:31 disrupted, you know, cycle, which life doesn't go like that. It's not 1 continue, and we all know that. But somehow, our our culture, media, social media, you know, we look at at the28:43 outside of people's lives and the outer appearances of things. And, you know, seems like the world's just kinda like on oneness, 1 continuous beach and having a corona and and and driving great cars and doing great28:54 things. And look at social media. Look at how great they're like, you know, it's going, etcetera. But life really it's not like this. It's it goes, and it's right in here where disappointment and discouragement and29:06 possible depression can't slip in without having a perspective. Okay? That's that's what happened with with Joshua. God gave him his perspective. It's like,29:18 hey, I'm over that. I can see the the beginning, the middle now, and I could see the future. Hey, listen. I'm gonna make you some promises. You should lay hold of them. I got the big picture, but it's a battle of the29:29 mind. Okay? Remembering, like, Jesus says, I told you these things so that in me, you may have peace. Like, remember what I'm saying and, meditate on it.29:41 Internalize it. So this tells us a little, you know, Jesus, by what he says, tells us, you know, that discour life is a battle, and the discouragement29:53 that we battle in the middle of the battle, the battles. Right? It's important that we win those and that we not hold on to discouragement, that we fight discouragement. Right? Now,Show more In this video 0:00 The Battle for Our Cities: Why Men Must Engage5:10 A Turning Point: The Power of Personal Encouragement30:00 Authentic Encouragement: God's Blueprint for Building Up53:20 Barnabas' Mission: Exporting Encouragement to Transform Cities
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