The launches also Deseret News dot com New Yorkers are helping out hurricane hit Puerto Rico when earthquake damage Mexico by donating much needed goods the donations diapers toiletries bottled water were piled at least 5 foot high here in the Bronx where many trace their roots to Mexico en Puerto Rico like Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr who says President Trump needs to do more to try to disrespect us by saying that we want handouts Well look at what's happened here tonight we don't need any here and now it's we can recruit could take care of our own but we deserve that support after the mayor of San Juan beg for help saying not enough was being done Trump sent a critical tweet in part saying Puerto Ricans want everything done for them Julie Walker New York the president's rolling out his tax plan a promise he campaigned on some studies have shown that nearly half of Americans don't even pay federal income taxes because of a Steve Moore tells a celebrating network that the president's plan will dramatically decrease that number but a subsidy for pumping money into the economy. I mean is anti-tax and anybody you're ever going to interview him but I do believe as you know I want taxes to be low and I want them to pay for the government that we have to have but I do believe look you're a voter in this country if you're a citizen if you're a worker everybody should have some skin in the game here is only $100.00 you pay more formally wrote on the economy and public policy for the Wall Street Journal he's now with the Heritage Foundation this is us for a news. 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Well turning point Weekend Edition are you living the world's way or God's Way The difference is amazing. Today Dr David Jeremiah speaks with special guests about his new book and teaching series beyond amazing to introduce this special program here's David Well thank you for joining us for this weekend in just a few days a brand new book called Life beyond amazing will be released into the trade in fact it will be in the bookstores October the 3rd and we want you to know just a little bit about what's in this book and a few days ago we sat down with Sheila Walsh here in San Diego and talked about a life beyond amazing here is part of that interview as we celebrate this week together. A ask a question how would you describe your life. Good great how about amazing if you're going to Testament it becomes very evident that God's intention for his children as that they not only live a good and godly life but a life full of meaning my good friend Dr David Jeremiah is greatly burden for people who live below the joy and fulfillment of God intends he believes an unfulfilled life is no way to exist and it was this concern that led him to write a life beyond amazing 9 decisions that will transform your life today in this book and subsequent teaching series he points us to Scripture promising us a life of blessings beyond our comprehension a life beyond what we think might be possible he says a life beyond amazing doesn't have to start when we step into heaven a life beyond amazing can be lived right here on Earth so with that let's talk to Dr Jeremiah about how we can live a life beyond amazing please join me in welcoming to the state pastor author and beloved Bible teacher Dr David Jeremiah. Interest sense Institute Can you give us a kind of overarching idea of this new book a life beyond amazing Well you know last year we did this book prophecy called Is this the end and obviously it wasn't because we're all still here. And then the question arose because of that book if these things are all true and they are what should we do. And then that question morphed into a very important question it's not about what we should do but about who we should be and we started talking about how if there ever was a time to re visit the subject of character this would be the time because that's what's missing in our culture today it seems like every year we see that kind of draining out of our country and it's so necessary so we decided to write a book on character and one of the publisher said well how are we going to decide what to write on I mean there's a lot of the Bible about character what are we going to write or so much and I said we'll have to think about that we went home and the next day I realized we don't have to think about that God's already told us what the 9 characteristics of God's person looks like when God feels a person with his spirit and that person. It's fully controlled by the Spirit of God The Scripture says that's what they look like and those 9 characteristics became the core of the book and you're over 50 years of ministry under certain key things that you've seen the actually enable the body of Christ to make genuine transformation while the only thing I know that does that is the Word of God the Word of God is the change agent for the Christian life I've seen all kinds of programs and videos and emails and I mean every week somebody comes up with a new way to transform life but there isn't any other way the word of God accompanied by the Spirit of God is what makes people change I love the subtitle 9 decisions that will transform your life why did you choose the word decisions well because it really is a decision if you're going to get into this thing and really get serious about it you've got to decide to do it is not going to just morph into your life I mean somebody put the Bible in your pillow at night you don't wake up spiritually next day I know right it's different than that Ok so let's dive in my decisions and the 1st one is a life of love and I want to quote a line from your book this is so good you write of a teenager who was asked what she thought love was and she answered love is a feeling you feel when you feel that what you feel is a feeling you've never felt before I had so profiling. But honestly that's a pretty typical description of a lot of our pop culture this is but how does God's words define a life of fluff Well you know that's one of the great battles I'm glad this is the 1st chapter because it sets the tone for everything else in the book she will be the whole concept of love is what's at stake in our cultural discussion today the world says Love is something that makes me happy something that fulfills me something that makes it possible for me to get my needs met which by the way is sort of filtered into the church of you've heard anybody say I'm not going to church anymore because I don't get my needs met. And that's so not what the Bible is about because the love of the Bible is not about getting your needs met but by. The Spirit of God filling you up you help to meet the needs of other people the love of the Bible is not self centered it's other centered and that's why when we live in this world where we hear the other kind of love being piped into our houses and into our ears all the time you have to make a conscious effort not to let that be the love that you salute every day now for someone who is thinking what you talk about living a life of love but you haven't met my family what could help us with a lot of people who are difficult to love well you know one of the great lines in this book is you have to love him but you don't have to like him when you get to what love is really love isn't a feeling love isn't a feeling even though the young girl thought it was Love is an action Love is what you do it's not how you feel and obviously when you do what you're supposed to do a lot of times the feelings will follow but you can't let feelings lead because the Legion wrong direction what do you think happens when we try to live people before we understand the law of God. Well it doesn't work very well and we get into a competition you know if you do this for me I'll do that for you so we can go back and forth and nothing ever gets resolved and there's no real sense of love at all now Ok I want to move on so you have to to the decision is a life of joy and we live in a culture that is going through a lot of trauma and I want to get people think it's got really joyful is not a word to associate with God Well I don't have to associate it because God tells us in his book that his presence is the fulfillment of joy I know it's really hard for people because most of us have the idea that God is this sober person sitting up there and he never smiles but you know where joy came from God invented it he gave it to us we were created in His image and part of the image of God is that he's a god of joy so we have to kind of change our mind about that can you think of your life was that any particular moment are something that happened where you felt you deeply experienced. Well before I can go there I have to tell you that most people think happiness and joy are synonyms and they're not you know happiness is about happenings what happens to you Joy is a totally different thing it's a deep seated quality that you can only experience through Jesus Christ and so if what you're asking me is I ever had a happy moment Oh I've had lots of those the birth of my grandchildren in wetting some games I wanted to win and all of that sort of thing I've been happy and I guess that's a kind of joy but the real kind of joy that you get when you become a Christian is the joy you can experience even when everything around you is really going south and you can stand in the middle of that and have this kind of sense in your heart that it's Ok because God is in charge I've had more than a few of those especially during the time I was going through cancer some years ago to talk about that for somebody who's watching right now and maybe they're in the middle of that battle How do you choose joy with an oblique diagnosis won't tell you a story one day I was in the Mayo Clinic right after I got this I had just had a laparotomy you know that is they cut you from stem to stern the see if there's anything in there. And there was some cancer was in there I was healing up from the surgery and I was in this bed and at the Mayo Clinic the beds are all kind of around in a circle and then the doctors thing is in the middle and so the day after the surgery the doctor says you got to get out of bed you can't stay you got to get out walk I don't want to get out walk but he taught me how to walk so I got out of bed and I made a my I'm going to make one lap around that island that's going to I think so I did and the next day I did too and the next day something happened that never forget the doctor who had operated on me did not know that I was walking around this island and he was dictating into his machine his review of my situation and as I'm walking around the island I hear him say there's a 54 year old pastor from San Diego California and we have just discovered he has stage 4 lymphoma and I had never heard that I didn't know that it was stage and to this day I don't think anybody ever told me I heard the doctor say it but very fun thing to hear so I went back and I was sitting in my room and I just in a moment had this sense of peace and joy come over me and I sort of thought you know what if that's the case then I can't do anything about it but I know what I'm going to do I'm going around that island 3 times tomorrow. You know that's kind of how I think of that. Is one of the things I love most about this book is it's different when Barry My husband and I want to have everything I've ever written I will have everything you will write but there's something a little different about this book but one of the things I love most is it's very intentional the ways that you've intentionally cultivated joy within your own home with and turning point could give us a few kind of ideas of how you can actually cultivate. Well you know this book is a little different Sheila I don't like to call it a self-help book because that's something I'm not sure I even believe in obviously if we could help ourselves we don't need God it's a god help book but as we talked at the beginning these characteristics are not only the fruit of the Spirit which are given to us by the Holy Spirit but they're commanded about. In the Bible were commanded to do everything that's on that list so we're commanded to be joyful and I think as we walk with the Lord and we may not try to do this every morning when I get up this is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it I kind of get up in the morning until I'm not quite conscious I try to tell myself this is a good day and I'm going to rejoice joys a decision we make and we can look out of our situation and we can decide what we want to do We can either look at it from God's perspective he's in control nothing ever happens to me that isn't sifted through his hands or we can sit there and have a little pity party for ourselves and then despair and discouragement descends over us what I can say is this when I started a church back in Fort Wayne in 1989 it was really hard for me I'd spent 8 years in school trying to get ready so I start this church and the 1st Sunday I get 35 people there the next week there were 33 I don't want this thing is taken off like you can't believe I am I was struggling you know I would sit in my office sometimes I say Is this what I went to school for. And I'll never forget what God told me he said you know if you look for it there's something to rejoice about every Sunday and I've been doing this now for a lot of years here in this place 36 I can't remember a Sunday where if I really thought about it there wasn't something to be thankful for so that's the way joys in our lives too I mean sometimes we worry so much about what we've lost and we forget about what we have left that's where joy happiness the 3rd decision I can think about is the more practical for the days we're living and it's about a life of peace peace is a word that's bandied to right along in our culture and it has so many different meanings What is the Biblical definition of peace Well I think peace is best defined by its Hebrew counterpart and that is shown I love that word shalom it sounds peaceful doesn't it and Shalom is a very interesting word it's mentioned many many times in the Old Testament it is the key word in the Old Testament and it's far more than just the absence of anxiety that's what some people think peace is it's not what you have it's what you don't have but Shalom is much more than that Shalom is of peace but it's really a totality of peace it's a sense of well being I read something when I was working on this project I had never read before I never even heard this associated with peace and the writer said it's a sense of good morale you have a sense of good morale in your heart you are in peace all is well in your heart and you know what it's so interesting to me that even when things are all good on the outside if you've cultivated a relationship with Jesus Christ you can have that peace in your heart. I'm thinking of somebody maybe watching right now are not here with us in our studio audience and feeling I want to know that piece I am a believer but how do I rest in that place and not a lot of anxiety to overtake me well the 1st thing has to happen is you know peace comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ in it if you're looking for peace without him it's going to be a long and sad journey because there isn't any. In the future the Bible says there will be a time when people will say peace peace and there is no peace when people are there looking for peace in all the wrong places because it's only found in Jesus Christ so the 1st thing you have to do is cultivate a relationship with him accept Him as your personal savior and then you have peace with God and then when you have peace with God the enmity between you and God is gone then you become a Christian and you begin to learn about what it means to have the peace of God and peace from God and God's peace settles in your heart in the book of Libyans it says the Peace of God is like a sentinel who marches back and forth before the door of your heart to protect you from those things that would come in and steal your peace away and so peace in the New Testament is simply a reflection of the Old Testament concept of Shalom all is well and you get that peace when you get Jesus Christ into full. Number 4 decision is a life insurance you put 2 words together that I love I don't think I've ever heard these 2 words together but you said you'd be happy to own this title faithful fanatic. You know that's the result of another book that I read this year about a guy named Ellie asr Ben Yehuda Wow And he's a person that I met actually in name when I was in Israel there's a street over there called Ben Yehuda Street and I asked somebody so who is this venue who has got history of his own right now mill of Jerusalem and they said well tell you what will give you a book to read and they gave me this book I'll never forget it because Ben Yehuda is a guy who gave 40 years of his life to restore the Hebrew language to the Jewish people before that the Jewish people were scattered all over the world they spoke 150 different languages and he believed that for the nation of Israel to survive and Ellen he needed a land they needed a language so for 40 years he got up to nothing else but restoring the Hebrew language to the Jewish people at the end of his 40 years he had created 16 volume dictionary of Hebrew words that had been lost that he discovered in all. Kinds of places and he wasn't always respected they put him in prison they made fun of him he lost some family members during that actually he was sort of eccentric but he accomplished something that nobody believed could be accomplished when he died they had said that he was a fanatic and a eulogist decided to write his tombstone and on the tombstone of these words here lies the body of their Ben Yehuda faithful fanatic I love that and I thought to myself when I read that story God I'd like to be a faithful fanatic meet all the way to the end not just part of the way but a faithful fanatical way the it and you say in this chapter one of the ways to do that is to look to Jesus how he modeled for us and Durrance How did he do that when the Bible says he endured the cross for the joy that was set before him and you know who that is that's all of us were the joy that was set before him were the reason he endured the cross and if you've seen the passion of the Christ you know a little bit about what that's about what he endured for us now we're his joy we're the reason for that and I think in durance is possible when you see. What It's Worth what's going to happen on the other side like when you're writing a book and you realize it's going to be done pretty soon a man right now people ask me all the time do I like to write books and I tell them No I like to have written the book right I did write I think probably one of my favorite chapters in this book is a life of compassion and you resell the story of the Good Samaritan and you talk about the fact that Christ told stories a lot why do you think he told so many stories well he's the greatest storyteller in my estimation who ever lived he was a master he comes across a fig tree and he tells a story about a fig tree he doesn't need a script he just told stories and here's what I've learned about that Sheila why do we like stories I mean it kills me when I preach a doctrinal sermon that I think is really deep in the only thing you know remembers the joke or the story I told in the sermon. But why is that they bring the truth of God into the emotional part of our life at a profit once you said stories are the windows into your soul and Jesus knew that in what he was trying to teach a deep and abiding truth he would tell a story and you might not remember what he said but you never forget the story like the prodigal son and all of those stories and the riveted in our hearts one of the reasons I try to work so hard at stories is because I believe that I believe that stories make truths come alive for people and Jesus was the master you know it's just Mr I've known the story of the Good Samaritan size and little girl in Sunday school but he uses something I've never thought of before he said that Jesus is our good Samaritan Yes he is and I believe that whole story is just a metaphor for the Lord Jesus and His love for us he is the Good Samaritan and I remember growing up I used to write songs about him being the Good Samaritan we sang the matter church but what Jesus does for us is what the Good Samaritan did for that poor traveler he doesn't care about anything except that we need him and he comes to us how we can think about somebody watching and thinking but you don't know me Dr Jeremiah you know that's things I've done no one of the places I've been with Jesus still be interested in somebody like me. Well you know if you read that story very careful you see all the things he climbed over to go help that man he climbed over his own ethnicity he climbed over the possibility that he would be contaminated if the body was dead he climbed over the fact that what happened to that guy could happen to him because what if the guys are still around who beat up that traveler so there are no barriers for God's love he goes past them and no matter what you've done no matter who you are or how far you might think you have fallen from the grace of God the hand of God's grace is longer than anything you can ever do he will never give up on you and the prodigal son Good Samaritan Those are all stories to help us remember that. And your chapter on a life of generosity you write something that the very good news to many of us I quote generosity is not what's in your bank account but what's in your heart that's good news right there that is yeah and that's really important because otherwise it would only be for rich people in fact the word generosity originally was a word that was sort of reserved for the elite the word generosity comes ultimately from the word Genesis which means beginning so to be generous you had to have been born well. But when Jesus came on the scene he turned it upside down and he honored a woman who put her meager offering in the temple receptacle one day and Jesus made her so famous we still talk about her almost every Sunday somewhere in the world because she was amazing generous woman Wow you have so many wonderful stories and practical advice in this chapter but you also talk about the blessings that come from living a generous life tell us about some of those well she like grew up in to say this a pretty strict fundamentalist background and my regulation people that I knew who were in our group they weren't overly generous a lot of more stingy we joked about it in church when I talked about it when the Southern Baptists came to town they brought 2 things with them a $10.00 bill in the 10 Commandments and they didn't break either one of them. I don't know if that's true or not but anyway. So you know I don't see much joy in that I want so I get around somebody who is really generous and there's such joy and generosity and there's so much fun you can have with it too I want to be a generous person I want our church to be a generous church I believe it is there's hardly any time I mean the fires we had here today before we came here reminded me of the time when the fires came here in 2003 in this church just sort of put a stop to everything and went up the crest and took care of the people up there and and that's what generosity is it's caring about others and it's so interesting that the story in The New Testament about generosity is told against the backdrop of the lead as I'm. This woman wasn't elite but she was generous and that's why we can say it's not about how much money you have it's about what's in your heart you talk about a life of integrity how do you define integrity and in what ways is God the God of integrity you know I remember reading a book by a guy named Stockdale who was a prisoner during the Vietnam War He had a definition of integrity that I wrote down but I wrote it in my heart so I would never forget it here's what he said he said integrity is keeping a commitment after the circumstances under which the commitment was made have changed. That is a profound thought integrity is keeping a commitment. After the circumstances under which the commitment was made and change why I can't stay married to you I don't know this no no when you make a decision and you make a commitment that commitment is not going to be changed by the circumstances that change that's what integrity is that that is a profound and isn't God like that aren't you glad the Bible says even when we're faithless he remains faithful to God doesn't say I'm going to take care of you until you mess up now and when you mess up one time it's over you know God says I love you I'm going to be with you I will never leave you and no matter what we do he just keeps right on loving us because he's a god of integrity and I do see some things are common obstacles to living a life of integrity Well you know one of the reasons it's hard to live a life of integrity is there's no integrity I mean every day you turn on the news you look at what's going on there is no integrity you don't know if anybody's ever telling the truth and they probably aren't and so we have to be who we are in the midst of that and we're swimming upstream we're trying to do what's right and sometimes you look around and you say well you know maybe it's not worth it you know so I just think integrity is a very important word it can also be called faithfulness being faithful to what we say and always making sure that our word is our bond so it seems a natural thing to flow into humility humility isn't always seen as a popular work our culture it's seen as being weak and that's not how Scripture to find surveillance I think the introductory story in that chapter is about these 2 guys who try to pick a fight with Joe Louis they didn't know it was Joe Louis at the time and he could put them all out of their misery forever but he just sat there when he left he gave his card and they got off and realized they'd try to pick a fight with the heavyweight champion of the world. That's really a good illustration of humility because humility is power under control it is knowing you know what you know but not have the. Tell people about it all the time the Lord Jesus was humble and the Bible says He could have called 10000 angels but he didn't so I think that's a lifelong learning process what it means to be humble and I can just say it again when you see it you know it. Living a life of self discipline Why did you tag that went on at the very end because I think it's at the end on purpose it's kind of like the glue that holds all the rest of them together and so Self-discipline means you take seriously the importance of doing the things you know they're going to make things better in these areas of life there's a lot more to it than just the 8 of the things but self-discipline is a lifelong learning experience I don't think we ever totally get there but we don't give up either. With the shell I think I probably learned more about how to love him and know him when I was going through cancer than any time in my life but I know that God loved me enough to trust me with that to help me learn how to trust Him better and sometimes you know when you're going through the stuff you don't realise that's what he's up to God doesn't waste your sorrows and your difficulties he uses them to make you better and all of these things that we talk about in this book are things we grow in when we embrace our cities and use them. a. Part of the Salem Media Group. With us or a news for toss Catalan officials and say that voters will be allowed to cast ballots in the independence referendum in any polling station rather than a designated one is previously announced as many locations have been sealed off by police Spain's constitutional court has ordered a boat to be suspended and central authorities say it's a legal secretary of state television is calling for calling of the situation on the Korean Peninsula at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Beijing tellers and says his discussions focused on trade and North Korea along with proper Asians wanted to speed a visit by President trouble of Amber New Yorkers are helping out hurricane hit Puerto Rico an earthquake damaged Mexico by donating much needed goods the Boston Red Sox are America biggest chance for the 2nd straight year after division clenching 63 victory over Houston Boston's when sets up an immediate rematch with the A.O.'s champion Astros in the l.d.s. Starting Thursday in Houston this is us renews. The family prerecorded program is sponsored by insights from living. People who love their profession are fun to be around passionate about their calling they simply can't hide their enthusiasm but today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll presents the 8th message in a 10 part series called Can one person make a difference our attention turns to a New Testament character who falls into this winsome category he wrote a passionate letter to the Corinthians that drips with contagious e.o.m. He gets his name will begin by reading from the apostles letter before hearing Chuck present his message about a passion that stays balanced. Passion just the word sparks a fire within us but the idea behind passion isn't easy to define According to Webster's passion has for synonyms listen to them fervor ardor enthusiasm zeal and it has as one of its meanings intense driving or overmastering feeling or conviction all these terms come close to capturing the spirit of passion but we still have just the bones that word passion needs fledge Jesus certainly comes to mind when we think of passion but so does another person in the New Testament by the name of Paul. He was an apostle a man with intense driving convictions his enemies would curse him and yet he keep on preaching the gospel they would beat him even stone him nearly to death it does himself off and take the message to the next town Paul's passion caused him to reviews to return scared or to take it easy or to play it safe if the sun rose he considered it God's green light to pursue his life mission as long as there was breath in his lungs the name of Christ would be on his lips and the passion of God would throb deep within his heart to listen now to his own testimony as recorded in the letter titled 1st Corinthians the passages 1st Corinthians 916 through 24 I began my reading at 1st Corinthians 916 yet preaching the good news is not something I can boast about I'm compelled by God to do it how terrible for me if I didn't preach the good news if I were doing this on my own initiative I would deserve payment but I have no choice for God has given me this sacred trust what then is my pay it is the opportunity to preach the good news without charging anyone that's why I never demand my rights when I preach the good news even though I am a free man with no master I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ when I was with the Jews I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law I too lived under that law even though I'm not subject to the law I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law but I'm with the gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law I had to live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ but I do not ignore the law of God I obey the law of crises when I'm with those who are weak I share their weakness for I want to bring the weak to Christ yes I try to find common ground with everyone doing everything I can to save someone I do everything to spread the good news and share in its blessing says. Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs but only one person gets the problems so run to when. You're listening to insight for living for Bible study tools and related resources go to Insight dot org And now Chuck Swindoll presents his message called a passion that stays balanced it must have been with tongue in cheek that some wag of a poet wrote these words to a certain segment of our society and there was a very cautious man who never laughed or played he never risked he never tried he never sang or prayed and when one day he passed away his insurance was denied for since he never really lived they claim he never died. Well whatever you may think of Saul of Tarsus or whatever I may believe about him he was certainly not in that category he could never have been called dole and boring the man was alive he was in touch he hit the floor running he was in many estimations a dangerous man of enormous risk to him if there was breath in his lungs there was a reason to go at it full bore all day alone if he believed in something he believed in it with all of his heart incredible man whatever else we may say about him he really lived did live life to the fullest as one missionary has put it wherever you are be all there lift to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God Saul of Tarsus model that listen to his resume born into wealth learn the trade of tent making from a master tent maker his father became a journeyman in that field civis Romanticists a Roman citizen disciplined fair a sea academically superior men toward By good. Disciple by the man one of the members of the Sanhedrin who met in the hall of Polish stones fearless prosecutor able debater revered Rabbi suck refusal worker hater of Christians proud thinker insightful observer blindly zealous why only committed to ridding the land of followers of the way. If there had been printing in Sol's day and if there had been a Webster to put together a dictionary when you looked up the word passion I am sure the picture of Saul of Tarsus would appear Saul of Tarsus we use those words but we don't really know what they represent most of us have never been to Tarsus we don't know how that would prepare a man to becoming a man like he was one person writes such was the place where Paul was born and brought up it was a city so cosmopolitan that none could walk the streets without coming into contact with the ends of the earth it was a city with such a history that none could live in it without some sense of greatness it was a city with such a desire for knowledge such a respect for scholarship such an intellectual ferment of thought that no thinking young man could entirely escape the contagion of the thronging ideas which crowded the air if a man was destined to be a missionary to the world at large there was no better place in all the East for him to grow to manhood than Tarsus if someone were to ask me to put together a brief album of the Apostle Paul to life as he began as Saul of Tarsus and became the great apostle of grace I think I would select for portraits and put them in that album the 1st one would be of the man who while he was last passionately pressed on in his mission my Bible is open to actually Chapter 26 which to me describes the single mindedness of this passionate persecutor of Christians. He was out re justly zealous he was savagely determined in Acts 26 he is standing before Agrippa the governmental official and he is defending his case for Christianity but 1st he goes back to the days when he was lost and as he pictures himself and admits to his own life and lifestyle he minces no words in verse 11 as he says and I punished them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blasphemy and being furiously enraged at them I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities imagine those words furiously enraged forcing them to blasphemy here was a man who took delight in the cruel punishment of followers of the way John Paul Eck in his excellent work on Saul of Tarsus the man who shook the world right to this he charged like an animal tearing its prey this was not the sad efficiency of an officer obeying distasteful orders the heart was engaged in the mind too with the thoroughness of an inquisitor unmasking treason until Saul's operations had reduced a vigorous city wide community to a parent impotence its leaders would run and hide. Every suspect man or woman had to stand before the elders while Saul as the High Priests representative put to them the demand that they should curse Jesus he threw them into dungeons one or 2 May have been stoned Saul seems to exude jested this the majority were punished by public flogging which was no sight for the squeamish the courage of a few collapsed about to be lashed or after a few strokes or when forced to watch a wife's or a husband's torture they screamed a curse on Jesus as Saul required still breathing out threats and murder as his 1st biographer describes he asked for official letters to the synagogues authorizing him to arrest min and women who followed the way and to bring them roped or chained for punishment in Jerusalem this was an incredible man of passion passionately determined in his last the state to carry out his mission of ridding the world of Christians you and I can hardly imagine such a thing it would be criminal today to respond to people who followed a certain religious belief in the land of the United States of America in those days however he was backed up by the official government of the Roman Empire the next photograph I would choose would be of the time when he was converted from Acts 26 turned back to Acts chapter 9 remarkable remarkable account of a man on a mission to persecute Christians who suddenly is stopped in his tracks and he passionately submissions to the person of Jesus Christ and his conversion. Your member the story he has been given the official letters to carry out his mission in Damascus he is on his beast on his way to Damascus to find the Christians and to pull them out of hiding and then to persecute him and bring them back for the court proceedings in Jerusalem and while on the way he is stopped a blinding light from heaven put scales over his eyes and though they are open he cannot see so that he is forced to listen to a voice he never thought he would hear Saul Saul Acts 9 verse 4 tells us why are you persecuting me stunned disbelieving he answers Who are you sir are Kuriakose Who are you Lord and the answer comes the last answer he would have ever expected I am Jesus whom you are persecuting as impressed as we may be with his zeal and passion in his last a state we have to be equally impressed with his passionate submission to Christ there is no wrestling there is no fight recorded here or ever again in his number of testimonies he gives in the accounts of the New Testament he falls before his lord just as readily as he has stood against him and he submitted himself to whatever God may have for him you remember the story a man named and a nice verse 17 is dispatched to face Paul with the plan God has for him. And Saul is called here brother saw all the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit verse 18 tells us immediately there fill from his eyes something like scales and he regained his sight verse 19 tells us he took food and was strengthen several days he was with the very disciples he had planned to bring under arrest in the city of Damascus and if you can believe it verse 20 tells us immediately it's the word of passion immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogue saying he is the Son of God Is that amazing or what the same man who had rolled up the sleeves of his robes to fight if necessary to the death to bring Christians to their knees he now stands with his arms open wide saying this one I persecuted is in fact the Son of God the 3rd picture I would draw and place in the album would be a portrait of of Saul of Tarsus now name changed to Paul the apostle who was saved as he passionately pursues his calling there is no single reference we can turn to that would describe that he set records in World Evangelism that will never be broken he said a pace for doctrinal understanding and communication that none today or ever could match. He forged out the new covenant theology he gave us the directions for a Grace ended ministry he explained the gospel of Christ like no other person could articulated in his or any other generation he independently established the church and its foundational bull rings he explains to us by life and lifestyle what it means to be a dedicated missionary for the cause of Jesus Christ he laid aside family comforts the familiarity of home and the delights of his academic pursuits and he set out on a mission all the way to the throne room of the Roman Empire and Nero the man he was determined to speak to about Jesus Christ I am convinced heard of his faith through the Apostle Paul what goes around comes around as one biographer puts it he lived in a day when Nero was the most famous name in all the world and he was nothing but we have come to see the time when people named their dogs Nero and their sons Paul. Here is a man who comes to us all the way to the time of death passionately pursuing the things of Christ turn from Acts 9 to 2nd Timothy Chapter 41 of our favorite sections of scripture not only because of what it says but because of the one who wrote it and where he was when he wrote it Saul is not in some lovely setting waiting for an audience with the king he is in fact thrown into a Roman dungeon shaking with cold in the damp dark place where he waits for dead. But instead of asking for a place to lay down and take it easy when you observe his passion I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living in the dead and by his appearing and his kingdom preach the Word be ready in season and out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all patience and instruction verse 5 Be Sober in all things Timothy endure hardship do the work of an evangelist fulfill your ministry for I am already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my departure is calm he could hear them sharpening the Get your team he knew death was around the corner he says in verse 7 the good fight I fought the course I have finished the faith I have kept and therefore in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day not to me only but into all those also who love His appearing You might think well about now he took it easy he laid back rested and waited for the final death no wrong verse 11 only Luke is with me pick up Mark and bring him with you and when you come verse 13 bring the cloak on cold I left the cloak at true ads and bring the books don't you love it I've said here my mind is going to waste I've got to study a little bring some of the books from my library bring them alone will light a candle and I'll study until the end and especially the parchments those sacred documents of Scripture that I had in my possession you bring them and I will be reading them to the last he was a man who when facing death passionately finished his journey. He had Monisha says Friend to keep preaching he refers to the books and especially the part parchments he even confronts his lifelong enemy Alexander verse 14 Alexander the Coppersmith did me much harm the Lord will repay him according to his deeds be on your guard against him look at the still warning still giving advice still standing firm this is this passionate man who believed that if it was worth doing it was worth doing right and if it was worth doing right it was worth doing with zeal How wonderful to read of a man like this in a day of apathy like ours how wonderful to see a man who though he was lost pursued his mission with passion and one converted or no before Christ and submitted to his will passionately who when he was called to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth said I will build on no one else's Foundation I'm going to do creative things the new things and God's going to direct me and go with me all the way who wore out companions the travel alongside him and when he came to the time of death died with dignity died with authority died with zeal a man like this has rights a man with this kind of passion can pretty well write his ticket to use today's terms but the beautiful thing about him is that he never did over in 1st Corinthians Chapter 9 he testifies of that in a very wonderful section of scripture there is a philosophy of evangelism a philosophy of mission though I am free from all. I have made myself a slave. To all. That I might win the more. The Apostle writes and his record stands on its own. Even though I was free from all. I personally restricted my freedom so as never to abuse my right. There's much more we need to learn from Paul's humility and zeal You're listening to insight for a living and a message from Chuck Swindoll titled a passion that stays balanced balance and passion are outcomes of a healthy spiritual walk and spending time in God's Word and insight for living as your companion on this journey not only through this Bible teaching program but also through a variety of helpful study tools as an example we're pleased to offer a creative resource to help guide your study of God's word it's an excerpt from the brand new swindle Study Bible and showed this edition of The Bible contains 3 books that you specially selected for our listening family that's right Dave gratefully God did not give us just one book the Bible includes 66 books and every single one has a strategic role in communicating God's message to mankind but what I'm introducing your friend to the Bible for the 1st time I will often point her or him to the Gospel of John there's no better starting place for understanding the person and the ministry of Jesus Christ. John chronicles the life story of his dear friend and in fact often quotes the exact words spoken by Jesus and then I've chosen to include 2 other books Psalms and proverbs as well the Psalms because this book celebrates the glory of God and all His Majesty in a way that elevates our worship and keeps our focus on him and proverbs because it's a collection of time tested wisdom that helps us avoid making painful mistakes let me invite you to follow the simple reading plan barring brief portions every day for 6 consecutive months you read through the entire Gospel of John 4 times you'll read through the Psalms once and you read through the Proverbs 6 times stick with that plan and God will use these words literally to transform your life and the copy is yours when you give a gift of any amount to support the ministry of insight for living you choose the size and whether big or small you can be sure your contribution is making an impact as men and women all over the world rely on checks Bible teaching This is the final day we'll mention the special offer on the program so give us a call at 180-772-8888 or go online to Insight dot org You can also write to incite for living Post Office Box 5000 Prisk 0 Texas 75034 this bold blue a letter like edition contains the Gospel of John with Psalms and proverbs in the New Living Translation In addition to these 3 books this went on Study Bible provides insightful commentary from chalk each book contains an introduction to help orient you to the. Context of the times and you'll appreciate the living inside section and their prayer moments to guide you there's even a daily reading plan so to give a donation and request this resource right Post Office Box 5000 frisk 0 Texas 75034 or call 180-772-8888 extension 8 may be quicker if you request the book online by going to incite dot Bowl. Chuck Swindoll continues his message about a passion that stays balanced next weekend on inside for a living. This is Denver's all new 947 f.m. The word. 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