 Good afternoon, Pastor David. Hey, John. Welcome everybody to a random moment unfiltered with Pastor David On Thursday's pastor. We like to focus on things of spiritual principles things of the church and and on Tuesdays as we do We do more current events. So today pastor. I wanted to ask you all I want to welcome our church family for tuning in I wanted to ask you mentioned something last night in your study in Ephesians and and you talked about the earmark of a Christian a Couple of weeks ago. We talked about the earmark of carnality and you know today when we see a church that is Divided in many ways, right? We there's churches that are political. There's churches that are I mean There's so many different things that are going on with the church How is it if the earmark of Christianity if I'd like you to explain what that is, how would that be lived out in a Time when it seems like everybody's against each other Excuse me. That's a good question It really is it's the question of the ages, you know How does how does somebody? Evidence of faith in in God and that's quite an obvious array of things, you know, there's the there's obvious transformation that takes place from walking in darkness to now Walking in with the scriptures calls the light of life. There's An attitude of humility. There's a sacrificial Way that that person begins to live caring about others and all of that there There is the patience that they experienced during Hard times and trials. There's the exhibition of faith that they may Once in a while actually Reveal as they they trust the Lord for certain things and all I mean there are various things that are characteristics of the disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, but Jesus said he said by this shall all men know that you are my disciples and then he said if you have love one for another So even as I was sharing last night the mark of a genuine believer in Christ is a love for God and a love for others, you know The new commandment he said to his disciples is that he said You love one another as I have loved you and the word knew when he said this new commandment is a word that Has also been translated novel or or fresh This fresh commandment have I given unto you because the word knew immediately causes you to wonder in what way is that new? Because in the scriptures he had been asked what is the great command in the great command Jesus said it's love God with all of your heart and soul strength your mind and love your neighbor as yourself Those are Old Testament requirements, you know to love God completely and To love others and so when Jesus said a new commandment I give unto you that you love one another That's really an old command But but then he says as I have loved you and so this commandment that Christ Gives to us is a commandment. That's fresh and novel in the sense that How did Christ love us? Well Christ loved us and he laid down his life for us Greater love has no man than this and to lay down his life for his friends That's what he said and you are my friends if you do whatever I command you so the demonstration that I am a friend of Christ is obedience to his commands and Modeling my life after those things that meant something to him or meant everything to him and It's exhibited not simply in the fact that I profess to have faith in God But I love others, you know, how can a man say I love God when he hates his brother is what John said in 1st John any man who says I love God, but hates his brother. He said is is a liar How can you love the invisible God? When you can't get along with those whom you do see and so the great commandment or the evidence of a Christian is That patient endurance that is grounded in the love of God and so that in these these evil times is Clearly evident because when when it's very dark the light will always Shine brightly and the darker it gets The more light we can we can actually exhibit as we walk in this dark world And so the evidence of a Christian is not just the fact that they carry their Bible and vote Republican The evidence of a Christian is that they love their neighbor as themselves is they lay down their lives for others Is they that they serve God and they serve others and and they do so not with a grudging obligation but they do so Because they they love the Lord and actually do care for others I like how you put that because so many even today the word love is thrown so loosely around There's even a pseudo love out there that people are really they say oh it's relative or that's the way you love And I love this or I love pizza. I love you and it's thrown out there You know anybody can say well I love but you mentioned that it's a love. That's a more of an unconditional love It's grounded in a relationship with God, you know God's love You know when we refer to it in that sense Agape and many times they'll use the word unconditional It speaks of the expression of God and his who he is you know John spoke concerning who God is God is spirit. He said those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth You know, so he he gives to us definitive statements concerning what God is God. God is spirit. He tells us very Very clearly God is light and in him. There's no darkness whatsoever. Those are called definitive statements They they are describing in a definite way What God is and what he is like and then he said he who loves not knows not God for God is love And so the love of God is is a manifestation in reality of who he actually is what his being is and his being is He's a loving God who loved the world so much that he sent his son to take upon himself the sins of these evil Evil even evil human beings that that had Initially been created in his image and then through temptation succumbed and and became completely and totally depraved in by nature became evil and Corrupt in every way and yet instead of abandoning us God rescued us, you know so the the love of God is manifest in Jesus Christ who who loved us and gave himself for us and so That's the kind of love we seek the Lord to give to us, you know, the love that is patient and kind It's long suffering and and all of that because that's the kind of love he has for us So yeah, that love should be manifest in every relationship that we have You know, it should be it should be who we are a loving person a caring compassion Compassionate person why because Jesus is that way as I was sharing last night and kind of Kind of like just tie it in with this and we don't want to keep the people here forever, but He was the one who who was so Appealing that even outcasts people who nobody would have anything to do with Found themselves at his in his presence, you know a woman at a well Who says oh in reality nobody wanted anything to do with her except for the men Why do you why do you ask of me a drink? Why are you having personal contact with me? Why are you asking me to serve you is in that in that question and yet? If you knew who it was who's speaking to you Jesus said You would have asked me for the water that I can give see so that's that's if Jesus is that way with people And he is he was that way with us If he's that way with people Maybe we ought to ask the Lord to help us not to be pursuing the beautiful people in the church The important people in the church that we can we can get close to I I sadly say this, but it's a true statement Over time I've met more than one Christian who is a ladder climber He he or she may go to somebody she thinks or he thinks will do them some good right now And then they good past them once they've used them up and go to somebody else And I know pastors who are like that who climbed the ladder to to get their message out to get their ministry out and And they leave all these people who thought they were sincerely kind towards them didn't realize They were just being used to benefit that person. So that is so sinful Jesus wasn't that way. You know, he sits at table With publicans and sinners and the people begin to question the apostles how is it that your master is eating with these sinners, you know, and It's only a physician only a sick person goes to a physician I didn't come to call out the well. I came to call the sick and so that that was Jesus and I'm not saying that I'm by any means That that that good, you know, I just know that I should care about people man I mean because we were so cared about we were cared for pastor. Thank you so much and again, that was Just listening to your message last night I was thinking a little bit more about today that you're a mark of a Christian and how Jesus demonstrated that to us and we're to pass that on to others. Amen. So pastor Thank you for sharing church family want to make sure we invite you out to our church services on Sunday 830 a.m. And 1045 and pastor you're taking us to mark chapter Chapter 8 chapter 8 starting chapter 8. I know actually will be in verses 11 through I think around 22 Somewhere around there. I forget the verse number, but yeah, we're it's it's a great study I'm really looking forward to our time in the word this Sunday even our Wednesday night studies I've enjoyed them good. You guys got to come out for that and I'm in again You know February 2nd is February 7th is the last day you can purchase your tickets for a Super Bowl breakfast Want to invite you guys to come on out and join us you can purchase your tickets at the gazebo or online Invite a friend and family. We're gonna have a great time and pastor. Thank you again so much for your time church family Thank you for tuning in and God bless you