 2 Timothy chapter 4 beginning at verse 1 reading to verse 8. Paul writes, I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you, be watchful in all things. Endure afflictions. Do the works of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry, for I am already being poured out as a drink offering. And the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge will give to me on that day. And not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Now as we look at this final chapter of 2 Timothy, as we look at chapter 4, Paul has been instructing Timothy concerning last day's conditions. And as he has been sharing with him, he had told him that in the last days dangerous, evil times would exist. He made it clear in chapter 3 that believers would be persecuted, that evil would flourish, and that deception would grow. And these are all conditions that we find ourselves in at this very moment. He had said Christians will be persecuted. Nobody would argue that Christians are valued. Nobody would argue that we are respected here. And nobody would argue that we are respected abroad. One study published by the Vatican reports that 100,000 Christians are killed annually because of their faith. Violence is on the rise in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Egypt. Christians are subjected to forced displacement, to the destruction of their churches, and to rape. They are sold into slavery. Their leaders are abducted. It is estimated that 200 million Christians currently live under persecution, and persecution is absolutely on the rise. He said that evil will flourish. Morality is being redefined even as I speak. The family is being destroyed. Human sexuality is being presented as a choice, and faith is being abandoned. The result is a confused culture. We see that today in what is called the transgender controversy. There was an article that was written by or quoted a man by the name of Dr. Paul McHugh. He was John Hopkins, chief of psychiatry. And Dr. Paul McHugh considers changing sex as biologically impossible and says what is popularly called transgender is actually a mental disorder. He says such people have a disorder of assumption in believing they can choose their sex. He cited a study that said transgendered people who have reassignment surgery are 20 times more likely to commit suicide than non-transgendered people. McHugh said the pro-transgender advocates do not want to know that studies show between 70 percent and 80 percent of children who express transgender feelings spontaneously lose those feelings over time. Also for those who had sexual reassignment surgery, most said they were satisfied with the operation, but their subsequent psychosocial adjustments were no better than those who didn't have the surgery. He went on to write that changing sexes is impossible and that what transgendered people actually do is become feminized men or masculinized women. Isaiah 520 through 21 says it like this. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight. So we're seeing that evil does flourish. Third deception will grow. Deception is not simply propagated by non-Christian religions and Christian so-called Christian cults. It is mainstreamed into church services because the people are not taught and therefore are not spiritually discerning. Spiritual discernment is developed by a careful study of the Word of God and if you don't have a foundation of scripture you will be open to spiritual deception. The psalmist said it like this in Psalm 119-105, your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Your pastor is to take you through scripture so that he can develop you into your spiritual understanding. Today actual Bible studies are boring for some who are spiritually dull and immature and yet Paul said I testify to you this day that I'm innocent of the blood of all men for I have not shunned to declare unto you the entire counsel of God. We are called by God as pastors to take our churches systematically through God's Word and yet Andy Stanley who is Charles Stanley's son and his pastor of North Point Church in Atlanta says guys that preach verse by verse through books of the Bible well that's just cheating. It's cheating because that would be easy first of all that isn't how you grow people knowing in the scripture modeled that there's not one example of that and so it would seem that Andy is confusing numbers attending church with actual Christians. You see the exhortation is for Timothy and all faithful believers to remain steadfast they're to remain firm in the things they've learned there to hold fast to the scriptures and in light of this Paul continues exhorting Timothy. I want you to see what he has to say here notice how seriously Paul considers this he begins in verse 1 by saying I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom preach the Word be ready in season and out of season convince rebuke exhort with all long suffering and teaching when he said I charge you therefore before God the word charge there is a military command it conveys urgency in response and an obligation to respond Paul is a superior officer he's given a direct order to a subordinate Timothy understood and valued that Paul was a general in the army of God Timothy was an officer but under his orders and this understanding of ministry is lost on many today it's difficult to find a faithful young man who understands that they first must learn before they can lead Paul is saying Timothy you are a soldier you are under military orders therefore carry them out and Timothy understood that he understood he was in spiritual combat he understood that he needed to follow orders you see the military is not a democracy when I was serving in the military we didn't take a vote if our commanding officer said you're going to do this that's what you did I can still remember Captain Daniels who was our company commanders having us assembled on a Saturday and I had a company of something like 360 to 400 men and he assembled us on a Saturday he got us up early on a Saturday and he had us standing there in formation and none of us was happy not a single one of us because we were used to working five days a week and we had Saturday and Sunday office almost like a job so he assembles us and he comes out and he stands before us and he begins to address us and he says to us something like this he says some of you men are very upset because I have you assembled here on a Saturday and you think it's your day off let me remind you something you do not belong to yourself you belong to Uncle Sam and if I tell you to get up you get up if I tell you to go to bed you go to bed you're under orders now I didn't like that I have to be honest with you I didn't like that but it was true it was true I was under the military obligation to follow the command of a superior officer and when they gave the command I was to follow it if it was a lawful order I was to follow it I didn't have or have any responsibility to make the decisions I didn't say this is what I think we're supposed to do I didn't have that place I was simply a spec for that's what I was I had to follow the orders but there are a lot of young men today who don't understand that in order to lead you need to first learn to follow and when Paul was speaking here he gave him an order he said I charge you I'm giving you a military command that you have an obligation to not only hear but to respond to and I'm telling you what to do as a superior officer in the Lord's army I am commanding you to do something and what is it that he commands him to do he says preach the word this is what you are to do Timothy preach the word of God declare the sayings of God let people know who God is preach the gospel now why is that important why is it so important that ministers like myself and others preach the word why don't we have the opportunity why doesn't the Bible tell us and command us to have great worship services why doesn't the Bible command us make sure that you have lights and smoke on the stage when you're worshiping why doesn't it do that why doesn't the Bible obligate the pastor to entertain the sheep why doesn't the Bible say that why doesn't the Bible say listen I want you to entertain the goats and make sure you don't upset the the sheep it doesn't say that what it says and this is important in this in these last days is of absolute importance it says preach the word be faithful giving the sayings of God to the people why because it's a word of God that builds your faith up and gives you the ability to know who you are and what you're commanded by God to do it comes to the word of God it transforms the way you're thinking because today if you're not in the word of God you're going to be floating along with the current trends of this culture but we need to stand up in opposition to that in the Lord Jesus Christ any dead fish can float downstream it takes a living one to go against it and God is calling us as men of God to preach the word to give the word of God to those who are perishing right now they need to hear the sayings of Jesus Christ that their lives will be radically transformed I thank God that when I got saved I did not get saved under a ministry where the preacher said you know it's okay to continue to drink no he said be filled with the Spirit you won't be hungry for the wine of this world we need more of the power of God and less of our flesh today in these last days we need to pursue the things of God and we need to preach the word of God we do so because judgment is coming we desire people to be saved because without Jesus Christ they will perish in Matthew 10 28 it says do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul rather fear him who is able both to destroy soul and body in hell that's what Paul said in second Corinthians 5 11 when he said knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men in light of the coming judgment we are to continue to faithfully preach the word of God it's the gospel and not our own opinions or testimony that saves people in 1st Thessalonians 2 13 Paul said it like this for this reason we also thank God without ceasing because when you receive the word of God which you heard from us you welcomed it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God which also effectively works in you who believe it's God's word and because of this we are to be ready whenever an opportunity presents itself for us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ we are to be ready in season and we are to be ready out of season we're to be ready when the opportunity presents itself and we are to be ready if there doesn't seem to be an opportunity we need to be prayed up we need to be read up and we need to be filled up so that when God wants to use us we are ready and able at that moment in 1st Peter 3 15 it says you must worship Christ as Lord of your life and if you're asked about your Christian hope always be ready to explain it preach the word be ready in season be ready out of season convince he says rebuke he says to exhort sometimes we do preach in such a way as to convince the word convince means to show faults or bring conviction and it brings that to those who are listening one of the things we've all discovered is truth sometimes can be very direct and sometimes we need to be direct to when I was talking to my dad I was a 20 year old hippie just got saved 20 years old it's hard to believe five years have already passed when I was talking to my dad I had gotten saved at the age of 20 I was told there are some basic things you need to do you need to read the word you need to pray you need a fellowship with those who love Jesus Christ and you need to give away your faith I had been told that those are the four basic things every one of us has heard when we first got followed up on when we got saved we've all we all know that but they said give away your faith and I can still remember because I had been taught to read the Bible from the day I got saved that I had been reading through the New Testament and I got to the book of Revelation as many of you have heard me share before in the past and I got to chapter 9 the book of Revelation and as I was reading it stirred something within me my mom and my dad were in the kitchen they used to go to the kitchen drink a cup of coffee and visit and all and it was an afternoon early evening as I recall and I was reading Revelation 9 and I walked into that that kitchen there and I put the Bible and I held it in my hand and I opened up to the passage and I lifted it up and I said mom and dad this is the word of God and hear what God has to say and I read to them Revelation chapter 9 and I said I don't know what this means but I do know this it is not speaking to me it is speaking to you and I looked at my dad and I said to my dad dad you're a good man you are the best man that I will ever know but you will be the best man in hell if you don't give your heart to Jesus Christ I said daddy I love you and I don't want to go to heaven without you bow your head you're gonna receive Christ right now now you have to you have to take into consideration I'd been a you know doper I'd been doing dope for five years I was you know I was only 20 I started when I was 15 I was an alcoholic and I was just a lazy bum I never worked I was everything you don't want your son to be that's me I was an angry young man arrested for burglarizing a jewelry store arrested for drunken public arrested when I smashed my car into a pole I was just a messed up kid brought nothing but sorrow and heartache and shame to my family you need to know that arrogant and angry I hadn't been sober more than two days in a row in a year I was getting worse not better and then I go and I hear this gospel message and God can take you and he can transform you he can change your life and fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit he can forgive you of all of your sins and he can conform you into the image of Jesus Christ you can become a brand new person because of Jesus Christ now that did not come through some man's opinion that did not come through some popular speech that came through the Word of God and when I heard the gospel and Arthur blessed presented it to me and he said if you need Jesus Christ stand to your feet and I committed my heart to Christ there was a massive transformation and so when I was there speaking to my dad after about three weeks of walking with Jesus Christ and I said you're gonna be the best man in hell if you don't give your heart to Jesus Christ my father's first response was he wanted to get up and hit me how dare you tell me a good man that I'm going to hell you little doper you little punk I bailed you out three times you know what I'm saying I bailed you out I paid for a lawyer to keep you from going to jail and you're standing here telling me that my dad told me that he said my first inclination David was to stand up and hit you when you told me I was going to hell but when you said you loved me and did not want to go to heaven without me that spoke to my heart and that's what brought my father not only my father but my mom who was seated next to him bowed her head and gave her heart to Jesus that day too and it comes to the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ the power of Jesus Christ and that's what we preach we preach this and sometimes we're direct sometimes we say things that people don't want to hear listen I know that in in certain circles that I'm looked at as being kind of harsh what I am is in love with my church and I want to tell you the truth I will not lie to you you need Jesus Christ I don't care how good you think you are you're not as good as he is you need him and some people don't like that I understand it there are a lot of churches where it's like you know home on the range where never has heard a discouraging word I understand that I understand that but you don't need to be made feel good to be made to feel good you need to be brought to holiness and that comes to the power of the Holy Spirit and the word of God my responsibility and these men who are here right now our responsibility is to feed the sheep that's what we do and we stand before God I will give an account of myself to God and how I handled his word and how I minister to his people preach the word convince in Acts chapter 2 verse 22 and 23 men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a man attested by God to you by miracles wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God you have taken by lawless hands have crucified put to death that's pretty strong that's pretty in your faith but that was true and it's the truth that sets a person free sometimes we actually bring a rebuke the word rebuke means to admonish Jesus on one occasion many occasions really but one example is when he was confronting scribes and Pharisees said it like this is found in Luke Luke 1152 he said what went to your lawyers you have taken away the key of knowledge you did not enter in yourselves and those who are entering in you hindered what went to you he admonished them and sometimes we will exhort we exhort it means to beg or entreat there are times when you actually are pleading please hear the word of God please hear please it's like when my children were small and they were doing something wrong and it was they were being brought to the place where I was going to have to bring a physical discipline and I didn't want to do it there were times when I would say to them please listen listen to what I'm saying please I don't want to kill you please listen sometimes we we don't sometimes we don't listen I was one of those young men that when my father would lecture me on occasion he did that I would be daydreaming even as he was speaking and I would look at him and I would nod when I felt it was an appropriate moment but I was thinking of when are you going to stop this so I can get out of here I got things to do because I wouldn't listen and yet at a certain point in my father's life my father when I was in trouble my father began to plead with me please son listen please listen because the path you're going on is going to end up with your death with your destruction please listen my parents would tell me son you shouldn't drink my dad actually tried to teach me to drink responsibly because he knew that I was when I didn't drink a beer I drank a six pack that's how I began the night I didn't start with one beer I started with my my Friday night when I was 18 started with a half gallon of wine and a quart of beer that's how it started I could drink my father under the table when I was 17 and 18 years old I could sit there with my dad and I could pound the beer and he didn't know I could drink I could drink half a pint of scotch of whiskey and I didn't get buzzed I was drinking so much I was developing such a tolerance to it that it took more and more for me to get high that's where I was and that's where I was going my dad would plead with me my dad would say stop son he actually tried to teach me to drink responsibly he gave me permission to drink beer he'd bring a six pack home and I would drink the beer and he thought if I can teach him just to drink responsibly it wasn't it wasn't it wasn't that I needed to drink responsibly it's that I needed a purpose in life and it wasn't going to be filled by the alcohol that was taken I needed the the new wine the wine of the Holy Spirit I needed transformation and my father was simply trying to help me and he would speak to me and he'd say please stop Ezekiel 3311 saying to them as I live says the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turned from his way and live turned turned from your evil ways why should you die oh house of Israel we do it with long suffering and teaching waiting for the fruit to be matured something simply take time you can hear a message doesn't seem to impact you but God has sown some seeding you and later on it can be watered and brought to maturity so we are to be long suffering continuing to pour continuing to teach and then trusting the Lord you see he says in verse 3 the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires because they have itching ears they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables the time will come he says when they will not put up with not endure healthy teaching they do not want Bible studies at times now sound and healthy teaching is not popular in many quarters that's because people today are man centered not Christ centered and not Bible centered Jesus was speaking on one occasion to his disciples is found in Matthew chapter 24 they had just marveled at the beauty of the temple and Jesus had made a statement to them not one of these stones will remain upon the other it's all going to be destroyed and so they they ask him what is the sign if you're coming when will these things be and what's interesting when you read Matthew 24 they did not say what are the signs of your coming very often when we go into Matthew 24 we look at the earthquakes the pestilence is in the variety of things that Jesus speaks concerning as as things that were related to the last days but they didn't say what are the signs we need to remember they asked the question in the singular they said what is the sign of your coming and Jesus three times some say for in Matthew 24 gives the primary sign that we're in the last days take heed he says that no one deceives you Jesus what is the primary sign that we're in the last days the answer according to Jesus in Matthew 24 is spiritual deception spiritual deception you have the responsibility he said take heed you have that responsibility that no one deceives you a lot of people have a tendency of blaming their pastors and well he taught us that no wait a minute you have the responsibility to be a Berean to hear what's being said and check it according to scripture whether these things are so that's my job and that's yours too when of the well the biggest church in the United States as a pastor stands up holding his Bible and he says this is my Bible and he has them recite some kind of creedal statement as it pertains to their church the doctrine and things I will believe everything and then he never opens it up during the Bible study he never even opens it up some of you knew who I'm talking about I don't like to mention Joel Osteen by name but you know who I mean and then he doesn't teach the Bible 48,000 people go to that church must be successful it is in terms of keeping the sheep and the goats mixed together and well entertain is that a church have we redefined what church is I think so I believe so we redefined what church is we are the called out ones the ecclesia called out by God separated from the world separated unto him fed by his word transformed by him taking this message of transformation out to the world that's what the church is born again people born from above by the power of the Holy Spirit for given of our sins names written in the Lamb's book of life confessed our sins for sick those sins repented and turned to the Lord Jesus Christ that's how we got saved not because I was water baptized at four months which I was at a small church in Los Angeles called the Plaza Church some of you were baptized there too every Mexican in Southern California was baptized there some of you don't know I'm a Mexican-American I say that because they look at me and say that white guy talking like that no I'm just vanilla you need to be born again how are you gonna be born again if I'm trying to entertain you to fill up these pews how are you gonna be born again if my whole goal is to fill up the sanctuary I would rather have an empty church or is half full with people who love Jesus Christ than a full group of people who don't who don't love him the way I preach I think eventually I'll have an empty church but the bottom line is we want you saved we want you right with God we want your marriages when you're married we want your marriages to be healed we want you to be a man who's not only a good man in society but a good man in the house to be a good father to become a good grandfather to be the kind of man that ultimately when somebody is eulogizing when you die and you're laying in that casket which by the way we all will die unless the Lord should take us and I'm praying that he will but if he doesn't we're gonna be in that casket and you are gonna have somebody walk up and they are gonna say something about you let's make sure they're not lying when they say good things may they speak the truth may they say this is the man you didn't know this is the man who loved my mom and was faithful to her through all things this is a father who worked hard to make sure that I had shoes on my feet clothes on my back and a meal on my table this is a man who's yes was yes and is no was no and this is a man who led the home the way God intended and that's the kind of man I want to be may your daughter say this is the kind of man I want to marry I want to be with someone like that like my father who cherished my mother cared for me treated me like a lady and taught me to never ever compromise my faith to be strong that's what God has called us to and that comes through his word and sometimes we convince and sometimes rebukes we rebukes and we exhort and we do so with long suffering and all teaching because the time will come well they will no longer endure healthy doctrine but will voluntarily turn themselves aside to fables those are the last days that we're living in right now Jeremiah 531 says the prophets prophesy lies the priests rule by their own authority and my people love it this way but what will you do in the end in the New Testament this condition is universally prophesied it prepares the way for Antichrist in 2 Peter 2 when it says there were false prophets also among the people even as there shall be false teachers among you who secretly shall bring indomitable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction in 1 John 4 verse 1 it says beloved do not believe every spirit test the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world you see this this time that Jesus spoke about of deception has particular conditions it's gonna be a time of denial it'll be a denial of Jesus Christ as God in the flesh Savior of mankind all you need to do is is listen to those who speak concerning Christianity from the perspective of Islam and they'll say to you that God has no son it's one of the fastest growing quote-unquote religious faiths on the face of the earth it's a denial of Jesus Christ the Son of God in 1st John chapter 4 verse 3 every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God this is the spirit of the anti-Christ which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world there will be a denial of the need for a holy life grace will be perverted into permission to continue in sin Ephesians chapter 5 verses 5 and 6 says it like this this you know no fornicator unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience third they're going to be there's going to be a denial of the need for solid doctrinal teaching that's what we see in this passage fourth there's going to be a denial of God through their lifestyle there will be pastors who live lifestyles that undermine the power of the gospel see that the message of the gospel is transformation we have the information we have the assimilation and we have the transformation we're not saved just by information alone we assimilate it in order that we might be transformed by it and we assimilate it by faith and there will be many people who profess themselves to be Christian when in reality their lifestyles undermine the power of that gospel listen the message of the gospel is a message of transformed lives of transformed lives once I was lost now I'm found once I was blind now I see once I was spiritually deaf and now I can hear once I was walking in sin in darkness now I walk in the light it's a transformed life my dad said after telling me he wanted to beat me up when I gave him the gospel he said that made me angry but I had be had been noticing something David he said he said you were a bad kid so when you said you became a Christian my dad said to me well I said yeah he needs God he said but your sister Madeline who was a good girl and indeed my sister Madeline was a model girl I mean at the age of 16 and 17 she would stay at home she never went out she would say at home and she would be seated between my mom and my dad they would make popcorn and they would watch TV together on Friday night and Saturday and Sunday she didn't go out she married her first boyfriend she was the epitome of a great girl kind of daughter you'd want to have a great girl he said now he said I knew I was better than you but he said I wasn't better than Madeline you see what happened when I got saved I came home and I walked into the den and there I am this wild-eyed hippie kid I just gotten saved and I walk into the den and I I say mom dad Madeline Becky you know I love you praise the Lord and I walk out of the den and my mom freaks out because she thinks I'm loaded she thought I was loaded on something and she freaks out and she comes in she's she's staring at me as I'm sharing with my sister's what had just happened and my mom went into her bedroom and did a rosary for me because she was sure that I had gone crazy but my sister Madeline my sister Madeline said what happened to you and I gave her what I knew she put her head on the pillow that night when she went to bed and she said whatever it is Jesus you did for my brother please do that for me and that's how she got saved and my dad saw that my dad saw that and when my dad saw that he said I knew that I was better than you but I'm not better than her she didn't seem to need God but you really did son and I was somewhere in between he said and that's what the Lord used listen it's the power of a transformed life we have a message of the gospel let us be careful not to be giving excuses for continuing in sin and calling it grace God's grace is not permission to continue in sin it's freedom from its bondage we need to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit in the grace of God but there are those who will deny that transforming power by lives that are not well lived Titus 1 16 again they profess to know God but in works they deny him being abominable disobedient and disqualified for every good work and there will be a denial that Jesus is coming back and second Peter 3 verses 3 and 4 knowing this first that there shall come in the last days coffers walking after their own loss saying where is the promise of his coming for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation denial denial a denial of Jesus Christ the denial of the need for a holy life a denial for the need for solid teaching a denial of God through a works and a denial that Jesus is coming back so Paul states convinced rebuke exhort Paul is making it very clear that people will accumulate teachers that tickle their ears it's easy to find someone who says exactly what I want to say but the Bible says in Isaiah 30 verses 9 and 10 this is a rebellious people lying children children who will not hear the law of the Lord who say to the seers do not see in the prophets do not prophesy to us right things speak to us smooth things prophesy to see so what is he called to do as we're about to close he says first be watchful second endure affliction third be an evangelist fourth fulfill your ministry Timothy be watchful the word watchful speaks of being sober it speaks of being alert or attentive be discreet you need to be on the alert why Satan our flesh in the world combined to encourage us to fall what am I to do to not fall how can I be victorious James 4 7 submit yourself therefore to God resist the devil he will flee from you second he says endure affliction don't be surprised when you go through hard or difficult times hold fast until the end second Timothy 2 3 you therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ third do the work of an evangelist do the work in other words fulfill the commission what is the commission to preach the gospel I'm a veteran of what now church historians refer to as the Jesus movement I got saved in 1970 at the very end of 1970 when God was pouring out his spirit in a very special way here in the United States in a revolution and we were taught something at the very beginning that I hold to this day be an evangelist give away your faith because it increases as you do so give away your faith tell those you love that God loves them take the chance of sharing if you're on the job site and you have an opportunity and it's proper and appropriate and it's okay to do that at that moment whether it's a break lunchtime before after work and you have an opportunity to share a little bit with a friend a co-worker or somebody that God brings to you take the opportunity to do that do the work of an evangelist not everybody is an evangelist but everybody can do the work of the evangelist we can share you see my brother got saved August 4th 1974 Frankie had said when I got saved you said this is just a fad you've done so many things this is just another thing that you're doing it's gonna wear off I got saved at the end of 1970 December 27th 1970 and so my brother was waiting for me to fall he went through a hard time his marriage was on the rocks ultimately he divorced and he was at the bottom I took him to church the evangelists gave a message my brother went forward got saved August 4th 1974 it was a Sunday night it's now early September and my brother hasn't been going to church and now if he goes on Sundays but doesn't get the word I'm concerned for him so I say let me teach you the Bible I started driving from Norwalk where I grew up to Ontario and I started teaching him on his in his little apartment there off of San Antonio and as I'm teaching him San Antonio and Holt is right off of D Street B Street it was B Street it's a little park there my brother used to live in an apartment complex right across the street from the park as he's teaching this Bible study he starts in I'm teaching the study starts inviting friends one day this young gal comes walking in kind of all sassy and this and that she sits down phone ring she gets up I hear her talking some guy called her up she says oh I'm not doing anything yeah I'd love to makes a date with this guy and she sits down and she looks at her friend next to her and they start giggling I don't know this girl from Eve I've never seen her in my life but as I'm seated there and she's about 10 feet away from me I think within myself I'm gonna make her giggle about me just like she's doing that one day I don't know why that came to me I don't know if that's God's inspiration or idiocy on my part but I remember thinking that she's gonna giggle about me someday two weeks later she comes to the Bible study my sister Madeline leads her to Christ and I begin to date that girl and married her and she giggles about me to this day give away your faith I was teaching the study sharing about Jesus she got saved she needed discipling the rest is history give away your faith give away your faith you can gain the whole world you can have so much success guys listen carefully please you can have that car there's nothing wrong with having a nice car by the way that you have the nice house and all those other things all of that's fine thank God bless you Lord for blessing me I appreciate it I really do thank you but if I've gained the whole world and I live lose the souls of my children what have I gained listen I've said it before and it's true I don't really care if my my children became successful in the eyes of the world if they had a lot of money and things that never has been my goal I wanted them to do the best with their life and the gifts that God gave to them and honor the Lord and all that you do because the most important thing to me is not what they gain here but that they will be in eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ in me that's what I want I want my children to know Jesus Christ and my grandchildren do the work of in evangelists bring people to know Christ and so finally a couple of thoughts I'm ready I'm already being poured out as a drink offering the time of my departure is at hand I fought the good fight I finished the race I kept the faith finally there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which Lord the righteous judge will give to me on that day not to me only but also to all who have loved his appearing I have fought was a good soldier victorious in Christ I have finished I ran the course set out successfully not only did I start I followed the rules ran well completed I have faithfully kept I have guarded God's word remained faithful I did not compromise I never watered down God's word and now finally there is something laid up for me a victor's crown my faith filled expectation is to receive that crown I finished my race properly I followed the rules I did not cheat I finished the course and I have a crown of righteousness this wreath that symbolizes my accomplishment I will be crowned with righteousness because that has been my goal all along I have hungered Paul was saying and I have thirsted after righteousness and one day I will be satisfied in it God was still pruning him God was still working on him throughout his life but that crown was his and this crown is not his alone but is given to all who love God and all who look forward to seeing Jesus Christ we know that we are passing through we know that heaven is our home and what I'm growing to have more daily is a sense of homesickness because one of these days and it's not that long from now I will look into the eyes of the one who wept in the garden for me and I will have an opportunity to see him face to face and I've already rehearsed what I hope to say of course this is probably just my own hopes who knows really but if I had the opportunity to say what's been in my heart now for many years it's very simple I'm simply wanting to look into his eyes and I'm wanting to say to him thank you for all you did for me I love you Jesus thank you