We're going to look at two passages this morning, starting with this first here in Galatians. Here we have the Apostle Paul. In this one verse we find, in this passage, we find the Apostle Paul giving testimony of his past life before Christ and then his life after Christ. We're going to start here and then we're going to move on. Last night we We touched on the theme verse, and I enjoyed doing that last night. By the way, this passage, this one is found, we're quoting from Romans chapter 10. Does anybody know where the other two places in scripture? We just read one. In Isaiah 52, there's one other place that these words appear, almost exact. It's the first chapter of Nahum, and in Nahum and in Isaiah, the prophets were both announcing to God's people the good news of the liberty, the freedom that was going to be promised from the Babylonian captivity. So they came down from the mountains from Babylon down to Jerusalem, and they came heralding the good news of deliverance. Paul quoted them, and he applied it to the gospel message, that we can be heralds of coming down and telling people there is freedom, there is salvation in Jesus Christ. And it's a wonderful theme verse, and of course, the theme, the noble work of missions. We talked about that last night. To me, it was a blessing preparing that for last night. I really enjoyed And I have a chance to share that with you last night and earlier this morning, of course, talking about trying to take it now into what was the world of missions today? What is it looking like? What's going on? What's out there? And I kind of gave an overview of GFA and what we have going on in GFA and the opportunities that are there. Now there's the future of missions in you. I'm starting with this because the Apostle Paul, as I mentioned, he speaks of the past before Christ. And then after, let's see what he says. He says here, you have heard of my conversation in time past. There he goes. You see, you've heard my testimony. You knew what I was like. I went about persecuting the church of God. I sought to destroy the church. He says, you know, I, my goal was to destroy the church, to discredit the gospel of Jesus Christ. But God called me by his grace. But God saved me. He called me by, he used that word, called me by his grace. This is his testimony after salvation. But God changed me. Oh, how wonderful, how beautiful is this salvation. But he called me by his grace that I might preach him among the heathen. Here we find in this short passage, Paul giving his testimony of his salvation and how God set him on a course to preach the gospel. God called me. God called me. He used that phrase with both. Called me. He set my feet on the ground. He saved me. But in that calling was a direction given to my life. a purpose given to my life. I like this, because it's not only salvation, but it's goal, it's purpose. This was going to be his future, to give himself for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And folks, this ought to be our testimony. He saves us by his grace. Not so we will be spectators. See, there's two sides of it. He saved me. for my sin, but he called me to tell others that same message. And I don't think this ought to be a unique testimony just to the Apostle Paul. We ought to have that. He called me, and we use that phrase, God's call, as though it's something only for missionaries, something only for pastors or Christian workers. He's calling every one of us to be involved in this great ministry. Remember last time we talked about the theme verse, and the first two words of that verse are what? How beautiful, how wonderful. I mentioned also how Thayer's Greek definitions, the very last definition, remember what the very last definition was of the word, how beautiful of the The work of mission, the noble work of missions, but the verse talks about the priesthood gospel of peace. There is a word in there that means noble. Noble, and that fits the theme here. But the apostle Paul was tying the two things together, salvation and service, in that same passage. Not as though they're distinct from each other, but they're connected. Not one the same, but they are connected together. Now let's go, we're going to look at Paul's testimony of his divine call on his life. We're going to switch, and I guess another verse that's even more detailed, and we're going to pick this one verse apart and see as he talks about his own testimony, his call. The future missions and you. All right. This is for when it says future missions and you, not just him, Not just Micaiah. Yeah, him too, but all of us. This is to fit all of us. Here we find, go with me in 1 Timothy 1, verse 12. Now what we're gonna do, we're just gonna take this one verse now and we're gonna pull it apart into its different parts. We're gonna look at different parts And as we look at the Apostle Paul and what he expressed in his own testimony of his call to the ministry, not just salvation, but he gets more specific down to the ministry itself. All right, what we're going to do, 1 Timothy 1, verse 12, it says, And I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Let's take, first of all, the phrase Christ Jesus, our Lord. And I'm going to sign on every part that we pull on, I'm going to sign a word to it to help us understand the meaning of that phrase. This is, he says, I thank Christ, Jesus, our Lord. As far as his call, there was an initiator. It was initiated. Now this was not initiated by someone else. He says, Jesus, our Lord did this. You know, parents and pastors can have a big influence. Someone coming and speaking during a mission conference can have an influence. God can use that. But ultimately, it's going to be Christ, Jesus, our Lord, who does the work. This is such a lofty and divine thing that happens. The God of the universe places us under full and complete obligation. If he calls, we need to stand up and listen. But the Apostle Paul talks about the initiator as Jesus Christ, our Lord. We can thank, we can be thankful for adults and parents and pastors, youth directors, whatever, youth pastors in our life. But I want to encourage all of us to really begin getting our heart in a state that has no will of its own so that the Lord Jesus Christ can call us and use us however He wants to. That call may be to go to some distant part of the earth. It may be that God calls you to stay in East Flat Rock. Is that just as divine? Is that just as wonderful? Absolutely. But the point is being able to let God be in control. Let the Lord Jesus Christ be the one that you let reign in your life. And you say, Lord, here I am. I'll do whatever. I'll go wherever. Have you ever said that? Have you ever let Christ be Lord of your life? Have you ever come forward in a service, maybe knelt at front or at a pew or at home with your mom or dad? and prayed, dear God, I belong to you. I'm willing to do whatever I want you to be, Lord of my life. Here we find in Acts chapter 26. Let's see, did I jump ahead there? No, okay, I'm better. God originally spoke through Ananias to the apostle Paul. But here in Acts chapter 6, Paul's testimony again about his call to take the gospel to the Gentiles. He says, and he said, this is Paul talking about rehearsing again when he came to Christ, and they're on the road to Damascus. He says, to make reference to that conversion, he says, and I said, who art thou, Lord? The Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. But arise and stand upon thy feet, for this end have I appointed unto thee." I've appeared unto thee to appoint thee a minister, a witness, unto whom I send thee to open their eyes, that thou mayest turn from darkness, turn them from the darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Who's the initiator? Again, we find in his testimony, it was the Lord. And let me say something, when God works in that way, I remember when my wife and I, before we were married students at Bob Jones, we were up in the the dating parlor. Some of you remember what that was. It looked like a big furniture store. It's where the administrative offices are. And that was just a big old, like a big football field full of couches. We used to call it the furniture store. That's what it looked like. How many of you remember that? And I, we could almost go back, but I've tried to go back now, but it's full of offices and stuff though. That very spot where this gal right here and I, we prayed, Lord, Lord, Master, where would you have us to go? What do you want us to do? We're willing to do whatever. And I won't go into the details, but it was during that time of prayer, God moved in our hearts the same way. And we ended up in Mexico. Never doubting, because we knew He was initiating it. It was not something that we invented or that we personally pursued because of personal interest. He initiated this. I mean, let me tell you, you can have confidence that if you pursue God as your Lord, He will be the initiator of your life. And believe me, when He initiates, what He initiates, it's wonderful. How beautiful. are the feet of them. That positive, that excitement of what God can do. All right. So we see there's an initiator. Paul talked about that. This is the one that I look to. He is the one who led. Let's take another portion. What should we do? Let's take this down. Okay. Who hath enabled me? All right. I put here, there's an equipper. How's that? Um, By the way, my English is not always the best. I should be. I mean, I took English three times at Bob Jones. I mean, I should be. Hey, Quipper, we have to believe who God initiates, who he calls, he's going to equip. How many times have I spoken with someone who said, I'd love to, but I just can't do that. Oh, that's beyond me. I look at them. Those who He calls for His service, He quips to do it. If someone stands back and thinks, I can never do that, guess what? You'll never do it. It's simple. Those that stand back and say, man, that's beyond me, I could never do that. But trusting God, Lord, you'll just help me do it. Then they do it. It's amazing. This past week, I had a interview with a young man who's going to be going on one of our short-term ministries. And I was told about this young man, that he's very quiet. He's not the smartest guy. Struggles in school. I read the references from his pastor, youth pastor, work supervisor, dorm supervisor. We do all of our background checks. All of them said the same thing. Well, you know, he has a hard time speaking. Communication's not real good. Boy, studies, he just barely is making it through in his studies. But boy, does he have a burden for souls. He's always out there telling people about Christ. He's going on and on and on. I'm going, I want to meet this guy. Yes, and we did accept him into the program. I was excited because in many ways I saw myself in him. I always felt very inadequate. People would think that, but you do. Often you go into the ministry not because you have all the confidence in the world to do it. Isn't that right, Brother Jeff? You don't have confidence to do it. But he is the enabler, the equipper. And when I was done, I said this to Dr. Patterson. And I wrote this down. I says, God gives some men great gifts. And to some men, he gives great limitations. But he blesses them both. Isn't that right? He is the one who will equip us to do what we need to do. If we will just let him be Lord, let him initiate it, give ourselves to him, Lord, whatever you want me to do, okay, I'll do it. It's amazing what happens when we follow that great formula. I don't know if I could ever do this. Moses said, But I'm not eloquent, and I'm slow of speech, and Isaiah, woe unto me, I'm undone because I'm a man of unclean lips. Gideon says, I can't do it, I've only got 300 men, and Paul, I'm less than the least of all saints. Do you know what I mean? But the quipper, and Paul said, he enabled me to do this. I didn't think I could do it, but he made it possible. All right, let's pull down another word. Oh, let me keep going. I'm further in here. Paul was saying this. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves, but our sufficiency is what? It's of God, who also have made us able ministers. He made us. See, he's the equipper. Paul said he's the one who made this possible. All right, let's pull down something else here. How about this? He counted me faithful. All right, what do you think? Another word. I'll tell you. Qualifier. He said, I'm unworthy to do this. Ephesians 3.8 says, unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given? the grace, this unmerited favor and ability. I don't deserve this. I walked about persecuting the church. Who am I? I'm the least that ought to be considered for this. No, you're the one, Paul. Unto me is this grace given, he said. Although unworthy, God has given me this wonderful, unmerited privilege. Oh, the beauty. How beautiful is this whole process that God would choose me, qualify me, allow me to do this. And young people sit back and say, well, you know, I don't know. I'm just really not worthy. All these excuses. Now, we don't have to. And he'll take us and use us to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. You know my wife and me for several years, but you don't really know us. Now, we met, I met her when she was 14 years old. We started dating when she was 15 years old. We got engaged when she was a junior in high school. We come from rough backgrounds, rough homes, difficult homes. We determined we were going to follow Jesus. We're going to make him Lord of our relationship. Started dating, I mentioned she was 15. I was much older, much wiser. I was 17 at the time. What? But we determined, let's do it right. We maintained purity, a spiritual relationship, dated for two years, then we were engaged for three years. I started counting the days down to our marriage at 513. But shy, timid, just, oh man, I was. We gave our lives to serve Christ. We went on deputation, went to Mexico, preached. I taught at a Bible Institute. We planted a church in a little town called Tomas and Chali. In fact, that's where I met Gilberto Lara. We go way back. I gave him a dog when he was a little kid down there. I gave him a Doberman Pinscher. Oh yeah, we go way back. You go way back. I made friends with that boy long years ago. You give a boy a dog and you're friends for life. And that's what happened. We were there three years and nine months. I got sick. We had to leave the field. The Lord was in that. Now we saw a bit of the time. But we've been back to Mexico since then. What a joy to see now believers in Jesus Christ that we saw come to Christ 40 years ago, and now see them with 40 years of Christian growth and maturity. And then come up and say, Brother Mark, I remember you taught me this. I remember you said, I'm going, I did? Listen, make God Lord of your life. Let Him call you, equip you, and just follow what He says. And wow, marvelous things happen. Okay, an initiator, Christ, Jesus our Lord, the equipper, he enabled me. The qualifier, he counted me faithful. As unfaithful as we are, he counts us faithful. All right, let's pull something else down here. Okay, let's see, okay. Putting me into the ministry. All right. There's an assigner. He assigned this. Very specifically, go to the Gentiles, preach Christ. See, he put, Christ put all this together, all the pieces together for us. How often do I work with younger generations? They come on, so finding God's will is so difficult. How am I supposed to know this? And they go on and on and on. And I'm thinking, let Christ be Lord. And he'll even down to the very detail, of the assignment. Here's what I want you to go and do. So Paul said, there was an assigner. He put me into the ministry, very specific. Acts 20, 24 says, but none of these things moved me, neither count on my life dear unto myself, that I might finish my course, all right, with joy, and the ministry. So this is my course. This is what Christ chose for me. This was, this is not your course. This is my course. That's not your assignment. This is my assignment. He had very clear distinction. It was very clear in his mind what God was asking him to do. So this is my course with joy, with joy. Oh, how beautiful. There we go back to Paul. Tell me how wonderful this was. Which I've received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel. of the grace of God. My course, the ministry which I've received of the Lord Jesus, he was very specific in this. I one time asked my son-in-law, we were on vacation together, enjoying time, walking on North Myrtle Beach at a church that allowed us to come and stay at a little beach house, and I said, I have often people come and ask me about the Lord's will. How do you determine the Lord's will? He said, well, what we do now, because there's so much information, we get on the internet, we look and do all these searches and find out where all the needs are and find out where my gifts fit over here and this over here. I'm going, really? Wow. I said, but you know, what did Hudson Taylor do? What about these people before the internet? Let Christ be Lord of your life. Let him be Lord. Turn your life over to him. He will lead, he'll equip, he will direct, he will assign you. I can honestly say that that time when my wife and I were up in the Social parlor, dating parlor, Bob Jones parade. You remember that moment? Did we ever doubt what God, in that moment, there was such a clarity what God was doing. That was pre-internet. By the way, that was pre-computer. We use these things called abacuses, you know. Folks, all I'm asking, let's get back to looking to God. It's very simple. What he's done over the centuries, he's led people in the ministry, make him Lord of your life. Turn your life over to him. Follow him. Keep your life pure. He says, I'll qualify you. I'll equip you. I'll assign you. And when that happens, it's beautiful. It's wonderful. OK, we got five more words. I'll pull something else down. OK, and I think, let's see, let's pull down I. OK, I. This is where I get into some stretching. I reveal my poor English skills, OK? But I had to come up with a term. OK, I. There's a responder. Does that work? You have to have a response. Well, anyways, you're supposed to laugh. You have to have someone who responds. I mean, for all this to happen, someone has to say, yes, here am I. I'm here. I will do this. I will respond. I will make this happen for me in my life. God is enabled. He qualifies. He assigns. But all is for naught if the one he calls does not respond. We can shut the whole thing down if there's not a responder. Are you responding today? Is there in your own heart right now, are you saying, yes, oh, whatever you want me to do, I'll do. Go or stay. I'd tell another story, but I'm not. I'm not going to take the time. It's all for naught if you don't respond. But those who respond make a most wonderful discovery. And in the end, they go, how beautiful is this? How wonderful. All right, I need to hurry. Got one more word. Oops, I got, let me put this up here, Acts 20, 24. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy in the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel. So I've neither counted my life dear to myself, that I might preach what I've received, okay? Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send? who will go for us. Then I said, here, my Lord, send me the respondent responding to it. But last one. One word, OK? What can we put in this one? I rejoice, sir. Sorry. But I had to come up with a term that will communicate rejoicing. I think. And that was the whole point of the message last night. How beautiful and wonderful this is. And we need to get back to that in our churches, that indeed, serve that this side of heaven, there's nothing greater than knowing and serving and telling others of Jesus Christ. There's nothing better than that. And that's what we find over and over and over again in the testimony of the Apostle Paul and the others we find in the scriptures. But last night, the missionaries in the past, they talk about the marvel of it all. But today the marvel is we put ourselves and exalt so many things in our life that ought not be. The rejoicer. I rejoice. This is great. This is wonderful. All right, we've got about three minutes. I've got a video to show you. Daniel Arnold. My name is, a lot of us know Daniel Arnold. I grew up in Mount Calvary. His father was my roommate at Bob Jones. Tells you something. We, but he's a missionary in Germany now. I want you to listen to him, okay? Listen to him talking about the ministry, the joy of his call. All right, we'll get this going here. My name is Daniel Arnold, my wife's name is Jennifer, and we have four children. We are missionaries in Germany. For me, career missions has more to do with not just what I do, but it's really, I figured out once we move to Germany, it's what we are. We live. missions. Christ said, you will be my witnesses, and it's completely being given to the Lord. I think the Lord called me to missions over a period of years. It began actually as an interest in the German language. As that interest grew, and same time my passion for preaching, the Lord just began to just dawn on me the obvious idea Maybe I should preach the truth in Germany. When we first moved to Germany, there really was a sense of being terrified, being called to do this in this new place and this new country. And that sense of weakness turned into really dependence on the Lord to say, OK, Lord, I am weak and I've been called into this big task. You're going to have to do the task. You're going to have to work through us, and that's exactly what we experienced. It's been the Lord at work, and we are just His servants, and the culture learning that has just helped us then to fulfill that task. When I was in college and seminary and looking at mission boards, GFA stood out to me among the other good mission boards that I looked at. And one of the things that really impressed me about GFA was their laser focus on disciple making and church planting. That was something that I knew that made it clear to me that GFA was the right mission board to be a part of. If God were to call you and offer you a full-time job serving him, who would turn down that? If he's the king of kings, and he's the lord of all other rulers on this earth, what an opportunity! Of course, I would say yes to that. I wouldn't trade the life we have there for anything in the world. The blessing of knowing this is where I'm supposed to be plugged in, in this time in history, in the world, and I'm supposed to meet these people and share the gospel with them. Full time, I get to do that. I wouldn't trade that life and this career for anything in the world. I wouldn't trade it for being the CEO of the largest company. I want to be serving the creator of the universe. Let's bow our heads. Father, I pray that this service will not go by without a definite work in the hearts of many here this morning. Help all of us to decide once again to make you Lord of our life and to turn ourselves completely over to you. When I grew up as a young man, let's keep our heads bowed. When I grew up a young man, I remember our pastor would give an invitation just about every service. I remember time after time responding because I wanted God to do work in and through me. I've kind of got away from that a little bit, but I often feel compelled to still go to the Lord's people and urge them to respond. I'd like to know, just with our heads bowed, let me ask you this. It may have been a long time since you've responded in any way to an invitation, but maybe this morning you're saying, yes, Brother Mark, I want to tell the Lord again, afresh and anew, Lord, I want you to be Lord of my life. And the best I know how this morning, once again, where I'm sitting, I'm praying, Lord, forgive me my sins, cleanse me. I'm presenting myself to you once again, 100%, so that you can be Lord of my life, King of my life, to take me, prepare me, fashion me, send me, use me, However you want. Daniel Arnold, the man that fell in the video, I saw him grow up as a child. A little child, timid, shy. Some of you knew him. Now hear him speak with the boldness because he allowed Christ to be Lord of his life and yielded himself. And now he says, there's nothing better than serving the King of Kings. Wow. You want that to be your testimony? Or are you going to allow yourself to be drugged down and continue to live your life in a state of selfish self-centeredness that will never satisfy you? But you say this morning, I am once again saying, God, I'm giving myself to you fresh and a new 100%. Take me, I'm yours. Do with me as you please. I'm going to ask that you just put your hand up and I'll pray for you at the end. Wonderful. Wonderful. Are there others? Good showing. Yes, yes, yes. And I know raising your hand does not change your heart, does not make this happen. There's no grace. What it is is an action, but it's a show of what God is doing in your heart. Now, don't just raise your hand, but allow it to be active, allow it to happen. And let God transform you into that wonderful servant as he would desire. Father, thank you for these that have shown themselves just by raising a hand. We know that that's There's no spiritual work just by raising the hand, but it's a step forward. It's showing that they're willing to respond. Now help them to respond in a way that you'd be most pleased, in a way that will be a step and do the most work in the lives of those you're dealing with. Help these that raise their hand. Help them indeed to make that decision and make the wonderful discovery that when we fully commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, that Father, your grace is poured out upon us and you do great work. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.