I love my brothers in the IFCA, the board members especially, but I love so many of you men. I've got to know so many of you and I'm so thankful for this fellowship. I was sharing with somebody earlier today that I joined the IFCA when I was a youth pastor living in the Imperial Valley of California, one of the hottest places on earth. It's because my pastor is an IFCA member. The church that I came from is an IFCA member church. You know, if you cut many of us, we would bleed IFCA. And so thankful for this fellowship. And so all glory to God for anything that has happened over the last few years that the Lord has allowed me to serve here. It is His church, not my church. As I reminded our church in California, don't put my name on that sign out front. This isn't my church. Please don't put my name on it. If you have the name, your name, Pastor, whatever on your church sign, I'm not saying anything against you. It's just, I'm mindful that this is Jesus's church. You are part of Jesus's church. I'm so grateful to just be a part of it. Isn't it just an honor that the Lord would even save us? What grace, abounding grace. Well, at our 2023 annual convention, we were reminded to fight the good fight, that we are still in a spiritual battle and that the battle lines are heating up. Hopefully we clarified who our enemy is and where we need to fight and where that fight needs to take place and how we are to fight. This year we're looking at our marching orders or how we are going to fight this battle. You see, we need to go back to the basics. That is what a fundamentalist is at its core. We need to return to proclaiming the gospel, equipping the saints, and defending the faith, because war is upon us. In his book, No Reason to Hide, Dr. Erwin Lutzer wrote these words. The moral and spiritual revolution taking place in America is proceeding rapidly and by coercion. Those who oppose this revolution are already paying a heavy price. Our culture is closing in on us, and there's nowhere we can escape. We have to declare where we stand and be prepared to be vilified, canceled, or shamed. All of this is an opportunity for us to prove Christ is more precious to us than our livelihood, our reputations, and even our families. Surrender, sink, or swim. Those are our options. Pressure is coming at us from a variety of sources, legal, cultural, educational, and political. And we have a choice we must make. You know, our fundamentalist forefathers were like Jew. They wanted to be about our father's gospel business. They wanted to preach about our common faith, but open warfare was thrust upon them. They didn't have a choice, like we don't have a choice. But as Lutzer wrote, they had to surrender, sink or swim. IFCA, our time has come. And we cannot and we will not surrender. This world can declare war against Jesus Christ and his church. But let me say it again. We cannot and we will not surrender. All throughout evangelicalism, there are remnants of Christ's church that have been ruined. The church in large measure has not been living faithfully to the scriptures, and as a result, it has declined in many areas. Theological and political liberalism have caused significant damage, leaving many within evangelicalism uncertain about what steps they need to take next. It seems that some people are debating whether we should embrace and support the LGBTQIA plus movements, while others are unsure about whether women should be ordained as pastors. Additionally, some are still focused on the social gospel, on woke culture, on the gender revolution and feminization of the church. The mainline denominations are continuing to decline and fall apart and schism. And it appears that the evangelical church is not far behind. Dr. Stephen Lawson has written, now is the time for the strongest men to preach the strongest message in the context of the strongest ministries. The hour demands battle-tested leaders and heroic figures, men who are unwavering in their biblical convictions. We need those who are willing, if necessary, to stand contra mundum, against the world. This year's convention theme was designed to further emphasize IFCA International's biblical fundamentalism. This year we are diving deeper into our identity. Historically, we've always been about the proclamation of the gospel, the equipping of the saints, and the defense of the faith. Whether we're talking about churches, or schools, or mission agencies, or individuals, IFCA has always been Bible-centered, and we are here this week to reaffirm that fact. Where evangelicalism may have lost its moorings, They may be adrift at sea in this sea of confusion. Our Bible church movement is still anchored to the good old fashioned gospel. And I don't say that with smug pride. I say it with a gravity, knowing that our enemy has brought great devastation to the church all over the world. And so we must stand firm amidst this chaos. This week, we're gonna have three men, fellow IFCA shepherds who are going to deliver messages from the Word of God on each of those three emphases this week. Proclaim, equip, defend. Now, when I did that, I thought, wait a minute, there's four speakers and I go first. So I thought, well, what I'll do is I'll preach on a passage on all three. And then I looked at what they're preaching on and they took all the good ones. But all scripture is inspired of God and it's all profitable. And so I wanted to find a passage that would be an overview to get us focused on our theme. So would you please turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 20. And we're gonna be looking at verses 17 to 38 this evening. Very familiar passage to all of us. And as you find your way there, I would ask the Lord's blessing upon our time tonight in His Word. Would you pray with me? Father, it is always an honor to open your Word. We are humbled that you have given it to us. We're astounded that you have given us your Spirit, that we might understand it. and that you've changed us, you've opened our eyes, you've made us new creatures in Christ. And that we don't only understand this word, but you've empowered us that we might obey it. You have given us your church that our brothers and sisters not only can work side by side with us to accomplish what you have given to us, but they can help us and encourage us and strengthen us and lift us up and do all sorts of things that will help us to be obedient to your word. Your word and your spirit and your church, three beloved gifts that you have given to us. So we ask you tonight, Lord God, in the presence of other brothers and sisters of the body of Christ, that as we open up this precious word, that your spirit would do his work tonight in our hearts. We pray that you would not only help us to see it here clearly, what it means to proclaim, equip, and defend, but we pray, Lord God, that you would encourage our hearts that when we are doing these things, we are on the right track, no matter what the whispers of the serpent might be telling us. We pray, Lord God, that we might not be discouraged when we don't see the fruit that we had hoped for, but that we would fervently pray and lay these things before you, Lord God, and continue to faithfully do what you have called us to do. So much of your church, Lord God, is confused. We pray for them, Lord, that you might open their eyes, renew them so that they come back to you and to the clear teaching of your word. But for us, Lord God, we pray that with sobriety of thought and mind, we might pick up the task that you've given to us and continue to charge forward in this mighty war that you have placed us in. It is in Christ Jesus' name that we pray and ask these things. We ask that you would speak for your servants are listening. Amen. And we're familiar with the setting of Paul's conversation with the elders from the church in Ephesus. He had skipped a trip to Ephesus on his return to Jerusalem, hoping that he'd be able to make it back to the holy city by Pentecost. So instead of going to Ephesus, he sent word to have the elders meet him at the port of Miletus, so he could give them some direction and guidance before he continued on his journey. Paul's words, once again, establish our theme, proclaim, equip. defend. These are the norm for the church's ministry. And I say we should not be looking for the newest thing. We should be looking for the biblical thing. And it's here, it's clear in scripture. So I want us to consider each one in our text and their implications for our local ministries and the overall situation that we're facing in the church today. Let me read verses 17 down to verse 24. As we look at the first theme piece that we see tonight, and that's that piece proclaim, proclaiming the word of God, proclaiming the gospel. Acts chapter 20, beginning of verse 17. This is the word of the living God. Now from Miletus, he, that being Paul, sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, you yourselves know from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how it was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials, which came upon me through the plots of the Jews, how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you publicly and from house to house. solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me. But I do not make my life of any accounts nor dear to myself. so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God." As Paul gathers with the elders, he briefly rehearses his ministry among them when he remained there in Ephesus for three years, teaching them. according to verse 31, at great personal cost. What we see in verses 20 to 24 are two essential elements of the faithful Christian's proclamation. This is what we need to be doing when we proclaim. First of all, notice verse 20 again with me. Let me read it again. Paul writes, how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable. And here's the first part, that first essential elements of faithful Christian proclamation, is that your message must be proclaimed unashamedly. This word, means to not hold back, not withhold anything. Don't shrink back, don't avoid anything. Cupostello, we see it again in verse 27. Paul didn't have a list of topics that were off limits for the church. Hot button issues that he knew he couldn't speak about. He didn't avoid speaking about what got the deacons mad at him or what would cause the ladies in church to come after him. or that made those charter members write one of those anonymous letters that we all hate getting. See, over time, Paul would have learned what those things were, and he could have sheltered himself from that. I mean, he's an itinerant pastor. Why bother with getting them all upset? I can just take out my little licorice stick candy sermons that everybody likes, the ones that everybody gets happy about, the one that everybody amens and appreciates, and I can move on to the next place. Why get them mad? But Paul knew what the church needed to hear. And he gave them that. He gave them what they needed, not only what they wanted. And the fear of men didn't play into his teaching decisions. He wasn't like the child-centered mom who doesn't want a showdown over green beans or peas. So they simply feed the kid what he wants. Paul knew that sometimes the church needs to hear what it least wants to hear. And he unashamedly spoke the truth to them. We see a glimpse of the opposite in Galatians chapter two, don't we? Where Paul not only confronted the apostle Peter about his hypocrisy, but he also called out Barnabas, that dear old friend who helped him when he was a baby Christian. Listen to Paul's words from Galatians 2. Paul wrote, for prior to the coming of certain men from James, he, that being Peter, used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they came, he began to shrink back and separate himself, fearing the party of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. This is nothing but the fear of man. If you can't face down a troublesome deacon, a cranky old lady in your church, or an anomalous letter, how are you going to face the world when they come at us? It can get us on the track to compromise where we inch by inch concede ground to the real enemies of the cross. And instead of fighting against the title change in our world today, all too many Christians have become spiritual tofu, where they have adapted to the world and adopted their way of thinking. Instead, let me remind you, we must proclaim the truth. All of it. In 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 4, Paul wrote these words, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, listen to these last words, brothers, but God who examines the hearts. Instead of being afraid of what men might think or even what they might do, we have to remember that we are called to a higher authority of our ministry in Christ Jesus. Listen again to the Apostle Paul as he confronted those who had compromised in Galatia. He was so shocked that he says this in Galatians 1.10, For am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a slave of Christ. Who bewitched you? He said. Who got a hold of you? Who messed you up? Who shook you up? Who caused you to compromise in this way? Paul threw away respectability. He threw away reputation. Knowing that all too often to be accepted by those who are the respectable, you need to lay aside the precious message that we are called to proclaim the loudest. Brothers and sisters, we must proclaim it unashamedly. And if you're a young pastor here, let me just speak to you for a second. Brothers, you will never be accepted by the academy in the way that you hope to. So if you're gonna chase after that, we have great scholars in our movement, great scholars, but you go talk to them. They are not considered equals in the academy. And they never will be because they believe this book is true. Don't give up the word of God to chase after the approval of men. Notice as well, in verses 21 and following, Paul shows us a second mark of this message that we need to proclaim. He says that our message has to be proclaimed unreservedly, not just unashamedly, but we can't hold some back. Notice in verse 21 and following, he says here, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now behold, bound by the Spirit, I'm on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me, that I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may finish my course in the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus. to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. Notice, as he doesn't hold back, what he doesn't hold back, because it's not just his message. He says in verse 20, he didn't hold back anything that was profitable. Anything that is profitable. Now remember what it says in 2 Timothy 3.16 about the scriptures. All scripture is profitable. So he wasn't just in the New Testament. He wasn't just in the epistles. He just wasn't in his favorite book or his favorite gospel or his favorite topics, his favorite theological hobby horse. No, he gave it all to them. Everything is profitable, brothers and sisters. And Paul made sure that his spiritual children were mighty in the word and could fend for themselves when he knew that the enemy is prowling around looking for whom he can devour. So he gave them everything that he thought was profitable. And that's everything. Notice as well, when he's not holding back, he's unreservedly proclaiming. Verse 20 reminds us that he also did it anywhere. There wasn't a limit to his ministry. It says that he proclaimed this message publicly and privately. There wasn't a place that couldn't be used as a gospel outpost. It doesn't matter if it's in the jungle or in the city. It doesn't matter if it's in the suburbs or the North Pole. If there are people there, they need to have the word of God proclaimed to them. It was so good to hear Chaplain Allender's report, because out there, they needed the gospel, and he took it to them. He was faithful. Wherever you're at, they need it there. So don't give up and don't run away. They need the gospel there, wherever that is, publicly, privately. Wherever God has you stationed, that's where the gospel needs to go. He's like, well, I'm just a lay person. Right where you're at, that's where they need the gospel. If it's in a mechanic's garage, if it's in a school classroom, if it's in a kitchen in the back of a restaurant, they need the gospel there. Paul didn't reserve it for only special places. Anything that's profitable, anywhere, notice it also says in verse 21, to anyone. It says to Jews and Greeks. That's everybody. Paul was picky, wasn't he? It says here he only preached to sinners. I don't touch the perfect people. If you were human and you had a heartbeat, you're gonna get the gospel message from Paul. That's the way it should be for us. We don't need a Saddleback Sam. We need to preach the gospel everywhere, to every person. Jew and Greek. So don't reserve the gospel just for your special niche. Preach it to everyone. And notice not only anything that was profitable anywhere, anyone, verses 22 to 25 tell us, at any cost. So don't think that this kind of commitment to the gospel proclamation doesn't come at a cost, because it does. We've already seen that it costs reputation, but it will also cost you time. It'll cost you money. It'll cost you comfort. It will demand everything from you. And Paul was willing to pay the price. And we must ask ourselves, are we willing to pay the price? In February, I was with Wang Kentong Lien Tsao. We went to very dangerous places. And what was impressive was that the missionary pastors that were out there were told, if you're afraid, you can come off the field, but I don't have anywhere safer for you. Everywhere is dangerous. And right after I came back, a dear couple, a pastor and his wife, and I think they're even their child, were arrested. And they were asked, will you leave the field because you're scared? Where will we go? They need the gospel. It will cost us. And here in the States, where we think it's safe, it's going to cost us. But right now, while we have safety, we might as well preach our socks off. Like you, I'm often wondering about where our country and our world is going. I sometimes wonder if we're gonna go to war. The other day I was sitting someplace and I was just watching people. And I was watching these young people walking by When I think about these things, I sometimes think, would we be able to fight the way that the men fought in World War II? I look at these people and I'm wondering, hmm. Now, I know we have brave soldiers. I don't disparage them and their courage, but what happens if we need to start pulling from the general population of men when we don't even know what a man is in our society? Because we need a greater number of soldiers. Are the men today made of the same stuff that the men of World War II were made of? Now I bring that up because I want you to think about the church. Are we ready for the war that we've been called to engage in? Are we willing to sacrifice? Are we willing to sweat? Are we willing to give our all to proclaim the message of the gospel? We most likely will be tested soon enough in this country, just as other believers have been all over the world. We've already been called into service to preach the word. And so may we do so with great courage. Proclaim. Paul did it. Paul did it. Notice secondly, equip. Equip. Let's look at verses 26 to 28. It says, therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among whom the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. Equip. Equip the saints. I want you to notice here, first of all, Paul was confident. Because he didn't withhold anything in his teaching, he's confident that he prepared the church to face life in ministry. He knew if the Lord took him out, if the Lord moved him to another site, if something else happened, if they got him and they were trying, he said, I did my best. This faithfulness in ministry meant that he knew that should the Lord take his life, he could stand before the Lord God, knowing that he did all he could to prepare the church in his absence. We don't know how long we have. We don't know how long the Lord would tarry, but we need to be ready and prepared. And Paul was confident. Notice also in verse 28, that Paul was careful. He identified the enemy, and then he grew the church in discernments. He was careful. Paul warned these elders, they need to be on guard for the attacks of the enemy upon their own souls. And we continue to see pastors being taken out of ministry, because they didn't watch their life in doctrine closely. Paul's warning to the elders, be on guard for yourselves. I wish I could say there are no IFCMN that have fallen this way, but I can't. I can't. And you all know it. You all think about the Bible school guys, the seminary guys, the guys on the mission field, you know them. And you're thinking, my goodness, what happened? They didn't watch their doctrine and their lives closely. Paul's careful. He's careful for himself. First, pastor, you need to be careful for yourself. Many of you guys rode on planes to the convention, and the safety instructions, for a lot of you, you travel a lot, and so maybe you don't even listen to them anymore, but you've got them tattooed on your brain. The attendants tell you that you should, should you need oxygen, pull it tight. put it on you. I could probably give those instructions myself, and so could some of you. But you'll remember that they tell you if you're going to help somebody, put your oxygen on first and then help them. Why? Because if you lose consciousness because of a lack of oxygen, then you can't help others. You are useless to them. And the same goes for watchfulness. Watch your own life. Because if the devil takes you out, then you will destroy other people around you. Watch your life. But notice the warning to be careful wasn't only for self. It extended to the flock as well. And all of it, even the stubborn sheep, the sheep that wander. You were made an overseer, pastor. You were made an overseer by the great shepherd, not by a pastoral search committee. God made you an overseer and you will answer to God. Look at the text. The Holy Spirit made you an overseer. So be careful for yourself and for your flock. As you seek to equip them, equip them to live holy and godly lives. Live it yourself. Paul wasn't only careful, notice that he was calculated. Look at verse 28. He prepared them to self-govern the church. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. Just as Paul wrote to Timothy, we have to be aware that our time will come when we have to remain, but we can't. We're being called away. We're being pulled away. We're being removed. And we have to make certain that we've not hobbled them so they can't function without us. Sometimes we receive desperate calls from churches. The pastor is gone for a various number of reasons, but it's some poor committee member, some poor deacon, some elder, they don't know what they're gonna do, and they need help. And we ask them, well, what did your pastor do? He didn't do anything, he's just gone. Then there's lots of reasons, and some of them are very legitimate reasons, but what's not legitimate is that we don't prepare them. In 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 3 to 7, Paul wrote this to Timothy. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. And so Paul preparing Timothy says, but you, Timothy, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry, for I'm already being poured out as a drink offering. And the time of my departure has come, I fought the good fight, I finished the course, I've kept the faith. And we read that it's so inspiring, but don't read it from the point of Paul, read it from the point of Timothy. Has your Timothy been prepared for when the Lord would take you away? Think about him. Because he needs you to invest in him. He needs you to pour into him. So be calculated. You may be thinking, I'm going to be free from ministry in five years. Well, then you've got five years. Calculate it. How will you equip this church and possibly the man that will replace you in that church? Don't just say, hey, it's not my problem. That's not biblical, brothers. That's not biblical. You are the shepherd of that church. To leave them unattended is to throw them to the wolves. It's not biblical to just leave them alone and let them be. Take care of them. We see that as well. in verse 28, that Paul was caring. Notice what he says at the end of that verse. He's constantly aware that this is God's precious flock. It's the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. How precious is that? And Paul is caring. They're God's people. They're not our people. He paid for them. We are called to proclaim the truth to them, to equip them by pointing them to Christ, and then to defend them as shepherds who love them. We must care for them in this way, by equipping them. I found it interesting that our covenantal brothers modeled their current resurgence on much of our own history. I don't know if you know that. You may be going, what in the world is going on with all these covenant theologians? And I don't even like that word, because some of them aren't very good theologians. They're just covenantal. So I'll call them covenantal brothers. We should call ourselves dispensational theologians. That's our new name now. So we're all theologians. But you may be wondering, where did that come from? They learned from history and in many ways have recreated what was done in our earlier days. Now, I'm not just making that up. I've thought of that, but then I found proof of it. Listen to what R.C. Sproul wrote back in 2020 in Ligonier's Table Talk magazine. He wrote, in the present scene of American evangelicalism, Reformation theology is a minority reports. The dominant strands of theology that reign in current evangelical circles are dispensationalism and neo-Pentecostal charismatic thoughts. The phenomenal spread and growth of dispensational theology in America is a fascinating chapter in church history. having its roots in British Plymouth Brethren suppositions, dispensationalism spread rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fueled, listen, fueled by the Bible school movements, prophecy conferences, and the preaching of men like D.L. Moody, dispensationalism gathered enormous popular support. The American version of dispensationalism got a great boost by the publication of the Schofield Reference Bible. The Schofield Bible, with its study notes, served as a popular tool for the spread of dispensational theology. This theology was forged by men who had their roots predominantly in Reformation thoughts. Now, why do I read this from Sproul? Because R.C. Sproul was one of the architects of the Reformation resurgence And it's the fruit we see today. But he looked to our history, and he saw that we proclaimed, equipped, and defended through Bible institutes, through conferences, through preaching, and through printing. So what does Ligonier and many other covenantal ministries do? Things like the Reformation Study Bible. the Reformation Bible College, preaching conferences, and many popular level ways of reaching the church the way we did. So what do we do? We go back to our roots. And by the way, we're not doing this to compete with covenant theology, but because we believe that we have a better way. We have a clearer, more biblical message. Let's get back to being committed to equipping the way we used to. We can do it in our churches, we can do it in our Sunday school classes, we can do it in our pulpits, but we need to be sending out our laymen to find Bible colleges and institutes. not just the pastorally minded men, yes, send them too, but encourage everyone to get Bible training at dispensational schools. Do you need some names? Look in your IFCA directory, go out and visit some of these displayers. And we need to get back to writing and printing and starting more conferences and using every venue we can to make certain that we are equipping the church with the word of God. That's what we did. That's what we were so good at. And that's what spread all across the country and then all over the world. And we need to get back to doing it with excellence again. And then finally, proclaim, equip, defend. Paul did that as well, didn't he? Look at verses 29 to 31. Paul continued to speak to these elders at Miletus. He says, I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves, men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be watchful, remembering that night and day for a period of three years, I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. Proclaiming is necessary because people need to be saved from this wicked generation. Equipping needs to happen because that's part of making disciples. But we also recognize that the enemy is still out there. He's lurking. He's watching. He's preparing to pounce. He's hateful. He's blood thirsty. He's wily and he's a rage filled demon whose aim is to destroy. And we have to prepare ourselves not to run nor to hide. We can't close our mouths. We can't stop doing the holy work that the Lord has given to us. As part of our equipping, we not only need to teach our churches that Satan is alive and well, and how we can defend against the schemes of that serpent of old, but we need to teach them several other things. First notice verse 29. There's the danger. Notice it says there are savage wolves from outside the church. These are the ones that we are often most aware of. But sometimes we're ignorant of Satan's schemes, even those that openly oppose the gospel. Brethren, you don't need to be an expert on every wind of doctrine and those false teachers out there, but you need to know enough to guard your flock from the dangers that are looming in your community, in the homes of your people, In some places, one cult, one false religion, one damning heresy may pop up, it may grow, it may be strong, it may be present there. You ought to know that one. You need to be ready. Keep an ear out, always listening, always watching, always aware. Notice the danger also that Paul references in verse 30, is that not only are they from outside the church, but the scarier one is that savage rules from inside the church may come. Matthew 7, 15, our Lord said, beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Now they look like sheep at first, but later they reveal their true identities. The mask comes off. John warned of this in 1 John 2. In verses 18 and 19, John said, children, it is the last hour. And just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared. From this, we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us. For if they were of us, they would have remained with us, but they went out so that we'd be manifested that they all are not of us. Now, wouldn't it be great if they just left? But that's not the way it goes, is it? They leave havoc behind them. They take with them, they drag away the unaware, the innocents, the naive. Brothers, we are not hired hands or cowards. That is not us. You remember what Jesus said about that? In John 10, Jesus said, he who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches and scatters them because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. As we think about these things, about the dangers, here's what we need, our courageous men. We need them to lead Christ church. If you're the kind of man who sends his wife to check out the sound you hear in the middle of the night, then you shouldn't be a pastor, you shouldn't be an elder. If you run from the fight, if you seek to please men more than God, if you think the ministry is all about love and never about combat, then you need to sit down, have a serious conversation with the Lord about your calling. Because every pastor and every elder needs to be ready on any given day to go to battle with a wolf. You need to be ready to bleed every day. And you just need to settle in your hearts that the wolves are gonna have to step over your body to get to your people because you will not give in, so help us God. Why? Because the wolf is a vicious killer. Let's read on. Notice the drawing away. This is the danger, but it gets worse. In verse 30, from among your own selves, men will arise speaking perverse things. Why? To draw away the disciples after them. Speaking these perverse things for this purpose. They want their own disciples. In nature, the wolf doesn't always kill, he eats. Sometimes it just kills for sport. Sometimes it just kills and leaves the body. The spiritual wolf drags away the person who's naive or unspiritual. Maybe it's an unbeliever. Maybe it's a do great damage to their soul, perhaps even damaging the elf with false teaching that leads them astray. And notice that Satan is attacking the message proclaimed with his own counterfeit message. These wolves want followers for themselves. And remember, they aren't attempting to steal your followers, but Christ's. This isn't about popularity. It isn't as if they're going to an evangelical church across town. No, these are your people following a destructive false teacher that causes great mayhem in families and marriages and livelihoods, along with the damning of their souls. This is what they leave behind. And if you've been in ministry for any length of time, you know that. And there should be a great hatred in your heart for the enemy, for what he does within the church of Jesus Christ, a place that should be safe, but often is not. So what do we do? Notice the defense in verse 31. Therefore, be watchful. Remembering that night and day for a period of three years, I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. This is the purpose. Why do we do this? This is the end of equipping. Be watchful, be alerts, be faithful in teaching. Night and day for three years, he didn't cease to admonish. There was a desperation in his teaching. be invested in their lives as well. Notice he did it with tears. It wasn't a coldness. His pulpit was not a seminary class. He communicated the gospel and all of the word of God with a great love for the sheep that were there before him. And he invested in them. You know, my wife and I homeschooled our four daughters from beginning to end. first through 12th grade. I'm not saying everybody needs to do that. That was our choice for our particular situation. So because of that, when our eldest daughter went to college, it was the first time she actually went into a classroom with other students in a traditional setting. It was the weirdest thing. As we watched our daughter walk away into the buildings at the community college near our home, I looked at my wife and I said, so this is what happens to most parents at kindergarten. The day before she started school, I sat down with her and I told her that the world out there is very different from the Christian home that she was used to. I warned her about leaving her backpack and computer in the library, that doing so would result in her things being stolen. I told her to walk in well-lit areas, to be aware of her surroundings. I also warned her about going into empty buildings by herself at night, as well as other things she needed to know to stay safe. I was trying to balance my fatherly advice with warning while also not terrifying her. I wanted to proclaim, to equip, and in the event she met trouble, to teach her how to defend herself. She had lived in a sheltered world, blissfully unaware of the dangers outside, but as a father who loves his daughters, I needed to disturb that worldview at the right time. for her best interest. She needed to know what to expect. She needed to know how to deal with it. And because I love her, it was my duty to equip her and to teach her how to defend herself. And we have to do the same for the little lambs that have been committed to us. Brothers and sisters, We have much work to do. We need to proclaim the gospel. We need to equip the saints, and we need to defend the faith. That's why IFCA exists, as we advance the cause of Christ. And that's why you and your church and your ministries exist. May we be about our Father's business, and out of our efforts, may we see the church strengthened and revived once more. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your word. We thank you that you, as a heavenly Father, have done all these things for us. You sent your son to proclaim that gospel. You sent your prophets to proclaim that gospel. You gave us the word of God to proclaim that gospel. And then you sent your people to equip and to defend. Oh, how we need this message for the church today. It is under assault. You know that, you see that, but you have given us the way. You have shown us in your word what we are supposed to be doing. We pray, Lord God, that you would help us. It is a job that cannot be done without you. We cannot even hope to accomplish this goal in our own strength, but we are so grateful that we're not alone. We have you, we have your word, we have your spirit, we have one another. And so we pray, Lord God, that this week, we would think about how, in our own ministry context, we can be about this business of proclaiming, equipping, and defending. We thank you for IFCA and the part that it has in each of our ministries, each of our lives. We pray, Lord God, that you would help us to continue down the road of obedience in doing all these things in a way that is well-pleasing to you. It's in Christ Jesus' name that we pray and ask these things. Amen.