Gods Power is Perfect : 03-03-23

The main ideas from this transcription are: - The speaker greets and interacts with various people in the beginning of the video. - The speaker talks about his upcoming birthday and someone else's birthday. - The speaker mentions going to the dentist and his dislike for it. - The speaker prays for someone's midterm, a safe day at work, and for someone and their kids. - The speaker discusses the importance of discipline, work ethics, and integrity in the workplace as a Christian. - The speaker reads from the Bible about conducting oneself honorably among non-believers in the workplace. - The speaker emphasizes the importance of actions in sharing the gospel, not just words. Alright, good morning everybody, let's see who's on here. Good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning everybody, good morning, good morning, good to see all of you this morning, praise God, let's see, good morning, good morning, good morning, Ms. Christina, good to see you, good morning, I see Prophet, good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning, love it, good morning, Joe, good morning sir, I hope you are doing good this morning, praise God on this beautiful Friday morning, let's get our hellos in order here, how are we doing everybody, good morning, good morning, good morning, good to see you this morning everybody, love it, good morning, Joby 1222, good morning, good to see you this morning, good to see you, good morning, good morning, Nate, good to see you sir, Indiana, good to see you, Steve Harvey's dad, you know, I think Steve Harvey is older than me, that's a bummer that you make me his dad, because I'm going to be 60 in a few days, and I think Steve Harvey is in his late 60s, however, maybe that's an indicator of my, that I look old, so yes, glad you had a great birthday, yes, Ms. Debbie's birthday is today, we're going to celebrate, and my birthday is in two days, so thank you so much, thank you, good morning, good morning, good morning, I'm at the dentist, ooh, whoa, brother, relax, open your mouth, say ah, ah, I, you know what's one of my least favorite things is going to the dentist, good morning, good morning, good morning, happy birthday Ms. Debbie, right, good morning Ms. Debbie, happy birthday Ms. Debbie, who knows, okay, I'm going to, good morning JT, good to see you this morning, hey, who knows this, this phrase, happy birthday Gibby, does anybody know where that's from, happy birthday Gibby, I know, I shouldn't know that, that a man who's almost about to turn 60, but when you, you know, anybody know what that, happy birthday Gibby, early happy birthday, thank you, thank you, good morning Pastor Paul, I have a big midterm in an hour, can you pray, Father God, I pray for this individual with regards to midterms, Lord, I know they've done the possible, but the impossible Lord is that you bring that recall, that they will take that test, that there will be a calmness, they will focus, and they will have a great outcome because they did the work, Father, we ask this in the name of Jesus, amen, alright, you're going to do good on that, there you go, I, Carly, I, Carly, alright, good, because when I said that on my video, I just said, people are going to probably wonder what was I talking about when I said happy birthday Gibby, but there you go, alright, God bless you Pastor Paul, long time no see, well, Jake, here we are, we're here, thank you for joining us, and HBD, Miss Deb, happy birthday, amen, I had to think about that, HBD, HDB, alright, but yeah, she's, she matter of fact, you know Miss Debbie works a part time job, so she just left, and she works just around the corner, so she went to go do her thing, she works at a little school, and so, amen, I love it, pray for me please, I just, what, pray for me please, I just ate six bags of Taco Bell, yeah, Brother Ray, good morning, yeah, you're going to be in trouble with that, but, good morning Pastor Paul, mind if you pray for a safe day at work for me, Father God, I pray for this individual, that they have a safe day, that you put a head protection around them, that you watch over them, that you keep them, that you would bless them and show favor upon them, I ask this in the name of Jesus, amen, alright, pray for me and my kids, Pastor, Father God, I pray for this sister and her kids, Lord, you know the circumstance, you know the situation, but I pray for them, that you watch over them, that you keep them, Father, whatever that, whatever that situation is, whatever that need is, Lord, I pray that you would just watch over them with your powerful hand, Father God, we ask this in the name of Jesus, amen, alright, praise God, good morning Pastor Paul, good morning John, good morning Brother Roy, good morning, good to see you Brother Zion, thank you, just got off work, alright, well, you know what, make sure you drive careful while listening, if you're not, if you're at home, that's ok, get some rest today, alright, speaking of work, let's talk about something this morning, hey Brother JT, guess what, I got to meet with a pastor at 9 o'clock, so I'm going to squeeze you in sometime today, I see your emails, thank you so much, here we go, can I ask for prayer, absolutely Brother John, what's going on, let me pray for you real quick before we get started on this, what's going on, good morning Pastor Paul, please pray for my day at work, oh, I'm going to add up two of those right there, what way to start the day morning with Pastor Paul, thank you, and coffee, amen, coffee talk with Pastor Paul, alright, what a way, please pray for me, my left eye, the doctor gave me eye drops that has caused my eyes to, it led to droop, ok, ok, traveling from New York to South Carolina, alright, alright, Father God, I just pray for the individual, that they would have traveling grace, that you'd watch over them and keep them, I pray for the individual with regards to the eyelid issue, what's going on Father God, there was a third prayer, and there's some more prayers Lord, and I don't remember them all, but Lord you know the petitions, you know the requests, you know what is needed Father God, and Lord you're able to restore, you're able to heal, you're able to bless, you're able to watch over, you're able to keep this, for Lord I am persuaded nothing can separate us from your love Father God, and Lord I pray in the name of Jesus for each person under the sound of my voice, that you would just bless them, keep them, watch over them, give them a peace that surpasses all understanding Father God, that you would keep them, and Father the word says that what you start you will bring to completion Father God, and we stand on your word, because our faith is in you, Father we ask this in the precious powerful name of Jesus, Amen, Amen, alright, there we go, let's get started, Brother James, thank you so much, good to see you, good to see you, a veteran, a man of God, a man that loves his country, I can't remember the other one, but there was, I think there was four, but praise God, alright, this morning let's talk about, remember DWI, not the acronym for driving while intoxicated, but remember DWI, anybody can remember what DWI stands for, we talked about it the other day, DWI, what does that stand for, we were talking about men, but you can apply this, male, female, doesn't matter, what does DWI stand for, who's going to give me some feedback on that, nope, alright, you're going to hear, what is it, DWI, what does that stand for, from my perspective, what was I teaching, good morning Lambrails, good to see you, good morning, good morning, good morning, what does DWI, anybody stand for, anybody remember DWI, what does the D stand for, let's do it that way, maybe it's less the time, what does the D stand for in DWI, a not, daily word, I like that, but that wasn't it, I like that, remember, DWI, does anybody remember this, I remember you say DWI, these are the three things, department, alright, devotional, I like that too, I like that too, discipline, alright, Cole, discipline, that's the first one, DWI, discipline, number two, what does the W stand for, does anybody remember, what does the W stand for, anybody, in DWI, what did the W stand for, anybody, wisdom, I like that too, that's good, work ethics, oh man, Cole, oh my lord, work ethics, number two, and the I, what would the I stand for, Cole, are you going to nail this one too, what would that I stand for, anybody, in DWI, what does that I stand for, inspiration, I like that, but what does that I stand for, in DWI, intimacy, I love it, Cole got that dog in him, intention, I like that, but that wasn't it, that wasn't it, DWI, discipline, W is work ethics, and then there's I, integrity, DWI, discipline, work ethics, integrity, these are very important, as a matter of fact, they're my code of honor, you know, discipline yourself, when it comes to being a Christian, discipline yourself to be in the word, to be continuously studying and prayer, continuously praying, that discipline, discipline yourself, we know that the Bible says to make disciples, that's all that means, a disciplined student, now that discipline can be in every aspect of your life, even as a father, as a parent, let's say a parent, because I don't want to leave out our ladies, but as a parent, discipline yourself to make sure you spend quality time with your children, discipline yourself to make sure that you communicate with them, discipline yourself, that you watch over them and keep them, you can apply this anywhere in your lives, and so, with that being said, then work ethics, work ethics, this is so important, folks, I want to be an example, so, yes, I left a six-figure job two and a half years ago, a little over two and a half years ago, to focus on ministry, well, the ministry is a beautiful thing and it's a great thing, but things have slowed down and there's some obligations that I must meet, so what do I do? My consulting gig slowed down, and so what did I do? I got a job at Ace, does not even pay as close, but what is it doing? It's a work ethic, I'm not just going to sit at home, I don't collect unemployment, now, don't get me wrong, I know there's some people out there, they have to collect unemployment because maybe where they live, that's the only job, or maybe the jobs are saturated with employees and they have to do what they have to do, I get that, but for the most part, I'm not going to sit and collect money, but I'm going to go work because I have work ethics, I have to stay busy, I am built to stay busy, and last but not least, integrity, integrity is so important, let your yeses be yeses and let your noes be noes, we have to have integrity, we have to be truthful, we have to be transparent, but this morning, I want to talk about work ethics as a Christian, now, where did this evolve from? I talked about it Wednesday night in our Bible study, but I was really thinking about this because when the company I was consulting for said, we don't need your consulting offerings anymore, I started really thinking, okay, was I disciplined enough for them? Was my work ethics where it needed to be, because I started evaluating myself, am I bringing value to the organization, and I continue, good morning, good morning, I continuously do that, and so now that ACES hired me on, and I will be with them, I want to, I started revisiting the Bible, and I said, you know what, I really want to fine-tune what, hang on, this light is just annoying, I really want to fine-tune my offerings or my value to the organization that I'm working for, so what we are going to look at this morning is going to help us as Christians, what does God expect of us as Christians as we work and as we do what we need to do? Alright, so I see right now we have 139 people on here, I would say you guys should take a moment, send an invite to everybody, because this is going to be very helpful to each one of us, so let's get started. Our faith in the workplace, watch this, as a Christian, we should have an incredible work ethic, as a Christian we should be setting the example, as a Christian we should be the shining star within the group of people that we work with. Take your Bibles and turn to 1 Peter 2.11, 1 Peter 2.11, here we go, I need this today, I retired two years ago and I'm now thinking about going back to work, amen, nothing wrong with that, keep your hearts busy, keep busy, I mean don't get me wrong, retirement is good, the only way I say that you could truly, you know, maybe if you retired and you had just like a bazillion dollars in the bank, you know, if that were the case for me, trust me, I would probably be doing missionary work somewhere, I'd be in some jungle or some place and so on, etc., but however that's not the circumstance, but with all that being said, we should stay busy, but let's look at what the word, we're going to look at how should I be a Christian at work, how should I be a Christian at work, working with people in the world, let's look at 1 Peter 2.11, what it says, Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshy lusts which war against the soul, right off the bat, we have the duties regarding our spiritual growth and development, we have a responsibility with regards to our spiritual growth and development, look at that verse again, let's see what it says, but by that responsibility, let's listen to this, Beloved, I beg you as sojourners just passing through, this is not my home, I'm just passing through, as sojourners and pilgrims abstain from fleshy lusts which war against your soul, so that is our responsibility as we develop, as we grow, that is a responsibility that we must overlook and oversee, be very careful, be very careful, you know, sometimes, watch this, let me take a sip of my coffee, I don't know if anybody can relate, have you ever heard of the terminology, my work husband or my work wife, how many of you have heard that, my work husband and my work wife, how many of you have heard that, how many of you have heard that, I got a side note for a second here, has anybody ever heard my work husband or work wife, anybody, anybody, there's a hand up, there's a hand up, there's a hand up, there you go, I think that's an absolutely crazy statement to say this is my work husband, I think that's an absolutely crazy statement to say this is my work wife, because I do believe to some degree there's some underlining innuendos there, when you say this is my work husband or work wife, there's something more there, but look at what the scripture says, Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims abstain from fleshy lusts which war against your soul, see I know we're digging a little here, we're digging a little, but get what I'm saying, when we have somebody on the job that we somehow are attracted to, we got to be careful, we got to watch out for those fleshy lusts, we got to be careful of those things, because what happens, those things can draw us in, next thing you know you start saying things like that's my work husband or that's my work wife, no, if you're a woman, you've got one husband, and if you're a man, you have one wife, and that's the one you said I do, that's the one that you put that ring on, and you're in covenant with them, it's not the individual at work, it's not the individual as a man, that woman at work, as a man, as a woman, that man at work, but it is the one that's at home, so you've got to be very careful, beloved I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, remember because we're passing through, this is not our home, we have to work, we have to be in public, we have to do the things we do, but watch, watch, abstain from fleshy lusts which war, see remember these fleshy lusts war against us, they war against our spirit, because you have a dual nature, you have a spiritual nature, and then you have the spirit, a lower case s, you have that sin nature, and they're continuously, continuously battling with each other, so you have to be very careful, and that statement right there, work husband, work wife, no, get that out of your vernacular, get that out of your vernacular, that is your co-worker, matter of fact their gender has nothing to do with it, that is your co-worker, end of subject, now watch this, with that being said, we're talking about how a Christian conducts themselves in the job place, look at 2nd Peter, 1st Peter, 1st Peter, 1st Peter 2.12, 1st Peter 2.12, are you ready for this, 1st Peter 2.12, let me get a sip of coffee while you turn in there, 1st Peter 2.12, 1st Peter 2.12, watch this, having your conduct, oh, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, let's stop right there, so we know the writings here are referring to Jew, non-Jew, Gentile, but we want to put it in reference to application of our, so what are we saying here, those of us who are Christians that are dealing with non-Christians, you get it, while the writer here is referencing the Jews and the Gentiles, Gentiles being non-Jews, let's put it in reference, Christians, we as Christians working in the environment, the workplace with non-Christians, alright, so let's put that in context, but let's read the verse, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, or non-Christians, that when they speak against you as evildoers, and they will speak against you as evildoers, watch this, they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation, let's break that down, they are watching you work, I think I'm stepping on some toes here, they are watching your conduct, they are watching what you're saying, maybe you show up everyday, so let's say that you're supposed to be at work at 07, alright, 7am, and you show up at work everyday at 6.30, matter of fact, when you come into the break room, there you are at 06.30, and that individual says, wow, you know, and I'll use Lambriel as an example, they say, wow, Lambriel, I don't care what day it is of the week, if she's on schedule, she's here at 07.30am, she's supposed to be, she's supposed to start at 8, but she's here, good morning Brian, she's here at 07.30am, and Lambriel consistently does that, why? Because they're watching her, they're looking at her, alright, and that should be about our lives, as Christian workers, we should be the example, we should be the light, we should be the salt, we should be the individuals in the building or in the place of employment that lead by example, let's read that verse again, having your conduct honorable among the non-believers, honorable, that means you don't even take a pencil from work without getting permission, that means that when there's a 10 minute break, you take 10 minutes, you don't take 10.5, you don't take 11, you don't take 12, but you take 10 minutes, if there's a 30 minute lunch or an hour lunch, you take what? 30 minutes or an hour, why? Because anything over that is stealing, and as a Christian, thou shall not steal, do you guys get my drift? We should be the shining example, our conduct should be honorable, you shouldn't be, you shouldn't be cheating on time, you shouldn't be taking anything, you shouldn't be flirting, and you sure shouldn't have a filthy mouth, nor integrity, thank you, whatever, there should be integrity, you should have the work ethics, come on, you have to be disciplined, because why? Once again, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evil doers, and they will speak against you, why? They can't, they may by your good works, they won't be able to speak against you, they can say things, they can make up things, they can fabricate things, but when it's all said and done, it's like, well, you know, I hear what you're saying, but man, I've known Lambriel for years, and her work ethics are on point, she's always on time, she never calls in sick, I'm sorry, I don't agree with that, why? Because it says, which they observe, glorify God in the days of visitation, so with that being said, let your conduct be honorable among the non-believers, so let's jump onto it, one arena where we can fulfill our duty in the world is our workplace, that's just one of many places, you can be a magnificent Christian at the movie theater, you can be a magnificent Christian at home, you can be a magnificent Christian at the workplace, remember, watch this, sharing the gospel goes beyond speaking, did you guys hear me? I heard somebody say once, and you guys probably know, some of you readers, I heard somebody say once, always share the gospel, and if necessary, use words, did you hear that? Always share the gospel, but if necessary, use words, meaning your actions speak louder than your words, and matter of fact, I think it was the apostle Paul said that we are our epistles, we are epistles, what does that mean? Epistle, all epistle means letter, we are epistles to be read, people are reading us, they're looking at us, and so we have an opportunity, once again, in the workplace to share the gospel by what? Our discipline, our work ethics, and our integrity, right? Let's think about it, watch this, relationships we maintain with those with whom we work with gives you the ability to share the gospel and the good news, what impact should our faith have on members at the workplace? Well, it has everything, it's very important with regards to in the workplace, how we conduct ourselves, how we can carry ourselves, but let's look at first Thessalonians, first Thessalonians chapter 4, 11 through 12, get there real quick, first Thessalonians chapter 4, 11 through 12, watch this, this is important, our work, and those of you who got on late, we are talking about how does a Christian conduct themselves in the workplace, and I believe all of us, with the exception of a mother who stays home taking care of her babies, which, in all reality, that is Lambril, she takes care of her babies, however, the folks that have to be in the workplace, we are looking at what a Christian should do to conduct themselves in the workplace, look at what first Thessalonians 4, 11 through 12 says, that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands as we commanded you, verse 12, that you may walk properly towards those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing, did you hear this, let me read it again, because we are going to break that down a bit, first Thessalonians chapter 4, 11 through 12, that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands as we commanded you, verse 12, that you may walk properly towards those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing, now let's look at that, number one, to lead a quiet life, that's important, to lead a quiet life, folks that you just got on, we are looking at, as a Christian man or a Christian woman, how do we conduct ourselves in the workplace, I don't care if it's your first job, that you've only been there for a few months, or it's your lifetime job, and you've been there for 50 years, there's a way as Christians we should carry ourselves and conduct ourselves, and we are looking at that, now we are looking to the verse, first Thessalonians 4, 11 through 12, look what it says, first it said right off the bat, we should lead a quiet life, we should lead a quiet life, you know real quick, somebody said right here, that's BS, wait until we get a little further, you're going to think it's really BS, because it's going to affect you a little bit more, and obviously this, you not adhering to God's word shows that you're probably not a very good employee, so I just want to show that to you, but first it says to lead, in first Thessalonians 4, first Thessalonians, and I'm so sorry guys, I need to stay on point, moderated, I'm sorry, I should mind my business and stay in my lane and let you guys deal with that, I'm so sorry everybody, let me focus on this, I shouldn't answer those people, I'm so sorry, please forgive me, first Thessalonians 4, 11 through 12 says that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands as I command you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing, so I need to work with my own hands, I need to be quiet, I need to focus on this, here we go, to lead a quiet life, that is important, to lead a quiet life, that means basically you shouldn't be all loud, you shouldn't be the house with the big parties, you shouldn't be the loud talker at work, you shouldn't be the one at the water fountain gossiping and this and that and so on etc, to lead a quiet life means to keep to yourself, have you ever met people, they always got to be up in people's mess, we're going to talk about that a little bit more, but to lead a quiet life, you know growing up in our neighborhood, everybody knew, and I didn't go and announce it, but everybody in the neighborhood that I grew up with knew that our home was a Christian home, they knew that my father was a pastor, they knew my mother was a pastor's wife, they knew that they had secular jobs, mom, dad being a manager for Shermock Dairy and mom being a sheriff, they knew that, but they knew without a doubt we were a Christian home, why? We led quiet lives, my parents didn't have crazy parties, well they didn't have a crazy party, but one time when they went out of town when I was a senior in high school, I had a crazy party and got in trouble for it, however that was no reflection on them, that was me being a dork, but my point is the first part of that verse is in 4.11.12 says, lead a quiet life, lead a quiet life, you don't got to be the loud people, you don't got to be the noisy people, you don't got to be the party people, you don't got to be the belligerent people, but lead a quiet life, once again in that first verse in 4.11.12 says that right there, that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, number two, mind your own business, let me take a sip of coffee on that because we are about to really step on some toes, that is good, once again, that you lead a quiet life in 1st Thessalonians 4.11, to mind your own business, that's hard for some folks, it is hard for some folks to stay out of other people's business, do you know why? Why do we emphasize mind your own business? Because why? Mind your own business, because why? People like to gossip, some people like to gossip, some people like to be up in everybody's Kool-Aid and gossip, you see them at the water cooler, hey Ms. LaVoie, good morning, good to see you, oh Ms. Kim, good to see you, some people like to get over to the water cooler, we are talking about Christian workers and work ethics this morning, and we are looking at some verses to support how we should conduct ourselves at work, I know I don't need to preach to you too because I know you all are blessed and highly favored and give all that you can at your job, but back to this, the first thing, we should lead a quiet life and we should mind our own business, we got folks sitting over the water cooler and they are so quick to be ready to tell you what somebody is doing, what they are not doing and this and that, but we need to mind our business, there are some people they are just attracted to mess, have you ever met those people? If there is mess, they want to go right to it, they are like here in the summer in Arizona, if you put up a light bulb, you will have bugs coming from everywhere to get to that light bulb, that is how some people don't mind their own business, when they see some juicy gossip, what do you all call it, young people call it the tea, I am going to spill the tea, you take pride, I am going to spill the tea, but what does the writer say in 1 Thessalonians 4.11, mind your own business, you should be working, no one is paying you to go to work to be the commentator or the narrator of everybody's life, no one is paying you to go to work, so you are supposed to go and talk about this person and that person, no one is paying you to do that, you are being paid to do your job, not to be a TMZ, no one is paying you to do that, but the Bible says mind your own business, even our neighbor, who of you in your neighborhood got that one nosy neighbor, Ms. Hazel, who knows where that came from, trivia, Ms. Hazel, what's that from, who in your neighborhood is Ms. Hazel, anybody, anybody know where that came from Ms. Hazel, but second part of that question, do you have a Ms. Hazel in your neighborhood, right next door, haha, not to be TMZ, okay, do you wish Ms. Stacy, you got it, how many of you in the neighborhood got a Ms. Hazel, looking out the window, want to call somebody, want to talk about, want to gossip, want to, you know, this, this, this, this, but what does the scripture say, mind your business, and especially at work, you as a Christian person, you should be the last one in the gossip pool, you should be the last one sitting over there at the water cooler, running your mouth and gossiping and talking about anybody, you should not engage in that, why, you want your walk to be honorable, and know this, watch this, watch this, if you sit and gossip with someone else, don't you know they're going to gossip about you, if you engage in gossip, don't you know those that you are gossiping to are going to engage in gossip about you, so it's better yet to just wash your hands of it and say I'm not in it, I got work to do, I'm not involved in that, I got work to do, once again 1st Thessalonians 4 11 says that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, now I know that we are not tent makers like the apostle Paul, but what do we mean, let's bring this in context, if you, I don't know, maybe you work at a factory, do what you've been called to do, what you're responsible to do, maybe you work in corporate America at a firm, do what you're supposed to do in your areas of responsibility, the point is wherever it is you work, stay in your lane and do your work, do you see what I'm saying, 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 11, 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 11, wherever you are, stay in your lane and do your work, that's bottom line, don't be worrying about, good morning brother Joe, don't worry about what that person's doing or what they're doing, stay in your lane and do your own work, why, according to the scriptures it says that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we command it you, that you may walk properly towards those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing, and we repeat who are those that are outside, we're talking about non-believers, if okay, I was a hairdresser for 30 years and the salon is the work, I know it has to be equal to a barbershop, but you know what, that's funny you'd say that, because I just thought of something, you can look it up, there's a barbershop here called Esquire Barbershop in Phoenix Arizona, it's all the back in the day, 60s and 70s, that was the place that everybody would go get their haircut, I remember going in there with daddy on a Sunday, on a Saturday, please forgive me, on a Saturday, and as soon as daddy walked in, every conversation stopped, because everybody knew him in there, Pastor Abraham, and every conversation stopped, you want to know, because all they were doing was gossiping, and the whole time now I would get my haircut, my daddy would get his haircut, so if it from floor to door, meaning the time we were in there, maybe an hour, there was no gossip, but the moment, I know the moment that we stepped out, and how do I know, because as a little kid, weaver, that was the barber, would give us lollipop, I remember a couple times we walked out the door, got right down the hallway, and I said, daddy I forgot my lollipop, go back and get it, I walk in, they'd be gossiping, now I didn't know what gossip was, but I know they were talking all kind of mess and trash, right, and I knew it was a different atmosphere when daddy was in there, alright, why, well number one, daddy lived a peaceful and honorable life, he didn't get caught up in that gossip, he was minding his own business, but those folks respected him, so sister, I bet you, a hair salon is just as bad, so let's repeat on that first Thessalonians 4 11 chapter 12, he says that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly towards those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing, those outside meaning non-Christians, because why, they're watching you, they're watching you, and let's be honest, let's be honest, I remember my, and this is, this now is going to transition from employee to consumer, my brother-in-law, who is, he's a believer in the sense that intellectually he believes, but it hasn't got his heart yet, but my point, his observation, he used to work at a place, what was it called, Marie Calendars, he used to work at Marie Calendars, and he used to say, I hate Sundays, I said, why do you hate Sundays, he says, the worst customers, the worst, oh Brenna, you saying it, you saying it, fruits of the spirit, he used to say, the worst customers are Christians, I said, what, he said, they're the worst customer, now we're not talking about workers now, we're talking about now consumers, he said, they were the rudest, they wouldn't tip, they were rude, they were belligerent, they were demanding, he listed all these adjectives describing Christians, and I said, well how did you know they were Christians, he goes, you could tell, he goes, they were, there was a Sunday, you know, the man would be in a suit, the wife would be in a dress, the kids would be dressed up, and then you would hear their conversations, it would, it would, it would be, they would be talking about church, or they'd be talking about, you know, whatever the message was that day, and he said, they were the worst, that's a sad commentary, y'all, that's a sad commentary, when, when a non-believer, now he believes in selection, but his heart, you know what I mean, born-again believer, when a, when a non-believer looks at a Christian group, and does not see the love of Christ, and y'all know me, if a man loves God, he knows not God, for God is love, I choose love, it's not, it's a code of conduct, it's, it's, it's a way, it's a way where people are looking to say, I know you've got a relationship with the Lord, but when a non-believer can look at a group, not just one or two, thank you, thank you, this wasn't an isolated incident, this was a habitual problem over and over again, especially on Sundays, with people that were dressed and speaking as if they were believers, and they, they, they, he was, he was to the point where they're worse than the world, what church do they go to, what are they listening to, and he had enough sense to say, and what Bible are they studying, because there is no love in them, folks, we got to be very careful, now that's not work, that's the consumer aspect, but my point is, people are watching you, they're looking at you, they want to know what you're about, and trust you me, if you even try to speak to them about the Lord, they're not going to have any time, why, because why, why, they can get that same attitude in the world, they can get that same attitude from their friends, they can get that same attitude from their neighbor, they don't, they don't, they don't, so what's, what new do you got, that's, that's nothing new, you just, just like the world, but when they see the love, the kindness, the gentleness, the integrity, that you're not going to get caught up in gossip, that you, that you are honorable, you have great work ethics, you're disciplined, you have integrity, they're attracted to that, they're attracted to that. All right, so we covered 1 Thessalonians 4, 11, and 12, now let's look at a laborer, we're going to look at a Christian manager, but now we're going to look at, who am I as a laborer, I'm a worker bee in the workforce, with that being said, looks like Paul said in Ephesians chapter 6, 5-8, Ephesians 6, 5-8, let's, let's look at what the apostle Paul, the apostle Paul said, he says this, he says, bond servants, and folks, keep this in context, do not trip, okay, listen to what this is saying, Ephesians 6, 5-8, he says, bond servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear, and trembling, and sincerity of heart as to Christ, not with eye service as men-pleasers, but as bond servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, verse 7, with good will doing, good will doing service as to the Lord, and not to them, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a, whether he is a slave, or he is free, now though, we are not condoning slaves, and we're not condoning slave masters, but we are saying, when you are at work, you have a boss, you have a manager, you have a supervisor, how many could, how many of us, could I please get this, yes, yes, I'll send it to you, real quick, real quick, how many of you have a boss, a supervisor, a manager, well, guess what, that is the person that's over you, all right, so with that being said, we should be obedient to those who are over us, according to the flesh, with reverence, respect, with trembling, with sincerity of heart, and we shouldn't be just doing what we're supposed to do when they're watching us, and we shouldn't be, you know, kiss-ups, we just do our job, that's what it's boiled down, and that's what Paul said, look what he says in Colossians, look what he says in Colossians 3, 22 and 25, he says, bond servants, obey in all things your masters, according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men pleases, but in sincerity of heart, okay, watch this, watch this, watch this, how many of you have worked with people, and they don't do nothing all day, all they do is jibber-jabber, talk, waste time, but as soon as they have the boss coming, oh, get busy, get busy, look, get the busy look, they want to look busy, it happens all the time, you got folks every time, when here come the boss, hey, can I help you, can I get you some coffee, can I do this, can I do that, and I tell you what, it drives me bonkers, drives me bonkers, but what does the scripture say, bond servants, obey in all things your masters, according to the flesh, not with eye service, now you're busy when the boss comes, but as soon as the boss leaves, you're going to lean back in your chair, get your cup of coffee, and do absolutely nothing, as a Christian, we should be, if the boss is there, we should be busy, minding our business, being quiet, doing what we're supposed to be doing, Colossians 3.22, Colossians 3.22, minding our business, doing what we're supposed to be doing, right, not over here, trying to kiss up, brown nosing, no, no, no, no, we should be doing our work, why, this is what we're getting paid to do, our work, that's simple, bond servants, obey in all things your master, according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men pleasers, but in sincerity, in sincerity, of the heart, fearing God, now notice what it says, in sincerity of the heart, fearing God, not man, but fearing God, because in all reality, who do you work for, you don't work for man, you work for God, I'm going to go to Ace, Ace is the title, but God gave me the job, oh, y'all didn't get me there, see, I'm going to be at Ace, and Ace is the title, my boss's name is Don, but I'm going to work for God, Don just happens to receive the blessing of my ability to work, Ace happens to receive the blessing for my ability to work, see, you got to get out of your mindset, oh, I ain't doing that for him, I'm not doing that for her, they owe me, no, no one owes you nothing, you're there to work, and in exchange, in exchange, you receive commerce for your time, why, because the Bible says, if you don't work, you don't eat, we're supposed to work, not just sit here and receive, receive, receive, consume, consume, consume, but we are what, working for God, but let me keep going, it says in verse 23, and whatever you do, do it heartily, as the Lord, as to the Lord, and not to men, that means give 110%, that means be there early, be last to go, I'm not saying if you get off at three, you need to stay till four, what I'm saying is, don't be that one trying to clock out, or be the first one out, I used to work in dialysis, and it's funny, in dialysis, we would have 12 to 16 stations, I mean, machines, and usually, each nurse and technician would get about three to four patients a piece, right, and the course of the, usually the days were about 12 to 14 hours a day, well, sometimes patients would get sick, and then you always have those people that always want to like, hey, well, we're short-staffed, can I go, can I go, well, you always have those same people, they're the ones that always want to get out of there the quickest, but as a Christian person, you should be saying, well, I'm not leaving till I finish my job, unless, unless, unless someone says, you know what, let me just put a name out there, you know, Marsha, I've been watching, you've been doing a great job, you know, we're short-staffed today, go ahead, if you wanna go, do you wanna go home, and Marsha and I say, yeah, well, thank you, I appreciate it, but don't be the first one to like, I wanna go, you wanna be sincere, you wanna be committed, you wanna be that one that's first to show, last to go, you want that discipline, you want that great work ethics, you want that integrity, you wanna be that one, we as Christians, we should be the one that people are saying, you know what, I love hiring Christian folks, I love hiring them, man, their character, their integrity, the way they are, let's get back to this verse, Galatians, Colossians, please hear me, Colossians 3, 22 and 25, 23, and whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ, but he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality, I mean, don't be doing wrong, now watch this, watch this, let me tell you an interesting story, so as you know, I used to be in the medical device industry, and we would have expense reports, we would have a American Express card, and I would take physicians out, I have taken physicians out, and I've run up a bill, easily, taking doctors out to dinner, I remember one time, I think, it was darn near, it was $6,300 was our meal, I think there were 11 doctors, $6,000, over $6,000, right, and I remember hearing about a guy that was on his expense report, he was saying, well, I did A, I did B, I did C, they started doing an investigation on him, and what he was doing was, this guy was probably making $250,000 a year, but what he was doing, is he was cheating the company, he was cheating the company, oh wee, and he was making all that money per year, but he was cheating the company on his card, saying that he was doing this and doing that, and when they started doing a cross reference, he had fake hotels, he had fake receipts, but what is my point here, it says, watch this, verse 23, Colossians 3, 23, and whatever you do, do it heartily as the Lord, not unto men, watch this, watch what it says, he says, knowing, knowing that from the Lord you will, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance for you that serve the Lord, watch verse 25, but he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality, a Christian person should say, that's my expense report, or that's my time card, or that's what I did, that's what I didn't do, there should be integrity in your spirit as you work, that example, that guy got fired, and I've heard through the grapevine, he never got a job ever again in our industry, I heard that, I don't know if that's true, but I heard that, as for me and the other Christian folks, integrity, my expense report was always on time, it was always on point, even an audited, when audited it came, my expense report, I wouldn't claim a pencil, not because I was so self-righteous, but I understand, look at that last part of that verse, but he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality, I didn't want to sow something that would come back on me, so I didn't take a pencil from the company, I'd buy my own pencil, you get my drift, but we as Christian believers have to be careful that we are not tempted to do something out of the scope of the standard operating procedures, protocol and procedures of the company, meaning, be honest, have integrity, all right, so we look at Paul and he gives us a couple examples, let's look what Peter said of how we should be working in the workforce, look what Peter said, 1st Peter 2, 18-20, look what Peter said in 1st Peter 2, 18-20, he says, servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh, let's stop right there, let me repeat that, because that one's a tough one, servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh, now let's stop right there, now you say Pastor Paul, first let's let's get some clarity, we are saying servants in this case as an employee, all right, as a laborer, as a person who goes and clocks in 9-5 hypothetically speaking, we're not talking about slaves, we're not talking about, you know, slave and slave masters, but we're talking about an employee as a laborer, because stress you me, if you go in and you want to pay your bills, you're going to be at that job, you're going to be committed, because that's what we do, because we're supposed to work, back to the scripture, servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, fear means I'm not scared, but fear means respect, with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, meaning don't be good to the people that are good to you, don't be just good and kind to the folks that are good and kind to you, but look what it says, it says, but also to the harsh, interesting, now no one, especially the Bible is not asking you to be a doormat, the Bible is not asking you to allow people to abuse you or to do something immoral or unethical, that's not what it's saying, it's saying you might have a boss that's a little short, you might have a boss that sort of dismisses you, you might have a boss, the company I was consulting for, I'm not going to say his name, I won't do that, but I had this boss who was very dismissive, there could be three people in the room, A, B, and I would be number C, and when he would speak, he would speak to them and he would never acknowledge me, I don't know why, but I showed him respect, when we went on a business trip together, I gave him a couple suggestions and he looked at me like, and just walked away, but what did the scripture say, be submissive to your masters with all fear, so I respected him, I honored what he said when he told me to do something, I did it, now he didn't tell me to do anything immoral or unethical, but he was harsh, but what did it say, because in good general, but also to the harsh, now his boss was very kind, was very gentle, it was easy to reciprocate respect to her, because her name was Gabi, I shouldn't have said that, so sorry, but she was very kind, very gentle, very respectful, but he, on the other hand, was very dismissive, but I showed them the same respect, was it easier for her, absolutely, was it harder with him, absolutely, but I showed them the same respect, do you get where I'm going, why, once again, initially, what am I trying to do, I am trying to encourage a relationship that I may get the opportunity to share the gospel, I'm not using words, but even the person who was harsh has to say, and I would hope he would eventually say, you know, even though I treat him or I dismiss him, I just don't understand why he's respectful or polite to me, do you see what I mean, you're always looking for that opportunity, eventually, to share the gospel, so with that being said, servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only in good, but to the gentle, but also to the harsh, for this is commendable, if because of conscience towards God, one endures grief, suffering, and wrongfully, for what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently, but when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God, now, once again, we're not suggesting that you let your boss beat you, but when they give you more work than other people, when they are dismissive, maybe their words are short, but you always respond in a gentle, kind way, you always conduct yourself in an honorable way, that you still maintain your work ethics, you're still on time, you have integrity, you have discipline, then guess what, there's nothing they can say, you've done your part, but what do we do sometimes, we want to cry, this and that, and they don't like me, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, get past that, we as Christians work for the Lord, not the person, so let's sum up these subjects, scriptural guidelines for us as laborers, number one, obey those that have the rule over you, unless they ask you to do something immoral, unethical, obey them, if they say I want that report in by 11 o'clock, make sure you have that report in by 10 59, if they say be here at 7, make sure you're there at 6 45, if they say you have to stay overtime, well, they need to pay you overtime, but make sure you stay and do that overtime, do you see what I'm saying, if it's immoral, unethical, that's a different story, but if it's within the guidelines of your responsibilities, obey those who have the rule over you, number two, work with proper respect and goodwill towards your boss, respect your boss, he's got to earn my respect, well, I'm going to tell you what right now, that is true, that is true, but here's the situation, all right, you apply for the job, you got the job, you were there, you just happen to be working for a knucklehead, all right, so what you need to do is say God has got this, you need to throw them at, you remember what I said yesterday with my kiddos, you need to put them before the throne of grace, you need to put them in the life center, which is the throne of grace, I'm kidding, however, you need to throw them there, but ask for you, maybe they give you a little more extra, well, that's not fair, they need to respect me, no, no, no, work with proper respect and goodwill towards your boss, goodwill, some of you, goodwill, what do we mean by that, sometimes you want to sabotage them, sometimes you want to gossip about them, sometimes you want to rip them down, you want to go to this, now, don't get me wrong, please, don't take this out of context, if you got somebody that is being abusive, that is being, what do you call it, you know, I don't even know the word to use, you know, ladies, what I'm talking about, somebody, you know, the innuendos, you know, saying things that they don't need to be saying that are disrespectful, what is that called, what would that be called, what would that be called, you know, ladies, you might be at work and somebody might say something like, oh, you know, bully boss, yeah, but you know when that boss, that male boss says things that, you know, aren't appropriate, what would that be called, inappropriate, yeah, inappropriate, yeah, I guess, inappropriate will nail it, yeah, so, you got some folks that say some inappropriate things, condescending, yeah, I like that too, yeah, catcall, especially, you know what I mean, you got a boss doing that, you need to take your behind the HR and report them, that, no, no, that's not acceptable, but what is acceptable within the guidelines, maybe the boss gives you, you know, a little more regarding getting something done, maybe the boss makes you, you know, come in earlier, while everybody else, whatever, just chauvinist, there you go, another good word, chauvinist, but you know what, if they're doing that, no, you need to go to HR, you need to report them, that's unacceptable, male chauvinist, racism, being, you know, just a jerk to you, no, that's unacceptable, but within the scope of your work, then, you know what, I'm going to shine, I'm going to shine, I'm going to do above and beyond, and I'm going to respect, I'm going to be sincerely respect and be good towards this individual, even when they are being a jerk, I am going to be respectful, and I'm going to be good towards this person, watch this, another thing in this verse we picked up, labor with sincerity, with a heartfelt motivation to do your best, as to the Lord and not to man, give your best, give your 100%, not to man, but to God, see, the boss might be not the nicest person, a bit harsh, but you're not working for him or her, you were working for God, I had a boss, I'm going to say her name, she's an old boss, her name is Jackie Logue, you could not please Jackie Logue, if you said green, she said blue, if you said bad, she would say good, and you could do the most fabulous report, get 15,000 people saying that was awesome, and she would say, well, I really didn't think it was that good, and she was just like that, across the board, it wasn't an isolated thing, she was just a dork, that's all I could say, but I remember when I retired, she said something very interesting, she said, you know, I'm sad to see you go, because that's intellectual property, leaving the company, now, I wish you would have said that when I was working for you, because our work relationship would have been a lot better, but you know what, I always treated her with respect, I worked wholeheartedly, I did what I was supposed to do, I didn't talk about her, I didn't bag on her, I didn't do anything of that, why, because I was what, I wasn't working for Jackie Logue, I was working for the Lord, she wasn't even in the equation, as far as I was concerned, now, God appointed her as my leader, but as for everything else, I would do what I was supposed to do, and I was calling up on the name of the Lord, I didn't worry about Jackie, do you get my drift, she was harsh too, oh, guys, I had, I, well, okay, watch this, just to give you an example, one thing she did, I was appointed to go to San Francisco, and we had to go to, I had to take, I had to sponsor a dinner, all right, I had to sponsor a dinner, and this dinner was, I don't know, with a company called DeVita, and we were going to feed, I don't know, 13 or 14 physicians, and I was going to, I was sponsoring the dinner, and it was a famous steakhouse, you don't throw out there some famous steakhouses, well-known steakhouses, give me some steakhouses that are, Ruth, well, is there, does their steakhouse start with Ruth, I can't remember, what is it, I don't eat at places, I'm a Texas Roadhouse guy, but when I was doing business, no, not the Outback, this was Ruth something, not Longhorn, it was a high-end Outback, a high-end one, Ruth Chris, there you go, Ruth Ray, Ray got it, Ruth Chris, Ruth Chris is, is, is not the most expensive, but it's, it's, it's not a Texas Roadhouse, and I'm a Texas Roadhouse guy, now watch this, Jackie, what she did to me, so I had an assigned teaching dinner, we had all these, these, these hospital professionals there, medical professionals there, and so I was going to eat too, so I had to expense that part to the company, but I had to isolate my expense on a separate expense report, so, you know, this one was a little different, usually we can incorporate it all, but I did theirs, and I did mine, when I submitted, she, she denied mine, and I said, well, why did you deny my, my, my expense report on me, she okayed theirs, but why me, you know what she said, she goes, you went three dollars over the limit, wait a minute, I'm at a, I'm at a steakhouse, I'm at a meeting that has been approved by the company, and I'm there promoting our product with the company, and because they just changed the rules, and the minimum was it, you, you're not, you're not going to approve, and, and I guarantee you, I guarantee you my meal was, had to be, on a personal note, my meal probably was 40 bucks, now to me, that's a lot of money, because I go to steak, Texas Roadhouse, and I get my sirloin, and my salad, and my baked potato with some rolls, I think I'd do that under 12 dollars, 10, whatever it is, Miss Debbie knows, but I know I don't be spending that kind of money, however, it was a business, and that's where we were at, and I said, really, she said, yeah, she goes, I'm denying it, okay, all right, now some of you might say, well, what'd you do, Pastor Paul, I didn't do nothing, I ate it, I paid the bill, and went about my business, I respected what she said, even though it was wrong, it was wrong, I respected what she said, it wasn't immoral or unethical, right, she wasn't telling me to charge, all I heard her say, she was going by the new ruling that came in the company, and this was right before the pandemic, and, and, and things were getting tight, and there was a new rule that if, if, if your expense report with meals was over this amount, then you would not get paid for that, that would be on you, that was the rule, however, the exception to that rule, without a doubt, had to be, unless it was a group meeting, she took the letter of the law, and wouldn't, wouldn't pay me that, so what I did was, I ate it, went about my business, what did I do, once again, watch this, labor sincerely, and heartily as the Lord, and not to men, I gave honor to God, I figured, well, if I'm going to lose that money, God will give it back to me in another way, so you know what, if, you know, Jackie, if that's the way you feel, so be it, all right, demonstrate that you can be trusted with responsibility, as a Christian employee, demonstrate that you can be trusted with responsibility, some of you want more, hey Josh, some of you want to have more responsibility at the job, some of you want to be granted, if you will, yeah, pray for Jackie, she's going to retire soon, I hear, so praise be to God, let me read this again, so I get my train of thought, almost demonstrate that you can be trusted with responsibility, some of you want responsibility, but you haven't shown trust, some of you want more responsibility, but you haven't shown integrity, some of you want more responsibility, you want to, to, to, to, to move up in authority, but you haven't demonstrated that you can handle that, but as a Christian person, you need to demonstrate at the low, you know, the Bible says, much is given, much is required, you need to demonstrate that you're going to be responsible at low-level things, if you can't be responsible to be at work on time, how are they going to trust you with anything else, if you can't be trusted to go to lunch within the time frame and lot, it may be 30 minutes or an hour, how can they trust you to be responsible for the bigger things, if you are leaving early, when you should be staying, whatever that scheduled time is, 3, 4, 5, whatever the case may be, if you cannot be responsible to leave at the proper time, how can you be entrusted with anything bigger, but the scriptures we looked at, when we looked at Paul and we looked at Peter, we looked at demonstrate that you can be trusted with responsibility, demonstrate that, let me stop right there, I meet a lot of people, when I went to Ace Hardware, the boss was telling me, the manager, he was saying, yeah, I've got a lot of young people who look at me and say, I can do your job, y'all know who I'm speaking to when we talk like this, I can do your job, and he said, yeah, you can, he goes, but I earned my right to do this job, let me tell you something, this is a dad, an uncle, a grandfather, I don't think you just can come to the table and just start doing a thing, so that you can make maximum dollar, you got to do the time to earn the dime, uh-oh, uh-oh, hang on, hang on, hang on, y'all got to hear me, don't get mad, don't get mad, you got to do the time to earn that dime, you might have the ability to do it, but get in there, work hard, even if it's starting at the bottom, be there early, grind hard, prove to them you are worthy to be there, and in due season, God will elevate you to that, to that, to that, to that, that position that you desire, even with me, I'm telling y'all, I was working in dialysis in the nursing capacity, on the floors, on the floors, 12-hour days, three days a week, anybody that worked in dialysis, you know what I'm talking about, with a company in DaVita, I was always on time, I always did what I was supposed to do, and I had some good bosses, but I had some bosses weren't so good, this was before I went into medical device, but you know what, because I did what I was supposed to do, a guy named Sean Graham, who is a VP at DaVita right now, I'll say his name, Sean Graham, he came on the floor one day and saw me, he said, what are you doing, why are you not in management? I said, well, I don't know, I didn't think about it, you know, this, that, so on, et cetera, he said, we're going to get you in our management program, why? Because I was working. Now, there were some people there that, that, that, you know, younger, way younger than me, well, I could do it, Paul could do it, I could do it, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, but they didn't do the time, but they wanted that dime. I'm not here to promote money, I'm just saying, as you move up, you'll make them a little more living, so what am I trying to get to, right? Demonstrate that you can be trusted with responsibility, have some good work ethics, don't think that somehow, because you can do it, that you should automatically slide in that position, do your time, work hard, show people that you got that work ethics, be an exceptional leader, let people see your light, you are the salt, especially as Christian folks, be the ones that I'm going to grind until I earn my position to get there, show up, amen, show up on time, first to show, last to go, no ifs, ands, or buts, in verse, not verse six, but six, on my outline with regards to the verses we just read, offer such service, not just to good employers, but even to those that are unfair, offer good service, you know, one of the greatest things that I, I, I, I also still, even though I'll be working at Ace, I'm going to be doing some consulting on the side, my consulting company is called Point Break Consulting, and, and basically what I'm going to do is, I'm going to find opportunities in private businesses, may they be a doctor's office, a dentist's office, a chiropractor, or, because I'm medical, you know, that's an easy conversation for me, or it could be, I don't know, maybe it could be a florist, I don't know, but one of the things that I'm going to do is, I'm going to incorporate the people say to themselves and to their customers, have I served you well today? Even Jesus said, I didn't come to be served, I came to serve, and that's lacking in the world today, that's lacking, uh, uh, uh, in our workforce, we do not give or provide good service, so we need to ask that person, did I give you good service today? Did I provide you good service today? And we can do that in every aspect of our lives, every aspect, to our wife, to our husband, to our children, to our neighbor, to our employer, to, to, to even as a company owner, I don't own a company, company, you know, I, you know, I have my consulting business, but as a big company owner, have I served you today? See, we need to bring value to people, and I hope to do that, and I'm not going to do it on a large scale, but I hope to go into small business and say, the greatest thing that we are lacking in the world with emphasis on America is customer service. Once again, let's look at that last one, offer such service, not only to good employers, but even to those who are unfair. All right, we're going to stop right there, we only have not too much more to go, but it won't be this today. We'll look at the Christians as managers, Christians have the ability to evangelize, and last but not least, the guidelines to govern, and then we'll, we'll move into our conclusion. But let me, let me, let me just sum it all up here, folks. What I'm trying to get to is this. We, as Christian folks, have been called to live an exceptional life. We've been called to live an exceptional life. And with that being said, we must hang on, I'm going to fill out a request here for someone. Watch this. I'm so sorry, let me, let me get this. Okay, hang on. Let me, let me, let me get this. Number three, labor sincerely and heartily as Lord and not to, as to the Lord and not men. Number four, do not work only when the bosses watching are just pleasing to those who are over you. Demonstrate that you can be trusted with responsibility. And next offer such service, not just to good employers, but even to those who are unfair. Let me repeat it. Number one, obey those who are over you. Number two, work with proper respect and goodwill towards your boss. Number three, labor sincerely and heartily as to the Lord. Number four, do not work only when the boss is watching. Number five, demonstrate that you can be trusted with responsibility. Number six, offer such services, not just to good employers, but even to those who are unfair. If you want to, as a matter of fact, to be honest with y'all, these are, these are some of the teachings that we're going to be offering on our website, that if you want to partner with us, that you can download, you know, you partner with our ministry. And I don't know, I haven't came up with what that will be monetarily, but it won't be anything crazy. Partner with us and help our ministry. All I'm trying to do, and I think, I don't know about y'all. I don't know about y'all. And well, you know what, Ms. Christina, you asked, let me, was this helpful for you? Was this helpful for you? Did this bring value, what we talked about this morning? Because it's the Word, it's not me. But was this, to all of you, was this valuable to you? Did this bring you value, what we taught this morning? Anybody wonders? Yes. Yes. Yes. It did me. Amen. It did me. And you know why I wanted to speak about this? You really want to know why? First, when I was consulting, I was examining myself. Okay. It's examining myself. Remember, when you teach the Word, it's like shooting a shotgun. How many of you shot a shotgun? What happens? That recoil. Joshua, am I right? You get a little recoil, right? I missed it, but sure, it would have. Oh, but don't worry. You'll be, you know, Joshua is a man of knowledge of firearms. But you shoot a shotgun, that recoil gets you, right? And so nothing happens to me. Oh, okay. But when you shoot that Word, when you get that Word, it shoots back. So what this did is I started examining myself. And so what happened is, is I said, okay, this company said we don't need your services with regards to consulting. I needed to examine myself. Okay. And I wanted to make sure, did I line up with my actions with the Word? Because if I did, I'm going to have to work on that. All right. So now I'm going to go over there and I'm going to be working for Ace. It's not going to pay a lot. It's not going to pay like it did, you know, I used to get. It's fine. But what I want to do is I want to follow the guidelines of the scriptures. I want to make sure that I'm working with honor, that I'm working with integrity, that I'm working not as just a man pleaser with eye service, that I'm working for God. And with all that being said, that they will see my work ethics and they'll give glory to God. That's what this is all about. So that teaching, that's where that came from. That's the biblical principle of a laborer. And we're going to look at the employer as Christian managers. There's a way we should conduct ourselves. And so that won't be, what should we call it? On the knife, on the knife. So yeah, that's where that came from. But if you don't want to go on that website, Southern Avenue Missionary, as a matter of fact, all of you, 172 of you, you're going to make Jim Taylor very happy. This is the IT guy. Go on our website, Southern Avenue Missionary Baptist Church. All right. And Jim, I don't know if there's a place there where people can sign up and let us know. And can you repeat that list? Well, there you go. Go on the website, go on the website. Jim will have the video there. I'm sure without a doubt, but go on our website, Southern Avenue Missionary Baptist Church and sign up, put your, your, you know, your information, get on our list. Cause I'm going to, Jim is working it out for me that we're going to be able to send out mass emails and text messages and so on, et cetera. I got some homework to do, but I'm, you know, he's got me, he's got a lot of homework for me and I still need to catch up. Who knew that when we really did this, everything would be getting busy, but go on the website, Southern Avenue Missionary Baptist Church and sign up, get out, get your name on there. Give us your email and all that cool stuff, whatever text, whatever the case may be. And as we grow this, blessings and love for teachers of the leaders. Amen. Pastor Scott, good to see you, brother. And so that when we start sending out those text messages and emails about the things that we're doing and developing the ministry, that you can be a part of that. Also to download some of the information that we're putting out here. Folks, I'm, I'm, I'm, you know, God has got it in here. It's in the instruction book. All I'm doing is using what God has given me to express to you what I believe is important. But Hey, last thing, last but not least, y'all, I made a video, uh, me and Ms. Debbie, today's her birthday for, this is an incredible thing. Me and Ms. Debbie are the same age for three days. So we are both now 59 for three days and that's a big deal in my house. So Kiana came in, uh, yesterday and she decorated this morning. Ms. Debbie came out and made a little cake and the balloons. And my son, uh, came over yesterday and we had a little pre, you know, celebration, but yeah, for three days, we're the same age and it's a big deal in our house. But if you guys, if you jump on my post, I posted it this morning and Ms. Debbie, she was about to walk out the door and just wish her a happy birthday. I would deeply, deeply appreciate it, man. If I could, if I could get a thousand people to say happy birthday today, she would just be overjoyed to think, wow, that is so cool. But if you guys could do that for me on my post with that one and just pass it to everybody and say, uh, um, let's, let's wish Pastor Paul's wife, Ms. Debbie, happy birthday. Big 59 today, but you know what guys, she is, she is beautiful as ever. A wonderful wife, a wonderful woman, uh, my standard of a woman, my standard of beauty. And I tell you what, I am blessed to, to, to see her, uh, another morning, another day. So praise be to God. Um, I've got to get ready. I'm going to go meet with a pastor, a guy named, I love this guy's name, Pastor Grady Root out of Maricopa, Maricopa, Arizona. If you're ever in Maricopa, Arizona, Pastor Grady Root. I don't know the name. I didn't know the name of his church. I'm not gonna look it up right now, but he, uh, is a wonderful man of God. We met each other at a Starbucks, but I'm going to meet him this morning and we're going to just sit over coffee and just fellowship. Uh, I'm excited because this is a pastor where we're going to forge a relationship. Now, mind you, ethnicity does not matter, but I want you to understand what's going on. Obviously I look the way he is, I do and he's white, but we're going to sit down and we're going to talk about how do we develop those conversations to speak to, uh, the, the, the events that are happening in America today when it comes to the division that I believe the media is pushing. So we are going to meet together and we are going to, uh, defy what the media is trying to, or the narrative that media is trying to promote. And we're going to talk and pray and just see how can we collaborate together to help facilitate, uh, uh, that love that we should see, especially among the believers. So I'm excited about that. All right, everybody it's Friday. Um, be careful, be safe. Make sure that you, you, you, you keep your head up, keep your, your, your, your, your, your, your face in the word, stay in your prayer, encourage one another. Oh, last thing, last thing, last thing before I, I want to talk about encouragement. I'm sorry. What time do I got? I got time to share this. I want to talk about encouragement. Um, I've got a friend and I'm going to say his first name and I can say his last name. His name's Bo. Yeah. Really nice guy. Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, sign up for free. Yeah. Sign up for free. Sign up. I'm sure we're talking about the website. Absolutely. Thank you. JT. Yeah. Just sign up. We just want to know you're out there so we can stay in contact with you. Whatever comes up, we'll, we'll email you or text you or something. Sign up, please go on our website, build it up. So Jim will be like, wow, look at this. So you can see that his beautiful work, but, um, I got a friend named Bo and I met Bo a few years ago. Um, basically what worked is he was a medical device rep and I was the, you know, uh, um, clinical educator with this device called the hero graph. I remember Bo, I remember the first time I was going to get an opportunity, him and I were going to go to Tucson. And, uh, uh, uh, he, um, basically I remembered praying to God said, Lord, use me to talk to this young man. Now I didn't know him. I just know that he was a relatively new rep and, you know, we never talked about the Lord. We never talked about God. We never talked about Jesus, but we shared some stories back and forth. I, back then his kids were babies and, you know, he had, he had one daughter at that time. She was a baby and then, uh, he's married. Uh, and, and, and so we just really hit it off. We just really did. But, you know, we never made that, you know, um, if you will, that, that biblical connection. And we worked together on an offer for by golly three years. And then my, my device got sold to another company. And so with that being said, uh, uh, Southern Avenue missionary Baptist church, just put in Southern Avenue missionary Baptist church. It'll take you there. So, um, my company got my company, but my device got sold. So I just lost touch about, you know, not, not that we weren't friends, you know, but you know, you go to a different company and, you know, and so on, et cetera. But do you know, Bo, I don't know, it w it was probably a couple of years back that Bo showed up out of nowhere. And, you know, uh, uh, yesterday I, I, I talked to him and I, he knows we're both medical device guys. And I was explaining to him what was going on. And, you know, he just encouraged me. He said, you know, Paul, I'm so proud of you. He said, you know, you, you leave, uh, the device world, you're tired of focus on ministry. He goes, that's bold. That's brave because I'm proud of you. He goes, but then he goes, you try the consulting and, and, and, and, you know, they didn't do what they're supposed to do. He goes, but your church, it doesn't have a lot of people there. He goes, but you're, you're loyal. You're still teaching the gospel. He goes, and, and what you do on Tik TOK or this, that's on, et cetera. He goes, I'm so proud of you. And I'm so encouraged Bo and my, my dad, Bo blesses our ministry. He blesses our ministry monthly, monthly. I say that for this reason, that in itself is, is, is a blessing, but his words were so encouraging to hear him say, I'm proud of you. I'm proud of what you're doing. He even, he even like, when I said, well, you know, Bo brother, I'm not going to even make close to what I made in corporate America. Cause he, he roughly knows what, you know, we all make, and he made, and I made, he says, but how beautiful it is that you're going to be in the front lines. And I'm paraphrasing, but that's what he said. You're going to be right there with people encouraging them. You're going to be right there. He goes, that right there is, is, is, is, is encouragement. That right there is a blessing. And when I got off the phone and here's the cool thing. I had him on speaker and my daughter was listening and I know she had to hear it. What encouraging words that Bo gave me and my daughter could hear it. I tell you guys this, I tell you guys this for this reason. Be in a position at any given time to use your words for encouragement, encouragement, use your words, use your words to encourage your brothers and sisters, use your words, encourage your spouse, your children, your friends, use your words to encourage, not to tear down, not to, not to rip apart, not to destroy, but use your words to encourage each other. When Bo got finished and I was like, and I wasn't, I'm excited. I'm excited about the ACE thing. I'm excited. But to hear what Bo said made me even more excited. Like, you know what? No, I'm, I'm, I'm not going to make what I used to make. Cause you know, psychologically, you get in your feelings like, well, you know, I'm better than that. You know, I got, you know, I got education and I'm this and that, blah, blah, blah, blah. And you, and Satan starts trying to play tricks on you. But when Bo said that, when Bo said that, that was pure encouragement. And Bo, if you're listening and I believe you are, he listens in the morning. He's, he's a, he's a spectator. You don't see him blast through here, but if you're listening, I want to thank you that you are a true blessing. I want to thank you that yesterday was, was it wasn't something I won't say I was so down. I needed it. It just took me a little bit higher than I already was. And I thank God that he used to. All right. Hey, last thing I keep saying that last thing I got something coming up. I've got a guy named Nick Spalding. That is a, um, um, um, um, a youth, uh, a volunteer for, um, oh my, what's it called? Youth athletes. What's that organization called? And Nick, if you're on here, I don't know if I saw you, but, um, my God, Lord use my, amen. It's, it's an organization for Christian youth athletes. Yeah. Just like the basketball. It's an organization for Christian athletes. You, uh, oh man, what is it? They're Christian athletes. These guys volunteer their time, boys and girls. No, no, no, no. That's not it. That's not it. Um, they basically work with Christian athletes and basically they work with Christian athletes and they volunteer their time and they basically work with coaches. They work with the athletes and they, uh, fellowship of Christian athletes. There you go. Fellowship of Christian athletes. F O C A. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Fellowship of Christian athletes. Um, I am going to set up an interview with him and FCA. I want to help promote what he's doing as fellowship with Christian athletes. He is a wonderful man. His name is Nick Spalding. Um, and he, I've known him now through Tik Tok. Uh, I'm going to say he was following me from the very beginning, but we've talked on the phone on a couple of occasions and he loves the Lord, but he's a, he's an athlete from the very beginning. He's a coach. And so with all, and by trade, he's a chef, but he's walked away from all that to focus on Christian athletes. And why says he was just telling me yesterday that, uh, uh, one of the colleagues that he works with as a Christian athlete, uh, missionary is focusing on children who are, who are, who are contemplating, are thinking about committing suicide. I'm going to interview this guy because folks, if we can support him, the whole organization, but with emphasis on him, I need him on that field. I need him in that stadium. I need him. He can, he has access. They have access to invite young people to their studies. He has access to encourage young people that are contemplating taking their lives. He has that ability and we need to support that. So I'm going to set up an interview where we interview him and I want you to hear his heart, what he's doing. That's going to be, I'm going to try to shoot this for, I'm going to speak to him on Monday, JT, I'm going to speak to you sometime today, but I want to figure out how we interview him. I want to put him on our webs page. I want to put him out here because I need him on that wall. I need him on that field. I need him in that classroom. I need him on that bleachers because guess what? I, in our area here in Queen Creek, Lambriel, you probably know this in our area here in Queen Creek, the last four years, the suicide rate has gone out of the roof with young people under the age of, under the age of 19, out of the roof, young people. So let's, Nick Spalding, you might find him on TikTok, Nick Spalding. We're going to talk about that. So keep that, keep that at the, that I, I know that actually, yes, I was at a meeting. Uh, my golly, I was at a meeting. Jim Remington was there. It was Jim. And there was a few other, matter of fact, I think your father-in-law was there. Your father-in-law was there. Yes. Yes. It was at a Queen, uh, Queen Creek school. Maricopa is the same way. So Maricopa, ma'am, there you go. Uh, uh, the pastor Grady Root, I don't know the name of the church, but if you DM me, uh, you probably have a church, but if you don't, I love this man of God. I just met him, but you can tell, but here we go. I gotta get going. Y'all, God bless you. Have a great day. May the Lord use you. Let me pray all of you overall. Father God, we thank you. We praise you. We honor you. We lift you up, Father God. Lord, I just thank you. Thank you for your precepts. Thank you for your word, Father. And Lord, I pray that as we move forward, that you would bless the ministry, that you would bless us that do the ministry and bless those who hear what, what is being taught your word. Father, I pray, I pray just blessings and Father, just all the prayers that were requested, Lord, why I didn't see them all, you know, the need and Lord, I pray that you would just bless and watch over and keep Father. We just thank you. We honor you. We praise you. We ask this in the powerful, precious name of Jesus. And we all say, amen. All right, everybody. God bless you. Moderators. Thank you so much. Have a great day. Each one of you. Yes. In the mighty name of Jesus. Take care.