Quitting Is Not An Option

LIVING WATERS INTERNATIONAL CHURCH

PASTOR: DR. DAVID LION

SEPTEMBER 14^TH, 2003

SUNDAY – 10:00 A.M.

SPEAKER: EVANGELIST JIM BARBAROSSA

“QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION”

TRANSCRIBED AND EDITED BY: STAN LEVERETT

…and his gifts were varied. He himself appointed and gave men to us: some to be apostles, special messengers, some prophets, [inspired preachers and expounders], some evangelists, (some) preachers of the gospel, some pastors and teachers. And his intention was for the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints, that they should do the work of the ministry towards the building up of Christ’s body: the Church, (the Saints or everyone who has ever called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior).

Jesus gave us five gifts: 1) to teach, 2) to train, 3) to motivate, 4) to equip all of us to do the work of the ministry; to do what Jesus did. Not just the pastor, not just the evangelist, but all of us, are to be trained and fully equipped to do what Jesus did.

And he gave apostles, prophets and evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints “when they felt like it”. (Or) to equip the saints “when their back wasn’t hurting”. (Or) to equip the saints “when they were having a good day”. It doesn’t say that, does it?

The truth is, in the natural, I would rather be at home this morning. (His back is hurting.) But, QUITTING… IS NOT… An OPTION!!! Do you hear me this morning? QUITTING… IS NOT… AN OPTION!!!

When you get out of the bed in the morning, if Jesus is alive inside of you and you have received Him as Savior, you have a job to do. You have a mission! It doesn’t matter how you feel! It doesn’t matter what happens during that day; you are still a Christian… and “Quitting Is Not An Option”!

A few weeks ago, Carla and I were headed for a church up in Waukegan, Illinois. We were planning on leaving around 10:00 A.M. to get on the road. (But before we could leave), I received a phone call and (was notified that we) had a problem with one of our businesses. Within fifteen minutes I received another (phone) call and (found out that we) had a problem in the other business. A few minutes later I received a fax and the government hit me for fourteen hundred dollars unexpectedly for some tariffs on some things (that) we were importing into the country. We should have never had to pay it! A few minutes later my daughter-in-law comes in and (informs us that) we had another problem in the business. We finally get under way and we’re going to make one more stop before we head for this church. And I had some men that I (had) hired to do a job for us and they needed a specific tool, which I have. But I couldn’t find (that tool) because one of my sons (had) borrowed it and didn’t put it back. I wanted to choke that boy! Have you ever been there? And I expressed that I wanted to choke that boy. And as we were leaving to go to that church, I had to call my two sons and repent for the way I hollered at ‘em and for the things that I (had) said to them. I wanted to stay home! I didn’t want to go to that church! It usually (took us) an hour-and-a-half to get to that church (but instead it) took us four hours.

When we got there, we found a place to eat (in the) late afternoon. And I mean, nobody’s in this place! And I thought, “we’re going to get in and out of here, and I’m still going to get an hour’s rest before we go to the service this evening.” It took twice as long as it should normally take to get our food that day.

We got to the hotel to check in. It was a beautiful place! It was about ninety (degrees) outside. We got to the room (and) they didn’t even have the air-conditioning turned on! It was eighty-five degrees in the room! Well, by the time we got it (turned) on and it started to cool down, I finally dozed off and (then) the phone rang. My son had another problem at home. “Quitting is Not an Option!”

You see, God has called me, appointed me and anointed me to be an evangelist to the local church. It doesn’t matter how I feel! It doesn’t matter what the issues of life are that day! THE CALLING DOES NOT CHANGE! And I CAN’T QUIT! I want to, sometimes. I’m not allowed to! “Quitting is Not an Option!” How I feel doesn’t change the anointing of God! Thank you Jesus! How I feel does not change the power of His Word! Thank you Jesus!

When I stand before our home congregation (to) do a five-minute segment to stir (and) motivate them, sometimes (after) I’m done, I just want to walk out the door and quit! But, “Quitting is Not an Option!”

You see, an evangelist doesn’t bring the type of message that tickles people’s ears. He doesn’t bring the type of message that gets a whole lot of shoutin’ sometimes. But whether you receive what God has given me to tell you or not, “Quitting is Not an Option!” I have to do what God has called me to do!

I want to say something to those who answered the call in this local church to become “Ephesians’ Evangelists.” I believe this comes directly from the Throne Room! “Quitting is Not an Option!” If you came forward that day when we were here, whether you felt received or you didn’t feel received, “Quitting is Not an Option!”

When I bring a message to people, whether they receive it or not, I am still God’s “Ephesians’ Four Evangelist”! I can’t control how people receive the message! The only thing I can control is whether or not I bring the message! “Quitting is Not an Option!”

You know that day that we were headed for Waukegan, Illinois? I described to you that situation. Do you think it would have been the right thing for me to do, (to get) halfway there and pick up the phone and say: “I ain’t coming!” ? “The issues of life have dealt me a bad day, (so) I’m not coming!” Do you think it would’ve been okay to do that?

Do you think it would’ve been okay for me to call Pastor David and say: “The issues of life (are as follows): I have pain in my body; I’m dealing with things on the homefront. I’m sorry, but, I’m not coming.” Do you think that would’ve been okay to do? “Quitting is Not an Option!”

That not only pertains to those in the five-fold ministry, but that pertains to every Christian. To everyone (who) has called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I say to you this morning: “Quitting is Not an Option!” You are a believer in Jesus Christ, no matter how you feel! No matter what (the) circumstances of life are, you are still a believer in Jesus Christ!!!

17 “Therefore if any person is engrafted in Christ, the Messiah, he is a new creation. The old: the previous moral and spiritual condition, has passed away, behold the fresh and the new has come.” I’m so glad that I’m not who I used to be! How ‘bout you this morning?

18 “But all things are of God who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to himself received us unto favor (or) brought us unto harmony with himself and gave to us, (say: “us”), the ministry of reconciliation, that by word and deed, we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him.”

That is the call of every believer in Jesus Christ. We are to help others come into the same harmony with God through Jesus Christ. How do we do that? We do it by telling people what Jesus has done for us. It’s not a hard thing! It’s not a difficult thing! In fact, it’s something that should come natural to us. If you’ve got the love of God inside of you, people should see it on you and what’s in your heart should come forth from your mouth. It should come forth from your mouth! If Jesus is alive inside of you and you love Jesus, then telling people about Him should be the most natural thing that you do.

Don’t shake your head this morning! Don’t allow the devil to talk you out of hearing what God has to say to you this morning. God wants His people to know, not just you folks, but all His people all around the world, that he is not happy with those who receive His blessings and keep those blessings for themselves. With those who are not concerned with a dying, lost world, He is not happy! He has appointed and called every one of us to be ministers of reconciliation in the place He has put us.

You see, as I look upon you this morning, I know that I will never meet people that you will meet. I will never see people on your job. I will never go to the schools that you go to. I will never shop in the stores that you shop. God has commissioned you as the one to reach the people in the place where he has put you. My question is: “What are you gonna’ do about it?” “Are you gonna’ answer the call?” “Are you gonna’ do what God is telling you to do?”

Pastor, let me ask you a question: “I see the yellow tracts over there. Are those some of the same tracts from when we were here, I think it was in March? Or are those new ones?” They’re the same ones.

Now, my memory isn’t the best, but it seems to me, that we put forth a challenge to (you) who were here that day. And as part of that challenge, we challenged (all of you) to take those tracts, a group of thirty-five in a rubber band, and go and give away five a day. And we asked (you folks) to accept that challenge and to (commit to) do this as a regular part of (your) (daily) life, something that you would do over and over and over and over. Now if I remember correctly, I believe there were (either) one or two thousand of those tracts ordered initially. (Now), in doing the math, and remembering the amount of hands that went up…

Now, what I want to say to you is, when you make a commitment, you’re not making a commitment to Jim Barbarossa; you’re not making a commitment to the Pastor; you’re making a commitment to the ALMIGHTY, LIVING GOD! And Church people make too many commitments that they don’t plan on fulfilling! And when we make a commitment to God and we break it, we are lying to God and that is a Sin!

“No, I’m not! I’m telling you the truth! I’m telling you that we make too many commitments and we don’t follow through!” “Quitting is Not an Option!” If you commit to do something, you need to follow it through!

But if you do the math, Pastor, there should not be one (of those old) tracts still sitting there, only brand new ones. Those (original) tracts should probably have been gone in the first five or six weeks, from the time we left. Not because I said I’d do it, (but) because you said you’d do it! You raised your hands and said, “I’ll do this; I can do this thing!” But the tracts are still sitting there! “Quitting is Not an Option!”

When we were here, we talked about testimonies! In my hand, I hold a book that is touching the lives of people all over Indiana. (You want to know) how this book came about? It came about through the people of our home church taking their personal testimony and writing it on paper. We talked about this the last time we were here. Once they turn their written testimony in, we have them printed up into a nice threefold brochure. It took us a year to do it. But sixty-five members of our home church followed through with their commitment to put their testimony on paper. We had them professionally (printed) and started giving them away. But at the same time, we were working on taking those (same testimonies) and putting them in this book. This book contains sixty-five testimonies of people from our home church. This is one of the most dynamic witnessing tools that I have ever experienced.

the cover, whom I know personally, were bound with such intimidating fear, that they could never share their faith. These same people are now taking these books and giving them away, (at least) twenty and thirty copies a week. They’re going into the beauty shops, the grocery stores, the doctor offices and everywhere they normally go everyday, they’re going up to people and simply asking, “May I give this to you?” The rejection rate is almost zero! I mean it’s almost nonexistent! I have never seen a tool for sharing the gospel that almost eliminates the rejection rate! Most of them were twenty or thirty years in the Lord and had never ever shared their faith before! (Today these people have a confidence in sharing their faith that they have never had before!)

How did they get started? They made a commitment to write out their testimony. Then they followed through with that commitment by writing it out. We printed copies (of their individual testimonies) and they began (sharing their faith by simply) giving them away. And I’ll be honest with you, some (of them) have told me, “Jim, I was very reluctant to pass out my testimony, when it was just in that little pamphlet.” But they’ve told me, “There’s something about this book!” This is a GOD thing folks! God is using this! And what God has called us to do is to help churches across the nation do the same thing that we have done. We have people ready to design a book cover, (the front), for the congregations that we work with! We have people who are ready to print it and publish it! But the truth of the matter is, without somebody’s testimony, this could never get done!

How many of you committed to writing out your testimony the last time we were here? Would you raise your hand!?! (You may put them down!) Now, how many of you have actually followed through with your commitment and written your testimony out, since the last time we were here? (You may put them down.) How many (of you) are actually giving them away everyday? (long pause…) Have they been typed up? (Waits for answer…) Do we have somebody with the capability of typing them up and getting them into a threefold flyer so that they can be used for the gospel? Having them written is not enough! They’ve got to be typed up! They’ve got to be on paper! You’ve got to be able to go up to somebody and hand it to him or her! I think maybe we dropped the ball…and we need to pick it up! We need to pick up the ball now, okay?

Hey, I’ve made mistakes. I’ve fallen flat on my face. But when I drop the ball, do you know what I do?

(I fall on my knees and say), “God, forgive me. Lord, help me. (Please) help me to do it right.”

Do you know there are people around us everyday who are dying and going to hell? Do you remember that young girl? That might have been her last opportunity to receive the gospel, when you shared (it) with her. We don’t know! We don’t know what’s going to happen to the people around us. We don’t know (just) how short their lives are going to be! We don’t know!

I’ll tell you: this is a dynamic tool! If you will follow through and do this, you will have this for the rest of your life! There ain’t no demon in hell (that) can steal it from you. Nobody can stop you from using it. Nobody can stop you from giving it away! It is so easy.

One of the things that I have heard in our “home church” over and over and over and over for the last couple of months is: “I never believed it could be so easy! I can’t get over how easy this is!”

This is something we can all do! There is nobody who can’t do this! The neat thing is: when people in the world receive this, they see ten dollars (or even) twelve dollars; because that’s what they would pay for a book of this quality in a bookstore. And so when you go up and hand it to them, they see something of value! And they receive it graciously!

Carla and I have given away about six cases of books over the last two months. That’s about four hundred copies! And we have had three rejections out of four hundred copies! That rejection rate is almost zero! I mean, it is so close to nothing! And (do) you know, the truth is, (that) when somebody does reject it, it doesn’t matter! It’s not my responsibility!

What my responsibility is, is to lift up the name of Jesus! SOMEHOW, SOME WAY, EVERYDAY, EVERYWHERE I GO, I AM SUPPOSED TO LIFT UP THE NAME OF JESUS!!! And the truth is, you have the same responsibility. You can do it by speaking words of life. You can do it by handing out these tracts: (“Do You Ever Feel Like There Is Something Missing In Your Life?” by Jim Barbarossa) You can do it by giving away the tapes: (“Do You Ever Feel Like There Is Something Missing In Your Life?” by Jim Barbarossa). You can do it by writing out and giving away your testimony. You can do it by books like these, (“Real Life Stories”: about the testimonies of God’s life-saving power from people in your own church). There are so many ways to do it! But the bottom line is…let me cut to the chase; get right to the bottom line: EVERY CHRISTIAN, EVERY PERSON THAT KNOWS JESUS AS SAVIOUR IS SUPPOSED TO LIFT UP HIS NAME EVERYDAY, WHEREVER GOD HAS PLACED THEM. I should have heard ninety amens or one hundred amens!

FOLKS, I KNOW THE CHURCH ISN’T USED TO MESSAGES LIKE THIS, BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS: “WE WANT OUR EARS TICKLED!” WE WANT TO HEAR BLESSINGS! WE WANT TO HEAR MONEY! WE WANT TO HEAR WHAT GOD IS GOING TO DO FOR ME, but not what we are going to do for God!

Solomon said, “THE ONLY DUTY OF MAN IS TO WORSHIP GOD AND OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS!” HE TOLD US TO: “GO YE INTO THE WORLD!” AND IT STARTS IN OUR OWN BACKYARD! It starts right where God has placed everyone of us. “Quitting isn’t an option” folks.

If you’re a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, you have a story to tell. You have a testimony! Somebody needs to hear your story! Somebody needs to hear what Jesus has done for you!

Has Jesus done anything for anybody in here today? I know He has. The truth is, you wouldn’t be here if Jesus hadn’t done something for you!

Are you glad that somebody told you about Jesus? You see, most people come to know Jesus because somebody else tells them about Him. It might be through television. It might be through radio. It might be through a tract. But SOMEBODY had to do SOMETHING to help you to come to the place of knowing Jesus. And what GOD is saying to All of us today (is): “DO FOR SOMEBODY ELSE what somebody did for you. BE THAT ONE THAT WILL OPEN UP YOUR MOUTH! BE THAT ONE THAT WILL HAND SOMEBODY A BOOK! BE THAT ONE THAT’LL WRITE OUT THEIR TESTIMONY AND SHARE IT AND GIVE IT AWAY!

Ten years ago… ten years ago a man TAUGHT me how to share my testimony on paper! SOME OF THE SAME PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THAT MEETING TEN YEARS AGO…STILL TO THIS DAY HAVE NOT DONE IT! They have NEVER WRITTEN IT OUT! AND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE I’ll run into them. And I DON’T ASK, I DON’T SAY “NOTHING”! BUT THEY’LL SAY TO ME: “I’M GONNA’ GET IT DONE!” “I’M GONNA’ WRITE OUT MY TESTIMONY!” How many people in their sphere of influence, in the place where God has put them, “how many people, I wonder, have died and gone to hell”? If they had only written out their testimony; typed it up; and started giving it away, there could have been a difference made!

(Concerning the Christians who didn’t write out their testimony and give it away to people):

HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THEIR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE, IN THE PLACE WHERE GOD HAS PUT THEM, “HOW MANY PEOPLE, I WONDER, HAVE DIED AND GONE TO HELL”? IF THEY HAD ONLY WRITTEN OUT THEIR TESTIMONY; TYPED IT UP; AND STARTED GIVING IT AWAY, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENCE MADE!

Do you want to make a difference in somebody’s life? Do you want to make a difference in somebody’s life? YOU’VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! OUR INTENTIONS DON’T COUNT! WELL, I INTENDED TO!

ACTION! (OUR) GOD IS A GOD OF ACTION! FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, HE SENT HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON! (OUR) GOD IS A GOD OF ACTION! WE ARE TO BE IMAGES OF OUR GOD! WE ARE TO BE PEOPLE OF ACTION! AL, “Quitting Is Not An Option!”

WHO ELSE answered the call when we were here as Evangelists? Can I see your hands? STAND up please! Let me see! I DON’T REMEMBER ALL OF YOUR NAMES! BUT LISTEN TO ME TODAY! “QUITTING… IS NOT… AN OPTION!”

“IT DOESN’T MATTER!” “QUITTING… IS NOT… AN OPTION!” If I had based my calling upon people, I would have quit before i got started! Because, you see, I see it on people’s faces! I’ll be honest with you; I see it on some of your faces today!

Yeah, okay! I know it’s there! I’ve seen it in my home church! I’ve been disgusted many times as I look at them! IT’S LIKE YOU’VE GOT TO PUT A STICK OF DYNAMITE UNDER THEM!!! They just don’t want to move. They’ve been stuck in the pew for so long. They’ve been part of this: “The Pastor’s paid to do it” thing! “QUITTING… IS NOT… AN OPTION! You can be seated!

EPHESIANS’ EVANGELISTS: IT IS NOT THE PASTOR’S JOB…TO TEACH THE MEMBERS OF THIS CONGREGATION, HOW TO SHARE THEIR FAITH! He can be a part of it, by encouraging you and supporting you! It is not his job to come and chase you and look for you! The truth is: if he’s got to do that, then he doesn’t need you! MY PASTOR DOESN’T HAVE TO CHASE ME! He doesn’t have to look for me, okay?! He knows that the job God has called me to do, is going to get done and it doesn’t matter how I feel, it doesn’t matter what the issues of life are saying. I may be on top of the roller coaster that day or I may be down in the valley, but I am still called as an Ephesians’ Evangelist to the local church! NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING CHANGES THAT!

MINISTERS OF RECONCILIATI0N! YOU ARE A MINISTER OF RECONCILIATION NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL, NO MATTER WHAT’S HAPPENED ON THE JOB, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR NEIGHBOR SAID ABOUT YOU, NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE ARE, YOU ARE A MINISTER OF RECONCILIATION! THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN CHANGE IT! “QUITTING… IS NOT… AN OPTION!

I don’t want an answer. But I just want you to ponder this for a minute! WHY…ARE THOSE TRACTS STILL ON THAT TABLE, WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE MADE A COMMITMENT? WHY ARE THOSE STILL TAPES THERE? Why aren’t your testimonies written out in a professional manner? And why have six months passed without them being sowed out, where lives could be changed? Why? And even more important than the why, what are you gonna’ do about it? That’s the bottom line. What are you gonna’ do about it? What are you gonna’ do now to bring these things to pass? I want to see you get to this (point in your life). This is fun! We have a blast giving away these (book, tapes and tracts) everywhere we go.

I was in a Chiropractor’s (office) yesterday morning. And a few days before, I had stopped in and dropped some (books) off right where they keep their magazines. And I went in yesterday morning and they were gone. And of course the enemy tries to plant things in your head.

Well, when the lady called me back to go into the room, she said, “Hey, I wanted you to know I gave one of those books away. There was a lady out there reading it, and I called her to come back for her appointment with the doctor, and she said, “Please, please allow me to take this book with me!” She was touched!

And as I was talking with the secretary, she told me that she had read hers completely and how parts of it brought tears to her eyes!

God’s doing a work through this tool; because it’s based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It’s based on testimony!

But you can’t get here, until you do the first part! And that’s to get your testimony written out, typed up and start giving them away!

It used to bother me when it got quiet. But it doesn’t bother me anymore; because I know God’s doing a work!

(In my opinion), a lot of times Pastor, when everybody’s saying: “Amen and Hallelujah”, you’re (probably) not really accomplishing much of anything! But when it gets quiet and that convicting power of the Holy Spirit is upon us, He can do a work in us! And I believe He’s doing a work right now. “Quitting is not an option!”

9 And I tell you, whoever declares openly, speaking out freely and confesses that he is my worshipper and acknowledges me before men, the son of man also will declare and confess and acknowledge him before the angels of God!

In other words, that person will be acknowledged before the Almighty Living God.

10 But he who disowns and denies and rejects and refuses to acknowledge me before men, will be disowned and denied and rejected and refused acknowledgment in the presence of the angels of God!

32 Therefore, every one who acknowledges me before men and confesses me [out of a state of oneness with me], I will also acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, and confess [abiding] in him.

33 But whoever denies and disowns me before men, I also will deny and disown before my Father who is in heaven.

Now one of the things that I think about when I read that last part about denial, (is) I ask the question,

“Is Silence…..Denial? Is Being Quiet…, Just Not Saying Anything, …Denial?”

“IF YOU’LL SHOUT ABOUT ME; IF YOU’LL HOLLER ABOUT ME; AND IF YOU’LL TELL PEOPLE WHAT I’VE DONE FOR YOU; (THEN) WHEN YOU GET BEFORE MY DADDY IN HEAVEN, I’M GONNA’ SAY,

“THIS ONE’S MINE! I KNOW HIM! MY SPIRIT’S IN HIM AND UPON HIM!” BUT THEN IT SAYS, IF YOU DON’T TELL ABOUT HIM, AND IF YOU DENY HIM BEFORE MEN, He will deny you before His Father!

14 For it as a man who was about to take a long journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his property.

15 To one he gave five talents [probably about $5000], to another two, to another one; to each in proportion to his own personal ability. Then he departed and left the country.

Before I continue, I want you to look at what you have. I want you to look at your abilities. I want you to look at what God has given you. What are your talents? A talent can be money. It can be possessions and wealth. A talent can be a gift. A talent is definitely your salvation! What are you doing with your salvation?

16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them and he gained five talents more!

17 And likewise he who had received the two talents, he also gained two talents more!

18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money!

19 Now after a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

I want you to know today, that there’s going to be a day of judgment! There’s going to be a day when we are all accountable to God for the things that we have done and the things that we have not done! That’s gonna’ happen! There’s going to be a judgment.

20 And he who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, “Master, you entrusted to me five talents, see, here I have gained five talents more.”

21 His master said to him, “Well done, you upright, (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy---the delight, the blessedness—which your master [enjoys].

22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying “Master, you entrusted two talents to me; here I have gained two talents more.”

23 His master said to him: “Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy—the delight, the blessedness---which your master [enjoys].

I can tell you that there are some people on this cover, (“Real Life Stories”), who are experiencing a joy in the Lord that they had never experienced in walking with Jesus for thirty years. Because for thirty years they did all of the good “church stuff”: (which meant) they prayed, they worshipped, they sang in the choir, they were ushers. They did everything that’s expected of them to do in the church, except share their faith! Now that they have started to do that, they have entered into a realm of joy that they had never experienced before. There is nothing on earth like it! There is nothing anywhere like it! When you are about the Father’s business, there is a joy that you can enter into that no devil, that no person, that nobody can take from you! There’s a joy that the issues of life can’t steal! There’s a joy that a backache can’t steal! There’s nothing like it! There’s nothing like it! Don’t allow the devil to steal it away from you any longer! It’s time for all of us to enter into the fullness of that joy by doing the Father’s bidding; by doing the Father’s business.

I don’t really know how to get it across, Pastor! I guess (you’ll never really understand it) until you’ve walked it, until you’ve actually gone out there and done it. Because people look at you like:

But I’m gonna’ tell you about one lady in particular on this cover. I remember the first time she stepped out and did something for Jesus! She went into a store and she took a stand with a bunch of testimonies and she went in and got the permission of the owner to leave it there! She came back and shared that with me and she had a glow on her face like nothing I had (ever) seen on her before. And she looked at me and we talked a little bit.

I said, “Are you sensing something (that) you’ve never sensed before?” And the devil tried to steal it from her.

And I took out that verse of scripture and I shared with her: “Because you decided to go about the Father’s business; because you decided to go do what Jesus has called you to do, you have entered (into) a realm of the joy of the Lord that you have never ever experienced before!”

You know, (all of us) Christians are going to be so happy when we just start doing what God has called us to do!

I get tired of seeing these long faces on people, God’s people. We shouldn’t have that! Whether I go home this week and make money in my business, it doesn’t matter. Whether I have a problem here or there, it doesn’t matter; I’m still going to share my faith with people along the way and I’m going to walk in a joy that nobody can take from me. Would you like to have that? Would you like to be there? Come to that place where you can walk in that joy!

There’s nothing like looking into a face of a lost person and seeing that change take place right before your eyes.

24 He who had received one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew you to be a harsh and hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you had not winnowed [the grain]!

25 So I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is your own.”

26 But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy and idol servant! Did you indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and gathered grain where I have not winnowed?”

The part I want you to really get a hold of here is these words that he says here to him. “Did you indeed know?” That tells me that we are indeed responsible for what we know! We are going to be held accountable for what we know! I know, by the Word of God, that Jim Barbarossa, because he’s saved, because Jesus is in his heart, I know I am to be a minister of reconciliation everyday of my life, everywhere I go! And it is my responsibility to lift up the name of Jesus, so Jesus can draw all men unto Him! That is my responsibility because I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ! And it is not only mine! But it is the responsibility of every person who has called upon the name of Jesus! I heard two amen’s! Two! And I don’t mind it. But the truth is, this is shoutin’ stuff, folks! This is shoutin’ stuff! You see, we shout about stuff that tickles our fancy! We shout about stuff that tickles our ears! When the man of God or the woman of God tells us what we want to hear:

But when God brings somebody in with His message, (quietly spoken)>, “It gets quiet.”

Or does it read, “If you love me, obey the ones that you feel comfortable with?”

(Jesus said), “If you love me, (softly spoken), obey……..my commandments.”

27 “Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I could have received what was my own with interest.”

28 “So take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.”

I have people tell me all the time, “Brother, I wish I had testimonies like you have.”

Everything God gives me I try to give it away. And the more I give, the more He gives me. The more I use what He gives me, the more He gives me to use.

I hear people crying in the church, (Spoken softly) “I don’t have, I don’t have!”

Start giving it away. Start giving (it) away. Give away your faith everywhere you go and watch what God does.

“Well, brother, you have so many testimonies: story after story after story.”

(Do) you know why? (The reason I have so many testimonies is) because I sow testimonies. Every time I sow a testimony, another one gets birthed. And then we sow some more and other ones get birthed.

Back home, our church has put racks of testimonies in fifty-six stores. We’re sharing testimonies. We’re sowing testimonies. And now we’re receiving new testimonies of people who are being touched by those testimonies.

Get your testimonies out there! Get them in a book! Start sowing them! Watch what God does!

29 “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”

30 “And throw the good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”

“I don’t know about you, but when I stand before God, I want to be that one where He says, “Jim, I gave you your storage business, and you used it for my glory. You doubled what I gave you! Enter into the Joy of the Lord!”

“Jim, I saved you! I gave my son Jesus for you, Jim!” “And what I gave you; you went and gave to others! Enter into the Joy of the Lord!”

(Spoken softly.) Do you ever just want to cry? Folks, I’m not a very emotional person. But I believe God is crying over His people. He wants us to commit (our lives to Him and His work) and remain committed (to Him). He wants us to have the love for mankind that He has.

If we truly have the love of God in us, I don’t see how we can just walk by somebody and let him or her go to hell.

We have a young man, at our home church, who has been saved for six months. And I talk to him quite often. And he’s turning into a “fireball” for Jesus! He was passing out tracts; passing out tapes; passing out this and passing out that.

He was only about four weeks (old) in the Lord and he came to me and he said, “Jim, this is all good stuff, but he said, “Man, you have got to teach me how to talk to people! You’ve got to show me how to talk to people about Jesus!”

I was so blessed! And I gave him one of the best teaching tools there is, when it comes to learning how to talk to people about Jesus! And he’s out there doing it! He’s telling people about Jesus everywhere he goes.

(One day) we were talking and he said (something to me like), “Jim, do you think it’s possible that somebody could be truly saved and not tell people about Jesus?” A baby in Jesus, (only) six months (old) in the Lord, (asked the question), “Do you think it could be possible that somebody could really be in love with Jesus; could really be full of Jesus and not be willing to tell others about Him?”

In other words, he was saying to me, “I can’t understand how a person could be saved and not share their faith!”

And I want to close with this! In fact, Carla, why don’t you come and lift up a song to the Lord. But I want to tell you something and I’ve never shared this (story) anywhere! This just happened recently! Now, somebody here, you need to hear this!

That young man, (who) was (only) six months (old) in the Lord drives a truck for a company delivering mortar, cement, bricks and all that kind of stuff. And he got so radical with giving away those tracts and giving away books and giving away tapes. You see this man was set free! He was set free of drugs, alcohol, a foul mouth, a whole bunch of things!

And because of what Jesus did for him, he said, “I’ve got to go tell everybody else.” And he’s on the job, and he’s passing this out and passing that out. And people are coming to him and they want to talk about him and they want to talk to Jesus! Truth was, a lot of these people were waiting for him to fall! They were just talking to him. But he kept talking! (Unfortunately), they (eventually) all turned on him and reported him to his employer!

“This stuff has got to stop! We can’t have this man preaching to us everyday! We can’t have him delivering books and tapes and stuff in the mortar joints!”

He was enclosing them in the packages! He got called in the office once! He got called back in a second time!

This time they told him, “Our company name is on this product! You are not allowed to stick your books, your tracts and your tapes in with the product!

So as he made the delivery to that house, and put nothing in it! But he went to the house on both sides and he shared the gospel in both of those houses! So when the devil tried to shut him down, he went to two places instead of one!

This young Christian, (just) six months in the Lord went to his boss and said, “I want you to know something! I have the most productive route in this company! The reason is because I am doing the Father’s business! God is blessing my route because I am going about his business! So I’m warning you, if you shut me off, my Father will shut you off!”

This young Christian, (just) six months (old) in the Lord went to his boss and said, “I want you to know something! I have the most productive route in this company! The reason is because I am doing the Father’s business! God is blessing my route because I am going about His business! So I’m warning you, If you shut me off, my Father will shut you off!”

Yeah! Well, I’m going to tell you what happened last week! Last week his boss called him into the office, because business got cut in half! “IN HALF!”

This person had not warmed the pew for thirty years! He didn’t know a lot of doctrine! He didn’t know a lot of theology! But he knew the one called JESUS! And he did what Jesus told him to do!

His boss said (to him), “I want you, starting right now, to go back out there and start doing what you used to do!” He said, “I am not fighting with your God!”

Whew! “(Only )six months (old) in the Lord!” “Newborn believer in Jesus Christ!” And God is using this young man dynamically!” He hears His voice and he obeys Him!

When the man of God teaches (him to) take tracts and give them away: He takes tracts and gives them away! When the man of God teaches: “Write out your testimony!” He wrote it out and now he’s giving it away! When we encouraged people to put displays in businesses, he found three businesses to put his testimony in! When we started passing out (our church’s testimony) books, he was slapping books down everywhere!

And in the midst of all that, this new believer, is out there saying to people, “Let me tell you what my life used to be like, and let me tell you what my Jesus has done for me.”

…this new believer, is out there saying to people, “Let me tell you what my life used to be like, and let me tell you what my Jesus has done for me.”

We should all be able to do that! We can. Say, “We can.” We can all do this. Yes we can, every one of us! But we’ve got to have a vision! We’ve got to have a vision and we’ve got to stick to it! We’ve got to stay focused on it! (Spoken softly)

I’ve told people this at my home church before! And I may have even said it here! But in my home church, it’s my job to make people do things (that) they don’t want to do! Which is to share their faith! What I want to tell you today, is that they are so happy when they do! When they get that chance to walk in that joy that they’ve never had before, they are changed people!

And God has somebody for this church! And you may not always like it! Because they don’t always like me, at my home church! But his job is to get you to do things that you haven’t been wanting to do, in the area of sharing your faith. There are several others that answered the call as Ephesians’ evangelists in this local church. Part of their job is to get all of you …to share your faith! You may not always appreciate them! I know! The Holy Spirit has allowed me to hear what people are saying!

“Well, I liked it better before you got here! I get tired of this, week after week after week after week! Would you please leave?!?”

I‘ve got news for them! THE EVANGELIST IS IN THE HOUSE TO STAY! THE EVANGELIST IS IN THE HOUSE TO STAY! And it’s time for all God’s people to get on board!

I have a book in my office called: HARD SAYINGS OF THE BIBLE. That’s not something that most pastors would pick up every week and preach out of. Because the truth of the matter is, most people can’t handle it. But, the fact remains, that it is our responsibility to share our faith in Jesus Christ. It’s also important to remember the scripture that says: “If you deny me before men, I’ll deny you before the Father.” Those (words) are so true. The unfortunate truth, is that we’ve approached the Word of God like a buffet table, just picking and choosing the things that we want, the things that taste good to us. But what we need to realize is that God is the Master Chef and what he sets before you as you read your Bible everyday, you need to eat. And our North American culture is so out of touch with the men and women of long ago, in the Bible and beyond, who were martyrs and who gladly laid their lives down for Jesus and His Gospel. But, if you remember, a few Sundays back, we preached a message entitled: “One, Two, One”. God began with a desire for a family, so He had Adam and Eve. Then, of course, (Adam and Eve partook of the “forbidden fruit” and Cain killed Abel), so that sort of fell apart. It definitely did not get off to a (very) good start. So then He began again and Adam and Eve had other children. (After Cain killed Abel and was cursed by God), you don’t hear about him anymore.

Again, what God started didn’t go so good, so he started over. And see, God will give us an opportunity to start again, here!

I don’t want to pastor a church that is not outreach-oriented or mission-minded.

There’s an old saying that says, “If you’re not reaching out, you’re passing out!” Who wants to come to a church where everybody’s passed out, ya know?

I love it when there are new babies in the Lord! But you see, it’s not hard to take a tract and leave it somewhere! Let me tell you a fresh story about these tracts. I received a call from the mall. They were all upset, because somebody had sprinkled tracts all over the mall.

And one of the people on our staff said, “Well, Pastor, maybe, we ought to tell people not to do that.”

And I said, “No, just leave them! When the phone calls stop coming, then I’m gonna’ get nervous!”

Now you need to use wisdom when you’re handing out these tracts! And make sure you’re lead by the Spirit, before you do it, too! Sometimes we decide that we’re going to hand out five tracts a day, so we just dump them everywhere. But the Spirit may not want us to hand them out yet; He may want us to wait till later in the day to give them to specific people. I’m just encouraging you to realize the importance of using wisdom. Wisdom is all right!

So let’s stand to our feet. I want to do this one more time. God has given us an opportunity.

I knew that when Brother Jim came, I was going to have to repent. Or as we say in football, “Re-punt!” Because, you know, we’re in a position where we’ve got to move the ball down the field. And next week we’re going to put a testimony sheet inside your bulletin, to make it real easy for you. It’s going to be a piece of paper, probably about this big. And it’ll probably have a place for your name, and your telephone number, just in case we need to reach you. It’ll also have a place that says: “Before I was a Christian”, so you can write about what you were like before you were a Christian like, “I was a nasty individual!” Next, it’ll have: “How I became a Christian!”

“Well, this Jim Barbarossa guy came… (laughing) Nah! Or whatever happened, “My uncle Matt or somebody gave me a book!” Then tell what happened afterwards.

So you’ll be sharing: before, how, during and afterwards! And then you can just take them home and bring them back next Sunday and pop it in the offering plate. And we’re started!

You see, one of the gifts God has given me is the gift of administration. So we’re going to help you to do that, real easy!

And then some of you might say, “Well, I forgot it!” Or, “I lost it!” No problem! We’ll do it again! We’ll put it in the bulletin! Then the elders will collect them, take them to the office and then Al and I will work on them. That’s easy! We can do that, can’t we? We just put that before you and help you to do it. And let’s just do this. Let’s make a commitment before the Lord. You know, we’ve ordered in a lot more tapes. The place where I go for coffee has a little fish bowl and I’ve probably put in at least fifty tapes. So that tells me that there are at least fifty people in Archbold walking around that heard a message: “Do you ever feel that there’s something missing in your life?”

And when you (pass out a tape at) the grocery store, you may run into someone that’s received the seed already and you may just be watering. And there’ve been other tapes. We’ve probably already given away four or five hundred tapes, which is great. They’re in the community! The seed’s already in the ground.

(Jim), didn’t your church print up 20,000 books? How many of those books have you have given away so far?

Jim: “Seven thousand! (We’ve passed out) seven thousand (books) since July 2^nd.

Pastor: That’s pretty good! But those books are out there doing something. We all want God to do something!

But He says, “I’ve already done it: I’ve hung on the cross. Now it’s up for you to do something! And now it’s your turn! And when you do something, then I’ll do something!” Amen!

How many of you want God to do something? Well then we’ve got to get ready to do something ourselves!

I’m going to address those people that came forward, that said, “I feel like there is an evangelistical gifting in my heart! There is a desire to really win souls! I’d really like those E-force Evangelists to come back up here.

But there are some new people that have come to the church since then! Now when I say come up here, that doesn’t mean you can just stand there and look at me, that means you’ve got to move, you’ve got to walk! So as you come, we want you to know that we’re not going to beat you up, but that we’re very glad that God has placed you in our midst! And so we just want to recognize the gifting that is in your life and say, “Go for it!” We want to equip you! And since you folks are a team, we’re going to encourage you to work together!

Some of you may say, “I believe God has placed in me a desire to win souls.” But as we heard, we are all ministers called in reconciling men back to Jesus.

Carla told me something that just about made me cry! I don’t think anybody knew, because I did pretty good at holding back the tears.

(When I talked to) that young girl Holly, I almost said, “Go home and pray.”

Carla talked about D.L. Moody of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She told of how, at his meeting one night, he was telling the people about Jesus and he said, Come back tomorrow night and I’ll tell you more.”

That very night, the “Great Chicago Fire” broke out and many people perished with a natural flame, and then lost their souls into an eternal flame!

And I wonder; I just wonder if he wished he had closed the deal; if he would have just said, “Would you like to pray and ask Jesus into your heart tonight?”

He probably thought about that the rest of his life! And we all have (stories) of missed opportunities! Let’s not beat ourselves up over it! Let’s learn from it! Let’s let it challenge us! Let’s allow it to inspire us!

We’ve all been given the opportunity, because many peoples’ houses are burning and they don’t even know it!

I said to this young girl named Holly, “You know, the sad thing is, is that there are so many nice people in Hell! There’s a house full of people that bought the devil’s doctrine that says, “If you’re good enough, you’re gonna’ go to Heaven.”

Let’s go after those nice people! Let’s go after those “not so nice” people! You can leave a tract! You can leave a tape! Let’s make a commitment to clear that table off! I will not print any more tracts until those are all gone! So let’s watch ‘em go down! Take them! Just give ‘em away!

We have the tapes bundled in bundles of seven, so you can give one away each day of the week and come back and get more!

I started off by handing out tracts to people and I didn’t know what to do Jim, so I grabbed my Bible because I felt the Lord wanted me to talk to people. So I walked up to someone and read John 3:16 and then I just stood there because I didn’t know what to do next! And they looked at me as if I was a “mental patient”. And I felt like one!

But you know, we’ve (I’ve) overcome that and have come a long way since then! You’ve got to start somewhere! If somebody wants to get started, why don’t you come on up. We’re getting ready to pray for our E-force Evangelists.

But you say, “You know, you’re right! I just want to get started! I want to share my faith! It’s about time, I do that!”

Some of us may have even used to do that! But what happened? We backed away! Something’s died on the inside of us! Something’s cooled off!

You know truthfully, what I kept thinking today? “Lord, I repent! I repent as a pastor! I just pray that you’d forgive us as a congregation, because we want to hear and we want to be taught! But when it comes down to it, we want to hear about teaching, but we don’t want to be about reaching! God forgive us!

I’m going to go ahead and open up the altar right now! I’m going to ask Jim and Carla to start praying for these people that are here and encouraging them and putting a transfer (of their anointing upon these people). And (Jim), I’m gonna’ give the microphone right back to you too.

But if you say, “You know, Pastor, I need an impartation, I’m believing I need a jumpstart! There is a “transfer” that comes through “laying on of hands”!

And I believe that one of the reasons why “Holly” was able to get saved like she did was because there was an anointing in the house to do that! It was there, but it just needed to be stirred up! And the Holy Spirit stirred me up, by having you, (Jim and Carla), come here! And I believe you’re going to stir the body up! So I’m going to give this (microphone) back to you, (Jim), in case there’s something else you’d like to say.

If you weren’t here last time when we came and you feel that call on your life as an evangelist, one whom God will help to use to equip everybody in the congregation so that they will be effective witnesses for Jesus. If you sense that call on your life, if you sense that anointing and you haven’t come forward, come now!

We’re all called to be ministers of reconciliation; we’re all called to share our faith. But there are those whom Jesus gave as a gift and he gave them to help teach, train, motivate and activate all of us to do the work of the ministry. And again, if you sense that, you should come now.

I want to do something else. I want all of you just to step a little closer. Just move up a little bit tighter here.

I know there were a lot of hands (that) went up, when we put forth those challenges to give away the tracts and the tapes and to write testimonies and all of that.

There are some of you who know you kind of dropped the ball and you’re willing to say, “I missed it, but I want to get on track.” If you’re willing to ask God to help you get (back) on track, I want you just to come up here right now and stand behind these (E-force) Evangelists that are up here.

And also by coming up, you’ll be saying to them, “We support what you’re doing! We’re behind you! We appreciate you!”

And I’m assuming that everyone who is not up here is a dynamic witness for Jesus! And you’re doing okay! And you’re doing a good job!