WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:04.000 Billy Graham once said, without dark clouds in 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:07.080 our life, we could never know the joy of sunshine. 00:00:07.620 --> 00:00:10.460 As true as that is, it doesn't make those dark 00:00:10.460 --> 00:00:13.339 times easier to go through. Today, I want to 00:00:13.339 --> 00:00:16.300 suggest that when we're depressed, when we're 00:00:16.300 --> 00:00:19.859 in those painful periods of our lives, God actually 00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:23.879 can and wants to do something very significant 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:27.440 in us. Stay with me. I think this truth is really 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:31.980 going to help you. Thanks for listening to this 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:34.960 edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:38.240 We are an international teaching and discipleship 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:40.859 ministry that encourages and equips Christians 00:00:40.859 --> 00:00:43.700 to live like Christians. Well, today we're continuing 00:00:43.700 --> 00:00:46.780 our series, I Choose Joy, based in Philippians 00:00:46.780 --> 00:00:49.719 chapter one. In this program, Chip reminds us 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:52.520 of two encouraging truths as we journey through 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:55.500 the ups and downs of life. God is in control 00:00:55.500 --> 00:00:58.320 and he's using every experience and circumstance 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:01.920 to mold us to be more like Jesus. If you're ready 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:04.260 to learn more about that, grab your Bible and 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:06.219 listen to the remainder of Chip's insightful 00:01:06.219 --> 00:01:10.920 talk, Understanding the Power of Purpose. In 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:16.219 God's economy, mark it down, the shortest distance 00:01:16.219 --> 00:01:21.239 between two points is a zigzag line. And you 00:01:21.239 --> 00:01:23.340 can look at Joseph. You can look at Moses. You 00:01:23.340 --> 00:01:25.560 can look at the children of Israel. You can look 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:28.459 at your life. You can study church history. You 00:01:28.459 --> 00:01:30.780 can look at the lives of people that you really 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:33.939 admire, that God has greatly used and have great 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:37.459 character. And I will tell you this, the game 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:41.400 plan was a zigzag line. So what I want to help 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:46.780 you do is learn we can actually choose joy when 00:01:46.780 --> 00:01:50.849 we know that these current circumstances God 00:01:50.849 --> 00:01:53.530 actually is using them. There is a purpose behind 00:01:53.530 --> 00:01:56.189 them. It's not linear. It's not always the way 00:01:56.189 --> 00:02:00.489 we think. You got it? A number of years ago, 00:02:00.530 --> 00:02:03.750 I'd give you probably a million illustrations, 00:02:03.810 --> 00:02:06.629 but one of the most graphic for me, because it 00:02:06.629 --> 00:02:08.229 was so devastating. You know, if you've heard 00:02:08.229 --> 00:02:10.909 all my crazy stories, and I'm a basketball -holic, 00:02:10.909 --> 00:02:14.210 and I love to work out, and I remember a number 00:02:14.210 --> 00:02:17.930 of years ago, and I was playing a lot of pickup 00:02:17.930 --> 00:02:20.150 ball with college guys. I was still in good shape. 00:02:20.169 --> 00:02:22.849 It was a misty, rainy day. I thought, boy, I 00:02:22.849 --> 00:02:24.430 don't want to play outside. We'll slip. Someone 00:02:24.430 --> 00:02:26.169 will get hurt. So we went over to Bethany College, 00:02:26.509 --> 00:02:29.430 played some pickup ball with some college guys. 00:02:29.710 --> 00:02:31.550 I was just having a great day. I was dribbling 00:02:31.550 --> 00:02:34.150 down. Out of my eye, I saw a guy filling the 00:02:34.150 --> 00:02:36.370 lane. I was going to throw my John Stockton off 00:02:36.370 --> 00:02:40.430 the bounce pass. And he was one of my heroes, 00:02:40.530 --> 00:02:43.150 by the way. And so, and as I got, I got right 00:02:43.150 --> 00:02:45.270 to here to do it. And then my eye caught, another 00:02:45.270 --> 00:02:47.689 guy saw me and he was going to get it. So I leaned 00:02:47.689 --> 00:02:51.250 more and I really put the mustard on it. So all 00:02:51.250 --> 00:02:53.969 my weights on this and I torqued it. And it was 00:02:53.969 --> 00:02:56.449 like a gun went off, bam. And I was like, oh 00:02:56.449 --> 00:02:59.229 my gosh, what happened? Anything inside of Anita 00:02:59.229 --> 00:03:02.569 can blow up, blew up. I mean, ACL, MCL, meniscus. 00:03:02.669 --> 00:03:06.090 I find myself going to physical therapy after 00:03:06.090 --> 00:03:11.000 surgery and And a lady begins to talk to me, 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:13.280 who's my physical therapist. I learned very early 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:16.199 on, her dad is like the super fired up atheist, 00:03:16.259 --> 00:03:19.219 hates Christians. She finds out on my paper, 00:03:19.259 --> 00:03:21.419 I'm a pastor. So you're one of them. And I mean, 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:24.520 she is ticked off. And here we go. Here we go. 00:03:24.539 --> 00:03:26.639 Oh my gosh. So Lord, would you give me an opportunity? 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:29.400 Here's what I can tell you. I don't know, maybe 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:31.379 after the sixth, seventh or eighth appointment. 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:33.500 And, you know, I've done it about, you know, 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:35.979 a month or so. And so finally, she puts her hands 00:03:35.979 --> 00:03:38.379 on her hips. And, you know, if you've ever rehabbed, 00:03:38.379 --> 00:03:40.099 you know, sometimes they push and it's like you're 00:03:40.099 --> 00:03:42.139 just ready to cry. It hurts so bad. I thought 00:03:42.139 --> 00:03:45.139 she enjoyed it. I really do. You Christians, 00:03:45.300 --> 00:03:48.280 you know, my dad taught to hate you guys. And 00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:53.159 so she goes, OK, so so what's with you? I said, 00:03:53.180 --> 00:03:55.759 so what do you mean what's with me? I watch how 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:57.620 you act. You know, you kind of know everybody 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:00.759 in here and your attitude. And you're not at 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:02.800 all like those Christians that my dad told me 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:05.780 about. And I said, do you really want to know? 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:09.039 She goes, yeah. I said, no, no. Do you really 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:13.740 want to know? She says, yeah. I said, your dad 00:04:13.740 --> 00:04:16.540 missed out. He doesn't know. And I began to explain 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:18.699 to her who Jesus was. And to make a long story 00:04:18.699 --> 00:04:22.300 short. I saw her trust Christ. She'd been through 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:25.240 a horrendous hardship and abandoned by a husband 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:28.579 and had a little five -year -old girl. I remember 00:04:28.579 --> 00:04:31.699 when I had the chance to baptize her later. I 00:04:31.699 --> 00:04:33.579 remember then she'd come to church and sit way 00:04:33.579 --> 00:04:35.800 up front. She said, I want my little girl to… 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:38.420 It was like, wow, this music and when we worship 00:04:38.420 --> 00:04:40.819 and what God's doing in me. Her life just 180. 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:45.420 I remember thinking, because I went back to playing 00:04:45.420 --> 00:04:48.290 basketball and I had this brace. you know, it's 00:04:48.290 --> 00:04:50.250 kind of bummed out, like, you know, okay, I lost 00:04:50.250 --> 00:04:52.069 my first step. Of course, didn't have much of 00:04:52.069 --> 00:04:54.269 one at that age anyway, and couldn't jump at 00:04:54.269 --> 00:04:57.850 all. And God said, so Chip, let me get this right. 00:04:59.050 --> 00:05:02.430 Do you think just blowing out your knee, a little 00:05:02.430 --> 00:05:06.189 difficulty, a little challenge is worth that 00:05:06.189 --> 00:05:10.730 young woman's eternal future and what happens 00:05:10.730 --> 00:05:13.949 to her daughter? And I remember thinking, wow, 00:05:14.269 --> 00:05:17.639 you know, Lord, that is so awesome. That is so 00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:21.720 awesome. Would I give a knee for someone in what 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:25.019 I saw? Absolutely. What are you going through? 00:05:25.339 --> 00:05:27.500 What are you going through right now that God 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:31.220 wants to use so that other people, so the gospel 00:05:31.220 --> 00:05:33.899 can go forth? How you respond to the difficulty, 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:37.319 the pain, the injustice, what's happening at 00:05:37.319 --> 00:05:40.139 work, or what your ex is saying, or what's happening 00:05:40.139 --> 00:05:42.319 with one of your kids, or a health issue that 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:44.040 everyone's going, wow, how do you even get through 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:48.050 this? God wants to use your present circumstances, 00:05:48.310 --> 00:05:50.629 exhibit A, for the furtherance of the gospel. 00:05:50.730 --> 00:05:54.509 But that's not all. Exhibit B. Here's another 00:05:54.509 --> 00:05:57.389 good thing that happened. The church grows stronger. 00:05:57.709 --> 00:06:01.230 Notice what he says. And that most of the brethren 00:06:01.230 --> 00:06:04.589 trusting in the Lord, notice the phrase, because 00:06:04.589 --> 00:06:07.550 of my imprisonment, have far more courage to 00:06:07.550 --> 00:06:10.470 speak the word of God without fear. See, when 00:06:10.470 --> 00:06:13.110 we step up, when he's in the midst of this and 00:06:13.110 --> 00:06:15.829 he's being bold, the rest of us go, wow, you 00:06:15.829 --> 00:06:18.490 know something? The Praetorian Guard, the church 00:06:18.490 --> 00:06:21.310 was being persecuted. And now they say, you know, 00:06:21.350 --> 00:06:24.449 if Paul can do it in prison, I can do it. I have 00:06:24.449 --> 00:06:26.569 two or three friends that have very high -level 00:06:26.569 --> 00:06:30.009 jobs in the high -tech world, and they're bold. 00:06:30.470 --> 00:06:33.139 I mean, they're out there. And they're not asking, 00:06:33.199 --> 00:06:35.740 can I do this or can I say this? They're loving, 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:37.399 they're kind, they're great at what they do, 00:06:37.420 --> 00:06:40.120 but they are bold. They're not afraid to say, 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:42.759 yes, I'm a Christian. I'm not anti -intellectual. 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.540 I'm not narrow. I'm not a hater. And by how they're 00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:48.699 living and how they're treating people, I'll 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:50.060 tell you what, it just makes me go, you know, 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:54.779 I can do this. I can do this. Sometimes adversity 00:06:54.779 --> 00:06:57.199 and difficult circumstances cause the gospel 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:00.800 to go forth. And sometimes difficulty, circumstance. 00:07:01.139 --> 00:07:04.160 You know what it does? It builds the body. It 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:08.759 causes the church to grow. One of my deepest 00:07:08.759 --> 00:07:11.579 zigzags was God made it really clear, Chip, you 00:07:11.579 --> 00:07:14.060 have to be back in local church. I had the privilege 00:07:14.060 --> 00:07:16.480 of leading Walk Through the Bible and what they're 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:18.800 doing here and all around the world, great organization, 00:07:19.139 --> 00:07:22.199 but I wasn't teaching God's Word anymore. I was 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:24.959 just creating some videos and then traveling 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:28.139 all around the world. kind of sharing it with 00:07:28.139 --> 00:07:30.060 a few people who would teach it to others, but 00:07:30.060 --> 00:07:33.259 I mean, it wasn't teaching God's word. And the 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:35.420 administrative responsibilities got bigger and 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:38.319 bigger, and that's not my strength. And so God 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:40.560 said, I want you to leave that and go back to 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:42.959 local church. I said, okay. So, you know, I have 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:45.339 this good transition plan, and no, I want you 00:07:45.339 --> 00:07:47.540 to resign. God didn't understand. I don't have 00:07:47.540 --> 00:07:50.939 a job yet. I know. So do you trust me or not? 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:55.500 Okay. And so I thought, you know, That stage 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:57.560 of my life, I bet there's a church somewhere. 00:07:57.800 --> 00:07:59.860 And some people said, hey, yeah, why don't you 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:01.259 think about this or that? And we came up with 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:04.720 a profile. Here's what I want to tell you. For 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:08.860 two years, I was not pastoring a church. Living 00:08:08.860 --> 00:08:11.079 on the Edge was developing and growing and get 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:14.259 its feet as an independent organization. And 00:08:14.259 --> 00:08:17.800 I was in limbo. I mean, I woke up every day like, 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:21.439 I mean, I went to a little makeshift office with 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:24.939 a cardboard table with two other guys. two other 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:28.040 employees, wondering every month, are we going 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:29.939 to even pay the bills to get Living on the Edge 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:34.019 moving and where it needs to be? And I wake up 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:36.620 on Sunday morning and, you know, I'd visit this 00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:38.740 church and visit this church. And then I found 00:08:38.740 --> 00:08:41.840 a friend that I went to this church. And I mean, 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:43.580 if you do what I do for a living, and I love 00:08:43.580 --> 00:08:45.940 visiting good churches, but I mean, when I'm 00:08:45.940 --> 00:08:47.639 sitting in this row over here and think, Lord, 00:08:47.940 --> 00:08:52.019 what are you doing? Are you kidding? You said 00:08:52.019 --> 00:08:56.539 to do this. It's been two years praying, processing. 00:08:57.960 --> 00:09:01.080 And here's what I learned is God wanted to do 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:04.980 some things in me. It was crystal clear that 00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:08.039 we were to come here. He was preparing this church 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:10.279 so this church would be ready and I would be 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:12.299 ready and Teresa would be ready so we'd all come 00:09:12.299 --> 00:09:14.879 together. And let me tell you something that 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:17.000 happened. This is really, really cool. I never 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:19.019 thought about this until this week and this passage. 00:09:19.789 --> 00:09:22.429 I thought about, okay, that two years was like 00:09:22.429 --> 00:09:26.490 wasted. Really, Chip? Yeah. So what happened 00:09:26.490 --> 00:09:31.250 the two years? Well, we prayed and the internet 00:09:31.250 --> 00:09:35.350 was exploding. And there's so many good communicators. 00:09:36.990 --> 00:09:40.950 Maybe we're only on the radio in order to develop 00:09:40.950 --> 00:09:44.250 a platform for discipleship. And we took this 00:09:44.250 --> 00:09:46.649 huge step of faith. And I'm sure we couldn't 00:09:46.649 --> 00:09:49.039 have done it if I was teaching full time. We 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:50.840 took this huge step of faith and we said, you 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:53.100 know something? We're really not just a teaching 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:55.899 ministry. That's never been a heart. It's a discipleship 00:09:55.899 --> 00:10:00.980 ministry. And so we went off three major morning 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:04.639 time slots in top 10 cities in America to shift 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:07.299 the paradigm to say, the issue isn't how many 00:10:07.299 --> 00:10:09.720 people listen. It's how many people are growing 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:12.580 and becoming reproducing disciples. And then 00:10:12.580 --> 00:10:15.059 we took that and we started building small group 00:10:15.059 --> 00:10:18.259 material. And we decided we would launch small 00:10:18.259 --> 00:10:20.700 groups off the radio and then later digitally. 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:25.840 And as I'm sitting here, I thought I wasted those 00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:29.940 two years. Nothing could happen. We now have 00:10:29.940 --> 00:10:33.419 27, I think, different small group resources 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:37.179 used all around the world. We have over 3 million 00:10:37.179 --> 00:10:39.659 people that are either in or have been in small 00:10:39.659 --> 00:10:43.080 groups just in America alone. And all of that 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:47.289 grew out of... two years of limbo with a frustrated 00:10:47.289 --> 00:10:49.049 chip going, you know, what's the deal? What's 00:10:49.049 --> 00:10:55.110 the deal? And yet those difficult times, it was 00:10:55.110 --> 00:10:59.129 a zigzag line. The gospel's going forth. Yes. 00:10:59.830 --> 00:11:02.789 Second, the church was being strengthened. More 00:11:02.789 --> 00:11:05.470 people are growing deeper than if I was at a 00:11:05.470 --> 00:11:06.909 church, if I could have been at 10 churches, 00:11:06.990 --> 00:11:09.840 15 churches, a hundred churches. Here's the deal. 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:12.860 God knows where you're at. He knows what you're 00:11:12.860 --> 00:11:16.460 going through. You're listening to Living on 00:11:16.460 --> 00:11:18.740 the Edge with Chip Ingram, and he'll be right 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:21.259 back to continue our series. But quickly, if 00:11:21.259 --> 00:11:23.600 you're eager to do a deeper study of Philippians 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:26.320 chapter one, check out Chip's newest book, I 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:29.419 Choose Joy. And right now we have a special deal 00:11:29.419 --> 00:11:31.720 exclusively for you, our faithful listeners. 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:34.639 So stick around after the teaching to learn more. 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:37.820 With that, here's Chip to finish this insightful 00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:43.129 message. Third, he takes our circumstances not 00:11:43.129 --> 00:11:45.690 only for the gospel to go forward, not only for 00:11:45.690 --> 00:11:49.889 the church to grow strong, but Paul gets very 00:11:49.889 --> 00:11:53.330 personal. He says, Exhibit C is the man grows 00:11:53.330 --> 00:11:57.470 deep. When these zigzags happen and if it's cancer 00:11:57.470 --> 00:12:00.350 or losing your job or your mate walks out on 00:12:00.350 --> 00:12:02.289 you or one of your kids is going through a struggle, 00:12:02.389 --> 00:12:07.610 if you're clinically depressed, I don't know 00:12:07.610 --> 00:12:10.990 what it is with you. But we all have stuff, right? 00:12:12.230 --> 00:12:15.389 You were injustice. You were passed over for 00:12:15.389 --> 00:12:18.190 a promotion. Where you thought you would be in 00:12:18.190 --> 00:12:21.009 your life is not where you are right now. And 00:12:21.009 --> 00:12:24.850 you wake up almost every single day going, you 00:12:24.850 --> 00:12:27.029 know what? It's half full. I'm still single. 00:12:27.570 --> 00:12:29.409 It's half full. I still don't make any money. 00:12:29.590 --> 00:12:32.049 It's half full. I still don't own a house. It's 00:12:32.049 --> 00:12:34.049 half full. You know, I've had this physical problem, 00:12:34.129 --> 00:12:35.850 this ailment. I've prayed. I've been to doctors. 00:12:35.970 --> 00:12:39.350 Guess what? I still got it. I want you to know 00:12:39.350 --> 00:12:43.450 that part of God's agenda is not just the gospel 00:12:43.450 --> 00:12:45.669 going out and not just the church getting stronger. 00:12:47.190 --> 00:12:51.169 Part of what he does is he transforms you and 00:12:51.169 --> 00:12:54.350 transforms me. And sometimes pain challenges 00:12:54.350 --> 00:12:57.470 difficulty. I mean, I got a testimony of a couple 00:12:57.470 --> 00:13:01.370 of years of my back that have drawn me to Christ 00:13:01.370 --> 00:13:03.870 in ways that, and I already thought it was pretty 00:13:03.870 --> 00:13:07.379 close. Notice what Paul says. He says, some to 00:13:07.379 --> 00:13:09.539 be sure are preaching Christ even from envy and 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:13.039 strife, but some from goodwill. Then he goes 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:15.240 on to talk about, you know, the latter do it 00:13:15.240 --> 00:13:18.399 out of love, but the former are, they're, you 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:21.139 know, they're messing with me. He's in prison. 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:23.799 The rumors are, here's what it is. Guess what? 00:13:23.820 --> 00:13:25.700 If Paul had more faith, he wouldn't be in prison. 00:13:26.190 --> 00:13:29.889 He can't be God's man. And people out of strife 00:13:29.889 --> 00:13:32.629 and envy and ego are, we're the new leaders in 00:13:32.629 --> 00:13:34.809 the church. We're God's spokesmen. It's not Paul. 00:13:34.970 --> 00:13:36.909 I mean, their doctrine was right, but it was 00:13:36.909 --> 00:13:39.110 political. It was a power play. It was an agenda. 00:13:39.570 --> 00:13:43.289 And Paul's in prison going, really, guys? I mean, 00:13:43.309 --> 00:13:47.210 are you kidding me? Well, I mean, God blesses 00:13:47.210 --> 00:13:48.929 people, right? And if he's blessing you, you're 00:13:48.929 --> 00:13:50.789 in his will. And Paul's in prison. You know what? 00:13:50.870 --> 00:13:53.049 We don't think he has enough faith. He's not 00:13:53.049 --> 00:13:56.029 the real leader we are. And Paul said when all 00:13:56.029 --> 00:13:58.669 that was happening, his reputation's being attacked. 00:13:59.450 --> 00:14:01.149 You know, he feels like some of the people that 00:14:01.149 --> 00:14:03.009 he probably discipled are betraying him now. 00:14:03.509 --> 00:14:05.929 I mean, this is a really, this is a really, where 00:14:05.929 --> 00:14:09.450 do you go with all that, Paul? Notice what he 00:14:09.450 --> 00:14:16.909 says. He says, some good motives, right? Some 00:14:16.909 --> 00:14:19.929 bad motives. Are you ready? What's the purpose? 00:14:20.289 --> 00:14:23.169 What's his lens? What's my purpose? What did 00:14:23.169 --> 00:14:26.389 God tell me to do? Why am I here? I'm here to 00:14:26.389 --> 00:14:29.090 take the gospel to all the world. I'm here to 00:14:29.090 --> 00:14:31.289 disciple people to be mature so they're like 00:14:31.289 --> 00:14:34.570 Jesus. That's my mission. So I'm being attacked. 00:14:34.850 --> 00:14:37.809 I happen to be in prison. Yes, these rumors about 00:14:37.809 --> 00:14:43.289 me are this or that. He said, what literally 00:14:43.289 --> 00:14:48.480 it's, what does it matter to me? If Christ is 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:50.320 preached, he goes, whether their motives are 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:53.840 good or their motives are bad, my purpose and 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:57.080 my mission is to preach the gospel and disciple 00:14:57.080 --> 00:15:01.279 people who disciple others. Guess what? That's 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:08.000 happening. He grows deep. Sometimes Apostle Paul 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:10.539 or some of us that grew up in churches where 00:15:10.539 --> 00:15:14.419 all these 12 guys were in stained glass, or some 00:15:14.419 --> 00:15:16.940 of us grew up where the pastors or the clergy 00:15:16.940 --> 00:15:20.080 or the priests, they're way up here, and we're 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:23.799 all these just regular people. I got news for 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:29.580 you. There's no superstars. Paul, you, me, everybody, 00:15:29.820 --> 00:15:34.000 he's got an ego. He had to wrestle. He had to 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:36.519 struggle. He had to feel like this isn't fair, 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:39.860 but he had to come to the point where He would 00:15:39.860 --> 00:15:43.019 say, God, what do you want to do in me? And I 00:15:43.019 --> 00:15:46.179 think some ego issues, my reputation. You know 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:49.139 what? You have my reputation. What people think 00:15:49.139 --> 00:15:53.820 of me, God, it's what you think of me. In pain, 00:15:53.820 --> 00:15:56.639 in difficulty, that's where God gets our attention. 00:15:57.379 --> 00:16:00.039 I want you to know that when you're going through 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:02.279 pressure and it's difficult and it's hard and 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:04.559 you're angry and you want to give up, ask this 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:06.419 question, God, what do you want to do in me? 00:16:07.149 --> 00:16:08.850 God, how do you want to use this to help other 00:16:08.850 --> 00:16:10.549 people? How do you want to grow your church? 00:16:10.590 --> 00:16:13.690 But what do you want to do in me? Don't miss 00:16:13.690 --> 00:16:18.590 out. Don't waste the pain. Because if you meet 00:16:18.590 --> 00:16:22.350 very, very, very godly people who have amazing 00:16:22.350 --> 00:16:25.950 walks with God, what you'll find is they've been 00:16:25.950 --> 00:16:28.789 through a lot of pain. A very, very close friend. 00:16:28.909 --> 00:16:31.750 He has a physical issue going on right now that 00:16:31.750 --> 00:16:36.269 prevents him from driving. He runs a business. 00:16:37.129 --> 00:16:40.490 There he's got, I mean, and I mean, it is just, 00:16:40.529 --> 00:16:42.250 they've tried everything and there's no cure. 00:16:44.129 --> 00:16:49.330 And I am around this man and I will ask him, 00:16:49.350 --> 00:16:51.029 so how's it really going? And how are you doing? 00:16:51.149 --> 00:16:53.149 And, you know, are they, you know, they've tried 00:16:53.149 --> 00:16:54.669 a couple of things and they give a little temporary 00:16:54.669 --> 00:16:59.549 relief. And I mean, his attitude makes me want 00:16:59.549 --> 00:17:03.919 to just be like Jesus. His perspective, his attitude. 00:17:04.119 --> 00:17:06.200 You know, the Lord is teaching me a lot. And, 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:08.099 you know, because of this, my wife is getting 00:17:08.099 --> 00:17:10.420 up at five in the morning and she's driving me 00:17:10.420 --> 00:17:12.759 to all the job sites. And, you know, it's great 00:17:12.759 --> 00:17:14.940 time together. And he goes, you know, I've seen 00:17:14.940 --> 00:17:16.819 some things about myself I don't think I would 00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:19.160 have seen. And, you know, he's just saying, you 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:21.420 know, God's purpose is to make me like Jesus. 00:17:22.259 --> 00:17:25.599 You know, do I like this? No. But he doesn't 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:30.220 complain. How about you? What's your purpose? 00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:35.880 And what if you started looking at what the half 00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:39.319 -full issues in your life were through the lens 00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:43.319 not just of focus, but of purpose? I want you 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:46.720 to ask yourself three important questions, three 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:48.900 purpose statements for every single believer. 00:17:48.940 --> 00:17:51.220 This is true of all of us. Purpose statement 00:17:51.220 --> 00:17:54.640 number one, I am an ambassador or messenger of 00:17:54.640 --> 00:17:57.420 the gospel. The gospel, the good news won't go 00:17:57.420 --> 00:17:59.700 anywhere in your relational network, where you 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:01.960 live, where you work, if it doesn't come through 00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:05.380 you. Not just your life, but your words. The 00:18:05.380 --> 00:18:08.700 purpose is to reach the lost. The people out 00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:11.420 there aren't bad. They're lost. They're lost. 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:14.400 They don't know. I grew up in America. I had 00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:17.859 no idea what the gospel was. Someone shared it 00:18:17.859 --> 00:18:21.579 with me. Here's the question. How could God use 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:25.099 a difficult circumstance in your life to advance 00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:28.819 the gospel. Are you taking advantage yet? Advance 00:18:28.819 --> 00:18:31.500 the gospel. Purpose statement number two, I'm 00:18:31.500 --> 00:18:34.140 called to encourage God's people to help them 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:38.279 grow to full maturity. Every single one of us, 00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:40.680 while we talk about getting involved in ministry 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:44.579 and getting in groups and God using you where 00:18:44.579 --> 00:18:47.039 you're at, here's your purpose. It's to build 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:51.250 the found. I mean, no one grows on their own. 00:18:51.450 --> 00:18:54.849 Someone came up next to my life multiple times 00:18:54.849 --> 00:18:58.170 in different stages of my life and in your life 00:18:58.170 --> 00:19:00.630 if you've grown, and they helped you. Here's 00:19:00.630 --> 00:19:04.569 the deal. Who are you helping? Who are you discipling? 00:19:04.650 --> 00:19:07.210 Who are you mentoring? Who are you coaching? 00:19:07.490 --> 00:19:10.890 Who do you care about? Their spiritual growth, 00:19:11.130 --> 00:19:15.089 well -being, quality of life, walk with God matters, 00:19:15.130 --> 00:19:18.690 and you're building them up. Question. How could 00:19:18.690 --> 00:19:20.670 your adversity, how could your circumstances, 00:19:20.789 --> 00:19:25.329 how could your current difficulty build up a 00:19:25.329 --> 00:19:28.430 brother or sister in Christ? I want you to really 00:19:28.430 --> 00:19:32.289 think about that. Third purpose statement. I 00:19:32.289 --> 00:19:36.630 am a servant of the living God. A servant. Jesus 00:19:36.630 --> 00:19:39.789 called himself a servant. Here's your purpose. 00:19:40.009 --> 00:19:44.549 Become like our master. I don't know what you're 00:19:44.549 --> 00:19:46.309 going through, but I can tell you the will of 00:19:46.309 --> 00:19:48.190 God for sure. You got this? Here's the will of 00:19:48.190 --> 00:19:50.230 God for sure. Whatever you're going through, 00:19:50.309 --> 00:19:54.190 no matter how good or how bad, God's agenda is 00:19:54.190 --> 00:19:58.490 to make you like Jesus. So here's the question. 00:20:01.150 --> 00:20:06.650 What might God want to do in me through my present 00:20:06.650 --> 00:20:10.509 circumstance? Some of you might learn to pray 00:20:10.509 --> 00:20:13.730 like never before. Some of you might learn to 00:20:13.730 --> 00:20:17.250 love God's word like never before. David in Psalm 00:20:17.250 --> 00:20:22.289 119 said, if I had not been afflicted, I'd have 00:20:22.289 --> 00:20:26.329 gone astray. But when I was afflicted, now I 00:20:26.329 --> 00:20:29.750 keep your word. Some of us need the difficulty 00:20:29.750 --> 00:20:33.630 we're in to woo us, to make us dependent, and 00:20:33.630 --> 00:20:36.210 to bring us back into vital relationship with 00:20:36.210 --> 00:20:39.609 Jesus. Because it's not hearing God's word that 00:20:39.609 --> 00:20:42.960 changes things. It's hearing with a heart that 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:46.400 says, Lord, you see it all. You love me. I'm 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:48.859 going to take a step towards you by faith. I'm 00:20:48.859 --> 00:20:51.839 going to take a step of faith. I'm going to believe 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:53.720 you to the point of acting. I'm going to believe 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:55.759 your promises are true. I'm going to believe 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:58.180 you're using the zigzags and the circumstances 00:20:58.180 --> 00:21:02.759 for my good and for your glory. And so the question 00:21:02.759 --> 00:21:06.500 I would ask you is whose purpose and agenda are 00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:09.940 you most eager to fulfill? When you look at your 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:13.779 time and your schedule, your money, whose agenda, 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:21.059 whose purpose, yours or God's? That's heavy. 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:24.900 But God's working in our life. He is doing a 00:21:24.900 --> 00:21:30.880 great thing. You're listening to Living on the 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:33.700 Edge with Chip Ingram. And the message you just 00:21:33.700 --> 00:21:36.400 heard, understanding the power of purpose, is 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:39.720 from our series, I Choose Joy. Chip will join 00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:42.240 us in studio to share some insights from today's 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:45.380 talk in just a minute. How do people know you're 00:21:45.380 --> 00:21:48.059 a Christian? What is it that sets you apart and 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:50.519 causes others to say, I want to be like them? 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:53.420 Through Chip's study in Philippians chapter 1, 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:56.779 he reveals the supernatural work of joy in a 00:21:56.779 --> 00:21:59.059 Christian's life that intrigues those around 00:21:59.059 --> 00:22:02.140 us. Discover how joy can affirm your purpose, 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:05.380 energize your expectations, and renew hope in 00:22:05.380 --> 00:22:07.759 your life. If you've missed any part of this 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:09.940 series or want to share one of these messages 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:12.259 with a friend, check out the Chip Ingram app. 00:22:13.299 --> 00:22:15.500 Chip's back with me in studio, and Chip, you 00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:18.150 know most people when they think about joy. They 00:22:18.150 --> 00:22:20.829 associate it with happiness. I'm finally getting 00:22:20.829 --> 00:22:23.329 married, or we finally bought the house, or I 00:22:23.329 --> 00:22:26.069 got the dream job. But you've got a little different 00:22:26.069 --> 00:22:28.549 definition of joy. Could you break it down for 00:22:28.549 --> 00:22:31.950 us? Absolutely, Dave. We often associate joy 00:22:31.950 --> 00:22:34.789 with happiness, and that's normal. But happiness 00:22:34.789 --> 00:22:38.150 is built on the word happenings, and it's temporary. 00:22:38.509 --> 00:22:40.769 And it's more of our emotional response. And 00:22:40.769 --> 00:22:42.869 by the way, I want to be happy. I like being 00:22:42.869 --> 00:22:45.430 happy. So don't get me wrong. Happiness is a 00:22:45.430 --> 00:22:48.930 good thing. But joy is an overarching, deep, 00:22:49.130 --> 00:22:52.630 soulful abiding. That's the byproduct of our 00:22:52.630 --> 00:22:55.569 relationship with God, regardless of the circumstance. 00:22:56.009 --> 00:22:59.809 I recently have written a book, I Choose Joy. 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:02.599 And this book was birthed out of one of the most 00:23:02.599 --> 00:23:05.599 difficult times in my life when I didn't feel 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:08.319 like being joyful, when I'd been through two 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:10.740 back surgeries, a number of very, very difficult 00:23:10.740 --> 00:23:13.680 things, and yet I was called to teach a passage 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:16.740 of the Bible where the Apostle Paul, having way 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:19.640 more difficult situation than mine, kept saying, 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:23.359 rejoice, rejoice, rejoice. And out of that was 00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:25.920 birthed a book. that in the world that we're 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:28.119 living in, I think will really help people because 00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:30.619 people are hurting. And you know what? If they're 00:23:30.619 --> 00:23:32.980 waiting to be happy, they may wait a long time, 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:36.160 but this book will help them know they can actually 00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:39.299 have joy regardless of their circumstance. That's 00:23:39.299 --> 00:23:41.180 right, Chip. We're really excited about this 00:23:41.180 --> 00:23:43.220 new book, which is why we're doing something 00:23:43.220 --> 00:23:46.220 special for our listeners this week. Absolutely, 00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:50.000 Dave, because we believe so strongly in the life 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:52.900 -changing power of choosing joy. We want you, 00:23:52.980 --> 00:23:55.480 the Living on Edge family, to get this new book 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:58.180 before anyone else does at a discounted price. 00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:00.579 Dave, could you take a minute and tell our listeners 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:03.220 a bit more of what we're doing for them and why 00:24:03.220 --> 00:24:05.990 this is so important? Be glad to. Well, like 00:24:05.990 --> 00:24:08.450 Chip said, we want you to truly experience the 00:24:08.450 --> 00:24:11.529 joy the Apostle Paul talked about in Philippians 00:24:11.529 --> 00:24:14.069 chapter 1. And to help you do that, we're giving 00:24:14.069 --> 00:24:16.329 you, our faithful Living on the Edge listeners, 00:24:16.549 --> 00:24:19.890 early access to this new book at a special price. 00:24:20.170 --> 00:24:24.910 So visit livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 00:24:24.910 --> 00:24:28.829 -6003 to take advantage of this exclusive offer. 00:24:29.109 --> 00:24:32.009 You'll be glad you did. Well, here again is Chip. 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:36.180 As we wrap up today's program, I'm reminded of 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:39.839 a quote by C .S. Lewis. He says, pain insists 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:44.180 on being attended to. In other words, pain gets 00:24:44.180 --> 00:24:47.420 our attention. It says God whispers during the 00:24:47.420 --> 00:24:51.059 good times, but pain is his megaphone. And I 00:24:51.059 --> 00:24:54.319 think what happens sometimes is we're human and 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:57.400 the Lord understands and we get our agenda and 00:24:57.400 --> 00:25:00.240 our purposes and our dreams and our desires a 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:03.180 bit ahead of his. And we learned today that there's 00:25:03.180 --> 00:25:05.940 three statements that are true of every single 00:25:05.940 --> 00:25:09.299 believer, that God brings difficulty or allows 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:12.619 difficulty in our life. But there's three purposes 00:25:12.619 --> 00:25:15.420 that we need to take and make these the lens 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:18.180 of the troubled relationship or the health issue 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:21.259 or the wayward child or the struggle in your 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:24.140 marriage. So let me remind you of what we learned. 00:25:24.180 --> 00:25:27.019 Number one is we have a purpose to reach the 00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:30.240 lost. So I'm an ambassador for Christ. So here's 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:33.619 the first question. How could God use my current 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:36.579 difficulty and circumstance to get the gospel 00:25:36.579 --> 00:25:39.259 out to people? They're watching you. They really 00:25:39.259 --> 00:25:41.539 are. They're watching me and how we respond. 00:25:42.269 --> 00:25:45.150 The second is that God's will, his purpose for 00:25:45.150 --> 00:25:47.710 all of us, isn't that we reach simply the lost, 00:25:47.789 --> 00:25:50.410 but that we build up the found, that we disciple 00:25:50.410 --> 00:25:53.289 other people. And so here's the question. How 00:25:53.289 --> 00:25:56.650 could God use my present circumstance or difficulty 00:25:56.650 --> 00:26:00.319 to encourage another believer? You know, most 00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:02.660 of the people that have helped me the most are 00:26:02.660 --> 00:26:04.539 people that have been through what I've been 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:06.599 through. You understand the people that have 00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:08.440 been through a divorce can really help someone 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:10.500 going through a divorce. A person who's been 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:12.960 clinically depressed has wisdom to help others 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:15.079 who are clinically depressed. And it goes on 00:26:15.079 --> 00:26:18.640 and on. Could it be that God wants you to take 00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:21.400 what you're going through and reach out and help 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:23.880 someone else? And then the third thing we learned 00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:26.690 is that God's purpose is to make us more and 00:26:26.690 --> 00:26:29.589 more like Jesus, to make us more like his son. 00:26:29.670 --> 00:26:33.269 So let me ask you this. What might God do in 00:26:33.269 --> 00:26:36.230 and through your current difficulty or circumstance 00:26:36.230 --> 00:26:39.970 or relationship to actually cause you to be more 00:26:39.970 --> 00:26:44.220 loving? more kind, more joy -filled, more trusting 00:26:44.220 --> 00:26:47.220 to have a deeper faith? Is it that he could use 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:50.359 all these difficulties to sort of, you know, 00:26:50.380 --> 00:26:53.440 chisel away some of the carnality in your heart 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:56.079 and my heart to make us more and more like his 00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:59.640 son? I think if you'll ask yourself those questions 00:26:59.640 --> 00:27:02.460 in the midst of your pain and your difficulty, 00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:04.440 what you're going to find, like the Apostle Paul, 00:27:04.640 --> 00:27:07.420 that you can choose joy and that he will bring 00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:10.119 good out of the most difficult seasons and times 00:27:10.119 --> 00:27:12.500 in your life. Thanks for that encouragement, 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:15.359 Chip. Before we go, I want to thank those of 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:17.519 you who support this program with your generous 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:20.839 financial support. Your gifts help us reach countless 00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:23.299 lives across the globe with the Word of God. 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:26.359 If you haven't given to us before but would like 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:28.599 to be a part of that work, there's never been 00:27:28.599 --> 00:27:31.700 a better time. Between now and June 30th, every 00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:34.940 gift we receive will be matched dollar for dollar. 00:27:35.279 --> 00:27:38.339 To send a donation, visit livingontheedge .org 00:27:38.339 --> 00:27:44.539 or call us at 888 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 00:27:44.539 --> 00:27:50.680 -6003 or go to livingontheedge .org. App listeners, 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:53.400 tap Donate. Thanks for listening to this edition 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:56.500 of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. I'm Dave 00:27:56.500 --> 00:27:58.859 Drewy, and I hope you'll join us again next time.