Learning agape love is the whole point of life, Forgiveness turns us into worshipers. We cannot minister out of frustration and issues. Let’s not live as the Pharisee in Luke 7. To judge the sinner woman is to judge Christ. Let’s break our alabaster boxes at Jesus’ feet. Love says, “Go in peace, and go for it.” (Luke 7:36-37; 1 Timothy 5:11-15)

Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller, Pastor Gary Groenewold
Sermon # 11679
6:30 PM on 5/12/2019

P. Schaller

I traveled with P. Gary and went to India about 10 days. It’s great to be with him and his ministry with people. After I came home, he went on to Nepal. We’ll hear from him in a minute.

I wanted to give a shout out to P. Barry and the teachers who made GGCA such a great experience for our graduates. Bradley gave the key note message. I asked my wife what was the highlight and she said it was Bradley’s valedictorian speech. I asked another and he said when P. Love stood next to his grandson and was so proud of his athletic ability. Another said the quality of these young people are to the glory of God. P. Scibelli was soul winning on the street and a lady asked what is this and the lady said I have to send my kids to a school that sends the gospel out on the street. The parents, teachers, administration, P. Barry, I’m very thankful.

Turn to your neighbor and say, I don’t know what! Praise God! We are a part of something awesome. Halleluiah. Anybody who can play Pontius Pilate like David Castro. Pontius Pilate didn’t even know there was a David Castro on Earth! Talk to your neighbor and build them up.

Last Sunday night, P. Scibelli preached on don’t turn to the right or the left. It was a great message. He referred to hiding behind the pillar and the word of God came and got him. Don’t turn to the right or left because you have to hit it right. Like a trajectory in space, if it’s off, there is a crash.

1 Tim. 5 Anyone have an Amplified Bible? No Amplified people. Only King James. Run it up please. 1 Tim 5, this is not the thorough teaching, but I want to bring your attention to something. P. Gary will be sharing in a few minutes and I’d like to say something about P. Carl. I never heard anyone preach and I’m sure Dr. Stevens has and maybe I fell asleep at that time. You have to mark this down for Bible reading study for the week.

It’s 1 Tim. 5:11 but refuse the younger widows. Does anyone know what he is talking about? You have older widows. What is a widow? A woman that lost her husband. Let’s use some ages. Older women is 60; younger is 30. What happened to the younger woman? Her husband died and she’s 30 years old. What is that going to do to you? Refuse them on the list. When you make a list for widows, the older widows are on the list but the younger are not. It’s going to explain it. We’re talking about women. When they have begun to grow wanton against Christ. This seems to be King James, New King James. 1 Tim 5:11 for when they become restive, their natural desires grow strong. Younger widow, 30 years old, and her husband dies. They get restive and their desires grow strong. What kind of desires? To get married again and have a husband. I’m going to leave this because it’s not the message. There are twelve things mentioned about this. I want to get married. What am I going to do? It may not happen. I’m restless. What should I do about it? Paul is saying this kind of woman is not on the list or don’t put her on the list. If you read through the list, I didn’t write it. The Holy Spirit wrote it.

I have observed something as a pastor. This not only applies to these widows but it applies to every believer. There is something I get restless about and struggle with and I can deny – they withdraw themselves against Christ and wish to marry again. So they incur condemnation for having set aside and slight their previous pledge. They have in effect moved away in their hearts from that kind of faith and trust that they have been living in. They kind of say I have to get this done. I got to do it my way. I got to live my life, do my thing.

vs. 13. What do they do? Move around. They start going from house to house, friend to friend, and people to people and they are not edifying. It says it. vs. 13. They learn to be idlers. They spend more time on social media. They are not only idlers but gossips and busybodies. They are saying what they should not say and talking of things they should not mention. I’m preaching to the choir tonight. However, all of us need to learn what this is about. It’s not done. I’d have the young, vs. 14 (AMP). I don’t want these women to be running around talking and energized, complaining, talking out of their emotion kind of hysterically. They say things they shouldn’t say. They can’t help it. They have denied their faith. They don’t have the Holy Spirit governing their hearts and mouths and lost control over their emotions and hearts. I say it clearly to us tonight in a good way. Think about this. It can happen to anybody that is suffering. I’ll repeat it. Suffering, it happens. Anybody who is suffering is tempted to become angry, bitter, frustrated, hardened, difficult. They can become gossips, slanderers, just unsettled people. There is a way out. I’d love to share that tonight. We will during the ministry time. If you hang around for ten years, you’ll probably pick up on it!

vs. 15 for already some widows have turned aside after Satan. They don’t realize how much demonic words or emotions or expression can happen through them. vs. 16. (AMP). Meaning the older women that have been washing the saint’s feet as described in that chapter.

That’s it. It’s on my mind. I can’t help but share it with you and notice it and think about it. It’s powerful. It’s amazing.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

P. Gary

P. Schaller was having fun at the expense of our flesh. That’s what we call fun when you share the way it is. It protects us and speaks to our future, our heart and we’re so grateful for that. We need it. We are blind sheep and we need a shepherd and that’s what we have.

India, Nepal. Really look at P. Schaller and thank him. Maybe we should be grateful instead of complainers for what we have and where it came from. Pastor had a vision for Maine. Maybe we should be thankful. Thankfulness comes from receiving grace. Bitterness comes from receiving something from below. I have a testimony because we have a pastor that continued the vision. I wouldn’t have gone over there. Let’s not forget our roots. We got to be grounded. If we are not grounded in the word and truth, what are we? Just floating minions doing our own thing. This isn’t a “rah, rah.” After that, you can’t give a “rah, rah.” Even you want to look at your own naughtiness and say, what can I grow in?

If you saw P. Schaller minister over there, you get unfamiliar with what you have. We are grateful for that. Gratefulness in our hearts. We’re not a part of the church; we are part of something eternal. The eternal church. You look at P. Carl and every time you see him, you cry because of what God has done in his life. So thankful. P. Brian, a soldier, laid down his life. I have notes I took when I was in Nepal. We had a mission’s conference. We are training up men, young men that know the Bible, that have a missions mind. Fifteen years and younger for Nepal for a male it’s projected 85% of them will go to another country and work. Nepal has the highest rate per capita for trafficking people. There is one kid who went to Bible school to learn English and go overseas. His name is Rolet. He got the word in his heart and today he is this sold out missionary. He didn’t go to another country. He stayed in Nepal and ministered. Other guys just like him. P. Rajan gave each of these guys 5 minutes to speak and I have 31 messages we listened to for five minutes from these pastors that went out. They know the word. I have the verses here and they have vision. They train at a center for 2 or 3 years. They do one year of training on another team as a practicum and then are ready to be sent out. These guys mean business. They go to the mountains. Little village mountain churches.

We went up to one and the car could hardly go up the road. We had to wait for the bulldozer to make a path for us. There is a brother laboring up there, 60 to 80 in the church. These are our village pastors and they believe in the gospel. What can I say? When you come home you are like, what can I lose for the gospel sake? What have I collected to be distracted for the gospel sake? That’s what you think of when you are flying home and evaluating your own life.

The Post’s, P. Jon and Diane, ministering. It’s a Communist country. They have a food nutrition ministry. They are able to go to doctors in villages and share about nutrition. They use what they know about God and give it to people. I say that because they are in a Communist country. P. Rajan has honor for P. Carl and where the vision came from. It’s beautiful to see. P. Scibelli’s ministry there. 75 states in Nepal and we have churches in 30 of them. P. Rajan has a vision to have pastors and churches in each one of these states. It takes money and sacrifice. These guys are not living extravagant lives. They live on less than one hundred a month.

I got on the airplane in Nepal to fly home and I see all of these guys getting on a plane to go to Saudi Arabia to go to work. The whole airport was filled with guys. We have guys coming to a training center and going out into Nepal and forsaking that stuff. It was unbelievable to see these guys get on the airplane. We have guys in a training center eating rice and some vegetables and go back to their mountain top places. Guys that walk five, six – one guy preaches on Friday, walks five hours, gets to his church on Saturday and then walks another seven hours and preaches in a church on Sunday. This is what they do. One guy walked down 8 hours, got on the bus and then he has to go home. He has to walk up the mountain 8 hours. They are not shallow people. They are deep in the word of God. They have been trained. That’s so glorious to see. These guys are trained.

Even us young guys, what can we do? We have Faith Promise coming up. In our hearts, how can we be an intimate part by faith sacrificially giving for the cause of the gospel with our lives?

Acts 20:24. We are learning how to by what we are being taught tonight. That’s the testimony. P. Rajan is walking around. He had an accident. He looks great; however, he has a limp. That’s the testimony from Nepal. There is a lot to say. Amen.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

P. Schaller

The main message. Luke 7, part 2 of the morning message. Three people in one room. Who were they? Jesus, the sinful woman, and the Pharisee. Three people in one room. There are three people in me. The sinful woman who is forgiven. The Pharisee who is there standing with his arms crossed and judging this woman and Jesus. If this man was a prophet, he would know this woman is a sinner. That’s in me. I’m a Pharisee. The third one is the woman. She worships. What happened in her life that made her a worshipper? She was forgiven. 7:36-37, when you are a sinner and you are forgiven, you are carrying with you an alabaster box of ointment, the Holy Spirit ministry to Christ. You are carrying with you a ministry that touches the heart of God. You are a sinner that has been forgiven and saved. You have an alabaster box to serve and the fragrance in the room is real.

When P. Gary was speaking, the Holy Spirit is speaking to us. It’s quiet and we are listening and sensitive. I want to counsel the pastors a little bit this way at Convention. When they come, we all receive from each other. It’s not a ministry and hierarchy but the ministry of the Spirit. We are servants of each other. When you are with someone sometimes you can sense it is simple, clean and edifying. But it could also be when you are with a pastor, it’s more combative. That when you are talking with him, he may be restless or disturbed or frustrated or angry. If it’s a pattern, I need to get a handle on it in my private life. A pastor cannot minister out of his frustration or anger. A ministry has to have an alabaster box of ointment by way of typology. When I’m with you, I am edified. When I’m with you, you encourage me. You hardly say a thing.

We were with P. Carl and Suzi. It’s a life changer to sit with him and his wife. She loves him so much and he loves her so much. They are one. There is joy in their presence. Yet there is the complications of his practical situation. Yet, I cannot see anything other than agape love. The Spirit of God in his eyes and words and heart and mission. All these years and in his mission and his ministry. P. Gary and I sat in his presence. They love Zane Turk. He had a big impact in India. They are praying for him and others who are here and they are praying for us and we are praying for them.

It seems to me the meaning of life is love. It seems to me that in this room that everybody you could say your physical body is that room and three people in that room. One of them we should care less about. That’s the Pharisee. He usurps, takes over. He says to you like we said in the beginning of service, when the woman is restless regarding her situation, the best thing she could do is calm down and listen to Christ and trust and ask for him to fill her and teach her agape love.

It seems in all of our lives, P. Carl seven years ago it started with his disability and he started to feel and in his throat and sense and was losing his physical ability and much prayer and much love and much faith. By the way, the church is packed with people. A lot of love in that church. A lot of ministry is going on. Even people in Tibet have heard there is a Bible college in Mumbai, India and have traveled to Mumbai looking for this church they have heard about. They stand in front of a Catholic church with the doors closed and locked and wonder where is the church Greater Grace. They don’t know anything about Christianity.

When the woman is forgiven much, and she has much love and Jesus is there. He wants to tell Simon. Simon, our tradition is when I come to a home you wash the feet. You don’t wash my feet. Tradition is you anoint me but you don’t. This woman understands. That’s like the blindness that happens in life. Like the widow I referred to in the beginning of the service. Marriage is not the whole point of life. Learning agape love is the whole point of life. Living without suffering is not the whole point of life. Learning agape love is the whole point of life. Being treated fairly is not the whole point of life. Finding Christ is the whole point of life. “This isn’t correct.” I can’t even believe they think like that…the church is filled with hypocrisy.” Who are you? Who are you? You judge Christ. You say if this man was a prophet, he would know what is going on. Let’s get the story the other way. If you knew who you are, you’d be on your knees next to her worshiping that man. But your pride blinds you like it does all of us. Be careful of that. Pride. The woman doesn’t even hear him or care about that guy. She knows all about him. He’s an empty suit. He’s hollow. You, sir, aren’t in my life. I could care less about you. I have found him. He fills my heart and life and he talks to me. I find him in the morning on my knees with my book open. I find him in praise and worship and thanksgiving and halleluiahs in my truck. I find Christ in listening to P. Scibelli’s message. I find Christ in the Body, in Pontius Pilate acting out and in the child and in the nursery.

Soon we will see these precious people coming here and say thank you church in Baltimore. We are walking together and we are in love. Let’s say to P. Carl tonight and Suzi, you win. You are winners. You win. The coinage in heaven, the currency in heaven everything about heaven is love. If you find it in this life, you bring it there. Your reward is great when you find love. When you find truth and love and you find it in your suffering. The Bible even says and it’s radical to many of us, count it all joy when you fall into trouble. That’s shocking. We’re in a world where pain is bad. Suffering, stay away. Don’t take any risks. Put the hedges up. Get your life clean. Be careful. It’s wild out there. Love is saying, go for it. I’m with you. Be filled with me. Look at me. Worship me. Love never fails. Love endures all things. Love believes all things. It does not vaunt itself.

Vaunting is external. In an external way they vaunt and promote. I belong to that club. I own that kind of car. I know this guy’s name. Puffing up is internal. Inside you think too highly of yourself. Love doesn’t think so much of itself. Love is solid. Love suffers well. Love finds what it means to serve when no one notices. Love has no age distinction.

When we grew up in the ministry, there was no age distinction between us. A young man is wise. An elderly person is wise. Someone has a lot of experience; someone has little experience. We are baptized into the Body. Love just is Christ, is God.

Please enjoy these sermon notes from the messages preached at Greater Grace Church in Baltimore. These notes are provided to aid in your study and understanding of the Word. Note that these notes do not represent complete, word-for-word transcriptions. Also, they may contain omissions as well as some errors in spelling and structure, etc., as we attempt to provide them as soon as possible. Our hope is that these notes serve as a way to help you search and connect with messages on related subjects and passages. Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Greater Grace.