(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hello, everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Sword of the Spirit podcast. This is Benjamin Naim here with all of you live on December 30th, 2019. It is 9.04 p.m. Eastern Time and the last episode of this live stream for the year 2019. And joining me for the year-end special, if you want to call it that, is the pastor of Steadfast Baptist Church and Pure Words Baptist Church, Pastor Jonathan Shelley. Kind enough to join me tonight. Pastor Shelley, thanks for coming on for the first segment tonight. I really appreciate it. How are you doing? Doing great. Thanks for having me on. And I'm glad to be here and get to talk about some of the things that happened this year and coming up next year. Well, it's definitely been a wild ride as far as 2019 is concerned for me personally. And I'm sure for you as well, Pastor Shelley, we've done a number of different live streams together and have covered a lot of different topics and a lot of different things that have gone on at Steadfast Baptist Church and some other topics as well. I guess the first thing I wanted to ask you is this. When it comes to 2019 overall, as you look back at the last 365 days and you think about some of the highlights and some of the lowlights, what are your overall thoughts on this year? When you look back at 2019, what's your impression of this year now that it's pretty much over? Well, probably if I can summarize it by one word, it'd be unexpected, to say the least. Did not expect 2019 to look the way that it did. I made a lot of goals for 2019, pastoring Pure Words Baptist Church. It hadn't been quite a year. I'd only been there for about five, six months. And so I made a lot of goals. But it started off with kind of a crazy situation. And obviously, in my opinion, it is a low light to see a pastor kind of fall and for a church to be struggling. And especially when it's got other churches that are dependent upon it that have been planted by it and you have a ministry going. And so my beginning of 2019 was definitely tumultuous, to say the least. I definitely, my heart went out for the brethren at Steadfast Baptist Church and their situation. And I felt like, hey, if there's anything I can do to help, you know, I should just get involved and do something because I'll feel bad if I don't. And I didn't really know what that would look like. I knew that you were without a pastor. And obviously that was kind of probably the biggest need that you had. So whenever I had found out about the inspiration of what was going on and I called Pastor Anderson, I just said, hey, I'll do anything. And then I really meant it. And I knew it. I kind of knew what I was saying, but I didn't want to just spell it out per se. And he was like, you know, what about be the pastor? I was just thinking, oh, man. And so obviously that was a crazy situation. You know, in my opinion, it wasn't something that I necessarily wanted, per se. I just wanted to help. And I agreed with Pastor Anderson that that was going to be something that they really needed was someone to come in, be a good pastor for them. And there was somebody else that was potentially going to be the pastor. So I was more of just kind of another option. And then it turned out I was kind of the only option all of a sudden. And so things kind of got off to a crazy start. And, you know, but in hindsight, I'm sure it's going to be something to look back with. It's bittersweet, obviously, a lot of good and a lot of bad all at the same time. And, you know, really, for me, I think out of lowlights, I don't I don't know. There was really anything that I would just say is like a low light for me personally. The only the only thing that really came to mind was the first service that evening for Pure Words Baptist Church, January 7th, where I wasn't going to be with them because I was going up to steadfast Fort Worth and going to be preaching from that evening. So that morning I preached in Houston and then that evening I was driving up to Fort Worth as fast as I possibly could just to make it in time for service. And that one hurt. It really hurt to not go to that church service and Pure Words. And that was probably the hardest moment I've had in ministry so far. You know, it was actually the first service I'd ever missed. I never missed a service. I preached every single sermon. I didn't plan on missing any sermons. And so that was definitely probably my low light was just, you know, not being there with them. And obviously, you know, that church is a young church. We've made a lot of great friendships. And, you know, I felt like it was really healthy church, though, and it was in a position where it was going to be something that while it was going to hurt in the short term, I think is going to help people grow. And I think a lot of people have grown from it. And so, you know, sometimes you got to realize in ministry, there's going to be hard, hard moments and transitions are inevitable. So from that, we get a lot of good stuff, though, going up to Fort Worth and meeting the brethren there. It was incredible. Made a lot of new friendships, met a lot of great people. Then being able to travel out to Oklahoma City again for the second time, actually, and see them again. It was great. And then going to Jacksonville. I'd never been to Jacksonville before. And so getting to go out there in January or early February, I can't remember exactly the first time I got to see you guys. But that was great. Making some new friendships and a lot of great people in all these churches. So that to me was one of the biggest highlights is just being able to make new friendships and help other people. And, you know, one other thing that I thought about for the year is I had one of the brethren at Fort Worth say that he went on a trip down to the Bahamas and just kind of a personal vacation. But he started trying to preach the gospel to the people. And he felt like, man, this is really receptive. I think we should, you know, possibly do a missions trip down there. And so I actually went back out with him at the end of the fall just to just kind of scope out the area. See, talk to schools and just kind of go to different areas to see how receptive was. Man, it was it was very receptive to the gospel. A lot of great opportunities. And so we're scheduling a missions trip for 2020. And I would say that's one of the biggest highlights, you know, just getting to go down there. I think if I remember correctly, I think we had 37 people saved over just the course of a few days. And not even the whole time was just dedicated to soul winning. I mean, we spent other time just kind of going around the island, talking to schools, doing things. So very, very receptive. And I'm really excited about that missions trip that's going to be coming up. Definitely can't wait for that. I hope to be able to make it. I myself went to the Bahamas, but didn't do soul winning. So I'm more backslidden than the brother that you just referenced there. But I went to the Bahamas and I could see why people would say it is receptive. The bus driver at one of the excursions that was going on was listening to a preacher. I didn't know who it was ripping face. OK, so the people there, whether I mean, obviously they're going to need the gospel. A majority of them are probably not saved, but at least they have their minds on the things of God. It seems that's the impression I got. So I really look forward to getting an opportunity to go there and preach the gospel. I think we're going to get multitudes, multitudes, multitudes saved for sure. As the pastor of Steadfast Baptist Church, though, Pastor Shelley, I'm sure you've seen people grow as the church has gone on here in 2019. You took over multiple congregations that were suffering under failed leadership, especially here in Jacksonville. And I'm sure that you've noticed a transformation in some areas since January. Is there anything that you would speak to in terms of growth? Have you noticed people have gotten better at soul winning or have you noticed that people have gotten more faithful to church? Have you just seen anything at all, any area that you would point to over the last year and say, wow, that is a lot better today than it was January when I took over? Yeah, I've seen a lot of growth and obviously the preaching in Jacksonville got better day one, so that wasn't very hard. But I've seen a lot of growth and there's been a lot of people, I think, really just, you know, with the opportunity for people to step up in positions of leadership, more opportunities, soul winning, more opportunities, preaching and just filling a lot of different gaps that kind of forced a lot of people to grow, you know, maybe quicker than they would even have thought. And, you know, really, Steadfast Baptist Church, when I think of it, it's just a big opportunity. I mean, there's there's so much work that's available for us to do for the Lord right now. And there's a lot of shoes to fill. There's a lot of gaps to fill. And so, you know, I've seen a lot of people grow and step up and take a lot of leadership. And, you know, I don't want to focus on any one particular person because Steadfast Baptist Church is not a one man show. It's you know, it's not just about the pastor. It's not about any particular preacher or member. It's, you know, it's really a team effort. And that's one thing I love about our churches is just kind of the sense of family and unity that they have. And I've even seen a lot of growth and grace happening for the churches. I really hope that we can continue to kind of grow in love and grace and being more charitable and just being kind of a warm, friendly atmosphere. I think that from an outside perspective and kind of looking in that Steadfast Baptist Church specifically had a little bit of it was a little bit standoffish or it was a little bit abrasive as far as when someone would try to enter from the outside. There's a lot of people looking over their shoulder or something to that degree. And it makes a lot of sense based on kind of the leadership that was there. But, you know, we want our church to be a normal church where people can come and be welcomed and be like, say, hey, this place is very hospitable. People are very friendly. It's one of the reasons people like to stay. They say, hey, the people are friendly and everybody seemed to be very genuine, very sincere. You know, so I think I've seen a lot of growth there. I've seen a lot of people make some really positive decisions. People weren't coming to church that often. And now they're three to thrive. Or, you know, there's people that weren't going soul winning. Now they're going soul winning. There was a guy that came to Pure Words Baptist Church specifically. I was able to give him the gospel and I got him baptized and now he goes soul winning. And they, you know, pretty consistent to church and everything like that. So it's really exciting to see somebody get saved. And then in the same year to be a soul winner, you know, be someone that's going straight out and doing the work. So, again, you know, when it comes to Steadfast Baptist Church or even Pure Words Baptist Church is not a one man show. And, you know, anybody that's in one of these areas, if you live in Jacksonville or Oklahoma City or Fort Worth area or Dallas or Houston or any of the surrounding areas, and you're looking for a church to really get plugged in and do a lot of work for the Lord. I mean, there is ample opportunity to serve God in one of our churches and we're growing and have a lot of great people. So, you know, I think that this is the time to get plugged in. There's never a bad time to start serving God. And this is a great time. 2020, you know, get some hindsight, right? Yeah, I think so. It's a good time right now to do some introspection and reflect on 2019. As you were speaking there, these AirPods I got for Christmas ran out of battery. So thank you very much, Apple, for failing me. So I missed some of your answer. But when I got these backup earphones, I did hear you talk a little about the growth, and you mentioned new people coming in and how the attitude has changed about that. Well, the Bible says in Titus 3, 3, For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But after that, the kindness and love of God, our Savior toward man appeared. And of course, it goes on not by works of righteousness, which we have done, etc. But, you know, at one point we were deceived. At one point, we didn't know the gospel. For me personally, I believed in many damnable heresies, and I was extremely confused before I got saved on a number of different issues. And so I think the attitude that says, well, I have it all figured out now that is standoffish and not welcoming to people who at one point were where we used to be, is an attitude that I have definitely seen change over the last year. And for me personally, I think that was something I struggled with a little bit and an area where I've noticed people have matured, for sure. And I think that's a continual basis, obviously knowledge but charity edifies. And I think because there's such a famine for the Word of God, and because a lot of churches have really stopped teaching the Bible and really giving people a lot of knowledge, that when someone comes to a church where they're actually reading scores of scriptures and they're really trying to teach people things, people can easily get puffed up with all that knowledge. They can kind of seem like they've arrived. And even me myself, when I look at the Bible, I realize that I feel like I almost know nothing, it seems like. There's so much to know. There's so much knowledge and wisdom and understanding to be had that it really becomes a pretty foolish attitude if you start thinking that you're better than someone else, or do you know as much as I do, or where are you coming from, or are you on lockstep with everything about me. Obviously it takes all of us time to grow and to learn things and to gain knowledge. And our attitude should not be to look down upon people that know something less than us but rather to want to teach it and love them and heck, maybe even learn something from them, because oftentimes I'm learning things from people all the time, whether that be just a person in my church or just somebody out in the world. Every single moment should be an opportunity to learn and to grow. Right. And the reality is, a guy like Pastor Anderson, for example, he knows the Bible really, really, really, really well. But when you talk to him, when you have a conversation, when you fellowship with him, he doesn't make you feel stupid. He doesn't make you feel like an idiot and he doesn't brag or boast. You know what I mean? He's a really humble guy and it certainly doesn't make you feel like an idiot just because you're much less knowledgeable than he is on the scriptures for sure. Now when it comes to 2020, we're looking ahead now at 2020, what would you say are some things you hope to accomplish next year, Pastor Shelley? Obviously, looking back, I'm satisfied with 2019. I think it was a great year for the church, but obviously there's always more that we could do. What are you looking for in 2020? What are you hoping to do? Any goals that you want to hit next year? Yeah, I mean, 2019 went by fast, in my opinion. I feel like a little bit it was just kind of putting out some fires and just trying to play catch up. So I'm really looking forward to 2020 where it's an opportunity to kind of try to plan and really make some goals and have some vision for the future. Because being honest, at the beginning of the year, I didn't even know what was going on. I had to kind of figure out what's going on first before I can even start making some decisions and really strategizing for the future. So I'm really looking at 2020. I think it's going to be a great year of growth. I think we're going to see a lot of growth in a lot of areas. And specifically, I've already made a lot of plans for a lot of things. I can share a few things that I've been already working on. But we've been working on a couple documentary films. And one of those we kind of had to put on hold because we're trying to get more filming done to it. It was a documentary on soul winning. And I'm really looking forward to that. But I want to make sure that we do a good job. So we kind of put that on the back burner. And we were focusing on another documentary that we'd started on. It's called The Sodomite Deception. And I preached a sermon entitled that. And really, it's just kind of frustrating to me how so many people want to just basically reject history. But I think it's mostly from a place of ignorance. They're just ignorant of what American laws have been throughout the last few hundred years. And even most recently, the last few decades. And kind of how the attitudes have shifted in our country towards sodomy specifically. And I really want to just kind of make a really strong documentary that kind of goes along with that sermon to help people see how there's been a dramatic shift and change of attitudes of Americans toward this particular sin of sodomy. And that it's really a deception that there's no way to really categorize it. People want to act like our opinion is a minority opinion or that the Bible is so outdated. Whereas they don't realize that, you know, 20, 30 years ago, that's virtually how everybody in America felt. And even the laws were a great way to look back in time and see that that was kind of the attitude of our nation and our country and a lot of people. And how it's just kind of overnight. People just change their minds and the media is just able to brainwash people very quickly and changing the dialogue. So I'm excited about that. I'm planning on hopefully getting this out maybe early 2020 and hopefully before Mesa, too, if that ends up happening. So I have a couple other things I'm working on. Maybe some different church resources that we can hand out and we can use as some tools. And then one thing that might be interesting to view is I've been working on this for a while now, but I think I'm pretty much going to wrap. I'm pretty much only got it wrapped up, but I've been working on a Passover timing series that I'm going to be doing. I've been working on a chart and it's been a very interesting topic for me for a couple different reasons. But I'd studied it really in depth at one point and I just kind of almost gave up. I was just like, man, I don't I don't know if you can figure this thing out. It's just it's really difficult. But recently I took another stab at it and I feel like I've really figured it out. I think I think you can kind of actually put everything together. And so I'm going to be finalizing that chart. And I've been reading through the Bible again just to kind of make sure that there's not something I didn't miss. And obviously I'm human, but I mean, I want to ask a few different people to kind of review some of the things that I made. But I'm really excited to kind of go through that series and some of the things that can be drawn out from that. And then there's another series. I don't know if I'm going to get to it in 2020, but I'm definitely going to do it. I've been wanting to do kind of a documentary series on the history of the world and basically just taking different segments in time of the Bible and preaching a really dedicated sermon. So I kind of like pre flood. So we just talk about all the verses in the Bible and all the stories in the Bible that are pre flood. And then you kind of in line those up a secular history and then make like a really cool, nice documentary. And then just kind of do a series all the way through the Bible's timeline and history's timeline and just kind of showing where things fit and how everything kind of makes sense. I think it'd be kind of a cool little series to go through. It could be over a span of several years. I don't know. But I'm really kind of looking at that. And then also, obviously, we have the Bahamas 2020 mission trip that's going to be happening. And so, you know, I haven't planned the end of the year just yet. I'm still kind of finalizing a couple ideas for that. So there's still a lot of other things that we're going to be working on as a church. But I'm really excited for 2020 and a lot of things that we're going to be doing. So a lot of stuff's in the works. Sounds like a lot of really exciting projects you have going there. That Passover chart idea is definitely something I'm interested in. That's the topic I've tried to tackle myself and gave myself an aneurysm attempting to study it. So you'll probably do a better job. Pastor Shelley, I began the year calling you up frantically. And I remember just thanking you. Thanks for getting involved and trying to help us out. And I'm going to end the year thanking you, but this time thanking you for the work you've put in over the last year. Four congregations going back and forth, traveling everywhere, putting out fires, preaching sermons. If there's anything I can do to alleviate that stress or anything anybody could do, obviously we would love it if you would just let us know. And we thank you very much on behalf of everybody at Steadfast Jacksonville for the opportunities that we've gotten to preach. It's been an honor and we look forward to continuing to serve right alongside with you in 2020. Thank you very much, sir, for what you've done for us this year. Yeah, thank you. And again, I'm pretty sure whenever we did that live stream the first time you did that preacher profile, I told you I really like your zeal. So if you can keep up that zeal, you know, it's really infectious. But I'm really excited for Jacksonville specifically. You guys got a lot of lineup here pretty early. You've got Pastor Patrick Boyle coming and preaching for you guys January 8th. I believe that is that Wednesday night. And then you have Pastor Dave Burzins coming and preaching for you guys on January 19th. I know a couple other I can't remember off the top of my head. You've got a couple of this stuff going on in February. And then you also have Pastor Anderson. He's going to be coming in March, March 6th, that Friday. He's going to be coming. And I'm I haven't talked to a couple of the guys, but I think what we might do is we might turn that into kind of a weekend event. So I think we might have another guy that's going to be coming out, another pastor friend of ours. And he's going to be coming preaching guys. So I'm really excited. You know, if you live anywhere in the Jacksonville area or in that Florida area, I mean, steadfast Jacksonville is where it's at. It's a great church, a great spirit. And they got a lot of good stuff going for them. And I'm excited for 2020 for them, too. Yeah, we really look forward to those guest preachers come in. And I believe in February, you correct me if I'm wrong, but I see it on the Excel sheet here. Pastor Grayson Fritz on February 16th. Is that still? Yeah, that's correct. All right. I couldn't get dates. I just didn't want to guess. Well, according to this Excel sheet, we'll see how accurate it turns out to be. But February the 16th, 2020, Pastor Grayson Fritz scheduled to preach both the morning and afternoon sermon. So we really look forward to getting those pastors to come visit. And if I could think of another highlight, I really liked his sermon at the Firebreathing Baptist Fellowship. So that was good. And that was a great conference. We had like 262 people on Friday when Pastor Anderson and Pastor Burzins were there. And it was a great spirit. And Paul Wittenberg did a great job with all the filming and everything. But if I had to pick a sermon, that was my favorite. I like Pastor Fritz sermon the most. It was it was a great sermon. He did a really good job. And so he's a real dynamic preacher. And I just his his joke about Cracker Barrel. I don't know. I just it was it was too good. I just I laughed for a really long time. And so I really like Pastor Fritz. He's a good guy. I got to go soloing with him. And it's funny. The first person we talked to is some lady and she just runs up and just gives him a hug. So, you know, not everybody out there hate Pastor Fritz. You know, some people love him. Now, it wasn't because of him being in the news or anything. She just is a friendly person. He was kind of like, oh, you know, but he got her saved. So, you know, it worked out great. He got a salvation and a hug. So there we go. The hug turned into a salvation. Pastor Shelley, it's always great to get a chance to chat with you. Anything else you wanted to say before I let you go? I don't think I have anything else, but really looking forward to 2020. And for more podcasts and maybe even, you know, some other great stuff in the future. Stay tuned. You never know what can happen with Pastor Shelley in charge. You never know what can happen, period, as 2019 taught us. So don't don't blink. All right, Pastor Shelley, you have a good night. You too. Thanks for having me on. Yeah, of course. Good night. Bye. That was Pastor Jonathan Shelley there with us here live on the Sword of the Spirit podcast to talk about 2019. And also he gave you some thoughts on what he has in store for 2020. The show will go on, though, tonight. I do have a few other things I wanted to touch on before wrapping up. I'm going to take a break, but before I do, I have to talk about this because I didn't get an opportunity to do so in prior on prior episodes of the show. But my friend Matt Powell, for those of you who don't know who that is, he is a Christian YouTuber. You can check out his YouTube channel at Matt Powell Official. That is Matt Powell Official. He released his latest documentary, The Sacred Name. It exposes the Hebrew roots movement for what it is, a fraud, an anti-Christ fraud filled with people who hate the gospel. And this documentary is something you need to check out if you haven't seen it already. What are you waiting for? Schedule a time to sit down in front of your television set or computer or cell phone or whatever it is that you use, whatever device you use to watch YouTube. Pull this documentary up right now. The Sacred Name by Matt Powell Official is the YouTube channel. This movie needs to go viral yesterday. It needs to go viral immediately. So much pertinent truth about salvation, so much pertinent truth about the old covenant and its relationship with the new covenant. There is so much packed into this movie exposing the Hebrew roots heresy for what it is. And I'm very proud of Matt Powell. I think what he did is an excellent, excellent job on this film. From beginning to end, you're going to be glued, even if you already agree with the doctrines presented in the film. And you can consider this an unofficial review on the movie. I thought that the movie was entertaining, but here's another point that I wanted to mention here when it comes to The Sacred Name. I appreciated that the people involved with the movie, they had been deceived, some of them, by the Hebrew roots heresy themselves. And for them, because of that, it was personal. For them, they had a real keen interest in taking down this satanic false doctrine. That's what I liked a lot about the movie. I appear in it, of course, towards the end, talking about the Sabbath day and explaining the spiritual significance of the Sabbath day. But I don't want to spoil it for you guys. If you haven't seen it, the movie covers Yeshua. The fact that his name is Jesus, not Yeshua. The movie covers the work salvation, the blatant work salvation promoted by these Hebrew roots heretics. And it even features footage of Hebrew roots heretics themselves actually explaining to you what they believe. Matt Powell interviewed them himself, and you get to hear the false doctrine coming straight out of the horse's mouth. That's invaluable. The link to the documentary has just been posted by Brother Dustin Lone in the chat room right now. So if you're listening live, make sure you click on that link. And after this show goes off the air, or you know what? Listen to it right now. Turn me off if you have to. Go watch the movie right now if you have to. Check it out. It was really, really good. Pastor Anderson was involved as well and helped out with that. For more information, check out episode, I believe it was 19 of this podcast in which Matt Powell appeared right here on the program to preview that film. It's out now. What are you waiting for? Go check it out. All right, folks, I'm going to go ahead and take a quick break. And then when I get back, it's more about New Year's as we exit 2019 an inch closer and closer to 2020. As each hour goes by, we're getting closer to January 1, 2020. It's not just the end of 2019, but it's also the end of a decade. And what a decade it's been. A decade that has seen the new IFB really just grow tremendously to what it is today. And several different churches end up getting planted and different preachers get ordained and so much more. What a decade and what a year it was 2019. I'll be talking more about what it's like at the end of the year and the introspection we should do at this time of year. Looking back at the last 365 days and give you guys some personal things that I want to improve on in 2020 and so much more. You're not going to want to miss it. The show will continue right after this. Stay tuned, everybody. The Sword of the Spirit podcast will be right back after these messages. I'm just making a quick video to announce or to remind you that we have a Philippines missions trip coming up on February 17th through the 23rd. Those dates are confirmed. We will be having the missions trip on that week. So you can go ahead and start making plans, start purchasing your tickets and getting hotel arrangements. If you have any questions for us, you can email us at info at VerityBaptist.com. We're also going to put another video that Brother Stuckey made who's the satellite leader, the missionary in the Philippines for us. And that video has other details. We're going to put that in the comment section below. But we just want to let you know about the dates. February 17th through the 23rd is the Verity Baptist Church Philippines missions trip. We'd love for you to be a part of it. Thanks for watching. Hey, everyone. This is Pastor Bruce Mahina here from First Works Baptist Church in El Monte, California. Just want to make a quick announcement that I'm going to be preaching in Belfast, Northern Ireland on April 29, 2020. And so if you live anywhere in Ireland, I hope you can make it to that. We're going to be also having a soul winning event. And so it's going to be it's going to be an awesome week of just soul winning and preaching. And so I'm encouraged to hear that there's already people who've already booked their flights from Scotland, from England. And so if you live anywhere in that part of the world, I hope you can make it to that event. If you live, you know, for example, in Sweden, if you're the brethren out there in Sweden, you know, the few names that are in Sardis, I hope you can make it there. I'm going to your part of the world. Maybe you can meet me 10 percent of the way there in Ireland. And so we're excited about what's going on. We're excited about this event. And we don't have a venue locked down just as of yet, but I am communicating with a brother out there who's going to be giving more information about that. But for sure, it will be in Belfast, Northern Ireland. But in the coming months, I'll put out another video to give you more information as far as where the location is going to be. But I hope you put it on your calendar. I hope you make plans to be there. Book your flights and be a part of this great soul winning event, the preaching service and some great fellowship as well. And so I hope to see you there. All right. God bless and have a great one. Hey everybody, Pastor Steven Anderson here from Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona. We've got a really cool event coming up in San Francisco, California. On February 29th, we're going to do a soul winning marathon in San Francisco. Now, just to be clear, we're not going to be going to the sodomite part of San Francisco. We're also not going to be going to the part of San Francisco that is just so filled with feces and an excrement in the streets that it's just a public health hazard. We're going to be going to a more normal part of San Francisco to go soul winning. On Friday night, February 28th, we're going to have a special preaching service at Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento, California. That's going to start at seven o'clock on Friday night. And we're going to have Pastor Bruce Mejia preaching just a half hour sermon. So we're just going to strictly limit ourselves to a half hour. So Brother Bruce Mejia is going to preach a half hour sermon. And then I'm going to preach a half hour sermon at Verity Baptist Church. That's going to be on Friday night in Sacramento. And then on Saturday the 29th, the next day, we're going to be doing the soul winning marathon in San Francisco. So I don't have the exact details yet. So stay tuned for more details about the San Francisco soul winning marathon coming up on February 29th. God bless you. Have a great day. All right, everybody, it's a Sword and Spirit podcast. December 30th, 2019. Thank you all very much for listening to the program. You heard some of the announcements there when it comes to the mission trips, when it comes to the different soul winning events and preaching events that are going on. All over the world, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Pastor Bruce Mejia, and of course that San Francisco soul winning event in February. You heard Pastor Anderson talk about it. They won't be soul winning in the areas that you saw in that San Francisco film, thankfully, where all the sodomites are at, ruining the city even further with their filth and things like that. But the good news is there are still parts of San Francisco where people will receive the gospel. And so I'm really looking forward to seeing what ends up happening there with that event. There's always something going on in this movement and that's one of the things I like so much about it. But 2019, you want to talk about an eventful year. It was 2019. You heard Pastor Shelley reference it when he was on the air a few moments ago. And everything that went on, Donnie Romero exposed and Adam Fanon exposed in a different way. He was exposed as a Judas Iscariot devil and Donnie Romero as a pastor who had fallen into some wicked, wicked sins. And there was a change of leadership at Steadfast Baptist Church in the beginning portion of the year. Pastor Jonathan Shelley, once he's ordained to take that spot, it does take him some time. And you heard him talk about it to get calibrated, to figure out what's going on, who is it that he's dealing with. But once he got comfortable, Steadfast moved on from that colossal, colossal event in the church's history. And I think has not looked back since then. Steadfast Jacksonville has not looked back since then. Not that everything's been perfect by any means, but we've moved on and we're doing some great things for God in Jacksonville, Florida. We just had Jesse Michael come preach for us. We also had a soul-winning marathon as well. And we have several guest preachers coming in 2020 to preach for us. There's something really exciting to look forward to in 2020. But the reason why I called this a year-end show and why I'm sort of branding it that way, it's not just because it's airing on December 30th, but it is that time of year where I think everyone, every Bible-believing Christian should do some introspection and take a look at what you accomplished over the last 365 days, or what you didn't accomplish, your successes and your failures as well. How many times did you read the Bible this year? Did you read it one time cover to cover? Did you read it twice cover to cover? Did you read it three times, four times, or even five times cover to cover? Or did you not read it at all cover to cover? Did you slack in your Bible reading? Did you slack in your soul-winning? And I think that it's important for you to be honest with yourself about where you succeeded and where you failed in 2019. If you're someone who didn't do enough Bible reading, for example, then you need to be honest with yourself about that and set a goal for 2020 to at least read the Bible cover to cover one time. It's so important if you want to understand more doctrines, if you want to get to know God better, you got to read his word from Genesis to Revelation. And if you read it just 15 minutes every day, you can get it done in a year. If you're a little more ambitious than that and you want more, well, then what about two or three times? You could read it between 30 and 45 minutes a day, depending on how fast you read, and get it done three times in a year, just 30 to 45 minutes a day, and you can get it done three times cover to cover each and every single year. Imagine where that would leave you in five years. Imagine where that would leave you in 10 years. You'll know a lot of Bible. Now, when it comes to Bible memorization, if that's an area you want to grow in, well, again, you have to be honest with yourself. Where do you stand after 2019? How much Bible have you memorized? And what do you want to do in 2020? Set a goal for yourself. I don't think there's anything wrong with a so-called New Year's resolution. But of course, here's the thing. There's a reason why gym memberships skyrocket on January 1st. There's a reason why the gym is always most crowded at the beginning of the year. It's because people set those resolutions around this time, and then they start going to the gym. I'll use that carnal example. They start going to the gym every week in January. But then it tapers off, and they start going every other week in February. And then it's, well, every other month in April and May. And as the year goes on, they end up just giving up on the New Year's resolution they set for themselves in December of the previous year. You see that all the time. If you've worked at a gym or been around a gym or been a member at a gym, membership skyrockets. And it's really crowded in January, but it slowly tapers off as people begin to give up on those goals and give up on those resolutions that they set for themselves. Well, here's the thing. Bodily exercise profit of nothing. At the end of the day, what really matters is the spiritual life. Obviously, you shouldn't be obese. It's good to exercise physically and things like that. But your main focus should be your Christian life. And you need to set some goals for yourself in 2020, especially if you're someone who backslid a little bit in 2019 and say, you know what, at the very least, I'm going to read the Bible cover to cover once in the calendar year. Or if you've already done that and accomplished that, maybe up that to two or three times. But you don't want to set a goal that is unattainable or unrealistic. And the same thing with Bible memorization as well. But here's an area that I think for me personally I have a lot of growth to do. The Bible says in Matthew 6 verse 33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. This is Jesus talking. And all these things shall be added unto you. How did great men of God get into the hall of faith chapter in Hebrews chapter 11? Well, they got there because they had great faith. And what Jesus Christ is articulating here in Matthew chapter 6 when he says seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you is that you have to have great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his provision for your life. And you won't have to worry about raiment, food, clothing. You certainly won't have to worry about having a roof over your head because if you seek ye first the kingdom of God, then all these things are going to be added unto you. The Bible also says in Colossians chapter 3 verse 1, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. And again, this is an area that I think I can improve on in 2020 is having that faith consistently in seeking first the heavenly things and looking on the things that are above rather than carnal things. And this can really choke your Christian life. This can really cause you to backslide. This can really cause you to skip out on soul winning because you have carnal things that you're more interested in like gardening or something to that effect. You might skip out on your soul winning, you might skip out on your Bible reading because let's face it, there are a lot of distractions in today's society. This right here, this phone right here, for those of you watching on the YouTube stream, you can see the cell phone I'm holding up to the camera right now. This thing is the biggest distraction I have going right now. I'll literally be sitting down saying to myself, okay, I'm going to set X amount of time to just study my Bible and all of a sudden I find myself scrolling through Facebook or Twitter or some other website on this device. You just have to turn it off, shut it off, put it away. You have to minimize the distractions in order for you to be successful at seeking the kingdom of God first, in order for you to be successful at seeking those things which are above. Money can come into play as well and be a major distraction for people in the sense that they might end up taking a job if you're a man working to provide for your family. That's great, but you don't want to end up taking a job that will pull you away from church, that will pull you away from soul winning, that will pull you away from serving Christ. In 2020, one of the big goals I have that I want to improve on is seeking Christ first and having better faith, having more faith in his provision for me, having more faith in his provision for my life and understanding that at the end of the day he's going to take care of you if you're living right, if you're going to church, if you're serving him, everything will work out together for good. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8, all things work together for good to them that love God. I think Steadfast Baptist Church definitely understands that now. After a tumultuous year to say the least, losing its leadership that it trusted in, that it put confidence in, to see its leadership fail the church to such a massive degree, obviously was a really tough situation to go through for both the congregation, for all the congregations I should say, in Fort Worth, in Oklahoma City and of course in Jacksonville, Florida. But look at how everything worked out because all things work together for good. And that's a lesson that everyone learned here in Steadfast that Pastor Jonathan Shelley coming in and doing an excellent job picking up the scraps really and filling a position of need here as our pastor. It proves that yes, God will provide in a time of need. So some goals that I think we should all try and attain for 2020. Let's memorize more chapters of the Bible. And even things that you might think are difficult, even chapters that you might think are difficult, if you just repeat one verse over and over and over again in your mind, eventually you're going to get it. And then all of a sudden one verse becomes two verses. And then all of a sudden two verses becomes three verses. And then all of a sudden three verses becomes four verses. I think you know where I'm going with this. Eventually you'll have the whole chapter memorized. And then you might have a whole book memorized. But if we memorize the Bible together as God's people, then we'll be more ready to answer those who would mock or scoff at what we believe. And it would certainly help if you're a preacher as well because you can quote Scriptures as you're preaching. And it will help you out sowing if somebody has a question about the Gospel or some other topic, you'll be able to answer them more readily having had Scripture memorized and on your heart. I think that's what the Old Testament table that was in the tabernacle symbolizes. The showbread that was on the table, it symbolizes God's word on the tables of our heart. I think also like I mentioned earlier, reading the Bible cover to cover, what I hope to do in 2020 is more than what I've done in 2019. The last few years in fact, I've read the Bible three times in the year. I want to read it four times in 2020. I want to step up in that area and read it four times. We'll see at the end of 2020 if I'm able to do that. And for me personally, one thing that I really want to accomplish in 2020 is to go on a mission trip. And you heard Pastor Shelley plug the Bahamas mission trip. I played the promo for the mission trip in the Philippines. People outside the United States, guess what? They need the Gospel too. Those people need to get saved too. They need to hear about the free gift of salvation paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ. And God is going to use the soul winners to go out and do that work. Is it going to be you in 2020? Are you going to be the one that steps up and says, I'm taking a leap of faith in 2020. I'm going on a mission trip. I'm going to go preach the Gospel. And it doesn't matter what ends up happening. I'm placing my faith in the Lord to provide and to offer me to open up those doors. Pray that God will open up those doors for you. The Bible says in 1 John 5, and this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. And I can guarantee you it's probably in God's will for you to go out and reach people with the Gospel. So pray that the Lord would open up the door for you to accomplish that. I know I definitely want to in 2020. Go on a mission trip at some point. Shoot some footage for it. And then make a video. Maybe a mini documentary. We'll see. And upload it to this YouTube channel. Whatever the situation might be for you. If you're a woman and you have kids. If you're a wife with kids and you are homeschooling. And you're hoping that in 2020 God helps you gain more wisdom in that area of your life. In raising children. In homeschooling. And you're primarily responsible for that in the home. A husband or wife can take care of that role. But my point is, whether it's that area of homeschooling. Raising children. Being a better husband. Being a better wife. Being a better father. Being a better mother. Being a better Christian. At the end of the year, we should look back at everything we've done over the last 365 days. Through introspection. Be honest about where we've succeeded and where we failed. And in 2020, hope to improve and rectify some of those weaknesses. But it takes a certain type of humility to admit that you've even done certain things wrong. It takes a certain kind of humility. And I could say in 2019, the biggest lesson I've learned. The biggest lesson I've learned is that pride is the ultimate destroyer. That pride can kill the Christian life. That pride is absolutely wicked. And I've seen how pride, how a prideful Judas Iscariot can split an entire church because of his self-willed mission to become a pastor. I've seen how pride can choke people's Christian life. I've seen the destruction that pride can cause. And I've learned so much about the importance of humility as well. I've learned so much about the importance of sound doctrine this year. Even more so than I have in years past because of the church I used to go to that was infiltrated by people who were sympathetic to the oneness crowd. I've seen people that have grown tremendously in 2019. I've seen new soul winners go out and get their first person saved and improve tremendously when it comes to giving the gospel. But most of all what I've witnessed in 2019, it's not just growth, it's not just unfortunately people who've backslidden and disappeared from church or quit church for petty reasons. But what I've seen this year as well is I've seen a man, multiple men actually, get exalted into leadership positions. Not just Pastor Jonathan Shelley but different preachers this year that have stepped up in the absence of leadership in a vacuum that needed to be filled. I've seen men step up and fill the pulpit at several different church plants and do a really good job when you consider the situation that they're in and the lack of experience that they have. So overall 2019, definitely a roller coaster for sure. But like I said, something we all have to do is just look back at the year, figure out where we've succeeded and where we've failed and hope to improve in 2020. Set those goals for Bible reading, Bible memorization and other areas in your life, even in your secular life. Whether it's being a better, more skillful laborer in your job and learning a new skill for you to utilize at your job so you can be a better worker. That's godly, by the way. Whatever the situation might be or whatever area we're talking about, whether it's spiritual or carnal, just find a way to be better in 2020 and grow. And look back at the end of next year and say to yourself, you know what? I did take a step forward this year. I did grow as a Christian. I did grow as a man or if you're a woman, as a woman. Because ultimately if you're not moving forward, you're either stationary or moving backward and you don't want to be in that position. I want to thank everyone for tuning in in the chat room. Thanks for participating, everybody. I really appreciate it. This podcast has definitely been a pleasure to produce it and for those wondering if this is the first time you've ever tuned into the show, it airs each and every Monday night at 9 o'clock Eastern Time, 8 o'clock Central, right here on youtube.com slash bend the Baptist. Sometimes I have special guests. Other times it's just me ranting in front of the camera like I am right now and talking about sort of stream of consciousness style, whatever the topic is for that particular week. But the show airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern and 8 o'clock Central right here on the channel. You can also find it on various podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts. Just search for the keyword Bend the Baptist and you'll find it there. You can subscribe and it's also available using that same keyword on the Stitcher Radio app. So don't miss an episode. That's it for the program. Again, I want to thank you all very much for tuning in and a special thank you to Pastor Jonathan Shelley for appearing on the show. He is very busy so whenever he finds time to come on to the broadcast and speak to me, answer some of my questions, I definitely appreciate it. Until next time, what a 2019 this has been. What a decade it's been. The rise of the new IFB and several different preachers as well. Happy New Year everybody. I hope you have an excellent and profitable, above all else, profitable 2020. We need more servants of the Lord out there. We need more people who are on the Lord's side. Step up in 2020 if you didn't in 2019. And if you did step up this year, then keep up the good work. We need you. God needs more soldiers. We need more men and women to get involved in the spiritual battle in 2020. Let that be you. Make the commitment. Have a great New Year and get ready to step up even better than you ever have in 2020. God bless you all. And once again, Happy New Year. I'll talk to you guys again next year. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.