All Episodes

November 9, 2024 • 26 mins
Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
There's a battle going on for the soul of me.
He's the war avery. But I'm saying, within the arms
of God, dear bride, she's the heeber of the Sautagys

(00:21):
to Christ.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
I'll not surreyender. I'll have surreyender. I'll not surreyender.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
I allow always be a godspol.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Defender, ladies and gentlemen. The reck brighton law of the
gospel defender ministries in God. The message you are about
to hear will encourage and equip those who have ears
to hear to be a clothes with the armor of

(01:03):
a gospel defenderder.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
I'll not surveyer. I'll not survey.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Ridal low with a godspool.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Ladies and gentlemen. In the sixteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus
revealed to the apostle Peter not only a prophecy but
also a promise on this rock, I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

(01:52):
That prophecy was fulfilled, and the promise continues to be fulfilled.
The prophecy because I will build my church. We are
told in Acts twenty verse twenty eight that he purchased
his church with his own blood. Not until his blood

(02:13):
was shed was there any church built by Jesus. One
should note that he said he would build his church.
Though his church is not the Church of Rome, it
is Catholic in the sense that it is universal. And
though his church immers's believers in water for the remission

(02:37):
of sins, it is not the Baptist church that he built.
He said that he would build his church. And since
it is his church, by what better name could she
be identified than Church of Christ? Paul told the Christians
in the Roman Church of Christ. The Churches of Christ

(03:01):
salute you. There is no better name from which to
receive a salute. And notice also that he said in
Matthew sixteen, verse eighteen, he would build one church. What
do we need other than his one church? It is
obvious that many believe his one church is not sufficient

(03:24):
to do the job. We see all kinds of churches
on each of the four corners of downtown Main Street
in about every city or town. Hardly any of them
bear his name. But that doesn't seem to bother those
religious groups. As far as they are concerned and as

(03:44):
far as what they practice in religion, one church is
as good as another one. Name is as good as
another in a few of these groups. One book is
as good as another. These groups or not right as
far as the Word of God is concerned, but that
doesn't seem to bother them one iota. Nevertheless, Jesus said

(04:09):
he would build his church, and he did. His prophecy
has been fulfilled. He also made a promise the gates
of Hades shall not prevail against it. Hades is where
the dead are. One part of Hades is where some

(04:30):
demons are in chains. Whether you think Jesus meant that
death would not prevail against the church, or whether you
think the forces of a demonic hell will not prevail
against the church, the bottom line is the same. The
Church will never pass away, no matter who, and no

(04:51):
matter what might try to do her in, no matter
what attempts might be made by atheists, ustis or just
plain aggravating people, the Church will be here when Jesus returns.
His promise will continue to be fulfilled until he comes again.

(05:14):
Though the universal Church will be here when he returns,
it is a matter of concern whether or not some
of his local congregations that are part of that universal
church will be here. There are several negative influences among
us that threaten the existence of some local congregations, and

(05:38):
if not checked, they will be the undoing of the
local church. We turn our attention to some of these
negative influences at this time. All of these undoing negative
forces are the result of the first one, the negative
influence of the unread book. How many congregations do you

(06:04):
know that place an emphasis upon the need for the
congregation to know the Book the Word of God. As
I travel from place to place, it seems to me
that God's people are terribly ignorant when it comes to
knowing what is in the book. Of course, it would

(06:25):
help if the Lord's preachers would preach from it. Some
preachers have given up on preaching from the book because,
according to them, it is not seeker friendly. To actually
preach from the book, would, in their opinion, run away
the visitors and shake up the old members. In many cases,

(06:49):
when the book is not preached, the numbers do in
fact stay the game same, and in some cases even
go up in number. But the same could be said
about a good hamburger joint. If you keep serving the
hamburgers like you always have, and maybe put on an
extra pickle or two. The client tell may increase, but

(07:14):
you don't prove that you are the church that Jesus
built because you serve an additional pickle or two on
Sunday morning. Many a church is in a pickle as
far as God's approval, because his word is seldom read, studied,
or preached. Consequently, it is seldom lived. The unread book

(07:38):
causes ignorance and apostasy. The church is to be built
on Jesus Christ and his word, not on Andy Griffith,
Barney or Ant b. The unread book has always been
a problem in the church, even in the days of
the apostles. There are those who could not eat strong meat,

(08:00):
but who could only ingest the milk of the word.
You show me a church that seldom hears the word,
and I will show you a group of people who
have deceived themselves into believing they are the church that
Jesus built. The unread book will lead to the undoing

(08:21):
of the church. And then another negative influence that will
be the undoing of the church is the unconvicted heart.
Of course, an unconvicted heart is a heart that is
not influenced by the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the apostles
in John sixteen, verse eight, concerning the Holy Spirit, and

(08:44):
when he is come, he will convict the world of
sin and of righteousness and of judgment. This conviction comes
to the proclamation of God's Word that has been revealed
by the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is in
a congregation, and he will be. If the Word is proclaimed,

(09:08):
there ought to be some conviction, but most places don't
have much of that anymore. If there is a heart
that ought to be convicted in the local congregation, it
ought to be the heart of the preacher. If the
preacher has no conviction concerning these matters sin, righteousness, and judgment,

(09:31):
then don't hold out much hope for the congregation where
you attend. If you have any elders, it would be
good if they had some. Also, a preacher with an
unconvicted heart will not produce any conviction in the hearts
of the assembly. If the assembly sees no conviction in

(09:53):
the hearts of the elders for their sheep, you will
be a member of a congregation boy of much conviction
concerning the things of God. Again, the average New Testament
Christian is pretty much lukewarm, apathetic, and indifferent as far
as the Gospel of Jesus Christ is concerned, it is

(10:17):
exceedingly difficult to arouse much enthusiasm or excitement in the
hearts of most congregations. There is little interest, little time,
and little zeal for the matters of the Kingdom of
Christ the Church. Most congregations have everything they need as
far as they are concerned, But what they do not

(10:40):
realize is that Christ doesn't have from them everything he wants.
And it begins with a heart that is convicted for
him and his word and his mission. An unconvicted heart
will have an unbended knee. If a Christian he has

(11:00):
no conviction, he will have little interest in a prayer
life about the only people who pray for the advancement
of the kingdom is the preacher and maybe the elders,
And maybe that's even stretching it. Most congregations want larger numbers,
but ask not. Most congregations want more workers, but ask not.

(11:25):
Most congregations want more offerings, but ask not. Most congregations
have not because they ask not. It is perplexing that
Christians have been assured by Christ that if they but ask,
seek and knock, they will receive fine and have it

(11:47):
open under them, but they seldom ask, seek or knock.
The story is told about a man who went to
heaven and was permitted to go into a room that
was filled with beautiful packages of all shapes and sizes
and colors. Each package was sitting undisturbed on a shelf

(12:10):
of its own. When the man asked the attending angel
what all this meant, the angel told him that these
were the answers to the prayers of the saints. The
man asked, why are there so many? The angel replied,
because no one ever asked to receive one. Only eternity

(12:35):
will reveal how many good and perfect gifts the church
has never received because of the unbended knee. This negative
influence may very well be the undoing of the local
church where you attend. There is another active negative influence that,

(12:57):
if not checked, will be the un doing of the church.
It is the unruly tongue. Only God knows how many
congregations have been split, shredded, spit out, and sunk by
an unruly tongue. We cannot improve upon what James has

(13:20):
written in James three verses five and six. See how
great a forest a little fire kindles, and the tongue
is a fire a world of iniquity. The churches of
Christ and Galicia had a tongue problem. Paul had to

(13:40):
remind them, if you bite and devour one another, beware
lest you be consumed by one another. What damage the
tongue has contributed to the undoing of congregations? Only the
Lord knows. The forces of Hell have invaded the mouths

(14:04):
of more than a few who say they know how
precious a soul is, but while saying it, have influenced
some to leave the body of Christ because they do
not control their tongue. Jesus one time said, it is
impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him

(14:29):
through whom they do come. It were better for him
if a millstone were hung around his neck and he
were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend
one of these little ones. If it would be better
that a man cut off a hand or a foot,
or pluck out an eye and go to heaven, then

(14:51):
to go to Hell with both hands, both feet, and
both eyes, and it would be it also would be
better that a man cut out his tongue and go
to Heaven mute, than to go to Hell. Gabbing, jabbering,
and gossiping with his tongue. The unruly tongue must surely

(15:13):
be one of the most used instruments of the old serpent,
because the unruly tongue is the instrument he uses for
gossip ladies and gentlemen. There is another active negative influence
that is leading to the undoing of the church, and

(15:35):
it is the unattended church. When I was a child,
my mother showed me a game that I could play
with my two hands and fingers. By folding my hands
and fingers a certain way, we would repeat the little ditty,

(15:55):
here's the church, and here's the steeple, look inside at
all the people. Then we would wiggle our fingers as
if they were people inside a church building. But there
was another ditty we would repeat by folding our hands
and fingers in a different way. Here's the church, and

(16:18):
here's the steeple, Look inside, and where's the people. As
a preacher, I don't use that first little ditty much,
but I've got that second one down. Pat. Here's the
church and here's the steeple, Look inside, and where are

(16:38):
the people. That's a good didty, but it is a
better question, where are the people. Actually, if you ask them,
they aren't in the least bit ashamed of telling you
where they are when they are not in the called
out assembly. A few days ago, a lady told me

(17:01):
that her husband, who professes to be a Christian, was
at home having a beer and watching a football game.
Not only wasn't he ashamed, but she didn't appear to
be ashamed to tell me that. In fact, she laughed
after she told me, I'm not surprised that the world

(17:24):
isn't all that enthused about coming to the Assembly of
the Lord, our own brethren, God's people in large measure, aren't.
We have a tough time getting them to come to
Sunday morning Bible School. Of course, if the elders and

(17:46):
the preacher won't show up, why should the members. We
have a tough time getting them to come on Sunday night.
We have a tough time getting them there at a
weak Bible study. We can blame it on two working parents.

(18:06):
We can blame it on school activities. We can blame
it on hectic schedules. We can blame it on about anything.
We want. To blame it on, ladies and gentlemen. Once
you get past the blame. The result is the same

(18:26):
unattended church assemblies are contributing to the undoing of the church.
This active negative influence of the unattended church is a
result of the unconcern for lost souls. It is very

(18:47):
sad but true that many of God's people have little
concern for their own soul, let alone for the soul
of someone else. The commission of the church has been
given by the great commissioner, even the Lord Jesus Christ.

(19:07):
He said, go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized
will be saved, but he who does not believe will
be damned. This unconcern for lost souls is because there

(19:29):
is a general unbelief in the doctrine of hell. Hell
is seldom mentioned from behind the pulpit. Again, this is
because it is not seeker friendly to mention that subject.
But regardless of what a local church may think or
want to hear from behind the pulpit, the question has

(19:51):
been laid before the human race. What will it profit
a man if he gains the whole world and loses
his own soul? What will a man give in exchange
for his soul. The church is too busy to read
the word, too busy to bend her knee, too busy

(20:17):
to attend the church assembly, and too busy to be
concerned about lost souls. Part of this lack of soul
winning is because the church has been taught over the
years that unless we have a special time to call

(20:37):
on people, we can't talk to anyone about Christ and
their salvation. The early church went everywhere evangelizing. They did
not have calling nights, they did not have calling times.
They called morning, after noon, and evening. Wherever they went,

(21:04):
they preached the Word of God. The twenty first century
church has more opportunities than ever before to preach the Word,
but she seldom does it. She still has the mentality
that this is what the congregation hires the preacher to do.

(21:25):
He is the one who is supposed to have a
concern for lost souls, Ladies and gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen,
beloved brethren of the Church. This antiquated, non biblical and
anti biblical doctrine is leading to the undoing of the Church.

(21:52):
The gates of Hades shall not prevail against my church,
Jesus said, And it hasn't and it won't. When Jesus
returns for his bride the Church, she will be here
ready and anxious to lift off from this hellish earth.

(22:17):
But the question is will you be ready? Will you
be ready as a faithful contributor to the cause of Christ.
Will you even be in Christ when he returns? Before
Christ comes to take his church to the New Jerusalem,
he invites you to come to him. Come to me,

(22:42):
all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest, invites Jesus. God is not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come under repentance.
He who believes and is baptism will be saved. Ladies

(23:03):
and gentlemen, your resistance too, and your rejection of the
Gospel of gospel invitation of Jesus Christ will be your undoing.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
There's a battle going on for the soul of me.
He's the forthyvery. But I'm saying, within the arms of God,
dear Bride, She's the keeper of the sort jeers the

(23:40):
Church of Christ.

Speaker 2 (23:41):
I'll not Surreyender. I'll have Surreyder. I'll have Surreyyender.

Speaker 1 (23:55):
I know I'll always be a God's.

Speaker 3 (24:04):
Ladies and gentlemen, Rick Bright in Boss speaking, you have
just heard in another Gospel Defender Ministries radio broadcast brought
to you by the Church that Jesus built that preaches all.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
Of the Word to all of the world.

Speaker 3 (24:24):
Jesus said in Mark sixteen sixteen, he who believes and
is baptized will be saved. So find someone today who
will immerse you into Christ today before it is everlastingly
too late. Our mailing address is Gospel Defender Ministries, Post

(24:45):
Office Box five seven five Jelkathi c h I L
L N Cotch Jela Cofie Ohio ZIP four five six
year one. You can also contact us through the world
wide Web at Gospel dash Defender dot org or by

(25:10):
email at a gosdeath a g O SDF a gosdeath
at grooprinner dot com. At your request, a written transcript
for an audio company of today's message we'll be sent
to you free of charge, with no obligation from you

(25:31):
now or in the future. We need to hear from
you as soon as possible, so please take the time
to contact us today now until you and I meet
again at this same time and at this same place.

(25:52):
Our prayer is that you will be steadfastly set for
the defense of the Gospel. A guy
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.