Allen Jackson - Lightning (Part 1)

May 18, 2026 | 27:29

Pastor Allen Jackson's mission is to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

#Future #EndTimes #LastDays #Revelation #Prophecy #Signs&Wonders #ReturnofChrist #SecondComing #Tribulation #Rapture #Trials-HardTimes #Suffering #God'sWill #Plan #Timing #Jesus #Harvest #Abundance #AllenJackson

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Allen Jackson Ministries | Allen Jackson - Lightning (Part 1) | May 18, 2026

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Allen jackson: one of my heroes in the bible is saul of tarsus.
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He becomes the apostle paul.
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I know you know his story.
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He's written two-thirds of our new testament by title, and one
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Of the most remarkable characters we meet in all of
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The scripture.
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He was a pharisee with a remarkable education, brilliant
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Mind, and he hated jesus and jesus followers.
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Until he met jesus one day.
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He's on the road to damascus, and jesus interrupts his life,
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And he becomes the apostle paul, one of the most powerful voices
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For jesus that history has ever known.
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We put together a 90-day devotional.
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It's "lessons from paul."
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I'm still learning from paul, and i just wanted to share it
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With you.
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There's a little--there's a scripture verse, there's a bit
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Of a devotional, there's a place for some journaling.
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It's really intended to provide some direction so that you and i
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Become overcomers.
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Overcomers of our past, overcomers of the opposition in
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The present.
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Doesn't matter what the adversary is, the power of god
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That delivered paul, he'll deliver you and me.
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I believe you'll enjoy "lessons from paul."
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Allen: i'm gonna continue a study that we've been working
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On for a bit.
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It's been interrupted a time or two, so--but i still wanted to
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Go ahead, at least--i'll come back and do it in a more
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Cohesive manner, perhaps in another time, but i wanted to
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Bring some conclusion to it.
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We've been talking about what's ahead, big picture.
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I think we all know what we're looking forward to is the return
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Of the king.
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Jesus is coming back.
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You know, i like the christian holidays.
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I like to celebrate his arrival in time, the incarnation, when
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He was born in bethlehem.
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I love to celebrate easter with his resurrection and his triumph
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Over death and satan and the kingdom of darkness, but i very
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Much look forward to his return as a triumphant king to rule and
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Reign in the earth.
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And between where we are and his return, the bible gives us
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A good bit of information.
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In a similar fashion to what jesus did with his disciples as
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They approached jerusalem that last time with him prior to his
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Arrest and his suffering.
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He told them what would happen in very clear terms, and it was
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Just beyond them.
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It was more than they could accept, it was more than they
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Could process.
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Even as they lived through it, it didn't seem to register on
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Their consciousness what jesus had told them.
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It was only after the fact that they could assimilate it all.
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Too much pressure, too much stress, too many emotions.
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There was just a whole array, from disappointment and despair
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To fear.
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And i think between where we are now and when jesus returns,
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There will be an array of emotions.
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But i think it would be much to our best interests to pay
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Attention to what the scripture tells us about that season.
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And so, that's been the purpose of this short study, is what's
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Ahead of us.
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The title for this session, i chose "lightning."
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There's a verse i would read to you.
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It's matthew 24:7.
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This is jesus, a most lengthy prophetic discourse, and he is
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Talking about the end of the age and his return, and he says, "as
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Lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the
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West, so will be the coming of the son of man."
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Seemed more relevant to me.
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If you live in middle tennessee, we've had some storms the last
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Couple of nights.
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Kathy and i lost about 12 trees.
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What night, monday night, tuesday night?
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Tuesday night?
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Powerful winds.
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I didn't hear the wind.
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I was awakened by the lightning.
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Even before i heard the thunder.
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And then, so that verse has been kind of resonating in my heart
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For a day or two.
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You know, lightning is very visible in a dark sky.
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And when jesus said, and it was his words, "as lightning that
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Comes from the east is visible even in the west, so it will be
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At the coming of the son of man."
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The lightning, the light of the arrival of the king, will be so
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Much more visible because of the contrast of the
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Intense darkness.
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And i think what we have to understand, what i'm trying to
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Process in my own heart, is to stay aware and focused and
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Attentive upon what the--what the light is doing in the earth
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And not give my heart to the darkness.
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I don't mean for deeds of darkness, i just don't want my
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Emotions captured by the darkness.
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I don't want my thoughts captured by the darkness.
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I want to stay fully invested in what god is doing in the earth,
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And the visibility of jesus's return will be in stark contrast
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To the gross darkness that will cover the earth.
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So as the darkness grows more intense, know this: the light
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Will shine that much more brightly.
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It will make it that much more visible.
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It's just--this verse is an image of jesus returning.
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Very visible against the deep darkness.
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Lightning is an unexpected expression of tremendous power
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And energy.
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Jesus is not coming back as some vulnerable baby in a stable.
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He's coming back as a conquering king.
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In fact, the book of revelation is the presentation of god's
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Judgment upon the gentile nations.
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Jesus is coming back as the judge of all the earth.
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I pulled together just a handful of passages that provide for us
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Some description of this season that will precede
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Jesus's return.
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And i thought it was worth just to kind of help set a tone a bit
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For that.
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You know what, i find, we tend to build our perspectives on the
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End of the age.
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What's gonna happen between now and jesus's return?
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And we get pretty locked in on that.
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Now, this is how i believe.
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What do you believe?
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I know 'cause you come pepper me with questions.
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And it--the truth is, i can argue one of several positions
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With a good deal of authority from scripture.
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It isn't quite as clear to me.
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I think the components are pretty clear to me, but their
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Exact ordering is not as clear to me, and, intellectually, i'm
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Okay with that.
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A couple of things i would just perhaps offer you as
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An observation.
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You know, if you were determined to be on the first load out of
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Here, and you'd have no imagination of anything else.
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For the record, i went out on the first load up, right?
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You're like, "i don't want to go through the tribulation just to
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Prove i was right."
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On the other hand, you know, if you're determined that, you
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Know, there's that early airlift and nothing else matters, my
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Caution to you is if you allow that to capture your heart
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Fully, it could keep you from cultivating the character to
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Persevere and overcome.
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And please don't do that.
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You know, i've heard too many people making presentations
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Around this, talking about, god wouldn't allow his bride to
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Suffer, he wouldn't allow his--and i appreciate the
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Sentiment, and i'm not really prepared to pick the argument,
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'cause i could argue more than one position.
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But that's a very difficult message to deliver to the
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Nigerian christians today.
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Or the christians in ukraine, or the christians in tehran, or the
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Christians in china.
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Truthfully, to most of the christians on planet
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Earth tonight.
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We happen to live in one of those places where we have great
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Freedom and liberty and opportunity and all sorts of
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Protections, and while they seem to be deteriorating a bit around
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Us, we still enjoy them.
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And so don't build a theology that is primarily centered in
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Comfort and convenience.
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Tell the lord you're willing to do whatever is necessary to
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Fulfill your assignment for him.
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We'll--we're willing to do difficult.
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And on the other end of the spectrum, you know, if you're
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Determined that you've got to ride this thing all the way to
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The end, sometimes it can lead you to kind of
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A defeatist attitude.
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Well, everything's gonna get worse and worse and darker and
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Darker, and there's nothing i can do about it.
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It's just biblical, and we just got to watch it happen.
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And i think that's equally destructive.
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"cause in the midst of the darkness we have to hold out the
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Light, we have to extend the truth, we have to spend
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Ourselves in the pursuit of the kingdom of god.
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Let your will be done.
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Let your kingdom come and your will be done now.
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And so, whichever of those positions you adopt and the
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Extremes and all around them, what you wanna ultimately do is
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Let the spirit of god lead you.
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"amen, pastor allen."
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So do not come after service and ask me if i'm pre-bid or post.
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I pulled a handful of scriptures.
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I'm not gonna dwell on them, but i think they're helpful to give
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Us some insight into the world prior to jesus's return.
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And my objective really, as i've already alluded to, is to help
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Us be prepared.
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I want to be prepared.
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Jesus worked so diligently to prepare the disciples.
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Best definition i ever heard of servant leadership came from
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A business person, actually, who became a christian later in
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Life, and they use jesus as their example.
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They said, "the best servant leader isn't the one that gets
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Coffee for everyone, but it's a person who's willing to get a
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Cup of coffee for anyone."
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And he said, "jesus didn't get the disciples together and say,
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'what do you think we should do?
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How do--how are we gonna work this out?'
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He got the disciples together and said, 'this is what's
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Gonna happen.
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I'm going to jerusalem, and this is what's gonna happen.'"
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And they argued with him.
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They were pretty adamant about it.
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And he said, "get behind me, satan."
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Do you remember the narrative?
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Jesus gave them the agenda, and then he did everything in his
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Power to help them get across the finish line.
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He washed their feet.
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He had the last supper with them.
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He took them to gethsemane and said, "pray with me."
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He said to them at the last supper, "i've prayed for you
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That your faith wouldn't fail."
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He found them on resurrection day while they're hiding,
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Terrified out of their minds, overcome with shame and guilt
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And fear, and he began a process of restoration.
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Jesus didn't ask them to set the agenda.
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But then he--once he had established the agenda, he did
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Everything in his power to help them get across the finish line.
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That's the best understanding i know.
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That's what i believe we have to do in our generation.
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It's not up to us to redefine the game plan, that's been given
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To us.
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But having established that and accepted that, now we want to
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Help everybody we can get across the finish line.
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Allen: "lessons from paul" is a 90-day devotional, some of my
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Favorite verses that paul wrote, a bit of devotional time, and
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Then some place to journal.
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The goal is to be changed.
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We want to be transformed by the word of god and not just
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Informed by it.
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Saul of tarsus, a hero of mine, i got to know him as the apostle
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Paul, an unrelenting advocate for jesus in the face of
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Unyielding persecution.
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Folks, that sounds like the world we live in.
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"lessons from paul," it'll help you and i be overcomers,
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Triumphant in this season in the earth.
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You'll enjoy the book.
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Female announcer: following jesus isn't always easy, but you
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Don't have to walk through it alone.
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The same power that transformed paul is available to you today.
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"lessons from paul" by pastor allen is a 90-day devotional
00:11:08.116 --> 00:11:11.686
Filled with scripture, encouragement, and journaling
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Prompts and space to write, helping you apply each day's
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Reading to your actual life.
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Request your copy with your gift of $25 or more at
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Allen on social media to stay up
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To date with everything
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Happening here with
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Allen jackson ministries.
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Allen: so, just some quick, really kind of, hors d'oeuvres.
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Luke 18:8, jesus said, "when the son of man comes, will he find
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Faith on the earth?"
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It's a very sobering question.
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And it's in a con--in the context of a conversation about
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The end of the age, will he find faith on the earth?
00:12:14.783 --> 00:12:18.219
If you ask me for a criteria around that, it's--he's
00:12:18.219 --> 00:12:22.223
Describing a season where there's faith under
00:12:22.223 --> 00:12:23.925
Great pressure.
00:12:23.925 --> 00:12:26.594
There are times it's easier to be a faithful christ follower.
00:12:26.594 --> 00:12:28.797
You know, in the--in english, it's not quite as clear, but
00:12:28.797 --> 00:12:31.699
Faith and faithful are, you can't be a christian--a christ
00:12:31.699 --> 00:12:38.039
Follower filled with faith unless you're a faithful
00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:39.874
Christ follower.
00:12:39.874 --> 00:12:41.709
You don't separate the two.
00:12:41.709 --> 00:12:43.044
How do you give expression to your faith?
00:12:43.044 --> 00:12:44.646
By being faithful.
00:12:44.646 --> 00:12:46.481
It's not complicated.
00:12:46.481 --> 00:12:48.616
And when jesus said, "will there be any faithful people here?"
00:12:48.616 --> 00:12:52.120
He's telling us there's gonna be some really
00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:53.755
Significant pressure.
00:12:53.755 --> 00:12:55.089
Look at luke 17.
00:12:55.089 --> 00:12:56.457
These are both in luke.
00:12:56.457 --> 00:12:57.792
So, jesus, again, he said, "just as it was in the days of noah,
00:12:57.792 --> 00:13:00.562
So also will it be in the days of the son of man."
00:13:00.562 --> 00:13:03.198
Noah was a preacher of righteousness.
00:13:03.198 --> 00:13:04.532
He preached for 40 years while he built the ark, and
00:13:04.532 --> 00:13:07.035
Nobody responded.
00:13:07.035 --> 00:13:09.137
I can tell you as a professional christian that would
00:13:09.137 --> 00:13:11.005
Be discouraging.
00:13:11.005 --> 00:13:14.676
And there--there's a parallel.
00:13:14.676 --> 00:13:16.077
Jesus said it'll be like that in the time, so there's gonna be
00:13:16.077 --> 00:13:18.880
Pressure on your faith.
00:13:18.880 --> 00:13:20.715
I don't tell you that to get discouraged.
00:13:20.715 --> 00:13:22.817
Doesn't even cause me to want to back up.
00:13:22.817 --> 00:13:24.152
It kind of--it excite--let's go.
00:13:24.152 --> 00:13:26.921
You see, the closer we get to the end, the more aware satan
00:13:26.921 --> 00:13:30.124
And all of his kingdom know that their time is running short.
00:13:30.124 --> 00:13:33.962
And there's an urgency that comes to them, a desperation
00:13:33.962 --> 00:13:37.065
That comes to them.
00:13:37.065 --> 00:13:38.433
They have failed in their agenda and their objective, and he's
00:13:38.433 --> 00:13:41.769
Not going to supplant jesus.
00:13:41.769 --> 00:13:45.206
He isn't going to be the object of worship, with the exception
00:13:45.206 --> 00:13:47.809
Of that very brief period of time when the antichrist
00:13:47.809 --> 00:13:51.546
Occupies that space.
00:13:51.546 --> 00:13:53.715
And so, there'll be this desperation that comes in the
00:13:53.715 --> 00:13:56.584
Kingdom of darkness.
00:13:56.584 --> 00:13:58.253
And if we have the privilege of being the generation that meets
00:13:58.253 --> 00:14:00.488
The return of the lord, we'll have to face some of that.
00:14:00.488 --> 00:14:05.493
Hallelujah, that the lord would count you worthy for that.
00:14:05.493 --> 00:14:10.331
God counted noah worthy of being--of building a boat in the
00:14:10.331 --> 00:14:12.901
Middle of the field.
00:14:12.901 --> 00:14:15.603
Counted his sons worthy of cleaning a lot of stalls.
00:14:15.603 --> 00:14:21.442
Okay, luke 10, we get another clue about this season and time.
00:14:21.442 --> 00:14:27.682
Jesus told them, "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers
00:14:27.682 --> 00:14:31.286
Are few.
00:14:31.286 --> 00:14:32.620
Ask the lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out
00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:34.022
Workers into his harvest field."
00:14:34.022 --> 00:14:36.524
There's gonna be a great harvest.
00:14:36.524 --> 00:14:38.927
Jesus said it.
00:14:38.927 --> 00:14:40.295
The harvest fields will be ripe.
00:14:40.295 --> 00:14:41.996
They'll be white with the har--it'll be abundantly clear
00:14:41.996 --> 00:14:46.401
That there's an opportunity for harvest, but there's not going
00:14:46.401 --> 00:14:49.504
To be an abundance of workers.
00:14:49.504 --> 00:14:52.373
Well, if you're working in an abundance harvest with limited
00:14:52.373 --> 00:14:56.344
Workers, what do you know about that equation?
00:14:56.344 --> 00:15:01.082
Well, you might get weary.
00:15:01.082 --> 00:15:03.785
It'd be easy to get weary.
00:15:03.785 --> 00:15:05.820
There's more to do than you think you can get to.
00:15:05.820 --> 00:15:07.422
You'll need supernatural help and supernatural strength.
00:15:07.422 --> 00:15:11.626
Let's go, let's go.
00:15:11.626 --> 00:15:16.164
This isn't just about you and me, and a sinner's prayer, and
00:15:16.164 --> 00:15:20.234
A dip in a pool, and then wait to hear the trumpet blast.
00:15:20.234 --> 00:15:24.038
When we raised our hands to accept jesus as lord of our
00:15:24.038 --> 00:15:26.874
Lives and we yielded ourselves to him, it means we accepted the
00:15:26.874 --> 00:15:32.213
Assignments that he brings to us.
00:15:32.213 --> 00:15:33.848
It's no longer my time, and my life, and my resources, or--
00:15:33.848 --> 00:15:38.119
I serve at the pleasure of the king.
00:15:38.119 --> 00:15:42.423
What an exciting way to invest your days.
00:15:42.423 --> 00:15:45.960
There's nothing that you will give to the lord that he won't
00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:48.162
Multiply back to you.
00:15:48.162 --> 00:15:51.132
Start to build you--that's a learned response.
00:15:51.132 --> 00:15:53.534
It's not intuitive.
00:15:53.534 --> 00:15:54.869
Our carnal nature is the opposite of that.
00:15:54.869 --> 00:15:57.405
Learn to honor the lord.
00:15:57.405 --> 00:15:58.773
Practice being generous with your time, with your attention,
00:15:58.773 --> 00:16:01.309
With your resources.
00:16:01.309 --> 00:16:02.910
Find ways to do that.
00:16:02.910 --> 00:16:04.946
Listen to people that you'd be tempted to brush off.
00:16:04.946 --> 00:16:08.750
Pray for people when it would be easier just to walk past
00:16:08.750 --> 00:16:11.753
The invitation.
00:16:11.753 --> 00:16:14.022
Begin to practice that in an intentional, purposeful way.
00:16:14.022 --> 00:16:17.392
Don't draw attention to it.
00:16:17.392 --> 00:16:19.160
It's not necessary.
00:16:19.160 --> 00:16:20.862
The lord will notice.
00:16:20.862 --> 00:16:22.630
And if you and i will choose to honor him, he will find you
00:16:22.630 --> 00:16:25.700
Trustworthy, and he will multiply your opportunities.
00:16:25.700 --> 00:16:29.437
He will multiply things that you didn't even know were
00:16:29.437 --> 00:16:31.606
A possibility.
00:16:31.606 --> 00:16:34.175
You don't have to find a parade and run to the front of the
00:16:34.175 --> 00:16:36.344
Parade and say, "look what i did."
00:16:36.344 --> 00:16:40.248
You--you'd be willing to serve the lord in all those places
00:16:40.248 --> 00:16:42.550
That seem insignificant, then god will bring promotion to you.
00:16:42.550 --> 00:16:46.788
Whether he brings the promotion in time or he waits till all
00:16:46.788 --> 00:16:48.856
Eternity, promotion is coming.
00:16:48.856 --> 00:16:52.293
God is so faithful.
00:16:52.293 --> 00:16:54.462
God is so faithful, and if you're walking through a hard
00:16:54.462 --> 00:16:58.032
Season and it's demanding of you attention and sacrifice, and you
00:16:58.032 --> 00:17:01.936
Feel like nobody notices, god notices.
00:17:01.936 --> 00:17:05.173
And don't you grow weary.
00:17:05.173 --> 00:17:07.442
Turn down the volume on those accusing voices, or those
00:17:07.442 --> 00:17:09.877
Condemning voices, or those voices that are telling you
00:17:09.877 --> 00:17:12.547
You're wasting your time, or your sacrifice, you're not.
00:17:12.547 --> 00:17:15.917
It's not lost on the lord.
00:17:15.917 --> 00:17:18.820
Luke chapter 12.
00:17:18.820 --> 00:17:20.922
Jesus, this--under jesus again, "understand this:" if he says
00:17:20.922 --> 00:17:24.826
You have to understand this, it's not easily understood.
00:17:24.826 --> 00:17:28.563
"if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was
00:17:28.563 --> 00:17:31.065
Coming, he wouldn't have let his house be broken into."
00:17:31.065 --> 00:17:33.334
No, duh.
00:17:33.334 --> 00:17:36.537
If the thief, you know, sent you a text and said, "i'll be there
00:17:36.537 --> 00:17:39.140
At 11:58 p.m."
00:17:39.140 --> 00:17:42.743
I mean, my friend smith & wesson and i will be waiting for them.
00:17:42.743 --> 00:17:50.485
But he said that's not how that works, but he said, "you also
00:17:50.485 --> 00:17:53.187
Must be ready because the son of man will come at an hour when
00:17:53.187 --> 00:17:55.957
You don't expect him."
00:17:55.957 --> 00:17:57.758
I'm intrigued by christians that are determined they know when to
00:17:57.758 --> 00:18:00.328
Expect him.
00:18:00.328 --> 00:18:02.864
I mean, jesus couldn't have been more clear, just as a thief
00:18:02.864 --> 00:18:05.366
Comes at the unexpected time.
00:18:05.366 --> 00:18:07.468
If he didn't come at an unexpected time, he wouldn't be
00:18:07.468 --> 00:18:09.170
A thief, he'd be a friend, coming to borrow something.
00:18:09.170 --> 00:18:13.774
The thief comes to steal that which he doesn't--doesn't belong
00:18:13.774 --> 00:18:16.744
To him.
00:18:16.744 --> 00:18:18.079
And jesus used that analogy, and he said, you must be ready
00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:21.916
Because the son of man will come when you don't expect him, so
00:18:21.916 --> 00:18:24.218
There's an unexpected arrival component to this.
00:18:24.218 --> 00:18:27.155
So for all the signs we have, and all the indicators we have,
00:18:27.155 --> 00:18:30.291
How can you be surprised?
00:18:30.291 --> 00:18:32.894
Let me ask you this: do you think peter and james and john
00:18:32.894 --> 00:18:35.696
And the marys, do you think they were surprised by what happened
00:18:35.696 --> 00:18:37.765
To jesus?
00:18:37.765 --> 00:18:40.201
I promise, the magnitude of it, the starkness of it, it was
00:18:40.201 --> 00:18:46.207
Illogical to them.
00:18:46.207 --> 00:18:47.742
How could a man who could raise the dead or walk on the water,
00:18:47.742 --> 00:18:51.779
How could he be taken captive?
00:18:51.779 --> 00:18:53.214
They'd seen him walk through angry mobs unharmed.
00:18:53.214 --> 00:18:56.851
They'd seen him speak to the wind and the waves, and they
00:18:56.851 --> 00:18:58.953
Grew still and silent.
00:18:58.953 --> 00:19:01.255
Why would he be threatened by any angry mob in the streets of
00:19:01.255 --> 00:19:03.925
The city of jerusalem?
00:19:03.925 --> 00:19:05.259
It was unthinkable to them that he could be arrested, and
00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:08.229
Tortured, and suffer.
00:19:08.229 --> 00:19:11.532
You know, i think a part of what we'll have to walk through are
00:19:11.532 --> 00:19:13.901
Things that will stretch our credulity.
00:19:13.901 --> 00:19:16.537
We're already seeing that.
00:19:16.537 --> 00:19:18.005
I would have never believed, if you'd have told me a few years
00:19:18.005 --> 00:19:20.274
Ago that we would have educated people, people with advanced
00:19:20.274 --> 00:19:24.212
Degrees from celebrated universities that would stand in
00:19:24.212 --> 00:19:26.447
Public and tell us that biological sex is confusing,
00:19:26.447 --> 00:19:29.417
I would have said there's just no way.
00:19:29.417 --> 00:19:33.154
I mean, i grew up in the fields of middle tennessee.
00:19:33.154 --> 00:19:37.325
And when i was a boy, there were still a lot of people whose
00:19:37.325 --> 00:19:39.560
Educations had been a little light, but those old farmers
00:19:39.560 --> 00:19:41.596
Were never confused by that.
00:19:41.596 --> 00:19:45.499
Excuse me.
00:19:45.499 --> 00:19:47.468
Something is happening amongst us.
00:19:47.468 --> 00:19:50.071
I would have never believed it possible that school boards
00:19:50.071 --> 00:19:52.273
Would tolerate smut in our schools.
00:19:52.273 --> 00:19:55.876
And then when they were challenged on it, they would try
00:19:55.876 --> 00:19:57.578
To say to us that we were advocating for book banning.
00:19:57.578 --> 00:20:00.448
What nonsense.
00:20:00.448 --> 00:20:02.617
We're advocating for age-appropriate learning.
00:20:02.617 --> 00:20:04.719
We don't sell cigarettes in kindergartens.
00:20:04.719 --> 00:20:11.425
Those aren't complicated conversations, they make them,
00:20:11.425 --> 00:20:14.495
They're deceitful and deceptive in their responses.
00:20:14.495 --> 00:20:17.698
And so, i believe, between where we are and the end of the age,
00:20:17.698 --> 00:20:21.302
We will see things that are even more perplexing.
00:20:21.302 --> 00:20:24.438
And you'll need the truth of god's word, and the guidance of
00:20:24.438 --> 00:20:27.141
The spirit of god to help you maintain your orientation, your
00:20:27.141 --> 00:20:30.611
Balance, your compass points, and you'll need one another.
00:20:30.611 --> 00:20:34.348
It's why we need community.
00:20:34.348 --> 00:20:36.917
You don't have to have a church building and a large collection
00:20:36.917 --> 00:20:41.022
Of christians in order to find your way into the kingdom
00:20:41.022 --> 00:20:43.190
Of god.
00:20:43.190 --> 00:20:44.525
The spirit of god can help you do that alone, even.
00:20:44.525 --> 00:20:46.994
But you need one another to maintain your momentum
00:20:46.994 --> 00:20:50.064
Into maturity.
00:20:50.064 --> 00:20:51.766
That is so biblical.
00:20:51.766 --> 00:20:54.035
So for all the people who say, "you know, i don't need other
00:20:54.035 --> 00:20:55.836
Christians, right?"
00:20:55.836 --> 00:20:57.405
You're right, you don't need them to find your way into the
00:20:57.405 --> 00:20:59.340
Kingdom, but you need your--you need them to grow up in
00:20:59.340 --> 00:21:01.976
The lord.
00:21:01.976 --> 00:21:05.579
One last verse, well, maybe two or three or four.
00:21:05.579 --> 00:21:11.686
Matthew 25: "while they were on the way to buy the oil," it's
00:21:11.686 --> 00:21:14.755
The parable of the virgins waiting on the bridegroom, "the
00:21:14.755 --> 00:21:18.092
Bridegroom arrived.
00:21:18.092 --> 00:21:19.460
And the virgins who were ready went in with him
00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:20.795
To the wedding banquet.
00:21:20.795 --> 00:21:22.163
And the door was shut."
00:21:22.163 --> 00:21:23.497
And later, the others who came, the ones who didn't have the
00:21:23.497 --> 00:21:25.099
Oil, they weren't prepared for the arrival of the bridegroom.
00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:27.802
They're awaiting the arrival of the bridegroom.
00:21:27.802 --> 00:21:29.570
They're anticipating the arrival of the bridegroom.
00:21:29.570 --> 00:21:31.772
They have kept themselves to be prepared to meet the bridegroom.
00:21:31.772 --> 00:21:35.176
But they weren't fully prepared.
00:21:35.176 --> 00:21:40.548
'sir,' they said.
00:21:40.548 --> 00:21:41.916
'open the door for us.'
00:21:41.916 --> 00:21:43.250
"but the reply came, 'i tell you the truth,' and you know what's
00:21:43.250 --> 00:21:45.419
Coming next is going to be startling, right?
00:21:45.419 --> 00:21:48.422
'i tell you the truth, i don't know you.'
00:21:48.422 --> 00:21:52.493
Now, here's jesus's counsel to us.
00:21:52.493 --> 00:21:53.961
This is jesus's application, not allen's.
00:21:53.961 --> 00:21:56.497
"therefore, keep watch, because you don't know the day or
00:21:56.497 --> 00:22:00.901
The hour."
00:22:00.901 --> 00:22:02.870
You don't know.
00:22:02.870 --> 00:22:04.205
So what are you gonna--if you meet somebody, and
00:22:04.205 --> 00:22:05.539
They know the day, what do you know?
00:22:05.539 --> 00:22:09.110
You know they don't know.
00:22:09.110 --> 00:22:11.812
All right, don't argue with them.
00:22:11.812 --> 00:22:14.715
It isn't helpful, just smile and say, "well, thank you."
00:22:14.715 --> 00:22:18.452
And then turn around and run the other direction, okay?
00:22:18.452 --> 00:22:24.392
Just be at peace.
00:22:24.392 --> 00:22:25.726
Don't get all torqued up.
00:22:25.726 --> 00:22:27.128
"i don't know what they're thinking."
00:22:27.128 --> 00:22:29.096
They're not.
00:22:29.096 --> 00:22:31.565
I'll give you one more passage.
00:22:31.565 --> 00:22:32.933
This is to help--it's really this whole description of
00:22:32.933 --> 00:22:35.202
The season.
00:22:35.202 --> 00:22:36.537
Revelation 7: "one of the elders said to me, 'these in the white
00:22:36.537 --> 00:22:39.540
Robes, who are they, and where did they come from?'"
00:22:39.540 --> 00:22:42.977
That's the question that the elder puts to john.
00:22:42.977 --> 00:22:45.980
This intrigues me.
00:22:45.980 --> 00:22:47.314
John uses this more than once in the book of revelation.
00:22:47.314 --> 00:22:49.683
His wisdom, the elder says to him, "who are these people in
00:22:49.683 --> 00:22:52.219
These white robes?"
00:22:52.219 --> 00:22:53.921
And john answers, "sir, you know."
00:22:53.921 --> 00:22:59.727
"i don't know," he said, "but you know."
00:22:59.727 --> 00:23:04.598
You don't have to be the smartest person in the room.
00:23:04.598 --> 00:23:08.502
Sometimes, i know i frustrate people.
00:23:08.502 --> 00:23:10.538
They'll ask me a question, and i'll say, "i don't know."
00:23:10.538 --> 00:23:15.242
And you know why i say that?
00:23:15.242 --> 00:23:19.246
'cause i don't know.
00:23:19.246 --> 00:23:21.682
And i'm just okay.
00:23:21.682 --> 00:23:23.050
I'm still learning.
00:23:23.050 --> 00:23:24.685
You know, i might know later, but right now i just,
00:23:24.685 --> 00:23:27.888
I don't know.
00:23:27.888 --> 00:23:29.256
We were doing interviews some years ago for something.
00:23:29.256 --> 00:23:31.292
We were interviewing some children, i think it was for
00:23:31.292 --> 00:23:32.827
A capital campaign.
00:23:32.827 --> 00:23:34.295
One little girl is--kathy was helping a little girl, looked at
00:23:34.295 --> 00:23:36.697
Her, and she said, "you know, miss kathy, can you tell me what
00:23:36.697 --> 00:23:40.167
Questions you're gonna ask me 'cause i don't know
00:23:40.167 --> 00:23:42.136
Everything yet."
00:23:42.136 --> 00:23:46.006
And i feel like that--there, there's just--we don't have
00:23:46.006 --> 00:23:49.477
To have that burden.
00:23:49.477 --> 00:23:50.845
John said, "sir, you know."
00:23:50.845 --> 00:23:52.179
And this was the answer the elder gave him.
00:23:52.179 --> 00:23:53.547
"these are they who have come out of the great tribulation;
00:23:53.547 --> 00:23:56.517
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
00:23:56.517 --> 00:23:58.786
The lamb."
00:23:58.786 --> 00:24:01.589
Martyrs, one of the things i can tell you between now and the
00:24:01.589 --> 00:24:04.725
Return of the lord, is there's a tremendous value attached in
00:24:04.725 --> 00:24:08.395
God's economy for perseverance.
00:24:08.395 --> 00:24:11.465
The book of revelation, all those churches that are
00:24:11.465 --> 00:24:13.701
Addressed at the beginning of the book, the one consistent
00:24:13.701 --> 00:24:16.770
Thing they're told is to overcome.
00:24:16.770 --> 00:24:18.873
The book of revelation is written for overcomers.
00:24:18.873 --> 00:24:22.776
And overcoming presupposes opposition and resistance and
00:24:22.776 --> 00:24:25.846
All those things.
00:24:25.846 --> 00:24:27.581
I'm not saying it's fun.
00:24:27.581 --> 00:24:29.783
But there are very few things that require discipline that are
00:24:29.783 --> 00:24:31.952
Fun, but they're mostly worthwhile.
00:24:31.952 --> 00:24:34.455
So let's determine to be overcomers.
00:24:34.455 --> 00:24:36.957
Now, this list of events associated with jesus's return,
00:24:36.957 --> 00:24:39.093
I've been working on this for more than one session.
00:24:39.093 --> 00:24:41.228
We are going to finish it.
00:24:41.228 --> 00:24:43.631
So buckle up.
00:24:43.631 --> 00:24:45.766
The first part you have in your notes is just a reiteration,
00:24:45.766 --> 00:24:49.436
A recapitulation of what we've already talked about.
00:24:49.436 --> 00:24:52.239
My best counsel for you is to let the holy spirit focus your
00:24:52.239 --> 00:24:55.709
Attention on what he wants to show you.
00:24:55.709 --> 00:24:57.811
It's not so much about having a perfect chart.
00:24:57.811 --> 00:24:59.647
Let the holy spirit highlight what's most relevant for you in
00:24:59.647 --> 00:25:02.283
Your journey and the season that you're walking through.
00:25:02.283 --> 00:25:06.253
Because your personal season, your life stage, there's so many
00:25:06.253 --> 00:25:08.923
Things that add texture to this, that's more important than
00:25:08.923 --> 00:25:12.693
A chart.
00:25:12.693 --> 00:25:14.194
And i'm not opposed to order and--but the resurrection of the
00:25:14.194 --> 00:25:18.933
Dead and the judgment of true christians, those are--that's
00:25:18.933 --> 00:25:22.202
Something that's between us and the return of the king.
00:25:22.202 --> 00:25:24.705
When the lord returns, those who are dead in christ will be
00:25:24.705 --> 00:25:26.974
Raised to life again, their physical bodies raised to
00:25:26.974 --> 00:25:29.209
Life again.
00:25:29.209 --> 00:25:31.912
It's amazing to me.
00:25:31.912 --> 00:25:33.247
1 thessalonians 4 gives us a passage around that.
00:25:33.247 --> 00:25:35.716
The--and the rapture is the word that's often slipped in there,
00:25:35.716 --> 00:25:39.787
And there's some contrarians that will go, "you know," and
00:25:39.787 --> 00:25:41.822
They'll say, "well, the word "rapture" is not in the
00:25:41.822 --> 00:25:43.390
New testament."
00:25:43.390 --> 00:25:44.725
It depends on the translation you read.
00:25:44.725 --> 00:25:46.460
There's some translations that don't use it, but the greek word
00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:49.296
That is translated means a sudden snatching away, which is
00:25:49.296 --> 00:25:53.934
What the rapture describes.
00:25:53.934 --> 00:25:56.203
So the event is described whether the word is used or not.
00:25:56.203 --> 00:25:59.807
That at the return of jesus, those who are alive when he
00:25:59.807 --> 00:26:02.476
Returns will be caught up to meet him.
00:26:02.476 --> 00:26:04.578
And those who have died in christ will be raised
00:26:04.578 --> 00:26:06.780
To life again.
00:26:06.780 --> 00:26:08.215
It's a wonderful homecoming between the king and his family.
00:26:08.215 --> 00:26:17.591
Allen: you know, around the world, people are searching for
00:26:21.762 --> 00:26:23.897
Truth and together we're doing our very best to help them
00:26:23.897 --> 00:26:27.001
Find it.
00:26:27.001 --> 00:26:28.335
When you become a ministry partner with allen jackson
00:26:28.335 --> 00:26:30.270
Ministries, you're joining a growing community of believers
00:26:30.270 --> 00:26:33.507
Who are committed to strengthening the church and
00:26:33.507 --> 00:26:36.176
Sharing god's word through every available channel.
00:26:36.176 --> 00:26:39.546
Television, radio, podcast, books, bible studies, digital
00:26:39.546 --> 00:26:43.584
Resources, conferences.
00:26:43.584 --> 00:26:45.686
Your monthly partnership helps us equip believers to reach new
00:26:45.686 --> 00:26:49.023
Audiences and to take the hope of jesus to people who may never
00:26:49.023 --> 00:26:52.893
Have heard the gospel otherwise.
00:26:52.893 --> 00:26:55.062
Together we can stand firm in our faith and make god's truth
00:26:55.062 --> 00:26:58.932
Known right here at home and around the earth, wherever god
00:26:58.932 --> 00:27:02.169
Opens the door.
00:27:02.169 --> 00:27:03.504
Let's keep gathering his people and building his church until
00:27:03.504 --> 00:27:06.674
The day our king returns.
00:27:06.674 --> 00:27:08.942
You can find more about becoming a ministry partner at
00:27:08.942 --> 00:27:12.379
Allenjackson.com/partner.
00:27:12.379 --> 00:27:26.927

Allen Jackson - Lightning (Part 1)

May 18, 2026 | 27:29

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