S3 E17 - Don't Let Fear Keep You From Fruit

We have a summer preaching intern that has arrived, so my schedule is changing pretty significantly. I am so excited to work with him, but also...a little fearful. I'm still a very young evangelist myself - what if I mess up? What if I can't train him like others could? After an important conversation with my brother I came to an important realization...don't let fear of what I cannot do keep me from doing what I can. Well...this is just like the parable of the talents, isn't it? The master gave the servants talents according to their abilities, but the servant that was given just one was afraid, so he did nothing. Are we like him? Do we let comparison and fear destroy the fruit we should be producing for God? God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and sound judgment! 

#SetYourMindAbovePodcast

Transcript

What if I told you that God could be seen in the most ordinary things every day? 

What if I told you that every day, ordinary events could teach us extraordinary eternal truths?

Would you believe me? 
 Hi, I’m BJ Sipe – and you’re listening to the Set Your Mind Above Podcast. 

I am a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father.

Thanks for tuning in!

As I announced yesterday, I am getting used to a brand-new schedule in a lot of ways starting this week, so thank you for being so patient with the podcast dropping a day later than normal. More on that in just a minute. Before we get into today’s episode, I want to encourage you if you haven’t already, be sure to go back and listen to last week’s episode. We had our second guest interview that dropped last week, and it was with none other than Dr. Kenny Embry of the Balancing the Christian Life podcast. I know that most of my listeners are not a stranger to Dr. Embry, but do yourself a favor if you haven’t already, don’t just listen to his interview, but go subscribe to his podcast. I guarantee that it will become a source of tremendous spiritual encouragement in your life.  So again, thank you Kenny for sharing your time with us, last week was such a special session. Transitioning into today’s episode, allow me to introduce you to another individual who at some point will be guest appearing on this podcast. His name is Joe Hardy, a young man that has come our way for the next few months to participate in our summer preaching internship. Joe got into town earlier this week and has hit the ground running, and naturally we are spending quite a bit of time together each day (hence the new schedule). Over the past near century, this congregation here has a rich history of dedicating itself to helping to train up new teachers and preachers in the kingdom. Many years ago, classes were held here daily and taught by several men which were attended by dozens that went on to preach. In the more recent years, different young men have come in and spent the summer here – working with the elders and evangelists learning how to preach. We had a young man come in last summer and participate in this program, and even though it is the same program this year is a little bit different. Last year, I had quite a bit more help when it came to training the intern. This year, however, that has changed and a lot more responsibility has fallen on me. Over the past few months leading up to the summer, I have been excited about the prospect of getting to throw myself into this kind of work, and helping to raise up the next generation that has a desire to preach. However, if I’m being perfect honest with you…I’ve also been afraid. Allow me to elaborate a little bit on that. I am just now 33 years old. While I have been preaching for close to 15 years of my life, and doing so full time for the past decade in multiple states, I still feel extraordinarily unqualified to be in any position to “train” another preacher. I have so, so much to grow in still in my knowledge, my faith, my experience, and my work. I have much to still learn as a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. I would have days where I would think to myself, “I can’t train a young man like maybe this person or that person potentially could…what if I mess it up? What if they don’t get as much as they should from me over the summer? What if I fail? Maybe it would be better to just not do it at all?” 

This was a serious doubt I struggled with for quite some time – that was until I shared these thoughts with my brother over a phone call. As I opened up to him, he paused me and said, “BJ – I want you to think back and remember when you did your first summer internship, and the impact it had on you for good. Remind me, exactly how old were you? And how old was Andy Cantrell when he made such a profound impact on you with the program?” As I thought about it, his words hit me like a ton of bricks…I was exactly the same age as our current summer intern that just came in when I did my first internship, and Andy was exactly the age that I am now when he helped to train me alongside Rick Lanning. What if Andy had allowed fear to keep him from doing anything? How much would I have missed out on? What fruit would have never been born in the years to come from me and others that he has invested in? I started to quickly understand this truth: we cannot allow fear to immobilize us from doing what we can and should. Perhaps I’m a “one talent” preacher still in many ways, but God expects me to put that “one talent” to work. 
 
 The language of this last statement is of course borrowed from the parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-30. The parable goes as follows as it describes the nature of the kingdom of heaven: “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. In the same way the man with two earned two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I’ve earned five more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’ “The man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I’ve earned two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’ “The man who had received one talent also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a harsh man, reaping where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. So I was afraid and went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “His master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and I would have received my money back with interest when I returned. “ ‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” I want you to examine your own life and ask yourself this question…is fear preventing you from doing the things that God wants you to do? Fear can come from many different places, and in our Christian walk it often comes from a place of comparison. We look around and see the gifts, talents, and abilities that others have and think, “what good could I possibly do?” We start comparing ourselves to others in the most unhealthy manner, and in doing so determine because I am not like this person or that person, it’s probably best that I just do nothing. Like the foolish servant, we bury our talent rather than doing something with it to serve our Lord. Such fear is unfounded, and such comparison is unhealthy. In fact, Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 10:12, “For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding.” My friends, stop looking to all of the things you cannot do as grounds for not doing the things that you can. God doesn’t expect you to do what the 5 talent servant can if he’s given you 1…but he does expect you to use that 1. Let us conclude with Paul’s words to the young evangelist Timothy, who struggled greatly with timidity. He would write in 2 Timothy 1:6-7, “Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” 

Thank you for tuning in for this week’s episode, and I would invite you back every Thursday for a brand-new episode each week. If you haven’t already, be sure to find us on Facebook for future announcements or even some special video sessions. If you have benefited from this podcast, share it with someone else that you think would benefit from it also. Until next time, know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each & every day set our minds above.