Open—Ethan Porter
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I'm gonna share a quote with you.
A lot of you.
Maybe just a few of you have heard it before.
And some of you have said this before.
The quote is this.
I don't get much out of the meetings, or maybe I don't get anything out of the meetings.
That's a sad thing to hear.
You might think I'm speaking specifically.
To the young ones here.
And I am, but I don't think that's exclusive to them.
When this sentiment is expressed.
It's hard to know sometimes.
With whom the fault lies.
Is it those listening? Is it those speaking?
That's what I'd like to talk about a little bit.
We're going to come back to that.
Let's go to Second Timothy, chapter one.
Verse one.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.
According to the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus to Timothy.
My dearly beloved Son, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Verse 5.
When I called to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in the also.
I think a lot of us in this room.
Grew up going to meeting.
We had parents of faith.
Grandparents of faith.
I.
But Paul here makes a point.
Not just of Timothy's faith, but what does he call it? He calls it the unfeigned faith.
Sometimes in gospel meetings at conferences like this.
Rightly so, we might talk about.
Ones in the room that have heard it before.
And they are going on among us and they haven't believed it for themselves yet.
Similarly so perhaps there are those among us that believe.
They're saved. They're on their way to heaven.
But the life.
Of a believer here on the earth is not something that's real to them.
They're in a state that they're not bearing fruit for God.
Unfeigned faith is what we ought to have.
The reason this relates to what I brought up first.
Is that I want to talk 1St about the listeners, those listening and meeting that say I'm not getting much out of this or I'm not getting anything out of this.
You know, if you go and you take a class, it's really hard to pay attention to what the teacher is saying.
If it's not a topic that matters to you.
So if what we're doing here and what you're doing in your local assembly.
Doesn't really matter to you.
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Then you're probably not going to get much out of the meeting.
Likewise, if you are taking an English class and you're reading a book and you're to be discussing the book and you haven't read the chapter and you show up to class.
What are you getting out of class? Nothing.
And if you never do the homework, you're probably not going to get that much out of a class either.
In order for these things to matter to us.
It's got to matter to us in our private time, it's got to matter to us in our free time. We can't just expect to show up to meeting.
Not having cared about the things of the Lord all week.
And then get something out of it. You just can't expect that. You're asking too much of the speakers. And if you're young, you're asking too much of your older brethren.
To straighten you out once a week when you haven't shown any care for the things of the Lord throughout the week.
Let's go back to First Kings Chapter 11.
Sorry, verse 12, chapter 12.
Verse 3.
And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, Thy Father made our yoke grievous. Now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke, which he put upon us lighter.
And we will serve thee.
And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood before Solomon his father, while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
And I speak on them, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto the people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants forever.
But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, which stood before him. And he said unto them, What counsel give ye, that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us later. And the young men that were grown up with him spake on him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people, that.
Take unto these saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us. Thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. And now, whereas my father did laid you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father has chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
Verse 13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old man's counsel that they gave him.
Not all of us are in.
Positions of responsibility, which I know this certainly has an application to that, but.
The thing here about Rehoboam is that.
He forsook the council of the old men.
He didn't listen to what he was being taught.
He didn't listen to his father's wisdom, certainly.
Was it the responsibility? Was that the fault of these old men? Did they not give them good counsel? Did they not teach him what he could have used to rule properly? No, they did.
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But he didn't listen.
I don't know what assembly you're in.
Most assemblies have some older folks.
You can spend time with them. You can hear their counsel. Don't ignore it.
But more importantly, don't ignore council that's far older than theirs and it's the word of God.
And so if you're going to meeting and you're listening.
You're being taught.
Don't forsake it.
Don't despise it.
And won't you do you any good if you'd rather hear something else?
Let's turn to First Timothy, chapter one.
The greeting is almost the same here. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, our hope unto Timothy, my own son, in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables, an endless genealogies which minister questions, rather than godly edifying, which is in faith.
So do now the end of the commandment.
Is charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith?
Unfeigned.
From which some, having swerved, have turned aside unto vain jangling.
Or it could be.
Vain discourse.
The Apostle Paul.
Charged Timothy here.
To charge them.
That they teach no other doctrine.
And welcome other thoughts. I take that to be the Apostles doctrine, which to us is the written word of God.
Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies.
Maybe those listening in the meeting?
Are really seeking to be fed.
Especially the young ones. Maybe they really.
Are paying attention, they are reading their Bibles at home, and they're still having a hard time getting something out of the meeting.
Are those that are speaking, are they teaching according to scripture?
Are they giving heed to fables?
I'm going to be careful here.
I think that.
Stories and pictures have a place in teaching.
I have heard on occasion stories shared and re shared.
That a little bit of research reveals those stories, they're not true.
It might be OK to share it as that. I don't know if this is true, but here's the picture. But you know, we might think of fables as just made-up stories.
But that's not the historical context of the meaning. It's true they were made-up stories, but a fable was something that particularly heathen people would share to make a point.
It would be a story that had a lesson to it.
This was common in Roman culture. Some of their writings were fables, Roman and Greek culture.
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And so it's a story, and you hear the story and it has a meaning to it.
It's possible that there were these early brethren that had been educated in these fables and they were using them to.
To make a picture to God's people.
Much better when there's an example from the Word of God that clearly illustrates a point to stick to that.
Again, got to be careful here. There's a number of accounts that I've heard that painted a picture for me that were quite helpful.
But when someone says I'm not getting much out of these meetings.
Regardless of which position we're in.
If we are a listener or someone that's speaking.
This is not something to be ignored. This is not the proper state.
Of FERC believer to be living in and it's not the proper state for an assembly.
If you're hearing this over and over again.
Complaining and murmuring is not right.
But when someone genuinely tells you.
I'm not getting much out of these meetings or if you're a person that's saying that.
Don't just throw up your hands and give up.
It's not something to be ignored and in whichever position you're in.
This admission that a person.
Makes out loud. It ought to lead to some self reflection.