Trauma-Responsive Pulpit Series: Church Leadership

Good morning. I guess good evening, depending on where you are listening to us in the world. I'm Tammy Toney-Butler, president and founder, survivor leader of Reflective Spaces Ministry. Today, the Lord placed on my heart to go live and to deliver a message and a teaching that he had placed on my heart. had built, and I am just to deliver his message. And so I will get into what he has for you today. It's on church leadership. It is a continuation in our trauma responsive pulpit series that we have been doing. And I invite everyone to like and subscribe and to share this video, to follow us at Reflective Spaces Ministry on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and also to follow me, Tammy Toni Butler. And to follow Reflective Hour also in YouTube podcast format and share these so that everybody can get the good news that healing belongs to them and freedom. And that's what I've found through Christ as a survivor of child sex trafficking and losing my father to suicide when I was a teenager. I don't want you to see me today. I want you to see him because I'm Nothing without him. And he delivered me and gave me a word and a message and a mission to bring to you. I have fed all the animals and I've kind of put everybody in their place so that we should not have any interruptions. But I do live on a large parcel of land, a ranch, and you never know what could come up. So we are just coming against any interruptions. and just want to pray now before we get into the PowerPoint. Holy Spirit, I just invite you into this. Let them see you and not me. Let any veil be lifted, any blinders that are on our hearts, on our eyes, even over our ears. Help us to be able to see and hear spiritually as well as physically. Help us to remove any blockages, any hindrances, anything that would keep us from this word penetrating bone and marrow and getting into those crevices of our heart, Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus, I ask that you just give me the strength and the clarity with which to deliver this message, this word of truth that you have for them. All that you are is in your name. And this is your message, not mine. So help me to deliver it with your truth and let them see you and not me. Oh, Holy Spirit, come. Give us fortitude, strength, as we truly listen to this word. Give us patience and endurance. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen. I'm going to open this up now and add it to the stage. And again, this is on church leadership building on the rock. I would encourage all of you to get your Bibles out, to read along with us, and also understand that this is a long teaching. We're going to be reading a lot of scriptures, large quantities of scripture, because that is the way that the Holy Spirit gave it to me, and that is the way that He wants me to deliver it. It is important that you hear his truth because the word is living and breathing and healing and it can penetrate and it is alive. And that is why we need to speak it and go by it and recognize that Christ was the living word of God. So as we get into this today, we're going to begin. Again, I'm Tammy Toney Butler, and this is the teaching and message that he has for you. Colossians 3.16, King James Version. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching, and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Today's scriptural references, Proverbs 29, Titus 1, Acts 11, and 1 Corinthians 1 through 6. And I'll be reading these in their entirety during this teaching and this message that Lord Jesus has for you today. Let's start with Proverbs 29. And I'll be reading out of the Life Application Study Bible, the New International Readers Version. So let me begin reading for you guys. Again, Proverbs 29. A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed without remedy. When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice. When the wicked rule, the people groan. A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth. By justice, a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down. Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet. An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad. The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger. If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace. Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright. A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked. The poor man and the oppressor have this in common. The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both. If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure. The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother. When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall. Discipline your son and he will give you peace. He will bring delight to your soul. Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. A servant cannot be corrected by mere words. Though he understands, he will not respond. Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him. If a man pampers his servant from youth, he will bring grief in the end. An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins. A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy. He is put under oath and dare not testify. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that man gets justice. The righteous detest the dishonest. The wicked detest the upright. Revelation refers to words from God received by prophets. The fear of people can hinder what you try to accomplish, but fear of God is where freedom reigns in our hearts and liberation begins. Fear of God means respect, trust and reverence for his lordship because there's no fear in perfect love. It's not the fear that gripped me for many, many years as a survivor of trauma and torture and abuse. It's not that fear. Christ came and set me free of that fear, praise God. But this is a holy fear, reverence for his lordship and doing his will. Like I fear him now that I built this PowerPoint as he would have me build it. And I'm delivering it as he wants me to, because I respect him. I love him and I trust and honor him and recognize that we are a bride, a church. And we're under one head, Christ. We are the body. I'm the arm maybe or the leg. And so it is important that I follow his will and obey him and all that he calls me to do. Who is on the throne of your heart? Is it you? Is it Christ? Or is it the world? The throne of the heart is the temple of the Lord. You are the temple of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 6.19 is a reference there. We should be lovers of the truth, not dancers of deception. 2 Thessalonians 2.10, another reference there. Leadership starts at the top. When the wicked rule, sin prevails. The organizational climate is determined by the rules and regulations that come down from the top. People become like their leaders. What kind of climate environment are you setting for the people you lead? Now we're going to look at Titus 1, leadership in the church. And again, I'm giving these to you in the order with which the Holy Spirit gave them to me. So I'm going to be turning to Titus in my Bible here. Let's get to it. Okay. And I'm going to be reading Titus 1. Out of the Life Application Study Bible. Leadership in the church. Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness. A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life. Which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time. And at his appointed season, he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior. To Titus, my true son, and our common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Titus, task on Crete is what the next section is entitled. The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless, not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching things that ought not to teach and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Even one of their own prophets, he said, Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons. This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. To the pure, all things are pure. But to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciousness are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions, they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for doing anything good. And that was Titus 1. Paul wrote this letter to guide Titus in working with the churches on the island of Crete between his first and second stints in a prison in Rome. Crete, let's look at it. What were the conditions on the ground? There was strong pagan influence. It was a small island, training center for Roman soldiers, Lying was common. A large population of Jews, church division and confusion were present. There was laziness, gluttony and evil. The church in Crete needed strong leadership. Strong leadership teaches sound doctrine, helps believers mature spiritually, and equips them with the tools needed to live for Jesus Christ despite opposition and worldly influence. Living for Christ denotes a life devoted to and completely surrendered to his will for our lives and steadfast obedience to the spirit of truth guiding us. Let's look at the qualities of a strong leader. Self-control. They're disciplined. Spiritual and moral fitness. Not enough to be well-educated. It's not enough to be popular or have a strong following. Christ looks at the heart and the motive behind the action. Again, the qualities of a strong leader. Good character. They do not lie. living a God-honoring lifestyle. They're living examples of what they preach. Do their actions back up their words? They control their speech. They actually obey the government and live together peaceably, orderly, forming one body. God does not lie. The foundation of our faith is trust in God's character. God is the source of all truth and he cannot lie. God is not a God of chaos, confusion, and disorder. Believing in God truly, loving God, and making the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the Son of God, Lord in your heart, denotes a life-changing event. And on that last part, Since the Holy Spirit came in, filled me up, changed me, set me free from the shame, the guilt, the fear, the regret, the self-loathing, the icky, the weight of the trauma, all of it. When he came in and gave me a spiritual rebirth, I am not the same person. I'm not the same person. Even my husband, Mary, in a good way. You know, I used to cuss like a sailor. Everybody will tell you in the emergency department, because I was an ER nurse for almost 30 years and a sexual assault nurse examiner also in there. And Oh, I would cuss so horribly and use such foul language. And ever since the Holy Spirit filled me up and I've never been the same, I don't curse anymore. I just it's gone. He took it from me just like he removed my sex addiction and he took my gluttony and and, you know, all these things from me and, you know, erased my food addiction. And now I've lost, I don't know, probably about 90 pounds, 80 pounds. I don't know, but it's a whole lot. And I'm still losing and and becoming who I am. I'm supposed to be, and I'm honoring his temple because we are his temple and we carry him around. And so I'm just this... new person I can't explain it but he started doing a work in me and he filled me up and then he started transforming my heart and my mind and I just became this completely different person so you can too because it happened to me and I mean I'm not that special I mean I'm a sinner that he saw fit for his mercy and grace to set free so there's hope for all of us because he did it for me and and you know he can do it for you So anyways, I just wanted to throw that in there. Now we're going to look at Acts 11. And I tried to have these marks so I could turn to them quickly. Okay. Acts 11. Peter explains his actions. Okay. And again, I'm going to be reading out of the Life Application Study Bible, the New International Reader's Version. Thank you all who are listening. I'm so grateful that you tuned in. The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, You went into the house of the uncircumcised men and ate with them? Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened. I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheep being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. Then I heard a voice telling me, get up, Peter, kill and eat. I replied, surely not, Lord. Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth. Now that's where his intellect was getting... in the way in his theology. He had to let go and let God and understand that God's ways are higher than our ways. And I struggle with that too, having to get off my own throne and make sure that Christ is the throne of my heart. So let me read that again. I replied, surely not, Lord. Nothing impure and clean has ever entered my mouth. The voice spoke from heaven a second time. Do not call anything impure unclean. that God has made clean. This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. Right then, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, send a jopper for Simon who was called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and your household will be saved. And did you see that part where it said the spirit told me to have no hesitation? When you're obeying and you're in the word and you're with the Lord and you have a relationship with him and the Holy Spirit is in you and working in and through you, he guides you that way. He literally tells me to go right, go left. He whispers. It's a knowing God. I mean, he is with me everywhere. And literally, I feel like he's holding my hand and I'm attached to the hem of his garment. Because that is how when you walk in obedience, you can experience that and be that glory carrier and have the fullness of the Lord in the land of the living. So let's start again. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved. As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. See, he had experiential knowledge. There's something to be said with people that have lived experience and who are walking truly with the Lord. Then I remembered what the Lord had said. John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God? See, he could have had spiritual pride, but he didn't. He recognized that that God's ways are higher than his ways. And who was he to tell God what to do? And he knew he shouldn't rebel against God. When they heard this, they had no further objections and praise God say. So then God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life. The church in Antioch. Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. When you step out in obedience, the Lord's hand is truly with you. I've done it too many times. It's walking in that trust, that faith, that obedience, and he honors that and he's right there with you. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. And he is speaking that to us now, to his bride, to his church today. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year, Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. And it's important that we train up fully that next generation of leaders, those disciples, that we fully train them and bring them from having that milk to truly having that fullness and that they mature and become mature believers walking in that believer's authority. I mean, if you're new to Christ or new as a believer, it just takes time and you will get there and your faith will grow and increase. And the more you experience the Lord and even through adversity and trials, you realize that he is your steadfast anchor in any storm. And that really cultivates and grows your faith. During this time, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and through the spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. This happened during the reign of Claudius. The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. See, they helped out their fellow brethren. They help them out, realizing that we're all one body united under the head, which is Christ. None of us is better than the next. And we need to be our brother's keeper and look out for them and and help them. And when you follow the Holy Spirit and the Lord, he prepares us and he speaks through his prophets. He speaks through us. those closest to us as well and others. And he gives us those words and words of knowledge and protects us from what's coming. And that's part of the no weapon form shall prosper. And when we are called to act in obedience and to step out for Christ and to go and obey him, you may be the answer to somebody's prayer. You may be the one that was sent to deliver that word to them, to let them know that God heard their prayer. And I tell you, that increases your faith and it increases theirs. And we need that during this trying season, during these end times that these really, really end times that we build up our faith and get encouraged in Christ. A Gentile was anyone who was not a Jew. God chose the Jews and taught them his law so all people could receive the message of salvation. Peter faced criticism from fellow believers before they heard his whole story. They were quick to judge others. And intellect and theology can get in the way of seeing the Holy Spirit moving in people's lives and them being changed. And remember the Pharisees and the Sadducees, they were criticizing and judging Jesus. And, you know, he was sent from God. So that lets you know that as we step out as believers, walking in the light and walking in the blind obedience that faith dictates, we too will be criticized and judged. But we are to still keep going and spreading the true purified gospel under the power and authority of Jesus Christ. And no weapon formed against us shall ever prosper in the name of Jesus. Peter followed the Holy Spirit, not man. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Peter's defense was to restate what happened. He brought six witnesses who were present during this act of obedience to the Lord to testify on his behalf about his actions. Lastly, Peter quoted Jesus's promise. jesus is the living word of god and we look to isaiah 55 1-3 and john 6 51 is our references there and we also take some of this information from the a new uh from the life application study bible uh the new uh international readers version these gentiles had changed lives That was all the evidence Peter and the other believers needed. So these Gentiles had changed lives. You could look at them and knew that they were one way, one minute. And after this encounter, they were different. And I tell you, people will say that about me. I was one way and now I'm different. And those that truly are sold out for Jesus, they'll tell you the same thing. Those that have overcome addiction and where Christ has stepped in and they truly had an encounter like a, you know, a Saul to Paul moment on the road to Damascus, then you are forever, ever changed. And that should show forth in your behavior, in your leadership. And you should crave and have this desire to mirror Christ and be like Christ in action and deed. changed lives are equally powerful evidence today of the true gospel at work. Again, using the Life Application Study Bible, the New International Reader's Version, looking at pages 19, 72 to 73 there. We must remember before judging the behavior of fellow believers. We must hear them out and gain the whole truth. We need to begin to actively listen to individuals. It helps our communication. We need to have that closed loop communication and we need to just listen and let them explain. And we need to remember that the holy spirit will come through others that he will speak through others that god will deliver his message through others and sometimes we judge those individuals who are giving us that information and our spiritual pride our intellect can come into it our theology and we can be like there's no way that that person can be speaking that to me but then when you truly listen to it you're like oh my goodness that is God speaking through that person. He's got a message for me and maybe I wasn't listening or maybe I wasn't able to receive it, but that is him speaking through me. And when you recognize that believers, others, even those that you may see not as mature as you, they have something vital to say and we need to listen to it, especially as leaders and as wives. I know that my husband will come to me and he'll say something and I'm like, Oh, Lord, are you really speaking through my husband right now? Seriously? And I had to overcome spiritual pride there because we were on a little bit different faith walk and he wasn't, quote, as strong in the faith as I was. But then I realized, wait a minute, God's speaking through him just like he's speaking through me and maybe even a little different way. And I've had to surrender to my husband and obey and learn to do that, which is difficult for a trauma survivor. um but it's been amazing truly helped our relationship but but it also was the pathway for me to obey and follow christ because if I wasn't going to surrender to my husband and obey and listen to him truly and us be equally yoked then how was I going to be equally yoked with christ and follow out his will and obey and and follow him everywhere So I had to surrender myself in my way and I had to remove myself from the throne of my heart and truly surrender to Lord Jesus and say, you know what? Not my will, but yours be done. Use me and I'm all yours. I'm all in. The Holy Spirit may have something important to teach us through them. Let's look at these scriptures again to see what we are being taught. The voice spoke from heaven a second time. Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. Acts 11, 9. As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Acts 11, 15. There again is that experiential knowledge. It had happened before, so he recognized when it was happening again. Then I remembered what the Lord had said, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit, Acts 11, 16. So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God? Acts 11, 17. See, he got himself out of the way. He removed that tendency to pride, you know, lust of the flesh, pride of life, lust of the eye. He got himself out of the way and realized, whoa, not my will, but God's be done. When they heard this, they had no further objections and praise God saying, so then God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life. Acts 11, 18. Now, just let's have a moment of reflection with how far we've come. Maybe grab you a sip of water. And we are going to continue on with this message and with this teaching. Jesus demonstrated that he and his message was for everyone. Peter demonstrated the same behavior as Christ, faith in action. Let me read that again. Jesus demonstrated that he and his message was for everyone. He did not exclude someone based on their sin, based on their race, based on their political ideology. or any of those things. No one, no one is to be denied the truth of the gospel and the freedom that it brings. We are called to do the same. No one is excluded from hearing the gospel and experiencing the life-changing love and freedom the cross brings. Jesus died so we could be set free, so we could have life full and more abundantly. By his stripes you were healed. Cancer is not your portion. Illness is not your portion. All that was nailed to the cross. We can often accept only the parts of God's word that appeal to us and support our agendas, ignoring the teachings we do not like. We must accept all of God's word as absolute truth. We cannot pick and choose what to follow. We are one body united under one head Christ. We must be unified in spirit and truth, walking in obedience to the living word of God, Christ that's in us. Now we're going to read and look at 1 Corinthians 1 through 6. And this is where we get our effective leadership blueprint that we should follow. We're going to be reading out of the Life Application Study Bible. And again, I can recognize that this can be triggering for some individuals. There are hotline informations at reflective spaces, ministry.com. They'll be listed on this blog. I'm sorry, on this message and teaching, uh, in the notes, uh, whether it's put up on the podcast format or YouTube, you'll find it there. And, uh, you can again, uh, be able to spread this teaching and this truth far and wide. Because remember, freely as you receive, freely shall you give. And that is what we do here at Reflective Spaces Ministry. Our services are free for survivors, our healing. And, you know, by his grace, he set me free. And we're on a mission and a pathway to show that love and freedom to others, regardless of their ability to pay or not. and so we do appreciate tithing into the ministry we do appreciate donations all those things because it helps us to continue uh his work and and helps me to be out there and and you know we sold everything to follow christ so I'm living and practicing what uh I'm preaching and teaching here um I live in a 570 square six square foot tiny house and and about 160 of that or maybe a little less is the front porch so that's not very much and my husband and I live in that and we live on our 10 acres of land and we have very few possessions uh We left all those behind and we follow the Lord and his call on our lives. And that's to help deliver a lost generation before the great coming of our Lord Jesus, because it is imminent, his coming. And we have to be ready as his purified bride, as his church. So I'm going to just take a sip. My mug says, good morning, Tammy. I'll be handling all your problems today, God. So it's my little reminder as well. So please, anyone grab something to drink because this is going to be a long reading. I see the comments coming in. It says that they want to talk about the word of God. Every day our house women's prayer meeting can you preach them and share the word of God? Listen, you share these with them. They are up. You can share them with them. They are on YouTube. and they're on podcast format. You should be able just to play them, I would believe. You can email me at info at reflectivespacesministry.com, info at reflectivespacesministry.com, and I would be happy to try to set up a Zoom and a teaching. Again, these are available and out there. I do not... Respond via Facebook Messenger. There's too many scams. There's too many romance scams. There's too many individuals being hurt. So I'm not one that's going to get your messages through there unless I have a direct personal relationship with you. I'm like some pastors and good friends of mine that contact me through there that are in different parts of the world. But I'm not going to answer that. You need to email me at info at reflective spaces ministry dot com. You must never forget that I am a survivor of child sex trafficking and lived experience expert. And I as part of me and my health and recovery, I set up clear boundaries. And that is a boundary that I will not respond to you via messenger. So all those thousands of messages that have come through from all those men looking for brides and other things, it would be great if they would stop coming through there and not contaminating what's coming out. It says, because I live in a Muslim society and there is no church for prayer, I gather all the peoples in our house and prayer meetings. So that's the reason I tell you, listen, God will penetrate those hearts and he is there with you. I'm lifting you up. Praise God. You're listening to this teaching. you know, in a Muslim nation and, and our Muslim society. And, and you're not going to find any judgment here. You're just going to find the love of Jesus and Jesus set me free. I'm a living example. And that's why my job is to share him with you. So now we're going to read in first Corinthians one through six. So I'm going to turn to that and we will be reading out of the Life Application Study Bible. And I realize that this is a lot of reading. Again, it is what the Lord placed on me. I don't question him. I merely obey. I merely obey. And it may be that some of you don't have access to Bibles where you are. And that's his way of getting you this word. I don't question. I just obey. And that is why he is moving mightily in my life, has and continues to. And all that I am is because of him. Oh, Holy Spirit, help them to listen to this and to get your message through it. And that this seed falls on very fertile soil. In the name of your precious son, Lord Jesus, as we continue. Again, 1 Corinthians 1 through 6. And this is where Paul is addressing the church problems. And he's doing that in the sections that the Holy Spirit chose for me to read in the 1 through 6. And it talks about through various sources, Paul had received reports of problems in the Corinthian church, including jealousy, divisiveness, sexual immorality, and failure to discipline members. Churches today must also address the problems they face. We can learn a great deal by observing how Paul handled these delicate situations. And again, reading out of the Life Application Study Bible. And that is the dialogue to start us as I start reading the scriptures. Paul called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and our brother Sothenus to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace and peace to you from God, our father. and the Lord Jesus Christ. Next section is entitled Thanksgiving. I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus, for in him you have been enriched in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge, because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, is faithful. Next section is entitled Divisions in the Church. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household, have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this. One of you says, I follow Paul. Another, I follow Apollos. Another, I follow Cephas. And still another, I follow Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the names of Paul? I'm thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. Christ, the wisdom and power of God. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know him. God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block of Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those whom God has called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards. Not many were influential. Not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus who has become for us wisdom from God that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. Now we're going to Be reading 1 Corinthians 2. When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. Wisdom from the Spirit is the next section in the title. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. Yummy word. But God has revealed it to us by his spirit. The spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing the spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them. Because they are spiritually discerned, the spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment." For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of the Lord. Christ. Remember when I was telling you, you just pray to have the mind of Christ, the heart of Christ, and he will start transforming you. And as those negative thoughts from your past try to come in and take over, you just rebuke him and say, no, I'm a daughter and son of the King. I'm fearfully, beautifully and wonderfully made. And you just refuse doubt. You refuse disbelief. And you know that, you know, that, you know, there is a God and that he's with you and loves you. And Jesus died on the cross to set you free. Now we're moving on to the third, to 1 Corinthians 3, and this is titled On Divisions in the Church. Brothers, I could not address you as scriptural, but as worldly, mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, I follow Paul and another, I follow Apollos. Are you not mere men? What after all is Apollos and what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe. As the Lord has assigned to each his task, I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. Let us not forget that we are all servants of the Lord. We are to obey him. Let me read that again. Only servants through whom you came to believe. Our job is to deliver the good news of the gospel. As the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So not he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose. and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is because the day will come will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple? and that God's spirit lives in you. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him for God's temple is sacred and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a fool so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written, it catches the wise in their craftiness. And again, the Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile. So then no more boasting about men. All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All are yours and you are of Christ and Christ is of God. I felt that in my spirit. Apostles of Christ. Now we're going to start reading 1 Corinthians 4. So then men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I'm judged by you or by any human court. Indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time. Wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time, each will receive his praise from God. Now, brothers, I've applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit so that you may learn from us the meaning of the same. Do not go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over against another or who makes you different from anyone else. What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? Already you have all you want. Already you have become rich. You have become kings and that's without us. How I wish that you really had become king so that we might be kings with you. For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession. Like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored. We are dishonored. To this very hour, we go hungry and thirsty. We are in rags. We are brutally treated. We are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure it. When we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment, we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children. Even though you have 10,000 guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I became your father through the gospel. Therefore, I urge you to imitate me. Sorry about that. I had to take a little sip. Let me find my spot. Therefore, I urge you to imitate me. For this reason, I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. Same word, same message, every church. Christ Jesus. Preach the cross. Some of you have become arrogant as if I were not coming to you, but I will come to you very soon if the Lord is willing. And then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip or in love and with a gentle spirit? A gentle spirit of love. Now we're going to read five and then we will conclude with six. Five is titled Disorder in the Church. Expel the immoral brother. It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans. A man has his father's wife and you are proud. Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this? Even though I'm not physically present, I'm with you in spirit. Remember, we are all with each other in spirit. I'm with you guys now, wherever you are in the world through the spirit of God. And you will feel his holy presence as I feel it now. He is living and breathing and living and dwelling inside of us. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I'm with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast as you really are for christ our passover lamb has been sacrificed therefore let us keep the festival not with the old yeast the yeast of malice and wickedness but with bread without yeast the bread of sincerity and truth I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people, not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters. In that case, you would have to leave this world. But now I'm writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler with such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. We are to look inward. Let me read that again. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you. Now, We're going to be reading 1 Corinthians 6 to finish up our reading. Lawsuits among believers. If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life? Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church. I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead one brother goes to law against another and this is in front of unbelievers? The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wrong? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong and you do this to your brothers. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders. nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God. He is not saying that if you live those lifestyles that you can't repent and be washed clean. That's not what he's saying. Let's read that again. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor adulterers, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. He's saying that's what they were. Who were they to cast stones? Because he washed them clean and purified them and strengthened them. And have they forgotten their first love? Have they forgotten God? When it comes into your heart and truly you surrender and you have a heart change, you will have a changed life. It takes time. It took me a while to get Egypt out of me, to get bondage out of me, to get all the sin, the root of the sins out of me. But every day I moved closer and closer to having the heart and mind of Christ and And I made a commitment to our Lord and Savior in my heart and I was forever changed. And that is what some of you were, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God. Sexual immorality is the next section. Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food for the stomach and the stomach for food. But God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. By his power, God raised the Lord from the dead and he will raise us also. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never. do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body for it is said it is said the two will become one flesh but he who unites himself with the lord is one with him in spirit christ is living in us we are his temple and we have to remember that everywhere we go in what we do and what we say who is the lord of your life Is money an idol in your life? Is food? Is sex? Is sexual perversion? Are those things on the throne of your heart and your life? Or is Christ Jesus at your core and your center? You can have no other gods. Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body. But he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. You were brought bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body. Let the throne of your heart be the temple of the Lord. Do not let the lust of the flesh, the pride of life or the lust of the eye. Take up residence in your heart. Christ Jesus came so you could be set free. Remove those things and let God, let Jesus be in your heart and let him control you in your spirit. Now we will continue. This is the blueprint for Christian leadership. Paul addresses disunity and disorders in the church. Again, the Life Application Study Bible, New International Readers Version, page 2020. Local churches must be concerned with unity and order without compromise. Problems in the church must be addressed. Guard against intellectual pride and divisions in the church leadership. Our loyalty to human leaders and human wisdom must never be used as a source of division. We must never divide Christians into camps. We must care for our fellow believers, not fight them. We are to follow Christ and let him alone lead us. This is what the word of God says. We must never divide Christians into camps. We must care for our fellow believers, not fight them. We are to follow Christ and let him alone lead us. We are to live morally at all times and keep our bodies as a living sacrifice acceptable unto Christ. We must call out sexual immorality and call for repentance. Christians must never compromise with sinful ideas and practices. Christians should not blend in with the world around us. You must not condone immorality even if society condones it. Christians have free will to choose, but we must never encourage others to sin. Love must guide our behaviors. We must remain sensitive to others and considerate and not abuse our freedom found in Christ. Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church. Paul laid this foundation by preaching Christ. Whoever builds the church must use high quality building materials based on God's building standards, the right doctrine and the right living. Sound preaching and teaching are essential qualities a leader must possess. A church can be built by parents, caregivers, officers, teachers, preachers and others. A building is only as solid as the foundation poured. We are the church. We are the body of believers. We are the temple. He is in us. Christ is in us. What is your church foundation made of and built on? Strong foundational principles. The base is built on Jesus, the rock. Real and lasting foundation is Christ. Love. It's built on love. That's the first commandment, remember? Free of pride. The local church or Christian community is God's temple. You must understand this premise. Weak foundational principles. The base is built on people and principles. Inferior building materials. Wrong doctrine and wrong living. Intellectual and spiritual pride. Foundation built on money, success, fame, power, wealth, and greed instead of on Jesus Christ. Remember, put the kingdom first and all else will be given unto you. Weak foundational principles. Again, there's controversy, there's division, and there's open sin. Christ will judge leaders on judgment day and their contribution to the church's life and body of believers. Let's take a moment to reflect. Are you faithful as a faith leader, minister, pastor, teacher, or preacher to Christ's instructions? We are God's temple. Christ dwells in us. Christ is the head, and we are the body, legs, feet, hands, etc. God's temple is sacred. We must have the heart of Christ and the mind of Christ. And that part about God's temple is sacred, that really resonates with me because I coped with childhood trauma and that ickiness and that shame and that guilt through addiction, addiction to food, addiction to sex, addiction even to, I would take alcohol and drink wine and then I would take some sleeping pills to get to sleep. None of that was recommended. But what I was trying to do was soothe that raw, open wound, which we can find ourselves doing. And then when I realized, wait a minute, your spirit of gluttony, everything you're taking in is destroying God's temple. You are sinning against God every time you do that. But yet you are speaking to others and delivering them the love and light of Christ. And I'm thinking, wait a minute. So I started to look at myself. Now, there's no condemnation in Christ. I forgave myself, which you must do. As a survivor of childhood trauma, you need to truly forgive. Doesn't mean you have to forget, but truly forgive those individuals, you know, like Stephen who prayed for those who stoned him. And, you know, as the word said, pray for those who persecute you. And so I had to do that and I had to forgive myself. But I also needed to look inward as I was being transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit living in me. Am I a true representation of Jesus? And that's what we're called to be. Not Tammy Tony Butler. But when you look at me, you see Jesus. That's what I want you to see, not me. Therefore, if one with Christ, then we must surrender to his will for the body, traveling where he wants to take us, the kingdom of God that dwells inside of us. Not our will, but his be done. A house divided cannot stand. Unity and surrender are key. This becomes easy as we are transformed into the likeness of Christ in actions and deeds. A purified bride or church? A transformed heart plus a transformed mind equals Christ's behavior. So we walk around as little Jesuses with love and humility and in his power. Let that sink in. We are building his purified bride, his true church. Now let's look at this through a perspective of trauma, a trauma-responsive pulpit in the series I'm doing so that we can overcome obstacles and hindrances to our faith growing and to us surrendering to Lord Jesus being Savior and Lord of our life. This concept of total surrender and obedience to Christ can be difficult for trauma survivors like myself. Many of us refuse to submit to our abusers, our perpetrators, controllers, to survive our abusive environments without sacrificing our souls, leading to total destruction by evil. I fought them when they tried to break me and tried to break my spirit. Due to this fact, our abuse and torture often intensified in an effort for them to break us, much like horses or cattle. So because I resisted being conformed to their version of who they wanted me to be and losing my identity, I suffered much persecution. We refused to go along with the herd mentality and cooperate fully. the evil forces bombarding us many of you are facing that today and therefore your persecution sadly can intensify but know that jesus is there with you it is in his strength you will endure every trial it is in his strength it is obedience to him and to the faith and the power and love that he brings that he will see you through every storm that you are facing Those of you that are called out for Christ and to deliver words where oppression and dictatorship reigns. He is with you. He is with you. Spirit and truth. Giving you the words to say. Guiding you, guarding you, protecting you with his righteous right hand. No evil shall come nigh your dwelling nor your tent where you are staying. You will be protected and you will spread the gospel truth to a lost and dying world and generation. Thank you, Jesus, for that word. Thank you, Holy Spirit. That was an anointed. Oh, thank you. Oh, I felt his spirit on that. I'm not sure who that's for. therefore you will not minister to us through fear tactics and win us to christ it will be best if you met us where we are through a love-centered accepting lens this does not mean you love the sin it only means you respect the center and our unique pathway to restoration and redemption this is me speaking to you in my quest to bring about a trauma responsive pulpit. I'm speaking to you, the leaders. I'm speaking to you, pastors. I'm speaking to you today. You must minister to us differently. We've already faced judgment. We've already faced abuse. We've been persecuted. We've been beaten. We've been raped and hurt by members of the church even. You cannot minister to us with the old ways. You must meet us where we are. Therefore, you will not minister to us through fear tactics and win us to Christ. It will be best if you met us where we are through a love-centered accepting lens. This does not mean you love the sin. It only means you respect the sinner and our unique pathway to restoration and redemption. Our healing and salvation will take time as layers upon layers of trauma are peeled away in the transformative surrendering process. Our healing and salvation will take time as layers upon layers of trauma are peeled away in the transformative surrendering process. We need to have a non-compromising church. We need to look at immorality and discipline within our ranks. The church must follow the moral standards found in God's commandments, the greatest of which is love. If Christ's love is in our hearts, we cannot sin and cooperate with evil openly. We will be convicted. That guilt that you're feeling every time you go to satisfy that lust of the flesh, that is the holy spirit speaking to you saying turn back turn away from that you cannot partner with sin and it not have consequences my personal body was feeling the effects of me living that sinful life And it is through the restoration and redemption and healing of the Lord Jesus that I am purified and consecrated and in the ongoing daily purification process to purify his temple. and turn away from the sins of the world. Because you have the power within you to say no to addiction, to say no to sexual promiscuity, to say no to coping through porn addictions, coping through sex addictions, to say no to the sexual immorality that we discussed in the scriptures. The scriptures do not lie. We have to follow God's truth, whether we want to take it in or not. And it can be difficult. we are to love the sinner but not cooperate with and openly celebrate the sin we cannot do that whether it's homosexuality gay and lesbian lifestyle whatever it is we have to look at the word of god but that doesn't mean that if you are participating in that lifestyle that you are too dirty to come to lord jesus Because he sees you and meets you where you are. You can have total restoration and redemption. I sinned too. My sin was bad. So I'm not offering judgment. I'm offering to you the words that Christ offered to me to set me free and set me on a pathway of wholeness and healing. And each one of us, our pathway and our road to get to that point is different. The timetable is different. Did I keep sinning? I didn't do that sin over that he redeemed me from. But of course I sinned until he pointed it out to me and he healed me layer by layer by layer. Now I do not dare go back and do those things. I would get so convicted by the spirit. There's no turning back because I know the truth and I walk in the light. And you will be bearers of the light and truth. You're not too dirty to seek the Lord. There is no shame and guilt, fear, regret where the love of Jesus is. There's only redemption and being set free. But yes, I'm here to deliver you the truth in love because otherwise I would compromise my faith and Christ wouldn't use me. People pointed it out to me. I had people very close to me point out to me about my gluttony and me overeating and all these things I was doing to cope. And I had to look inward and I had to purge myself of that sin. I had to purge myself of sleeping with multiple individuals. I had to purge myself from so many things to be that purified bride that the Lord is calling forth in this hour and seeking us. as we worship him in spirit and truth, knowing that our days are numbered and that he is coming and we must keep our lamps full of oil to receive our Lord Jesus. Out of the heart flows rivers of living water. What is flowing from your heart? As your well become contaminated with the things of this world, how is your thirst being satisfied? Where is it being satisfied? Is the bread of life sustaining you? What bread are you eating? Is the dough contaminated? Yeast makes bread dough rise and a little bit mixed in will affect the entire loaf. Blatant sin, if uncorrected, will cause confusion and division in the body. Remember, we are the body of Christ. He's the head, we're the body, we're the church. We can't have confusion. We have to follow the word of God. And I read it to you. It is there. Maybe you read it from the King James Version. Maybe you read it from the New International Version. Maybe you read it from the Tree of Life Version. But the truth is the truth. It's the infallible word of God. Leaders must guard against this since it can affect the church's spiritual health. Build up, encourage, and pray for each other. But do not tolerate blatant sin. As the Hebrews exited slavery in Egypt, as depicted in the book of Exodus, they were commanded to prepare bread without yeast. That signified sincerity and truth because there was no time for it to rise. Christ delivered us from sin's oppression, and we must have nothing to do with the old yeast, past sins, malice, and wickedness. Once we dedicate our new lives to Christ, otherwise the bread we eat can become contaminated and lead to spiritual famine. You can always be hungry, searching for something to fill you up. Nothing will ever satisfy you. You cannot quench that hunger or that thirst forever. Instead, throw off your old filthy rags and become clothed in a garment of salvation, covered in a robe of righteousness. Isaiah 64, 6 and Isaiah 61, 10. To sustain us, the well we drink from must remain a purified water source from which living water flows. John 4, 10. This way, when we are parched and need a life-sustaining drink, We can be nourished and filled to overflow during spiritual droughts. Contaminated wells. Many contaminated wells we drink from to soothe our afflictions only lead to more thirst. We're seeking. I was always seeking the love of a father because I never had one. I was always seeking that. How was I trying to fill that ache, that quest for that earthly father that I didn't have and that little girl always longed for? I looked for love in all the wrong places and I would eat. cope. I would drink. I would do so many things. And all it did was leave me depleted, feeling hungry and thirsty and never, ever, ever, ever satisfied. Christ is the only thing that can heal that raw open wound. He's the only thing that you can eat from. He is your bread of life and he is your wellspring of living water. Anything else will leave you depleted and not fulfilled. and have you searching your whole life to find purpose. That purpose is in your surrender to Lord Jesus Christ and his will and direction for your life. Sexual immorality is a contaminated well that only leads to destruction. The more you drink from it, the drier and less satisfied you become. You need to drink often in more significant amounts to satisfy your thirst, only to find yourself thirsty again. Look at Proverbs 25, 26 there. When you drink from Christ's well, the wellspring of living water, you never thirst again. So make sure you know what well you're drinking from. Are you drinking from Christ's well? Remember when he spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well? Go back and look at that teaching. The church must sometimes exercise discipline toward members who have sinned publicly or privately, intentionally or unintentionally, flagrantly or arrogantly. Church discipline must be handled with love, straightforward and carefully executed. Again, New International Readers Version Life Application Study Bible, page 2069 for the credit there. Go to the brother or sister in private and point out the fault or blatant sin. If he or she does not listen, go with one or two witnesses. Remember Peter, he brought witnesses and he put his case before the people. If he or she refuses to listen, take the matter before the church. If those steps do not work, remove the one in error from the fellowship. Because remember, he was not found in error. They had judged him too quickly. If those steps do not work, remove the one in error from the fellowship. Forgiveness and comfort are warranted if there is true repentance. If they turn and repent, we are to love them and forgive them and and let them heal with us as a body of believers united around the one true head, which is Christ. If they refuse to repent, warn them. Do not associate with them. Warn them again. After two warnings, reject the person from the fellowship. New International Ridge Version Life Application Study Bible, page 2069. You must maintain the peace, sanctity, and order of the church. The spirit of Antichrist is working in a person who claims to be a Christian, yet walks in sin with no remorse, no changed life, and no conviction in their heart. This spirit comes to kill, steal, and destroy or distract. You must guard the church against this spirit of deception and division. 1 John 4, 1-6, New International Reader's Version is a reference there. And let's look again at a trauma-responsive pulpit. Remember, your body is a temple for the Lord. It would be best if you protected your peace. A peaceful, loving, and still environment is essential for spiritual growth. It's essential for those of us healing from trauma to have our Maslow's basic hierarchy of needs met, food, clothing, shelter, and those things, and that peaceful stillness so that we can process the darkness with this marvelous light. Often we can return to abusive environments and people because we repeat the behaviors of the past, seeking out the uncomfortable and chaotic that has become our norm. We can avoid difficult conversations out of fear, but perfect love casts out all fear, 1 John 4.18 as a reference. As a leader, you must communicate clear boundaries. Boundaries mean we love ourselves and others. Jesus set boundaries and often withdrew from the crowds to pray. Seek wise counsel and proceed as the Holy Spirit guides you into all truth. Remember to mandatory report abuse as required by your state, federal and local statute or in whatever country that you're in. You do not hide abuse in the ranks of the church. That is not something you do. You must protect the sheep. You must protect the flock. You must protect God's children. He's watching. Leadership is not easy. In Christ's strength, you will overcome, endure, and finish the race that has been set before you. Now I'm going to give you a prophetic word that I received on 8-7-2024. Father has wanted me to put this in the Holy Spirit and everything that I put out as far as these teachings. Again, I don't question. I obey. This is the word that I received. And as his messenger, I'm giving you a word. Thus saith the Lord. They must turn from evil. The scales have tipped. The time is now. Repent and turn. I am a God of love and mercy, but also judgment. They openly sin and blasphemy me. Thus saith the Lord, repent and turn back to me before my judgment is certain. Turn back to me. Turn back to me. Woe to the one that does not heed this word. Thus saith the Lord thy God. And that is the teaching and the message and the word that he has for you today. I know that was a long one. That was tough for me too. He gave that to me. Been working on it for the past few days. And he wanted it out there. I just obeyed. Because as a leader, as someone that he's chosen, I had to obey and I had to put out his truth. And it's difficult. It's difficult for me to hear. It's difficult for me to deliver. I know I gave you some tough word there to swallow. But I love you and Christ loves you. And because I love you, I must speak his truth to you. Turn away from that lifestyle. Turn back to your first love, Jesus, before it's too late. He's coming for his purified bride. And we have to be ready. And our lamps have to be full. Lord Jesus, heal them where they are. Strengthen them, oh God. Give them the strength to endure the trial that they're facing, to turn away from that lifestyle, to turn away from the darkness and seek the light. Give them the strength, the protection, the provision that they need to overcome the storms in their life, the adversity that they're facing. Lord Jesus, deliver them out of Egypt because Egypt still lives in many of their hearts as it was in mine until you delivered me from the bondage of childhood trauma, childhood rape, the loss of my father. Lord Jesus, you see them where they are. You meet them where they are. You reach down into the miry pit and you pull us out one by one because even if the 99 are safe, you always go after the one. Praise you, God. Praise you, Jesus, that I was the one. And to all the ones listening to this, he sees you and he's coming for you. Watch over them for Jesus. Show them your glory and your love in unexpected ways as they carry on for you and carry the torch spreading the gospel true gospel around the world. In your mighty name, Jesus, let revival break out into the hearts of your people for it is time. It is time. It is the fullness of the time. Thank you, Father. Thank you for giving me the strength to display and portray your message, truth, to everyone watching, and to everyone that will watch this for years to come. God bless you and keep you and strengthen you. In the mighty name of our precious Lord Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, with his power and strength and might, let this word go forth and prosper, penetrating bone and marrow, breaking demonic strongholds off of regions that refuse to repent and turn. Lord Jesus, we call forth your light and your love and your healing for our lost and dying world. We endure, we prosper in your precious name. Amen. God bless you all. I see you. God bless you all. Thank you.