Speaker 1: Welcome to the Thee Generation Podcast, an audio resource dedicated to a generation of young people who are committed to total surrender to God and total dependence on His power to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ. This podcast is designed to strengthen and encourage through a series of Bible-based practical talks. No matter who you are or what you’ve been through, your current circumstances are definitely unique.

Living a meaningful life during this crisis is going to take purpose, and we want to help. Join Bobby Bosler in this podcast to hear steps and new resources that will help you find your niche.

Bobby Bosler: Welcome to the Thee Generation Podcast. I’m Bobby Bosler, and I’m speaking to you today from Killeen, Texas, where I and my family are parked at Tabernacle Baptist Church. We’re very grateful for the Lord’s hand of guidance and provision in bringing us here to Killeen, Texas.

I think many of you are probably aware the coronavirus crisis has upended a lot of plans I think that a lot of people have had, ours included. We had three weeks scheduled here in March, and all three of those weeks were canceled.

Obviously, because of the restrictions that were placed on public gatherings, it really doesn’t work too well to invite lots of people to come together and to run around sweaty and scream cheers and hit a big ball and all of that. It just doesn’t work. So anyway, that being said, we are seeking the Lord right now on how the Lord would have us to minister here during this time.

I’m thankful already for the opportunity to preach here at Tabernacle Baptist Church twice on Sunday and just to be able to help the pastor out with various things as we’re here. Another thing that God has led us to do during this time is to start a brand new video series for Thee Generation.

It’s on our YouTube channel, which if you’d like to find our YouTube channel on YouTube, just search for Thee Generation, T-H-E-E Generation, and look for episode one of TG Talks. That’s the title of our new show, and on this show I am going to be really just taking some time to talk with you about a variety of different things.

My goal for this channel and for this show and series is really just to do Bible studies with you, to maybe do some explainers, some explanation videos on various topics and issues, as well as to offer practical challenges, really takeaways that you can take right into your life. My goal is for every episode to say, all right, here’s what you need to do with this today. Like as soon as you close the app, please go do this.

And so please head on over to our YouTube channel there and subscribe, check out that video. And in fact, I know all the YouTubers say this, I guess I’ll say it too, hit the bell icon so you can receive notifications when a new episode is released. So anyway, Now that that’s out of the way, I know that in your current state, where you’re at, you’re probably at home right now, I would imagine.

You’re probably quarantined, as I think I saw 40% of the nation is right now. They live in a state where they’re pretty much encouraged to shelter in place. It’s really easy in a time like this to focus on ourselves.

And it’s easy to focus on our social media feeds or on the news to keep an eye on the numbers. Or it’s easy to focus on entertainment and to log into, say, YouTube or Netflix or Disney Plus or something like that and just binge watch that show you’ve been wanting to binge watch for a long time.

And content issues aside, the greatest danger, I believe, during this time and the greatest crisis that we’re facing in this nation is not to flatten the curve. But the biggest crisis is whether believers are going to live for themselves or whether they’re going to continue to surrender to God and depend on his power to turn the world upside down with the gospel.

And during this time, though, I just want to say I have felt the pressure of not quite knowing what to do in this very unique set of circumstances that we find ourselves in. And so I want to give just a little bit of instruction here today out of Acts 13 that I trust will be a blessing and a help to you as you are trying to find your niche.

In Acts chapter 13, we find the Apostle Paul is at his home church. He was gathered together with a group of people. I recognize even right there, those are two things we’re not allowed to do right now, but just bear with me here for a second.

In Acts 13, verse 1, the scripture says, Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers, as Barnabas and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manan, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them.

And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So here we find a very key moment. In fact, many missionaries look at this as a commissioning service in a certain sense, and I do believe that’s definitely present here.

But as I look at this, what I find is a number of men who were gathered together, who were seeking the will of God, who wanted to know what God wanted them to do. They were content to continue in their present course, and yet at the same time, they also wanted to know what God’s will was for them specifically as far as serving.

And as we look at this text, there’s a couple things that I see as we try to answer the question, how to find your niche. You see, Saul and Barnabas and these other men, they were men who were teachers. They were already declaring the word of God in a certain sense.

And yet they also wanted to know specifically in the grand scope of the plan of God, how do I fit in? The reason why I bring that angle up to you is because I’m sure in this moment in history, you’re probably wondering, in the grand scheme of the kingdom of God, where do you fit in? Like I said, the biggest crisis is not flattening the curve.

It’s figuring out how we’re going to get the gospel out there, and yet we can’t exactly just go out and knock on people’s doors and go to public parts and find masses of people and preach the gospel to them. I felt like I had found my niche already with doing the war and the cola clash, and yet right now I can’t do that.

And so I think we’re all asking the question, okay, specifically, how would God have me further his kingdom right now? And here’s the tricky thing. There’s no one answer for anyone.

It’s not like I can say, well, what you need to do is this one thing. That would be great if there was like one thing, We could all do the same that would get the gospel out there, but we’re all in different states, literally, states in the United States or other provinces or countries around the world, and our circumstances may well be very different.

And yet these people, they sought the Lord, and God made it clear who was supposed to do what and where they were supposed to do it. See, in this passage, Barnabas and Saul found their niche. They found specifically how God wanted them to serve.

And so as we take a look at this, I just want to note just three simple things that were already happening in their lives that made it possible for them to find their niche. Look at verse two. It says, as they ministered to the Lord and fasted.

The first phrase there says that all of these individuals, that is Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manion and Saul, these men were already serving. So these men weren’t just kind of sitting around at home doing absolutely nothing saying, oh God, what do you want me to do one day? No, these were men that were already actively serving those around them.

They were serving the Lord. It said ministering to the Lord. So they weren’t ministering necessarily to be seen by people, but they were ministering as unto the Lord.

And so these were people that were servant-hearted. They were serving each other, and they were serving God already in the capacities that they were able to serve in. Why do I say that?

Because you know what, young people, God isn’t going to show you your niche unless you’re already serving. You say, but I can’t go to church and serve in my church. Well, why don’t you serve in your home?

You say, how can I do that? Hey, here’s some real practical suggestions for you. Make your bed.

Clean up after yourself.

take out the garbage in other words take a look around you in your home see things that need to be done and give yourself to do them furthermore it might be identifying maybe not just practical needs like chores but there may be identifying spiritual needs in your family your brothers your sisters maybe serving would be getting together to pray with some people maybe serving would be just looking for opportunities to love others and to prefer others over yourself.

Really, that’s an attitude, and that is a person that God is going to show their niche. I don’t believe God shows anybody their niche until first they have a servant heart and they do the servant thing. So first, these people were already serving, and if you want to find your niche, you need to serve God right now wherever you’re at in whatever capacity you are able to.

Secondly, here, it says that they ministered to the Lord and fasted. As they did that, the Holy Ghost said. Now, before I tell you what the Holy Ghost said here, because that’s kind of the goal, we want God to tell us what our niche is.

Just notice here, they were listening. The point here that I want you to see is they were already serving and they were already sensitive to the Lord, to the voice of God. And you know, I find different personalities trend different ways in this matter.

But do you listen to God? Are you open to hearing his direction and his voice? When you seek God in the morning, do you seek God first off?

But also when you pray and throughout your day, do you listen to what God is saying? Those gentle nudges, that still small voice that says, I don’t want you doing that. hey, why don’t you go and say that to them?

You know, if we’re not sensitive, how in the world do we expect to hear God tell us what our niche is? And just to give you a little tip, and this is something I know I’ve experienced recently, there are some times in your life when there are things that you do that maybe there isn’t anything wrong with, but sometimes the Holy Spirit just says, I don’t want you doing that anymore.

And a real test of your sensitivity to the Lord is whether you’re willing to say, okay, God, I may not understand why. I may not see the whole picture, but yes, Lord, I’ll stop if you want me to stop. Or yes, Lord, I’ll go if you want me to go.

See, there was a heart of servanthood that was already there. There was a sensitivity to the voice of the Lord, a willingness. You could also call this surrender, but it’s more than just surrender to the raw facts and principles of the Christian life.

I’m talking, this is a sensitivity to God. This is one thing I’m praying for God to do in my son David, my kids. I want them to be sensitive to the voice of God, for their hearts to be open to hear what he has to say.

You see, the servanthood is moving, right? It’s moving down the road, if we can use the analogy of a car. It’s hard to steer a parked car, right?

The sensitivity is being willing to receive input from the Holy Spirit sitting in the passenger seat. right? So if you are moving and serving, if you’re sensitive to the voice of God, God can show you your niche.

But there is one more thing that I want to point out. It says, as they ministered to the Lord and fasted. These were not people that were just casually hoping one day God would show them what he wanted them to do.

These people were seeking. They were seeking the will of God. They weren’t just sensitive when God out of the blue directed them.

They actually wanted God to lead them, and therefore they were depriving themselves of normal things in order to hear the voice of God. They went without meals. Do you understand?

They went without food, not because they couldn’t find it at the grocery store, but because more than they wanted food, more than they wanted physical sustenance. They wanted to know what God wanted them to do. They wanted to know their niche.

And I want to encourage you young people, don’t just assume that God will show you when he wants you to know. Seek his face. That may mean you during this time may need to go on a fast.

It may not be a physical fast in the sense of food. It may be a fast from your phone. It may be a fast from social media.

It may be a fast from YouTube, everything except for the TG Talks series, of course. It may be a fast from board games. I don’t know what it might be, but you know what’s distracting you, what’s holding you back from seeking the will of God.

And so my practical challenge actually on today’s TG Talks episode is going to be similar to what I’m aiming for here for this episode, but from a different passage and from a little bit of a different perspective. I challenge you young people, serve God where you’re at right now. Be sensitive to his voice.

Listen when he speaks and obey and seek him. Get desperate with him. Get alone with him.

Ask him and be willing to not get up until he tells you what your niche is. So you want to know how to find your niche? Be serving right now.

Be sensitive and be seeking. I trust this has been a blessing to you young people and I want you to know for as much as this present generation has its issues, I want you to know it has an amazing potential. I’m for you.

I’m praying for you. I appreciate it if you’d pray for me. And don’t forget, really what’s going to turn this world upside down is as you and as I surrender unconditionally to the will of God and as we depend on his power to do what he’s called us to do, to turn the world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thanks so much for listening.