(upbeat music) Just recently, Pastor John and Noel traveled to Holland, France, and Germany. Earlier in the year, they traveled to South America, and earlier in the spring, they were in Ireland and Scotland. All those trips being ministry trips on behalf of Desiring God. Our ministry partners make these international trips possible so thank you.

And today I'm gonna share with you one moment which was captured in Scotland and recorded at a conference hosted by our friends at 20 Schemes. In Scotland, a scheme is something like a housing project, a government subsidized neighborhood that's pretty rough, known for high crime and rampant drug use.

More troubling, over half of Scotland's schemes are gospel-less places. So 20 Schemes is a ministry to change this by planting gospel-loving churches right into these areas of deprivation. While in Scotland, Pastor John sat down to field audience questions from one of those church planters, Andy Prime, who relayed to Pastor John the following question.

Have a listen. - Someone says, "Hi, Pastor John. "I'm someone who's been exposed "to a lot of Christian talks and events "in the last couple of years, "but I am still struggling to put my faith in Christ. "What advice could you give me?" - Still struggling to put my faith in Christ?

- Yeah. - Wow, I wish I knew you. (laughing) I would really probe before I gave an answer. I mean, I would probe the word struggle. What is that? Where are you, you know? (laughing) I wanna help you so bad, get over that. Let me just say what comes to my mind.

Let me give you two texts, and then tell you why the word struggle is a little odd and yet understandable. In Matthew 7, Jesus says, "The gate is narrow, and the way is hard "that leads to life, and few there be that find it." Now, that would mean, well, of course you're gonna struggle, it's hard.

I mean, that's what he said. "The gate is narrow, and the way is hard "that leads to life, and few there be that find it." He must have said that because he knew you're trying to get through the door, right? And it's hard. Like, I don't even know how to do this.

How do you get through the door? The gate's so narrow, and it's hard. Okay, so that text gives me empathy with the word struggle. But what, four chapters later? "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, "I will give you rest. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, "for I am meek and lowly in heart, "and you'll find rest for your souls.

"For my yoke is easy, "and my burden is light." Now, just, those are both in the Bible. The way is hard, the gate is narrow. It's an easy yoke. It's a light burden. Both are true. That's what we believe about this book. Both are true. What makes a little theologian out of everybody is trying to make 'em figure out how they're both true.

And in my mind, here's my best shot at how they can both be true. What could be easier than to stop working for God, stop trying to prove anything as a means of salvation, and just rest in the work of Jesus that is so complete, so full, to cover all your sins, give you all the righteousness you need, adopt you into the family without working?

What could be easier than to say, "I give up, I fall down, I rest." I'll tell you what could be easier. A proud working for God. Because we don't like to become children, unless you turn and become like little children, you can't enter the kingdom of heaven. Who wants to be a little child?

I want to be somebody. I want to look competent. Children, they just, I mean, where is he? He walked into one of your pastors. He walked in with that little baby, two-week-old baby a while ago. I mean, this guy's gigantic. Raise your hand, where are you? There you are, okay.

Just, you walked in, here's your boy. That baby looked like a dot in his arm. And who wants to look like that baby? I want to look like you. I don't want to mess with you, you know. No, I don't, okay. But, you know, he can hold his own in the world and make it in the scheme, I presume.

But that baby, nobody's gonna raise that baby. That's why it's hard. Our ego makes it hard to come to Jesus. It's not hard to come to Jesus. It's not a struggle except the struggle to rest. That's my answer to how those texts can be true. The one says, come and rest.

It's easy, it's light. And the other one says it's hard. And that's because resting is hard for people with an ego. So I'm being hard on you now. Maybe the struggle is rooted in, I want to reserve for myself some power, some ego, some praise, some worth, something instead of I'm just done.

I am done trying to prove anything. That's what I'd say. - I think we'll end it there. We're gonna sing before we finish. Would you mind praying just to finish off our day? - So Father, for the brother or sister who just asked that question, I'm sure they are not alone.

And that others perhaps here, and we know in our churches do struggle. What does it mean? How can I do it? How can I lay down all the objections, lay down all the resistance that rises up in my heart that doesn't want to let certain things go? And I just ask right now that the miracle would be wrought and that the eyes of the heart would be so illumined with the beauty of Christ, the sufficiency of Christ and the greatness of Christ and the power of Christ and the wisdom of Christ that all resistance would fall.

So strengthen, strengthen the churches, Lord, of 20 schemes. Thank you for this ministry. May every need be met for every church and may the dreams be fulfilled for the 20 plus. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Amen, yeah, I try to get field recordings like this one from Pastor John's travels to share with you on the podcast, this being one of them.

Thanks again to our financial partners who make our international ministry possible, who make our web ministry possible, who make this podcast possible. Thank you for supporting us. We couldn't do it without you, so thank you. And thanks to everyone who listens along and subscribes to Ask Pastor John in a podcast app or in YouTube.

We are really grateful to have you along for the ride. And next time, why does the Bible stress the power of Jesus' name? Why his name, why not his person? Another shrewd question coming from our listeners next time when Pastor John joins me again back in the studio. I'm your host, Tony Reinke.

We'll see you on Friday. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)