In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of commitment and sacrifice in the service of God. He highlights the role of factories and the women working in them during World War II, stating that their dedication and overtime helped stop Hitler from taking over the world. The speaker then connects this historical example to the biblical concept of believers being soldiers of Jesus Christ and wearing the armor of God. He challenges the audience to set goals for prayer, evangelism, global vision, steps of faith, and giving in the year 1995. Specifically, he encourages young people to consider dedicating two years to overseas service, either with his organization or another recommended by their church missions group. The speaker also discusses the relevance of the paraphrase version of the Bible called "The Message" and how it has helped him understand the clear teachings of the Word of God, particularly regarding money and giving. He concludes by emphasizing the significance of giving to the kingdom of God and warns against becoming proud or putting others down in the process.

Setting goals on a global level, taking ownership of the program of our missionaries, so that maybe after a year or two you can send somebody out from the church to be with William and to see what they're doing there and to pray more intelligently for them. Taking ownership of some of the other missionaries, which I'm sure you're doing, praying with them, thinking with them, maybe raising money for a special project that they may have. Some of them need literature, some of them may need a bicycle. I mentioned this morning that famous quotation, from Winston Churchill to Roosevelt, give us the tools and we'll complete the job. Did you ever read How Our Nation Mobilized in the Last War? Have you read that? It just had the 50th anniversary, it had big articles on this. The factories, the women in the factories, the overtime, the commitment that helped stop Hitler who could have taken over the whole world in that day. And isn't it interesting that in the word of God, it speaks about us as being soldiers of Jesus Christ. It speaks of us as taking on the whole armor of God. It speaks to us in a way that I believe we should respond. I want to bring this to a close and ask you again, what are your goals for 1995? In prayer, in evangelism, in global vision, in steps of faith, in giving. Let me just come back to this giving again because Jesus talked so much about money. Have you read that new paraphrase, The Message? Bill, you've got that. What do you think of that? What's your thought about that as a paraphrase? It's what? Oh, that's encouraging to me. I didn't think you were a grace killer, but I just wanted to confirm it. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. You wonder why I don't get invited back. I mean, really. Not here. We've got a bonding. Well, some people don't like paraphrases, but when you've been studying the Bible regularly for 40 years and you're not exactly a brilliant scholar, which is my case, I picked up this thing, The Message, The Paraphrase, and the New Testament, and certain scriptures just flew. And I read through 2 Corinthians. I was studying Corinthians a lot lately. I read through 2 Corinthians 8, 9, and 10, all about giving and all about money. And I tell you, I was flying. The Word of God is so clear about money. And I want to bring this final little challenge, two things together, the challenge to pray out more workers from your church into the harvest field, mini-term, short-term, and career. The challenge to you young people, which I gave this morning, I want to give it again, to give at least two years to overseas service. You give your life in regard to commitment. That's reality. I'm asking you to give two years to overseas service. It could be with us, one of our ships, or on land. We're in 80 different countries or some other group that's recommended to you by your own church missions group. Pray about it. You can still come back and get in the business world. You can still get back and fulfill the career you think God's given you in banking or business or farming or engineering or oil. I want you to pray about that. Then for those of you who are older, you're in business, you're in a professional capacity, I want to ask you to seek the Lord about aiming higher in your business, to see your business, to see your profession as part of God's kingdom, not separate from it. Oh, if only, they come to me after the meeting, if only I were younger, I would join Operation Mobilization. I want to serve the Lord. I don't like that terminology. We're all serving the Lord. Different degrees, depends on our energy, depends on the free time. No matter how spiritual we are, we are incredibly human. Don't deny your humanity. Forgive me if I've been a little too human here with you, but that's the way I am. And I thank God that he knows me and understands me and accepts me and all of my humanness. But I would ask you in the name of Jesus to realize your little business, your profession, your work, includes your home, includes what you do in your spare time. That's part of the kingdom. That's part of the kingdom. And you should seek God's faith. How can I do that better? Why is it that earning money is considered, you know, it's really not spiritual earning money. We should just pray for money, right? We're taught, we're faith missionaries. Boom, we just pray. Boom, the Lord sends it in. Spiritual nonsense. Spiritual nonsense. It is a privilege, it is an honor to work hard and earn money. I did that before I ever went to the mission field. In fact, when I was at college, I had enough money by then. I took a job waiting tables at college for 30 cents an hour. Even back then this was ridiculous. 30 cents an hour. I wanted to give that 30 cents for world mission. And let me try to capitalize this when you get a vision for world mission. When you realize that a dollar can buy five New Testaments, a dollar can buy a Bible, $50 can buy a bicycle, a few thousand dollars can buy a vehicle. And these tools are desperately needed as we attempt to evangelize the whole world. As you realize missionaries are not going out because often there's not finance. Many, many other things that are being held up for the lack of money. You will get excited about making money for the kingdom of God. I got so excited about that even when I was only 17. I had these three little businesses. It helped me go and make the next sale. It helped me get up in the morning and go at it. It helped me understand God's economy, though I was just such a baby and didn't understand a fraction of what I understand today about the kingdom of God, the place of every person in the kingdom. Believe me, when you give in the Faith Promise Program or any other program, different ways that God has led you, that is not a small thing. That is not a second class thing. If you sell something for the kingdom of God and give that money to the Lord as those people I told you about from England, that is a beautiful thing. If you become proud in the process, you put other people down, you become a grace killer, of course, that's a great mistake. Let's never throw the baby away with the dirty bathwater. Let us guard from the word of God those things that are precious. I know, as I've been linked with hundreds of business people and professional people and other people across the world, seeing the change in their lives when they started realizing their work, what you do tomorrow morning, in some ways, is just as important as what you're doing right now. In fact, since right now you're mainly listening, hopefully, what you're doing in the morning is probably more important than what you're doing now. Why? In your home, getting those children prepared and off to school. Do you think that's going second class? Do you think that's not important? You're making a big mistake. Whatever we do, we do it heartily and unto the Lord. If you do your work in the home as you're teamed up with your husband and your wife, enabling the home to go on, the business to go on, the home of work to go on, maybe God wants to give you just a little extra challenge. What about a garage sale for the kingdom? How much do you think we could get in this congregation through a big jumbo garage sale? Probably the church wouldn't want to organize it because it would get criticized for doing that, but you're a free person. You can just do that on your own. A garage sale for the kingdom. Sounds really dangerous, doesn't it? You might not want to put that sign out. I'll tell you what the Bible says. Lay not up treasure on earth. When I think of all the treasure most of us have and I speak to myself, sometimes I wonder, am I really obedient to the word of God? Can we just unite our hearts again for a moment of prayer? Lord, I just thank you for the opportunity to again share from your word. You know, my heart is so full. We just thank you for a tremendous day, Lord, from early this morning when such a great group came to the men's breakfast and you met us in that place right through all kinds of phone calls and radio interviews and everybody here probably doing something however small for your kingdom today. Guide us as we just look into your word together. In the name of Jesus, amen.