Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Finding Jesus Beyond the Crowd (#1088 - Elim)
Following Jesus at a Distance | Peter’s Denial and Modern Discipleship
Have you ever felt the need to hide your faith in certain environments—whether at work, on social media, or in everyday conversations? In this deeply personal and spiritually stirring episode, Reverend Ben Cooper explores the dangerous habit of following Jesus at a distance through the lens of Peter’s denial in Luke 22:54–62.
“And Peter followed at a distance...” (Luke 22:54)
Through vivid biblical storytelling, Cooper walks us through the moment Peter sat down near the enemy’s fire—a seemingly minor choice that exposed a spiritual vulnerability. What began as physical distance from Christ quickly became emotional and spiritual detachment, culminating in public denial.
Cooper brings this ancient scene into our modern reality. He challenges listeners to reflect on their social media activity, workplace conversations, and friendships. Are we living as bold followers of Jesus—or quietly blending in to avoid discomfort or rejection? Are we sitting at the world’s fire, warming ourselves by its approval while our relationship with Christ grows cold?
This message is especially relevant in a time when Christian values are increasingly countercultural, and bold faith often meets resistance. Rev Cooper does not deliver this challenge with judgment, but with pastoral care and prophetic urgency. He reminds us that one day, we too will lock eyes with Jesus—and we must consider how we represented Him when it mattered most.
“Would anyone know you’re a Christian if they only looked at your life online or overheard your conversations?”
From online compromise to peer pressure at work or in friendships, the episode addresses the subtle ways we can distance ourselves from Jesus without even realizing it. Yet in that recognition comes grace. Just as Peter was restored, so too can we return from compromise and reclaim a bold, faithful witness.
Whether you’re:
- Struggling with spiritual drift
- Feeling isolated in your faith
- Wrestling with how to stand firm in today’s culture
- Or simply needing a reminder of what authentic discipleship looks like
...this episode will challenge you to walk closer with Christ, no matter the cost.
Take a moment to read Luke 22:54–62 before or after listening, and allow the Holy Spirit to highlight areas where your walk may have become distant.
Are you sitting at the wrong fire today?
Listen now to be stirred, challenged, and drawn back to bold, unashamed Christianity.
- “How to stand for your faith at work”
- “What does Peter’s denial mean for Christians today?”
- “Christian podcast about spiritual compromise”
- “Discipleship in a hostile culture”
- “How to stay close to Jesus in modern life”
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
https://www.rbchristianradio.net/
Welcome to Rev Ben Cooper's podcast, where faith meets real life and occasionally drops its keys in the Jordan River. But don't worry, we've got spiritual floaties Before we jump in like Peter walking on water, but hopefully with better balance. We just want to say thank you Seriously for every prayer, every bit of encouragement and every donation that keeps this ministry going smoother than Moses parting the Red Sea on a good Wi-Fi day. If your Bible's looking lonely on the shelf next to a dusty teacup and some old takeout menus, don't worry. Reverend Ben's books are here to save the day, packed with encouragement, truth and stories that hit deeper than a parable. At 2am, check them out at rbchristianradionet. Yep, that was another totally holy plug. While you're there, catch up on all our podcast episodes ready whenever you are.
Speaker 1:Whether you're pretending to vacuum, chasing the grandkids or doing your quiet time with biscuits and a brew, we're right there with you, been blessed, challenged or accidentally snorted tea Out your nose while listening. Leave us a review. It helps others find us and, trust me, we're much better than scrolling endless cat videos on YouTube, although, bless those little furballs and hey want to go the extra mile. Biblically and caffeinated. Click that cheeky little coffee cup on our site to buy me a coffee. Every cup fuels us to spread the good news, one glorious mug at a time. Even Jesus would have loved a flat white before the Sermon on the Mount, probably so. Once again, thank you for standing with us, praying with us and being part of this joyful, hope-filled, slightly Jesus-obsessed crew we call family.
Speaker 1:You're listening to RB, christian Radio, where faith doesn't just whisper softly from the pulpit, it sings claps and might just start a praise break in the biscuit aisle at Tesco. Now go grab that Bible, get your brew, maybe a slice of pizza yes, we said pizza and let's come to the table together. A slice of pizza. Yes, we said pizza, and let's come to the table together. Spiritual hunger and pepperoni Welcome Pizza.
Speaker 2:Sparkles. Good evening, good evening. Wherever you are this evening. May God bless you and strengthen you. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, we welcome you into the house of the Lord with us tonight. We welcome you online, wherever you are. May God bless you and strengthen you in the glorious name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. We just want to say thank you to everybody that's been supporting us over the last few weeks through prayer. That's really really important and we thank you so much to those that have done that and those that have supported us financially. We are really really blessed. You know the bills are getting paid. We just want to say thank you this evening, but whether you're joining us on podcast, whether you're joining us on radio, wherever you are across this world, we want to say thank you so much. And to those that are in the house with us this evening and we just pray that peace will abound and the love of God will just carry us through.
Speaker 2:So, wherever you are, if you grab yourself a bible, let's turn to the beautiful gospel of Luke. We're turning to the gospel of Luke and we're going to Luke 22 and we're going to pick it up from verse 54. We're going to pick it up from 54, and the title of this evening, for those that are making notes, is pretty simple Be careful who you sit with. Be careful who you sit with. You know we are living in great times, we're living in really powerful times and we want to encourage you right now, wherever you are on the other side of the world, to grab yourself a Bible, to invest yourself in reading, to study the Word, to rest in the Word and to allow the Word of God to rest over your spirit. So, wherever you are, we thank you so much for your prayer support. We thank you for your financial support and for those that have been asking. In just a few moments the bank details will come up on the screen again. So we thank you to those that are supporting us through prayer. Thank you for joining us with prayer and thank you for those that just sow a seed into the church ministry.
Speaker 2:Verse 54 of Luke, chapter 22. Luke, chapter 22, verse 54. And we want to encourage you right now, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, to get yourself a Bible, to sit down, relax and just just rest in the house of the Lord. You know, and what I mean in the house, I mean wherever you are, because that's the Lord's house, because he's with you wherever you are right now. And it says they seized him.
Speaker 2:I love this because this is about Peter. This is about, obviously, this is about Peter, and when you look at this text and you just scramble your way through that, whether you're tired, whether you're weary, whether you're doubtful, whether you're lost, tonight we just want to let you know that God loves you. It doesn't matter this character. He denied Jesus, eyeball to eyeball. He denied Jesus. And so often we might get ourselves in a position where we feel that we deny Jesus, that we let Christ down, and things happen in our lives. But I want to encourage you that Jesus won't reject you. He's the coming king, he's the savior of the world. So the title of where we are this evening is Be Careful who you Sit With. And this is a beautiful text because who we sit down with sometimes and the majority of the time we partner with, we've got to be careful. Who we partner with in life, in church, in ministry, at work, you know where we live our lives. We've got to be careful to the circles that we walk around in, the people that we connect to. We've got to be extremely careful in certain areas of our lives. You know, the Bible is so powerful. The Bible is alive, the Bible is the living word of God and we want to encourage you tonight to grab yourself these scriptures to dive in. And it says in verse 54, luke, chapter 22,.
Speaker 2:Then they seized him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance, but when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the high priest, peter followed at a distance. But when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and they had sat down together, peter sat down with them. Be careful. Verse 56, a servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said this man was with him. Verse 57, he says but he denied it Woman, I don't know him, he said. A little later, someone else saw him and said you are also one of those. Man, I am not. Peter replied. But an hour later another. It says there. But an hour later another asserted certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean. Peter replied man, I don't know what you are talking about. Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed, the Lord turned and looked straight at him. Then Peter remembered and he was reminded the word of the Lord had spoken to him Before the rooster crows. Today you will disown me three times. And he went outside the courtyard and he whipped bitterly.
Speaker 2:So much to gather in that text, so much to think about when you look at the life of Peter, when you look at him the rock, when you look at what God and through Christ and through the ministry of his life, how he was used very powerfully in his life. God opened doors for him, jesus moved in his life and so many opportunities he had to create and to push the gospel of Jesus Christ. But I find this fascinating that Jesus didn't reject him. I want to let you know tonight that Jesus will not reject you. Jesus will not reject you.
Speaker 2:Are you working in an ivory tower? Are you working in a system where it doesn't allow you to speak about Jesus? Are you in a house that doesn't allow you to speak about Jesus? Are you in a relationship that doesn't allow you to speak about Jesus? Are you in a relationship that doesn't allow you to speak about Jesus? Are you in a home? Are you in a culture, the setting that you walk in, the areas that you stretch your legs in and your life in? Are you able to talk about Jesus freely? Are you able to share the gospel, or do the people in your company shut you down? Are you fearful, just like Peter? You know I love this scripture, but it's very clear Be careful who you sit down with. The Bible knows.
Speaker 2:We know from this text that the hour that he was there was minimal, was minimal. He was with them for an hour and as we start, at the very beginning of this text, it says they seized him and they led him away. Obviously, christ. They took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. We've got to be really careful at the moment not to follow Jesus at a distance. We've got to do everything that we can within our own understanding, with our own heart, with our own thoughts, with our own prayer life. We've got to do everything that we can and we've got to get close to God.
Speaker 2:I really believe right now, now is the time for each and every one of us to get close to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We are living in very precarious times. We're living in uncertain days. We don't know how the drumbeat is really going to be across the UK for the next number of years, but we can see, you know, through the word of God. We can understand that there's a great stripping away, there's a great falling away.
Speaker 2:Jesus Christ is preparing the bride. Jesus Christ is the coming King. He is coming back for the bride. He's coming. We know that, we say that, we believe. I believe with all of my innermost being that Jesus Christ is coming back. He's coming back for you. He's coming back. He's not coming back for this building. He's not coming back for Elim HQ. He's not coming back for the chairs, as we always say. He's coming back for the Bible-believing believer and he's coming back for those that are weary. He's coming back for those that are tired. He's coming back, the coming king. He is being prepared and the church is being prepared.
Speaker 2:I just want to let you know tonight that this character, peter, he followed Jesus at a distance and we don't have no more time to mess around in church. We do not have the time, we do not know the hour, we do not know the date, we do not know the season, but we have biblical insight where we can look carefully and get a bit of a window of an opportunity to say I wonder if Christ is coming back. Maybe in the feast of tabernacles Is he coming back? You know, when you line things up and you look at what the scripture says, we can maybe get a bit of an understanding. We may be able to work something out very, very small. You know something, you know. But we've got to be very mindful that something is really really clear at this moment in time no one knows the hour, no one knows the date, but what we've got to do is we've got to look at the signs of the times. We got to look and we do not. We do not and we cannot afford to be like Peter.
Speaker 2:Do not follow Jesus from a distance. Do not follow Jesus from a distance. Wherever you are across this world, get in the Bible, don't leave it. Don't let it be too late. Don't let it be too late. Get in the Word, saturate yourself in the Scripture, get in the Holy Word of God, get amongst the Scripture in the power of His Word. God loves you, god is with you, you are anointed and Jesus is coming back for you. He's coming back for you. We've got to say it again and again and again he's not coming back for this pulpit. He's not interested in this pulpit. He's not interested in this microphone. He's not interested in the fabric and everything in this building. He's not coming back for the fine art and the churches that are filled with all that grandeur. He's not coming back for the bells. He's coming back for the Bible-believing believer, the ones that says I love Jesus, the ones that are working out their salvation with fear and trembling but don't follow Jesus from a distance.
Speaker 2:What makes us follow Jesus from a distance? Family, work, business, church, religion, culture makes us follow Jesus from a distance because it gets in the way. It gets in the way Many areas of life get in the way between myself and Jesus and we get clogged up with so much stuff. When Jesus was on the shoreline and he called the disciples, he said drop your nets, come and follow me. I want to encourage you tonight. You've got to follow Jesus, you've got to follow the word of God, you've got to get the Bible in your heart, you've got to get the word of God in your spirit, you've got to get it in your mind, your body, your soul, because he is coming back. He is coming back, the saving king, the king above all kings, the king of glory. The king is coming back for those that are lost, those that are weary, and I'm not talking about, in salvation, lost and weary and tired of the world. Are you tired of the world? Are you exhausted?
Speaker 2:Does your church that you go to, does your church follow Jesus? Do your ministers really follow Jesus? Are they really preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are they speaking about eschatology, the cross of Calvary, the blood of Jesus? Are they speaking about creation, salvation? Are they preaching the word of God without error? We need doctrine. My prayer right now, and it's for a long time Lord, give us doctrine, give us clear, sound doctrine through the Word of God.
Speaker 2:I want to go to church and I want to hear the power of the Word. I want to go to church and I want to feel the power of the Holy Spirit. I want to be in my van driving and I want to feel the Word of God. I want to be at my desk. I want to be at school, I want to be at home. Wherever my life takes me, lord, I want to feel the power of Jesus in my life, but there are many things that get between us and Jesus. We allow things Can I use that? We allow things to encroach our faith walk. We follow the crowd more than we follow Jesus. Because when you look at these scriptures that we're in, when you study this, if you take time and have a look at this scripture and if you pick it up in verse 55, but when they had kindled a fire, now, who was this? It was the servants and the guards. It was a lot of people that were sitting around in this courtyard. A lot of people were sitting around the fire bin. You know we've done some, many podcasts.
Speaker 2:Be careful who you sit across the fire bin with. Be careful who you allow into the circle of your life. Be careful who influences you right now. Who is influencing your life? Who have you been with today? Who was you with yesterday? Who is encouraging you to keep at the cross of Calvary? Who is encouraging you to stand on the word of God? Have you got gossipers around you? Have you got naysayers around you? Have you got plastic people around you? Who is in your life? Because the devil will try. The devil will do everything he can to stop us and keep us at a distance. He will put a fire between Jesus and us.
Speaker 2:You know that fire bin was critical. It's very interesting how culture looks at fire. Many cultures look at fire and they use it as a place of gathering. Yes, it keeps warm, yes, I can keep warm and yes, we can cook around the fire. And we sit around the fire and we talk. And you look at the flames, the mysterious way that fire works, the power of fire. You watch the flames, you're watching the fire. You might be cooking over fire, you might be reminiscing around the fire when you look at certain indigenous tribes in certain places around the world when they sit around the fire bin.
Speaker 2:We've got to be careful who we sit around the fire bin of life with. Because let me tell you this look how the crowd affected Peter. Look how the crowd affected him. Look, Jesus said. He said after the third time, I know what's going to happen in this scenario. Peter said I'm going to happen in this scenario. Peter said I'm going to die with you. I'll go to prison. No way Jesus. No way, jesus. I'm going to go all the way to the, to the very end, with you. Nothing is going to stop me, jesus, telling the world. Nothing is going to get in my way but the fire being got in his way, he followed Jesus at a distance and it was a considerable distance and he kept himself back. Let me tell you this there are many people following Jesus at a distance. I cannot afford to follow Jesus at a distance. I cannot afford to step back and to hang around the fire bin because when you look at the fire bin in this situation, in this biblical text, the fire bin was a bad place to be because those that was around the fire bin wasn't for Jesus. So the fire bin represents warmth, cooking, light. The fire bin represents so much.
Speaker 2:And Peter sat down freely with the crowd, the crowd of Lucifer, the crowd that wanted to take Jesus to the cross, the crowd that wanted to kill the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. There are many believers, through social networks, through socializing, through family, through culture, through life, are being influenced by devil worshipers. You can't be anything else If you are not a Jesus follower, if you are not born again. Let me tell you this Lucifer is in the skin you're walking in. There's no other way. It's either darkness or light. There's no in-between level. You're either filled with the glory, you're filled with the power, you're filled with the word, you're anointed, you're blessed and highly favoured. You're filled with the scripture. You are blessed beyond human understanding, even though our mind plays tricks. Forget that one. But what is important? That when God decided to save you, when God decided to call you into salvation, when God decided to drop salvation in you, over and around you, however you want to word that when God decided to say that is the day that Ben's body is going to realize that he's a.
Speaker 2:I've got to be careful who I sit with in my life, because the crowd is not for Jesus. The crowd was influencing this disciple. It doesn't matter how strong we think we are, it doesn't matter how many messages we've preached, it doesn't matter how many podcasts we've done, it doesn't matter how many scriptures we put on our social media feed, it doesn't matter how many times we're in and out the building of the house of the Lord. When the crowd gets you, when the crowd of life get a hold of you, it's very interesting that we will follow the way of the crowd. Peter was chosen. Jesus said when you come back, when you come back, feed my sheep. When you come back, where was he going? He was going to sit with a crowd and he was going to deny Jesus. He was going to sit in the sporting arena and deny Jesus. He was going to sit in the classroom and deny Jesus. He was going to sit in the van on the commute to work and deny Jesus. He was going to walk with certain characters in his life, in our life, and we will deny Jesus. We will allow the crowd to tell us that Jesus doesn't exist. We will allow certain people in our lives to influence us and take us to the wrong destination, even though we are Bible believing believers, even though you've been called, even though I've been chosen, even though I've been called, even though we're born again, spirit filled, blessed and highly favoured, wonderfully and fearfully made. We've got to watch the crowd.
Speaker 2:The devil's playground social media. It grabs so many Christians, it grabs so many Bible-believing believers. It grabs hold of them and it tells them you're worthless, you're too short, you're not tall enough. Your clothes that you wear are not good enough. You're not tall enough. Your clothes that you wear are not good enough. You're a certain size. It doesn't fit in. You don't fit in.
Speaker 2:We allow the devil's playground known as social media to control us and dictate to us. We allow the crowd of society, we allow the crowd of socialization, the people we go out with, the people we walk with, the people we work with, the people we commute with, we allow them to dictate to us as Christians, can I be as brutal as that? We allow it because we sit across the fire bin at work. We sit across the fire bin at culture. We sit across the fire bin at home. We sit across the fire bin in relationships. We sit across the fire bin in every area of life.
Speaker 2:And suddenly, when it really counts, they said you're a Jesus follower. No way, man. You are a Jesus follower, ben. You are a Jesus follower, ben. I'm not. I don't know what you're talking about. Oh, my goodness, this is hair raising, this text. But Jesus knew before Peter got to the fire bin that he would be denying him.
Speaker 2:I want to encourage you tonight not to follow Jesus at a distance. You can't afford to follow Jesus from a distance. You've got to get right up. You've got to get right up and in the skin of the Word of God, we can't leave it to chance. We can't leave it anymore. There's no room. We've got to follow Jesus like never before. You've got to follow him all the way. You got to follow the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You got to tell yourself I got to follow Jesus, I got to follow the great I am. He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. I got to be found following Jesus.
Speaker 2:But Peter entered in the arena on his own accord. When you think about that scripture, peter entered into the arena on his own accord and the Bible says that he sat down. He sat down with the crowd and he allowed the crowd to influence his following of Christ, to influence his following of Christ. See, we get caught by the crowd and we get caught with the euphoria. We get caught with the excitement of life, we get caught with what might be happening, we get caught with the things that are going on.
Speaker 2:And the Bible says that Jesus and Peter were at a distance. It says Peter followed Jesus at a distance. We don't have time to follow Jesus at a distance, because I'm telling you now, as clear as you can see me the King is coming, as clear as you can see me or hear my voice. I'm telling you now one thing I know in my life that this Bible has never failed me. One thing in my life this Bible is true, is biblical fact. It is fact. And those destinational points that Christ and what the scriptures and the prophets spoke about. He has hit those areas. And there is one more we are waiting for the coming king. I can't emphasize it enough, but Peter followed Jesus at a distance. It's interesting when you look at this man. He followed Jesus from a distance because he knew there was trouble in the arena. That's quite interesting, isn't it? But when trouble comes in and there's something brewing on the horizon and it might affect our lives or our friendship groups or our workspace or our relationships or our culture no, I'm not sure I don't go to church. No, actually, could I use this Does our lives reflect the following of Jesus?
Speaker 2:Because I believe sometimes we don't need to say anything that we're following Jesus from a distance, because what we engage in and I'm not referring to anybody, I'm just putting it out there, across the radio podcast, across camera Do our lives reflect us following Jesus or do our lives reflect the gap between Peter, the fire bin and Jesus? Are we too frightened to tell the world that we're Jesus followers? Are we too frightened to tell our social media group that I'm a Christian? Does our timeline on social media? That is an interesting thought when you look at it. Social media that is an interesting thought when you look at it. Does my timeline on the platforms show that I am a Christian and I follow Jesus? Or is there blurred lines?
Speaker 2:Where you go to school, does the school, does your staff room, does the ones that you work with, the ones you walk with in the culture that you live, the people at home, the people in your workspace, the people in your life, does our lives, does my life reflect Jesus Christ when I leave the building? Does my life? Do people look at me and know by the way that he walks, he talks, the way that he answers, the way he shares, the way that he does what he does? Does the world think that Ben is a Jesus follower, or do they think Jesus is at a distance? Does your social media, does your social media, does our social media reflect a Christian's life? Media reflect a Christian's life? Does our life reflect, or have we got a fire bin in the middle, just keeping our distance from the King?
Speaker 2:I can't imagine what this was like, but I want to skip to the tail end of the text a moment. I'm just going to paraphrase a little bit there. But I want to welcome everybody in the house. I want to welcome everybody as well on radio tonight. May God bless you wherever you are. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for your prayer support. Thank you for all the support that you do, but I just want to just push this a little bit more.
Speaker 2:So when you look at Christ on one side of the fire bin, you look at Peter on the other side of the fire bin. One side of the fire bin, you look at Peter. On the other side of the fire bin. We understand as bible believing believers that three times he said no, no, no. And then it says then Jesus turned around. Jesus turned around. Imagine what it would have been like to lock eyes with the God of all, israel, with the king. Imagine locking eyes with Jesus. See what the scripture says for yourself. It says Peter replied man, I don't know you. Verse 60. What are you talking about? Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. I think that there's got to be one of the most harrowing looks anyone could ever have. But I think it might run a parallel with Jesus and Judas Iscariot, because when Jesus was giving the bread to Judas Iscariot, the Bible says that Satan entered into the body of Judas and there was eyeball to eyeball. So when you look at Peter in this text, I want to encourage you tonight. In the brutality that we're looking at, in the harshness and the reality of life, I want to encourage you to get closer to Jesus. I want to encourage you to get your Bible open. I want to encourage you to pray like you 've never prayed before. I want to encourage you to take bread and wine, even if you're on your own, at home, at work, at the desk, at school, if you've got it in your car, you've got it in your briefcase. Wherever you are, get some disposable bread and wine. You can buy the little capsules, you can get it. I've got to encourage you because when I die, I don't know how long I've got left on this earth. I might not make it to this evening, I might die tonight in my sleep. I might not make it across any more hours of this world, but when I get to glory, one thing I do not want is to lock eyeball to eyeball with Jesus and he says them dreaded words away from me. But, god, I've done 2000 podcasts. I preached for 30 years the gospel of Jesus Christ podcasts. I preached for 30 years the gospel of Jesus Christ. God, I was in the building. He said, yeah, but Ben, you didn't bring what I asked you to bring. You skirted around and you hang and you stood around in weakness for a while. Please, lord, give me another chance. Jesus, give me another chance. That's my prayer, lord. I just want to get to heaven, but I've got to be sure and I'm not frightened of telling the world right now, wherever you are, across the world 1,700 cities. We're streaming across the world. 1,700 cities, we're streaming. 1,500, 1,000, sorry, 157 countries, 1,700 odd cities, as I said, across the world. I've got to tell you now, those in the house, I've got to tell you you've got to follow Jesus, don't follow me. Yeah, it's great that we got a little bit of literature. We got a few things out here and there, but let me tell you what I've got to follow Jesus, don't follow me. Yeah, it's great that we got a little bit of literature. We got a few things out here and there, but let me tell you, what I've got going on isn't going to get you saved. I want to tell you now to follow Jesus, because I might not be here very long, I might die. I might die. Before the service is finished, I can hear people saying praise God, we need a new pastor in the house. Praise God, we need a new pastor in the house. Sisters and brothers, I've got to tell you over and over and over and over again get a Bible, get in the scripture, follow Jesus like never before. Follow Christ, follow Jesus, listen to the Holy Spirit. Don't listen to the crowd in your life. The crowd is lying to you. You've got plastic and fake people we all have in our lives and they're trying to take you away from Jesus Christ. Be careful who is in the circle of your life. Be careful who you are with. Be careful who influences your walk. Are the people that you are eating with? Are the people that you are drinking coffee or going out for a socialized drink with? The people at work, people at school, the people on your social network? Are they taking you to Jesus or are they gossiping? Are they bringing bad stuff into your ear gate? Are they telling you stuff that is of the devil's playground. Listen, there's no more time for messing around. There's no more time for messing about, because when I die, I want Jesus to go. Well done, son. You got it right at the end. It took you a long time, I had to clip you around the back of the ear a few times, but you got it right. Because when I get to heaven, my God, I think we need preaching on hell more. I think we need to preach on hell a lot more to shake myself up and if it shakes you, brothers and sisters, up, praise God. But we got to speak about hell, because there is a chasm between the eternal God and that lake and that fiery lake of sulfur that burns so hot we can't even go there. The human mind can't go there. Sisters and brothers, you've got to get a Bible. You've got to get this Bible in your spirit. You've got to read. You've got to pray. You've got to follow Jesus. You've got to give him everything in your life. The Bible says seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Do you know what? There are many. I will call them preachers many bishops, many pastors, many people in many denominations I'm talking from this line backwards, not in the congregation. There are going to be many, many leaders that are going to go to hell. They're going to be many, many leaders that call themselves leaders, that ain't going to make it across because they've taken God's word, they haven't listened to God's word and they've done what they wanted to do. They've married men and men, they married women and women and they've allowed certain things to go on and their lives do not reflect a Bible believing believer. Yes, I understand, all have sinned and fallen short of thy glory, but one thing I can't do is take this word and take the words out of it and put my own words in it to suit the sinful way that I live. This word is here for me to stop me sinning and to pull me up sharp. I say Ben, you can't speak like that. Ben, you can't do that. Ben, you can't go down to that crowd, don't go over to that place, get away. This is the issue that we had with Samson. He didn't listen to his parents. Don't go down there, son anymore. But he loved what he was doing. Sisters and brothers, I've got to encourage you, and when I get home and when I die and that'll be the greatest day that I'll ever have in my life is when I die, because that will be the day that I cross the river. That will be the day that I know that my Redeemer lives. That will be the day when my God and my King will go. Come on, you got in. There's flames under your feet, according to the scriptures. You got in it burnt the underside of your trainers, but you're in the door, son. You know, I'd rather sweep the streets, I'd rather pick litter up, if you know what I mean. In the kingdom, I'd rather run around for the rest of eternity cleaning and doing whatever you got to do. Just on a note, I'm in the door, god, I got to get in the door. Are we in the door? Is our name stamped in the Lamb's book of life? Peter followed Jesus at a distance. It's quite a scary text and there was Peter and the fire bin and the crowd and then Jesus. That's quite hair-raising when you think about it, because there are crowds in our lives. There are people that you know in your life that I, us, you, me, whoever we are socializing and walking with and spending time with, people that worship Lucifer and they are sitting at the fire bin and they are keeping you and me a considerable distance from Jesus. The Bible says, yeah, go into all the world. The Bible says, let your light shine. But there are certain circles that are trying to stop us and holding us and getting in the way of you and Jesus me and Jesus. Check the people in your life. I'm being so serious tonight. Check the people in your life. I'm being so serious tonight. Check the people, every one of them. Do they edify my life with the word of God? Do they encourage me or do they speak down to me? Do they put their arm around me and say, ben, it's all right, we're going to get you through, son? Their arm around me and say, ben, it's all right, we're going to get you through, son. Are people putting stuff on your social media that's degrading? Are there people in your life that are making us look like fools? They go to church. They go to church, but look what they're doing Friday, saturday, sunday night. Look what they're doing. Look how they're speaking. Listen to the language. That's certainly not heavenly tongues coming from their vocabulary chords. They're not certainly singing the Psalms. They're singing oh, my goodness. I can't believe what they're watching on the telly. I can't believe what they're listening to on the radio that they're singing along with certain lyrics from certain songs, and they're driving their cars and their vans and they got them on their earbuds and they're singing these songs that are degrading human beings. What is keeping us at distance from Jesus? The fire bin is critical. If I was you, that fire bin, I'd kick it right over, I'd get it out of the way. The circle of life and I'm not talking about the Lion King, the circle of people in your life, my life how many, how many people in our individual walks are Jesus followers, real Jesus followers, real born again? How many people do you know that have got their name stamped in the lamb's book and would hold you when they know that you're in trouble? How many people, when it hits the fan would go Ben, it's all right, son. How many people when you put it out across the table of life, I'm in trouble. Can anybody help me? It's funny that the plastic people. Because plastic people distort at the fire bin. Because plastic people distort at the fire bin. Don't get distorted yourself by people that are already distorted in life. Don't get distorted by what they are telling you. Don't get drawn in to the devil worshippers. Who's in your life that you really can count on. Who is in your life? That is dependable. Who is in your life that will not shout? Who is in your life? When you tell them so much stuff, they go. It's okay, jesus loves you. Sisters and brothers, we're coming to the table. We are quickly. Time is eroding, evaporating away. I want to encourage you tonight to be a Jesus follower, because that's what I want on my gravestone. He told the world to follow Jesus. That's what I'm going to ask when I die. He told the world to follow Jesus. That's all that matters. But we read the tombstones. He was a great man. He was this, he was that. He was a legend, but he also was a devil. Brothers and sisters, the graveyard is full up with people that don't know Jesus. Religion is a graveyard. Many don't know Jesus. I've got to tell you and you're probably going to get bored of me you've got to follow Jesus. So, wherever you are tonight, grab some wine, grab some bread, do it in your own space, do it in your own space, do it in your own time. But please, please, remember me. Please remember me if I'm not here next week, if I disappear off the face of the earth, please remember. There's one thing that we remember, ben for. He told us follow Jesus. He told us without any shadow of a doubt, we got to follow Jesus, to ditch religion, forget everything else on the outside and to seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. It's really important, sisters and brothers, wherever you are on radio, in the house, with me, in your life, to really be careful. Be careful, careful now. There is no time left. Honestly, there is no time. The King is coming. I'm expecting it. I can almost feel this. There is something happening in the heavenly realms. There is a rumble across the airways. Life is not what it used to be. War is happening in the spiritual realms. But please, please, please, you've got to remember me for this. Please, please, you've got to remember me for this. Ben said I've got to follow the word of God and nothing else matters, because when I follow the word, the scripture says seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else shall be added. So if I die, if I'm not here by next Sunday, please remember when you bury me, write that on me tombstone. He told us to follow Jesus. You've got to follow Jesus. Make your life reflect Jesus. Make your social network your social group. Let everybody in your life know that you are a born again, spirit filled, radical, braggadocious, a brother or sister for Jesus and number one. I am not being taken for a fool anymore and I'm not going to have plastic people in my life and I'm not going to listen to the devil's social network groups. I am going to tell those I am a Bible believing believer. I follow Yahweh, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. I follow Jehovah Jireh, jehovah Nissi, jehovah Shalom. He's my God and he is my King. Put it on your social network tonight. You've got to tell your friends I'm not dancing with the devil and you anymore. I'm not dancing with you crowd anymore. I'm not going to go and do that stuff anymore. I've got no time left on this earth and I can't be found to be found in the devil's playground when the king comes home to pick me up. I've got to be found as a Bible believer. It's interesting when Christians go into the crowd they almost desensitize themselves to Christianity. The clothing changes, the language changes, everything changes and we absorb what is going on in the crowd of life and anyone could the crowd that you've been in recently. Could they pick you out? If there was someone standing on the sidelines, could the people at your work, at the home, at your social network group? If people looked at you in the crowd, could they go? Yeah, that's a Jesus follower, that person. What is distinguishing us from the devil worshippers? What is distinguishing us from the world? What is it? Peter followed at a distance. Let's break bread. Holy Spirit, we want more of you. We want to overflow. Just overflow, God. We've got to overflow. So, lord, if I was to die tonight, please Lord, please God, get me in. So, lord, whenever the clock stops ticking and we die, please God, please Jesus, I work in an area of mortality. Life is like grass it blows to the right, it blows to the left, it gets cut down and it disappears. Life is so fast, so fast A breath and it's gone. Dear God and Heavenly Father, I break this bread and I realize I'm a sinner. I was a sinner and sometimes I am a sinner, but, lord, I'm saved. So I recognize my failings. Tonight, lord, and if I was to die, I thank you that my name is the Lamb's book of life. I thank you, lord, that I've got across the river. My feet got wet, but I'm in. I'm in. So, please, god, I ask you for my brothers and sisters across the world tonight. Please, god, our hearts cry is don't let me walk with a crowd anymore. Jesus, please, god, don't let me engage on the devil's playground. But, lord, as I break bread, thank you that it symbolizes the body of Christ. Amen, amen. The bread symbolizes the body of Christ. This cup symbolizes the body of Christ. This cup symbolizes the blood of Jesus. The scripture that we've been in for your own reference is the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22, verse 54. And the harrowing text is that part of that scripture that says Peter followed Jesus from a distance, and that distance, right between them Jesus and Peter, was a fire bin and a very large crowd of devil worshippers. I've got to tell you now do not engage in the crowd, even if you've got to be like a squirrel. Get yourself away, hide yourself, hibernate, get yourself some food, tuck yourself in the word and hold yourself in that space. Don't be found in a crowd, because that crowd will influence you to take you to a place that is not good. The crowd will influence me and take me to a place that is not good. The crowd will influence me and take me to a place that's not good. So, lord, will you cover me in the blood of Jesus tonight, from the crowd of my head to the sole of my feet, in your glorious name, amen. We've got two minutes. Two minutes and we're out of here. So let's just backtrack the Gospel of Luke that we're in chapter 22,. It clearly tells us that he followed Peter, followed Jesus at a distance. Please, please, please, please, look at the people in your life relationships, work, colleagues, culture, life. Are there people hindering your walk with Jesus? Sometimes we don't realize what is happening because they draw us and they draw us and they draw us into worldly activities. Lord, I pray for all of us tonight as the camera clicks out and the radio presses in. Lord, help me to be strong. Help me to be strong, lord, stronger than I've ever been in my life. But if I was to die tonight, lord, if I was to pass away and not wake up in the morning, I want to thank you, lord, that I will be found in the kingdom of God. So, lord, I ask you that all of us will look at our lives and analyze every human being in our lives. Are they dictators, are they plastic? Are they fake? Are they just there to destroy us? Are they there to encourage us? Are they there to lead us to Jesus? What are the human beings doing in our lives, our friendships, families, work, colleagues across the board of life? Do some analysis, do some reading, do some looking into it, do some studying, study your friends' timelines on social media that we socialize with. Do they talk about Jesus? God bless every one of you, wherever you are across the world. We are out of here in the powerful name, the greatest name in heaven and earth. May God bless you and strengthen you. We'll see you soon. Take care, bye-bye.
