Podcast Episode 9: Special Guest – Bro. Stephen Coffey Pt.1

• His testimony and how the Lord got a hold of his life even though he was a little “wild child.”

• How the Lord supernaturally healed him of terrible food allergies. 

• His call to the ministry and his admonition and advice to all young ministers feeling the call to preach the Gospel.

• The importance of having Christ be the center of your home and how he was affected growing up by his parents doing this very same thing in their own home.

• The importance of spending time in prayer and reading the Word of God and what he personally does to enter into God’s presence.

• What are the common misconceptions believers have about The Message of the Hour and christianity in general”

• What are the challenges that believers have in their daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ especially among the youth?

Ecclesiastes 12:1 – “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;”

Our Daily Strength Devotional App: http://ourdailystrength.com

Episode Transcript:

[00:00:00] Zoe Urrego: [00:00:00] Thou Art my God and I will praise thee Thou Art my God, I will exalt thee. Psalms 117:28.

[00:00:34] Luis Urrego: [00:00:34] Welcome to the Ten Thousand Worlds podcast. My name is Luis Urrego and it is an honor and a privilege to have you here listening with us today on this episode number nine of the ten thousand worlds podcast. My I can’t believe that it’s already the ninth episode of the podcast, but we certainly thank you for all the support and all of the listeners [00:01:00] who have

[00:01:01] enjoyed the podcast and have shared that with us and certainly an encouragement to us and we thank you for your for your continuing to listen, and we hope that this podcast has been a blessing to you. As we say around here your soul’s worth more than you think and whatever we can do to help feed your soul,

[00:01:26] Ultimately, it’s you that has to feed your own soul, but we can just share this content with you and hopefully it will get you to feed on it and help you grow spiritually. Because in this lifetime the only things that are going to matter is what you do for others and of course what you do for Christ and is the only two things that you will take with you after you leave this world.

[00:01:53] So we thank you for tuning in. On this episode we had the privilege to talk with brother Stephen Coffey. [00:02:00] He is the son of brother Barry Coffey who is the pastor of Hickory Bible Tabernacle in Hickory North Carolina. Brother Stephen is a minister in the gospel and also a missionary and of and is happily married with his wife Sarah.

[00:02:17] I believe it’s he’s been married over two years. And I got to tell you I really enjoyed talking to brother Stephen, he’s as you as young as he is he is 28 years old, but he is so knowledgeable and one of the things that draws me to brother Stephen is just his humility and his desire to serve people and so that really draws you to his personality and to what he has to offer as well on this episode with our interview with him,

[00:02:56] We talk in depth regarding his testimony and [00:03:00] how the Lord got a hold of his life, even though he was a little wild child as he as he says so we speak about that and how the Lord supernaturally healed him of a terrible food allergy that he had from a young age.

[00:03:16] We also discuss the call to the ministry how the Lord called him to the Ministry and his admonition and advice to all young ministers feeling the call to preach the gospel.

[00:03:27] So you don’t want to miss that if you’re an up-and-coming minister, or if you have a call in your life to preach.

[00:03:35] We also discussed the importance of having Christ be the center of your home and and how he was affected growing up. With his parents doing this very same thing in their own home. So you don’t want to miss that as parents.

[00:03:53] We also discussed the importance of spending time in prayer and reading the [00:04:00] the word of God and in what he personally does to enter into God’s presence. We also discuss about the challenges and the misconceptions that many of our youth especially those within the ranks of the message of the hour have and some of the things that hinder them in their walk with our Lord Jesus Christ and not just the our youth but,

[00:04:23] All Christians in general. Lastly, we discuss the Our Daily Strength app, which is a devotional app that brother Stephen helped create and how the Lord put that on his heart to create that app. And that resource for all Christians and where the app is now and how you can access it. So you don’t want to miss that information.

[00:04:47] Of course, we will have the information of how you can access the app on our show notes as well as on the resources page of our website. So without further ado here is the first part of our interview with brother [00:05:00] Stephen Coffey at the end of this interview I will come back with my final thoughts on for this episode.

[00:05:07] May God richly bless you as you listen. Welcome to the Ten Thousand Worlds podcast my name is Luis Urrego and here I have brother Stephen Coffey with me. I just if you just want to greet the listeners brother Stephen. 

[00:05:22] Stephen Coffey: [00:05:22] Hey, brother Luis I really appreciate you having me on this podcast and, let me come in and talk for a little bit.

[00:05:30] I am really excited to be here and I I really like this kind of stuff. I think this is really good. And you know, I think everybody needs to be in church, everybody needs to have a pastor but this kind of discussion and using technology in this way, it’s just really cool and God has given it into our hands.

[00:05:53] And I say why not. So I’m really thankful that you’re doing this and you know what? I’m really thankful that you [00:06:00] asked me to come on. It’s a previlege.

[00:06:04] Luis Urrego: [00:06:04] Well praise the Lord Brother Stephen. Yeah, it is. It’s always say, you know, let’s just use the knowledge the knowledge of Good and Evil but use it back against Satan, you know.

[00:06:15] So yeah, exactly the tools that he wants to destroy with let’s just use it back against him. So

[00:06:20] Stephen Coffey: [00:06:20] Absolutely.

[00:06:21] Luis Urrego: [00:06:21] We just thank God for for allowing us to do this brother Stephen. Just wanted to you currently reside in Hickory, North Carolina or in Virginia.

[00:06:32] Stephen Coffey: [00:06:32] No, I live in I live in Hickory. So in Hickory Bible Tabernacle and that’s where this, North Carolina.

[00:06:39] Luis Urrego: [00:06:39] Okay, brother Stephen is brother Barry Coffey’s son, who is the pastor there at Hickory Bible Tabernacle. That is that that’s the name of the church? Correct?

[00:06:48] Stephen Coffey: [00:06:48] Mmm Yeah.

[00:06:49] Luis Urrego: [00:06:49] Okay, and of course, he is accompanied with by three other brothers, correct? 

[00:06:57] Stephen Coffey: [00:06:57] Yeah, you mean my family?

[00:06:59] Luis Urrego: [00:06:59] Yes and your [00:07:00] family your family.

[00:07:00] Stephen Coffey: [00:07:00] Yep. I’m a middle child. So don’t hold that against me.

[00:07:04] Luis Urrego: [00:07:04] Okay, and you’re 28 years old?

[00:07:06] Stephen Coffey: [00:07:06] I am.

[00:07:07] Luis Urrego: [00:07:07] And you’re and you’re married. Correct?

[00:07:11] Stephen Coffey: [00:07:11] Happily married.

[00:07:12] Luis Urrego: [00:07:12] Happily married. How long have you been married bro. Stephen?

[00:07:14] Stephen Coffey: [00:07:14] So my wife Sarah and myself have been married for about two and a half years now.

[00:07:19] Luis Urrego: [00:07:19] Okay, Praise the Lord.

[00:07:20] Stephen Coffey: [00:07:20] I love every minute of it.

[00:07:22] Luis Urrego: [00:07:22] Praise the Lord praise the Lord.

[00:07:24] Yes, and I’ve been married coming up to 13 years. So so yeah, but that’s that’s not that’s not as much as some other it’s not as much as your mom and dad.

[00:07:35] Stephen Coffey: [00:07:35] But no that’s good.

[00:07:39] Luis Urrego: [00:07:39] But yeah, it is it is a it is a learning experience and it’s a wonderful experience that I believe every christian should should have the opportunity to have that specially when children come and especially when children come into the picture.

[00:07:53] Stephen Coffey: [00:07:53] Well, I think brother Branham was right when he said it’s you know a good wife is the greatest thing that [00:08:00] God can give you outside of Salvation. And I feel like it’s, you know to me that has become a reality. It’s so true.

[00:08:08] Luis Urrego: [00:08:08] Amen. Amen. I’m happy to hear that. That’s that’s the case for you brother Stephen. Good now brother Stephen it you are minister correct?

[00:08:21] Stephen Coffey: [00:08:21] I guess you could call me one. Yeah,

[00:08:24] Luis Urrego: [00:08:24] Okay, but you you help your dad there at the church?

[00:08:29] Stephen Coffey: [00:08:29] Yeah. Yeah, I do.

[00:08:30] Luis Urrego: [00:08:30] Okay, praise the Lord. One thing about about brother Stephen, listeners, is that he he’s very he’s a very humble brother and that’s one thing that’s one thing that that that really draws you to to him and and that that type of Personality because.

[00:08:50] It’s meekness and being humble is something that there goes a long way, especially in this day an hour or so.  So that’s but [00:09:00] of course, you know, that’s not of our own but we are called to to that in this hour in the when you see so much pride and so much haughtiness out there nowadays. It’s a it’s a breath of fresh air to see somebody and that’s that’s how brother Stephen is somebody that portrays that and of course, we’re not all perfect.

[00:09:21] And I’m not but at least we strive for Perfection. So we see that in in brother Stephen’s life and we appreciate him and that I haven’t known brother Stephen for too long of a while, but I’ve known of him. I’ve always appreciated his his dad’s Ministry and then and what his family does. But brother Stephen if you could if you could share with us, maybe a little bit about your background testimony about how you came to the Lord and how the Lord started dealing with you at what age and and just kind of things like that.

[00:09:56] Stephen Coffey: [00:09:56] Sure. Absolutely. I love telling my testimony and [00:10:00] I.  it’s a unique one because brother Barry Coffey is my dad. So I grew up in a I always say one of the best Christian homes a person could grow up in you know, I haven’t known anything else but the Message of the Hour right in my home and I always say that because a lot of people don’t have that privilege, but maybe the Lord knew that I could not handle it any other way.

[00:10:30] You know, maybe he knew that I wasn’t strong enough to come up in an unbelieving family and no he’s allowed other people to go through that. I don’t know but for whatever reason he gave me that privilege and you know, it has its own unique challenges but it also has many benefits and you know that being the case I would like to say that my parents, you know, I’m so grateful for a Godly family and for them raising me in the way that they did [00:11:00] in the admonition of the Lord, so.

[00:11:03] You know, I was a wild child on when I was young.

[00:11:10] Luis Urrego: [00:11:10] That’s hard to believe.

[00:11:13] Stephen Coffey: [00:11:13] No, it’s it’s true. Just if you go around a certain people who are in my childhood, I was crazy. I had cowboy boots when I was, you know, five or six or 7 and I’d go around kicking people and I just I just had a lot of energy and not enough.

[00:11:34] Not good enough places to you to let it out I guess so I was just a wild right goes a bit on the rebellious side. So, you know, there’s always that one kid that your parents really that parents really tend to pray about the most. I think I was that kid.

[00:11:52] Well

[00:11:53] so, you know for that that being the case.

[00:11:58] I tend to [00:12:00] feel like when I was younger and I’m talking about, you know, underneath 12 years of age. I was really wild.  when I was.

[00:12:12] had the chance of going to so many different churches being in so many different meetings and experiencing the presence of God in such powerful ways. I didn’t know Christ. I didn’t you know, I didn’t know him from anybody and I had been around that and solid teaching to my entire life

[00:12:34] because you’re not your dad your dad was and he passed heard before correct from

[00:12:40] yes.

[00:12:41] Oh he passed heard he pastored in Logan Ohio for many many years. That’s where I grew up. Isn’t that Ohio and then. You know, we moved to Virginia and he took the church North Carolina. So, you know my whole life I had been around church and [00:13:00] good solid message shirt is right, so I didn’t know Christ.

[00:13:05] I’ve been around all of this and I was no better off than anybody else and just you know, my desire.  I thinking it was just you know, I was a sinner and. I think I kind of knew it too. But there was one day I was 13 and I was at a church in Canada and I had suffered from really bad migraine headaches from food allergies.

[00:13:34] And if you know what migraine headaches are like you only really know what they’re like unless you’ve had them so I was allergic to everything like everything in the book and they were legitimate food out. You know, it was it was pretty bad a lot of pain things like. So I was at this church in Canada and some front row and they had a really powerful prayer line and man something just hit me.

[00:13:58] It just hit me like a freight train and I [00:14:00] started crying and I was 12 years old 12 or 13 at the time and it just totally took me off guard and I just felt the presence of the Lord really strong and before I knew it I found myself at the altar. And I just walked up there and my dad was actually preaching in my dad’s I walked up to him and I was crying and everything like that.

[00:14:22] He said, you know what I was praying for you and he said I knew that you’d come to the altar night. Wow, and it just it just really connected with me, you know, because I I was not the kid to go to the Altar and for him to say that and to know what happened in my heart. To bring me to the altar. I knew it was Supernatural.

[00:14:45] So he prayed for me in my my food allergies and things like that a migraine headaches and I really I gave my heart to the Lord at that moment. It doesn’t lose and I said Lord if you’ll

[00:14:57] Luis Urrego: [00:14:57] human sardines are corrupt. He died. Just [00:15:00] wanted to know the do you remember what what your dad preached that that night?

[00:15:06] Okay, no idea.

[00:15:08] Stephen Coffey: [00:15:08] But not about the Lord was not real

[00:15:10] Luis Urrego: [00:15:10] on the scene working.  That’s powerful. Absolutely.

[00:15:13] Stephen Coffey: [00:15:13] Yeah. Yeah, I probably wasn’t listening. Well, no, but you know it just it just hit me. It was just it was just so was

[00:15:23] Luis Urrego: [00:15:23] it special the fact that your dad knew that you were coming to the altar that that just shows right there that yeah Lord was already on the scene doing something.

[00:15:33] Stephen Coffey: [00:15:33] So yeah. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, for sure. So, you know he prayed for me and I really asked, you know, I asked the Lord to heal me and from that moment on I haven’t had another migraine headache and I’m 20. So from from that moment on not another migraine headache now, I’ve had headaches but not a migraine and not food allergy related and I have nobody outages [00:16:00] that that really.

[00:16:02] Changed me because I experienced experienced that myself and nobody can take that away from me. You know, so that was the Lord, you know proving to me that his word is real if you lay hands on the sick. They shouted come over now. It was a few years later when I was fifteen fifteen sixteen something like that.

[00:16:24] I was just in a real rough spot in my life and just kind of depressed. Because I just you know, I didn’t really know my way and I just didn’t feel like I really had a connection with the Lord and I was out in the woods and it was squirrel honey not to be overly spiritual, but I was groaning in so but I was out there by myself and you know, I just broke down.

[00:16:57] I just really broke down his kind of my. [00:17:00] The psychologically I was just at an end, you know to myself and I.  you know, I I just I really broke down. I guess the only way to explain it and I asked the Lord to fill me with the spirit and. I just really had a connection with them. And when I was I was about 15 at the time a couple weeks later, September 11 of had.

[00:17:37] And I was you know now I had I’ve had given my heart to the Lord because that experience really changed me that. That’s 15 and and I just had that experience where I really broke down before the Lord and really said Lord, I need you to do something my life. I hadn’t been baptized account. So September 11th happened and I was watching The Towers fall [00:18:00] and I was thinking oh my goodness.

[00:18:03] Like there’s you know, that’s those. That’s New York City.  and that’s a big city and. Nothing on the face of the planet could have helped those people.  And I’m like that’s that’s the world that I live in and I realized and I had this vulnerability. I guess it creeped over me, and I said Lord. I need you four days later.

[00:18:26] My dad baptize me and a Cold Creek and freaking. And I really gave my heart to the Lord. I believe I really had come to a repentant state state, you know, and I knew that I was I knew that I needed a more integrated way now was until a couple years after that that I really received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and it wasn’t a wasn’t a big event for me.

[00:18:52] It wasn’t, you know, I’m not the guy to. Dance at the altar, you know, I’m just I’m [00:19:00] always the quiet guy can stains back and just soaks in the the joy around here. It

[00:19:07] Luis Urrego: [00:19:07] kind of lets the Lord just deal with UConn the morning when I more quiet way, you know, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[00:19:14] Stephen Coffey: [00:19:14] Yeah, that’s just always been me, you know, and I don’t I don’t trust fabricate anything and that’s

[00:19:18] Luis Urrego: [00:19:18] how we reach there is nothing wrong with that because I’m in every God deals with us in every way in every way.

[00:19:26] The best way to eat that he knows to get your attention. That’s the way he’s going to deal with you and he’s going to deal with you absolutely according to your makeup. So.  just just throwing that out there for the listeners because you know some there is some people that say well, you know, you need to have have this experience or you need to do this this that or the other but at the but sometimes you know, God deals with us it was in the still Small Voice that God dealt with Elijah.

[00:19:54] Stephen Coffey: [00:19:54] Absolutely this the silent power of God can really relax you.  [00:20:00] So it was like that and I was in a camp meeting. I was actually a 20 youth retreat and I found myself at an altar and you know, I had given my heart to the Lord. I’ve been baptized.  but it was at that moment that I really I really sold myself out to the Lord and you know, I really.

[00:20:22] I really had an experience with them and it was just a personal very personal thing and it was at the altar

[00:20:30] Luis Urrego: [00:20:30] you were around 15 or 16. Just how correct. 

[00:20:36] Stephen Coffey: [00:20:36] Yeah, it was actually about 17 at this point.  Yeah, so, you know is it was just a. Just a real solemn experience for me. And I know that I know that he filled me with his spirit and at that moment in time the reason I know that it was a moment in time, except my my desires changed, you know what [00:21:00] I wanted out of life changed and actually, you know about that time.

[00:21:04] I actually got a job at a bank. So the bank teller so I had a bunch of time to kill so when it was real quiet, I would sit and read so I would study you know, because I was in college at the time around 18 somewhere around there. So I was in my freshman year and I would be studying but I actually picked up don’t hold this against me, but I picked up a new international version bible.

[00:21:27] And I don’t I don’t recommend The New International Version Bible.  but it was there and I picked it up and started reading it and I actually started to read the old file size and. It was actually in a in an external building from the bank and it was a drive-through and it was really was a small town.

[00:21:47] So I had a lot of time to kill I was by myself. So I think the Lord allowed me to that time and I just got into the word in a way that [00:22:00] I had never done before in my life. I just really started to read. I got an amplified version and I you know the King James side-by-side and I was just reading and I was just soaking up the word right and I spent a lot of time in that bank reading the Bible and it totally opened up to me in a new way and it just became alive to me because my desires have changed right?

[00:22:26] I believe I had the baptism the Holy Ghost and I you know, I just I wanted it and I wanted him to affect my life. And I wanted to be used and I was just soaking it up, you know and the message I would read so many message books and and the Bible together in the the Old Testament stories just came alive.

[00:22:47] And you know, I had no I had known all of the lingo my whole life. Yeah sure, but it was only till I got into it myself and after having met the Lord Jesus Christ personally and I [00:23:00] knew he was an actual person. It’s only then that when I got into the word he began to put all the pieces together for me, right and I began to really say, oh that’s what it is.

[00:23:10] You know, and that’s what Redemption is. That’s what it means to be saved and they many things like that.

[00:23:17] Luis Urrego: [00:23:17] Amen. So then you bhukti

[00:23:20] Stephen Coffey: [00:23:20] absolutely. Oh man. It was just came along really did so it wasn’t tell us about 20. That I never felt the call to preach. I never ever wanted to preach part of me still does it but I just I never did right?

[00:23:38] It just wasn’t a thing for right and when I was 20.  exact same way as Lord hit me at that altar. It just it just came out of nowhere and it just dropped on my heart. You’re you’re going to preach and that was it and [00:24:00] I did not like that and I just I never told a soul never told anybody not but the Lord put that on my heart you’re going to preach

[00:24:10] Luis Urrego: [00:24:10] you didn’t even tell your dad.

[00:24:13] Stephen Coffey: [00:24:13] No, I did not. Okay. I did not I didn’t tell anybody. So I said Lord. I don’t know if it’s right or not. But I said Lord if you want me to preach because I don’t want to but if you want me to preach you’re going to have to have someone come and ask me to talk to preach to do whatever I’m not saying anything, you know, and I think I guess it was my fleece.

[00:24:40] Right right round again. I don’t know if I don’t know if I’d recommend doing it away again, but it’s dead. Go

[00:24:48] Luis Urrego: [00:24:48] ahead Steven. I just wanted to tell you this that that right there what you just said. I’m so connected to that because that is that [00:25:00] is what that’s something that I did before. I started ministering.

[00:25:04] Stephen Coffey: [00:25:04] Well, there you go.

[00:25:05] Luis Urrego: [00:25:05] There you go. And go ahead select Lisa go ahead and tell what happened then. All right.

[00:25:13] Stephen Coffey: [00:25:13] Well, so two weeks later. Brother in our church, who is our youth? I guess you’ve passed her youth minister, right? He came up to me out of the blue and said hey, would you take a youth meeting?

[00:25:31] Would you give a youth session a talk?  And.  You know, I was thinking well, technically he wasn’t asked me to preach. He just asked me to talk. But you know, I’m thinking that’s a little too random right? It’s a little too it’s a little too close for comfort because here I am. Nobody on the face of the Earth knows that the Lord has put this on my [00:26:00] heart and then this brother comes out of the blue and asks me to do that when I’ve never spoken before my life, right?

[00:26:07] I’ve never leaned toward preaching at all around he comes in ask me to talk to the youth group. And I said Lord, I I’ll do it. I said that’s just what I asked for.  And you asked so I’ll do it and I did it and it was probably the worst sermon ever preached it probably would it definitely was the worst sermon ever preached.

[00:26:31] I. From that time on I don’t ask, you know, I don’t ask to preach. I just don’t and I said Lord if you want me to go somewhere you want me to do something. I’ll do it. Right but I want you to I need you to put that leading. You know that leading on my heart. I think anybody can make a decision to do something but there’s a difference between the decision to do something and the Lord putting a leading on your heart and I [00:27:00] always try to look for that leading and.

[00:27:03] You know, the only only difference is is Mission work. I make the decision to go whenever I can I I want to tell other people what what God did for me if he did it for me. He’ll do it for anybody. I really believe that so absolutely, you know, and that’s where I am today.  Ma.

[00:27:30] Luis Urrego: [00:27:30] For the listeners, it might be it might be short, but you might think this is a this took place in a span of years and God had God placed brother Stephen in different areas different places different positions to get him where he is now.

[00:27:49] And if you had not gone through those different experiences and those different places, you know, there’s this with different positions. He wouldn’t be where he is now because this is where he wanted him to

[00:27:57] Stephen Coffey: [00:27:57] be right now. Absolutely.

[00:28:00] [00:28:00] Luis Urrego: [00:28:00] So my this wonderful brother Stephen I yeah, I so connect with that because I truly believe that as brother Branham said, you know A God Called man is one that really doesn’t want

[00:28:13] Stephen Coffey: [00:28:13] to do it.

[00:28:15] That’s what everybody told me.

[00:28:17] Luis Urrego: [00:28:17] And who and and it is it’s it’s something you know, I I started ministering and back in 2009 and then I kind of I was I was still not sure about the call and I laid off for about a year. Yeah, and then I said I said Lord. If you really want me to minister if you want me to preach your the words and then you know, then have somebody call me.

[00:28:45] Stephen Coffey: [00:28:45] Yeah, and

[00:28:46] Luis Urrego: [00:28:46] sure enough and sure enough that same day. Somebody called. Wow. There you go. Yeah, so, you know, what? Can you say about things like

[00:28:53] Stephen Coffey: [00:28:53] that? You know,

[00:28:54] Luis Urrego: [00:28:54] it’s just just you put it in before God.

[00:28:57] Stephen Coffey: [00:28:57] So well, you know, I think a gift makes a [00:29:00] way for itself and I think also.

[00:29:06] Well, I definitely think a gift makes way for itself I think also for me.  I didn’t want to I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t even want to lean towards it because I know the effect that it had on my dad. I know how difficult Ministry can be. And you know, I think there’s a lot of rewards to it, but it’s also very difficult and I think the most difficult part being that if you’re not whether or not you’re very good at preaching you just have to do it.

[00:29:47] All right. God put something on your heart. You just have to do it and you have to endure the criticism. And you have to endure all the things that come with it. It’s not going to be not everybody’s going to like you not everybody’s [00:30:00] going to like your type of ministry that God uses each every Minister who preaches differently.

[00:30:06] He uses them in different ways to speak to different people and adults personalities. So not that not everybody is going to like it and certainly not everybody’s going to agree with you and you just kind of have to do it. Right. So I believe God has a will comfort you and he’ll come alongside you as a minister.

[00:30:24] I’ve seen that in, you know, just being a part of a Minister’s family and then just having the privilege to be able to see and witness very closely other ministers lives and things like that. It can be a very difficult thing to just so, you know commit to and you know allow the Lord to lead you into go through the struggle of.

[00:30:49] You know letting him deal with your life in certain ways and you know, I recently heard brother actually. No, he said this at the men’s meeting recently brother Jason Watkins. He said the [00:31:00] sermon is free. He puts that on your heart, right? So he don’t yes. This is not a lot of struggle with that God puts on your heart what he wants you to say, but I think the struggle comes in.

[00:31:11] You know and just said the burden of having to deal with things that you might not always want to deal with and that I think that’s what I was hesitant to embrace. But the more I go on I think all I want to do is to share that God is alive and that he can do the same for you as to what he did for me.

[00:31:34] He’s a he’s a real person and he will do it for you and that. That makes me happy and that’s what I live for, you know is sharing that the fame that the popularity which popularity is not that great. The money is horrible, you know all of that stuff, you know, you could you can have it. That means absolutely nothing to me and all the [00:32:00] criticism around it.

[00:32:01] You know, I I don’t really care let people say what they want to say. But cheering people cheering with people that God is alive and he will he will change your life and.

[00:32:16] Man, that’s that’s what I live for and that’s what I love sharing.

[00:32:20] Luis Urrego: [00:32:20] You know,

[00:32:21] Stephen Coffey: [00:32:21] absolutely I guess that’s what Ministry

[00:32:22] Luis Urrego: [00:32:22] is no brother Stephen that I wholeheartedly agree with you. I’m in it is it’s awesome to be able to see that God put something on your heart. You just obeyed and you spoke you spoke his word.

[00:32:34] It wasn’t your own if you’re if you’re strong to speak your own opinion or trying to preach your yourself, you know, then you’re you know, you’re not going to get anywhere with that. But when you take the time and you preach God’s word as God gave it to you and you see that. Somebody’s life’s changed or somebody’s life was affected by that in some way or another maybe even just to go up to you and just for prayer know [00:33:00] that cap that that feeling of that doesn’t it can’t be beat by anything else in this world

[00:33:07] Stephen Coffey: [00:33:07] that

[00:33:07] Luis Urrego: [00:33:07] that that God that you humbled yourself.

[00:33:11] So that God could you use you and like you said but Stephen the gift will make it will make way.

[00:33:18] Stephen Coffey: [00:33:18] Yeah

[00:33:19] Luis Urrego: [00:33:19] for the right people and I’m glad that you opened up about this regarding preaching because I think this is something that would help those young and coming ministers that are coming on the scene right now.

[00:33:33] That you know, they struggle the same struggles that that you and I have faced, you know regarding preaching they’re going to face to but it doesn’t mean that God is done with them or that God doesn’t want them to continue. What do you think is some of the most important things that maybe a young and coming minister or young coming brother that that may be feeling the call right now to preach.

[00:33:59] Some [00:34:00] some things that could help them out during during that time that maybe you’ve experienced.

[00:34:07] Stephen Coffey: [00:34:07] Well, so I have some interesting viewpoints on this. So first of all, I think that young Minister first of all, he needs to be under a good pastor right? He’s right under a ministry. That’s solid in the word totally a Grecian, you know, good reputation and. You know, it really cares about rounded people around them.

[00:34:35] You’re not going to you’re not going to grow spiritually. I’m not talking about your ministry, but you’re not going to go spiritually if you’re around someone that you know is all about himself right here. Sure. So I think the first thing is making sure that you under the right Ministry and going where God wants you to be.

[00:34:52] Mmm second, you know. I think I think one [00:35:00] thing that a person who feels the call is he should be ready for absolutely nothing to happen.  And what I mean by that is he needs to be ready for not anything to happen because you know when you’re when you’re first starting to preach you’re not really good here.

[00:35:18] You’re not a really good speaker. Right? And II don’t I personally, you know, I’ve been preaching. Um, I don’t know. Eight years now, which is crazy eight years now and I don’t have a sweet clue what I’m doing and every every time that I sit down, you know to study and someone asked me to come and preach.

[00:35:38] I’m like man, what were they thinking, you know, and you know Lord why me, you know. This is this is a bit ridiculous. Why why why are you asking me to do this? But you just have to do it right and follow the leading of the Lord, but I still don’t know what I’m doing. And I remember the first time I went to Korea [00:36:00] and the Lord and put it on my heart to go.

[00:36:04] Just just go to Korea. I just I really had a burden for the people there and I you know, this was one Church there and I just wanted to go so I just. I asked my dad, you know, he’s really good with Mission work. And I said what do I do? He said well, let me put you in contact with a brother. So I just went right and I remember showing up in Korea and landed in Seoul and I got to the hotel and I was like, yeah, what on Earth am I doing here?

[00:36:34] And you know, I met I met the brother and then I we just had a really good connection and. I’ve been going there for a number of years trying to help that brother any way I can and I still I don’t feel like I’m I just don’t feel like I know what I’m doing and I think you’ll part of that will stick with you for your entire Ministry.

[00:36:55] I think there’s a senior brothers who sometimes feel I don’t know what I’m doing. [00:37:00] So at the outset, I think it’s Paramount that you realize that. You might not you know God might have something very unique for you to do you might not have you preach all the time, right? You just might be a guy that fills a slot every once in a while and I think a lot of young ministers including, you know, at the outset you can think man.

[00:37:24] I you know, I’m going to be this big preacher and I’m going to be you know, a road warrior and go all over the place. You don’t have it sweet clue what you’re asking for. That that life is so hard and don’t don’t think like that just be a tool in God’s tool box.

[00:37:44] Luis Urrego: [00:37:44] I like that those points regarding because I think as a young minister is very easy to think just like you said that I’m going to be a road warrior and I’m I’m going to be the you know, like this

[00:37:55] Stephen Coffey: [00:37:55] type of ministry here in this

[00:37:57] Luis Urrego: [00:37:57] type of ministry there, but.

[00:38:00] [00:38:00] You’re going to be disappointed because you feel like you’re going to feel like oh when I preach this and this is the outcome that I’m going to expect or this is how it’s going to end. Then you don’t get that outcome. Yeah, and that hurt that hurts a lot. But but it’s it’s I believe it’s part of you growing as a minister that as long as you fulfilled that you preach the word of God and what God gave you the word is not going to return void.

[00:38:27] Yo.

[00:38:29] Stephen Coffey: [00:38:29] Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So I think I would add to that that you know, you have to find a Ministry that you’re you’re. That is a solid mystery to be under but I think it also need to be always willing to listen to counsel. Right and in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. Now. It doesn’t say that in the multitude of counselors.

[00:38:58] There’s the Lord’s will [00:39:00] so in that I think they’re you have to understand that. There’s the requirement to follow the Lord’s leading. And the Lord’s leading is never going to lead you outside of his word, right? So if the you know, cuz sometimes you can be led to do things that people around you will say now.

[00:39:20] You should be doing that. Right? Well the Lord put it on your heart. You have a leading to do it you need to do it. Right sure. It doesn’t make sense for 22 year old to go to South Korea and just show up. And you know when he does when he clearly doesn’t have a sweet clue what he’s doing but the Lord put that on my heart and I was responsible for that leading and I could choose to ignore it and I could also choose to listen to the to you know, other people that I may have asked and you know, I chose to go with the leading the other thing with with our daily strength.

[00:39:58] There’s a lot of people who counseled [00:40:00] me against it. And said, you know what? I don’t think it’ll be successful because of this reason why I don’t think you should do it because of this reason and I chose to go with what the Lord put on my heart and that’s that’s how what you have to be sensitive about I think is making sure that what you’re doing is in accordance with the word, right, but also making sure that you’re listening to the council around you because in the multitude of counselors, there is safety But ultimately you’re responsible for what the Lord puts on your heart.

[00:40:30] And you have to do it

[00:40:31] Luis Urrego: [00:40:31] absolutely and wait if its the Lords will that you really need to be at a specific point he will back you up.

[00:40:39] Stephen Coffey: [00:40:39] Absolutely. Yeah, I’m gonna be easy but he’ll back you up you go back you up. I think the other sense to sorry you

[00:40:45] Luis Urrego: [00:40:45] got no you go ahead busting go ahead.

[00:40:49] Stephen Coffey: [00:40:49] I think the.

[00:40:51] the other thing for young ministers is that you know, they they need to be themselves. A lot of [00:41:00] times you’ll listen to certain Ministries going to be attracted to certain Ministries.

[00:41:04] Luis Urrego: [00:41:04] That’s a that’s very good. If if I go

[00:41:07] Stephen Coffey: [00:41:07] out there if I tried to preach like brother Donny Reagan or brother Wayne Lawson, I kill myself.

[00:41:15] I’d follow you know, I just pass out, you know, if I if I moved around as much as brother digs or you know under Glover, you know, I’d be I wouldn’t be able to move for a week, you know, so you I realized really young. You know what I need to be myself and. Just just don’t don’t try to be something that you’re not God gave If he if he really gave you a calling.

[00:41:46] He’ll make a way for your for free to be used and it’ll be used in in his way. Right so you might not Saturday night’s lat. You just might be a [00:42:00] Wednesday night guy every once in a while. There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s great. You have an opportunity to influence people at the most crucial point in a person’s week.

[00:42:09] And that’s Wednesday night, right? That’s right do that to the best of your ability and do it. Just as God is leading you to do it. My Grandpa told me one time. He said don’t ever apologize for being simple and it just clicked in my head and I was like man, that’s so true because. You can think well, I’m not talking like that.

[00:42:32] I’m not talking like this you you preach, you know in accordance with the word study to show yourself approved. Right? So we have to be according to the word but we have to be ourselves and God made you a certain way with a certain demeanor with a certain voice do that to the best of your ability.

[00:42:50] And God will use you in his own way and if you can affect one person. And that person may never speak to you. You’ll never hear [00:43:00] that you affected that person positively but do that to the best of your ability and and to me that’s that’s what Ministry is all about. It’s about casting your bread upon the water and after many days it’ll return back.

[00:43:13] Amen.

[00:43:14] Luis Urrego: [00:43:14] Amen. I could not agree with you more brother Steven us. That’s that’s exactly that’s very key to just be yourself and be be who God made you because in there that’s the that’s the strength that the people will need. It. It is by you being yourself God’s not going to use you trying to be like somebody else another minister or God’s going to use he wants to use

[00:43:40] Stephen Coffey: [00:43:40] you.

[00:43:41] Yep, and if

[00:43:42] Luis Urrego: [00:43:42] you put yourself and you see and you’ve given yourself to the Lord if you’ve given yourself fully to him. Then he’s going to fully be able to use you unique and that’s what the people want to hear is they want to hear obviously got through you but your personality

[00:43:58] Stephen Coffey: [00:43:58] they absolutely yeah.

[00:44:00] [00:44:00] So

[00:44:00] Luis Urrego: [00:44:00] yeah, that’s wonderful brother Steve and I’m glad now hope that to some of the listeners those that especially with a young and upcoming ministers out there because God’s going to have a witness out there no matter we’re living in a dark age. We’re living in a very dark time. But God is always going to have a witness and there’s going to be people preaching the word this just what how God made it to be in his word is through the foolishness of preaching so brother, but just even just changing gears here real quick.

[00:44:33] Can you just share quickly how it you know how it was for you as far as being a. I get maybe you might have shared a little bit already, but maybe just being being a pastor son as you grew up as a pastor’s

[00:44:47] Stephen Coffey: [00:44:47] son.

[00:44:49] Luis Urrego: [00:44:49] It was was that because because obviously, you know, a pastor has has targets constantly on

[00:44:59] Stephen Coffey: [00:44:59] him,

[00:45:00] [00:45:00] Luis Urrego: [00:45:00] especially from from Satan, you know, and and one of the things that he uses his.

[00:45:07] To try to make him or you know, the family look bad and you see many and many eggs. I’m sure you’ve seen many examples of that within within Christianity. But how was it for you being a pastor son and always constantly be involved in the in ministries and seeing your dad involved in Ministry was it was it a bit?

[00:45:31] The more difficult for you being a being a being raised as a young person. Did you feel like you were strained or didn’t have as much liberties as far as oh, you know, I can’t I can’t be out here doing this this that or the other. Can you talk a little bit

[00:45:45] Stephen Coffey: [00:45:45] more about that? Sure. It’s really good.

[00:45:51] It’s a it’s a good question.  But you know, I think I think every family Dynamic maybe a little bit [00:46:00] different. And I you know, I can I can witness that my dad my mom they never ever put their Ministry over top of me and my brother. So so, you know as far as you know, as far as their reputation, you know or what it meant.

[00:46:24] To be you know have the perfect pastors face perfect family at all. Nobody is and you can put on a show but you know, the truth of it the truth will come out sir. But you know and I even go back to the fact that I was a wild child I was and you know, I think I caused by think. I probably cost him a lot of grief for that.

[00:46:48] I don’t know but I never felt ever.  like. Their reputation was more important than me and [00:47:00] me doing the right thing. Right? So what I mean by that is they cultivated my parents cultivated an atmosphere where the Holy Ghost was was welcomed. And I knew that right I was aware of that and they made they made me very aware of that.

[00:47:16] So it wasn’t that I had to get in line. You know I and they they forced me to act a certain way. Now if I was doing something wrong, they let me know about it. Right? I think I got I think I got spanked more than anybody else in my family. But you know, I they cultivated that atmosphere where I was aware that you know what this is not about Mom and Dad and this is not about dads Ministry.

[00:47:44] This is about Jesus Christ. And I knew that I knew that Jesus Christ was important to my dad and he was important to my mom and that’s why they did the things that they did, you know, [00:48:00] that’s why they disciplined me in the way that they would discipline. That’s why they you know, didn’t allow certain things to come into the home.

[00:48:06] It wasn’t because of their reputation or their Ministry anything like that. It was because he was important. Enter that had the biggest impact on me. And I think that’s you know for any Minister. I mean, that’s what I want to cultivate in. My family is I could care less what people think about me, you know, they’re going to think about they’re going to they’re going to say whatever they want.

[00:48:28] Yeah. Now if they say something against my wife and then I’ve got a problem but I mean you can say whatever they want to about me. It doesn’t matter. I want my family and you know my future kids. I don’t have any kids yet, but I want my future kids to know that. That God is real to me and that’s that’s what matters in our home is Jesus Christ, you know your reputation in Ministry.

[00:48:50] God will take care of that. Absolutely. No, we don’t it’s not a popularity contest and you just going to get yourself into trouble. If you do that [00:49:00] make Christ the center of the home and that’s that’s for you know, minister or ladylike just just makes make Christ the center and and everything else takes care of itself.

[00:49:12] Luis Urrego: [00:49:12] We hope that you enjoyed the first part of this episode of our interview with brother Stephen coffee, and we just wanted to let you know that you can access the show notes as well as the transcription of this interview on our website. That is 10,000 world’s.com. The number 10 the letter K the word world’s.com and also you can find us on Facebook.

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[00:50:36] You’re more than welcome to put share with us your message because we want you to be part of this podcast as well. So thank you once again for tuning in We wish you a very wonderful day and remember your souls worth more than you think. So do everything you can to feed that salt. May God richly bless

[00:50:59] Stephen Coffey: [00:50:59] you

[00:51:00] [00:51:00] Luis Urrego: [00:51:00] and have a wonderful rest of your

[00:51:05] Stephen Coffey: [00:51:05] day take.

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