Hey there, I'm Brian with Razorback Off-Road. Today we're going to be covering the install of the Exhibition Rack on the 2021 and up Canaan Commander. So I'm going to go over some components real quick. We have our basket, we're going to have two side pieces, and then our tailgate. Those are our large components. For our hardware, those are all going to be included in your hardware kit, including the two islands that you're going to need for this job. The tools required, we're going to use half inch socket and ratchet. And then I'm going to be using a half inch ratcheting wrench, but you can use a regular box wrench.  So we have a couple other pieces we're going to be using. We're going to have our receiver plate, sure bracket, excuse me. And then we have two hinge plates. One's going to be a little bit different than the other. We're going to be using the smaller one on top and the larger one on the bottom. We're also going to need a drill and a drill bit. We recommend one size up from 516. And that's going to be used for installing the 516 bolts on the bed. Then we have two pull pins and the rest of the hardware. So let's go ahead and jump right in. I want to take a moment and talk about if you have bought one of our Sherpas, the link to that video is going to be in the description below. Go ahead and go over there and check that out for that install. So let's go ahead and jump right in. The first thing we're going to do is not using these tools, but we're going to go ahead and remove these panels here. So there's two zoo screws on the other side. All you got to do is unscrew those and put those aside.  Just like that. I'm going to put this aside right now. And it's pretty for the other side. And this operation is the same whether you have a commander two seater or four seater. All right, next thing we're going to do is we're going to drill out those holes for the mounting hardware. There's a dimple here that we're going to be following for that. And then we're going to be drilling straight through.  So I'm going to go ahead and do that. We're going to go ahead and repeat that for the other side. And again, just following that dimple right there. We're going to go ahead and set that aside. We're done with that. Next, we're going to grab the right side. So this side right here, we're going to grab that component right now. So this is our right side. You'll notice that this has the hinge plates right here. And that would be on the right side of the machine. Go ahead and set that up there.  And it should just stay right there. Next, we're going to grab one of our five sixteenths bolts, one of the large fender washers, one of the smaller washers, excuse me, and then one of our five sixteenths lock nuts. We want to put that fender washer on top. Go ahead and slide that right through. And on the underside of this, we'll go ahead and get that nut started. For this step, I'm going to be using that half inch ratchet wrench like I was talking about earlier. And then our half inch socket and ratchet. And when you're installing this first bolt, you actually want to make it kind of tight because we're going to be using it to retain the side when we put the other mounting hardware on. And the reason I'm using the socket and ratchet on the bottom is because kind of recessed in there so you won't be able to access that nut. Now it's fairly tight. I'm going to go ahead and repeat the same process for the left side. So I'm going to grab that now. So this is our left side. And it just has that bracket on there. And that's a good note for which, noting which one is the left side or the right. So now we want to grab another 516 bolt, large fender washer, smaller washer, and lock nut. Okay. Now that that started, I'm going to go grab my tools, put those aside for now. Next, we want to raise that tailgate, go back up. At this point, we're going to actually raise the bed. So those bolts are going to hold it in there for us. So it should be good to go. Just lower it slowly. And they'll wobble a little bit, but it's going to be all right. So next, we're actually going to grab some of our custom hardware. First, we're going to grab not the large one, but the smaller one. So we're going to grab that. And then one of our 516 bolts and large fender washer. So we want to go install this.  And go ahead and get that started. And just make sure when you do it, when you're installing this tightly, we want to make sure that that piece is all the way against the bed. Now I'm going to repeat that for the other side. Again, 516 bolt, fender washer, and then that piece of hardware. Now I'm going to grab that half inch socket and ratchet we could crack down on those. You might take up some slack after doing that hand tightening first. Next, we're going to grab these brackets. They're going to be able to go inside the machine and we're going to show a close-up of that so you can get a better idea of where we're going with that. I'm going to start on this left side here. So you want to put your bolt through the second hole right here and then put this guy all the way against the hard stop in there and just start hand tightening. And I'm going to repeat the same process for the other side. And that should be the last of your 516 bolts. Just try to take as much slack out of that bolt as possible behind tight and then grab your socket and ratchet again. We want to make sure those are nice and snug. Those are very important to keep those tight. Go back and tighten those top ones. All right, now that's done. We're going to put that tool down. At this point we're actually going to tilt that bed back. It should be very easy. Next, we're going to grab that basket and then we're going to be installing that. Luckily I'm 6'5", so I can do this by myself, but if you are not, you might want to ask a buddy to help you out. We're going to go ahead and drop this guy in just like that. Now that we have our basket up there, I'm going to go ahead and grab the hardware for that. While I'm doing that, you might want to grab a step ladder so you can be able to get up there more easily and see the bolt holes. We're going to grab six of our quarter-inch fasteners and then we're going to keep those for now and then we'll grab the lock nuts in a second. Just want to make sure that each of these slots line up. You can get those bolts through easily and there are six per side. They'll move to the other side and repeat that process of lining those bolt holes up. Now we're going to go ahead and grab six of our quarter-inch lock nuts. I'm going to go ahead and start those bottom ones because they're a little bit easier to reach and do those back ones. The reason we're doing this hand tight for now is just that we have that adjustment if we need it and then we'll come back and then tighten those all down. So now we're going to make sure that our basket is pretty centered on the rack, making sure that gap is the same on the other side of the basket. It looks like it is. So go ahead and start tightening down those bolts. You're going to need a 3.8 socket, which I have here, and that 7.16 wrench. I'm going to grab that step out of here. Come over that left side first. We're actually going to want to start on these bottom bolts here and then work our way up the flanges. See that's good and snug. So now we've completed that. We're going to go ahead and grab our tailgate and install these T-pin handles right here. Now that we have our tailgate, we're going to go ahead and install these. So we're going to be using blue thread lock. Just want to put a little bit on the threads there. We're going to be installing it in these receivers right here and those thread in just like that. There's that. Then we're going to repeat it for the other side. Repeat the same process with the blue thread lock just a little bit on the threads and thread that guy all the way in there. Now that our tailgate is prepped, we're going to install this receiver bracket right here. We're going to need two quarter inch bolts and then our lock nuts. Actually the last of your quarter inch hardware right there. So an important thing is we want this to be facing out like this, and we're just going to install this loosely so we have some adjustment later. Go ahead and put that first bolt in up top and start your nut and repeat for the bottom there. So now that we've loosely installed that, we're going to go ahead and grab that same socket and three eighths and then our seven sixteenths. We're going to snug these up a little bit, but not all the way. We want to be able to adjust it. Like I said, just snug enough so it doesn't wobble around on you. You'll notice I have some adjustment here, but it's not going to be moving around on me. Okay. So this point I would really recommend grabbing a buddy. I'm going to have Austin come help me here in a second. We're going to put some of our washers, stainless steel ones right here, and these shoulder screws through the hinge plates here on the tailgate, and then our hinge plates here. But first, before we do that, we're going to install these hinge plates here, the ones with the four slots in. We want to make sure that we install like this underneath this plate, so it should be able to rotate like that. It won't fit otherwise because of the weld. We're going to use four of our shoulder screws for that. You're going to grab four of your five sixteenths lock nuts, just working your way around, just hand tight for now. On this top plate, the orientation will be this way or that. It does not matter, but it does matter on the lower one, and I'll show you that here in a second. So this is your lower hinge plate, and the orientation does matter. So we're actually going to put it in just like this. So this crescent shape is going to be facing out of the machine, not in. We're going to put it in just like that, just like we did the other one, and just repeat that process like we did up top. That's holding it for me, and that's the last of those. So now that I've done that, we're going to go ahead and snug this up just a little bit. We're only going to do two of each bolt on each of the plates. So you're going to need to grab your quarter inch allen that will provide for you in your hardware kit, and then a half inch box wrench. That's all you're going to need for that. Like I said, we're only going to be doing two of those on each of them. Might be able to get away with it up top there for now, and then just barely snug on two of them. That way we have that adjustment. And like that, I just did it a little bit too tight. So I'm going to back it up just a little bit. I want that plate to be able to move just a little bit. I'm going to back this one off just a little bit more. So just like that. If you want it to be snug so it doesn't wobble back, sorry, wobble up and down, but we also want it to be able to move back and forth. I'm going to put that process down here. Okay, just double check and make sure that's still loose enough we can adjust it later, which it is. Now that I've done that, we're going to grab our shoulder screw here, our smaller allen, and then these two smaller washers here. We're going to be using those in between these two plates here and the plate we just put on. So I have Austin come out and help me with this. If you have a buddy, I'd really recommend it, make it a little bit easier in yourself. All right, so now go ahead and put that up there. I'll guide it in right there. So he's going to hold that side right there. So we're going to take our shoulder screw here, one of our washers, and we're going to lift that up just a little bit and then put that through. And then we're going to grab our other washer and slide it in between those plates and that way it goes through. So at that point it's not going to fall off. We're going to go ahead and put that nut on there. That way Austin doesn't have to worry about it falling on him. We're going to grab our other shoulder screw and washers and repeat the process down low. All right, we're going to hand tighten that and then Austin's going to go ahead and redo that latch right there so we're locked in place and that way we don't have to worry about it falling out. Cool. Thanks Austin, appreciate it. So now we're going to take that smaller Allen wrench and our half inch and we're going to go ahead and tighten the nut on this shoulder screw. We can go ahead and do that and repeat that for the bottom. Okay, so we're going to put that down for now. We're going to go back and grab our 3 eighths socket and ratchet and then our 7 sixteenths wrench. What we're going to do is we're going to make sure that when we open and close this so you notice there's a little play right now that's because of the hinges of the hinge plates over there but when we go right here we want to make sure that that closes effortlessly. We're going to go ahead and snug these guys up. All right, so now we have that snugged down we're going to put these down for now.  The one that are on the welded on hinge plate. Tighten these guys up but just to check real quick we're going to pull up on that latch right there on the pin. Make sure everything is snug, no loose bolts or anything and as you can see it closes beautifully just as it is right now but if you have a heavy load or anything like that maybe a spare tire mount on here and a 29 inch tire it's going to sag a little bit so I'll put these down and show you what you can do to fix that. So I'm just going to back these off just a little bit just just a touch that way there's no slop in the tailgate but we're able to move those plates. So you see there's still a little play in there we're going to increase that a little bit more by coming back and loosening these outer ones.  So you notice this tailgate just sagged a little bit that lets me know that we have enough play. So we're going to get close up right here you'll actually notice that this hinge plate or the strike plate excuse me is actually above that bracket that's a good sign because we want that to be a little bit above but when there's a load it's going to come right back down to where it needs to be. So we're just going to make sure after we've tightened those bolts back that it operates smoothly and everything latches correctly so lastly we're going to put those panels back on I'm going to go ahead and grab those raise that tailgate now it's going to wrap up the install but just to do a double check over everything we're going to make sure that this tailgate opens smoothly and that latch closes when it's open it shouldn't go anywhere when it's open like that pull that pin up should fall back and latches latches well we just want to take a moment and talk about our spare tire mounts on your 2021 and up K&M Commander X-Fission Rack if you have bought a spare tire mount from us we want to ask that you do not tilt the bed or use the bed while the spare tire is on it's a safety thing for you guys just something to keep you more safe throughout the trail another thing is when you're operating the machine we recommend that you follow the manufacturer of the machine's recommendations for payload capacity there is a placard on the inside of this bed that shows you the overall weight for the capacity of the bed we have a requirement for 40 pounds or less and 29 inch tire for our spare tire mounts especially specifically for this rack we have a 60 pound limit on the basket and 30 pounds for each side we want to make sure you guys are staying within that range for the manufacturer so that's going to wrap up the install for our exhibition rack on the 2021 and up commander if you have any questions feel free to reach out to us but we hope to see you out in the trail


We remember the front porch, visiting with grandma, sitting with neighbors and saying hello to old and new friends walking by. This is where we shared our lives with neighbors, family and friends. We caught up on special events and we caught up on the community. Over time, the front porch was replaced by the backyard deck. The front of our homes are now dominated by garage doors. We sit in the back of our homes less connected. We have built our neighborhoods to prioritize our mobility and privacy, not our connectedness. As a result, we have moved farther apart. Larger, small, historic bungalow or ranch, apartment or townhouse, the front of the dwelling is where we can welcome a stranger or a friend, where we can sense the abundance of care and support in our midst. Community is not a noun, it is a verb, it requires our active participation. We need this to regain our connectedness, our sense of community and most importantly our sense of belonging. By actively engaging in community building, we develop trust and friendships. Knit the social fabric, we get to know the gifts of others. It's as easy as moving your chair from the back of your residence to the front. It's as easy as reaching out to a neighbor. It's as easy as being an extra set of eyes and ears for problems in your area. This connection makes your neighborhood a better place to live. Longmont Public Safety is committed to building a partnership. Take the first step, move your chair to the front and make a connection.


With Black Friday around the corner every business is looking for new ways to market its product and services After all Black Friday is not part of the year when you can easily boost your sales and increase your profit The Black Friday is a date when retailers offer deep discount on items to kick off the holiday shopping season Now people love shopping on this day because of the slush price of the product bought at e-commerce stores As well as brick-and-mortar stores if you're looking for marketing strategies for the upcoming Black Friday and beyond Then stick around as we will talk about how retailers can harness digital marketing for massive sales Welcome to business and sites on plus TV Africa. I am Justin Acadone Now for stuff addressing the level of impacts a Continent like Africa has had and the globe remains a point of discussion that can never be overemphasized This is Joseph the continent today has been faced by continuous increase in inflation This next report focuses on Africa's economic growth. Take a look. Africa has constantly Experienced numerous ups and downs in the area of economy and salt resulted in several crushes of the economy Nigeria as the country on the western part of Africa Considered the giant of continent as experienced more in the area of economic inflation Looking at the relationship between the dollar and denier Following the pandemic in these recession in 2020 Africa's economic growth recovered bought microeconomic stability weakened a Missed global commodity shocks are depreciating currency trade restrictions and monetization of the deficit Inflation is sorghum and pushing millions of Nigerians into poverty everybody knows that the problem in business in Nigeria today is that most means are saturated the Community the economy is not friendly the policies are not friendly to business owners It's not used to sustain the business a year from more than five to seven years One year ideas from other countries and how they are doing it and how they are making it right We hope it will also help us to also do it right in Nigeria looking at the statistics generally in the world there has been a increase in inflation generally which has affected the price of commodities and so is a global thing Finding the last in solution to the downward trend in Nigeria's economy all lies with the leadership as many have said With the forthcoming elections one will say that once the right mandate leader steps in Economy can experience a turnaround for the best nobody can deny. They don't know what is going on in Nigeria The economy is not in any good shape. I mean and this lack of Good leadership first to say the least a lot of inflation going on Things are a bit difficult for every day Nigerians Economy is connected to politics. So as much as we get our politics, right? We can also get our economy right Nigeria is a great country But it's just our bad leadership that puts us where we are and the way forward is Petrotic leadership and sincere leadership There's going to work While the economy is projected to grow at an average of 3.2 percent between 2022 to 2024 Inequality in terms of income and opportunities Remains I and has adversely affected poverty reduction as a lack of job opportunities Is at the core of high poverty levels regional inequality and social and political unrest Welcome back. Now. So let's get started in the past There was the brick-and-mortar approach through which retail has reached success by giving people a reason to visit the shop This strategy was effective in attracting more visitors and increasing the conversion rate The clients typically stayed longer bought more goods and spent more money Then the COVID-19 pandemic began and the crisis became the new competitor Retail has reacted and while some succeeded many failed Now they discover the solution against the crisis the right way to boost the sales during a pandemic Appropriate digital marketing strategy joining me right now is some sin or largely digital Entrepreneur is the founder knowledge digest Africa. Thanks for joining us in business in Saitan plus TV Africa It is indeed our pleasure now in my intro I said that before now it used to be the brick-and-mortar approach people usually go Just to the shop directly to get whatever they need but now since COVID-19 a lot of people are actually trading online and you know the return tap in massive But my first question would be black Friday black Friday black Friday everyone is talking about black Friday November like this It's always black Friday and people want to make massive sales if you were to advice a retailer What should they be focusing right now? So first, thank you for having me to come on to share this platform I think the fact black Friday is an interesting one because many things do happen during black Friday So for me as a digital entrepreneur and a business strategy, I would say that people should focus on Items that they really want they really want to buy to focus on buying those kind of items in period like this You know what is happening the economy the dollar keep going up So like there's a liking with that even when you get to January February You're gonna have these to grow more if nothing is done in the country to try to work against the dollar going up So I would suggest that you think about certain things when you want to buy into Black Friday for instance, you think about what we call fire sales. You know, how do I take advantage of? Product that is extremely expensive, but it's going at different weight in a lower way How can I buy more with so if I'm thinking about like a business person? I'll think about buying more of it because I know that is it probably that is it jacks up And I can make more profit if I want to resell that in my own retail store or in my own Carol's sharp or whatever platform you want to use to market it So for instance talking about furniture So I can decide let's assume I want to do it in terms of like building in business And I want to reach out to real estate guys. So what I can do is buy in bulk Because there's what we call black Friday afternoon, which is extremely like 50% discount 25% discount buy in bulk But again, I must have done what we call off selling off selling in a way that I will make sure that I'm talking to My clientele that are into the real estate space for instance that are looking for interiors to buy because many of them Think in that direction, but I'm a business person So I'm buying book and then look for a way to upsell so I can say, you know what I can give it this product Well, maybe $100,000 or 100,000 But pay me 20% of it and then when I supply you you'll pay me the rest Whereas I know where I can get the cheaper and I'm taking advantage of the black Friday So we call it off selling whereby you upsell somebody to pay part of the money But you drop more of the money to get access from the black market opportunity Black Friday opportunity and then you can go back and sell to people So you have to think about the fire sales that is happening. You have to think about off-selling So even you that desire to get into the black Friday, maybe you want to sell Because you have been focused more on the consumer side per se as a retailer as a seller Specifically now. I really want to make the most of it. How do I exactly know what to say because in my head I'm thinking that if I'm giving out this counter or slashed sales and you know various Competitive rate I might be losing money per se in my head. How does that really work? So for me, I would say that we're doing black Friday You have to do certain marketing strategy in place So if I have products, maybe I have it in bulk and I want to sell it I want to use black Friday as a medium to to sell this massively. I would think about what I call affiliate marketing So I get people to say, you know what if you're going to you know Affiliate marketing is like you getting to give somebody commission to talk more about your product So I can say, you know what if you can reach out to more people to take advantage of this and you use your URL And people go to your URL to buy from my store based on this black Friday You get 10% 20% discount. So what that means is I'm gonna have what we call viral marketing Because I would have created links that you can always create your own link to promote my product or create your own Pages or blog to promote my product in exchange for the commission you want to get from me Which is affiliate marketing. So and then if I want to make money, I'll say I'm gonna give you 50% You know, that's crazy. So for me, who is the seller? I must have looked at my major course look at my turnover when I do volume and what I'm going to get back So for me introducing affiliate marketing, what I'm simply doing is getting more people to be my salesmanship To project massively this my product from whatever platform. I'm using to sell it. That's affiliate marketing I can think of using what we call content marketing So for me using content marketing means that I begin to talk about Experiences opportunities testimonials of people. So it's be like a story telling but engaging my stories Story telling with what we call a signature Right, but you are ending the conversation to say, okay I'm giving only 10 slots to people always you have Limited numbers you are giving to people so that you can have massive people to rush into that opportunity I can give an instance for instance Give an example of me trying to sell this product 20 people have used it. Maybe I'm telling Beauty product I think 20 people have used it share their testimony show the inside before and after and then give like 10 Slots and say okay, it's gonna close midnight of social time What happens is that everybody wants to get into my funnel What I've used is called content marketing using that as a way to also influence people with story telling So you can decide to use that method But if I using what we call a storytelling kind of campaign, it means that you have to tie it around testimonials You have to even use an influencer if you want to go for that get an influencer to hold your product And then begin to talk about it. No, you won't talking about it and then that give an insight So we can keep going about different marketing Okay, we can use yes, that's several and you know, we'll take it blow-by-blow Approach because for instance now I talked about them how people would ordinarily go to the brick and mortar stores to get there Whatever they need but now people are doing so more online these days For instance, now, let's just a paint a scenario right now We're talking about digital marketing how we can harness that to get them better sales. I don't have a shop And I know I'm very good at selling. I have a passion for selling and then I know that I could I actually have a bit of the goodwill I could get them goods from a particular maybe Manufacturer or wholesaler and I want to pass him at the retail level. How do I go about that using digital approach?  Which means that many people read what is happening just like we want to know what is happening every day via different newspaper You can decide to do what we call and hard Add that you see on different newspaper I mean popping up and then you can use that as a trend to be able to even project That product you've collected from someone because you don't even have the product But you want to make sales out of it, right?  So if I'm talking about I have product around entertainment I have to look for entertainment and entertainment blog if I have product that relates to health I have to look for maybe the first 10 out Blogs so that I can use that to leverage and take advantage of their audience because they have traffic massive traffic is what I'm Trying to leverage on and where people see they will be able to in returns Come and buy for me. Whatever. I'm selling that product on the internet number two is for you to think about forums So, you know, there's there are online forums, which is like online community of people with the same interest group So for instance, you have people talking about relationship. They had several forums on relationship You have there are several forms on health. There are several forms of spots on entertainment So if your product is for instance about relationship about else about Things that will help people solutions you are creating then you go to those forums now You sign up as a member of the forum and then you you make yourself available to Present yourself like a nice pack like a solution like somebody who is creating solutions on that particular platform Don't don't don't make them know that is your product will begin to give tips You know people begin to recognize your username that you are using to talk about different Opportunities different things we can do like they are providing solution. I think that as you're providing the solution You will indirectly introduce that. Oh, I think this product will be useful for you You can check this link that link still is your own platform Well, indirectly you are on the platform speaking like a nice pack picking speaking like somebody who saw something from a platform And then recommending it to people on that from just imagine you are being 100,000 people on the forum and then you're sharing different tips and you recommend a product indirectly as you're sharing the Differentives maybe 10% maybe 20% from people in that forum or that segment We go to that particular website or that platform where you have your product and can make purchase What you have done indirectly is that you have positioned yourself like a solution provider for indirectly Projecting and selling your own product on that platform. That's for a marketing And then you can think about what we call social media marketing Okay, so that means you begin to think about how do I promote this product? I mean you have Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram You have hearts that you can use in targeting the right people and you project this That's like the thought aspect that we give you have a product or you've collected a product from somewhere You want to take advantage of the black Friday? All you have to do is make sure you target the right audience look up at where they are look at the Demography that you're looking at and then begin to target your heart so that they can come to that page Maybe your social media pay maybe your blog where you want them to see that product Maybe it's that even the page you have created or where you have given you to sell that product on somebody else platform Right, all you need to do is make sure that you're getting the right people to come there and they can take advantage of it I will heart the last one by saying do a giveaway So you're selling a product and the product is maybe what? 50,000 yeah, right and you can say okay if you buy to you can do what we call give away if you buy For I give you one free the right to I give you one free right or you say you know what? I'm going to give the first 20 people to buy from this store What that means is that your 20 people can turn to 100 200 Because what you're doing is that you are prompting more people to want to get within that corner of the 10 20 people And then that can give you massive sales during black Friday It is a strategy you can always put in place to make more more money during black Friday Okay, I'm gonna put you I'm gonna put you on the spot a bit and we had talked about them Competition and them collaboration, you know, so something just occurred to me right now So you were just making them those explanation for instance You know, we know the big names when it comes to digital marketing and sales You know, I don't call all the jays and the case has its where you know because even most of them They don't even have the projects themselves They have other retailers who go to them to you know to put on their platform So the issue of a competition and collaboration still comes to my head right now You know, you are not as big as those names Would you rather start on your own and be a competitor or just that go with them and collaborate? So I think I'm gonna just use two in one strategy. I mean, so there's nothing wrong for you starting But there's beauty for you collaborating because if you collaborate you get more edge You have more visibility you can move faster than you start in a low But that doesn't mean that you should not start so for instance, I mean I'm a writer that you just starting up There's nothing wrong for me to look for aspects within my field and begin to have interviews with them the way I'm doing What that means is that their credibility out to my credibility and gives me an edge in the marketplace What I've done is collaboration. It's not me going through the rounds of beginning to promote individually I'm beginning to create my community and leverage on their community. I recognize that they are aspect in their field I begin to do what we call broadcast I begin to think about you know how to do interviews for them because when they come on my platform What that means that their community sees like oh, I think what this guy seems I mean is a perception management You know people begin to say I think what this guy is doing is right for is that a means to be missed a series and Influencer to come on his platform. So that's collaboration. So you need to think about more of Collaboration than you started in a so imagine you thinking I say you want to start Facebook of your own Give it a name. You're gonna struggle the technology you want to use I mean demand power the resources You don't really have it There's nothing wrong for you to leverage on the crowd the population the numbers that you have on Facebook Just open an account and then take advantage of how can you make more money or do more business or have Collaborations with people on that platform just imagine the the kind of opportunity that LinkedIn has created in a way You have professionals not that you cannot start your own LinkedIn account and quality name that you weren't is good But I'm saying that it pays you more. You have more edge. You have more money. You have more more Access more visibility if you think about collaborating than thinking about competition First we don't even have the resources. We don't have the money. We don't have the manpower. We don't have the skill set so obviously you're going to be spending more than an organized Platform that has everything it takes in terms of backing them to be able to do more Based on what is happening in the tech world So you always think my advice is that always think of collaboration always think about Platforms that can activate that can make you visible that can make you have more access to people in the marketplace To do more for yourself. This is watching business and site and plus TV Africa and we still have them something a lot of the digital Entrepreneur founder knowledge digest Africa and we're looking at them boosting souls with some digital marketing in the moment We'll come back with more. Don't go away All right, welcome back to business and site and plus TV Africa something has been giving us lots of useful insight And as we begin to wrap up he's going to even dish out some more something some people seem to believe that After all, I really don't have them so much. My business is not so big. Why should I be exploring digital marketing? What would you say to them? so our advice that They need to think about digital they need to make use of the digital platform to do a lot of things because you can reach More people with a little amount of money. That's number one number two You can create a community that you can have access to or control over I can even jump into an existing community that you can leverage on to even make more money for yourself and make your brand visible So digital is almost everything I use the word almost everything because at the click of the mouse if you know what you need to do You know where you need to go You know how you can package yourself and present your content properly to people there people who are angry for Information hungry to want to buy do impulse buying they are ready to consume whatever you're presenting to them It's like a market where you have conserved You have people that want to consume a lot of information So it is how you present it and I always tell people you make it of what we call the three house The right market the right timing and the right messaging I can have I can have the right message But if I don't target the right timing many people are not going to see my message If I go don't go and look for where those people are the right market It means that my message will be useless even though I understand the timing So there's a time for you to post on the internet as a time for you to Make an offer known to people just like black Friday is like the noise everywhere We jump into it I know how to present your messaging to the right marketing at the right time in which is the black Friday You're gonna make massive series. So what I would always leave with Audiences who are listening is that digital is something that you should not joke with and I'll tie it around the fact I should think about building a subscription based money making continually for yourself when it comes to digital So I can decide to start something and I grow it over time with numbers So I start a campaign but I grow it into a community and the people begin to invite people So you can see you have Facebook group. You have telegram group. You have Instagram group. You have social media group You have a WhatsApp group, right? So I can create what we call a subscription based kind of platform because that's why you make more money How do you do that? First be determined to give valuable information to people continually You can target the next three months six months. They're just educating people within your niche market Now people begin to see it and recognize that you are an aspect and authority and then you will create a List a platform where people can always jump in and put in their information to get into the community So you will make the community it will be free, but you they have to all sign up now as they're signing up All you need is their name phone number and email Name phone number email and location don't know where people are coming from so that I know how to target more people within that Region to get into your community Why do you need the phone number because you want to use the phone number as an access to market to them via phone XMS WhatsApp Telegram and all of that. Why do you need an email because we want to use that to do email marketing? so it means that maybe I do it a Survey of a product maybe an health product and I see that many people are interested Even though I don't have the product it means I can make money from my community What I mean is that all I have to do is look for someone that has a product and come present it to my community And I make money because I would have signed a contract of whatever presented that will get from every sale Now what you have done in direct is that you have built what you call a Subscription based way of making money continually But you have your indirectly or directly building a community of affecting people within your field But you are also making more money within that community some people calling membership sites Well, you say you know what if you get in here for the next 12 months you get access to information But if people begin to subscribe just like you have DSTV, you know is a monthly subscription kind of thing You can keep making money forever what they did was to create a product will create a subscription kind of Opportunity around the product they can tell you you know what if you pay in three months ahead These are packages you are gonna enjoy So you create also packages that will make people want to pay one year ahead three month Six months ahead or one month All you're just doing is that you have created a platform look for solution based kind of Platform that you have created look for product line of people that you can do what we call applet marketing with I can bring a product And sell to one thousand people two thousand people in my community But I always charge this amount and you create what we call a money for now opportunity for yourself They're very interested in something but lastly just in 30 seconds another scenario. I'm trying to paint right now still on the whole block black Friday Thingy and all of that for instance. I am really small I have a small salon a beauty salon and there's sort of marketing that I do digitally Through my WhatsApp group and maybe Facebook friends. I have on Facebook I show some of the things I've done how do I explode that and how do I how can I get sales for black Friday? What should I do differently because I'm not like saying that I'll give you one food we want for you What can I do differently? I mean you can decide to create different packages for people that you have existing people some of them know you some of them Can use their influence of their friends within their network to also promote what you're doing Yeah, so strike a deal with people that already know you tell them if you bring somebody I give you access for a free washing of your hair Tell them, you know what if you can use this coupon and you get 10 people you come free and I'm gonna give you an attachment But all you're doing is simple, you know people always Drive around always get interested when they see value when they see free breeze when they see things So do what we call it I would tie it around the opportunity that you want to all right Thank you so much something for your time and all of them the useful insights that you have shared today I'm sure a lot of people are going to blow in quotes during this and black Friday deal Well, thank you so much. Oh, it sounds in the latin day is a digital entrepreneur and he's the founder of knowledge digest African He has joined us today to make Give useful insight on how you can actually boost sales through digital marketing. That's the size of the show for this week I am Justin Acadone. Many thanks for watching


Yeah, we on boss talk one-on-one. Yeah, we gonna get to this man. Let me let me let me talk about the song I seen the one with you a little by why I see you made the reference early about little by wow Was that important to make that feature happen? Yeah, I got what I'm saying cuz it makes sense when you said that legacy You know I'm saying like I got a certain things on my bucket list I got a you know, I'm saying scratch off like I told myself I gotta get a Grammy at least four Right once I get that I'm I feel like I'm done with music Okay, cuz I got other goals and aspirations. Why Grammy though. Why the Grammy? Yeah, it's like a Super Bowl. Yeah, it sure is It's like you playing in the NFL for nothing You know I'm saying like everybody trying to get that the highest of the high, you know sense Oh Super Bowl Call it. Wow. That's what we got to go with. That's that's a conversation. Yeah, that's just what it is We have to do better, but we ain't there yet. Yeah, we ain't done Let me get that story though, like let me let me understand how by wine you how did you made that happen? You know because like I said, it ain't easy if you unless you've been knowing the nigga No, so what happened was shout out to my cousin sport. He worked in his building. Okay, so In Midtown, anybody know about Atlanta. Yeah, a lot of high rises. I stayed literally Probably like two Houses away from breath like to build this really so and I never knew this the whole time So I was like I my cousin came over and I played the record. He was like, man, that's all hard I was like, yeah, man, like and I need to get bow all on this. He was like, bro. No bow I was like, what he was like, yo, bro, like I'm gonna link y'all up. I'm like, all right Whatever, bro, like you don't know bow. I mean a man called me two days later Face time. I'm like cuz you know, I forgot all about it Yo, I answered the phone bow all faces in the in the camera. I was like, I'm like, yo, what up?   So we did that record on like a Monday You know I'm saying he sent it back on Wednesday and then we shot the video on Friday You know, I'm saying it was that quick while bucket list. Yeah, you know, I'm saying just scratching. Who next? Bro Wayne, you gonna get Wayne. I got it That song probably none came out. So really? Yeah. Yeah, it's that's dope man. Yeah, it's like top secret But can we talk about a little bit by the time it's there you write it's go, but shot hot boy turk You know, I'm saying like I read top the turk nigga. You you know, I want you on the show don't play with me So I did a record car, mm-hmm, right, okay I Remake of the I'm the number one stuff Oh, yeah, so, you know remade the beat. You know, I'm saying I didn't I was like, bro I gotta get the original hot boys on this. You know I'm saying so I call a turk You don't think cuz I did a couple records for turk He sent it right back. You know I'm saying I really want manning fresh on them I was there if I can get many fresh and have wheezing and turk It's going down. You know I'm saying but if I do that, I gotta get Juvie. You know Not a song a six-minute song So I was like man, who can I get you know I'm saying so number two boys they bless me You know I'm saying just because of the work ethic like you said that we're getting something else, man So that's it. That's it and and and so you say Wayne. Did he send it right back? Yeah, Wayne a work horse. Yeah, I know I know It's on what you listen boy you talking and talk man. Everybody can't say they got a song with In this day and time when I easy to do when I when I tell you bro this phone right here got so much Like this is a billion dollar phone. I got verses. I got beats. I got man look These two they cool. Yeah, this phone right here. This is the number. I've been having since I was like eight Okay, you know I'm saying so that's why people ask me why you got three phones I'm I can't get rid of this number. Yeah, you know I'm saying like I met a lot of people on this phone like people that I I haven't talked to in the industry like they'll still call this number because they don't have these you know I'm saying whatever DM me, but this is like my Business slas family like if I know you like you can get that number.


Today we're in James chapter five. We're gonna look at verses seven through 11. And I took the title of our message from the scripture. The judge is standing at the door. So beginning at verse seven, I'm gonna read verse seven through verse 11. And we'll look at this passage today. The judge is standing at the door. James writes in chapter five, beginning at verse seven, therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. So as we begin, the judge is standing at the door is the title. And it's because the Lord's return is spoken of here. Throughout the Bible, the coming of the Lord is the centerpiece of theology. When I was first saved, it was a teaching that I had never really heard anything about. I'd been raised in a particular faith. I'd taken the various classes and all that helped me to participate in the faith, but I never heard about the coming of the Lord. I never was taught anything about the Lord Jesus Christ returning. And so when I got saved, it was at Calvary Chapel in the Bible studies that I was first introduced to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I was taught not only facts about the Lord returning, but I was also taught to live as if I expected that he would return any day. I was taught to live in anticipation of his return. And because his return was soon, I was also taught to live in a way that was worthy of the gospel, to live as if I really believed, in other words, that Jesus is returning. When you read the Bible, the next prophecy on the prophetic calendar to be fulfilled is the rapture of the church. There's nothing left that needs to take place for that particular prophecy to be fulfilled.  Now that goes along with scripture in 1 John chapter three, verses two and three. John said, dear friends, now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. In other words, if we really believe the Lord is returning, then we wanna walk worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you really believe that he's returning in your lifetime, at any moment, John was saying to live in a pure way because he himself is pure.  And the emphasis of our service to the Lord is all based on his imminent return. We believe that he was returning at any moment. Now again, back at that time, there was this anticipation that became almost feverish in some ways. There were books that were written concerning the return of Christ. Anybody here who's of a certain age may remember Hal Lindsey and Hal Lindsey wrote a book called The Late Great Planet Earth. And that was referring to the raptures returning to the end days and all. And it was a best seller. And so we had books that were written concerning the return of Christ that helped to fuel our anticipation. There were movies that were made concerning the return of Christ. A Thief in the Night was one of those movies. It was actually a series, but that movie, A Thief in the Night and the other movies that came after that drew thousands of people to faith in Jesus Christ. And there were songs that we sang that emphasized the return of Christ. There was a song that was sung by a man by the name of Larry Norman. It was a song I wish we'd all been ready. And that song impacted us as Jesus freaks.  Everyone got trampled on the floor. I wish we'd all been ready. Children died, the days grew cold.  I wish we'd all been ready. There's no time to change your mind. The sun has come and you've been left behind. A man and wife asleep in bed. She hears the sound and turns her head. He's gone. I wish we'd all been ready. And so we were raised with that with books and movies and Bible studies. And we had an anticipation, an expectation that the Lord Jesus Christ was going to return. And so this anticipation and expectation actually began to provoke certain kinds of responses. Some decided that if Jesus was returning soon, they needed to get married as quickly as possible. And they would meet somebody in a Bible study and they'd look at one another. And I had a friend who did this. His name was Ed and his wife Linda because Ed was a single man and Linda was there in the Bible study. And I still remember Ed looking at Linda and they went outside to pray and decided they were going to get married. And after all, they'd known each other for a couple of weeks. And they got married. And a lot of people were doing that. They said, we want to get married. I guess they wanted to go through the tribulation. I don't know, but they got married. There were guys who were actually charging up their credit cards to the full because they were expecting Christ to return at any moment and they were going to leave anti-Christ with the bill. That's a fact. There were some who became so afraid of the thought of the return of Christ that they became extremely legalistic and rigid and they lost all of their joy. And there were others who got involved with what we call today last day's cults. You know, the children of God and other cults like that. And they ended up just going in the wrong direction. There were others who became impatient. If Jesus said he's going to return and he hasn't returned and they became impatient because they saw so much pain and because of the imbalance, they became disillusioned and they returned to the world. They saw continuing injustice and they thought the rapture wasn't going to happen. Well, while James is writing of this at this time and he exhorts them to something, you'll see it in a moment. He exhorts them to be patient. This is because injustice is part of the corrupt world system and he makes it clear as he's been speaking in the previous verses, he makes it clear that the unrighteous rich will receive their judgment for their sins. He made it clear that they would be judged because of their pride and we saw this, their fraudulent dealings, their materialism, their riotous living, their greed, their cruelty to the poor and the oppressed believers were going through hard times. They were suffering through these injustices and because of this they were impatient. They were waiting for God to intervene on their behalf and he hadn't yet. So James instructs them to wait, wait for God because God will decide when to move. God will decide when to bring justice. You see, when we go through times of struggle and difficulty it's easy for us to lose heart. That's something that's part of being a human being. It's easy for us to become filled with a sense that perhaps God has abandoned me. He's not gonna move on my behalf. You see this actually penned in the word of scripture. You see this sentiment in the Bible in Job 13 verse 24.  Or Psalm 13 verse one. How long, oh Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? Psalm 94, three and four. How long will the wicked, oh Lord, how long will the wicked be jubilant?   And you see this over and over again in scripture where they cry out. They're human beings, they're going through hard times. They begin to wonder if God's even listening if God's even there. James is encouraging these people to hold fast. Remember it's always darkest just before the dawn. God hasn't forgotten them. And that's why he says in verse seven, therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord. There to be patient, the word patient speaks of burying the offenses and injuries of others. To be mild and slow in avenging. They're being oppressed by the wicked rich. They're impatient that justice hasn't been served. So he says instead of growing impatient entrust yourselves to God. God judges fairly and God always moves at exactly the right moment.  In second Peter three, verse nine, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise to some counts slackness but his longsuffering toward us. Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. In first Timothy 116 Paul said, I was shown mercy so that in me the worst of sinners Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. See God doesn't move necessarily upon our own timetable. He moves on his own. And in second Peter three, 15, the apostle said bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation. So instead of desiring vengeance I'd entrust the Lord because God will do what is right. You see if an all holy God is patient they too must be patient and they must trust him. They need to give God room to move instead of constantly desiring to be avenged. In Romans 12 19 Paul said it like this. He said, beloved do not avenge yourselves rather give place to wrath for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord. And so he begins in verse seven by simply saying therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. And so he begins to use the illustration of a farmer and he says you need to be patient. Be patient Jesus will return at any moment and whether he returns soon or sometime in the future he says be prepared. And he continues this thought as he teaches through this passage. He says the coming of the Lord he speaks of his coming being at hand. He says the judge is standing at the door. So instead of directing their attention to the trouble he directs them to their future and he encourages them by reminding them of Jesus's return for the church. Now the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is referred to throughout the New Testament. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament the return of Christ is mentioned 318 times. That's one verse and every 25 verses specifically mentions the Lord's return. And the only New Testament books that don't mention his return are the books of Galatians and second and third John. As Christians the anticipation of being with Jesus is what is to motivate us to live for him because his return is to cause us to have an anticipation and a preparation because his return can happen at any moment.  And we're taught that he could return at any moment as mentioned a moment ago. I was taught that from the beginning and I can still remember it was February 9th, 1971. I still remember the date. I had gone to a Bible study the night before. I was at Calvary Chapel and the subject had been the return of Christ. And I had gone home, I slept at, I was living at my parents' home at that time and my dad had put a roll out bed in the den. And I still remember I was there on this small bed in the den and I was laying and the house began to shake and began to move. It was one of the most serious earthquakes that we'd had in California at that time. It was a huge earthquake and I lived in Norwalk at that time and I still remember the bed, everything was moving. And naturally, I've been through a lot of earthquakes before that and quite a number since but this was a very severe one and I still remember the house as it was moving. And I mean, it was really shaking and the bed was moving. And then I thought, oh man, you know, I thought the house is gonna fall on me.  I still remember, I was 20 years old, I'm laying there, I said, lifting my hands up, like, okay, take me Jesus, take me.  But I was taught that. I was taught that Jesus is gonna come at any time and be prepared. And the things you're going through, I'd have served to prepare you in terms of anticipation and a desire to serve God. I was taught that from the very beginning, be prepared, his return can happen any moment. In scripture, his return is often presented as being something that occurs soon. And you'll see that in the writings of Paul. Philippians four, verse five, he says to that church, let your gentleness be evident to all, the Lord is near. In 1 Peter chapter four, seven and eight, the apostle Peter said, the end of all things is at hand. Therefore be serious, watchful in your prayers. Above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. So the soon return of Jesus has been the hope of the church from the beginning. The looking forward to seeing Jesus provokes hopeful anticipation and also a holy living. In Titus two, 11 through 13, Paul said, the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age. Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ. So the return of Christ is to provoke us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust and to live a sober, righteous and godly life today. That's what it's supposed to do. Now James, the book that we're studying is the oldest New Testament letter, yet his return is used as an incentive to remain patient. He's saying Jesus is returning. We need to look to him and not our circumstances as we await him. His soon appearing is intended to motivate us to patient godly living. It's like what it says in Mark 13, 33 through 37, take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is. It's like a man going to a far country who left his house and gave authority to his servants and to each his work and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming in the evening, at midnight, at the groin of the rooster or in the morning, lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping and what I say to you, I say to all, watch. Various writers instructed and exhorted believers by appealing to the return of Christ. In Romans 13, 12 and 13, the night is far spent, the day is at hand, therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, let us put on the armor of light, let us walk properly as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. In 1 Corinthians 1.7, Paul said you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. In chapter seven of 1 Corinthians, verse 29, Paul said, this I say, brethren, the time is short so that from now on, even those who have wives should be as though as they had none. 1 Corinthians 10, 11, now all these things happen to them as examples and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come. So from the very beginning, Paul was using and Peter was using as an exhortation, the return of Christ for believers to live godly lives. You see, since Jesus was returning soon, such a hope should motivate us to be ready for his return. Our lives are actually to be driven by the hope and this hope that's within us transforms us from within. We don't fill up notebooks with notes on his coming. We live as if he really is. In Revelation chapter three, verse 20, Jesus said, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me. Very often that scripture, Revelation 3.20 is used to illustrate Jesus standing at the door of your heart knocking and all and you need to open up the door so he can come in. But the context of Revelation 3.20 is speaking about his return in judgment and he's saying I'm even at the door. You need to get right with me. You need to be prepared for me as I enter in and so the soon return of Christ you see throughout the New Testament and it's something that's to provoke us. We're to live lives with eager anticipation in Hebrews chapter 10, verses 24 and 25. Let us consider one another in order to stir up loving good works, not forsaken the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Hebrews 10.37, yet a little while and he who is coming will come and will not tarry. Over and over, I'm just taking a select view to scriptures for you. I want you to see how consistent this cry is that Jesus is returning soon. We need to live as if we really think he's going to. I've known a number of people over the years who've known scripture that pertains to the return of Christ, but it's grieved my heart to honestly have to say that some of those whom I've known may have notebooks filled with notes but the heart hasn't been marked by the appearance of Christ. They don't live any differently. They're just able to talk about the events. They're the people who read the newspaper and try and find a Bible verse in there to prove that we're in the last days but if you're really in the last days then you're really going to live as if you expect to see Jesus any time and it's going to change the way that you live and that's what James is exhorting his readers to. He's saying you need to be patient until the coming of the Lord and this patience believers have is to be directed to a specific goal and that is to be with Jesus Christ. You see, when I got saved there was this, there was this new industry that some of you grew up in and you might think that we've always had this industry but it really began to show itself in the Jesus movement. It was the bumper stickers. So we used to have bumper stickers that we put on our cars and that the Bible is so good you hate to put it down and things like that and on my car I had six bumper stickers that I put on my car that when I would drive you'd see all these scripture verses and things like that. We were Jesus freaks and that's the way we lived. And we were taught that Jesus is returning but there was one bumper sticker I didn't like because it said the rapture, the great escape and that didn't sit right with me then and it doesn't sit right with me now because I don't see the rapture as an escape. I didn't, I wasn't looking to escape. What I was looking to is to win as many as I could to Christ before that takes place. I was taught that the most selfish person in heaven is the one who goes to heaven alone. And so we were taught to evangelize. We were taught to share. We were taught to go out and tell people about it. That's where the four pillars in this church that people might not even realize we have. We call them the four pillars and a lot of you who are new don't even know these four pillars. And when you walk in through the foyer you look at those doors but if you look up you'll see four pillars. The word worship, witness and witness and the witness is the fourth pillar.  You need to worship God because God wants us to worship in spirit and truth. I was taught that we need to love one another therefore we need to have fellowship and I was taught to take these words out and to share them with others were to be a witness and that's where the four pillars came from the word worship, witness and witness. And I was taught that from when I got saved that you're now saved, bring somebody with you to heaven and that's what motivated me to tell my mom and my dad, my brother, my sisters. That's what motivated me to tell my friends and others that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior because he's gonna return and he's gonna take us and I didn't want people to be left behind. And that was how it was. And yeah, amen and it's not quite like that anymore.  I say, why? Oh, I want him to return but I want to have children. Oh, father, forgive them, they know not what they say. I want more trouble because the one who's married has many troubles. You have children, they multiply. You know, I was taught and I feel this to this day what could be better than being with Jesus Christ, right? I mean, what could be better than to see him? And the rapture, I didn't see it as an event. I saw it as my introduction to my Savior that I would be taken in the twinkling of an eye, be transformed immediately, that I wouldn't taste of death and I would be with him. And so I saw that as my opportunity to be with the one that I'd grown to love. Though I had not seen him, like Peter says, yet I still loved him. And so to be with the Lord and to be taken in, the judge is even at the door and the Lord is returning, really ought to fill us with daily anticipation. It ought to fuel our hearts to want to be prepared. Even as a bride prepares herself for her husband. When, you know, the bride will have a nice, beautiful gown very often. She'll dress herself in the most beautiful way that she can. She buys the dress. Most of the time the bride keeps that dress. It becomes something for her. Whereas men, we're not quite like that. We rent a suit that some other victim used last week, you know, but women, women are different. Women want to have proof, I guess, I don't know. They want to have, they want to have that. And they prepare themselves. Over the years I've done quite a number of weddings and I have just never seen a bride who didn't prepare herself for her groom. I just have never seen one. All the brides have their hair done. They have special makeup done. They dress themselves as beautifully and as attractively as they can because they're about to be joined in marriage to that man they love. And in seeing that Christ is portrayed in scripture as the groom and the church is portrayed as his bride, the bride is to prepare herself to be with the groom. And so it isn't the wedding that you're looking forward to. It's the groom that you're looking forward to. It's being with him and it's not that, wow, one of these days we'll be out of here. We're gonna escape. It's gonna be one of these days I will see the one who wept for me in the garden. One of these days I will see the one who took the stripes on his back for me. The one who had the crown of thorns. I will be with him forever. I'll have the opportunity to say thank you face to face. The one whom I've loved yet never seen. Now I get to see face to face. And that's the anticipation. That's what prepares us. Not being able to mark up our Bibles but our lives being marked up by the Bible that we're being transformed and conformed into his image because of an anticipation that he's even at the door. And we ought to be patient as we await. He may not be here today, he may not be here tomorrow but each day that passes by is one day closer to that moment we'll be with him. And so James is saying be patient and wait. His return is ought to, it ought to cause you to be patient. In Hebrews 9, 27 and 28 it says man is destined to die once. And after that to face judgment. So Christ was sacrificed once to take away our sins, the sins of many people and he will appear a second time not to bear sin but to bring salvation to those who are waiting him. So James says that we're to wait patiently in verse seven. Then he goes on and says see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth. Waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. So to understand this illustration, this patient hope of a farmer, we need to remember something of the promise that God had made to the nation of Israel. The promise is illustrated through what is referred to as the early and the latter rain. The faithful Jew knew that God had given a promise concerning a provision of rain to the Jews in Israel. That particular promise is found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. We need to remember something of the geography of Egypt and of Israel. Egypt has the mighty, it's called the mighty Nile River. It's a huge river, it's a source of water irrigation, drinking and a variety of things. It's a huge river and it waters Egypt. But Israel has a small river called the Jordan. Some of you have been to Israel and you'll know this, if you go during the summer, you'll especially see this to be true, that the Jordan River is not large at all and some places it's very, its width is very restricted. You can go across it very easily. It's not like the mighty Nile at all. It's a very small river. And so when God was speaking to the children of Israel, he began to speak to them of the land that he was going to give to them as they were to inherit it. And he says in Deuteronomy chapter 11 verses 10 through 15, God says the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot as a vegetable garden. But the land which you cross over to possess is the land of hills and valleys which drinks water from the reign of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares. The eyes of the Lord your God are always on it from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.  I'll send grass in your fields for your livestock that you may eat and be filled. He is saying I am by grace gonna provide water for you. So when you get your early rains and your latter rains, it will be a constant, a perpetual reminder of my gracious provision. You will know that I am giving you rain. And you know to this day in Israel, the Jews do not get angry as a nation, do not get angry when it's a rainy season because they see it as a provision of water because the Jordan cannot provide for them to see a Galilee cannot provide for them enough water for the entire nation unless it's replenished by the rain. And Jesus used it as a symbol of his grace. He said the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. There was a picture of God's grace, how a person may be a believer and it rains, it's an act of grace. A person may not be a believer, it still rains, it doesn't stop at the property line, it still rains, which is a symbol of the grace of God. And that's why Jesus said that God causes his rain to fall on the just and the unjust alike because the children of Israel were to be taught to rely on the Lord who provides the water for them because it's God who provides rain for the growth of crops. And so what are they to do? Well, they're to rely on him. And as they rely on him obediently, he provides for their needs. The early rain is necessary for the seed to germinate but the latter rain for the grain to mature. And that reveals to us what James is saying. The Jewish farmer knew that God would keep his promise but his people needed to keep his word. That meant that the farmer's patience was confidence. They were expecting God to keep his promise. The farmer rested in God in between the planting and the harvesting. So James is saying that God has been faithful to Israel by bringing rain and providing his food. And he does it at the right time. And so Jesus will come at the right time for his people. The farmer has to wait. Even when it doesn't seem it will ever rain. Even so we wait though it seems he may never come. In Romans 13, 11, it says, do this, know in the time now it is high time to awake out of sleep. Our salvation for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. It's the skeptic, the unbeliever that mocks our hope in the return of Christ. According to Matthew 2448, it's the evil servant who says my master's delaying his coming. The mocking of our hope of Jesus' return began early in the history of the church. Peter spoke of it in 2 Peter 3, 3 and 4 where he wrote knowing this first that scoffers will come in the last days walking according to their own lust saying where's the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. It's the mockers, it's the evil servant. Say he's never gonna come, everything's remained the same. It's all uniform, nothing has changed at all. While their false teaching serves to undermine the believer's hope for the return of Christ. And so he says in verse eight, you also be patient. Establish your heart for the coming of the Lord is at hand. When he says establish, establish your heart. Establish means to be firm, unwavering. It speaks of holding fast, do not be moved away. The farmer is patient, so should you also be. He expects the grace of God to provide rain and you will be delivered from your trials. You're going to be cared for, he's saying. Jesus is returning, hold fast. Well, in the meantime, verse nine, do not grumble against one another, brethren. They should be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. While we wait, be careful to pursue unity with your brothers, love one another. Don't grumble, stop groaning, stop murmuring against one another. You see, when undergoing difficulties, it's easy to blame each other and to turn on one another in view of his return. Lift up your heads with anticipation, be united in him. The Lord is standing at the door. He's ready to come and he's bringing judgment. And so my brother in verse 10, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed to endure. You've heard of the perseverance of Job, seeing the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example. Think about those in scripture that you've read about or you've been taught about. Think of Moses who suffered there in the wilderness, went through so many things. The nation of Israel itself, the people he was delivering even turned on him. Think of those things. Think of the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah was opposed. When you read the book of Jeremiah, you see that he was opposed by kings and princes, by priests and the people of Judah. They spoke against him, they mocked him. They refused to listen to his message. He was put in stocks, put in chains. He is placed in a pit and left to die, though he was rescued. He went through severe hardship. Then you see Ezekiel. Ezekiel was taken to Babylon as a captive. Ezekiel went through hardship. But the hardest thing that he dealt with was the death of his own wife, whom the Lord referred to as the desire of his eyes. He went through pain. Look at Isaiah. Isaiah preached repentance to Israel. Nobody listened to him. He was mocked, his message rejected. And tradition holds that he was sawn in two. In Hebrews 11, 36 through 38, the writer said, "'Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, "'yes, and of chains and imprisonment, they were stoned. "'They were sawn in two. "'They were tempted, slain with the sword. "'They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, "'being destitute, afflicted, tormented, "'of whom the world was not worthy. "'They wandered in deserts and mountains, "'in dens and caves of the earth.'" So he says, take the prophets as an example. And Jesus spoke of them. In Luke 11, 47 and 48, speaking to lawyers, he said, what do you lawyers? For you build the tombs of the prophets and your fathers killed them.  Stephen, the first martyr, was preaching to those who killed him. And he boldly addressed this. In Acts 7, 52, Stephen said, which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?  And so he's using them as examples in verse 10. My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Each one of these mentioned in so many others went through so many hardships. And he said, you need to take them as an example. So take these faithful believers as your examples of suffering and endurance. In verse 11, he says, indeed, we count them blessed to endure. Then he goes on to say, you've heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. You've heard of Job. Now, we count them blessed who endure. We see their example and we speak well of them for their faith to the end. In Matthew 5, 10 through 12, Jesus said, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven for the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Don't be surprised if not everybody likes you. Don't be surprised if you're mocked. Not everybody mocks. Of course, there's some very kind people. I'm not saying everybody is as evil as it potentially could be. But on occasion, you will encounter, if you walk with the Lord long enough, you will walk in such a way that you'll encounter some who are more aggressive, who are aggressively disobedient and hate filled towards your faith. You will encounter that. You may not personally do that, but I see that daily here in the United States, just in the onslaught of evil against righteousness. And that's just a common thing that we have to the point that some of us have actually gotten used to that because that's the way it is here in the United States. We like to say we believe in God, but at the same time we reject Him. And that's what happens. And you'll encounter that. But he speaks of somebody I want to speak about for a moment here when he says in verse 11, you have heard of the perseverance of Job. Now that is the epitome of a person who went through difficult times, Job. Job's story is well known. It's recognized as the greatest model of patient suffering. And when you read the book of Job, and I'm looking to more than likely gonna teach the book of Job after I finished the Gospel of John, I've been wanting to teach it again. So when you look at the book of Job, it reveals that genuine faith endures any trial that it's subjected to. The book of Job reveals that the design the Lord had in the trials was to reveal himself more clearly. When you look at the book of Job, remember how it begins. It begins where the Lord is actually speaking to Satan who appeared before him amongst other angels. And God speaks to him and asks him, where have you been? And he says, I've been to and fro throughout the earth. That's another way of saying I've been up to no good. And the way that God is speaking to him, he's actually interrogating him. And the ancient language gives to us the sense that he's not having a conversation, he's interrogating him.  And he says, I've been going to and fro while you think of what Peter says concerning the evil one who goes to and fro throughout the earth seeking whom he may devour. And so what he's doing, he's saying is I was up to no good. I've been going through the earth and I've been looking for people that I can victimize. And that's when God says to him, have you considered my servant Job? And the word considered speaks about scrutinizing. Look at him closely and determining what his weaknesses are. And he says, yes I have, I'm aware of him because God says Job is the most righteous man. He says he eschews evil, he's a righteous man. Job we're told in scripture is a man who would give offerings on behalf of his children in the event that they might have in their heart cursed God. And so he would actually give sacrifices on their behalf. That's how righteous this man was. So he says, have you considered my servant Job? And immediately he didn't have to say Job Smith or Job Jones, he knew who he was. So he says, well of course I have, but you have put something around him, put a hedge about him that I can't even touch him. I can't get to him, but he said if you allowed me to, I can provoke him to curse you to your faith. And God says, you can touch his things but you can't touch him. And that's when the enemy takes everything he has. Livestock destroys his homes, even takes the lives of his children. And he comes back again in chapter two. Same conversation, have you considered my servant Job? Yeah, well you put your hand on him but if you allow me to touch him, skin for skin, all that a man has he'll give for his skin.  He says, you're free to act, but you cannot take his life.   And Job at one point says, I was the man when I would walk in the room that the men, all the elders would stand up and show me respect and now I've become the song of children. And they would make fun of him and his wife joined in and she finally said, how long will you keep your integrity?  She couldn't take it anymore to see her beautiful soulmate or her husband under such severe pain.  Shall I not receive good from the hand of the Lord and not evil also? No, the Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. You see the story of Job. I've had people say, oh, I feel like Job. No, no, you're nothing like Job. There's never been anybody outside of Jesus who suffered more than Job to have everything taken from his material to his physical, everything he has taken. Somebody comes to faith in Christ and they say to God, Lord, I'm leaving it all, all that I have, I'm handing to you.  And when you do that, you may have this moment of a sense of God's with me and then you start seeing things happen in your life. You begin to lose things, lose relationships, go through struggles, have difficulty and before you know it, you're crying out like the psalmist that we were quoting a moment ago and you're, God, how long, how long? How long? And you may have a broken heart and broken relationships and broken everything and at one time was your source of joy. It's become your greatest pain and you don't know why and you begin to cry out. Not everybody has gone through that. I'll be honest with you. Many Christians I know haven't ever said, God, I'll follow you completely. They wanna go to heaven but they want the pleasures of earth too. But when you get serious with the Lord and you say, you know what, it's all or nothing.  I'm gonna be a follower of Christ. I'm not gonna be one of these people who on a survey say, oh, I'm a Christian but on Friday and Saturday I go party and on Sunday I go to church. I'm not gonna be that guy. I'm gonna be serious about you. I'm gonna follow you. I'm gonna do whatever it is that I need to do in order to glorify you. Not many people do that. I promise you that's a fact. Yeah, I want heaven but I want the world too. I want heaven but I want pleasures now. I want heaven but I wanna relax. I don't want the pain. But when you get to the point in your life and you say, God, it's all you or nothing, you will discover the depth of God. That's how it works.  And then you say, God, help me to love people and God says, are you sure? Yes, Lord, I wanna love but you forget what love did. Love went on across. Love was beaten. Love was crucified. Love was rejected. And you're saying I wanna love? You haven't counted the cost. You don't understand.  Some of you know what I'm talking about. Some of you have gone through that. Some of you are there right now and you're wondering, what happened? I wanted to follow you. And Lord, I dedicated my kids. They're not following you. Lord, I thanked you for the job, but they're laying off. Lord, I wanted this house, but it's given me. You start looking at what you called it one time, your blessings one by one and you're realizing that many of the things you thought were blessings have turned out to be pains. Why, God? Why? Why? Why? And God says, because you said you wanted to be like me, didn't you? Didn't you? Well, yeah, but I was thinking of your glory. Well, Isaiah 53 says, I am the wounded healer. I was broken.  And when everything is taken from you, will you still love me? Will you? When you have nothing else except me, am I enough? That's what Job learned. That's what Job learned. Oh, you go through the book. It's a powerful book. You ought to read it. It's a powerful book. And you see his friends, Job's comforters. And you see them seated there for several days, saying nothing, which was the best advice they could give.   Argued with this man in pain, arguing with him. Oh, you know, as I've been, I've seen that bad things happen to bad people, Job. The reason you're going through all these things is you're bad.  I wish I had a, I would stand before God himself and I would say, I'm not guilty. And he goes through that. And he, one argument after another, miserable comforters you are, he calls his friends eventually, miserable. But as you go through the book of Job and he's been asking questions, oh, if I could only speak to God, then finally God begins to speak to him. He says, quit yourself like a man. I've got some questions to ask you, Job. And God begins to ask Job questions. Where were you when I, and he begins to speak about telling the sea to go to this point and no further, when he put the stars into the sky and all the little mysteries and things that Job had no answers for. And he just gives them question after question that Job cannot respond to. And after God begins to question Job, as Job has been questioning him, the most beautiful part of Job that I think is one of the most special is Job 42, verse five, when Job finally says, I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. I walk by faith and not by sight. All my offerings and sacrifices and my desires, I never had this personal knowledge of you to this directness and this way.  God, you're everything. And the book of Job in chapter 42 closes his story by telling us that the Lord restored Job's losses. God gave him twice as much as he had before. Bless the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And the book closes with the words, so Job died old and full of days. It clearly reveals that in the end, God is truly compassionate and merciful. And that's what he's saying here. We count them blessed to endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. Job learned that. Do you want to? Do you want to? From the time I was a young man to where I'm at now, over the years, next Friday, next Friday, my 49th spiritual birthday, 49 years of walking with Jesus Christ this upcoming Friday. 49 years, 49 years. I have learned one thing. People ask me, what is the most important thing you've ever learned? You've been walking with God for a long time. What is the number one lesson you've learned about God and things? I'll tell you what it is, it's very easy. It all turns out okay. It all turns out okay. When I've been going through things, I've been taught, I'm going through things. I'm not staying there, I'm just passing through.  Have you ever prayed that?   You're not quite, no, you don't know what you're saying.  Do you want me to make you like me? Over the years, 49 years next week, I've heard that. One form or another, I've heard the Lord say, do you want to leave? Is my, the way that I am disappointing to you? Have you misunderstood the way I actually perform my work? Have you not understood that there are times in the potter's hands can be not so gentle on the clay that it's forming? Have you not discovered that yet?  Have you not discovered that yet? Here you are thinking that every day would be just laughter and joy and no tears and no sorrow. Hey, that's what makes heaven what heaven is, son.  And you know why? Because you asked me to teach you to love. Cause you asked me to teach you to have compassion. Cause you asked me to break your heart with the things that break mine. And I'm revealing a little bit at a time to you so that you'll see how merciful and compassionate your God really is. So some of you in here right now, you need to know that. If you're going through some pain right now, this too shall pass. And the refiner's fire is hot, but it burns away the things that you don't want.  And the afflictions and the pain that you endure is something you can share with others and say, been there, done that. My God is good. And he will take you through because the Lord works that way. You'll learn that. You'll learn that. You don't go through anything that doesn't have a purpose. Everything works for good to those who are the call of God to those who are living in and serving him because these things work according to his purpose. Never forget that. And every life has the sweet and every life has the bitter. But when you mix it together, it produces you who you are. And the you that is produced is the one God created to be his messenger to share with a broken world that yes, you can be broken, but my God is a healing God and he will take you through this. And that's what you learn. That's what you learn. So hold on, don't let go and watch what God will do. And to God, be all the glory as he's making you into the image of his son, Jesus Christ. And you will learn, you will learn that the Lord is compassionate and merciful.