WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Gate of Heaven Publishing Date: 2017-06-25T06:00:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/gate-of-heaven/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.000 We are going to talk about the gate of heaven. 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:04.500 Last week we were talking about open heaven. 00:00:04.500 --> 00:00:09.500 And so today, this is in a sense a continuation of what we talked about last week. 00:00:09.500 --> 00:00:11.500 So last week we talked about an open heaven. 00:00:11.500 --> 00:00:15.500 It was appalling last week. You know how many of you were missing? 00:00:15.500 --> 00:00:18.500 25 of the regulars were missing. 00:00:18.500 --> 00:00:20.500 Leave alone the irregulars. 00:00:20.500 --> 00:00:26.000 I mean you can't all go off together with Derek and Don and his parents on a holiday. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:28.500 Just break it up. 00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:32.000 So we talked about open heaven. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:38.500 And so we said open heaven is not a place, is not an event, is not a portal. 00:00:38.500 --> 00:00:44.000 That's what it's been presented as in different places around the world. 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:49.000 They keep talking about open heaven as if it's a place, as if it's an event, 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:53.500 or as if it's a portal that God uses and that man can use. 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:57.000 But open heaven is not a place, not an event or a portal. 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:00.500 And it's a visitation. Thanks man, you're very resourceful. 00:01:00.500 --> 00:01:07.000 Guys, it's a visitation culture that looks for portals and events and that kind of revelation. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:09.000 What do I mean by a visitation culture? 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:13.500 Nowadays what's happening in churches, everyone wants an experience. 00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:18.000 But it's an experience that is separate from the person of Christ. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:21.500 It's not an experience that comes through relationship. 00:01:21.500 --> 00:01:24.000 It's an experience for the sake of experience. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:30.000 So visitation culture is a culture that looks for how can I find a portal that will allow me to access God? 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:34.500 And how can God access me? Or it becomes an event. 00:01:34.500 --> 00:01:38.500 This is how open heaven has been taught about for years now. 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:44.000 The truth is an open heaven, which is a biblical truth, 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:50.500 has nothing to do with portals, events or places. 00:01:50.500 --> 00:01:55.000 It has everything to do with... 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:57.500 This is what we talked about last week. 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:01.500 An open heaven is not a place. It is you that is an open heaven. 00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:04.000 It is us the church that is an open heaven. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.000 This is what we need to get. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.000 An open heaven is not a place. 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:12.500 An open heaven, if you want to define what an open heaven is, you are the open heaven. 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:14.500 Genesis 28 puts it this way. 00:02:14.500 --> 00:02:18.000 Jacob was sleeping, he woke up, he looked around and he said, 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:22.000 This is the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:24.000 That's what he says in Genesis 28, 17. 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:27.000 This is the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:29.500 That was Jacob in the Old Testament. 00:02:29.500 --> 00:02:35.500 Fast forward now, 3000 years. Who is the house of God? 00:02:35.500 --> 00:02:39.000 Who is the house of God? Us. Yeah. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:42.000 Yeah, it's still Jacob, but... 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:44.500 Yeah, we are the house of God. 00:02:44.500 --> 00:02:48.500 And if we are the house of God, then the church becomes the gate of heaven. 00:02:48.500 --> 00:02:50.500 We are not looking for portals. 00:02:50.500 --> 00:02:52.000 We are not looking for events. 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:54.500 We are not looking for places. 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:57.000 We are looking for people. 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:02.500 Jacob had to say what he said, because in his time, there was nothing like that. 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:05.500 So he wakes up, he's sleeping in a place called Luz. 00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:09.500 He wakes up and he finds out that God had visited him and he says, 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:11.500 This is the house of God. This is Bethel. 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:13.500 This is the gate of heaven. 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:19.500 It's a visitation culture, as in a people who long for the visitation of God, 00:03:19.500 --> 00:03:23.500 that are always looking for portals, events, places, experiences. 00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:27.500 But one of the things we are not is a people who are looking for God to visit, 00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:31.500 because we have come to an understanding, and we must come to an understanding, 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:35.500 every church must come to an understanding, that we are the habitation of God. 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:38.500 God dwells in our midst. He does not visit us. 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:41.500 He does not visit us. He dwells in us. 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:45.500 And because he dwells in us, all that has to happen for us guys, 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:49.500 is every now and then, when we connect with God, our eyes open 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:52.500 and we see him more clearly than we see him at other times. 00:03:52.500 --> 00:03:58.500 The only thing that happens during worship is not that intense worship brings God down. 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:03.500 Those are again Old Testament protocol, that God dwells in the praises of his people. 00:04:03.500 --> 00:04:06.500 He does not dwell in the praises of his people anymore. 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:08.500 He dwells in a people who prays. 00:04:09.500 --> 00:04:12.500 Big difference guys. Big difference. 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:15.500 He does not inhabit the praises of Israel. 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:18.500 He inhabits through Israel who praises him. 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:21.500 Got a shift eh? 00:04:22.500 --> 00:04:29.500 And so the only thing that happens in worship, is in worship you suddenly have the eyes of your spirit open 00:04:29.500 --> 00:04:31.500 to the bigness of God who is already present. 00:04:31.500 --> 00:04:34.500 And therefore we have different experiences. 00:04:34.500 --> 00:04:37.500 Every encounter that we have with God, we have different experiences. 00:04:37.500 --> 00:04:42.500 So some of us may go back tonight saying, ah shucks man, worship was so powerful. 00:04:42.500 --> 00:04:44.500 I was really touched by God. 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:46.500 It's not because God made a special appearance. 00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:48.500 It's because your eyes were open wider. 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:51.500 Because he dwells in us. 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:57.500 So we are not a visitation culture. We are people who God habitates. 00:04:58.500 --> 00:05:04.500 And then if you are a people in who God lives, then our only intent should be, I want relationship. 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:10.500 I don't want experience. I want relationship. Out of my relationship will come experiences. 00:05:11.500 --> 00:05:14.500 That's the only thing you should be looking for and I should be looking for. 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:16.500 Out of relationship will come experiences. 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:18.500 I don't want an experience to have a relationship. 00:05:18.500 --> 00:05:21.500 I have a relationship, therefore I will experience. 00:05:22.500 --> 00:05:25.500 These are major shifts guys. 00:05:25.500 --> 00:05:27.500 Because we relate to a who. 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:31.500 We are not relating to a portal or an it or a place or an event. 00:05:31.500 --> 00:05:34.500 And when I say we, I'm really not talking about Acts 29. 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:37.500 I'm talking about we, the body of Christ here on earth. 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:40.500 Of which Acts 29 is a part. 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:43.500 Because these are truths that are not special to us. 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:45.500 These have been truths in the Bible for ages. 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:49.500 And it's for all of us. 00:05:50.500 --> 00:05:54.500 So as I said, we are not related to a portal or an it. 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:57.500 So an open heaven is not a place. It's you. You. 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:00.500 You are God's house. You are the gate of heaven. 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:04.500 Just think of that for a second. It's revolutionary when you begin to practice it every day. 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:07.500 You are God's house. You are the gate of heaven. 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:10.500 You are the gate of heaven. 00:06:12.500 --> 00:06:15.500 What that means then is that you are the delivery system of the kingdom of God. 00:06:15.500 --> 00:06:18.500 You are the delivery system of the kingdom of God. 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:21.500 You are the delivery system of the kingdom of God. 00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:23.500 You are the delivery system of the kingdom of God. 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:26.500 You are the delivery system of the kingdom of God. 00:06:27.500 --> 00:06:32.500 In Psalm 78 verse 20, at one point God says, I'm going to open the doors of heaven. 00:06:32.500 --> 00:06:34.500 And why was he opening the doors of heaven? 00:06:34.500 --> 00:06:39.500 He was opening the doors of heaven because he wanted to pour upon the Israelites in the desert manna. 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:41.500 So he says, I'm going to open the doors of heaven. 00:06:41.500 --> 00:06:42.500 But how does he do it? 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:45.500 He picks a man called Moses and he says to Moses, 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:48.500 Say to the Israelites, I'm going to open the doors of heaven. 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:55.500 Psalm 78 verse 23, no sorry, Exodus 17 verse 6. 00:06:55.500 --> 00:07:02.500 Exodus 17 verse 6, God says, I want to bring water out of a rock in such a gush 00:07:02.500 --> 00:07:08.500 that it'll be like a river that's just bursting through the desert. 00:07:08.500 --> 00:07:11.500 It wasn't some little trickle of babbling brook or something. 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:16.500 It was this gushing force of water from a rock in the desert. 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:18.500 So how does he do it? 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:21.500 He uses another man, same man called Moses. 00:07:21.500 --> 00:07:24.500 And he says, Moses, go strike the rock and water will come out of it. 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:26.500 What do you think he's using the church for today? 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:28.500 What do you think he wants to use church for today? 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:29.500 Same thing. 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:32.500 When he wants to open something from heaven and deposit it here on earth, 00:07:32.500 --> 00:07:33.500 who does he turn to? 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:34.500 His people. 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:36.500 Who does the head turn to? 00:07:36.500 --> 00:07:37.500 His body. 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:41.500 You are the gate of heaven. 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:43.500 You are the gate of heaven. 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:45.500 Be better tomorrow. 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:46.500 Be the house of God tomorrow. 00:07:46.500 --> 00:07:51.500 Be the ladder on earth so that the kingdom of God can ascend and descend on you. 00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:52.500 Just imagine that. 00:07:52.500 --> 00:07:56.500 You are God's ladder here on earth, set from the earth into the heavens. 00:07:56.500 --> 00:08:01.500 Why? So that things of the kingdom can ascend and descend here upon the earth. 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:03.500 We have this rich privilege, guys. 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:05.500 We have this rich privilege. 00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:10.500 It happens to insignificant people who only become significant later 00:08:10.500 --> 00:08:12.500 because someone writes about them. 00:08:12.500 --> 00:08:14.500 What if no one wrote about Thomas? 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:16.500 I was thinking of that today. 00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:24.500 I supposedly come from a family in South India that has its roots in Christianity 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:29.500 from a place called Niranum, N-I-R-N-A-M, in Kerala, 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:32.500 more than almost 2,000 years ago, 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:39.500 when a man who was riddled with doubt called Thomas landed up at the shores 00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:41.500 and converted a whole lot of Hindus. 00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:45.500 One of them happened to be one of my forefathers. 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:48.500 But what if no one had written about Thomas? 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:50.500 You wouldn't know where things began. 00:08:50.500 --> 00:08:53.500 He was an insignificant doubter. 00:08:53.500 --> 00:08:57.500 People become significant because you write about them, because you hear about them. 00:08:57.500 --> 00:09:04.500 But there are thousands of insignificant people that are being used every day as a gate of heaven, guys. 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:06.500 Sometimes you see the fruit of their labor, 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:10.500 sometimes you see the fruit of their labor years later, 00:09:10.500 --> 00:09:12.500 sometimes you see it immediately. 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:16.500 But you and I have an opportunity tomorrow to be the ladder that is set up from the earth to the heavens, 00:09:16.500 --> 00:09:20.500 to be the gate of heaven, because we are the house of God. 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:28.500 Be Bethel, be the ladder on earth. 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:33.500 Let the kingdom of heaven ascend and descend through you. 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:35.500 Any questions? 00:09:36.500 --> 00:09:38.500 Any questions? 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:41.500 You'll have this opportunity tomorrow, eh? 00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:44.500 The only place hotter than this is Nandigama, 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:53.500 which is where Jeevan and I and Heidi and all have gone to before. 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:02.500 Oh, what a kind pastor. 00:10:06.500 --> 00:10:09.500 Any questions, guys? 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:13.500 No? 00:10:13.500 --> 00:10:14.500 Okay. 00:10:14.500 --> 00:10:18.500 Guys, the second thing we discussed last week, and then we'll go on to what we were talking about this week, 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:22.500 is that you owe the world a life filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:26.500 You owe the world a life filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:29.500 Otherwise, people cannot have an encounter with God. 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:32.500 You owe the world a life filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:36.500 Otherwise, people cannot have an encounter with God. 00:10:36.500 --> 00:10:42.500 You must find time to begin to have your life filled with the Holy Spirit, 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:45.500 because if my life isn't filled with the Holy Spirit, 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:49.500 you or someone else out there who God wants to touch 00:10:49.500 --> 00:10:52.500 cannot have a full-fledged encounter with God, 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:56.500 because you don't have what it takes. 00:10:58.500 --> 00:11:00.500 Now, what do you mean you owe the world a life filled with the Holy Spirit? 00:11:00.500 --> 00:11:02.500 Aren't you filled with the Holy Spirit anyways? 00:11:02.500 --> 00:11:06.500 Yes, you are, but to come into the awareness of it. 00:11:06.500 --> 00:11:09.500 To come into the awareness of it. 00:11:09.500 --> 00:11:12.500 Sometimes you can have spouses walking together, 00:11:12.500 --> 00:11:14.500 and one spouse is not even aware of the other. 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:16.500 Why? Because they're so used to each other, 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:20.500 or because they haven't spoken for the last twenty years. 00:11:23.500 --> 00:11:26.500 And then there are spouses who've been married for fifty years, 00:11:26.500 --> 00:11:29.500 and they're so highly aware of each other. 00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:32.500 This is a joy to see, eh? 00:11:35.500 --> 00:11:38.500 Because when you begin to walk in the full measure of the Spirit, 00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:41.500 you experience the power of the age to come. 00:11:41.500 --> 00:11:44.500 When you walk in the full measure of the Holy Spirit, 00:11:44.500 --> 00:11:46.500 not in your own measure, 00:11:46.500 --> 00:11:48.500 when you walk in the full measure of the Holy Spirit, 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:52.500 you begin to experience through you, and in you, 00:11:52.500 --> 00:11:54.500 the powers of the age to come. 00:11:54.500 --> 00:11:57.500 Meaning, there is a time coming when everything will be perfect, 00:11:57.500 --> 00:12:01.500 and through you now begins to flow that same power to touch people's life, 00:12:01.500 --> 00:12:03.500 and change them now. 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:06.500 When you decide that man, as Monday comes around, 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:09.500 I owe the world an experience with God, 00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:13.500 and I cannot do that unless my life is filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:16.500 What a way to live, eh? 00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:18.500 The thing is, we flip-flop, 00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:26.500 because we don't inhabit this place where we think we need to owe the world a life filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:28.500 What happens is, sometimes we are the gate of heaven, 00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:30.500 sometimes we are the gate of hell, 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:32.500 or the gate of the earth. 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:34.500 Remember talking about this ages ago, 00:12:34.500 --> 00:12:37.500 where Peter in Matthew 16 is with Jesus, 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:40.500 and he says to Jesus, Jesus asks the question, 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:43.500 and he is asking all his disciples, he says to his disciples, 00:12:43.500 --> 00:12:44.500 who do they say I am? 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:47.500 And Peter says, you are Jesus Christ, the son of the living God. 00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:51.500 And Jesus says to him, Peter, that revelation did not come from the earth, 00:12:51.500 --> 00:12:54.500 it came from heaven, it was given to you by my father. 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:58.500 And yet, six verses later, in Matthew 16, 23, 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:01.500 Jesus is saying he is going to Jerusalem, he is going to die, 00:13:01.500 --> 00:13:04.500 and Peter pulls him aside and says, stop talking like this. 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:06.500 Stop talking about going to the cross. 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:07.500 And what does Jesus say? 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:11.500 Jesus says, what you have just said is not from heaven, 00:13:11.500 --> 00:13:13.500 it's from the earth, it is demonic, 00:13:13.500 --> 00:13:15.500 and then what does he say to Peter? 00:13:15.500 --> 00:13:17.500 He says, get thee behind me, Satan. 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:19.500 This is what often happens with our life, eh? 00:13:19.500 --> 00:13:21.500 Where one moment we are the gate of heaven, 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:23.500 and out of us comes revelation from the father, 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:24.500 which is not from the earth, 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:27.500 and the next moment, out of you comes statements 00:13:27.500 --> 00:13:30.500 that are so from the earth and so from the devil, 00:13:30.500 --> 00:13:33.500 to the point where Jesus had to say, get thee behind me, devil. 00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:36.500 Six verses, he moved from the gate of heaven to the gate of hell. 00:13:39.500 --> 00:13:44.500 This is why it's critical that I get up and start the day off with this father. 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:49.500 I owe the world a life filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:13:49.500 --> 00:13:52.500 I must walk in your measure today, 00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:57.500 so that the power of the age to come is already active through me today. 00:13:57.500 --> 00:13:58.500 And guess what happens? 00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:02.500 It brings health to your soul, your spirit, your bone, your marrow. 00:14:04.500 --> 00:14:07.500 There was a really cool thing that happened with Dagmar. 00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:10.500 Was it yesterday? 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:14.500 Friday, where Dagmar's blood pressure just shot up, eh? 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:16.500 The blood pressure just shot up, eh? 00:14:16.500 --> 00:14:23.500 Like shot up means shot up like the thing that you measure blood pressure with just blew up. 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:27.500 I'm just exaggerating. It was really bad. 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:31.500 Guess what? The power of the age to come descends, 00:14:31.500 --> 00:14:34.500 and the blood pressure comes back to normal. 00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:37.500 Can I say how much it was? 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:42.500 207 over 104. 00:14:45.500 --> 00:14:48.500 And it comes back to normal where she's sitting today. 00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:50.500 I was so glad to see you here today, Dagmar. 00:14:51.500 --> 00:14:53.500 Yeah. Praise God. 00:14:53.500 --> 00:14:56.500 207 over 104, and then back to normal. 00:14:57.500 --> 00:15:00.500 Guys, we're not looking for some portal. 00:15:00.500 --> 00:15:03.500 You are the portal. You are the gate of heaven. 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:08.500 This is what we're meant to do here on earth. 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:10.500 So how do we go about it? 00:15:10.500 --> 00:15:12.500 Here's one of the first things we do. 00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:19.500 Train to live your lives free of the love of fame, money, recognition. 00:15:20.500 --> 00:15:27.500 Train to live your lives free of the love for fame, money, recognition. 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:33.500 These three things really jeopardize our role as the gate of heaven. 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:39.500 I got to train to live my life free of the love or the fear. 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:42.500 It's when you're in love with these things that fear creeps in. 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:47.500 Perfect love casts out fear, but any love for these things brings in fear. 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:48.500 It's strange, eh? 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:51.500 When you love any of these things, it will bring in fear, 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:53.500 because now you need to preserve it, 00:15:53.500 --> 00:15:57.500 and you will fight tooth and nail to hold on to fame, recognition, and money. 00:15:58.500 --> 00:16:01.500 The less you're in love with money, the more the money comes, 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:03.500 and the less you're afraid of it. 00:16:03.500 --> 00:16:09.500 Train your lives to live free of the love of fame, money, and recognition. 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:13.500 First thing we need to do, 00:16:13.500 --> 00:16:16.500 which is why we draw that picture always here, 00:16:16.500 --> 00:16:23.500 where we say, hey guys, it's a falsehood when people say family should come first after God. 00:16:23.500 --> 00:16:24.500 It's a falsehood. 00:16:24.500 --> 00:16:26.500 Nowhere in the Bible does it say it. 00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:33.500 It was discovered by some family organization that decided that's what to do. 00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:36.500 If it's a Sunday school organization, they'll say children should come first. 00:16:37.500 --> 00:16:40.500 If it's a financial organization, stewardship should come first. 00:16:40.500 --> 00:16:42.500 No, at the end of the day, the Bible is very clear. 00:16:42.500 --> 00:16:45.500 There is Christ, and then there is his body. 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:51.500 And my family exists for one reason only, to serve Christ and the body. 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:53.500 My work exists for one reason only, 00:16:53.500 --> 00:16:55.500 to serve Christ and the body. 00:16:55.500 --> 00:16:57.500 Christ is invisible, the body is visible. 00:16:57.500 --> 00:17:02.500 My possessions exist for one reason only, to serve Christ and the body. 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:06.500 And my money exists for one reason only, to serve Christ and the body. 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:09.500 Any other reason is not true, is not biblical. 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:12.500 We just have believed it. 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:16.500 There is no such equation as God first, family second, church third. 00:17:16.500 --> 00:17:19.500 That is an anathema to everything that Paul taught. 00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:21.500 You'll never find it in the Bible. 00:17:21.500 --> 00:17:22.500 That's a strange thing. 00:17:26.500 --> 00:17:27.500 But that's on the side. 00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:30.500 Trained to live lives free of the love of fame, money and recognition. 00:17:30.500 --> 00:17:35.500 The second thing, guys, we got to move from maintaining our saltiness. 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:39.500 Christians have a tendency to maintain our saltiness. 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:40.500 No, no, no, no. 00:17:40.500 --> 00:17:45.500 We need to move from maintaining our saltiness to living in the Bible. 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:48.500 Christians have a tendency to maintain our saltiness. 00:17:48.500 --> 00:17:49.500 No, no, no, no. 00:17:49.500 --> 00:17:51.500 We need to mix with rotting meat. 00:17:52.500 --> 00:17:54.500 I know that sounds like a terrible way to say it. 00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:59.500 But salt is supposed to flavor things. 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:02.500 Matthew 5.13, the message puts it this way. 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:05.500 Salt brings out God flavors. 00:18:05.500 --> 00:18:07.500 Light brings out God colors. 00:18:07.500 --> 00:18:10.500 Salt brings out God flavors. 00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:13.500 Light brings out God colors. 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:18.500 We got to abandon this thing of maintaining our saltiness within the walls of a church. 00:18:18.500 --> 00:18:21.500 Like Victor had said earlier, I got to go out there. 00:18:21.500 --> 00:18:24.500 Why? Because salt is best for rotting meat. 00:18:24.500 --> 00:18:26.500 It prevents meat from rotting further. 00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:33.500 It is because someone decided to come with their saltiness into your life that you ended up being healthy meat. 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:38.500 Salt was meant for rotting meat. 00:18:38.500 --> 00:18:46.500 I pray God that more and more our stories will be about what God did through you in the life of someone who does not know Jesus. 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:51.500 Regardless of whether they receive Christ or not, what God did through you. 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:59.500 I pray God that the stories that come from my life will not be stories that happened amongst Christians or pastors conferences or some church conference. 00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:06.500 That it will be stories about meeting people who were not and who then became. 00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:09.500 That should be our story. Salt preserving what? 00:19:09.500 --> 00:19:12.500 Not the stuff that is already in the fridge. 00:19:12.500 --> 00:19:14.500 Stuff that is rotting. 00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:28.500 And the other thing is guys, become increasingly confident of the gospel of the kingdom. 00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:30.500 What is the gospel of the kingdom? 00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:41.500 The good news that Jesus Christ, the King, has ended hostility between you and the world and him by his death. 00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:45.500 And that there is a new way of living that is here on earth. 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:48.500 Romans 1.14 says, I am not ashamed. 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:50.500 I don't think our problem is being ashamed. 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:52.500 I don't think anyone here is ashamed of the gospel. 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:58.500 But we are still not confident that that is God's power unto salvation. 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:07.500 Somehow we think that apologetics and the way of saying it this way and a story here and a story there and a fast entry and an exit. 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:08.500 No, no, no, no. 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:13.500 At the end of the day, Paul says it again and again and again and again as if he had to reinforce it. 00:20:13.500 --> 00:20:21.500 That Jacob, God has chosen this exclusive way of getting people saved through the foolish method of a crucified King. 00:20:21.500 --> 00:20:24.500 And you cannot avoid it. It is God's power unto salvation. 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:26.500 You want to be the gate of heaven? 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:28.500 This is essential. 00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:30.500 I got to understand that this is God's method. 00:20:30.500 --> 00:20:34.500 Any method I use will get you to become a friend of God. 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:36.500 It will get you to become a devotee of God. 00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:42.500 But it will never get you to become a child of God or one that ends up looking like God. 00:20:42.500 --> 00:20:44.500 Can't avoid it, eh? 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:47.500 I was listening again this morning to Joel Osteen. 00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:49.500 And this time I didn't feel angry. 00:20:49.500 --> 00:20:53.500 I just said, Father, I feel so sad, Lord. 00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:57.500 And so rather than get agitated, I changed the channel. 00:21:03.500 --> 00:21:05.500 Next thing. 00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:08.500 These are ways that are common to this church. 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:10.500 Next thing. 00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:15.500 Use the prophetic, use your gifts and your prayers to prize lives open. 00:21:15.500 --> 00:21:18.500 P-R-I-S-E. To prize lives open. 00:21:19.500 --> 00:21:23.500 Guys, it's natural for churches, some churches to have a certain trait. 00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:27.500 One of the traits that this church has by the sheer grace of God 00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:31.500 is the ability to hear God and speak into people's lives. 00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:32.500 Well, use it then. 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:34.500 Use the prophetic. 00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:35.500 Use prayer. 00:21:35.500 --> 00:21:39.500 Use your gifts, your spiritual gifts to prize open people's lives 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:42.500 like you would open a tin when it's hard to open. 00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:47.500 Just the prophetic allows you to do that, eh? 00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:50.500 Use it. 00:21:52.500 --> 00:21:59.500 I mean, I met with a lady recently who is not a Christian. 00:21:59.500 --> 00:22:01.500 There's not a Christian born in her body. 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:05.500 I don't think there's a Christian born in her family's body. 00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:07.500 So unchristian. 00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:09.500 But she gave her life to the Lord. 00:22:09.500 --> 00:22:12.500 But she's not very sure about God. 00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:19.500 And so God wrote a whole lot of things for her to listen to. 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:20.500 And I'm reading it out to her. 00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:23.500 And she's saying, yeah, really? Yeah, yeah. 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:25.500 Not very convinced that this is God. 00:22:25.500 --> 00:22:28.500 And then God threw a little spanner in the works for her. 00:22:28.500 --> 00:22:32.500 At one point in what I'm reading out to her, it says, 00:22:32.500 --> 00:22:37.500 when you were a child, you always desired to have a farm. 00:22:37.500 --> 00:22:41.500 And you wanted a farm where you could just have peace 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:44.500 and you loved tranquility and the idea of a farm. 00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:46.500 And you had these simple tastes. 00:22:46.500 --> 00:22:50.500 And suddenly this woman's face is like, this just happened on Tuesday. 00:22:50.500 --> 00:22:51.500 It just lights up. 00:22:51.500 --> 00:22:54.500 Because when she was a kid, and she's saying, how do you know that? 00:22:55.500 --> 00:22:58.500 So I'm saying, this is what God was saying. 00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:00.500 So she says, you can't know that. 00:23:01.500 --> 00:23:05.500 So now everything else that was said now becomes true. 00:23:05.500 --> 00:23:08.500 Because she said when she was a kid, one of the things she used to do 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:13.500 is when the teacher would ask her to draw, all she would draw is farms. 00:23:14.500 --> 00:23:16.500 And she has a girl on a farm. 00:23:16.500 --> 00:23:19.500 And here is God saying, when you were a little girl, 00:23:20.500 --> 00:23:22.500 you loved simplicity and tranquility. 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:25.500 And you always thought you'd like to have a farm. 00:23:26.500 --> 00:23:29.500 And what it does is, is prices open the tin. 00:23:29.500 --> 00:23:35.500 Now, suddenly, the entire person is open to the rest of what God wants to say. 00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:36.500 Guys, use this. 00:23:38.500 --> 00:23:42.500 Most of you have been here long enough to dare. 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:44.500 And do it according to your faith. 00:23:44.500 --> 00:23:46.500 Don't go beyond your faith. 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:47.500 Do it according to it. 00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:50.500 If all you can say is two words, stop at two words. 00:23:50.500 --> 00:23:52.500 Because those two words, remember? 00:23:52.500 --> 00:23:53.500 Blue W. 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:56.500 Remember that story? Blue W. Two words. 00:23:59.500 --> 00:24:00.500 Two words. 00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:05.500 Refer to CD number 4386. 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:11.500 Use that, guys. 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:13.500 Next thing is, guys, confer worth. 00:24:13.500 --> 00:24:15.500 Confer worth. 00:24:15.500 --> 00:24:17.500 Pull treasure out of trash. 00:24:17.500 --> 00:24:19.500 Pull treasure out of trash. 00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:20.500 Pull treasure out of trash. 00:24:20.500 --> 00:24:21.500 Confer worth. 00:24:21.500 --> 00:24:23.500 Jesus was brilliant at this. 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:25.500 Confer worth. 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:27.500 Pull treasure out of trash. 00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:30.500 Restore the image of man in Christ. 00:24:30.500 --> 00:24:34.500 I know that sounds heavy, but at the end of the day, it's very simple. 00:24:34.500 --> 00:24:39.500 All you're doing is, hey, I know your life is trashy and I could focus on that. 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:40.500 You're not saying it. You're thinking it. 00:24:40.500 --> 00:24:42.500 But here's what I will do. 00:24:42.500 --> 00:24:44.500 I will do exactly what Jesus does. 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:50.500 He has the ability to go into a whole big garbage, what do you call them? 00:24:50.500 --> 00:24:52.500 Bin. 00:24:52.500 --> 00:24:53.500 Dumpster. 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:54.500 He has the ability. 00:24:54.500 --> 00:24:59.500 Jesus specializes at diving into dumpsters and finding treasure. 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:00.500 What an amazing God. 00:25:03.500 --> 00:25:05.500 This is His favorite thing to do. 00:25:05.500 --> 00:25:07.500 That's why you are where you are. 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:10.500 Dived into a lot of rubbish to pull you out, man. 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:13.500 Found treasure there when nobody else would look at you. 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:19.500 Ryan, I'll need it later on. 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:20.500 Yep. 00:25:22.500 --> 00:25:23.500 This is the next one. 00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:27.500 To make a good man. 00:25:28.500 --> 00:25:30.500 To make friends in the world. 00:25:30.500 --> 00:25:34.500 Use unrighteous mammon to make friends in the world. 00:25:34.500 --> 00:25:36.500 Meaning, mammon is in this case money. 00:25:36.500 --> 00:25:37.500 Use unrighteous money. 00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:39.500 This is one of the parables that Jesus spoke. 00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:42.500 And He said, hey guys, use money to make friends in the world. 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:44.500 Use unrighteous mammon. 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:55.500 You know, three days ago, I felt a lot saying, whatever is in your wallet right now, take it and put it in your pocket so that when I tell you, you'll give it to somebody. 00:25:55.500 --> 00:25:57.500 I wanted to make friends with that money. 00:25:57.500 --> 00:26:00.500 And so I only had $20 in my wallet. 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:05.500 So I pulled out the $20 and I've been carrying it in my shirt for the last three days. 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:07.500 Don't worry, I didn't wear the shirt yesterday. 00:26:07.500 --> 00:26:08.500 It was a different shirt. 00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:19.500 But the point is that this $20 who's waiting at a restaurant, and I'll show you the right person, when the right person comes along, pull out the $20 and give it to him. 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:22.500 So I went to White Spot yesterday, didn't sense it. 00:26:22.500 --> 00:26:25.500 Today, Aaron came and gave me a coffee, didn't sense it. 00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:36.500 But a time will come when suddenly this thing, unrighteous mammon, will help me make a friend. 00:26:37.500 --> 00:26:38.500 Why? I don't know. 00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:42.500 Hey, at the end of the day, may God save this of you. 00:26:42.500 --> 00:26:44.500 It's one of the best compliments God can give you. 00:26:45.500 --> 00:26:53.500 Sue, Jillian, Morgan, when I ask you to do something, you never ask why. 00:26:53.500 --> 00:26:54.500 You don't need an explanation. 00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:55.500 You just go do it. 00:26:56.500 --> 00:26:58.500 May that be the compliment that God gives you. 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:01.500 That you never ask why. 00:27:01.500 --> 00:27:03.500 You never stop and say, that doesn't make sense. 00:27:03.500 --> 00:27:04.500 How can it be, oh Lord? 00:27:04.500 --> 00:27:05.500 You don't even do the Mary thing. 00:27:05.500 --> 00:27:07.500 You just go straight and do it. 00:27:07.500 --> 00:27:08.500 Any questions before we go on? 00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:10.500 I want to wrap up before four. 00:27:11.500 --> 00:27:12.500 I might be able to do it. 00:27:13.500 --> 00:27:14.500 Any questions? 00:27:23.500 --> 00:27:27.500 Not always, but I learned from a story that Derek told, our Derek. 00:27:27.500 --> 00:27:32.500 So he went and gave some money to the White Spot. 00:27:32.500 --> 00:27:36.500 He was sitting by the ATM machine on Fraser and then he left. 00:27:36.500 --> 00:27:40.500 And as he left, he felt God saying, no, you gave the money, great. 00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:41.500 But now you need to go and speak to him. 00:27:41.500 --> 00:27:43.500 So he went back and he spoke to the guy. 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:47.500 And the guy was literally weeping by the time Derek was done. 00:27:48.500 --> 00:27:55.500 And so there are times when I have to be aware of, yeah, maybe I need to let the message of the kingdom of God ascend and descend. 00:27:55.500 --> 00:28:03.500 And so there are times when I have to be aware of, yeah, maybe I need to let the message of the kingdom of God ascend and descend through me into a person's life. 00:28:03.500 --> 00:28:07.500 And sometimes it's just making a friend for a future date with the person. 00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:13.500 Every week, fall into this habit. 00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:17.500 Father, just want to keep some money handy to pull out immediately. 00:28:18.500 --> 00:28:19.500 So what do you think this week? 00:28:21.500 --> 00:28:23.500 Use unrighteous mammon to make friends. 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:25.500 That's how the world makes friends. 00:28:26.500 --> 00:28:28.500 But our intent is different. 00:28:28.500 --> 00:28:30.500 We have no reason to profit. 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:35.500 But we are a family business for profit run by a godfather. 00:28:36.500 --> 00:28:37.500 Never forget that. 00:28:39.500 --> 00:28:42.500 Next thing, guys, if you're the gate of heaven, you need to go. 00:28:43.500 --> 00:28:46.500 If you're the gate of heaven, you need to go. 00:28:47.500 --> 00:28:50.500 As in, if you don't go, a whole lot of things don't happen. 00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:53.500 It could be going to Shillong, but that's a long way off. 00:28:53.500 --> 00:28:56.500 But that's another thing we need as a church to... 00:28:57.500 --> 00:28:58.500 Here's what I want you to do. 00:28:58.500 --> 00:29:03.500 Chantel and Diana, I'll put these points up on the notes page on the website. 00:29:03.500 --> 00:29:06.500 And you've got to start doing with this the same thing that you did with the attributes of God. 00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:09.500 And let the church join in and begin to add to it. 00:29:10.500 --> 00:29:11.500 Yeah. 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:12.500 Okay. 00:29:12.500 --> 00:29:14.500 Remember when we did this with the attributes of God? 00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:17.500 Every day they wrote a bid on it. 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:20.500 And then the church would write again on the Facebook page. 00:29:20.500 --> 00:29:23.500 If you're not on Acts 29 Facebook page, you're the admin guy. 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:24.500 Okay. 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:25.500 She's the admin guy. 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:27.500 Just go ask her and she'll put you on. 00:29:27.500 --> 00:29:28.500 And you can comment on it. 00:29:28.500 --> 00:29:30.500 Because this has to become so natural for us guys. 00:29:30.500 --> 00:29:32.500 These are basic, see? 00:29:32.500 --> 00:29:33.500 This is not complicated. 00:29:33.500 --> 00:29:34.500 This is very basic. 00:29:36.500 --> 00:29:38.500 And so every week to begin to have this question of, 00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:40.500 Father, so where do you want us to go this week? 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:41.500 Where do you want me to go? 00:29:41.500 --> 00:29:43.500 Who do you want me to visit? 00:29:44.500 --> 00:29:45.500 Ask. 00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:48.500 It won't be overcrowded. 00:29:48.500 --> 00:29:50.500 Jesus is not a pastor like me. 00:29:50.500 --> 00:29:52.500 He won't force you to do stuff. 00:29:52.500 --> 00:29:53.500 I never do that. 00:29:53.500 --> 00:29:55.500 This is when you say, no, Jacob, you're not like that. 00:29:55.500 --> 00:29:57.500 But the point is... 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:04.500 The point is he knows how much you can handle. 00:30:04.500 --> 00:30:06.500 He'll just give you a little more than you can handle. 00:30:06.500 --> 00:30:08.500 So you're dependent on him. 00:30:10.500 --> 00:30:12.500 Oh, he'll stretch you for sure. 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:17.500 If you don't go... 00:30:17.500 --> 00:30:18.500 Remember what happened to Elijah? 00:30:18.500 --> 00:30:20.500 If Elijah doesn't go, 00:30:20.500 --> 00:30:21.500 if you don't go, 00:30:21.500 --> 00:30:22.500 then here's what happens. 00:30:22.500 --> 00:30:23.500 People won't decide. 00:30:23.500 --> 00:30:24.500 1 Kings 18, 21. 00:30:24.500 --> 00:30:26.500 Elijah said, who will you follow? 00:30:26.500 --> 00:30:28.500 Baal or Yahweh? 00:30:28.500 --> 00:30:30.500 And the people were silent. 00:30:30.500 --> 00:30:32.500 If you don't go, people won't decide. 00:30:32.500 --> 00:30:38.500 If you don't go, the widow will make her last little cookie and die. 00:30:38.500 --> 00:30:42.500 If you don't go, the son will not be raised from the dead. 00:30:42.500 --> 00:30:45.500 If you don't go, Jezebel will not be deposed. 00:30:45.500 --> 00:30:48.500 If you don't go, Jehu will not be anointed. 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:52.500 If you don't go, then you cannot give Elijah your mantle. 00:30:52.500 --> 00:30:55.500 Guys, the things that happen every week, 00:30:55.500 --> 00:30:57.500 because we choose one simple question. 00:30:57.500 --> 00:31:00.500 Hey, Father, I'm the gate of heaven here on earth. 00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:05.500 And I know you want to ascend and descend through my life upon people. 00:31:05.500 --> 00:31:08.500 Anything you want me to do this week that you want to highlight? 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:10.500 Monday goes by, nothing. 00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:12.500 Tuesday, anything, nothing. 00:31:12.500 --> 00:31:15.500 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Saturday at 11 p.m. 00:31:15.500 --> 00:31:17.500 Just when you're on your PJs, God says, 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:21.500 there's a guy I want you to go and meet at the ATM in Fraser. 00:31:21.500 --> 00:31:23.500 Are you really God in my PJs? 00:31:23.500 --> 00:31:25.500 No, you can change if you want to. 00:31:25.500 --> 00:31:27.500 And then you go. 00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:33.500 And that one encounter, that one spirit-filled encounter 00:31:33.500 --> 00:31:37.500 affects you like crazy and affects someone else like crazy. 00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:40.500 This is when Christian life gets adventurous, eh? 00:31:49.500 --> 00:31:51.500 I keep growing positionally in the kingdom. 00:31:51.500 --> 00:31:54.500 What I mean by that is, guys, keep increasing in kingdom ways. 00:31:54.500 --> 00:31:57.500 Keep thinking, Father, how does your rule and reign operate? 00:31:57.500 --> 00:32:00.500 I mean, I heard this beautiful line recently, 00:32:00.500 --> 00:32:02.500 and this is what I mean by keep growing. 00:32:02.500 --> 00:32:03.500 And I really embrace it. 00:32:03.500 --> 00:32:04.500 Here's what the guy said. 00:32:04.500 --> 00:32:06.500 The guy said that when he is sick, 00:32:06.500 --> 00:32:08.500 he no longer operates from the position of, 00:32:08.500 --> 00:32:10.500 I am someone who is sick who needs to be healed. 00:32:10.500 --> 00:32:12.500 He operates from the position of, 00:32:12.500 --> 00:32:15.500 I am someone who is whole who needs to fight away the sickness. 00:32:15.500 --> 00:32:18.500 I thought, duh, you should have known that ages ago. 00:32:18.500 --> 00:32:21.500 He doesn't operate from the position of, 00:32:21.500 --> 00:32:25.500 I am someone who is sick, who now claims or appropriates 00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:29.500 the healing that is mine by the stripes laid on Christ's back. 00:32:29.500 --> 00:32:31.500 He doesn't think like that. 00:32:32.500 --> 00:32:35.500 He thinks, I am someone who is whole, 00:32:35.500 --> 00:32:37.500 made whole by the stripes of Christ, 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:39.500 and therefore I will operate from the place of, 00:32:39.500 --> 00:32:45.500 I am whole, and I will fight off or resist or disallow this sickness. 00:32:45.500 --> 00:32:48.500 Small change, but you grow in kingdom ways, eh? 00:32:48.500 --> 00:32:49.500 What are kingdom ways? 00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:53.500 The ways that God rules here on earth now. 00:32:53.500 --> 00:32:55.500 His kingdom has come. 00:32:57.500 --> 00:33:00.500 It's continuously advancing, but it has come. 00:33:02.500 --> 00:33:05.500 So when I prayed for Dagmar, it was along those lines, 00:33:05.500 --> 00:33:08.500 Father, thank you that the clouds are moving away, 00:33:08.500 --> 00:33:12.500 and that your healing that rises with, 00:33:12.500 --> 00:33:16.500 the healing, what's Malachi 4-2? 00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:19.500 The son of righteousness rises with healing in his wings. 00:33:19.500 --> 00:33:22.500 We operate from a different place, keep growing in it, 00:33:22.500 --> 00:33:23.500 and keep teaching others, eh? 00:33:23.500 --> 00:33:26.500 Embed it in your children, embed it in your children, 00:33:26.500 --> 00:33:28.500 embed it in your grandmother. 00:33:29.500 --> 00:33:30.500 Hey, here's the thing, eh? 00:33:30.500 --> 00:33:33.500 When God tells us to leave a legacy for generations, 00:33:33.500 --> 00:33:35.500 don't go down this way, go up this way too, 00:33:35.500 --> 00:33:38.500 because there's your dad and mom and your granddad and grandmom, 00:33:38.500 --> 00:33:40.500 and some of us are great granddads and grandmoms 00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:42.500 who don't know the fullness of the truth yet. 00:33:42.500 --> 00:33:44.500 Go both ways. 00:33:46.500 --> 00:33:50.500 Go to your unborn children, Psalm 78, verse, 00:33:52.500 --> 00:33:53.500 let's say it's 23, 00:33:53.500 --> 00:33:59.500 verse 23 says that I will teach these truths to the generations to come, 00:33:59.500 --> 00:34:01.500 and also to my unborn children. 00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:08.500 Now you lay hands and sing on the fruit of your womb, 00:34:08.500 --> 00:34:14.500 or speak, deep calls too, deep. 00:34:14.500 --> 00:34:15.500 Last point. 00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:17.500 Huh, not bad. 00:34:21.500 --> 00:34:25.500 Guys, notice the order in Genesis 28, verse 17. 00:34:25.500 --> 00:34:28.500 Notice the order in Genesis 28, verse 17. 00:34:28.500 --> 00:34:32.500 Jacob wakes up, he says, man, this is an awesome place. 00:34:32.500 --> 00:34:33.500 God is here. 00:34:33.500 --> 00:34:36.500 And then he says, this is God's house. 00:34:36.500 --> 00:34:37.500 And after that he says, 00:34:37.500 --> 00:34:39.500 I'm going to teach you the truth, 00:34:39.500 --> 00:34:41.500 and you're going to teach me the truth. 00:34:41.500 --> 00:34:43.500 And he says, this is God's house. 00:34:43.500 --> 00:34:46.500 And after that he says, this is the gate of heaven. 00:34:46.500 --> 00:34:49.500 There's an order, guys, and the order is first, 00:34:49.500 --> 00:34:54.500 you got to, first the house, then the gate. 00:34:56.500 --> 00:34:59.500 What happens nowadays is a whole lot of people 00:34:59.500 --> 00:35:01.500 don't want to be part of a house, 00:35:01.500 --> 00:35:03.500 they just want to be the gate. 00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:06.500 And so we've got many mavericks going out. 00:35:06.500 --> 00:35:09.500 And so it's not that God doesn't use them, 00:35:09.500 --> 00:35:11.500 but you're used most powerfully 00:35:11.500 --> 00:35:13.500 when you are a living stone, 00:35:13.500 --> 00:35:14.500 not a living brick. 00:35:14.500 --> 00:35:15.500 There are no living bricks. 00:35:15.500 --> 00:35:18.500 Bricks were made in Egypt, and they're all dead. 00:35:18.500 --> 00:35:20.500 You're a living stone. 00:35:20.500 --> 00:35:21.500 I hope that looks like stone. 00:35:21.500 --> 00:35:24.500 If you put that, now it looks like a flower. 00:35:26.500 --> 00:35:27.500 Okay. 00:35:28.500 --> 00:35:32.500 So, you got to be a living stone in a house 00:35:32.500 --> 00:35:34.500 before you can be a gate. 00:35:34.500 --> 00:35:36.500 First the house, then the gate. 00:35:36.500 --> 00:35:38.500 This is important. 00:35:40.500 --> 00:35:43.500 In Isaiah chapter two, verse three, you'll see the same thing. 00:35:43.500 --> 00:35:44.500 It says, come to Zion. 00:35:44.500 --> 00:35:49.500 And if you come to Zion, out of Zion shall go decrees and laws. 00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:52.500 Ephesians one, verse 22 says the same. 00:35:52.500 --> 00:35:55.500 It says, the world is peripheral to the church. 00:35:55.500 --> 00:35:59.500 It doesn't say the church is peripheral to the world as we think. 00:35:59.500 --> 00:36:01.500 The world is peripheral to the church. 00:36:01.500 --> 00:36:03.500 That's what it says in the message. 00:36:03.500 --> 00:36:06.500 And the church is the body of Christ. 00:36:07.500 --> 00:36:11.500 And then it goes on to say, Christ speaks and acts 00:36:11.500 --> 00:36:15.500 and fills with his presence the body. 00:36:15.500 --> 00:36:16.500 Just think of that for a second, guys. 00:36:16.500 --> 00:36:18.500 Ephesians one, verse 22. 00:36:18.500 --> 00:36:23.500 The world is peripheral to the church, which is Christ's body. 00:36:23.500 --> 00:36:30.500 That Christ speaks and acts in, and that Christ fills with his presence fully. 00:36:30.500 --> 00:36:35.500 Now when you're a part of the house, and you go out and become the gate, 00:36:35.500 --> 00:36:41.500 God speaks through you, acts through you, and causes his presence to go out through you. 00:36:41.500 --> 00:36:44.500 Critical to understand house first, gate next. 00:36:44.500 --> 00:36:47.500 You change that order and you'll be half as effective. 00:36:49.500 --> 00:36:51.500 Half as effective. 00:36:51.500 --> 00:36:56.500 And a living stone is a stone that is vitally connected. 00:36:56.500 --> 00:37:00.500 In Hebrew understanding, I love it when pastors say in Hebrew understanding, 00:37:00.500 --> 00:37:03.500 it makes them sound like they know what they're talking about. 00:37:03.500 --> 00:37:05.500 Usually they don't, as I don't. 00:37:05.500 --> 00:37:10.500 But I've heard this, that in Hebrew understanding, 00:37:10.500 --> 00:37:17.500 a stone that is not resting or connected to another stone is a dead stone. 00:37:17.500 --> 00:37:21.500 To be living, you have to be connected. 00:37:21.500 --> 00:37:26.500 So you can be a shiny stone, polished and standing alone, 00:37:26.500 --> 00:37:28.500 and you ain't a living stone. 00:37:28.500 --> 00:37:30.500 You're a dead shiny stone. 00:37:31.500 --> 00:37:36.500 That's why there's a need for vital connection to the body before you can be living. 00:37:39.500 --> 00:37:41.500 First the house, then the gate. 00:37:41.500 --> 00:37:43.500 First the house, then the gate. 00:37:43.500 --> 00:37:47.500 Be a living stone in God's house if you want to be the gate of his presence. 00:37:47.500 --> 00:37:51.500 Just imagine Ephesians 1, 22 is so full, let me just say it again. 00:37:51.500 --> 00:37:53.500 If we can grasp the enormity of what God is saying. 00:37:53.500 --> 00:37:59.500 God is saying this, hey guys, the world outside is peripheral to the church. 00:38:00.500 --> 00:38:03.500 And the church is Christ's body. 00:38:03.500 --> 00:38:09.500 And Christ speaks and acts in and through the body. 00:38:09.500 --> 00:38:14.500 And Christ fills his body with his presence. 00:38:14.500 --> 00:38:17.500 Therefore, now be the gate of heaven. 00:38:17.500 --> 00:38:20.500 And what is heaven? His presence. 00:38:21.500 --> 00:38:24.500 Now be the gate of heaven, where you go and speak and act, 00:38:24.500 --> 00:38:27.500 and out of you shall flow what needs to flow. 00:38:30.500 --> 00:38:33.500 Now Psalm 24 verse 7 makes sense, eh? 00:38:33.500 --> 00:38:35.500 Where it says, 00:38:35.500 --> 00:38:38.500 Open up ye ancient gates, 00:38:38.500 --> 00:38:41.500 let the king of glory now come in. 00:38:41.500 --> 00:38:42.500 Who is the king of glory? 00:38:42.500 --> 00:38:44.500 The Lord strong and mighty in battle. 00:38:44.500 --> 00:38:47.500 Who do you think opens gates? 00:38:48.500 --> 00:38:50.500 God? No. 00:38:50.500 --> 00:38:54.500 He's saying, you go open the gate and I will enter. 00:38:54.500 --> 00:38:56.500 You go and my presence will come. 00:38:56.500 --> 00:38:58.500 You go, I will speak. 00:38:58.500 --> 00:39:00.500 You go, I will act. 00:39:04.500 --> 00:39:06.500 This is what God is saying. 00:39:06.500 --> 00:39:08.500 Now how does he start that Psalm off? 00:39:08.500 --> 00:39:10.500 Who shall dwell on my holy mountain Zion? 00:39:10.500 --> 00:39:13.500 As in, who shall be my people? 00:39:13.500 --> 00:39:15.500 He who has clean hands, 00:39:15.500 --> 00:39:17.500 who does not speak lies, 00:39:17.500 --> 00:39:19.500 who does not shed blood, 00:39:19.500 --> 00:39:21.500 whose heart is clean, 00:39:21.500 --> 00:39:23.500 they shall dwell upon my holy mountain. 00:39:23.500 --> 00:39:24.500 And then he goes on to say, 00:39:24.500 --> 00:39:27.500 Who will now go and speak to these gates? 00:39:27.500 --> 00:39:29.500 Ancient gates, what are ancient gates? 00:39:29.500 --> 00:39:32.500 Ancient gates are gates that have been shut for so long. 00:39:32.500 --> 00:39:34.500 Sometimes shut because of ignorance, 00:39:34.500 --> 00:39:36.500 sometimes shut because of legalism, 00:39:36.500 --> 00:39:39.500 sometimes shut because of demonic hindrances. 00:39:39.500 --> 00:39:41.500 And he says, who will go and speak? 00:39:41.500 --> 00:39:43.500 Open up these ancient gates. 00:39:44.500 --> 00:39:46.500 You and I, man, 00:39:46.500 --> 00:39:49.500 the house of God, the gate of heaven. 00:39:49.500 --> 00:39:52.500 Just wanted to show you these pictures. 00:39:53.500 --> 00:39:57.500 Just to show you that we are actually involved in this 00:39:57.500 --> 00:40:01.500 and it takes nothing except this beautiful thing called 00:40:01.500 --> 00:40:03.500 obedience. 00:40:05.500 --> 00:40:07.500 Yeah, I'm ready. 00:40:07.500 --> 00:40:09.500 This was an ancient gate, eh? 00:40:11.500 --> 00:40:13.500 In Ephesians 3.10 it says, 00:40:13.500 --> 00:40:16.500 Through the church, the mystery of Christ 00:40:16.500 --> 00:40:18.500 and his many splendid wisdom 00:40:18.500 --> 00:40:21.500 shall be made known to the powers and principalities. 00:40:21.500 --> 00:40:23.500 Just listen to that again, Church, one more time. 00:40:23.500 --> 00:40:25.500 Your ears can hear and your spirit can understand. 00:40:25.500 --> 00:40:27.500 Listen to this. Ephesians 3.10. 00:40:27.500 --> 00:40:29.500 Through the church 00:40:29.500 --> 00:40:32.500 and through you the least of saints, 00:40:32.500 --> 00:40:35.500 that's what the Bible says and Paul is talking about himself, 00:40:35.500 --> 00:40:38.500 through the church, through the least of you, 00:40:38.500 --> 00:40:40.500 the mystery of Christ, 00:40:40.500 --> 00:40:44.500 as in all the things about Christ, 00:40:44.500 --> 00:40:46.500 hidden from the ages, 00:40:46.500 --> 00:40:49.500 is now being revealed, 00:40:49.500 --> 00:40:51.500 along with his manifold wisdom, 00:40:51.500 --> 00:40:54.500 as in the brilliance of God is now being released, 00:40:54.500 --> 00:40:58.500 revealed through whom? Through you, through the church. 00:40:58.500 --> 00:41:01.500 To whom? To powers and principalities and angels. 00:41:01.500 --> 00:41:05.500 Who do what? Who hold sway over the things of the earth. 00:41:08.500 --> 00:41:09.500 This happened in Mongolia. 00:41:09.500 --> 00:41:12.500 Maybe, as I know, recognize one or two of them. 00:41:12.500 --> 00:41:17.500 But this was a whole family of nine or ten shaman, 00:41:17.500 --> 00:41:19.500 it was a shaman family. 00:41:19.500 --> 00:41:25.500 The main guy, the main guy is the guy who's standing to my, 00:41:25.500 --> 00:41:28.500 depends on which way I'm standing, 00:41:28.500 --> 00:41:31.500 standing to my right, the third guy on the right. 00:41:31.500 --> 00:41:33.500 Oh shucks, I can point it here. 00:41:33.500 --> 00:41:35.500 Another guy next to him. 00:41:35.500 --> 00:41:37.500 Yeah, that's the main guy. 00:41:37.500 --> 00:41:39.500 He was the guy who brought the rest of his family. 00:41:39.500 --> 00:41:40.500 He got saved first. 00:41:40.500 --> 00:41:44.500 All that it took was for a house of shamans to know 00:41:44.500 --> 00:41:48.500 that there is someone called Jesus Christ. 00:41:48.500 --> 00:41:51.500 And when the mystery of Christ was revealed to them, 00:41:51.500 --> 00:41:53.500 and the wisdom of God was made known, 00:41:53.500 --> 00:41:56.500 an ancient door was suddenly lifted open, 00:41:56.500 --> 00:42:00.500 and out came charging prisoners, and in went light. 00:42:00.500 --> 00:42:03.500 This is what it says in Isaiah 49, where it says, 00:42:03.500 --> 00:42:06.500 say to the prisoners, come out, it's safe now. 00:42:06.500 --> 00:42:09.500 It's not dark anymore, come out into the light. 00:42:09.500 --> 00:42:10.500 Who is supposed to do that? 00:42:10.500 --> 00:42:12.500 The servant Christ, he did that. 00:42:12.500 --> 00:42:13.500 He did that. 00:42:13.500 --> 00:42:14.500 Who does that now? 00:42:14.500 --> 00:42:16.500 The body of the servant Christ. 00:42:16.500 --> 00:42:18.500 You. 00:42:18.500 --> 00:42:20.500 Go to the next picture. 00:42:20.500 --> 00:42:22.500 You've seen this picture. 00:42:22.500 --> 00:42:24.500 This was in Indonesia, guys. 00:42:24.500 --> 00:42:27.500 The reason I put up this picture is that tower there 00:42:27.500 --> 00:42:29.500 is where this king, I know you've heard this story before, 00:42:29.500 --> 00:42:31.500 I just want to highlight one simple thing. 00:42:31.500 --> 00:42:35.500 That tower used to be where this king would go 00:42:35.500 --> 00:42:39.500 and spend a couple of nights with a demonic entity 00:42:39.500 --> 00:42:41.500 called Ratu Kidul, the queen of the South Seas. 00:42:41.500 --> 00:42:44.500 Victor and Florence know about this. 00:42:44.500 --> 00:42:45.500 He used to spend time there, 00:42:45.500 --> 00:42:48.500 because he was from a divine line of kings, supposedly, 00:42:48.500 --> 00:42:52.500 and she was this demonic entity that gave him power. 00:42:54.500 --> 00:42:58.500 Ancient door, broken open by God, 00:42:58.500 --> 00:43:01.500 setting the king free, setting his daughter free, 00:43:01.500 --> 00:43:03.500 setting his wife free, 00:43:03.500 --> 00:43:07.500 changing the climate around that little sultanate, 00:43:07.500 --> 00:43:09.500 ending the reign, at least in his life 00:43:09.500 --> 00:43:11.500 and in the life of his family. 00:43:11.500 --> 00:43:15.500 An ancient door that had been shut for so long, 00:43:15.500 --> 00:43:18.500 to the simple obedience of a few people 00:43:18.500 --> 00:43:20.500 brought together by God who did not know each other 00:43:20.500 --> 00:43:22.500 till they met together. 00:43:22.500 --> 00:43:25.500 And the last one, which I think is something that 00:43:25.500 --> 00:43:28.500 this church has been so involved with, is Nandigama. 00:43:28.500 --> 00:43:32.500 You know how old the caste system is? 00:43:32.500 --> 00:43:34.500 3,500 years. 00:43:34.500 --> 00:43:38.500 For 3,500 years, their forefathers have been untouchable. 00:43:38.500 --> 00:43:42.500 For 3,500 years, there's been a door that has not been opened. 00:43:42.500 --> 00:43:45.500 That's longer than the bondage that Israel suffered. 00:43:45.500 --> 00:43:48.500 Israel was only 400 years under bondage. 00:43:48.500 --> 00:43:53.500 3,500 years, broken open by a people. 00:43:53.500 --> 00:43:56.500 Where, say to those ancient gates, 00:43:56.500 --> 00:43:58.500 lift up your ancient gates, open up your doors. 00:43:58.500 --> 00:44:01.500 Why? Because the king of glory shall come in. 00:44:01.500 --> 00:44:02.500 And what kind of glory is it? 00:44:02.500 --> 00:44:04.500 That covers every area of your life, 00:44:04.500 --> 00:44:06.500 your marriage, your children, 00:44:06.500 --> 00:44:09.500 education, finances, work, spiritual stuff, 00:44:09.500 --> 00:44:13.500 everything Jesus bought all of us. 00:44:13.500 --> 00:44:15.500 We just don't know it because we don't think 00:44:15.500 --> 00:44:17.500 this is happening to us. 00:44:17.500 --> 00:44:21.500 This is about a hundred strong, 00:44:21.500 --> 00:44:24.500 180 strong community, 00:44:24.500 --> 00:44:26.500 because of God bringing Jeevan to us 00:44:26.500 --> 00:44:27.500 and Jeevan leading this. 00:44:27.500 --> 00:44:28.500 And us being involved in this. 00:44:28.500 --> 00:44:30.500 Heidi's gone there, others have gone there. 00:44:30.500 --> 00:44:32.500 Setting up a church, 00:44:32.500 --> 00:44:35.500 Suddenly the gates are lifted open and people enter. 00:44:35.500 --> 00:44:37.500 That's what happens guys. 00:44:37.500 --> 00:44:41.500 Ancient doors are broken down that are demonic 00:44:41.500 --> 00:44:42.500 and ancient doors are lifted up 00:44:42.500 --> 00:44:44.500 so that the king of glory can go in. 00:44:44.500 --> 00:44:47.500 You and I have this brilliant opportunity. 00:44:47.500 --> 00:44:49.500 You and I have this brilliant opportunity 00:44:49.500 --> 00:44:52.500 starting tomorrow to be the gate of heaven. 00:44:52.500 --> 00:44:54.500 To be the gate of heaven. 00:44:54.500 --> 00:44:56.500 To be the gate of heaven. 00:44:56.500 --> 00:44:58.500 To be the gate of heaven. 00:44:58.500 --> 00:45:00.500 To be the gate of heaven. 00:45:00.500 --> 00:45:02.500 To be the gate of heaven. 00:45:02.500 --> 00:45:04.500 Yeah. 00:45:04.500 --> 00:45:07.500 Man, it is so easy guys. 00:45:07.500 --> 00:45:11.500 The groundwork has been laid for years and years and years. 00:45:11.500 --> 00:45:15.500 If not now then when, if not you then who? 00:45:19.500 --> 00:45:23.500 So Chantal and Diana will start putting that stuff on Facebook 00:45:23.500 --> 00:45:25.500 and let's just add to it. 00:45:25.500 --> 00:45:26.500 Add your thoughts to it. 00:45:26.500 --> 00:45:28.500 And as your thoughts are added to it, 00:45:28.500 --> 00:45:30.500 it'll bring more light to things. 00:45:30.500 --> 00:45:34.500 God will never, never allow the fullness of his wisdom 00:45:34.500 --> 00:45:36.500 to be revealed through one man. 00:45:36.500 --> 00:45:40.500 The only time it was done was through the man Christ. 00:45:40.500 --> 00:45:43.500 Since then it is his many splendid body 00:45:43.500 --> 00:45:46.500 that brings to fullness the wisdom of God. 00:45:46.500 --> 00:45:48.500 Therefore when you write on Facebook, 00:45:48.500 --> 00:45:49.500 do not think you're writing as, 00:45:49.500 --> 00:45:51.500 oh I'm just a simple part of Axe 20. 00:45:51.500 --> 00:45:52.500 No, no, no, no, no, no, no. 00:45:52.500 --> 00:45:54.500 You're not a simple part of Axe 20 00:45:54.500 --> 00:45:58.500 and you perhaps may be that extra little piece of the puzzle 00:45:58.500 --> 00:45:59.500 that needs to fit in. 00:45:59.500 --> 00:46:03.500 So say things after thought with sufficient boldness 00:46:03.500 --> 00:46:06.500 because that's how God works in his body. 00:46:06.500 --> 00:46:08.500 That's how he does it. 00:46:08.500 --> 00:46:09.500 Amen. 00:46:09.500 --> 00:46:11.500 Father we bless you. 00:46:11.500 --> 00:46:13.500 We thank you. 00:46:13.500 --> 00:46:15.500 It's been a great afternoon actually Father. 00:46:15.500 --> 00:46:17.500 Really enjoyed it. 00:46:17.500 --> 00:46:19.500 And I'm sure I'm not the only one who's thinking so 00:46:19.500 --> 00:46:22.500 but perhaps I can say it again and see what the reaction is. 00:46:22.500 --> 00:46:24.500 Father it's really been a great afternoon. 00:46:24.500 --> 00:46:25.500 Amen. 00:46:25.500 --> 00:46:26.500 There you go Abba. 00:46:26.500 --> 00:46:28.500 It was a great afternoon. 00:46:28.500 --> 00:46:32.500 So yeah, church doesn't end Father. 00:46:32.500 --> 00:46:34.500 Church doesn't end. 00:46:34.500 --> 00:46:37.500 Sundays are just an activity of the church. 00:46:37.500 --> 00:46:39.500 It's just an activity of the church. 00:46:39.500 --> 00:46:46.500 So Father if people need prayer I'm going to ask 00:46:46.500 --> 00:46:49.500 Sue and what's her name? 00:46:49.500 --> 00:46:51.500 Karen. 00:46:51.500 --> 00:46:55.500 And Jeevan. 00:46:55.500 --> 00:47:01.500 And actually Victor to come up and stand up here in front 00:47:01.500 --> 00:47:03.500 as people come for prayer. 00:47:03.500 --> 00:47:07.500 And I just thank you that they'll be the gate of heaven 00:47:07.500 --> 00:47:13.500 through which things from the kingdom will ascend and descend. 00:47:13.500 --> 00:47:15.500 Touching lives here today. 00:47:15.500 --> 00:47:16.500 In Jesus' name. 00:47:16.500 --> 00:47:18.500 Amen.