WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: I Looked For Someone Publishing Date: 2025-03-23T06:04:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/i-looked-for-someone/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:14.640 I look for someone. And so, it's something that God does say. Even though Christ came 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:19.600 and stood in the gap, God still looks for people that He can show Himself strong on 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:27.760 behalf of. He still does that. So, in Ezekiel 22.30, it says in the message, I look for 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:34.240 someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:39.360 of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. And so, that's Ezekiel 00:00:39.360 --> 00:00:46.560 22.30. That tells you what God wants. And should He find a person like that, then He 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:56.080 goes to 2 Chronicles 16.9. So, when He finds this person that He's looking for, then He 00:00:56.080 --> 00:01:04.640 goes to 2 Chronicles 16.9. What does 2 Chronicles 16.9 say? Just turn to it. It's a very popular 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:14.080 verse. 2 Chronicles 16.9, For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen 00:01:14.080 --> 00:01:20.080 those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. So, when He finds a man that He thinks 00:01:20.080 --> 00:01:30.400 can stand and do two things, stand in the gap and build a wall, when He finds a man 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:35.200 like that, and I know that Christ has already done it, but God still looks for this man, 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:40.720 this woman, when He finds someone like that, 2 Chronicles 16.9 goes into action, which 00:01:40.720 --> 00:01:50.160 is God saying, that listen, my eyes have seen you and I will strengthen your heart. Why? 00:01:50.160 --> 00:01:59.920 Because I realize that you are fully committed to me. And throughout the scriptures, you 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:06.320 find people like this, eh? So, if you go to Numbers 16, for instance, if you go to Numbers 00:02:06.320 --> 00:02:14.720 16, verse 46 to 48, you find a man called Aaron, who's quite old now, and yet, he's got this sensor 00:02:14.720 --> 00:02:19.760 in his hand, and he's running to and fro. Must have run quite a lot, man, because you're talking 00:02:19.760 --> 00:02:27.680 about a million people, and a plague has started, and there is this one old man, one old man, running 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:34.720 between the people. Anyone who comes on the right side gets life. Anyone who stays on the other side 00:02:34.720 --> 00:02:40.640 dies, because the plague has started. You'll find that throughout the scriptures, you often find 00:02:40.640 --> 00:02:47.920 one man or one woman who needs to step up. It still hasn't stopped. While Christ finished what needed 00:02:47.920 --> 00:02:54.640 to happen by standing in the gap for us, He's still looking for people who'll step up. And that's kind 00:02:54.640 --> 00:02:59.040 of where we want to go. Only we don't want to look for one man or one woman. We want to look for an 00:02:59.040 --> 00:03:08.800 entire group of people, which is far more effective. So, you see that in Numbers 16, 46 to 48, 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:15.760 where you had Aaron running, and one side of him was life, the other side was death. 00:03:15.760 --> 00:03:24.800 Here's another guy. That was Aaron. Here's another one. Numbers 25, verse 7 to 9. Who was this guy? 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:36.640 Any guesses? No? Phinehas. And so what does Phinehas do? One man. He sees this woman called 00:03:36.640 --> 00:03:42.560 Cosby and this guy called Zimri caressing each other. It's insinuated when the glory of God came 00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:47.520 into the camp, and he knows disaster is going to strike the camp, because it's irreverent before 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:54.480 a holy God who's hallowed the place. And so Phinehas takes the death of the man, and he's 00:03:54.480 --> 00:04:00.800 going to take the javelin and spears Cosby and Zimri, putting an end to the plague. One man again. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:07.440 So much so that God says of him that this man showed such zeal on behalf of me that he'll be 00:04:07.440 --> 00:04:13.120 remembered forever. One man. He's always looking for one man or one woman. And why does he look for 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:18.800 one man or one woman? Because everything in the kingdom starts from one. Nothing in the kingdom 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:25.520 is democratic. Nothing. There's nothing in the kingdom that's done through a democratic process 00:04:25.520 --> 00:04:31.120 of majority choosing something. The only time the New Testament that the majority chose someone, 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:39.600 they chose Barabbas. But otherwise, it's a kingdom. And in a kingdom, it always starts with one. Why? 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:46.400 Because that one plus God becomes a majority. That's the intent. Can I take that one person, 00:04:46.960 --> 00:04:52.720 regardless of how weak and insufficient he is, and join him to God, and suddenly things happen? 00:04:53.600 --> 00:05:00.160 That's his intent. Let me pick one. And he usually picks really weak people like you and me. 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:05.920 Check Gideon out. Check David out. 00:05:08.320 --> 00:05:15.520 Check Pavan out. Check Mark out. Check Dane out. Check Anne out. Weak. Nobody is. 00:05:17.280 --> 00:05:20.960 But then you become a majority as soon as God joins with you. 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:26.000 And so he always picks one man or one woman. That's always how we started, eh? 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:36.400 Throughout the Bible. Adam, Noah, Jacob, David, Jesus, Paul, Gideon. Just continuously. 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:44.560 In fact, in Isaiah 52, I think it says, look back at the quarry that you were cut out from. 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:48.320 Look back at Abraham, your father, and Sarah, your mother. 00:05:48.320 --> 00:05:51.360 And out of that one person, I have created a nation. 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:07.520 Here's another one. First Kings 18, 22. Who's the guy? Elijah. What did he do? 00:06:07.520 --> 00:06:13.120 Reform an entire nation. Brought it back from the brink of apostasy to once again following God. 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:18.560 Choose who you will serve today. Yahweh or Baal? One man. 00:06:20.960 --> 00:06:27.200 Brings the entire nation back. And so we don't think like this anymore because we are so used to 00:06:27.200 --> 00:06:33.840 being democratized. It's strange, eh? We are highly individualized when it comes to self. 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:40.880 But highly democratized when it comes to any exploits that have to do with God. 00:06:41.760 --> 00:06:47.680 Highly individualized when it comes to self. Highly democratized when it comes to exploits for God. 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:54.080 Then we won't chance it alone. We suddenly go humble. I'm a weak nothing. Of course you are. 00:06:54.880 --> 00:06:58.000 But now join yourself to the majority of one which is God. 00:07:01.520 --> 00:07:04.000 Every movement in the world has started with one man or woman. 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:08.720 Every movement. And it doesn't matter. I'm not talking about Christian stuff. 00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:12.480 I'm also talking about non-Christian stuff. Stuff with one man or woman. 00:07:15.440 --> 00:07:21.040 The tough part is how do you raise someone not to be a maverick and yet to be this? 00:07:22.320 --> 00:07:23.120 That's the hard part. 00:07:27.840 --> 00:07:34.720 Elijah turns back an entire nation. There's another guy, man. This guy I really liked. 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:41.840 His was a tough thing to do. In today's society, you'll totally understand how difficult it was. 00:07:41.840 --> 00:07:49.600 There's a guy called Micaiah. This is worth reading. Go to 1 Kings 22, 11. 00:07:50.880 --> 00:07:57.520 This is so difficult to do. 1 Kings 22, 11. 00:07:57.760 --> 00:08:05.440 Okay. So let's start at verse 9. 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:11.920 So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, Bring Micaiah son of Imla at once. 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:16.400 Dressed in the royal robe, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, 00:08:16.400 --> 00:08:20.240 were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:24.640 with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah, the son of Cana, 00:08:24.640 --> 00:08:30.560 had made iron horns and he declared, This is what the Lord says. With these you will gore 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:35.120 the Arameans until they are destroyed. All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:39.360 Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious, they said, for the Lord will give it to the king. 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:44.320 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, Look, as one man, 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:49.520 the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your words agree with theirs and speak 00:08:49.520 --> 00:08:54.800 favorably. And then look at verse 17. Then Micaiah answered, I saw all Israel scattered on the hills 00:08:54.800 --> 00:09:00.400 like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, These people have no master, let each go home in 00:09:00.400 --> 00:09:04.560 peace. The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, didn't I tell you that he never prophesied 00:09:04.560 --> 00:09:12.240 anything good about me, but only bad? It is so hard to do that. This is cancel culture. 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:17.840 They were basically canceling Micaiah out, saying, Make sure you join in and say exactly what the others are saying. 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:24.400 And the guy had the guts to say otherwise. Very difficult. But one man needs to do it and then 00:09:24.400 --> 00:09:32.240 suddenly you find others joining you. Next one, Genesis 45 verse 7, where it says, There was one man, 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:39.520 one killer, who was a man, and he was a man. And he was a man. And he was a man. And he was a man. 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:47.520 Where it says, There was one man, one kid actually, called Joseph, who was sent before the famine 00:09:47.520 --> 00:09:53.600 to Egypt so that the sons of Jacob could be preserved and would not die. One man preserved 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:57.840 and starts a new line. Here's another guy you're familiar with. First Samuel 00:10:00.640 --> 00:10:08.640 17 verse 10 and verse 36. Who's it? David. What's he saying? Here's Goliath who comes out and says, 00:10:08.640 --> 00:10:13.440 Hey, send me one of your champions. Let's settle this. I defy the God of Israel. 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:20.480 One man. You have an entire army, but only one man, one kid steps up and he says, How dare he defy the 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:26.080 God of Israel? I've killed a lion. I've killed a bear. I'll do the same to this uncircumcised felicity. 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:33.920 Then of course there's Hebrews 6 20. Jesus, our forerunner. Jesus, our forerunner. 00:10:33.920 --> 00:10:43.840 One man. And then if you look at any of the guys in Hebrews 11, you'll find all of them were one man 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:54.080 or one woman. Any questions on that? The entire book of Hebrews 11 is about one man who stood up 00:10:54.080 --> 00:11:02.480 or one woman who stood up. Is this something that, is this something that you can't understand? 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:05.120 Is this something that you, you and I think of? 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:14.080 Because it's, if we don't think of it, we must think of it for our children's sake so that they 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:21.200 rise up. And none of it is for self-glory. Most of the guys who stood up as one man went through 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:26.080 really difficult times. Strong opposition, usually a breach in the family. 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:31.040 None of these guys did it without a breach in their family, some in opposing them, and strong 00:11:31.040 --> 00:11:39.440 opposition. Some of them died. So there's very little self-glory here. But is this how you think? 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:44.880 Is this how Dilna thinks? Is this how Jennifer thinks? Is this how George thinks? That one man 00:11:44.880 --> 00:11:52.640 can make a difference. Not in coming up with an invention for the sake of the kingdom. 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:57.440 For the sake of the kingdom. And one must think like this, eh? Because this is natural 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:03.680 for the sons and daughters of God. It's natural. It's not alien to us. And we must teach our kids 00:12:03.680 --> 00:12:05.200 to think like this. 00:12:12.160 --> 00:12:18.240 Be salmon. Get served. No, no. Be salmon. Swim upstream. Yeah. 00:12:23.040 --> 00:12:26.320 Sorry. Any questions? 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:35.120 And the other thing is, many of us sitting here will suddenly think, 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:40.080 but I'm not 20 or 30 anymore. Well, at least you have more wisdom. It'll take you less time. 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:52.800 Yep. There's a 50-year-old saying, yeah. So guys, do not look at your age and say, 00:12:52.800 --> 00:12:57.120 because at the end of the day, remember, the reason he chooses one is so that he can become 00:12:57.120 --> 00:13:02.400 a majority with you. So that people look at him and say, it would have been impossible without 00:13:02.400 --> 00:13:06.800 God, because we know what Dilna is actually made of. Welcome back, Dilna. 00:13:10.800 --> 00:13:16.080 One man. That's why often when the prophetic is spoken over you, it sounds so impossible, 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:20.160 because it's addressing you and saying, you will do this. And you think to yourself, 00:13:20.800 --> 00:13:25.840 how in the world am I going to do that? That sounds so out of the way that it's impossible. 00:13:26.800 --> 00:13:27.680 Treasure it, eh? 00:13:27.680 --> 00:13:42.480 So what do we have to guard against when we go down this route of one man, pride? You see, 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:51.520 it affected Uzaya, King Uzaya, and you'll find that in 2 Chronicles 26, verse 16. Sometimes 00:13:51.520 --> 00:13:57.360 you suffer from what's called Elijah syndrome. Elijah syndrome is when he begins to say, 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:02.800 I'm the only guy left when he didn't know there were 7,000 others. That's in 1 Kings 19, 10, 00:14:02.800 --> 00:14:10.720 where you become a martyr of thought. And then the other one with quite surprising judges, 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:18.000 you'll find in the Judges 8, 27, and it's Gideon. You know, if you are one man who really breaks 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:26.080 through, then make sure you raise others who can take your place. Superstars happen when superstars 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:31.920 do not raise someone else to replace them. A superstar is someone who's irreplaceable. 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:37.760 Therefore, he then becomes the idol that has to be worshipped because there's nobody to replace 00:14:37.760 --> 00:14:46.080 him. So what did Gideon do in Judges 8, 27? He took an ephod and he built, it was his own ephod, 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:51.440 but when he died, he left it so that others could come and worship it. And the Bible says that people 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:57.200 in Israel began to come and worship Gideon's ephod because it was a detestable practice before 00:14:57.200 --> 00:15:02.320 God. How come Gideon, a man of God who knew God so well, who actually kind of saw God, could not 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:08.960 leave behind someone else? Superstars are the result of people not moving out of the way so 00:15:08.960 --> 00:15:21.200 that others can replace them. So those are the pitfalls of the one man God thing. God 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:30.960 wants us to go with. And so to be with that someone, each person here must engage God 00:15:32.800 --> 00:15:45.120 in the context, you must engage God in the context of how he sees you and not how you see yourself. 00:15:45.760 --> 00:15:52.720 You must engage God in the context of how he sees you, not how you see yourself. So I try to process 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:58.720 who I am and what I must do through the eyes of the Spirit. I try to process who I am and what I 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:04.720 must do through the eyes of the Spirit. What if you started that process at 23 or 24? Imagine what 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:12.640 will happen by the time you turn 30. So you engage God in the context of how he sees you, 00:16:13.280 --> 00:16:19.200 so you engage God in the context of how he sees you, not how you see yourself. Because you will 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:25.920 be defined by either your work or your degree or your future career that awaits you or your money 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:32.960 or your job or lack of job. Something else will define you. And those are so not 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:40.320 how you define yourself. You define yourself based on over a period of six or seven months. 00:16:42.800 --> 00:16:47.440 What is the context of how God sees me? And you can't say God sees me as a child of God. 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:51.920 That would be like your kid saying, I'm your son. No, no, no, no. You want your kid to see 00:16:52.640 --> 00:16:59.440 who he really is. Yes, he is your son. But what else is your son? Is he kind? Is he merciful? 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:06.080 Is he courageous? Is he bold? Is he gentle? Is he strong? Does he have aggression or does he 00:17:06.080 --> 00:17:10.880 be compliant? There are so many things that go into defining who a person is. 00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:16.160 And God is the same. Just like you do it with your children, so is God. 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:24.880 I mean, if I ask you right now to define Joey, define Judah, define Phoebe, define Yahya, 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:30.800 you would have different words for them. They're not all the same. You won't just say they're 00:17:30.800 --> 00:17:38.720 children. No, each one is so different, man. It's a wonderful process of discovery. 00:17:40.800 --> 00:17:45.440 So what if it takes five or six months? Take the time. Aren't all your three kids different? 00:17:47.280 --> 00:17:51.360 And you think the fourth kid will be the same? No way. They're so different. 00:17:55.120 --> 00:18:00.240 So see it in that context, okay? Because once you begin to engage God in the context of how 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:06.160 he sees you and not how you see yourself, you begin to then become the man that he wants you 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:13.600 to or the woman that he wants you to become. The other thing is once you know that battles 00:18:13.600 --> 00:18:23.040 are always fought, battles are always fought, battles are always fought at the treasuring, 00:18:23.600 --> 00:18:34.080 at the treasuring level of life. Hey, and once you know what God has shown you, 00:18:34.080 --> 00:18:39.600 the hardest thing is to stick with it. You know one thing that Jacob did in Genesis 39, verse 30, 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:47.200 Jacob brings these sheep of his and he takes the bark of trees and he cuts it so that they're 00:18:47.200 --> 00:18:53.200 speckled and spotted and then he has a sheep come to the water trough and mate before these speckled 00:18:54.800 --> 00:18:57.920 stems and so they give birth to speckled and spotted 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:04.720 lambs. So you know what he does? After they do that, he removes them and makes them face 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:10.560 another direction. Why? Because he doesn't want anything to disturb what they have already seen. 00:19:10.560 --> 00:19:16.000 Once God shows you what you behold, make sure you don't go behold other things. Stick with it. It's 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:21.200 the hardest thing to do because everything he says is impossible. Everything he says is impossible. 00:19:24.080 --> 00:19:28.160 And everything around you will tell you otherwise. I put it down this way. 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:39.040 Once you become what you behold, do not behold something other. Once you become 00:19:39.040 --> 00:19:44.880 what you behold, do not behold something other because there'll be a battle for that. 00:19:46.080 --> 00:19:50.400 The battle is always fought at the treasuring level of life. What do you mean by that? 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:54.800 What the heart treasures, what the heart treasures 00:19:58.320 --> 00:20:04.880 or tramples, what the heart treasures or tramples is what 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:06.720 the mouth speaks, 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:12.160 the mind thinks, 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:16.160 the eyes watch 00:20:18.800 --> 00:20:20.480 and feet move towards. 00:20:25.040 --> 00:20:28.080 It's awesome hearing them, man. I love this part of the service. 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:31.840 It's awesome hearing them, man. I love this part of the service. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:39.040 What the heart treasures or tramples is what the mouth speaks, the mind thinks, 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:48.960 the eyes watch and the feet move towards. Because whatever you treasure, whatever you treasure, 00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:51.840 whatever you treasure, 00:20:59.120 --> 00:21:00.160 praise the Lord, 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:06.640 what you treasure gives you 00:21:09.280 --> 00:21:12.640 the power to free yourself 00:21:13.280 --> 00:21:15.840 from competing offers. 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:26.880 This is so important, which begs the question, what do you treasure about what God has 00:21:27.520 --> 00:21:34.880 given to you or called you for or engaged you in? What is it that you treasure so immensely 00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:39.120 that it gives you the power to free yourself from competing offers? 00:21:39.120 --> 00:21:40.880 What is it in your life? 00:21:43.280 --> 00:21:46.080 It doesn't matter what kind of a job they'll give you, it doesn't matter how much money 00:21:46.080 --> 00:21:49.600 they'll give you, it doesn't matter where they tell you to relocate to, it doesn't matter 00:21:49.600 --> 00:21:58.400 how much crypto they give you, you just don't find it attractive. Why? Because whatever 00:21:58.400 --> 00:22:02.400 your treasure gives you the power to free yourself. That's why sometimes when guys 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:06.640 meet a girl who lives in Timbuktu, they move to Timbuktu. Why? 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:11.680 Because that's where their treasure is. They move to Timbuktu. 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:21.040 I don't know where Timbuktu is, but I believe it's a nice place. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:33.840 Where? It's in Mali. Okay. So, it's amazing what, how many battles are fought at the treasure level. 00:22:36.800 --> 00:22:42.240 And you must be able to define it. If you cannot define treasure and it has to be specific, 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:47.840 not the generic. Yes, we start with the generic, but we always come down to the specific. 00:22:47.840 --> 00:22:57.280 You must be able to define your treasure. Any questions? Good singing, Remy. 00:23:01.120 --> 00:23:01.840 Any questions? 00:23:07.280 --> 00:23:13.280 Because once you get this right, guys, then it creates time for you. 00:23:17.280 --> 00:23:19.280 It prioritizes your choices. 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:28.240 It protects your passion. 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:30.880 It honors commitments. 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:37.920 And it destroys complacency. 00:23:43.840 --> 00:23:45.840 Back to the question. 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:49.920 What then is my treasure? 00:23:50.240 --> 00:23:51.200 Back to the question. 00:23:54.080 --> 00:23:55.360 What then is my treasure? 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:02.560 Just imagine having all that. It creates time. 00:24:05.360 --> 00:24:10.720 Because you found your treasure, it creates time. Don used to be a free man. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:18.320 Now, he found a treasure and so he creates time for her. It prioritizes his choices. 00:24:19.280 --> 00:24:26.880 He used to come and see me sometimes once, twice a week from Surrey. Now, once in two months is a gift. 00:24:29.360 --> 00:24:31.360 It protects your passion. 00:24:33.040 --> 00:24:35.040 It honors commitment. 00:24:35.040 --> 00:24:43.040 And any competing offer is completely rejected. Other commitments will be broken because he now has found it. Treasure. 00:24:45.040 --> 00:24:47.040 This is so important, guys. 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:50.640 And you must be able to define it. 00:24:51.840 --> 00:24:55.040 Take three months, take four months, take five months, but define it, please. 00:24:57.360 --> 00:25:00.960 And do not look at your age. This thing can happen to you. 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:08.240 And do not look at your age. This thing can happen so quickly. But define it. Don't leave it generic. 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:13.440 Any questions? 00:25:17.280 --> 00:25:19.280 Yep, go ahead, Emily. 00:25:19.280 --> 00:25:21.280 Yeah. 00:25:33.840 --> 00:25:37.520 Yeah, I hate calling Jesus generic because that's terrible. 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:46.080 But it is, it is, yes, I know who I am in you. Yes, I'm supposed to progress the gospel. Yes, I know I'm a child of the king. 00:25:46.080 --> 00:25:51.920 Yes, I know you're my father. Yes, I know you're my savior. But now that I know all this at this present time in my life, 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:56.720 what is your definition for me, oh God? For Jesus, it was being a carpenter. 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:00.000 And he was splendid at it. 00:26:02.320 --> 00:26:04.320 And then at a certain point it changed. 00:26:05.600 --> 00:26:10.240 It was the same for Moses. At one point it was a deliverer. Another time it was a nation-former. 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:12.240 And it was the same for Noah. 00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:16.560 For Barnabas it was the same. At one time he was just 00:26:17.040 --> 00:26:22.480 from the tribe of Levi and then he goes on to become a prophet or a teacher at Antioch and he goes on to become an apostle. 00:26:27.040 --> 00:26:30.240 So there are these changes that keep happening and what if I could define it? 00:26:31.600 --> 00:26:36.480 And we always start with a very vague definition, but it begins to clear slowly. 00:26:40.880 --> 00:26:43.760 God is able to do this for us guys. Remember one thing. 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:47.360 Who gives you an inheritance? 00:26:48.320 --> 00:26:55.520 The father. You don't work for an inheritance. Nobody works for an inheritance. If you're working for your inheritance, 00:26:55.760 --> 00:26:57.760 perhaps you're illegitimate. 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:00.960 But anybody who 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:09.280 gets an inheritance, obtains an inheritance because of your relationship. That's how you get an inheritance. 00:27:10.320 --> 00:27:12.320 And so if that's how you get an inheritance, 00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:14.880 who is interested in giving it to you? 00:27:15.280 --> 00:27:19.280 The father. Who amassed it? The father. Who wants to 00:27:20.320 --> 00:27:23.840 dispense it? The father. How does he do it? In bits. 00:27:24.480 --> 00:27:26.480 Why? So that you can handle it. 00:27:27.360 --> 00:27:32.000 So that in the end you can continue what he has started into the life of your children. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:34.640 There's nobody more vested 00:27:35.040 --> 00:27:39.680 in giving me an inheritance and seeing his plan fulfilled for the years to come. 00:27:40.560 --> 00:27:44.160 Why does he give you an inheritance? So that you can distribute it. 00:27:44.800 --> 00:27:46.800 Just as he distributed it. 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:48.880 Who gave Jesus an inheritance? 00:27:49.600 --> 00:27:54.900 The father. Acts chapter 2. Ask of me and I'll give you the nations as your inheritance. 00:27:57.600 --> 00:28:03.760 It's fascinating how even the reason we are given an inheritance is so that someone else can benefit. 00:28:03.840 --> 00:28:05.840 He's really interested in this. 00:28:06.320 --> 00:28:09.120 Do not sell yourself short. This can be found. 00:28:09.920 --> 00:28:12.720 It can be found season after season after season. 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:19.680 And once you find it, God will send other people to firm it saying, yep. 00:28:25.520 --> 00:28:30.080 I love this. It creates time, prioritizes your choices, protects your passions, 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:32.160 honors commitments, destroys complacency. 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:36.640 That's the kind of church we want to build, right? An intergenerational church. 00:28:37.760 --> 00:28:44.640 What's his name? Don came up during the break and said there was a time when we were only 10 people. Now we have 10 guests. 00:28:45.680 --> 00:28:47.680 This is brilliant. 00:28:48.000 --> 00:28:51.120 But when you look around, it's an intergenerational 00:28:52.400 --> 00:28:53.840 group. 00:28:53.840 --> 00:28:56.320 What we want to create is an intergenerational group. 00:28:56.560 --> 00:29:05.520 What we want to create is an intergenerational church that is made up of sent ones ready to go. 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:12.160 Sent ones ready to go. That's what we want to create. 00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:21.360 And for that we need a certain caliber of people, a certain caliber of people which we need to become. 00:29:21.600 --> 00:29:24.640 Amongst these people, there'll be sons and servants. 00:29:26.160 --> 00:29:32.080 I need to repeat this again so that we realize something. And I really believe this is based just on the nature of God. 00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:37.360 And I've said this before, guys, in God, there are no leaders and followers. There are only sons and servants. 00:29:37.840 --> 00:29:44.320 If we are made in the image of God, then we are not made leaders and followers. We are made sons and servants. 00:29:44.560 --> 00:29:50.160 Which means then that every son and servant has the potential to lead two, five, ten, twenty, two thousand people. 00:29:51.280 --> 00:29:54.080 The capacity depends on the skill set given you. 00:29:54.640 --> 00:30:00.480 But we are made in the image of God, so we cannot be made leader and follower. We can only be made son and servant. 00:30:02.560 --> 00:30:05.360 So the capacity to lead exists in everybody. 00:30:06.320 --> 00:30:11.920 So if you're creating an intergenerational church or sent ones ready to go, you need a certain caliber of people. 00:30:12.320 --> 00:30:14.960 And those already have this essential. 00:30:16.880 --> 00:30:25.200 And from here, you find some that have learned, have learned, have learned, have learned. 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:33.520 And from here, you find some that have learned, have learned, have learned, have learned. 00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:42.320 Learned the ability to lead and others who will learn it. 00:30:55.760 --> 00:30:57.200 Dylan is not here right now. 00:30:57.760 --> 00:31:03.040 Dylan is Abhishek's friend, and he's got other friends too, other than Abhishek. 00:31:03.600 --> 00:31:07.760 But sorry, it almost felt like he was exclusively your friend. 00:31:08.480 --> 00:31:15.680 Dylan actually goes to a flying school, and he is taught how to fly. 00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:17.920 He's taught how to fly. 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:28.240 By the way, I've flown a Piper Cherokee and done two or three hours in an Airbus 320 sim. 00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:31.680 I learned how to fly too. I assure you I can take off. 00:31:32.640 --> 00:31:33.440 Yeah. 00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:35.120 Who? 00:31:35.840 --> 00:31:38.480 Lorianne is laughing. 00:31:39.360 --> 00:31:41.280 I assure you I can take off. 00:31:41.520 --> 00:31:43.600 Question is this. 00:31:44.480 --> 00:31:46.480 Dylan's been taught how to fly. 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:48.000 I have learned how to fly. 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:49.600 Who would you rather fly with? 00:31:51.520 --> 00:31:53.920 Alrighty, I've got a bunch of loyal people here. 00:31:55.040 --> 00:32:00.480 So the point being, sometimes it is not enough to learn how to do things in the kingdom. 00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:03.120 It is important to be taught how to do things in the kingdom. 00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:09.040 Both require learning. 00:32:10.560 --> 00:32:13.360 But it's obvious from your answer that none of you trust me. 00:32:19.680 --> 00:32:22.240 You know, the sad thing about that whole flight thing, 00:32:22.800 --> 00:32:25.040 it was the church that gave me that gift to go flying, 00:32:25.760 --> 00:32:30.000 was that I took someone with me to record the whole thing on video. 00:32:31.040 --> 00:32:34.000 But because the plane was moving fast, he just got the grass. 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:39.600 There's absolutely no proof that I actually took off, which is very sad. 00:32:45.520 --> 00:32:46.240 Yeah, so, 00:32:48.720 --> 00:32:53.520 if you want this to happen where we have the caliber, 00:32:54.240 --> 00:32:56.640 this happens 00:32:57.280 --> 00:33:02.800 in Paul Timothy context, guys, in Paul Timothy context. 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:11.840 That's the relationship in which this kind of learning can happen, where you and I learn 00:33:13.360 --> 00:33:14.160 two things. 00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:15.680 We are equipped, 00:33:17.280 --> 00:33:22.880 and then we are entrusted so that we can in turn equip 00:33:27.200 --> 00:33:30.480 and we can then entrust it to others. 00:33:31.600 --> 00:33:37.600 I was just watching us during worship today, and Jane was standing here, and Tuni was standing here, 00:33:37.600 --> 00:33:38.800 and Remy was leading. 00:33:38.800 --> 00:33:43.200 I think to me, myself, there was a time when the only person who would lead was Jane. 00:33:43.200 --> 00:33:49.520 At some point, Jane would spend time with Tuni and help him with the idea of worship, 00:33:49.520 --> 00:33:52.160 not because Tuni wasn't a good singer or good guitarist. 00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:53.200 He was all that. 00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:55.200 But there was a need to be equipped. 00:33:55.200 --> 00:34:02.480 And then Tuni now has equipped Remy, and each one then equips and trusts, equips and trusts, 00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:03.600 and it keeps going. 00:34:03.600 --> 00:34:08.640 And the relationship or the context that it always happens in, at least according to scripture, 00:34:08.640 --> 00:34:10.560 is the Paul Timothy relationship or context. 00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:16.000 You should do it for others, and you should have it for yourself, and you begin to flourish. 00:34:16.960 --> 00:34:20.480 Timothy to Titus' relationships do not prosper it. 00:34:20.480 --> 00:34:22.080 It's not possible to prosper it there. 00:34:22.720 --> 00:34:26.880 In peer-to-peer relationships, guys, there's always error. 00:34:26.880 --> 00:34:28.480 There's always peer pressure. 00:34:32.320 --> 00:34:33.120 There's error. 00:34:33.120 --> 00:34:34.080 There's peer pressure. 00:34:39.840 --> 00:34:45.200 In peer-to-peer relationships, in peer-to-peer relationships, 00:34:48.080 --> 00:34:50.160 that's relationships in the kingdom, 00:34:52.880 --> 00:34:58.320 if that's how you want to learn, 00:35:03.280 --> 00:35:05.680 then here are some of the things you'll have to watch out for. 00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:07.680 There'll be error. 00:35:09.200 --> 00:35:10.720 There'll be peer pressure. 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:17.280 There'll be superficial change. 00:35:22.160 --> 00:35:27.040 There'll be muddy water, where it's not very clear, but it's clear enough. 00:35:28.480 --> 00:35:40.640 And there'll be unintended steadying of the arc, like Uzzah did in 2 Samuel 6. 00:35:47.440 --> 00:35:48.080 Any questions? 00:35:52.080 --> 00:35:57.360 It's age is not the factor. 00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:02.800 I always learn from someone better than me, and it's an essential. 00:36:02.800 --> 00:36:04.960 We do it in every other area of life. 00:36:04.960 --> 00:36:06.640 We need to do it in the kingdom, too. 00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:23.360 Agree. 00:36:23.360 --> 00:36:24.560 So it's not an exception. 00:36:24.560 --> 00:36:29.360 Like, that happens, but I'm saying dominantly in the kingdom, 00:36:29.360 --> 00:36:34.160 things are learned in terms of a Paul-Timothy relationship, 00:36:34.160 --> 00:36:35.920 not a Timothy-Titus relationship. 00:36:37.920 --> 00:36:38.420 Pardon? 00:36:41.520 --> 00:36:42.020 No. 00:36:42.480 --> 00:36:45.760 The Pauls have to go after the Timothys, not the Timothys after the Pauls. 00:36:49.520 --> 00:36:51.200 The Pauls go after the Timothys. 00:36:51.760 --> 00:36:53.280 Not the Timothys after the Pauls. 00:36:56.880 --> 00:36:59.680 Pray to God, saying, Father, send me someone who will help me learn. 00:37:01.760 --> 00:37:03.360 Because God is the one who has to supply it. 00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:05.680 And in the kingdom, God would love to supply it. 00:37:05.680 --> 00:37:09.040 God would like to build up churches where this can happen. 00:37:09.600 --> 00:37:12.480 Where a math can teach someone how to do a website. 00:37:13.200 --> 00:37:15.680 Where George can teach someone how to fold a tract. 00:37:16.160 --> 00:37:18.240 Where an Aaron can teach someone how to do accounts. 00:37:20.800 --> 00:37:24.960 Where a Nick can teach someone how to do miracles with bok choy. 00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:34.720 So it's the context that we learn from. 00:37:34.720 --> 00:37:38.320 But when it's peer-to-peer, imagine me teaching you how to cook with bok choy. 00:37:39.440 --> 00:37:40.160 Here's what will happen. 00:37:40.160 --> 00:37:41.280 There'll be error. 00:37:41.280 --> 00:37:43.840 There'll be peer pressure saying, I'm going to cook with bok choy. 00:37:43.840 --> 00:37:44.480 There'll be error. 00:37:44.480 --> 00:37:49.520 There'll be peer pressure saying, nope, 20 minutes of boiling is what it requires. 00:37:50.480 --> 00:37:52.320 There'll be a superficial change. 00:37:52.320 --> 00:37:54.000 Bok choy will taste like something else. 00:37:54.640 --> 00:37:55.760 There'll be muddy water. 00:37:56.560 --> 00:37:59.280 And then there'll be unintended studying of the ark. 00:38:00.400 --> 00:38:04.240 Unintended studying of the ark is when people touch what they're not supposed to 00:38:04.240 --> 00:38:05.520 because of enthusiasm. 00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:08.480 Zeal without knowledge is dangerous. 00:38:13.840 --> 00:38:19.440 So here are the questions we should ask each other. 00:38:19.440 --> 00:38:20.480 And I should ask you. 00:38:22.720 --> 00:38:23.520 Can I? 00:38:23.520 --> 00:38:25.120 I'll just ask them instead of writing them. 00:38:25.120 --> 00:38:26.000 Can I expect you? 00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:26.880 I'll repeat it. 00:38:26.880 --> 00:38:34.000 Can I expect you to be a leader or a person willing to embrace a very demanding 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:38.000 soldier-like lifestyle free from the entanglements of life? 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:39.120 Can I demand that of you? 00:38:40.080 --> 00:38:40.960 Let me just pick names. 00:38:40.960 --> 00:38:42.240 Can I demand that of you, Mike? 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:45.520 Can I demand that of you, Pawan? 00:38:45.520 --> 00:38:47.440 I mean, the answer is yes and no. 00:38:47.440 --> 00:38:50.080 It's not like Mike is saying no as in he doesn't want it. 00:38:50.080 --> 00:38:53.120 Perhaps it's his present answer. 00:38:53.120 --> 00:38:55.360 But that's the demand that's being placed on us. 00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:57.200 Can I demand of you? 00:38:58.160 --> 00:38:59.040 Where is this coming from? 00:38:59.040 --> 00:39:01.520 It's coming from 2 Timothy 2 verses 3 to 6. 00:39:02.800 --> 00:39:09.520 Can I demand of you the soldier-like lifestyle 00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:12.800 that you will rise up to? 00:39:14.800 --> 00:39:19.040 When Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2, 3 to 6, that's what he's saying. 00:39:20.720 --> 00:39:25.120 Can I expect you to be a leader willing to embrace a very demanding soldier-like 00:39:25.120 --> 00:39:28.880 lifestyle free from entanglements of life? 00:39:28.880 --> 00:39:33.360 Can I expect you to follow rigorous habits of a top athlete? 00:39:35.120 --> 00:39:38.880 Can I expect you to be willing to pay the price for a good job? 00:39:39.680 --> 00:39:42.800 Can I expect you to be willing to do exhausting work 00:39:42.800 --> 00:39:44.800 because there's a crop that needs to be harvested? 00:39:45.680 --> 00:39:47.440 And these demands are not Jacob demands. 00:39:47.440 --> 00:39:49.360 These are not Acts 29 demands. 00:39:49.360 --> 00:39:53.120 These are demands being made by God in 2 Timothy 2, 3 to 6. 00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:57.040 And our resounding answer, even though it presently may be no, 00:39:57.040 --> 00:40:00.320 is no, I'm not there yet, but I want to reach out towards this 00:40:00.320 --> 00:40:02.160 because that's what my life is about. 00:40:04.160 --> 00:40:06.480 And the same question should be asked of me too. 00:40:06.720 --> 00:40:07.760 Submit to that. 00:40:10.320 --> 00:40:14.000 Thank God this is a religion that demands things of us. 00:40:18.640 --> 00:40:21.040 Sorry, go ahead. 00:40:32.720 --> 00:40:35.120 I'm praying that this church will have enough Pauls 00:40:36.720 --> 00:40:41.200 so that as Timothy's come in, they can be changed into Paul's too. 00:40:41.200 --> 00:40:45.600 The strange thing is, you know, even though Timothy started working 00:40:45.600 --> 00:40:50.800 for Paul in ministry as a late teen, so he was 18 or 19, 00:40:50.800 --> 00:40:56.480 and he was already ministering with Paul, Paul spent 20 years with him, developing him. 00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:00.720 Crazy, eh? 00:41:06.560 --> 00:41:09.200 I'm sure when Timothy worked with somebody, it didn't take 20 years. 00:41:10.960 --> 00:41:12.960 But the first time around, it takes more time. 00:41:12.960 --> 00:41:15.040 Your first child is the most difficult one. 00:41:16.160 --> 00:41:17.440 You can ask Matt and Ray too. 00:41:19.360 --> 00:41:19.600 No? 00:41:20.160 --> 00:41:21.280 Okay, I take that back. 00:41:21.280 --> 00:41:23.120 I have no idea of how those things work. 00:41:28.160 --> 00:41:32.240 But the two things that God is after, and this has been the case 00:41:32.240 --> 00:41:34.800 since the beginning of time, the two things God is after, 00:41:34.800 --> 00:41:37.760 can I equip you so that I can entrust you with something, 00:41:37.760 --> 00:41:41.280 so that you can equate somebody else and you can entrust them with something? 00:41:42.640 --> 00:41:46.000 And can you do it in such a way that you will keep looking like me? 00:41:47.040 --> 00:41:51.040 One of the saddest verses in the Bible is in Genesis 5, where it says, 00:41:51.040 --> 00:41:55.920 and Adam had a son Seth, and Seth took after Adam. 00:41:56.960 --> 00:41:59.680 Till then it was, Adam took after God. 00:41:59.680 --> 00:42:02.960 But after Seth comes, it kind of breaks down. 00:42:02.960 --> 00:42:05.280 Seth doesn't look like God. 00:42:05.280 --> 00:42:07.200 Seth looks like his father, Adam. 00:42:15.840 --> 00:42:16.800 Here's another question. 00:42:18.800 --> 00:42:22.800 Is your eager willingness matched by completion? 00:42:22.800 --> 00:42:29.360 Second Corinthians 8, 11 says, hey, now that you guys have started the process, 00:42:29.360 --> 00:42:32.400 he's talking about offerings there, but the principle is, 00:42:32.400 --> 00:42:35.040 now that you've started the process, Jacob, can you finish it? 00:42:35.040 --> 00:42:36.560 Or are you going to leave it incomplete? 00:42:40.240 --> 00:42:40.720 Yep. 00:42:40.720 --> 00:42:45.280 Is your eager willingness to do something matched by completion? 00:42:46.640 --> 00:42:50.080 And do you start in the spirit and finish in the spirit, 00:42:50.080 --> 00:42:52.880 or do you start in the spirit and finish in the flesh? 00:42:52.880 --> 00:42:54.400 That's from Galatians 3, 3. 00:42:59.440 --> 00:43:00.240 Here's another one. 00:43:01.200 --> 00:43:07.520 Can I trust you to demonstrate an increasing ability to handle conflicts, 00:43:08.160 --> 00:43:13.200 handle fears without quarreling, complaining, or compromising standards? 00:43:13.200 --> 00:43:14.080 Can I trust you? 00:43:15.440 --> 00:43:16.400 Jacob, who are you? 00:43:16.400 --> 00:43:17.920 I just happened to be the pastor. 00:43:18.560 --> 00:43:19.360 Can I trust you? 00:43:19.360 --> 00:43:21.600 So that's why I'm taking the liberty of asking you the questions. 00:43:21.600 --> 00:43:24.880 I can say we, just to make you happy, but what's the point? 00:43:25.840 --> 00:43:26.880 Can I trust you? 00:43:26.880 --> 00:43:35.920 Can I trust you to demonstrate an increasing ability 00:43:39.680 --> 00:43:55.280 to handle conflicts, fears without complaining, 00:43:57.280 --> 00:44:05.920 without compromising, without quarreling? 00:44:08.720 --> 00:44:11.920 These are the things that are required of us as a church 00:44:11.920 --> 00:44:14.400 as we step into where we are going right now. 00:44:17.520 --> 00:44:24.720 Can you do the work of the kingdom? 00:44:25.680 --> 00:44:33.360 The work of the kingdom through the church without, 00:44:34.320 --> 00:44:48.640 this is hard, eh, without being recognized, included, coddled, or patronized? 00:44:48.640 --> 00:44:49.600 This is very hard. 00:44:49.760 --> 00:44:53.760 As I've been asking myself these questions, I can see the areas of struggle for me. 00:44:56.560 --> 00:45:02.720 I remember once being in a conference with Eddie, who I really loved, 00:45:03.200 --> 00:45:05.920 and he would treat me so well, but at that conference, 00:45:06.640 --> 00:45:08.720 he wasn't giving me the time of day. 00:45:08.720 --> 00:45:10.880 He wouldn't ask me to sit at his table. 00:45:10.880 --> 00:45:12.880 He wasn't engaging me in conversations. 00:45:14.560 --> 00:45:15.760 I didn't like it. 00:45:15.760 --> 00:45:17.920 I didn't like not being able to talk to him. 00:45:18.640 --> 00:45:19.200 I didn't like it. 00:45:19.200 --> 00:45:21.200 I didn't like not being included. 00:45:21.200 --> 00:45:25.200 I didn't like not being at his table, patronized, coddled, recognized. 00:45:26.160 --> 00:45:28.160 It's one of the hardest things in the kingdom, eh, 00:45:28.880 --> 00:45:33.520 to do things without being recognized, coddled, patronized, and included. 00:45:36.080 --> 00:45:40.240 But these, this is the caliber God is looking for. 00:45:47.920 --> 00:45:54.240 Here's another one. 00:45:57.760 --> 00:46:01.120 I was trying to ponder about this a couple of days ago, 00:46:01.120 --> 00:46:02.240 just in a conversation. 00:46:03.120 --> 00:46:05.440 I wasn't necessarily addressing him. 00:46:05.440 --> 00:46:10.080 Can I entrust you to have a passion to become craftsmen of the word? 00:46:10.080 --> 00:46:14.640 Can I entrust you to have a passion to be craftsmen of the word? 00:46:15.200 --> 00:46:16.320 Craftsmen of the word. 00:46:16.320 --> 00:46:17.920 If you've been a believer for three years, 00:46:17.920 --> 00:46:20.400 and you haven't read the Bible fully through once, 00:46:20.400 --> 00:46:21.680 then begin the process. 00:46:22.720 --> 00:46:23.760 Three years is long enough. 00:46:27.600 --> 00:46:29.760 One of the scary things in a church like this 00:46:29.760 --> 00:46:32.960 is because there is a prophetic spirit that operates in a church like this, 00:46:32.960 --> 00:46:34.320 it's easy to prophesy. 00:46:34.320 --> 00:46:35.920 But if I do not have the word, 00:46:36.640 --> 00:46:39.920 soon prophecies will become non-prophecies, 00:46:39.920 --> 00:46:42.880 and non-prophecies tomorrow will become false prophecies, 00:46:42.880 --> 00:46:46.560 because when the word is scant, then there's nothing to build on. 00:46:48.080 --> 00:46:49.600 You'll just change things around. 00:46:49.600 --> 00:46:52.400 Instead of saying, oh, in this new season, you'll say, 00:46:52.400 --> 00:46:55.840 oh, in this new era, or new weather, or climate, 00:46:55.840 --> 00:46:58.160 or whatever the word season, you'll replace it. 00:46:59.360 --> 00:47:03.840 But can I entrust you to have a passion to become craftsmen of the word? 00:47:06.080 --> 00:47:07.920 If I checked with May, if I checked with Dillion, 00:47:07.920 --> 00:47:10.160 if I checked with Dawn, if I checked with Tooney, 00:47:10.160 --> 00:47:12.960 what will they say about the growth of the word in you? 00:47:21.040 --> 00:47:25.520 And this might, some questions may kind of make us feel guilty, condemned, 00:47:25.520 --> 00:47:29.120 ashamed, work past it quickly. 00:47:29.120 --> 00:47:30.640 But here's the question again. 00:47:30.640 --> 00:47:32.640 If you've been a believer for more than three years, 00:47:32.640 --> 00:47:34.720 you must have read the Bible at least once through. 00:47:36.160 --> 00:47:38.480 Which means that if you have been a believer for 30 years, 00:47:38.480 --> 00:47:39.520 you must have read the Bible. 00:47:40.160 --> 00:47:44.160 Not three times, 10 times. 00:47:46.480 --> 00:47:48.720 You might need courses in both reading the Bible and math. 00:48:01.120 --> 00:48:01.920 Are you faithful? 00:48:03.520 --> 00:48:04.320 Are you faithful? 00:48:04.320 --> 00:48:09.600 I want your leaders in the house churches to ask you this question. 00:48:09.600 --> 00:48:11.840 I hate calling it house churches sometimes. 00:48:11.840 --> 00:48:14.560 I want your leaders in the churches to ask you this question. 00:48:14.560 --> 00:48:15.360 Are you faithful? 00:48:16.240 --> 00:48:17.600 And so I encourage them to ask. 00:48:18.240 --> 00:48:18.960 Listen to this. 00:48:18.960 --> 00:48:22.800 Listen to how strong these words are. 00:48:22.800 --> 00:48:25.600 And how some of us will begin to chaff at it. 00:48:27.120 --> 00:48:27.600 Yeah? 00:48:27.600 --> 00:48:28.240 Listen to it. 00:48:34.800 --> 00:48:39.600 So I'm asking May, I'm asking Jillian, I'm asking Tooney, I'm asking Don, 00:48:39.600 --> 00:48:41.600 I'm asking whoever else I left out. 00:48:43.280 --> 00:48:44.800 Jane and Sheldon, yeah. 00:48:48.080 --> 00:48:55.280 I'm asking you, is he, and let's take, let's not think of is he as in, 00:48:55.280 --> 00:48:57.440 is that person in your group, is he someone 00:48:57.440 --> 00:49:20.240 who is so committed, he will suspend many of his own interests 00:49:20.240 --> 00:49:41.520 to serve you as a soldier in, as a soldier serves a commanding officer. 00:49:41.520 --> 00:49:50.160 What a question to ask, eh? 00:49:52.160 --> 00:49:54.960 But just imagine if you were a leader and you had someone like this. 00:49:55.600 --> 00:49:56.800 What can't you take? 00:49:57.840 --> 00:50:00.800 Just imagine having a Jonathan like this. 00:50:04.240 --> 00:50:04.800 What a question. 00:50:08.240 --> 00:50:11.280 Peter thought he was like this till he betrayed Jesus. 00:50:11.280 --> 00:50:12.160 John was like this. 00:50:13.120 --> 00:50:13.920 Let me read it out. 00:50:15.200 --> 00:50:16.160 Dillna is looking at it. 00:50:16.160 --> 00:50:16.960 Let's pick on Dillna. 00:50:16.960 --> 00:50:21.520 Is Dillna, so if I were to turn to May, May, he's in your, where's May? 00:50:24.480 --> 00:50:29.440 Okay, so I'm asking May, May, is Dillna someone who is so committed 00:50:29.440 --> 00:50:32.560 that he will suspend many of his own interests 00:50:32.560 --> 00:50:35.280 to serve you as a soldier serves the commanding officer. 00:50:36.240 --> 00:50:37.360 Crazy question. 00:50:39.200 --> 00:50:40.240 Scary question. 00:50:42.240 --> 00:50:43.440 But a kingdom question. 00:50:48.160 --> 00:50:50.720 Tomorrow when Dillna becomes someone who leads the church, 00:50:51.360 --> 00:50:53.120 what if he had one person like this? 00:51:01.280 --> 00:51:03.600 That's what faithfulness looks like, guys. 00:51:04.560 --> 00:51:05.760 It's a tall order, eh? 00:51:06.800 --> 00:51:07.600 What we're building. 00:51:11.280 --> 00:51:15.360 Once we learn the word, we'll see the word affecting small areas of our life, 00:51:15.360 --> 00:51:16.800 not the large areas of our life. 00:51:16.800 --> 00:51:18.160 Large areas are easy. 00:51:18.160 --> 00:51:23.200 Today I was trying to get a picture for the teaching to put on, 00:51:23.200 --> 00:51:24.960 when we put it on the website. 00:51:24.960 --> 00:51:26.000 I got two pictures. 00:51:26.720 --> 00:51:28.800 I'm thinking to myself, nobody will know this. 00:51:28.800 --> 00:51:30.080 One picture was by NASA. 00:51:30.080 --> 00:51:31.440 It's free, public domain. 00:51:31.440 --> 00:51:34.480 The other one was better, but it's blooming copyrighted. 00:51:35.440 --> 00:51:37.280 That is when the rubber meets the road. 00:51:37.280 --> 00:51:38.400 Now what do you do, Jacob? 00:51:38.480 --> 00:51:39.600 Full of the word, are you? 00:51:39.600 --> 00:51:45.040 Let's see what you do in the small things when nobody's watching. 00:51:47.520 --> 00:51:48.560 So I went to NASA. 00:51:51.920 --> 00:51:53.520 But it was a momentary struggle, eh? 00:51:58.240 --> 00:52:00.000 This is what faithfulness looks like. 00:52:00.720 --> 00:52:01.520 Here's another one. 00:52:01.520 --> 00:52:05.200 Is he willing, let's make it she. 00:52:05.200 --> 00:52:19.040 Is she willing to exercise, is she willing to exercise a level of discipline, 00:52:19.840 --> 00:52:22.960 a level of discipline in her choices? 00:52:23.360 --> 00:52:35.040 That almost appear imbalanced, unbalanced like an athlete. 00:52:35.360 --> 00:52:36.880 Competing for the Olympics. 00:52:47.560 --> 00:52:49.200 That's what we learn. 00:52:49.200 --> 00:52:54.200 like an athlete competing for the Olympics. 00:53:12.040 --> 00:53:13.080 Let's pick on you. 00:53:13.080 --> 00:53:14.240 Let's make you the she. 00:53:14.240 --> 00:53:18.800 No, so let's assume you go to Tunis house church, just assuming. 00:53:18.800 --> 00:53:24.400 So I'm asking Tuni, is Diana able and willing to exercise 00:53:24.400 --> 00:53:27.840 a level of discipline in her choices that almost appears 00:53:27.840 --> 00:53:32.560 imbalanced or unbalanced like an athlete competing for the Olympics? 00:53:32.560 --> 00:53:34.400 Athletes are completely unbalanced. 00:53:34.400 --> 00:53:35.840 They eat weird stuff. 00:53:35.840 --> 00:53:37.200 They wake up at weird times. 00:53:37.200 --> 00:53:39.840 They run weird kilometers. 00:53:39.840 --> 00:53:41.440 They're unbalanced. 00:53:42.400 --> 00:53:44.080 They're unbalanced. 00:53:44.080 --> 00:53:45.840 But this is what the kingdom demands. 00:53:53.360 --> 00:53:56.880 Got a wrapper, so I'll stop with one or two questions more. 00:54:00.400 --> 00:54:02.800 Or does this come with excuses? 00:54:02.800 --> 00:54:04.240 Or does it come with excuses? 00:54:09.040 --> 00:54:10.080 Last one. 00:54:10.720 --> 00:54:11.520 The second last one. 00:54:12.800 --> 00:54:19.120 Is he critical of his circumstances? 00:54:22.560 --> 00:54:23.840 Wanting something different? 00:54:31.120 --> 00:54:39.920 Or going off on his own maverick adventures? 00:54:40.080 --> 00:54:54.720 This is the caliber of things we want to develop. 00:55:00.720 --> 00:55:04.320 Is he critical of his circumstances that he finds himself in right now? 00:55:04.320 --> 00:55:05.680 Wanting something different? 00:55:05.680 --> 00:55:06.800 No, I don't like this. 00:55:06.800 --> 00:55:08.000 Give me something else to do. 00:55:08.000 --> 00:55:10.560 Or going off on his own maverick adventures? 00:55:10.560 --> 00:55:11.840 No, this is not what I want. 00:55:11.840 --> 00:55:12.960 God is calling me to do this. 00:55:12.960 --> 00:55:15.680 Then six months later, God is calling me to do this. 00:55:15.680 --> 00:55:16.480 It just changes. 00:55:18.160 --> 00:55:19.760 Is this true of the Bible? 00:55:19.760 --> 00:55:20.400 Absolutely. 00:55:22.080 --> 00:55:23.760 You see the guys who followed Jesus. 00:55:23.760 --> 00:55:25.040 You see the guys who followed Paul. 00:55:25.040 --> 00:55:26.240 You see the guys who followed Peter. 00:55:27.520 --> 00:55:32.320 And when it used to waver, Paul would say to Barnabas, listen, 00:55:33.040 --> 00:55:35.600 I'm willing to break up with you, then take John Mark with me. 00:55:36.400 --> 00:55:39.760 Because John Mark deserted us the last time we did this. 00:55:42.400 --> 00:55:44.560 There are two Greek words, not important. 00:55:44.560 --> 00:55:46.880 I had to look them up to sound Greeky. 00:55:47.520 --> 00:55:50.000 One is called nomos and one is called oikos, 00:55:50.000 --> 00:55:53.120 meaning the law of building a house. 00:55:53.920 --> 00:55:55.600 This was how they built it. 00:55:55.600 --> 00:55:57.360 How dare we mess with it? 00:55:58.240 --> 00:56:01.040 This is what we are being asked to do. 00:56:01.040 --> 00:56:02.240 And here's the thing, guys. 00:56:02.960 --> 00:56:03.600 Most of it. 00:56:03.600 --> 00:56:05.360 You know, take me out of the picture. 00:56:05.680 --> 00:56:08.560 Let's assume that I'm full of myself. 00:56:08.560 --> 00:56:09.520 So let's remove me. 00:56:10.720 --> 00:56:11.440 Take the others. 00:56:13.600 --> 00:56:16.320 You'll find that most of the guys who lead you 00:56:16.320 --> 00:56:18.000 are guys who've lived like this. 00:56:22.240 --> 00:56:23.680 Most of the leaders in this church, 00:56:23.680 --> 00:56:28.000 be it leading two people here, or a family there, 00:56:28.000 --> 00:56:31.520 or a church here, or a Sunday school there, or whatever. 00:56:32.560 --> 00:56:35.200 You'll find that most of them have paid the price. 00:56:35.920 --> 00:56:37.200 Most of them have lived like this. 00:56:37.840 --> 00:56:40.000 And now they get to equip and entrust. 00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:42.400 May you rise up, because I truly believe 00:56:42.400 --> 00:56:44.400 this is where we are going. 00:56:44.960 --> 00:56:46.880 So what if we mess up occasionally? 00:56:47.440 --> 00:56:49.840 My God, if you could look at the messes, 00:56:50.880 --> 00:56:54.160 guys older than you are made, you're doing splendidly. 00:56:59.280 --> 00:57:00.960 But this is where we are going. 00:57:00.960 --> 00:57:02.720 And this we must embrace. 00:57:03.760 --> 00:57:05.280 Because he'll be thrilled at it, eh? 00:57:06.480 --> 00:57:08.320 At the end of the day, when he asks, 00:57:08.320 --> 00:57:09.840 do you love me more than these? 00:57:11.360 --> 00:57:13.280 Your resounding answer will be yes. 00:57:13.280 --> 00:57:15.040 I love you more than myself. 00:57:15.040 --> 00:57:17.120 I love you more than my own rights. 00:57:17.120 --> 00:57:19.440 I love you more than my own self-interest. 00:57:19.440 --> 00:57:21.360 I love you more than my own dignity. 00:57:21.360 --> 00:57:23.680 I love you more than my own freedom. 00:57:23.680 --> 00:57:25.280 I love you more than all this. 00:57:28.560 --> 00:57:30.720 And then a time will come when it's your turn 00:57:31.680 --> 00:57:34.400 to then train the ones that come after you. 00:57:34.400 --> 00:57:37.520 Because you will then be entrusted to equip them. 00:57:37.520 --> 00:57:40.720 And wave after wave after wave then begins to happen. 00:57:56.240 --> 00:57:56.740 True. 00:58:01.680 --> 00:58:02.180 Yeah. 00:58:05.360 --> 00:58:06.240 Any questions, guys? 00:58:07.920 --> 00:58:08.960 Any, any, any? 00:58:11.840 --> 00:58:14.160 I mean, if you're not chaffing at these questions, 00:58:14.800 --> 00:58:16.000 then bless you, man. 00:58:16.000 --> 00:58:21.360 Because be abnormally committed to mastering the scriptures, 00:58:21.360 --> 00:58:22.320 yeah? 00:58:22.320 --> 00:58:24.720 Abnormally committed, not occasionally. 00:58:25.600 --> 00:58:28.720 It shouldn't be sporadic mastering of scriptures. 00:58:28.720 --> 00:58:32.720 It must be, it must be abnormally committed 00:58:32.720 --> 00:58:33.840 to mastering the scriptures. 00:58:33.840 --> 00:58:37.200 And master the tapestry of scriptures, not one topic. 00:58:37.200 --> 00:58:41.440 Not just healing or apostolic or prophetic or kingdom. 00:58:41.440 --> 00:58:42.480 You know what that'll look like? 00:58:42.480 --> 00:58:44.720 That'll look like a person with a nose that keeps growing. 00:58:46.960 --> 00:58:48.400 Suddenly you find things about the kingdom. 00:58:48.400 --> 00:58:51.600 Kingdom, kingdom, kingdom, kingdom, kingdom, kingdom, kingdom, kingdom. 00:58:51.600 --> 00:58:53.760 It becomes like a chant. 00:58:54.720 --> 00:58:58.080 No, it has to be the tapestry of scriptures, mastering it. 00:59:03.840 --> 00:59:04.340 Yeah. 00:59:07.920 --> 00:59:08.420 Yep. 00:59:12.080 --> 00:59:12.580 Yeah. 00:59:13.200 --> 00:59:15.040 Here's the Paul and Apollos addressing. 00:59:15.040 --> 00:59:16.640 It was not done by Paul. 00:59:16.640 --> 00:59:18.640 It was done by Aquila and Priscilla. 00:59:19.280 --> 00:59:23.600 So here is Apollos, a guy who knows the scriptures well. 00:59:23.600 --> 00:59:25.760 But he knows the Old Testament well. 00:59:25.760 --> 00:59:29.280 He doesn't know how it works in the New Testament church. 00:59:29.280 --> 00:59:30.480 He doesn't know it. 00:59:30.480 --> 00:59:32.320 And so he comes and he's a great orator. 00:59:32.960 --> 00:59:36.320 The guy has tremendous talent and he's speaking in Ephesus. 00:59:36.320 --> 00:59:39.520 And after he finishes speaking, Aquila and Priscilla go to him and say, 00:59:39.520 --> 00:59:40.880 hey, come home for tea. 00:59:40.880 --> 00:59:44.320 And they take him home and then they begin to explain to him 00:59:45.040 --> 00:59:47.360 what the scriptures actually mean. 00:59:50.640 --> 00:59:54.640 And then after that, he goes on to become who he is. 00:59:57.600 --> 01:00:00.560 Is there a possibility of being exploited in this situation? 01:00:00.560 --> 01:00:01.120 Absolutely. 01:00:03.280 --> 01:00:05.760 Is there a possibility that you one day will exploit someone? 01:00:06.320 --> 01:00:06.800 Possible. 01:00:08.320 --> 01:00:09.440 But may it not be so. 01:00:11.680 --> 01:00:15.200 You have to be better than the ones who taught you, right? 01:00:17.040 --> 01:00:20.640 So if you've been exploited, make sure you don't exploit anybody. 01:00:22.160 --> 01:00:25.520 When I look around the leaders that are presently in church, 01:00:25.520 --> 01:00:27.120 I don't see the exploiting type. 01:00:29.680 --> 01:00:30.720 I mean, it's your turn. 01:00:31.680 --> 01:00:33.600 I can't see you exploiting someone either. 01:00:37.760 --> 01:00:41.360 And then this thing begins to beautifully increase. 01:00:45.360 --> 01:00:48.400 And sometimes Paul would tell a policy to go somewhere. 01:00:48.400 --> 01:00:50.960 And policy would say, no, don't feel like going. 01:00:50.960 --> 01:00:52.080 But that was a rarity. 01:00:52.080 --> 01:00:55.200 And Paul would then write saying, I asked the policy for some strange reason. 01:00:55.200 --> 01:00:56.240 He doesn't want to go. 01:00:56.240 --> 01:00:58.080 I tried telling him he isn't listening. 01:00:58.080 --> 01:01:00.080 And so Paul said, I'll leave him be. 01:01:01.680 --> 01:01:02.880 Then there was Demas. 01:01:02.880 --> 01:01:06.960 He tells Demas, Demas says, no, I would rather go back into the world 01:01:06.960 --> 01:01:08.240 and do what I'm supposed to do. 01:01:08.240 --> 01:01:09.920 So Demas leaves Paul. 01:01:09.920 --> 01:01:10.880 Then there's Timothy. 01:01:10.880 --> 01:01:11.920 Paul tells him to go somewhere. 01:01:11.920 --> 01:01:12.400 He goes. 01:01:12.400 --> 01:01:14.960 But when he goes there, he's behaving like a coward. 01:01:14.960 --> 01:01:18.800 So Paul says to him, listen, God has not given us a spirit of timidity, 01:01:18.800 --> 01:01:20.880 but of love, power, and a sound mind. 01:01:21.760 --> 01:01:22.960 Then Paul sends Titus. 01:01:22.960 --> 01:01:24.160 Titus goes to Crete. 01:01:24.160 --> 01:01:27.520 When Titus goes to Crete, Paul says, glad you're going, Titus. 01:01:27.520 --> 01:01:30.480 You set in order the things that haven't been set in order in Crete. 01:01:31.120 --> 01:01:33.600 You see four different people with four different reactions, 01:01:33.600 --> 01:01:35.040 and that's completely OK. 01:01:35.040 --> 01:01:36.320 That's how this thing grows. 01:01:36.320 --> 01:01:39.840 If everyone was perfect, why do we need equipers? 01:01:45.840 --> 01:01:46.720 OK, let's pray. 01:01:49.840 --> 01:01:51.280 How do you pray after this, Lord? 01:01:55.200 --> 01:02:00.320 Jesus, at the end of the day, our allegiance 01:02:00.880 --> 01:02:04.560 is to how you want to build the church. 01:02:06.640 --> 01:02:08.320 In the process, there are steps. 01:02:09.040 --> 01:02:12.480 And you have decided that the way you do it 01:02:12.480 --> 01:02:16.640 is through faulty, defective people. 01:02:20.240 --> 01:02:21.760 And so I repeat that again, Abba, 01:02:23.280 --> 01:02:27.040 that our allegiance is not to our culture, 01:02:27.680 --> 01:02:29.680 not to our previous denomination, 01:02:30.400 --> 01:02:35.520 not to our self, not to what we think is the right way, 01:02:36.240 --> 01:02:37.360 not to those things. 01:02:37.360 --> 01:02:38.240 It is not. 01:02:38.240 --> 01:02:41.120 I pray, Spirit of God, that you would prevent me 01:02:41.760 --> 01:02:43.920 from going those routes. 01:02:43.920 --> 01:02:45.440 Oh, well, that's what I was taught. 01:02:45.440 --> 01:02:47.200 That's what we've been doing for a while. 01:02:47.200 --> 01:02:48.800 Now, I don't think that's important. 01:02:48.800 --> 01:02:49.920 It's not up to me. 01:02:52.400 --> 01:02:54.320 It's not even an interpretation of scripture. 01:02:54.320 --> 01:02:56.800 There are patterns of our laid out so plainly 01:02:56.800 --> 01:02:59.920 that any blind man can see it. 01:03:01.600 --> 01:03:04.320 I pray that we see it. 01:03:04.320 --> 01:03:08.160 Then we say our allegiance is to building the brighter Christ 01:03:08.160 --> 01:03:10.080 the way the bridegroom wants it. 01:03:12.480 --> 01:03:14.960 You didn't make anyone here leaders and followers. 01:03:14.960 --> 01:03:16.320 You made us sons and servants. 01:03:17.040 --> 01:03:22.000 A day will come, Father, when the ones that are 20 and 25 01:03:22.000 --> 01:03:25.920 and 45 and 50 here that may not be leaders yesterday, 01:03:25.920 --> 01:03:27.520 but maybe leaders tomorrow, 01:03:27.520 --> 01:03:29.040 we'll get a chance to work this out. 01:03:29.040 --> 01:03:30.640 And I pray we remember. 01:03:30.640 --> 01:03:32.240 I pray we remember. 01:03:32.240 --> 01:03:34.720 Father, the one thing that I'm scared of doing, 01:03:34.720 --> 01:03:36.240 that this church is scared of doing, 01:03:36.880 --> 01:03:38.640 is messing with your bride. 01:03:44.880 --> 01:03:46.000 Don't want to do that, Lord. 01:03:50.720 --> 01:03:53.440 There's only one place, I think, where you say, 01:03:53.600 --> 01:03:56.480 if you destroy the temple, I will destroy you. 01:03:57.520 --> 01:03:58.720 You're a life-giving God. 01:03:59.600 --> 01:04:00.720 And there's that one line, 01:04:00.720 --> 01:04:04.160 I think it's in 1 Corinthians 3.16, where you say that. 01:04:06.720 --> 01:04:08.800 We choose to build your bride 01:04:08.800 --> 01:04:12.000 the way she needs to be built, her bridegroom Christ. 01:04:13.440 --> 01:04:15.200 And this teaching is towards that. 01:04:16.400 --> 01:04:19.440 And then raises up as a people, one man, one woman, 01:04:19.440 --> 01:04:21.440 who starts things that you show us. 01:04:22.080 --> 01:04:26.640 Allow the present leaders, allow me, to give wings about 01:04:27.440 --> 01:04:28.960 to horses that want to run. 01:04:29.920 --> 01:04:32.320 Give wings to horses that want to run. 01:04:32.320 --> 01:04:34.320 I love that C.F. Lewis saying, 01:04:35.040 --> 01:04:38.160 in the kingdom, you don't try to make a horse run faster. 01:04:38.160 --> 01:04:39.360 You give it wings. 01:04:41.920 --> 01:04:43.360 That's what we pray now.