WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Keeping Publishing Date: 2021-03-07T05:00:44-08:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/keeping/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.360 God is a keeper. One of the most commonly used words you'll find 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:08.800 in the Bible right from Genesis onwards is this idea 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:13.840 of God keeping us. Yeah? He keeps saying I'll keep you 00:00:13.840 --> 00:00:17.000 when you go out, when you come back. Number 622 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:20.400 the Lord bless you and keep you. So the idea of keeping 00:00:20.400 --> 00:00:24.200 is something that God has always been. God is a keeper 00:00:24.200 --> 00:00:28.160 and the word keep comes from this Hebrew word Shamar 00:00:28.560 --> 00:00:41.560 and to keep is to guard, protect, attend to, hedge in, 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:58.360 what else? Give shade, watch over. These are the different 00:00:58.360 --> 00:01:03.560 senses that one can derive from that simple word Shamar 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:06.760 which means to keep. So when God says I will keep you, 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:09.760 what he's saying is hey Jacob I'll guard you, 00:01:10.160 --> 00:01:13.960 Isaiah 27 talks about this. Someone was saying how they 00:01:13.960 --> 00:01:18.360 felt that this idea of God watching over and keeping 00:01:18.360 --> 00:01:20.960 Acts 29 is a word for now and I was agreeing with them. 00:01:20.960 --> 00:01:25.760 So this idea of keeping as in to attend, to guard, to protect. 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:29.560 Jacob I'll guard Acts 29, I'll protect them, I'll guard you, 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:32.560 I'll attend to you, I'll hedge you in, I'll give you shade, 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:37.560 I'll watch over. This is who God is. God is a keeper. 00:01:38.360 --> 00:01:41.360 Now why is this important for us to talk about? 00:01:41.360 --> 00:01:43.960 How can this be a continuation from yesterday? 00:01:43.960 --> 00:01:46.560 Yesterday we were talking about angelic protection 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:49.360 and now we are talking about how we can keep each other 00:01:49.360 --> 00:01:53.360 just as God keeps us. But to fathom how we can keep each other 00:01:53.360 --> 00:02:00.560 we must fathom how God keeps us. God has made a covenant 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:06.160 to keep us. God has made a covenant to keep us and in keeping 00:02:07.560 --> 00:02:11.760 there are a few things that are involved when He keeps us. 00:02:11.760 --> 00:02:16.760 One, He extracts us from places of trouble, so there's extraction. 00:02:16.760 --> 00:02:22.760 Then part of keeping involves sustaining us now that He's extracted us. 00:02:25.760 --> 00:02:31.160 Sometimes after sustaining us we still mess up, fall, 00:02:31.160 --> 00:02:36.160 sometimes because of our own ways and He has His ability 00:02:36.160 --> 00:02:39.160 to restore us. All this is part of keeping. 00:02:41.160 --> 00:02:47.160 That aside, He makes sure that part of keeping is the continuous voice 00:02:47.160 --> 00:02:52.160 of His presence. These are four aspects of keeping that God 00:02:52.160 --> 00:02:56.160 will always be faithful to. That listen, I have made a covenant 00:02:56.160 --> 00:03:01.160 to keep you. He did this with Israel. I made a covenant to keep you, 00:03:01.160 --> 00:03:05.160 so here's what I'm going to do. I'll extract you every time you're in trouble. 00:03:05.160 --> 00:03:10.160 Whether you're in exile, that was something I imposed, 00:03:10.160 --> 00:03:14.160 or whether it was something that you weren't responsible for 00:03:14.160 --> 00:03:17.160 but were taken captive in, I'll extract you. 00:03:17.160 --> 00:03:20.160 We'll read some beautiful scriptures with regard to this. 00:03:20.160 --> 00:03:25.160 I'll extract you and then once I extract you out of that place 00:03:25.160 --> 00:03:32.160 and rescue you, I'll sustain you. I'll adorn you. I'll sustain you. 00:03:33.160 --> 00:03:37.160 After sustaining you, should you still fall or should things begin to break down 00:03:37.160 --> 00:03:41.160 or decay, don't worry, part of my keeping is to restore you. 00:03:44.160 --> 00:03:47.160 I'll never take away my voice and my presence from you. 00:03:47.160 --> 00:03:50.160 The voice of my presence is always available to you. 00:03:50.160 --> 00:03:54.160 Israel sometimes would miss out on that because they lived in the old covenant. 00:03:54.160 --> 00:03:57.160 In the new covenant we have the voice of His presence. 00:03:57.160 --> 00:04:01.160 The voice of His presence. But Jacob you haven't mentioned that before. 00:04:01.160 --> 00:04:06.160 I've mentioned voice and presence separately, but when you call it the voice of His presence, 00:04:06.160 --> 00:04:10.160 man, it's like I got both always. 00:04:10.160 --> 00:04:14.160 That is something that happened once Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 00:04:14.160 --> 00:04:17.160 He restored what man lost in Eden. 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:23.160 Here are some scriptures that we can look at that talk about this. 00:04:23.160 --> 00:04:29.160 When you think of extraction, one of the scriptures that comes to mind is Deuteronomy 4. 00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:34.160 Deuteronomy chapter 4, verse 32. 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:42.160 I'm reading from the message. 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:49.160 Verse 32 to 35. Ask questions. 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:53.160 Find out what has been going on all these years before you were born. 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:58.160 From the day God created man and woman on the earth and from the horizon in the east 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:03.160 to the horizon in the west as far back as you can imagine and as far away as you can imagine. 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:09.160 Has as great a thing as this ever happened? Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? 00:05:09.160 --> 00:05:16.160 Has a people ever heard as you did a God speaking out of the middle of the fire and lived to tell the story? 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:23.160 Or has a God ever tried to select for Himself a nation from within a nation using trials, miracles and war? 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:29.160 Putting a strong hand in, reaching His long arm out, a spectacle awesome and staggering. 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:34.160 The way your God did it for you in Egypt while you stood right there and watched. 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:40.160 You were shown all this so that you would know that God is, well, God is, well, God. 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:43.160 He's the only God there is. He's at it. 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:46.160 I love that verse 34. 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:51.160 Has a God ever tried to select for Himself a nation from within a nation using trials, miracles and war? 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:56.160 Putting a strong hand in, reaching His long arm out, a spectacle awesome and staggering. 00:05:56.160 --> 00:06:00.160 The way your God did it for you in Egypt while you stood right there and watched. 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:04.160 You were shown all this so that you would know that God is, well, God. 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:07.160 He's the only God there is. He's it. 00:06:07.160 --> 00:06:10.160 There is this idea of extraction. 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:15.160 That Jacob, if I keep you, I will make sure that I rescue you. 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:22.160 I'll be God like I was God when Israel was in Egypt. 00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:25.160 And He doesn't stop there because then He begins to sustain you. 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:40.160 If you go to Ezekiel 16, Ezekiel 16, 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:46.160 4 to 16, I'm reading from the NIV. 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:48.160 Ezekiel 16, 4 to 16. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:52.160 On the day, 4 to, I'll stop when it's right. 00:06:52.160 --> 00:07:03.160 Ezekiel 16, 4. On the day you were born, your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:08.160 No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:13.160 Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for on that day you were born, you were despised. 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:19.160 Then I passed by and I saw you, Jacob, kicking about you, kicking about in your blood. 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:22.160 And as you lay there in your blood, I said, live. 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:24.160 I made you grow like a plant of the field. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:26.160 You grew and developed and entered puberty. 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:30.160 Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked. 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:34.160 Later I passed by and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:37.160 I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:43.160 I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the sovereign Lord, and you became mine. 00:07:43.160 --> 00:07:47.160 I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. 00:07:47.160 --> 00:07:51.160 I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:54.160 I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:56.160 I adorned you with jewelry. 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:59.160 I put bracelets on your arm and a necklace around your neck. 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:03.160 And I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:06.160 So you were adorned with gold and silver. 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:10.160 Your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:13.160 Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. 00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:15.160 You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:19.160 And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty. 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:25.160 Because of the splendor I had given you and I made your beauty perfect, declares the sovereign Lord. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:29.160 Keeping involves this, man. 00:08:29.160 --> 00:08:34.160 The more we wrap our heads around the keeping power of God, 00:08:34.160 --> 00:08:42.160 the more you will be able to take risks with this God who has a covenant attitude towards keeping. 00:08:45.160 --> 00:08:53.160 Then there's John 21, 7-16 where this idea of restoration is always present day. 00:08:54.160 --> 00:08:58.160 This is not a one shot God who says, okay, I've done this for you, now what are you going to do for me? 00:08:58.160 --> 00:09:00.160 I'm not going to help you again. 00:09:00.160 --> 00:09:12.160 John 21, 7-16, these passages are self explanatory in terms of what I'm trying to point out about the keeping nature of God. 00:09:12.160 --> 00:09:15.160 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 00:09:15.160 --> 00:09:18.160 It is the Lord, as soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 00:09:18.160 --> 00:09:23.160 It is the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him, for he had taken it off and jumped into the water. 00:09:23.160 --> 00:09:26.160 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish. 00:09:26.160 --> 00:09:28.160 See, it's all in verse 8, it says, 00:09:28.160 --> 00:09:36.160 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from the shore, about a hundred yards. 00:09:36.160 --> 00:09:40.160 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals, there with fish on it and some bread. 00:09:40.160 --> 00:09:43.160 Jesus said, bring some of the fish you have just caught. 00:09:43.160 --> 00:09:47.160 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. 00:09:47.160 --> 00:09:49.160 I don't know what took over that man. 00:09:49.160 --> 00:09:54.160 Here were a whole lot of disciples dragging a net full of fish and it was hard for them. 00:09:54.160 --> 00:09:57.160 But now that Peter has seen this Jesus whom he had let down, 00:09:57.160 --> 00:10:03.160 who he hasn't seen yet since he rose again, except for a brief moment when Jesus appeared among the disciples. 00:10:03.160 --> 00:10:05.160 He runs into the water, runs to Jesus. 00:10:05.160 --> 00:10:09.160 He knows that something is going to be restored in his life. 00:10:09.160 --> 00:10:12.160 If he doesn't know it, there's this hope that it is going to. 00:10:12.160 --> 00:10:16.160 This man suddenly possesses so much strength that when Jesus says, bring me some fish, 00:10:16.160 --> 00:10:22.160 he goes running back into the boat and this one man alone drags a net full of 153 fish. 00:10:22.160 --> 00:10:27.160 And so it goes on to say, so Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. 00:10:27.160 --> 00:10:29.160 It was full of large fish, 153. 00:10:29.160 --> 00:10:34.160 But even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, come have breakfast. 00:10:34.160 --> 00:10:36.160 None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? 00:10:36.160 --> 00:10:40.160 They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread, gave it to them, did the same with the fish. 00:10:40.160 --> 00:10:45.160 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 00:10:45.160 --> 00:10:49.160 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? 00:10:49.160 --> 00:10:53.160 Yes, Lord, he said. You know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my lambs. 00:10:53.160 --> 00:10:55.160 Again, Jesus said, Simon, son of John, do you love me? 00:10:55.160 --> 00:10:59.160 He answered, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said, take care of my sheep. 00:10:59.160 --> 00:11:02.160 The third time he said to him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? 00:11:02.160 --> 00:11:05.160 Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, do you love me? 00:11:05.160 --> 00:11:09.160 He said, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said, feed my sheep. 00:11:09.160 --> 00:11:17.160 This man who had once been selected as the guy who would open the kingdom to the rest of the world 00:11:17.160 --> 00:11:24.160 is now brought to a place where he is fully restored and commissioned, restoration and commission. 00:11:24.160 --> 00:11:31.160 This is part of Jesus' keeping. He keeps, in fact, in John 17, it is such a beautiful prayer. 00:11:31.160 --> 00:11:35.160 He's praying to his father and he said, father, I've kept those that you have given me, 00:11:35.160 --> 00:11:42.160 except the one who was destined for perdition, but I've kept the rest of them. 00:11:42.160 --> 00:11:48.160 Keeping involves being restored. I don't know where you're at, but my God, man, don't wait another day. 00:11:48.160 --> 00:11:52.160 Your God has a keeping covenant with you and keeping restores. 00:11:52.160 --> 00:11:56.160 And finally, the voice of his presence, we can see different scriptures for it. 00:11:56.160 --> 00:12:07.160 One of them is Deuteronomy 31, Deuteronomy 31, verse 6, which is then again repeated in Hebrews 13, 5. 00:12:07.160 --> 00:12:14.160 Deuteronomy 31, verse 6, long, long ago, before Jesus came, God had this nature. 00:12:14.160 --> 00:12:19.160 He says, be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them. 00:12:19.160 --> 00:12:23.160 For the Lord your God goes with you. He will, he's saying this to Israel, 00:12:23.160 --> 00:12:26.160 the stiff-necked people who had walked away from him multiple times. 00:12:26.160 --> 00:12:32.160 And what is he saying? He's saying that he will never leave you nor forsake you. 00:12:32.160 --> 00:12:37.160 If you go to Exodus 33, we read that passage plenty of times, Exodus 33, 00:12:37.160 --> 00:12:43.160 Moses remembers the kind of God he is. 00:12:43.160 --> 00:12:50.160 And in Exodus 33, 14, the Lord replied, my presence will go with you and I will give you rest. 00:12:50.160 --> 00:12:58.160 Hebrews 13, 5, Hebrews 13, 5, yo, Hebrews 13, 5, yo, 00:12:59.160 --> 00:13:07.160 Hebrews 13, 5, what's up? Come, come, come. 00:13:15.160 --> 00:13:23.160 Okay, Hebrews 13, 5, in the same way Christ did not take on himself the glory of, 00:13:23.160 --> 00:13:31.160 the glory of, oh no, Hebrews 13, 5, sorry, I'm reading Hebrews 5, 5, Hebrews 13, 5. 00:13:33.160 --> 00:13:38.160 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have 00:13:38.160 --> 00:13:42.160 because God has said, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. 00:13:42.160 --> 00:13:48.160 Hey, I know it's hard at times when things are going really wrong, you feel alone, 00:13:48.160 --> 00:13:52.160 there's nobody around, but one of the first places you need to go to 00:13:52.160 --> 00:13:56.160 before you go to friends, before you go to anywhere else, is to the scripture, 00:13:56.160 --> 00:14:01.160 which simply says, never will I leave you, nor will I forsake you. 00:14:01.160 --> 00:14:05.160 Now you, your parents are going to come and take you. 00:14:13.160 --> 00:14:16.160 There's a small interruption, just give me a minute. 00:14:16.160 --> 00:14:19.160 That's fine, that's fine. 00:14:19.160 --> 00:14:21.160 Let her take it. 00:14:23.160 --> 00:14:25.160 Excuse me, do you mind leaving? 00:14:27.160 --> 00:14:29.160 Don't worry about it, Jane, I'm just kidding. 00:14:32.160 --> 00:14:34.160 No, she can take the bottle if she wants. 00:14:35.160 --> 00:14:37.160 Okay, pardon? Okay. 00:14:43.160 --> 00:14:45.160 These are parts of God's keeping nature, eh? 00:14:45.160 --> 00:14:50.160 The more God is your keeper, the greater your ability to step out of the boat. 00:14:50.160 --> 00:14:54.160 The more God is your keeper, the greater your ability to step out of the boat. 00:14:54.160 --> 00:14:58.160 The more God is your keeper, the greater your ability to step out of the boat. 00:15:02.160 --> 00:15:06.160 Israel did. Israel was so confident of God despite their stiff-neckedness. Why? 00:15:06.160 --> 00:15:11.160 Because they had heard God say to Moses, say to Aaron, say to these people, 00:15:11.160 --> 00:15:17.160 that this is what I declare upon them, that I the Lord bless you, I the Lord will keep you, 00:15:17.160 --> 00:15:22.160 I the Lord will be gracious unto you, I the Lord will lift up my countenance and show you grace 00:15:22.160 --> 00:15:24.160 and give you peace and show you favor. 00:15:24.160 --> 00:15:29.160 Israel was confident of it. We are not, guys, we are not sure that God can keep us. 00:15:32.160 --> 00:15:38.160 Words like, he will never leave you nor forsake you, just roll off people's tongues so easily that it's lost meaning. 00:15:38.160 --> 00:15:45.160 But God is a keeping God. I've got to start believing that he keeps me and keep is to guard me, to protect me, 00:15:45.160 --> 00:15:50.160 to attend to me, to hedge me in, to give me shade, to watch over me. 00:15:54.160 --> 00:16:00.160 One of the things you have to ask yourself today is what is the keeping promise that God has given you? 00:16:00.160 --> 00:16:02.160 What is the keeping promise that God has given you? 00:16:02.160 --> 00:16:07.160 One of the keeping promises that God has given me that I go over almost every trip I go on, 00:16:07.160 --> 00:16:13.160 which was almost a year ago, is Genesis 28 verse 15. 00:16:13.160 --> 00:16:21.160 I always read this before I go. And it was given to my namesake, not my namesake, it's the other way around, 00:16:21.160 --> 00:16:27.160 but Genesis 28, 15. Here's what it says, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. 00:16:28.160 --> 00:16:33.160 I will bring you back into this land. I will not leave you until I've done what I promised to you. 00:16:33.160 --> 00:16:42.160 If you read it from the NKJV or the ESV, it says, behold, I'm with you and will keep you wherever you go 00:16:42.160 --> 00:16:47.160 and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I've done what I promised. 00:16:47.160 --> 00:16:52.160 Every time I leave Canada, I read this verse out before I go. 00:16:52.160 --> 00:16:55.160 What is the keeping promise that God has released to you? 00:16:57.160 --> 00:16:59.160 It's like a lifelong inheritance. 00:17:03.160 --> 00:17:07.160 Get one for yourself because there are hundreds of keeping promises in the Bible. 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:10.160 It is an essential part of God's nature to keep you. 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:15.160 Why else would he include it in the Aaronic blessing? 00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:18.160 The Lord bless you and keep you. 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:25.160 Such a, it's a word that is so full, so many things are covered in it. 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:28.160 Dwell under it. Use it to build a tent above you. 00:17:31.160 --> 00:17:34.160 Learn the dimensions of God as a keeper and two things will happen. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:39.160 One, you will begin to mirror his nature and two, God will be able to use you to keep others. 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:46.160 Listen to me. Learn to, learn to, learn the dimensions of God as a keeper and two things will happen. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:51.160 One, you will begin to mirror his nature and two, God will now use you to keep others. 00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:57.160 Israel had keepers. 00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:01.160 In the Old Testament you read about how there was a keeper of the city gate, 00:18:01.160 --> 00:18:04.160 there was a keeper of the king's forest, there was a keeper of the tabernacle, 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:07.160 there was a keeper of sheep, there was a keeper of vineyards. 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:10.160 Keepers were chosen and here's the odd thing. 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:15.160 Keepers were chosen for their courage, for their integrity 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:20.160 and for their trustworthiness in times of need. 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:24.160 And for their trustworthiness in times of adversity. 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:29.160 So here's the question. You man enough to be this, woman enough to be this? 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:35.160 This is not a concept that the church is familiar with. 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:38.160 That I'm supposed to be a keeper. 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:42.160 I think God's cry falls on deaf ears in churches when he says, 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:46.160 Aren't you Sheldon, your brother's keeper? Aren't you Brandon, your brother's keeper? 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:51.160 And the answer suddenly is, me, my brother's keeper? 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:56.160 Aren't you Jacob, your sister's or brother's keeper? 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:00.160 We're not talking about blood relations. 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:02.160 Brandon is not responsible for being Jillian's keeper. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:05.160 Brandon is responsible for being his brother's keeper 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:07.160 and he has to figure out who his brothers are. 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:11.160 These are the requirements. Courage, integrity, trustworthiness. 00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:13.160 If you wanted to be a keeper in the Old Testament. 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:20.160 Keepers were chosen for their courage, for their integrity, for their trustworthiness in adversity. 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:22.160 Man enough, woman enough? 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:31.160 Keepers were chosen for their courage, for their integrity, for their trustworthiness in adversity. 00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:33.160 Man enough, woman enough? 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:41.160 Another word for keeper was armor-bearer. 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:49.160 Armor-bearer. 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:56.160 And the actual sense of an armor-bearer was one who keeps the head. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:01.160 One who keeps, one who keeps the head of his charge, 00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:08.160 one who keeps the head of his charge, keeps the head, as in the actual head, 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:13.160 the head of his charge safe. 00:20:13.160 --> 00:20:21.160 If you were someone's armor-bearer, your job was to make sure that you were part of the president's secret service detail 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:24.160 and that you would keep the president safe. 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:28.160 This is what we're being called to. 00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:32.160 This ain't for namby-pamby believers. 00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:42.160 A man's life would be placed in the care of his armor-bearer. 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:49.160 I'm telling you man, this is what God is calling us to at this time. 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:54.160 There is angelic protection, but there is much more flesh and blood protection here on earth right now. 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:02.160 I'm talking to all of you guys sitting here in the crew too. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:06.160 Man up, woman up, whatever the word is when it comes to women. 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:19.160 David learned this early guys, which is why he progressed the way he progressed. 00:21:19.160 --> 00:21:21.160 David learned keeping early. 00:21:21.160 --> 00:21:23.160 He learned how to keep early. 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:26.160 First with his father, he learned how to keep early. 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:27.160 First with his father's sheep. 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:34.160 In those days, sheep were a sign of wealth and keeping his father's sheep represented all of Jesse's wealth. 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:37.160 And David would defend those sheep against raiders. 00:21:37.160 --> 00:21:39.160 He would defend them against lions. 00:21:39.160 --> 00:21:41.160 He'd defend them against bears. 00:21:41.160 --> 00:21:48.160 And it is in keeping what was given to him initially that he became faithful so that he could eventually deal with Goliath. 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:54.160 You want to have dominion released to you so that you can fulfill God's mandate in your life. 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:58.160 Start keeping what you've been given first faithfully in the little that you've been given. 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:02.160 Domain does not increase. 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:07.160 Dominion is not given if I'm not faithful in keeping what has been initially given to me. 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:12.160 And when we are talking about keeping, we are not talking about sound or light or money. 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:14.160 We are talking about soul. 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:20.160 If I don't learn to keep the souls that have been given in my charge and these are as precious as children, 00:22:29.160 --> 00:22:31.160 I'm not talking about the soul. 00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:33.160 I'm talking about the soul. 00:22:33.160 --> 00:22:35.160 I'm talking about the soul. 00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:37.160 I'm talking about the soul. 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:39.160 I'm talking about the soul. 00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:41.160 I'm talking about the soul. 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:53.160 The other cool thing about David in 1 Samuel 17, 20 is that eventually when David goes to the front line to become Saul's harpist and later on fight Goliath, 00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:58.160 David makes sure that he finds another keeper to watch his father's sheep beautifully. 00:22:58.160 --> 00:22:59.160 It always gets me. 00:22:59.160 --> 00:23:01.160 This is why we pray before I leave. 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:07.160 My God, I haven't left for 360 days. 00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:10.160 Today is March 7th. 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:13.160 March 12th was the last time I traveled. 00:23:21.160 --> 00:23:24.160 This is why we place someone in charge. 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:27.160 1 Samuel 17, 20. 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:34.160 If you are heading off somewhere and you have a responsibility, you must place someone in charge. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:37.160 It's a responsibility you must discharge. 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:39.160 Otherwise you ain't a keeper. 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:49.160 Guys, our present commission demands that we be a church of keeping relationships. 00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:53.160 Our present commission, if you don't know what it is, 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:59.160 listen to last night's teaching and there's a point where I outlined it. 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:05.160 Your present commission demands that we be a church of keeping relationships. 00:24:05.160 --> 00:24:12.160 Not that we have to, keeping relationships not as in cultivating relationships, but keeping relationships. 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:16.160 Demands that we be a church of keeping relationships. 00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:18.160 Keeping relationships. 00:24:21.160 --> 00:24:23.160 Both with God and with the Holy Spirit. 00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:25.160 Keeping relationships. 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:30.160 Both with God and with man. 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:32.160 Both with God and with man. 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:37.160 What does it mean to be kept by God? 00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:39.160 What is involved in that? 00:24:39.160 --> 00:24:41.160 We talked about it. 00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:49.160 That there's extraction, there is sustenance, there is restoration, and there is a voice of his presence. 00:24:49.160 --> 00:24:51.160 All that comes in the keeping package. 00:24:51.160 --> 00:24:55.160 And I have to locate myself in that so that I can be kept by God. 00:24:58.160 --> 00:25:06.160 And if I do, I'll find that I have a greater ability to walk on water and step out of the boat just because I know my God. 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:11.160 He who knows his God can do mighty exploits. 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:20.160 He who knows how faithful, he who knows how much a keeper God is, can dare mighty exploits. 00:25:21.160 --> 00:25:28.160 So where do we start? 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:39.160 To begin with, if you are someone who wants to increase in this, then know this, that keeping doesn't wait to be pursued. 00:25:39.160 --> 00:25:43.160 Keeping doesn't wait to be pursued. 00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:49.160 As in? 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:58.160 You're not waiting for someone to say, oh, I'll look after you, I'll help you ease in and stuff like that. 00:25:58.160 --> 00:25:59.160 No. 00:25:59.160 --> 00:26:04.160 When you look at Ruth chapter 1, verse 16 and 17, look at who the outsider was. 00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:06.160 Guys, this is so critical, eh? 00:26:06.160 --> 00:26:12.160 Today we've cultivated a church culture that requires that if anyone who is a believer comes to a church, 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:17.160 you have to mollycoddle them for the first three months so that they feel they are loved. 00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:20.160 You know the problem with that? 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:22.160 At some point they'll feel unloved. 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:29.160 At the moment they feel unloved, we'll have to do the whole thing again. 00:26:29.160 --> 00:26:39.160 What if we cultivated a culture where people who join new or who are old realize that they are Ruths, they are the R-U-T-H, 00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:46.160 they are Ruths who are on the outside and instead of being pursued by Naomi who is on the inside of Israel, 00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:55.160 it's Ruth who says in Ruth 1, verse 16 and 17, she says, and treat me not to leave you or to turn back from following after you, 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:57.160 for wherever you go, I will go. 00:26:57.160 --> 00:26:58.160 What a cool thing. 00:26:59.160 --> 00:27:05.160 Ruth 1, verse 16 and 17, she's pleading with Naomi who is an Israelite and she is a morbite. 00:27:06.160 --> 00:27:13.160 Ruth the morbidess is pleading with Naomi, not during a time of prosperity, during a time of famine. 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:25.160 Ruth has enough sense as a morbidess to say to Naomi, please I entreat you, do not ask me to leave, I want to be part of what you are. 00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:27.160 What if we could cultivate a culture like that? 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:30.160 It doesn't mean that we be unloving. 00:27:31.160 --> 00:27:41.160 But man, you know there was a time recently where I wanted some people to stay on in a certain group 00:27:41.160 --> 00:27:47.160 and I thought okay, I got to make sure they stay, I shouldn't say anything offensive so that they leave, 00:27:47.160 --> 00:27:52.160 my teaching should be something that should be tailored so that it's palatable to them. 00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:57.160 And so for the first two, three weeks I did that and by the fourth week God started saying, 00:27:57.160 --> 00:28:00.160 hey, why are you so worried whether they stay or leave? 00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:02.160 I'll take care of them anyways. 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:05.160 You do what you're asked to and do it well. 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:13.160 Do not worry about keeping people, as in keeping them in a place or keeping them in a group. 00:28:13.160 --> 00:28:14.160 It's okay if people leave. 00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:17.160 Love them sincerely, but if they leave it is okay. 00:28:18.160 --> 00:28:21.160 Do not be offensive, do not give them any offense other than the cross. 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:28.160 Do not take offense easily, but do not go overboard trying to keep people 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:34.160 because if you do that there will come a point where you will not be able to satisfy them and they will leave. 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:38.160 This is really not where I wanted to go with that, but it is perhaps where I need to go. 00:28:42.160 --> 00:28:43.160 I know you've heard the word EQO, EQA. 00:28:43.160 --> 00:28:45.060 It's not just one Ms. 00:28:52.060 --> 00:28:56.160 If you spend so much time trying to make them leave, 00:28:56.160 --> 00:29:01.160 it adds a lot more to the problem that you've Polish people are going to offer you. 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:13.120 I know you've heard this before but keeping 101 starts with this idea of, I've talked 00:29:13.120 --> 00:29:25.320 this in the past, of abiding relationship, abiding relationship, abiding relationship. 00:29:25.320 --> 00:29:26.680 Where does that come from? 00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:30.200 Ruth's words, wherever you lodge, there I will lodge. 00:29:30.200 --> 00:29:38.560 Wherever you lodge, I will lodge. 00:29:38.560 --> 00:29:40.560 Wherever you lodge, I will lodge. 00:29:40.560 --> 00:29:50.120 I pray God that people leave Acts 29 because they are sent. 00:29:50.120 --> 00:29:54.440 Because you have this clear sense from God that it's time to go and that your leaders 00:29:54.520 --> 00:30:00.760 are keenly aware of that sense of God and validate it and send you and don't hold you 00:30:00.760 --> 00:30:02.080 back. 00:30:02.080 --> 00:30:08.200 But that aside, wherever you lodge, I will lodge. 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:14.920 Abiding relationship, relational ownership, this is a frightening, beautiful term, relational 00:30:14.920 --> 00:30:17.960 ownership. 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:21.000 Relational ownership. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:22.400 Relational ownership. 00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:25.320 Your people shall be my people. 00:30:25.320 --> 00:30:34.680 Your people shall be my people. 00:30:34.680 --> 00:30:38.520 Your people shall be my people. 00:30:38.520 --> 00:30:41.280 As in I belong to you. 00:30:41.280 --> 00:30:44.920 You have relational ownership over me. 00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:46.120 I belong to you. 00:30:46.120 --> 00:30:50.280 You don't belong to me but I definitely belong to you. 00:30:50.360 --> 00:30:52.160 Whether you belong to me is up to you. 00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:54.000 You can say it when you want to. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:57.760 But I am saying to you that I belong to you. 00:30:57.760 --> 00:30:58.760 Relational ownership. 00:30:58.760 --> 00:31:07.880 This is the whole idea of a slave who was freed, going up to his master and say, I know 00:31:07.880 --> 00:31:13.240 you freed me but listen, can you drive a nail through my ear onto the doorpost because I 00:31:13.240 --> 00:31:20.240 want to be seen as one who had the freedom to walk away but chose to stay. 00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:24.880 So on one hand we create a culture where we do not mollycoddle people to stay. 00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:32.440 On the other hand we create a culture where people find it difficult to leave. 00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:37.520 Third, divine ownership. 00:31:37.520 --> 00:31:43.400 Divine ownership. 00:31:43.400 --> 00:31:46.240 Your God is my God. 00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:50.160 Your God is my God. 00:31:50.320 --> 00:31:59.080 As in hey, now that I am part of this people that I presently belong to, I just want to 00:31:59.080 --> 00:32:01.480 pursue the same causes. 00:32:01.480 --> 00:32:04.520 I want to dive into what God has for us as a people. 00:32:04.520 --> 00:32:05.760 I want to dive in. 00:32:05.760 --> 00:32:08.640 I don't want to sit on the fringes like Derek was saying earlier. 00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:10.960 I don't want to stand by the banks of the river. 00:32:10.960 --> 00:32:16.760 I want to be found in the river. 00:32:16.960 --> 00:32:18.800 Divine ownership. 00:32:18.800 --> 00:32:23.560 Together in the causes of God. 00:32:23.560 --> 00:32:30.560 Till I am sent on my way to replicate the same thing somewhere else. 00:32:33.880 --> 00:32:39.880 And the last one, lifelong relationship. 00:32:39.880 --> 00:32:41.920 Lifelong relationship. 00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:43.520 Isn't that brilliant? 00:32:43.520 --> 00:32:49.200 Where you are buried or where you die, I die and there I will be buried. 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:52.880 Where you die, I die and there I will be buried. 00:32:52.880 --> 00:32:59.880 Where this relationship that I am entering into is not a passing phase. 00:33:02.160 --> 00:33:07.160 This is something I am committed to for the rest of my life. 00:33:07.760 --> 00:33:12.760 Any questions on this guys? 00:33:12.760 --> 00:33:15.760 This is why... 00:33:15.760 --> 00:33:16.760 Yeah. 00:33:16.760 --> 00:33:19.760 Any questions? 00:33:19.760 --> 00:33:24.760 Any questions here? 00:33:24.760 --> 00:33:31.760 Okay, so I am going to go back to the question of the past. 00:33:37.160 --> 00:33:41.840 So Evan is asking, is it better than not to be afraid to offend someone but just tell 00:33:41.840 --> 00:33:43.960 them what you sense God is saying. 00:33:43.960 --> 00:33:49.400 So my response is, I must try not to give any offense other than the offense of the 00:33:49.400 --> 00:33:52.200 cross and what does that mean? 00:33:52.200 --> 00:33:58.600 What Christ says and does can be offensive and that if it causes offense is fine. 00:33:58.600 --> 00:34:01.760 I should do my best not to cause offense. 00:34:01.760 --> 00:34:08.120 And if that means that I change my tone, my language, choose my words, speak in a way 00:34:08.120 --> 00:34:14.520 that does not cut into your bruises that already exist but still is able to convey what God 00:34:14.520 --> 00:34:20.960 wants to say without compromising God and his heart and his nature, then that needs 00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:21.960 to be done. 00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:25.280 And sometimes we can only learn that through mistakes. 00:34:25.480 --> 00:34:30.480 When I hurt you, I must come and sit with you and try to take the hurt away. 00:34:30.480 --> 00:34:37.760 There was a time when I did something that offended Don and Don was offended enough to 00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:44.320 cry and I remember sitting with him in the car while he was crying and trying to take 00:34:44.320 --> 00:34:47.760 his hurt away. 00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:53.080 I won't happen by a simple, oh I am sorry Don. 00:34:53.080 --> 00:34:55.800 Being hurt away takes time. 00:34:55.800 --> 00:35:03.160 But that's part of keeping, right? 00:35:03.160 --> 00:35:08.040 We don't realize how sometimes this relationship that we are talking about in terms of the 00:35:08.040 --> 00:35:21.240 church, the only other relationship more intense than this is marriage. 00:35:21.240 --> 00:35:30.840 Mike told me to preach it, Karen. 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:34.600 This is a very intense relationship, the commitment we have to make to each other. 00:35:34.600 --> 00:35:40.040 But when people do this, man, it becomes a mountain that no animal can touch. 00:35:40.040 --> 00:35:45.160 Because here's the thing, why is it that the mountain on which God came and dwelt could 00:35:45.160 --> 00:35:47.920 not be touched because God was dwelling there? 00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:54.600 But it does say that wherever brethren dwell together in unity, there the oil of God flows. 00:35:54.600 --> 00:35:57.840 Whenever a people are in one accord, there God dwells. 00:35:57.840 --> 00:36:00.800 And when God begins to dwell in that mountain cannot be touched. 00:36:00.800 --> 00:36:12.360 Any beast that touches that mountain must be shot or must be stoned. 00:36:12.360 --> 00:36:16.880 How does the lifelong relationship work if you are sent somewhere else? 00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:24.440 How does, I would say the way it works with the Bergmans, Mark and Rhonda are in Vernon. 00:36:24.440 --> 00:36:25.440 They've been sent there. 00:36:25.440 --> 00:36:27.280 Oh my God, man. 00:36:27.280 --> 00:36:34.960 They're more of a pain now than when they used to live in Langley. 00:36:34.960 --> 00:36:41.640 And in the process, Tate and I have become really good friends. 00:36:41.640 --> 00:36:44.360 Yeah. 00:36:44.360 --> 00:36:53.000 Whenever Sue would be missing at meetings, she would say, I'm there in spirit. 00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:55.200 And I would roll my eyes. 00:36:55.200 --> 00:37:03.240 But there is something to being connected in the spirit with a people or with a person 00:37:03.240 --> 00:37:06.720 where you can be miles away. 00:37:06.720 --> 00:37:12.080 And yet, because of this ability to be drawing from the Holy Spirit and connected to the 00:37:12.120 --> 00:37:16.480 Spirit, it is easy to have lifelong relationships. 00:37:16.480 --> 00:37:17.480 They are real. 00:37:17.480 --> 00:37:21.560 I've experienced them. 00:37:21.560 --> 00:37:27.080 They're more intense sometimes than being physically present. 00:37:27.080 --> 00:37:31.280 But so much of it is dependent on this quality of I'm deeply interested in the person and 00:37:31.280 --> 00:37:34.360 I really like and love the person. 00:37:34.360 --> 00:37:35.360 That's critical in this, eh? 00:37:35.360 --> 00:37:40.200 And we'll talk about that. 00:37:40.600 --> 00:37:44.920 It's incovenant that adversity is dismantled and people grow. 00:37:44.920 --> 00:37:45.920 Just remember that. 00:37:45.920 --> 00:37:49.000 Ah, man, these are such precious lines. 00:37:49.000 --> 00:37:53.200 It is incovenant that adversity is dismantled. 00:37:53.200 --> 00:37:57.960 If you have adversity in your life, it is in covenantal relationships with a people 00:37:57.960 --> 00:38:00.880 that adversity is dismantled. 00:38:00.880 --> 00:38:04.800 And it is in covenantal relationships with people that you grow. 00:38:04.800 --> 00:38:09.840 If you are a part of a church and you are not covenantally connected with the rest of 00:38:09.840 --> 00:38:14.440 the body, it is not possible for your adversities to be dismantled. 00:38:14.440 --> 00:38:16.440 You might say, but Jesus will do it for me. 00:38:16.440 --> 00:38:18.960 Jesus built his body. 00:38:18.960 --> 00:38:21.720 He has certain ways of doing things. 00:38:21.720 --> 00:38:28.240 The oil from the head does not flow to the body if you're not connected to the head, 00:38:28.240 --> 00:38:29.240 through the body. 00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:49.280 Be it Psalm 133 or Acts 1.14 where it says, they were all in monocor and then that's 00:38:49.280 --> 00:38:50.960 where the Holy Spirit comes. 00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:58.160 At the end of the day, because God loves dwelling amongst the people that are living in unity, 00:38:58.160 --> 00:39:04.960 it's a great thing, man, to be in this situation where we have covenantal relationships with 00:39:05.960 --> 00:39:08.760 because that now will lead to us keeping each other. 00:39:08.760 --> 00:39:12.840 It will lead to us keeping each other. 00:39:12.840 --> 00:39:15.800 Acts 1.14, Psalm 133. 00:39:15.800 --> 00:39:23.680 So the next step, the next step is to, now that we've understood the 101 of our relationship 00:39:23.680 --> 00:39:32.100 with each other, the next step is, okay, I will now become aware and diligent about others 00:39:32.100 --> 00:39:34.240 around me in the body. 00:39:34.240 --> 00:39:36.440 I'll be vigilant. 00:39:36.440 --> 00:39:54.680 Every day I'll be vigilant so that God can prompt me to pray or help situations and people 00:39:55.680 --> 00:40:15.400 without any prayer request or need being expressed. 00:40:15.400 --> 00:40:17.600 There are two ways people can go about this. 00:40:17.600 --> 00:40:22.240 One, you can go through a list every day of people and pray to God. 00:40:22.240 --> 00:40:29.640 Or two, you can have deliberate times where you turn to God and say, Father, I want to 00:40:29.640 --> 00:40:37.680 be diligent and aware and I want to be vigilant with regard to the body that I'm a part of. 00:40:37.680 --> 00:40:45.560 If there's any situation or anybody that you want me to call to mind or do something for, 00:40:45.680 --> 00:40:47.880 just let me know. 00:40:47.880 --> 00:40:50.080 This is God-prompted. 00:40:50.080 --> 00:40:53.160 And as we begin to practice it, there'll be times when we get it wrong. 00:40:53.160 --> 00:41:05.220 But as we begin to practice it, we slowly become very naturally our brother's keepers. 00:41:05.220 --> 00:41:08.840 Keeping is shepherd-like, guys. 00:41:08.840 --> 00:41:12.960 Keeping is the nature of the great shepherd. 00:41:12.960 --> 00:41:16.400 As a leader, it's an essential part of who you are. 00:41:16.400 --> 00:41:18.700 But then who is not a leader? 00:41:18.700 --> 00:41:26.320 Because everybody can be a leader tomorrow if you're not a leader today. 00:41:26.320 --> 00:41:34.160 Acts 29 only has leaders and potential leaders because Jesus' nature is that way. 00:41:34.160 --> 00:41:35.160 We are leaders and servants. 00:41:35.160 --> 00:41:37.960 We are not leaders and followers. 00:41:37.960 --> 00:41:46.640 You can't be anything else because that is who He is. 00:41:46.640 --> 00:41:47.960 I actually believe that. 00:41:47.960 --> 00:41:57.480 That's not lip service. 00:41:57.480 --> 00:42:00.480 Acts 29 responds brilliantly to requests. 00:42:00.480 --> 00:42:01.480 I've seen it. 00:42:01.480 --> 00:42:02.480 It blows my mind. 00:42:02.480 --> 00:42:07.480 Send out a request and the things people do is amazing. 00:42:07.480 --> 00:42:11.760 One of the things that happened recently was through dreams, about three or four dreams 00:42:11.760 --> 00:42:16.480 that people had, different people had at Acts 29. 00:42:16.480 --> 00:42:22.840 One of the things that God exposed was that we aren't present and spiritually aware of 00:42:22.840 --> 00:42:26.840 things unfolding over lives unless we are told. 00:42:26.840 --> 00:42:30.200 We're good at prophetic words. 00:42:30.200 --> 00:42:36.120 So there are tons of people across Acts 29 who will have prophetic words for each other. 00:42:36.560 --> 00:42:41.080 Oh, by the way, Penny, if you're listening, happy birthday. 00:42:41.080 --> 00:42:45.720 Penny Reimer, Vernon, Eric's wife, hi, happy birthday. 00:42:45.720 --> 00:42:47.720 Don't want to break into song right now. 00:42:47.720 --> 00:42:48.720 Might do it later. 00:42:48.720 --> 00:42:49.720 Okay. 00:42:49.720 --> 00:42:57.520 So, I know that sounded terribly abrupt, but going back to the notes. 00:42:57.520 --> 00:43:03.240 Acts 29 is good at sending prophetic words for people because of prayer. 00:43:03.360 --> 00:43:08.960 Acts 29 is really good at responding brilliantly to requests. 00:43:08.960 --> 00:43:14.840 But one of the things that was exposed through dreams that people had was that Acts 29 was 00:43:14.840 --> 00:43:20.520 not aware of things unfolding in lives. 00:43:20.520 --> 00:43:26.060 And as people were going through things, when they looked for help, they couldn't find any 00:43:26.060 --> 00:43:27.320 other guys there. 00:43:27.320 --> 00:43:29.080 They couldn't find help there. 00:43:29.080 --> 00:43:35.520 They couldn't find parents recognizing or realizing that they were missing. 00:43:35.520 --> 00:43:39.920 And you suddenly realize that one of the things God wants to do in this season of our lives 00:43:39.920 --> 00:43:45.080 is to bring us to a place where even when we don't have requests, even when there are 00:43:45.080 --> 00:43:52.560 no needs being expressed, we become diligent and vigilant enough to be aware spiritually 00:43:52.560 --> 00:43:56.820 that I need to pray for this person or I need to go here at this time or I need to supply 00:43:56.900 --> 00:44:01.220 this at this time or I need to declare this at this time where something within you begins 00:44:01.220 --> 00:44:03.940 to be prompted by the Spirit of God. 00:44:03.940 --> 00:44:06.660 How cool will that be? 00:44:06.660 --> 00:44:09.780 That's the people who learn how to keep each other. 00:44:09.780 --> 00:44:10.780 Practice this, guys. 00:44:10.780 --> 00:44:12.700 And this is an everyday practice. 00:44:12.700 --> 00:44:17.060 It takes three minutes. 00:44:17.060 --> 00:44:20.180 Three minutes. 00:44:20.180 --> 00:44:27.180 Even if you had five children, you can get three minutes out of a day. 00:44:31.980 --> 00:44:33.480 Here's another thing. 00:44:33.480 --> 00:44:40.420 And this is for the older members of Acts 29. 00:44:40.420 --> 00:44:44.300 By older, I don't mean in age who've been Christians for a while. 00:44:44.300 --> 00:44:48.740 Sometimes one of the things I notice with myself and with Christians who have been around 00:44:48.900 --> 00:44:55.460 for a while is that we get very passionate about God's interests in the church, but we 00:44:55.460 --> 00:44:57.980 are dispassionate about people. 00:44:57.980 --> 00:45:03.820 Hey, may you never get so caught up in being passionate about God's cause, God's interest 00:45:03.820 --> 00:45:12.820 that you're no longer passionate about people in their ordinary ground level problems. 00:45:12.820 --> 00:45:17.580 This is what I really appreciate about some of the leaders at Acts 29. 00:45:18.420 --> 00:45:23.540 Now while Jacob may be thinking global revival, they're thinking about ground level problems 00:45:23.540 --> 00:45:28.740 that simple situations that people are going through that need to be addressed. 00:45:28.740 --> 00:45:33.380 May the older ones in this church not get so passionate and intense about God that you 00:45:33.380 --> 00:45:40.380 get dispassionate about people. 00:45:40.580 --> 00:45:43.580 Shepherds like sheep. 00:45:51.580 --> 00:45:53.380 Keeping is weaponry, guys. 00:45:53.380 --> 00:45:56.680 Keeping is weaponry. 00:45:56.680 --> 00:46:01.460 If I learn to keep you and you learn to keep me, it becomes like a weapon against the enemy, 00:46:01.460 --> 00:46:03.260 both defensive and offensive. 00:46:03.260 --> 00:46:09.020 I was looking at, I was reminded of Roman legions and there are some pictures I have. 00:46:09.660 --> 00:46:13.540 Roman legions and how they used to keep each other when they would fight and they had these 00:46:13.540 --> 00:46:20.540 different formations that they would quickly go into where soldiers would keep each other. 00:46:22.420 --> 00:46:27.980 This was called the tortoise or the testudo where once they began to keep each other this 00:46:27.980 --> 00:46:32.820 way where they would go into this formation, it was impossible for arrows from above to 00:46:32.820 --> 00:46:35.420 affect them or from the front to affect them. 00:46:35.820 --> 00:46:40.820 Then in a second they could shift from this to the next picture which was a wedge. 00:46:40.820 --> 00:46:46.220 The wedge was this idea of forming an arrow like the Canadian geese and going straight 00:46:46.220 --> 00:46:50.120 into a place where it would be impossible to stop them. 00:46:50.120 --> 00:46:53.820 These men would know how to guard each other's flanks and move in. 00:46:53.820 --> 00:47:00.820 The third one was this thing called a skirmish where the second row would move forward and 00:47:00.820 --> 00:47:05.660 the first row would pull back so that they had this continuous movement, gave them tremendous 00:47:05.660 --> 00:47:09.620 flexibility and demolished the armies that came against them. 00:47:09.620 --> 00:47:16.260 The last one was called, I forgot the name of this, but this was when horses would come 00:47:16.260 --> 00:47:18.360 charging against them. 00:47:18.360 --> 00:47:23.460 The spears would go out, the horses would stop and then the guys who were standing would 00:47:23.460 --> 00:47:27.140 throw their javelins at the enemy. 00:47:27.140 --> 00:47:30.940 These were formations that they would practice over and over again with two intents. 00:47:30.940 --> 00:47:42.340 One, keep my mate on the left and the right safe and take out the enemy. 00:47:42.340 --> 00:47:50.260 Keeping his weaponry, add to this angelic protection and now you have a choice that 00:47:50.260 --> 00:47:54.940 can win battles without losses. 00:47:57.140 --> 00:48:06.020 Just one quick caution before we go to the last part. 00:48:06.020 --> 00:48:13.740 Avoid, when we start this process of keeping each other and have God prompting us to pray, 00:48:13.740 --> 00:48:21.740 if possible, I know sometimes we have to go down this route, but if possible avoid vague 00:48:21.740 --> 00:48:24.740 questions like, is everything okay? 00:48:24.740 --> 00:48:27.740 Because sometimes everything is okay and then when you ask a question I feel obliged 00:48:27.740 --> 00:48:33.020 to tell you something that's not okay because I don't want you to feel like you heard wrong. 00:48:33.020 --> 00:48:37.180 So sometimes don't go with, is everything okay? 00:48:37.180 --> 00:48:43.180 If you have something specific, say it, if not just pray the best you can. 00:48:43.180 --> 00:48:48.260 Or one of the things that really gets me, and I don't know why it gets me, maybe it's 00:48:48.260 --> 00:48:51.420 a personal problem. 00:48:51.420 --> 00:48:56.140 People sit with me and they've come to seek some counsel and I've given them and then 00:48:56.140 --> 00:48:59.380 before they leave they turn, can I pray something for you? 00:48:59.380 --> 00:49:00.380 No need to ask that question. 00:49:00.380 --> 00:49:04.860 If there's something you want, I need prayer for, I'll ask you. 00:49:04.860 --> 00:49:09.580 These are Christian-ese things that we've got to completely dust. 00:49:09.580 --> 00:49:13.720 Be prompted by the Spirit, follow the Spirit. 00:49:13.720 --> 00:49:17.080 Sometimes we get into this holy mode where if you prayed for me now, I've got to do your 00:49:18.080 --> 00:49:25.820 Now that you've prayed for me, say anything I can pray for you, brother. 00:49:25.820 --> 00:49:27.200 Avoid these things. 00:49:27.200 --> 00:49:28.400 These are not pet peeves guys. 00:49:28.400 --> 00:49:34.560 I know there's a degree of meditation when I'm saying it, that is a pet peeve. 00:49:34.560 --> 00:49:36.420 But what I'm saying is genuine. 00:49:36.420 --> 00:49:38.320 These things are just Christian-ese things. 00:49:38.320 --> 00:49:45.960 It's almost like Jesus saying, why do you call me good? 00:49:45.960 --> 00:49:48.080 Avoid these things if possible. 00:49:48.080 --> 00:49:50.080 Avoid I had a dream. 00:49:50.080 --> 00:49:52.960 If you have a dream and you do not have the interpretation, do not give that dream to 00:49:52.960 --> 00:50:00.920 somebody because now unless God is saying I'm not going to give you the meaning, you 00:50:00.920 --> 00:50:04.440 go tell Derek that you have this dream, he knows the meaning, then go ahead. 00:50:04.440 --> 00:50:09.120 But otherwise if you had a dream about somebody, make sure that it is something that you first 00:50:09.120 --> 00:50:14.640 seek God for or send it to someone who has understanding, ask them to interpret it for 00:50:14.800 --> 00:50:24.440 you and then see if you want to send it forward. 00:50:24.440 --> 00:50:27.520 I just had someone text me saying can I pray for you? 00:50:27.520 --> 00:50:32.600 Ha ha ha. 00:50:32.600 --> 00:50:37.800 Another thing is guys, when you pray for people, when God is prompting you as a keeper, it's 00:50:37.800 --> 00:50:45.840 not to pray that he or she changes because prayer huddles are places where a lot of Absalom's 00:50:45.840 --> 00:50:49.160 and Job's friends are revealed. 00:50:49.160 --> 00:50:52.280 Don't get into prayer huddles where let's pray for Don. 00:50:52.280 --> 00:50:53.720 He's way too playful. 00:50:53.720 --> 00:50:57.880 At this rate, he won't get married till Phoebe is married. 00:50:57.880 --> 00:51:00.160 You don't want to go down that route. 00:51:00.160 --> 00:51:01.640 Yeah? 00:51:01.680 --> 00:51:07.800 So these are things that have been commonly spewed when people go down this keeping pathway 00:51:07.800 --> 00:51:14.400 and I'm just bringing it up so that we avoid these pitfalls. 00:51:14.400 --> 00:51:17.880 Especially don't pray for leaders and pastors and for their change. 00:51:17.880 --> 00:51:22.600 If you have a change that the pastor should make in their lives, may you have the boldness 00:51:22.600 --> 00:51:27.200 to come and tell the pastor and may you hope that the pastor is in a humble enough place 00:51:27.200 --> 00:51:28.760 to receive it from you. 00:51:28.760 --> 00:51:33.240 And if he is not, may you suffer a little bit of irritation from him. 00:51:33.240 --> 00:51:37.080 But that is the better way of going than huddling together and praying for some change in some 00:51:37.080 --> 00:51:43.080 leader's life because that, there's something about it that is not kosher guys. 00:51:43.080 --> 00:51:47.800 I'm not talking about this church, eh? 00:51:47.800 --> 00:51:50.280 I feel like the book of James right now. 00:51:50.360 --> 00:51:58.840 I feel like this is getting way too practical and nitty gritty and not preachy enough. 00:51:58.840 --> 00:52:01.280 I prefer preachy. 00:52:01.280 --> 00:52:09.240 I prefer long sentences by Paul than stuff like this. 00:52:09.240 --> 00:52:12.280 Final concluding step. 00:52:12.280 --> 00:52:19.560 Guys, once we get the, okay, so here are the three, four things that we have to get. 00:52:19.560 --> 00:52:22.680 First, understand how God keeps. 00:52:22.680 --> 00:52:24.440 How does God keep? 00:52:24.440 --> 00:52:25.440 First. 00:52:25.440 --> 00:52:33.200 Second, understand how you, if you're a part of a church, have entered into a covenantal 00:52:33.200 --> 00:52:35.160 relationship. 00:52:35.160 --> 00:52:44.040 The quality that you see in Ruth's statement to Naomi in Ruth chapter one. 00:52:44.040 --> 00:52:50.960 Third, you begin to ask God to give you both vigilance and diligence in learning how to 00:52:50.960 --> 00:52:58.800 keep others in the body just through the prompting of the Spirit. 00:52:58.800 --> 00:53:15.000 Under all this, when it comes to the body, it's a simple aspect of passionate interest 00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:17.640 and love for one another. 00:53:17.640 --> 00:53:18.640 Am I my brother's keeper? 00:53:18.640 --> 00:53:26.280 I can only be my brother's keeper if I'm actually interested in him. 00:53:26.480 --> 00:53:30.880 I can be passionate about the causes of God and dispassionate about my brother. 00:53:30.880 --> 00:53:34.000 All that will happen is my brother will do well in the causes of God. 00:53:34.000 --> 00:53:38.240 My brother will not benefit from my keeping because I'm dispassionate or disinterested 00:53:38.240 --> 00:53:42.280 in him or her. 00:53:42.280 --> 00:53:49.280 Hey, you know something. 00:53:49.280 --> 00:54:14.240 There's no doubt about my passionate interest in the young adults in particular. 00:54:14.240 --> 00:54:18.640 As I say that, the ones that are older may think, so you're only interested in the young 00:54:18.640 --> 00:54:19.640 adults? 00:54:19.640 --> 00:54:20.640 No. 00:54:20.640 --> 00:54:34.600 But one of the reasons we are where we are is because this ability to keep has slowly 00:54:34.600 --> 00:54:35.920 trickled down into my life. 00:54:35.920 --> 00:54:41.400 Where it is critical for me to be actually interested in your life whether you're part 00:54:41.400 --> 00:54:42.800 of Acts 29 or not. 00:54:42.800 --> 00:54:48.280 And there are so many that are not part of Acts 29 that I meet with that I must show 00:54:48.280 --> 00:54:53.280 the same interest in. 00:54:53.280 --> 00:54:57.840 With the older ones, it's the same. 00:54:57.840 --> 00:55:03.720 Sometimes it's harder for the older ones to be in a place that the younger ones are in. 00:55:03.720 --> 00:55:08.880 That's natural with age. 00:55:08.880 --> 00:55:11.240 But cultivate this, eh? 00:55:11.240 --> 00:55:13.040 Paul saw it in Barnabas. 00:55:13.040 --> 00:55:14.720 Barnabas sought him out. 00:55:15.720 --> 00:55:19.520 When nobody else would take a risk and lay their reputation on the line, Barnabas went 00:55:19.520 --> 00:55:23.160 to Tarsus, Acts 8-26 or 9-26. 00:55:23.160 --> 00:55:28.600 Barnabas went to Tarsus and got Paul out and brought Paul, laid his reputation on the line 00:55:28.600 --> 00:55:31.520 where no other apostle would touch him. 00:55:31.520 --> 00:55:33.240 Barnabas went and got him. 00:55:33.240 --> 00:55:35.800 Paul learned from Barnabas. 00:55:35.800 --> 00:55:43.200 Paul then later on sees how he could invest in the lives of Silas, in Timothy, in Titus. 00:55:43.240 --> 00:55:47.920 I learned this from people, people who were so passionately interested in my life, not 00:55:47.920 --> 00:55:49.720 in the cause of God in my life. 00:55:49.720 --> 00:55:53.320 They knew that there was a hand of God on my life, but they were so passionately interested 00:55:53.320 --> 00:55:59.000 in me, in the way I ate, in the clothes I wore, in the way I used spoon and fork. 00:55:59.000 --> 00:56:01.600 It's, I mean, there were so many things I didn't know. 00:56:01.600 --> 00:56:07.960 They taught me basics of life. 00:56:07.960 --> 00:56:12.120 Why am I hesitating on saying this? 00:56:12.120 --> 00:56:15.720 Because I think this is something that should just trickle down to each of us and then should 00:56:15.720 --> 00:56:21.040 spread through us. 00:56:21.040 --> 00:56:25.520 Sometimes I wish every young person in this church was a guy, because then I wouldn't 00:56:25.520 --> 00:56:31.120 have to worry about all this girl stuff, can't meet them alone and stuff like that. 00:56:31.120 --> 00:56:35.280 It would be so much easier if everyone turned into a guy when they come to visit me, but 00:56:35.280 --> 00:56:36.760 it doesn't work that way. 00:56:37.400 --> 00:56:42.920 Oh my God, man, that is the kind of keeping that we should engage in. 00:56:42.920 --> 00:56:49.240 And the strange thing is, many of us do, many of us do, I'm fascinated at that. 00:56:49.240 --> 00:56:55.840 I'm just saying let's take it up to the next notch, where we become so aware. 00:56:55.840 --> 00:57:00.080 When I watch some of these young leaders leading house churches now and how they're so aware 00:57:00.080 --> 00:57:04.680 of the people in their house churches and they call and they find out, be it old or 00:57:04.680 --> 00:57:05.920 young, I'm fascinated. 00:57:06.080 --> 00:57:08.080 I'm at their age, I never could do stuff like that. 00:57:20.080 --> 00:57:26.560 What happens next is, guys, God will commit me to a few to be their keeper. 00:57:26.560 --> 00:57:35.680 God will commit me to a few to be their keeper. 00:57:36.440 --> 00:57:42.040 I said, okay, Jacob, so you've learned how to keep a group of people, but now I want 00:57:42.040 --> 00:57:45.320 you to be an armor-bearer to a few. 00:57:45.320 --> 00:57:48.000 Some of them in Acts 29, some of them outside Acts 29. 00:57:48.000 --> 00:57:50.320 I want you to be an armor-bearer for a few. 00:57:50.320 --> 00:57:56.640 And once God calls you to that, you have to labor to build deep friendships. 00:57:56.640 --> 00:57:58.900 You have to labor to build deep friendships. 00:57:58.900 --> 00:58:00.240 Keeping is not passive. 00:58:00.240 --> 00:58:01.280 Keeping is not passive. 00:58:01.280 --> 00:58:03.080 To be a keeper is a costly thing. 00:58:03.480 --> 00:58:04.480 You keep with your life. 00:58:04.480 --> 00:58:10.480 You keep with your life without controlling, without seeking obligations, without wanting 00:58:10.480 --> 00:58:14.480 to be included in everything, without expecting a response. 00:58:14.480 --> 00:58:16.680 Keeping is not a passive thing. 00:58:16.680 --> 00:58:17.680 It's a costly thing. 00:58:17.680 --> 00:58:22.880 You keep with your life and you keep with your life without seeking to control, oblige, 00:58:22.880 --> 00:58:25.280 be included or expect a response. 00:58:25.280 --> 00:58:29.480 Something that sometimes lasts for a season, sometimes longer. 00:58:29.880 --> 00:58:33.480 Well, I could give you many examples and some examples from Acts 29. 00:58:33.480 --> 00:58:35.080 Let me just pick on one. 00:58:35.080 --> 00:58:36.080 Chad. 00:58:36.080 --> 00:58:39.680 Chad, I keep him and he keeps me. 00:58:39.680 --> 00:58:43.280 He faces spiritual warfare because of the call on my life. 00:58:43.280 --> 00:58:48.080 And I've gone to battle for him in a second and both of us bear the scars of standing 00:58:48.080 --> 00:58:49.080 for each other. 00:58:51.080 --> 00:58:55.080 And I've gone to battle for him in a second and both of us bear the scars of standing 00:58:55.080 --> 00:58:56.080 for each other. 00:58:56.680 --> 00:58:59.680 But I've committed my life to keeping him. 00:59:03.680 --> 00:59:06.880 And he has committed his life to keeping me. 00:59:10.680 --> 00:59:15.680 Once you step into that, a keeper is willing to give away his best for the one he keeps. 00:59:15.680 --> 00:59:19.760 A keeper is willing to give away his best for the one he keeps. 00:59:19.760 --> 00:59:24.560 A keeper is willing to give away his best for the one he keeps, a keeper is willing to 00:59:24.560 --> 00:59:29.400 his best for the one he keeps. Jonathan gave David his robe, Jonathan gave David 00:59:29.400 --> 00:59:36.240 his armor, Jonathan gave David his swords, Jonathan gave David his belt, he gave up 00:59:36.240 --> 00:59:45.200 his right to be king in giving David everything. It's a choice and if it's a 00:59:45.200 --> 00:59:49.200 choice between me doing well or Chad doing well, I would step back because he 00:59:49.200 --> 00:59:54.640 is more important but we'd have to wrestle for it because he would do the 00:59:54.640 --> 01:00:02.760 same thing. This is what keeping looks like where you're fighting to be second 01:00:02.760 --> 01:00:19.380 best, fighting to be second best. That aside if I step into this role of 01:00:19.380 --> 01:00:26.040 keeping the few that God has appointed me with an intensity of an armor bearer 01:00:26.040 --> 01:00:31.240 that protects with my life the life of someone else then it also requires that 01:00:31.240 --> 01:00:36.000 I be willing to step out when my friend is taking a leap of faith. I must be 01:00:36.000 --> 01:00:39.880 willing to step out even though I don't know the outcome, even though I may 01:00:39.880 --> 01:00:44.120 suffer loss, even though I don't have the faith for it because my friend says hey 01:00:44.120 --> 01:00:47.160 I've got the faith for this I'm gonna take a leap of faith you want to come 01:00:47.160 --> 01:00:52.120 and like Jonathan's armor bearer I must say whatever you want I'll come along. 01:00:52.120 --> 01:00:57.800 You see that in 1st Samuel 14 7 Jonathan says hey if they say go up let's go up 01:00:57.800 --> 01:01:01.400 and Jonathan's armor bearer turns to him and says whatever you say I'm with you 01:01:01.400 --> 01:01:07.580 all the way. It's not like he had the faith but he was so committed to keeping 01:01:07.580 --> 01:01:20.360 his charge that it doesn't matter that I may lose my life I will walk. Can we 01:01:20.400 --> 01:01:34.520 imitate a friend that sticks closer than a brother? My God man there are people 01:01:34.520 --> 01:01:40.360 at Axman and I do that for. I'm actually doing it for. Maybe they recognize it 01:01:40.360 --> 01:01:45.840 maybe they don't but my God my heart would do anything for them. 01:01:50.800 --> 01:02:01.320 How do I want to end this? I want to say this to you at Acts 29. You at 01:02:01.320 --> 01:02:07.920 Acts 29 have kept me faithfully. You have been keepers of my life man. I would not 01:02:07.920 --> 01:02:13.240 be where I am if you right at the beginning when there was just Chris and 01:02:13.240 --> 01:02:24.240 Heidi till today. You have so brilliantly kept me. God will reward you 01:02:24.240 --> 01:02:28.960 for that. I could not get to where I am today. My life wouldn't be where it is 01:02:28.960 --> 01:02:35.840 today if it hadn't been for the fact that you have been such such willing 01:02:35.840 --> 01:02:42.900 keepers of my life and I want to be someone who acknowledges that and 01:02:42.900 --> 01:02:50.220 thanks you for it. And the forms of keeping can vary. Some keep me financially 01:02:50.220 --> 01:02:59.300 others keep me by just encouraging me. Others listen to God for me. Others serve 01:02:59.300 --> 01:03:10.740 me. Others just hang out with me. Others accompany me on difficult missions trips. 01:03:10.960 --> 01:03:15.900 The different ways one can keep somebody else. Sometimes all you need is 01:03:15.900 --> 01:03:21.740 someone who can just hang out with you. Jesus had that in John, James and Peter. 01:03:23.740 --> 01:03:34.060 I thank God for you. I owe you and I long to cover you all of you. I just want to 01:03:34.060 --> 01:03:41.580 bless you with Jude chapter 1 verse 20 to 24 and then we break bread. Jude 01:03:41.580 --> 01:03:54.260 chapter 1 verse 20 to 24. I'm gonna read it from the passion translation this 01:03:54.260 --> 01:03:59.300 time because how it's translated is pretty much the same as other 01:03:59.380 --> 01:04:11.140 translations but the words are delightful. Jude 1 20 to 24. And so I say 01:04:11.140 --> 01:04:16.380 to you but you my delightfully loved friends constantly and progressively 01:04:16.380 --> 01:04:21.500 build yourself up on the foundation of your most holy faith by praying every 01:04:21.500 --> 01:04:26.540 moment in the spirit. Fasten your hearts to the love of God and receive the 01:04:26.540 --> 01:04:31.300 mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ who gives us eternal life. Keep being 01:04:31.300 --> 01:04:35.660 compassionate to those who still have doubts and snatch others out of the fire 01:04:35.660 --> 01:04:41.200 to save them. Be merciful over and over to them but always couple your mercy 01:04:41.200 --> 01:04:45.180 with the fear of God. Be extremely careful to keep yourself free from the 01:04:45.180 --> 01:04:49.220 pollutions of the flesh. Now to the one with enough power to prevent you from 01:04:49.220 --> 01:04:54.340 stumbling into sin and to bring you faultless before his glorious presence to 01:04:54.340 --> 01:04:58.180 stand before him with ecstatic delight to the only God our Savior through our 01:04:58.180 --> 01:05:03.580 Lord Jesus Christ. Be endless glory and majesty great power and authority from 01:05:03.580 --> 01:05:08.740 before he created time now and throughout all the ages of eternity. Amen. 01:05:08.740 --> 01:05:16.380 Bless you guys for being who you are. May you learn how to be kept by God. May 01:05:16.380 --> 01:05:21.060 you learn the covenantal relationship that is a foundation this church must 01:05:21.060 --> 01:05:26.100 continue to build. May you learn to be prompted by the spirit every day 01:05:26.100 --> 01:05:30.660 especially during the season to keep each other just through praying and when 01:05:30.660 --> 01:05:34.260 you don't know how to pray, pray in tongues. 01:05:44.420 --> 01:05:50.020 I remember ages ago, it's a story very long ago and I'll have to name people 01:05:50.020 --> 01:05:57.620 and what they did so I won't. And then may you ask God, Father are there one or 01:05:57.620 --> 01:06:02.140 two in this body that you are appointing me to that I can be an armor bearer to 01:06:02.140 --> 01:06:05.460 that I can be a keeper to? 01:06:13.180 --> 01:06:19.940 Two things as a keeper that you'll have to remember. One, oh God let it cost me 01:06:19.940 --> 01:06:25.580 my life if necessary to keep this person's head and heart safe and two, oh 01:06:25.580 --> 01:06:32.860 God can this person at some point because of my keeping go beyond me? 01:06:32.860 --> 01:06:39.900 Desire this eh? Please remember get passionate about God's causes but do 01:06:39.900 --> 01:06:46.060 not get dispassionate about the person. The person has to be precious. The person 01:06:46.100 --> 01:06:54.500 has to be precious. Man we've got to show people how church is built and if in 01:06:54.500 --> 01:07:02.820 saying this the way I've given these examples has not been your experience 01:07:02.820 --> 01:07:15.260 with me then I'm at fault and I apologize. I'm not trying to be humble eh? 01:07:15.300 --> 01:07:19.980 You know that doesn't go well with me but I just want to apologize because I 01:07:19.980 --> 01:07:24.020 wish this was everyone's experience with me because this is a small church it's 01:07:24.020 --> 01:07:30.620 doable and if that is not your experience with me may you find it over 01:07:30.620 --> 01:07:35.540 the next one year in me and may you find what you have missed out through my life 01:07:35.540 --> 01:07:39.540 in some of the other leaders in this church. May they compensate you for how I 01:07:40.020 --> 01:07:46.100 was not able to be that. Yeah but my God man I just want to tell you that this 01:07:46.100 --> 01:07:51.100 must be dear to our heart because it is the way God treats people. 01:07:59.460 --> 01:08:04.420 Diana's question is how do we know this isn't happening? It's not whether this 01:08:04.460 --> 01:08:13.140 isn't happening. It is let us make this a very important part of our church right 01:08:13.140 --> 01:08:16.700 now because of the season we are in because we have angelic protection. When 01:08:16.700 --> 01:08:21.660 we begin to keep just like the Roman legions we will see that it becomes a 01:08:21.660 --> 01:08:26.060 place where the enemy has very little room because every time he comes up 01:08:26.060 --> 01:08:30.940 keepers armor-bearers rise up. So the thing is not is it happening. The thing 01:08:30.940 --> 01:08:36.900 is it must be something that is common to us all so that there is no one left 01:08:36.900 --> 01:08:45.740 exposed on the flank above below. Yeah cool let's break bread.