WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Open Eyes Publishing Date: 2026-01-18T02:04:44-08:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/open-eyes/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:17.000 We are talking about this new space that we are entering into and we had titled it Open Eyes some weeks ago. So I want to talk about that. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:34.000 So if you go to 2 Kings 6.20, you will find that God is someone who not just opens physical eyes, but one of the things He wants to do with the lives of His children in particular is give them spiritual sight. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:01:01.000 He wants to open spiritual eyes. So if you go to 2 Kings 6.20, there you see Him opening physical eyes because there were some Syrian soldiers, a whole platoon of Syrian soldiers who get struck with blindness. 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:08.000 And then in verse 20, Elisha prays for them. As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:18.000 Oh Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see. So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw and behold they were in the midst of Samaria. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:33.000 So we know that God opens eyes. He opens the eyes of the enemies of Christianity. He opens the eyes of people that are believers or unbelievers because He is a good God. 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:52.000 So physical eyes He opens. Now look at verse 17. Verse 17. And you see that there is this prayer that has to be prayed for a church that is beginning to enter into places on the invitation of God where our spiritual eyes need to be opened. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:02:04.000 And so in verse 17 you see it said, same chapter. Let's go to verse 15. And the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:11.000 Behold an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, Alas my master, what shall we do? 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:20.000 He said, Do not be afraid for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Those words, I don't know how comforting they were. And so then Elisha prays. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:32.000 Elisha prayed and said, O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. Crazy, go to verse 20. And it says, O Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see. 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:40.000 There's nothing different in the prayer. Verse 17, O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:47.000 Verse 20, so the Lord opened their eyes and they saw. Verse 17, so the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw. 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:53.000 And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. You see the stark difference suddenly. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:03:07.000 Where in one situation is the opening of physical eyes and in the other situation is the opening of spiritual eyes. Same words used, same response written, but it's a completely different happening. 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:18.000 And so given that we've even named the space or the new room that God is taking us into this year and for the next few years is open eyes. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:23.000 We talked about how it requires that we see things different from how we used to see it. 00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:34.000 And so that's where we're going today. And God has the ability to do this for people through centuries. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:42.000 If you go to Genesis 21, 19, Genesis 21, 19, you'll see God opening Hagar's eyes. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:47.000 And suddenly she sees a well where a little while before there was no well. 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:53.000 And then she scoops water from it and she's able to slake Ishmael's thirst. 00:03:53.000 --> 00:04:01.000 So in Genesis 21, 19, you see that God opens Hagar's eyes. Sometimes he does it even for people who oppose him. 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:10.000 So in Numbers 22, 31, in Numbers 22, 31, you see him opening Balaam's eyes. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:16.000 Why did he open Balaam's eyes? Because Balaam was about to be slaughtered by an angel with a sword. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:24.000 And in Numbers 22, 31, God opens Balaam's eyes. One moment he was merrily going on his way on a donkey. 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:31.000 The next moment he realizes, ah, shucks. That's why the donkey is moving. 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:40.000 And then in Luke 24, verse 31, Luke 24, 31, if we were to take a story from the New Testament, 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:48.000 Luke 24, 31, you'll find that he was walking with some disciples on the road to Emmaus. 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:56.000 And at some point he lets their eyes see and they suddenly recognize him as Jesus. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:03.000 They were walking with a man who was telling them how to connect the Old Testament to the death of this man called Jesus in Jerusalem. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:08.000 And they had no idea and suddenly their eyes opened and they recognized him. 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:14.000 And so this is common. It's just that we normally don't enter into it. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:21.000 We have so many realms of New Testament Christianity that we haven't stepped into. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:26.000 We're not even talking about Old Testament stories in the New Testament. 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:38.000 And so in a habitation culture, in a habitation culture, what I mean by that is 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:50.000 that our church is not looking for Jesus to visit and do something amazing. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:57.000 We're not looking for this one thing that will set the place on fire, though I wouldn't mind it happening every so often. 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:06.000 But in a habitation culture, we believe that Christ is in our midst. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:15.000 We're not listening to what's being said. 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:22.000 And wondering why I can't spell what properly. 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:25.000 But he's here right now listening. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:32.000 And because he's here right now, it is possible to listen and learn from Christ. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:41.000 And so the person who's speaking becomes a mouthpiece, but the actual learning happens because Christ is in the room. 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:55.000 So in a habitation culture, dynamic encounters with God happen only when people begin to learn how to walk with eyes that are open spiritually. 00:06:55.000 --> 00:07:02.000 Let me say that again. In a habitation culture where we're not waiting for God to visit, but we know he's here, 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:15.000 dynamic encounters, as in fast-moving, fluid, anytime breakout encounters with God happens because the people have learned how to have their eyes open. 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:20.000 This was the difference between Wayne Gretzky and most of the other hockey players during his era. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:25.000 He had this ability to know where the puck would be before the puck gets there. 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:31.000 So before someone even passes the puck, he was already there because he knew it would be there. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:37.000 Canucks find out after it goes into the goal like yesterday six times. 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:46.000 I think there should be a role that if you score six unanswered goals in the second period, the team should not turn up for the third period. 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:51.000 So going back to Wayne Gretzky, he had the ability to know where the puck would be before it got there. 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:57.000 The point being that this became a way of playing for him. 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:02.000 You know, you look a little like Conor McDavid. Did I tell you that before? 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:05.000 Dillner has. 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.000 That's why I'm here. 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:15.000 Okay. 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:18.000 What's your name again? Mark McDavid. Yeah. 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:23.000 Go ahead. 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:29.000 Say that again. 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:33.000 Yeah, yeah. I believe that we should pray for open eyes. 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:36.000 But once you pray for open eyes, one should learn how to walk in it. 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:43.000 Because if every time one has to pray for it, then one doesn't become one doesn't become aware of how to walk. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:48.000 You get dependent on the prayer instead of getting dependent on a practice. 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:56.000 And so the hope is that everything in a church starts with a few and then it spreads. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:59.000 Yeah, that's how it always works. 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:04.000 So there's no great expectation that suddenly all of us have open eyes. 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:08.000 But I'm hoping that there'll be two here, one there, three there, two there, one there. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:12.000 And suddenly you've got six people and now it begins. 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:17.000 Most things of the spirit are like yeast. It ferments, it spreads. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:23.000 And in a habitation culture, and I'm sorry I'm using that word, but it is a true word for this church. 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:30.000 In a habitation culture, it's really hard to stop yeast from spreading. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:37.000 And that's why it applies to both good habits and bad habits. 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:42.000 That's a catch though. Bad habits spread easily too. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:52.000 Which is why when you see a bad habit, if you don't nip it in the bud, usually it bears fruit. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:54.000 Okay. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:59.000 Dynamic encounters with God happen when spiritual eyes are open. 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:03.000 And what do we mean by dynamic encounters? So we're not just using flowery words. 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:10.000 Where the spirit of God can be fluid, can break out anytime, can have you pivot on a dime 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:15.000 because he knows that our people are walking away. 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:20.000 It's what mums are when newborns are born. 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:25.000 It's what dads rarely are. But mothers get it. 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:32.000 You get to, when our eyes are open, here are the advantages. 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:36.000 And there's such beautiful advantages that it's so worth it. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:43.000 When your spiritual eyes are open, you get to see, you get to see who God is. 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:48.000 You get to see who you can become. 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:56.000 And you get to see how God wants to move. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:06.000 All three happen. Not because you get a prophetic word or you're hearing God suddenly. 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:09.000 No. This becomes a normal way of living. 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:15.000 So for example, Peter saw who God is on the Mount of Transfiguration. 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:21.000 He's there. And I would say to you that if God wanted to hide what happened from Peter, James, and John that day, 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:23.000 he could have easily done it. 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:28.000 Because that was a surreal, mysterious, divine, heavenly explosion. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:31.000 Not even an experience, an heavenly explosion. 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:42.000 Where you have Moses, Elijah, turn up, and someone who is normal looking like you and I 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:46.000 suddenly bursts into brilliant white that cannot even be captured. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:48.000 And he's standing there. 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:55.000 We can't even imagine this. But Peter and James and John were very ordinary people like you. 00:11:56.000 --> 00:12:05.000 And so in Matthew 17, you see Peter's eyes being opened and him beginning to witness this idea of who God is. 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:09.000 And then Peter's eyes are again opened at the beach. 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:12.000 John spots Jesus first in John 21. 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:16.000 But after that, Peter is the one who leaps out and he knows what he's done. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:20.000 He betrayed Jesus three times before the rooster could crow. 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:22.000 And so he knows what has happened. 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:25.000 And then here is Jesus beginning to reveal to him who he is. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:27.000 Peter, do you love me? 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:34.000 And in those three verses, he appoints Peter as the leader of the disciples for the future. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:37.000 Not John, not James, but Peter. 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:39.000 The one who committed the most mistakes. 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:43.000 The one who deserves punishment is the one who has not just shown mercy, 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:46.000 but then grace is shown so that he becomes who he is. 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:51.000 And each time the question is asked, the response is, feed my lambs, feed my sheep. 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:53.000 I'm setting you up, Peter. 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:58.000 Because Jesus hasn't forgiven what Peter saw in Matthew 16. 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:02.000 You are Jesus Christ, the son of the living God. 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:04.000 His eyes are opened that moment too. 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:07.000 Jesus is asking a whole crowd, who do they say I am? 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:09.000 Everyone is hedging their bets. 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:14.000 You are Elijah, you are Jeremiah, you are a wonderful prophet, you are a wonderful teacher. 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:17.000 Nobody has the guts to say who he really is till this man speaks. 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:21.000 His eyes are opened then, his eyes are opened again. 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:23.000 And how God wants to move. 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:26.000 Here is another time when Peter's eyes are open. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:28.000 Where does that happen? Acts chapter 10. 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:29.000 What's he doing? 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:31.000 He just wanted to have lunch. 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:35.000 The Bible says, and he began to feel hungry. 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:39.000 And he was wondering, according to the message version, what should I have for lunch? 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:43.000 And while he was wondering what should he have for lunch, he fell into a trance. 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:45.000 And in the trance, he sees a sheet lowered. 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:51.000 And on the sheet are all kinds of creepy crawlies that God says to him, kill and eat. 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:52.000 And he says, never God. 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:54.000 I've never done this. I'm not going to do it. 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:55.000 His eyes are opened. 00:13:55.000 --> 00:14:01.000 Spiritual side is so critical to our next phase that if four or five of us get it here, it'll be great. 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:03.000 Because it will spread. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:07.000 It'll spread. 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:13.000 May you be that, may you be that, may you be that, may you be that. 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:15.000 May you be that. 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:17.000 May you be that. 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:19.000 May you be that. 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:21.000 May you be that. 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:24.000 May you be that. 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:27.000 May you be one out of those four or five. 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:35.000 Yeah, it's important to say, yeah, guys, may you be one of the four or five. 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:37.000 No words, no agreement. 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:42.000 It's how it works in the kingdom, guys. 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:48.000 So in each case, there was an opening of spiritual eyes and a seeing with faith. 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:51.000 So how is this different from hearing, you may ask? 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:53.000 How is it different from hearing? 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:55.000 This is a perpetual position. 00:14:55.000 --> 00:15:00.000 What we are talking about, open eyes, opening your spiritual eyes, is not asking God for answers. 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:03.000 It's not direction finding. 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:05.000 It is not direction finding. 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:08.000 And it is not seeking answers. 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:10.000 That's not what we are looking at. 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:17.000 That comes with hearing God, asking him questions, having him either speak prophetically or through the scriptures or through a dream. 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:20.000 That's not what we are talking about. 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:23.000 We are talking about the ability. 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:27.000 We are talking about a posture or a perpetual position. 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:46.000 A posture or a perpetual position where your life becomes one that communes or fellowships with God. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:59.000 And that is an invisible God who is spirit. 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:06.000 Matt! 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:19.000 Okay, so it's like, this is a really bad example, but it's like a kid who has an imaginary playmate. 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:23.000 Invisible, but you are constantly talking to the playmate. 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:24.000 It's like that. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:29.000 We are not talking about hearing, seeking God for answers. 00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:39.000 We are talking about having a perpetual posture or position where this communing and fellowship with an invisible God who is spirit 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:49.000 so that all your conversations, all your communication with him becomes something that happens with eyes that can see, ears that can hear. 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:56.000 An invisible God who is spirit and who is inaudible and invisible, but it becomes a way of life. 00:16:56.000 --> 00:17:00.000 You go and ask these little kids and they literally describe. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:01.000 I'm not saying it's good or bad. 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:09.000 Some of it is dangerous, but I'm saying some of these little kids, it's amazing how real the person is. 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:17.000 It can go to a point where it becomes negative, but I'm just talking about, yeah, like I had amazing playmates. 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:19.000 Yeah. 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:25.000 Any questions before we go on? 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:28.000 Guys, this is how Peter operated. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:29.000 This is how Paul operated. 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:32.000 This is how John operated. 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:37.000 These were prime candidates that were chosen for their ability to see easily. 00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:38.000 This is how Isaiah operated. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:40.000 This is how Jeremiah operated. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:42.000 This is how Ezekiel operated. 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:43.000 This is how David operated. 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:51.000 How does David get blueprints for the entire temple, the pattern of which he saw when he sat with God? 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:52.000 How do you get an entire blueprint? 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:55.000 How do you get architect plans? 00:17:56.000 --> 00:18:01.000 I'm not talking about an answer or should I attack them around the mulberry bushes or should I not? 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:02.000 That's not what I'm talking about. 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:04.000 That's hearing God and David did that. 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:06.000 How does he get the whole pattern? 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:08.000 This is very normal. 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:14.000 If it is normal, it means you can access it. 00:18:16.000 --> 00:18:17.000 Please hear me. 00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:21.000 If something is normal, it means it's common to man. 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:25.000 It can be your experience if we follow certain steps. 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:28.000 Thanks, guys. 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:32.000 Any questions before we go on? 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:39.000 Like it or not, everything in Christianity can be accessed through obtained through faith. 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:41.000 So faith is a part of this. 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:43.000 But faith is not a difficult thing. 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:46.000 If you trust someone who said that he can do it for you. 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:53.000 You mentioned the habitation culture. 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:01.000 When does a church become from seeking the man? 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:13.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:27.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:33.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:39.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:45.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:50.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:56.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:02.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:08.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:14.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:19.000 When does a church transition from a habitation culture to a habitation culture? 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:21.000 Because there are others who can benefit from it. 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:23.000 That is habitation. 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:26.000 Fourth, you'll just have one fish in your freezer called Peter, 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:29.000 and he keeps turning up regardless of how many times you eat him. 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:35.000 That's habitation. Visitation is different. 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:38.000 Where every time Peter disappears, you've got to go go fish again, 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:40.000 and hope there's also money in its mouth. 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:42.000 That's different. 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:44.000 I love the fact that when we sit like this and listen, 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:48.000 and when I sit, when we are here together, and I'm teaching, 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:50.000 that he is actually here and he's listening. 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.000 It puts a little bit of pressure on both ends, 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:55.000 but it's so good to know he's here. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:08.000 Let's look at some examples of how a church transition from a habitation culture 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.000 to a habitation culture works. 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:14.000 Let's look at some examples in the New Testament. 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:16.000 Just taking the New Testament. We won't take the Old Testament. 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:18.000 1 Corinthians 5.4. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.000 In 1 Corinthians 5.4, Paul says this, 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:27.000 and we may think it's a phrase that he's using, 00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:28.000 but he actually says, 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:31.000 I am not there with you guys in Corinth as you deal with this man, 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:35.000 but I want you to know that I am with you in spirit, 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:40.000 and the presence of God is there too, with you in spirit. 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:45.000 You would think that he's just being polite and diplomatic. 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:49.000 That was not one of Paul's specialities. 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:52.000 Second one, 2 Corinthians 12.2. 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:56.000 Paul again, what does he say in 2 Corinthians 12.2? 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:58.000 If you read the message, it says, 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:00.000 I was carried by the spirit, 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:04.000 I was carried by the spirit into, 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:07.000 actually uses the word hijacked in I think, 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:10.000 message or passion translation. 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:14.000 I was carried by the spirit or hijacked into third heavens. 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:19.000 In all these cases, it was the spirit who initiated this. 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.000 It was not man. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:24.000 Acts 8.39. 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:27.000 Acts 8.39. 00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:32.000 This is with Philip, who was walking with the Ethiopian eunuch, 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:38.000 and suddenly it says in Acts 8.39 that he was taken away by the spirit, 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:41.000 and he found himself in a zotus, 00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:43.000 which was about 14 kilometers I think away, 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:45.000 taken away by the spirit. 00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:53.000 Guys, sometimes when you give biblical evidence for anything that we are saying, 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:56.000 what choices do we have then to believe it? 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:00.000 Whether we are able to receive it is different, 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:02.000 but believing it must start. 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.000 Next one, Acts 10.15. 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:11.000 Acts 10.15 is a story which I mentioned where Peter just wanted lunch, 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:14.000 and suddenly he falls into a trance, 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:16.000 and he begins to see things. 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:21.000 Acts 22.17. 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:24.000 The message says in Acts 22.17, 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:27.000 I was lost in his presence, 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:30.000 and while I was lost in his presence, 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:32.000 I heard God say, 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:34.000 Get up, go out of here. 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:38.000 You will not be accepted by your Jewish brothers. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:39.000 I'm sending you to the Gentiles. 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:41.000 And I complained and I said, 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:43.000 But God, they know my past. 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:46.000 I used to persecute the Jews. 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:48.000 Surely they'll accept this new testimony that I have. 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:50.000 And Jesus says, 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:52.000 Listen, I don't want you to argue. 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:55.000 Get up and leave, because you will not be accepted here. 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:58.000 And this happens because he's lost in God's presence, 00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:59.000 or lost in the Spirit. 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:00.000 Let's take another one. 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:02.000 Revelations 1.10. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:05.000 Revelations 1.10 says, 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:07.000 I think it was the day of the Lord, John is saying, 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:10.000 and I was suddenly in the Spirit, 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:13.000 and I heard a voice behind me and trumpets behind me. 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:17.000 These guys seem to think this was normal. 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:23.000 Any questions before we go on? 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:29.000 They used to walk with eyes like this. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:36.000 This is not about seeing demons behind every bush. 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:38.000 That's what we reduced it to. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:41.000 Oh, you know, I'm very spiritually sensitive. 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:43.000 I see things. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:46.000 That's not what we're talking about. 00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:48.000 That's so limited of you. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:52.000 It's like one slice of the pizza and a very small slice. 00:24:53.000 --> 00:25:02.000 It's far more expansive and fruitful than just that. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:08.000 Any questions before we go on? 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:19.000 You know, Acts 26, verse 17 says that, 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:23.000 you know, you can get to a point when you begin to practice this, 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:26.000 where you won't suffer, 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:30.000 you won't bear the thought of being misaligned with the Spirit of God. 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:32.000 When you get so used to this, 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:33.000 that this is how you function. 00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:34.000 I've met people like this. 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:37.000 I've met people who look very normal. 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:38.000 They don't look holy. 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:40.000 They don't look super, super spiritual. 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:41.000 They're very normal, 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:45.000 but they have this easy ability to know what God is showing, seeing. 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:47.000 Even in a room like this, they'll know. 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:49.000 They're not looking for anything. 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:52.000 They're in a room and God has trained them so well that it is normal for them. 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:54.000 When you get to a place like that, 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:57.000 what happens is you won't even want to suffer misalignment. 00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:59.000 As in, you don't want anything to be out of joint. 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.000 You love being that way with God. 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:12.000 I just hate the fact that I'm 60 and I have less time. 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:14.000 And I hate the fact that you are 20 years old, 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:15.000 and you've got a lot of time. 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:21.000 Because I wish someone had told me this at 20. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:34.000 So, Acts 26, verse 17 and 18 says that I am sending you. 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:36.000 Jesus says, up on your feet. 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:39.000 I'm sending you to open eyes. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:41.000 And he talks about the eyes of the Lord. 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:43.000 I'm sending you to open eyes. 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:47.000 And he talks about sending you to places where people are under the power of darkness 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:50.000 and the power of Satan, and I'm sending you to open eyes. 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:51.000 But here's the thing. 00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:54.000 Regardless of whether it's God or whether it's a pastor, 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:58.000 it is more effective to send someone with open eyes to open eyes. 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:04.000 If you have, I mean, regardless of whether it's God or whether it's me sending you, 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:12.000 it is far more effective to send someone to open eyes who has open eyes. 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:20.000 One of the things that leaders in Acts 29 should be aware is that 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:27.000 most leaders operate out of gifting, out of commitment, out of passion, not open eyes. 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:30.000 Most leaders operate out of gifting. 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:36.000 You're gifted or you're ridiculously committed or you have a passion for God. 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:41.000 But most leaders do not operate with open eyes. 00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:47.000 And in a church like this, if the leaders in this church don't start making this a practice, 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:49.000 it'll become restrictive. 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:53.000 You know, in Genesis 29, 17, you know, 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:57.000 Leah, strangely enough, Leah was an odd name to give a child. 00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:00.000 Leah had weak eyes. 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:06.000 Genesis 29, 16 says, and they named her Leah, and they named the other sister Rachel, 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:09.000 and Leah had weak eyes. 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:11.000 Can't afford that. 00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:13.000 Especially if you're a leader in this church, 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:19.000 start switching from commitment, passion, gifting, and open eyes. 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:24.000 Start switching from commitment, passion, gifting, to, 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:27.000 oh God, I want to begin to operate here. 00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:31.000 Otherwise, it'll be restrictive as a church to move. 00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:35.000 What if I don't operate like that and I operate by my gifting, my commitment, and my passion? 00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:38.000 This church will be restricted in its movement. 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:45.000 Because now you'll only go as far as my gifting goes, not as far as God goes. 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:50.000 So if there's a prayer that leaders should pray this week is, 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:53.000 oh God, give me these open eyes. 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.000 It is the difference between David and Saul. 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:10.000 Saul was a strapping man, head and shoulders above the rest. 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:15.000 But he knew how to operate with Urim and Tumim and the Ark of the Covenant. 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:19.000 He did not know how to operate by seeing God. 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:27.000 David had squat, but the one thing he had was he knew, he had cultivated the ability 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:36.000 to sit in fog and sunshine, clear skies, clouded skies, and he would see Yahweh. 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:39.000 That's the difference. 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:50.000 Open eyes will always see open doors. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:58.000 Open eyes will always see open doors, meaning when God begins to open a door for us to go through, 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:00.000 open eyes will always see open doors. 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:03.000 An open door is like a treasure waiting to be possessed. 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:07.000 Open eyes always see open doors. 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:10.000 An open door is like a treasure waiting to be possessed. 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:16.000 You know, some businessmen have this amazing knack of seeing an open door before the door is even built. 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:19.000 They know that this is what's going to happen. 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:24.000 I was listening to an interview with Jeff Bezos when he had hair, 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:30.000 and that's like 25 years ago or something, and you should hear him. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:34.000 He just started Amazon and it didn't do anything like it does now. 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:36.000 All it did was books. 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:42.000 And you listen to that interview, and he's already talking about what Amazon will do 00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:47.000 when there didn't exist an internet that would be able to handle what it's handling now, 00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:49.000 but the guy had the ability to see it. 00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:56.000 These are humans without God, but given faculties by God to function at a certain level. 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:58.000 What about us? 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:08.000 I'm not talking about the next business idea. 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:12.000 I'm just talking about how we function here. 00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:21.000 Guys, here's the thing with business ideas, and I want to say this because there are a lot of young adults here. 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:31.000 Business ideas are great, but God will give you small business ideas that become big business ideas, 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:38.000 because God knows that you can only handle this much fame, this much money, this much before you squander it. 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:43.000 So when you go for this big an idea, it's great. One day it'll happen. 00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:47.000 Acts 29 today is what, 500, 600 people right now? 00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:52.000 Remember that it started with a Heidi and a Chris. 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:58.000 Takes time. 20 years later, we are at 600. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, brothers and sisters. 00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:03.000 My God, you're not responsive today. 00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:10.000 But see, the point is, love your big ideas, but know that because, you know, God said this to Israel, 00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:16.000 listen, I can give you the promised land in two weeks, but here's why I will not give you the promised land in two weeks. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:20.000 One, you have been a slave people and you do not know how to fight. 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:26.000 I don't want you to get too scared when I take you through terrain where there'll be enemies that have walls and chariots. 00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:33.000 First. Second, if I give you this land immediately, let's say I turn up, I decimate all your opponents and I give you this land. 00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:39.000 You will not be able to handle the wild beasts in this land. 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:45.000 It's brick by brick, inch by inch, yard by yard. 00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:50.000 That's how the Seahawks are going to get the Super Bowl. 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:53.000 Right, May? 00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:02.000 Open eyes see open doors and open door is like a treasure waiting to be possessed. 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:07.000 Once God shows it, the question is, is there anything more important? 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:11.000 Hey, this is the beauty. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:14.000 I will walk in this and so will some of you. 00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:19.000 And I pray God that that some of you will be so large that we'll have to change the world. 00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:24.000 Saying there are very few that's not walking in it. 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:30.000 And so the idea is once you have open eyes and guys, please understand that we are not walking in this. 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:38.000 So you'll have to shift, particularly leaders in the church have to shift. 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:43.000 So open eyes, you see open doors. 00:33:43.000 --> 00:33:48.000 And once you see open doors, then the question is only one. 00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:51.000 Is there anything more important? 00:33:51.000 --> 00:34:07.000 Is there anything more important that will prevent me from buying the field? 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:13.000 Because if you don't buy the field, you can't get the treasure. 00:34:13.000 --> 00:34:15.000 Is there anything more important? 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:26.000 Any internal or external opposition that will prevent you from your pursuit and your quest. 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:29.000 What are the things that normally prevent us from buying the field? 00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:30.000 Very simple. 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:39.000 Family, work, money, possessions. 00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:45.000 What are the things that always compete with the kingdom? 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:49.000 Once you know there's an open door that God is saying I have for you, 00:34:49.000 --> 00:35:03.000 is there anything more important that will prevent you from buying the field? 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:07.000 So how do we develop eyes that are open? 00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:11.000 How do we develop eyes that can see accurately in the spiritual? 00:35:11.000 --> 00:35:13.000 How do we develop it? 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:16.000 So the first thing is it's based on the premise. 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:19.000 And this is important, guys, because now you realize why we need this. 00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:30.000 No other religion will demand this because most other religions operate at a soul level through actual objects. 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:37.000 So humanity has no object that it venerates. 00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:40.000 The cross isn't an object that we worship. 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.000 The sacraments aren't objects that we worship. 00:35:44.000 --> 00:35:46.000 There's nothing we got. 00:35:46.000 --> 00:36:01.000 Which is why, if you want to start this journey, it is based on the premise that God is Spirit. 00:36:01.000 --> 00:36:03.000 That God is Spirit. 00:36:03.000 --> 00:36:19.000 That everything in God, everything in God is conceived, is conceived in the realm of Word and Spirit. 00:36:19.000 --> 00:36:22.000 What happened in Genesis 1.1 is still happening today. 00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:25.000 What happened in Luke 1 still happens today. 00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:28.000 What is the thing that happened in Genesis 1 and Luke 1? 00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:30.000 Very simple. The Word and the Spirit. 00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:36.000 Whether it was the creation of the earth or the forming of Jesus in Mary's womb. 00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:38.000 Whether it's your salvation. 00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:39.000 How do you think you got saved? 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:44.000 Two things happened when you received Jesus' invitation into the kingdom. 00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:47.000 Two things. One, the Word. 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:51.000 That you have believed and you have confessed with your mouth. 00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:54.000 As soon as you confess with your mouth, what happened? 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:55.000 The Spirit. 00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:57.000 You are a Word Spirit being. 00:36:57.000 --> 00:37:02.000 Everything that is conceived in the kingdom is conceived in the realm of the Word and the Spirit. 00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:08.000 And both are, in a sense, invisible. 00:37:08.000 --> 00:37:14.000 Wouldn't it be great if as I speak, just like we have on TV, where it's translated, words begin to flow? 00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:16.000 What happened? 00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:18.000 Because words are invisible, the Spirit is invisible. 00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:23.000 Therefore, we have to have spiritual eyes to see. 00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:25.000 It's a basic premise. 00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:27.000 It's a reason why. 00:37:33.000 --> 00:37:40.000 Second, 1 Corinthians 2, verse 9 and 10. 00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:42.000 Beautifully, just listen to it. 00:37:42.000 --> 00:37:48.000 What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no human mind has conceived. 00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:52.000 Things God has prepared for those who love Him. 00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:56.000 These are the things God reveals by His Spirit. 00:37:58.000 --> 00:38:02.000 There's a realm that's waiting for ones that are hungry. 00:38:02.000 --> 00:38:04.000 And what is that realm? 00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:10.000 Things that you have not seen, things that you have not heard, things that your mind has not even conceived. 00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:12.000 Who are these things reserved for? 00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:16.000 These things are reserved for the ones who love Him. 00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:18.000 How are we going to access it? 00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:20.000 We're going to access it by the Spirit. 00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:21.000 What does the Spirit do? 00:38:21.000 --> 00:38:24.000 The Spirit searches the mind of God. 00:38:24.000 --> 00:38:26.000 Why does He search the mind of God? 00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:33.000 He searches the mind of God so that He can take from what the Father has and deposit it into Fuyo's life. 00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:38.000 He searches His mind for you, for us. 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:40.000 What a responsibility on us. 00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:45.000 Then to be able to open our eyes, open our ears, and in faith receive. 00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:52.000 And it is when we resist and don't receive or are callous about it that a heart becomes hard. 00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:57.000 You still go to heaven, but a heart is hard while it's here on earth. 00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:05.000 It's almost like divine crypto mining. 00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:15.000 Where the intent is, can I take high-powered computers, which in this case is the mind of Christ, 00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:21.000 and can I take a complex math problem, which in this case is the mysteries of God, 00:39:21.000 --> 00:39:27.000 and can I begin to use these computers, this mind of Christ, to fathom it? 00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:30.000 And after I fathom it, can I run a check on it? 00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:32.000 Can I verify it with the truth of God? 00:39:32.000 --> 00:39:38.000 And once I do it, can I post it on a blockchain or a divine ledger 00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:42.000 where people can say, oh shucks, look at what they are going about doing, 00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:45.000 oh shucks, look at what they've discovered, on a divine ledger? 00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:47.000 And when you do it, you get rewards. 00:39:47.000 --> 00:39:49.000 Only in this case, you're not getting coins as rewards. 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:54.000 You're getting new assignments as rewards, where angels are ascending and descending and saying, 00:39:54.000 --> 00:39:58.000 Let's go to Richmond. Let's go to St. Martin's. Let's go to Mongolia. 00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:04.000 Suddenly, you have a divine crypto mining industry happening here. 00:40:04.000 --> 00:40:08.000 But you need a whole lot of electricity for it. 00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:11.000 Discipline, prayer, time, you need it. 00:40:11.000 --> 00:40:18.000 And you need really good hardware for it, which the Spirit of God has given you. 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:21.000 This is how it works. 00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:29.000 This is how a church or a person or a group of people get assignments. 00:40:29.000 --> 00:40:34.000 Assignments are given on the basis of your faithfulness with the last one. 00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:38.000 You can't just go to a church and say, oh, I'm going to do this. 00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:40.000 I'm going to do this. 00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:43.000 You can't just go to a church and say, oh, I'm going to do this. 00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:47.000 This is the basis of your faithfulness with the last one. 00:40:49.000 --> 00:40:57.000 Hear me again. Assignments are given only on the basis of your faithfulness over the last one. 00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:09.000 So if you and I are not faithful, then you... 00:41:09.000 --> 00:41:13.000 Listen, if I'm not faithful in listening to what is being taught now, 00:41:13.000 --> 00:41:17.000 I will not be able to capitalize on what is taught next week. 00:41:17.000 --> 00:41:20.000 I don't have to remember what was taught this week for next week, 00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:23.000 but I have to be faithful in the way I hear. 00:41:23.000 --> 00:41:26.000 The quality of your hearing determines the fruit you produce. 00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:29.000 The quality of your hearing prepares the soil for next week. 00:41:29.000 --> 00:41:32.000 If there's an open eyes part two, you will not understand open eyes part two. 00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:34.000 I found that long ago. 00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:37.000 The first time my dad taught me algebra, I didn't pay attention. 00:41:37.000 --> 00:41:40.000 I was messed up for six years. 00:41:43.000 --> 00:41:45.000 Not algebra, theorems. 00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:48.000 What is it when X plus Y is equal to Z and B and C? 00:41:48.000 --> 00:41:50.000 It's algebra? 00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:53.000 Well, there you go. Still don't know it. 00:41:55.000 --> 00:42:00.000 The point being, if he is not faithful in listening to what is spoken now, 00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:04.000 he will not be able to handle what is spoken next week. 00:42:07.000 --> 00:42:09.000 Open eyes. 00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:17.000 Open eyes, like I said, is not limited to seeing things that are demonic. 00:42:17.000 --> 00:42:19.000 That is so sad. 00:42:19.000 --> 00:42:22.000 It's not limited to that. 00:42:22.000 --> 00:42:25.000 Here's what open eyes is. 00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:30.000 Open eyes is not limited to seeing things that are demonic. 00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:33.000 That is so sad. 00:42:33.000 --> 00:42:36.000 It's not limited to that. 00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:38.000 Here's what open eyes can do. 00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:45.000 Open eyes, it is seeing things in the world 00:42:47.000 --> 00:42:54.000 that the spirit shines on. 00:42:54.000 --> 00:42:56.000 Stuff that no one told you. 00:42:56.000 --> 00:42:58.000 Stuff that you haven't heard in any teaching. 00:42:58.000 --> 00:43:01.000 Stuff that you were reading and it suddenly pops out. 00:43:01.000 --> 00:43:03.000 You've never heard it before. 00:43:03.000 --> 00:43:07.000 You think to yourself, how in the world did that make sense? 00:43:07.000 --> 00:43:09.000 Open eyes. 00:43:09.000 --> 00:43:11.000 First Peter 1, 11 and 12. 00:43:11.000 --> 00:43:14.000 First Peter 1, 11 and 12 from the message. 00:43:14.000 --> 00:43:17.000 First Peter 1, 11 and 12. 00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:20.000 First Peter 1. 00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:25.000 First Peter 1, 11 and 12. 00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:31.000 Let me start at 10. 00:43:31.000 --> 00:43:42.000 The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. 00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:43.000 Verse 11. 00:43:43.000 --> 00:43:49.000 The Messiah's spirit led them in on some of it, that the Messiah would experience suffering followed by glory. 00:43:49.000 --> 00:43:51.000 They clamored to know who and when. 00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:54.000 All they were told was that they were serving you. 00:43:54.000 --> 00:43:59.000 You who by orders from heaven have now heard it for yourself through the Holy Spirit. 00:43:59.000 --> 00:44:01.000 The message of those prophecies fulfilled. 00:44:01.000 --> 00:44:03.000 Do you realize how fortunate you are? 00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:07.000 Angels would have given anything to be in all this. 00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:12.000 There are things that open eyes will have you read the scriptures and it'll leap out at you. 00:44:12.000 --> 00:44:16.000 Because the spirit of God is providing it. 00:44:16.000 --> 00:44:20.000 Guys who were much better than you, like Noah, like Moses, like David. 00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:22.000 They prophesied but they had no idea what they were saying. 00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:27.000 When David said, the Lord said to my Lord, he had no idea what he was saying. 00:44:27.000 --> 00:44:29.000 Sit at my right hand. 00:44:29.000 --> 00:44:31.000 But we do. 00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:36.000 Next one. 00:44:36.000 --> 00:44:43.000 It is seeing things that the spirit is doing. 00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:47.000 It is seeing things that the spirit is doing. 00:44:47.000 --> 00:44:50.000 So one is the things in the word. 00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:52.000 Second, what he's doing. 00:44:52.000 --> 00:44:58.000 So and this happens because of your relationship with the Holy Spirit. 00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:00.000 Cause of relationship. 00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:02.000 Where the spirit of God will let you in. 00:45:02.000 --> 00:45:04.000 And what's an example in the Bible? 00:45:04.000 --> 00:45:08.000 Genesis 18, 17 to 19. 00:45:08.000 --> 00:45:10.000 I love it. 00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:15.000 Here is the pre-incarnate Christ, the angel of the Lord, walking with two other angels. 00:45:15.000 --> 00:45:17.000 And they've come to the oaks of Mamre. 00:45:17.000 --> 00:45:19.000 And they are going to meet Abraham. 00:45:19.000 --> 00:45:25.000 And their words to each other is, shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? 00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:29.000 And then he says, no, I won't hide it because he's going to become a big nation. 00:45:29.000 --> 00:45:32.000 But that aside, I've chosen him. 00:45:32.000 --> 00:45:34.000 I've chosen him to be a father to many nations. 00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:36.000 I'm not going to hide this from him. 00:45:36.000 --> 00:45:41.000 What was the reason there was a disclosure of what the spirit was going to do? 00:45:41.000 --> 00:45:44.000 Or in that case, what the pre-incarnate Christ was going to do? 00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:46.000 Simply because there was a relationship. 00:45:46.000 --> 00:45:49.000 Open eyes. 00:45:49.000 --> 00:45:52.000 Third one. 00:45:52.000 --> 00:45:59.000 Things that already exist in God. 00:45:59.000 --> 00:46:09.000 Things, it is seeing things that already exist in God. 00:46:09.000 --> 00:46:12.000 As in things that he has already planned that he begins to show. 00:46:12.000 --> 00:46:14.000 For example, Hebrews chapter 11. 00:46:14.000 --> 00:46:15.000 Hebrews chapter 11. 00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:16.000 Hebrews 11. 00:46:16.000 --> 00:46:17.000 Ten. 00:46:17.000 --> 00:46:18.000 Hebrews 11. 00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:21.000 Ten. 00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:23.000 Hebrews 11. 00:46:23.000 --> 00:46:33.000 Verse 10. 00:46:33.000 --> 00:46:39.000 Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real eternal foundations. 00:46:39.000 --> 00:46:41.000 The city designed and built by God. 00:46:41.000 --> 00:46:43.000 He knew it was coming. 00:46:43.000 --> 00:46:44.000 He knew it was coming. 00:46:44.000 --> 00:46:51.000 And he's not even talking about, he's not even talking about the city of Jerusalem that comes from heaven. 00:46:51.000 --> 00:46:53.000 He's not talking about the heavenly realm. 00:46:53.000 --> 00:46:56.000 He's talking about the bride of Christ. 00:46:56.000 --> 00:47:01.000 Because the city is actually the bride. 00:47:01.000 --> 00:47:04.000 He's talking about us. 00:47:04.000 --> 00:47:06.000 And how we will be in the future. 00:47:06.000 --> 00:47:07.000 But he's talking about us. 00:47:07.000 --> 00:47:11.000 This man who left everything, sets up tents, moves to the desert. 00:47:11.000 --> 00:47:17.000 Had his eyes fixed on something that he saw because God showed him. 00:47:17.000 --> 00:47:23.000 He doesn't know whether it's ten years from now, 100 years from now, 400 years from now, 4000 years from now. 00:47:23.000 --> 00:47:24.000 That's the beauty of it. 00:47:24.000 --> 00:47:30.000 When God begins to show you things because your eyes are open, you will keep at it till your last breath. 00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:39.000 And you will be happy that you've set up everything for someone else to continue walking in it. 00:47:39.000 --> 00:47:42.000 We should pray for this. Ask God for it. 00:47:42.000 --> 00:47:56.000 Ephesians 1 talks about it. 00:47:56.000 --> 00:47:57.000 Yeah. 00:47:57.000 --> 00:48:08.000 I know that 15 different centers just like this one will be set across the earth. 00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:11.000 I know that some of you will be involved in it. 00:48:11.000 --> 00:48:18.000 For some of these centers, people have already started saying, here, use this money to build a center there. 00:48:18.000 --> 00:48:22.000 I'm not talking about 100 bucks or 1000 bucks or 2000 bucks. 00:48:22.000 --> 00:48:30.000 I'm talking about God already furnishing what is required for a place in St. Martin, for a place in Timbuktu. 00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:36.000 15 such places where you have a people of God and training centers. 00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:53.000 So that anywhere in the globe, they can taste and see. 00:48:53.000 --> 00:48:57.000 And once you see this, you know God has shown it and you cannot amend it. 00:48:57.000 --> 00:49:01.000 You cannot veer away from it. On the days of discouragement, it encourages you. 00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:04.000 When the going gets tough, you know what the tough do? 00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:06.000 The tough go back to their calling. 00:49:06.000 --> 00:49:11.000 When the going gets tough, the tough go back to their calling. 00:49:11.000 --> 00:49:14.000 They go back to what they were shown. 00:49:14.000 --> 00:49:21.000 That is what gets them going. 00:49:21.000 --> 00:49:36.000 It is seeing things in other realms because you're seated in heavenly places. 00:49:36.000 --> 00:49:43.000 This is where God will show you things that are happening both in heaven and happening in the satanic realm. 00:49:43.000 --> 00:49:47.000 And he doesn't do it so that you get chills or stuff like that. 00:49:47.000 --> 00:49:50.000 He shows it so that you can action it. 00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:57.000 So on one hand, he'll say to John, John, I know you've finished writing the letters to the three churches. 00:49:57.000 --> 00:50:01.000 Now, can you come up a little higher? 00:50:01.000 --> 00:50:03.000 And John says, what do you mean by that? 00:50:03.000 --> 00:50:05.000 And then he sees heaven open. 00:50:05.000 --> 00:50:10.000 Half the songs we sing in this church are from Revelation chapter four and five. 00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:12.000 Come up higher. 00:50:12.000 --> 00:50:17.000 And then I heard a voice from heaven saying, come up higher. 00:50:17.000 --> 00:50:23.000 This is so New Testament. 00:50:23.000 --> 00:50:28.000 Or he'll show you realms where satanic plans are exposed. 00:50:28.000 --> 00:50:43.000 So in first Kings 22, Micaiah sees how the evil spirits are plotting to send a lying spirit into the mouth of the prophets of Ahab. 00:50:43.000 --> 00:50:47.000 Where something is exposed. 00:50:47.000 --> 00:50:55.000 Amazing, eh? 00:50:55.000 --> 00:51:01.000 Things in Kairos, he'll show you things for appointed seasons. 00:51:01.000 --> 00:51:06.000 Things for appointed seasons. 00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:19.000 For example, Hebrews 2.0, that the young across the earth, young adults, 20s and 30s, will be caught up in the fire of God. 00:51:19.000 --> 00:51:22.000 Things for appointed seasons. 00:51:22.000 --> 00:51:25.000 And the last one. 00:51:25.000 --> 00:51:35.000 Things, not the last one, things that provoke unprecedented faith. 00:51:35.000 --> 00:51:39.000 Things that provoke unprecedented faith. 00:51:39.000 --> 00:51:43.000 Romans 4.19 is one of those things where Abraham saw. 00:51:43.000 --> 00:51:47.000 What did Abraham see? God has this crazy way of doing it. 00:51:47.000 --> 00:51:49.000 First he'll do it in the physical, then he'll do it in the spiritual. 00:51:49.000 --> 00:51:51.000 What does he do physically? 00:51:51.000 --> 00:51:54.000 Abraham come out, I want you to look at the sky. 00:51:54.000 --> 00:51:57.000 What do you see? Stars. How many? Uncountable. 00:51:57.000 --> 00:52:01.000 Well then, I want you to know that your children will be as innumerable as the sky. 00:52:01.000 --> 00:52:03.000 Then he takes him and shows him sand. 00:52:03.000 --> 00:52:06.000 And he says, look at the sand. 00:52:06.000 --> 00:52:10.000 Your children will be as innumerable as the descendants, as the sand. 00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:12.000 So that's the physical part. 00:52:12.000 --> 00:52:13.000 Abraham has a picture. 00:52:13.000 --> 00:52:15.000 And now it starts a spiritual picture. 00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:18.000 Where inside him, God begins to tell him, listen, I'm going to change your name. 00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:20.000 Your name is not going to be Abraham anymore. 00:52:20.000 --> 00:52:22.000 You're going to be the father of nations. 00:52:22.000 --> 00:52:24.000 Through you nations will be blessed. 00:52:24.000 --> 00:52:26.000 Now the spiritual work starts. 00:52:26.000 --> 00:52:28.000 The physical first and then the spiritual. It's always like that. 00:52:28.000 --> 00:52:30.000 The physical first, then the spiritual. 00:52:30.000 --> 00:52:32.000 Now it begins to develop in the heart. 00:52:32.000 --> 00:52:35.000 And as he begins to realize, he begins to speak. 00:52:35.000 --> 00:52:37.000 What is he speaking? Romans 4.19. 00:52:37.000 --> 00:52:41.000 Abraham was fully persuaded that what God said he would do, he would do. 00:52:41.000 --> 00:52:45.000 And that even though when he looked at his body, he realized he was completely impotent. 00:52:45.000 --> 00:52:47.000 He began praising God. 00:52:47.000 --> 00:52:50.000 Absolutely convinced that it doesn't matter that he's impotent. 00:52:50.000 --> 00:52:58.000 Out of these very loins will come children and the son of promise that will result in descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. 00:52:58.000 --> 00:53:01.000 This is a spiritual work that's happening inside. 00:53:01.000 --> 00:53:05.000 And it gives you unprecedented faith. 00:53:05.000 --> 00:53:08.000 Faith for the impossible. 00:53:08.000 --> 00:53:10.000 It's not even a gift of faith. 00:53:10.000 --> 00:53:12.000 It's unprecedented faith. 00:53:12.000 --> 00:53:14.000 And it belongs to you. 00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:18.000 It belongs to you. 00:53:18.000 --> 00:53:22.000 And then the last one in terms of open eyes. 00:53:22.000 --> 00:53:26.000 Open eyes will sometimes result in angelic encounters. 00:53:26.000 --> 00:53:31.000 Where angelic activity, angelic encounters. 00:53:31.000 --> 00:53:39.000 You know, it's sad that when it comes to opening spiritual eyes, the only two things that charismatics concentrate on is seeing demons and seeing angels. 00:53:39.000 --> 00:53:43.000 Both will frighten the heck out of you. 00:53:44.000 --> 00:53:48.000 If it's an angel, it won't be heck. It'll be, it'll just frighten you. 00:53:48.000 --> 00:53:50.000 See a demon and trust, trust you. 00:53:50.000 --> 00:53:59.000 I mean, we, we see dreams that are demonic and we can hardly say the word Jesus as we try to get up. 00:53:59.000 --> 00:54:07.000 If you see an angel, there's not a single person in the Bible that saw an angel and went up to say hello. 00:54:08.000 --> 00:54:14.000 Usually everyone was down on the floor afraid till the angel had to come and say, fear not, I'm like one of you. 00:54:14.000 --> 00:54:19.000 So it's a shame that open eyes has been reduced to that. 00:54:19.000 --> 00:54:24.000 But angelic activity, you read it in Acts 27, 23. 00:54:24.000 --> 00:54:26.000 I bet you didn't know this was. 00:54:26.000 --> 00:54:30.000 Acts 27, 23. Meaning you know it, but you don't remember. 00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:33.000 Acts 27, 23. 00:54:34.000 --> 00:54:43.000 He's on a boat that is about to be shipwrecked and he's telling the people, listen, you should have listened to me when I told you not to leave Malta. 00:54:43.000 --> 00:54:48.000 But you did. But last night, an angel of God, he doesn't say last night, I saw a dream. 00:54:48.000 --> 00:54:56.000 I saw a vision. Last night, an angel of God came and said to me, do not worry, none in your ship will be harmed. 00:54:56.000 --> 00:54:58.000 And actually angel turned up. 00:54:58.000 --> 00:55:04.000 Open eyes. Sometimes angels turn up in very ordinary ways. 00:55:04.000 --> 00:55:08.000 The Bible talks about it, where you entertain them without knowing. 00:55:08.000 --> 00:55:13.000 Open eyes. Any questions before I conclude? 00:55:28.000 --> 00:55:33.000 How do you balance it? 00:55:33.000 --> 00:55:35.000 The balance is very simple. 00:55:35.000 --> 00:55:39.000 You should decide in your head that it will not be a struggle if it comes to that. 00:55:39.000 --> 00:55:41.000 That's it. 00:55:41.000 --> 00:55:54.000 The question is, how do we balance the idea that Jesus says a man who does not take care of his family and instead gives what should be given to the family to God, he's worse than an infidel. 00:55:54.000 --> 00:55:56.000 That's what the Bible says. 00:55:56.000 --> 00:55:57.000 So how do you balance it? 00:55:57.000 --> 00:56:02.000 And so the balance lies not in trying to juggle it. 00:56:02.000 --> 00:56:16.000 The balance lies in, in my mind, I should make a decision that should it ever come to a choice between Christ and his call and Christ and the church and family, I know my clear choice. 00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:18.000 We don't have to balance it. 00:56:18.000 --> 00:56:21.000 Should the Lord ever test me on it, I've already prepared it here. 00:56:21.000 --> 00:56:25.000 Like Kramer says in Seinfeld, I'm already there. 00:56:25.000 --> 00:56:27.000 Yeah. 00:56:27.000 --> 00:56:29.000 So that's how it works. 00:56:29.000 --> 00:56:31.000 So Jesus took care of his family. 00:56:31.000 --> 00:56:34.000 There was no man who took greater care of his family than Jesus. 00:56:34.000 --> 00:56:47.000 Yet, when it came to a point where he had to choose between staying and doing what God wanted or being taken by Mary and his brothers back home to calm him down, his answer was very simple. 00:56:47.000 --> 00:56:50.000 Who is my mother and who are my brothers? 00:56:50.000 --> 00:56:53.000 So that decision has to be made. 00:56:53.000 --> 00:56:56.000 We are scared that God will make unreasonable demands on us. 00:56:56.000 --> 00:57:02.000 I'm saying that the only person who might make unreasonable demands on you here is me. 00:57:02.000 --> 00:57:08.000 And that you can always try and say no. 00:57:08.000 --> 00:57:12.000 But when it comes to God, he's far more reasonable. 00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:19.000 He will not ask you for things where you have to neglect your wife and child. 00:57:19.000 --> 00:57:22.000 And should he ask you that, it will also come with absolute confidence. 00:57:22.000 --> 00:57:23.000 I'll take care of them. 00:57:23.000 --> 00:57:25.000 You go. 00:57:25.000 --> 00:57:30.000 That decision must already be made. 00:57:30.000 --> 00:57:33.000 With work, with family, with possessions. 00:57:33.000 --> 00:57:39.000 He's not going to ask, hey, Dilna, just don't turn up for work for the next five days because I need you to go to Timbuktu. 00:57:39.000 --> 00:57:44.000 But Dilna has already decided that if an angel turns up and says leave for the next five days, he'll go. 00:57:44.000 --> 00:57:51.000 And if an angel doesn't turn up and Jacob says it and he knows it's God, he'll still go. 00:57:51.000 --> 00:57:56.000 Yes? 00:57:56.000 --> 00:57:57.000 Yes? 00:57:57.000 --> 00:58:04.000 There's a verse that says blessed is the man who believes even without seeing. 00:58:04.000 --> 00:58:07.000 How does that fit into your question? 00:58:07.000 --> 00:58:08.000 Yes. 00:58:08.000 --> 00:58:11.000 This is crazy seeing because you're not seeing nothing. 00:58:11.000 --> 00:58:13.000 You're seeing with spiritized. 00:58:13.000 --> 00:58:17.000 So when Jesus said blessed are they that believe even when they do not see, 00:58:17.000 --> 00:58:23.000 He was talking about how the Jews need a sign and the Greeks need reasoning. 00:58:23.000 --> 00:58:29.000 But and he's trying to say, listen, I won't give you any physical evidence to convince you. 00:58:29.000 --> 00:58:32.000 I mean, you're a believer, right? 00:58:32.000 --> 00:58:34.000 How foolish. 00:58:34.000 --> 00:58:36.000 How do you even know Jesus exists? 00:58:36.000 --> 00:58:39.000 What made you say stuff like I received Jesus Christ as Lord? 00:58:39.000 --> 00:58:43.000 What's wrong with you, Mira? 00:58:43.000 --> 00:58:49.000 It's crazy that we are believers by what we believe in our heart and with the words we confess, 00:58:49.000 --> 00:58:52.000 but we got no physical evidence. 00:58:52.000 --> 00:58:57.000 Yet every Sunday we get here and we raise our arms and we know He's here. 00:58:57.000 --> 00:59:01.000 We can't understand why we cry. 00:59:01.000 --> 00:59:05.000 And so the evidence he's talking about is physical, tangible evidence. 00:59:05.000 --> 00:59:08.000 And he's saying, I'm not going to give it to you. 00:59:08.000 --> 00:59:11.000 You're no longer in the Old Testament. 00:59:11.000 --> 00:59:15.000 Not going to prove anything by fleas. 00:59:15.000 --> 00:59:18.000 First, trust me and then I'll show you. 00:59:18.000 --> 00:59:20.000 Trust me and I'll show you. 00:59:20.000 --> 00:59:24.000 It's not show and tell. 00:59:24.000 --> 00:59:36.000 I won't show, but you go ahead and tell and then I'll show. 00:59:36.000 --> 00:59:38.000 So here are the simple prayers you can pray. 00:59:38.000 --> 00:59:42.000 One Psalm 119 verse 18. 00:59:42.000 --> 00:59:44.000 The rest we'll do another time. 00:59:44.000 --> 00:59:50.000 We run out of time. 00:59:50.000 --> 00:59:53.000 Psalm 119 verse 18. 00:59:53.000 --> 01:00:00.000 From the message it says, open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle wonders. 01:00:00.000 --> 01:00:04.000 The King James says, open my eyes that I might see wondrous things out of your law. 01:00:04.000 --> 01:00:10.000 The message says, open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle wonders. 01:00:10.000 --> 01:00:14.000 You know, it's not so much praying this, guys. 01:00:14.000 --> 01:00:16.000 It's not so much praying this. 01:00:16.000 --> 01:00:18.000 It's walking in the awareness of it. 01:00:18.000 --> 01:00:20.000 I might just touch on that point and we'll end. 01:00:20.000 --> 01:00:24.000 And the other scripture you can use is Ephesians 1.18. 01:00:24.000 --> 01:00:26.000 Ephesians 1.18. 01:00:26.000 --> 01:00:28.000 Ephesians 1.18. 01:00:28.000 --> 01:00:33.000 Having the eyes of your heart enlightened. 01:00:33.000 --> 01:00:36.000 Having the eyes of your heart enlightened. 01:00:36.000 --> 01:00:38.000 Why? 01:00:38.000 --> 01:00:45.000 So that you may know the extent of the confidence you can have, the power that is available. 01:00:45.000 --> 01:00:51.000 So that you can have an idea of how much pride and joy he takes in you. 01:00:51.000 --> 01:00:53.000 I was quite surprised at that. 01:00:53.000 --> 01:01:00.000 When you read that scripture, Ephesians 1.18 and 19, part of it is, hey, may your eyes be open. 01:01:00.000 --> 01:01:04.000 I mean, it would be like me going to Eliakim and saying to Eliakim, 01:01:04.000 --> 01:01:08.000 Eliakim, I know you're a kid, but I pray that your eyes be open 01:01:08.000 --> 01:01:14.000 so that you can just see the pride and joy that Don and Keziah take in you. 01:01:14.000 --> 01:01:19.000 And then suddenly as I'm saying it, Eliakim says, I saw it, I saw it. 01:01:19.000 --> 01:01:23.000 It changes a boy's life. 01:01:23.000 --> 01:01:25.000 That's what we are asking, that's what the scriptures say. 01:01:25.000 --> 01:01:28.000 You are his possession, his inheritance. 01:01:28.000 --> 01:01:32.000 He has great pride and great joy in you. 01:01:32.000 --> 01:01:34.000 We never think like this. 01:01:34.000 --> 01:01:37.000 But you've got to think like Don thinks of his boy. 01:01:42.000 --> 01:01:45.000 Eyes open. 01:01:45.000 --> 01:01:48.000 We'll kind of do the rest next week. 01:01:48.000 --> 01:02:00.000 Oh, there's some crazy verses that will show us how to do this, guys. 01:02:11.000 --> 01:02:16.000 It's not so much asking in prayer, it's asking for an awareness. 01:02:16.000 --> 01:02:19.000 That's what you need to do. 01:02:21.000 --> 01:02:23.000 I'm forcing myself to stop. 01:02:23.000 --> 01:02:26.000 Any questions? 01:02:27.000 --> 01:02:31.000 There's these amazing verses, just think of these two verses. 01:02:31.000 --> 01:02:39.000 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and it's the glory of kings to discover it. 01:02:40.000 --> 01:02:42.000 Another one. 01:02:42.000 --> 01:02:47.000 Secret things belong to God, but the things that are revealed belong to man. 01:02:47.000 --> 01:02:50.000 Crazy. 01:02:50.000 --> 01:02:57.000 It's like he's started up saying, can you come to me in simple relationship and wonder? 01:03:00.000 --> 01:03:06.000 A thing that's lost so early in Christian life is wonder. 01:03:07.000 --> 01:03:09.000 Wonder. 01:03:09.000 --> 01:03:12.000 That's why Joey delights me. 01:03:12.000 --> 01:03:15.000 That's why Brielle delights me. 01:03:15.000 --> 01:03:17.000 There's wonder. 01:03:20.000 --> 01:03:22.000 I just picked two kids. 01:03:22.000 --> 01:03:24.000 There's many other kids. 01:03:24.000 --> 01:03:26.000 That's why Shiloh still delights me. 01:03:26.000 --> 01:03:28.000 He's older. 01:03:28.000 --> 01:03:32.000 Now I'll have to mention everybody, so I'm going to take a pause. 01:03:33.000 --> 01:03:36.000 But the point is this, there's wonder. 01:03:36.000 --> 01:03:42.000 And the first thing, one of the first things that Christians lose is wonder. 01:03:42.000 --> 01:03:50.000 Once wonder is lost, why would you even experiment with things that will require digging? 01:03:54.000 --> 01:03:59.000 I used to sing a song when I was your age. 01:04:00.000 --> 01:04:05.000 Children are people who live in a land made of raindrops and puddles and pebbles and streams. 01:04:05.000 --> 01:04:14.000 Solemnly watching, silently watching a twig as it sails through a clear crystal pool to an island of dreams. 01:04:14.000 --> 01:04:16.000 And then you know how the song ends. 01:04:16.000 --> 01:04:22.000 The song ends saying, oh what a shame that our children have grown up into people. 01:04:23.000 --> 01:04:28.000 Oh what a shame that our children have grown up into people. 01:04:28.000 --> 01:04:34.000 This is why Psalm 27.1 grips my heart from the message, Psalm 27.1. 01:04:34.000 --> 01:04:40.000 Zest, space, light, that is our God. 01:04:40.000 --> 01:04:43.000 That's what I'm going to pray for you before we go, yeah? 01:04:43.000 --> 01:04:45.000 Let's just pray that. 01:04:45.000 --> 01:04:49.000 Then there was a song I wanted but I don't remember. 01:04:49.000 --> 01:04:55.000 Oh yeah, can we sing Power of Your Love before we leave? 01:04:55.000 --> 01:05:05.000 Father, we disarm ourselves from our grown-upness. 01:05:06.000 --> 01:05:11.000 We disarm ourselves from our grown-upness. 01:05:14.000 --> 01:05:20.000 And we seek to be Joey running down the aisle. 01:05:20.000 --> 01:05:25.000 Elion trying to grab a flag bigger than him. 01:05:28.000 --> 01:05:32.000 Brielle coming up with her own songs and singing it. 01:05:33.000 --> 01:05:39.000 Eliana doing somersaults and jumping off pews. 01:05:43.000 --> 01:05:46.000 Jesus, I want to be like that. 01:05:47.000 --> 01:05:49.000 I want to be childlike. 01:05:49.000 --> 01:05:54.000 Restore to us the awe and wonder of living. 01:05:54.000 --> 01:06:01.000 Restore to this church the simplicity and the awe and wonder of living. 01:06:01.000 --> 01:06:05.000 Psalm 27.1, zest, space, light. 01:06:05.000 --> 01:06:07.000 This is our God. 01:06:07.000 --> 01:06:09.000 You must be so delightful. 01:06:09.000 --> 01:06:13.000 I sometimes envy my mum who died a year ago. 01:06:13.000 --> 01:06:19.000 She gets to enjoy a God we don't even know. 01:06:19.000 --> 01:06:24.000 You must be so delighting. 01:06:24.000 --> 01:06:27.000 You must be the happiest person in the world. 01:06:27.000 --> 01:06:30.000 You must be so irrepressibly happy. 01:06:30.000 --> 01:06:34.000 Your laughter probably fills the forest like it says. 01:06:34.000 --> 01:06:37.000 Aslan rose, the forest comes alive. 01:06:37.000 --> 01:06:38.000 Flowers begin to bloom. 01:06:38.000 --> 01:06:40.000 What is it with you, oh God? 01:06:40.000 --> 01:06:44.000 I want that. I want that. I want that. I want that. 01:06:44.000 --> 01:06:46.000 And I want it for... 01:06:46.000 --> 01:06:49.000 I don't want it for myself. I want it for all of us. 01:06:49.000 --> 01:06:51.000 Change this, oh God. 01:06:51.000 --> 01:06:53.000 Not childishness, but childlikeness. 01:06:53.000 --> 01:06:55.000 Deep, deep desire. 01:06:55.000 --> 01:06:59.000 I love it, Father, that there was this delight that I felt. 01:06:59.000 --> 01:07:05.000 And hip felt when Tia spoke my name. 01:07:05.000 --> 01:07:07.000 I felt privileged. 01:07:07.000 --> 01:07:10.000 How do you feel when we do that? 01:07:10.000 --> 01:07:14.000 When Tia begins to take her guitar and she starts playing. 01:07:22.000 --> 01:07:26.000 So as I sing this song which is, Lord, I come to you. 01:07:27.000 --> 01:07:30.000 Let my heart be changed renewed. 01:07:30.000 --> 01:07:37.000 We park open eyes for a second and we seek childlikeness 01:07:37.000 --> 01:07:40.000 because it will result in open eyes. 01:07:40.000 --> 01:07:43.000 Grant us a prayer, I pray. 01:07:43.000 --> 01:07:47.000 Because I really believe this is being prompted by the Spirit in Jesus' name. 01:07:56.000 --> 01:07:58.000 For more information visit www.mooji.org