WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Resistance Required Publishing Date: 2020-03-29T06:00:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/resistance-required/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.400 Okay guys, so the teaching today, if you want a title for it, it's Resistance Required. 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:21.000 Resistance Required. Yeah? And so that's what we'll be talking about. Resistance Required. 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:26.000 So I'll let Ryan distribute the sheets of paper and then we'll start. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:51.400 Ryan, are you done? Just kidding. Guys, so Resistance Required. So with what is happening around us, 00:00:51.400 --> 00:01:00.760 there is this tendency to come up with statements like, this too shall pass. And this too shall pass 00:01:00.760 --> 00:01:09.880 is a very passive statement and we cannot afford passive statements like that. Passive statements 00:01:09.880 --> 00:01:17.600 always betray a passivity in our attitude towards what is happening. This too shall pass may be 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:26.200 the right scripture to use right now. And so what I want to talk about is that we as a people must 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:34.200 now begin to resist what is happening. There's a resistance required and the first thing we need 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:40.960 to resist is we need to resist fear. Resistance against fear. And please understand there's a 00:01:40.960 --> 00:01:47.920 very specific route I want to take. Resistance against fear. And I want to quote from Psalm 27 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:52.720 5 and I'm taking the scripture from the New King James Version because it really conveys what I 00:01:52.720 --> 00:01:59.920 sensed God wanted to have us do. And so here's what it says in Psalm 27 verse 5 from the New 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:06.960 King James Version. It says, You or God shall hide them in the secret place of your presence from the 00:02:06.960 --> 00:02:13.760 plots of men. You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Just listen 00:02:13.760 --> 00:02:20.520 to that again. You shall hide them in the secret place of your presence from the plots of man. You 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:28.840 shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. And so there is this need to 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:40.240 resist fear by hiding from the ridiculous amount of news, words, sights and sounds that are coming 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:46.680 our way. That is what I mean by resistance here. One of the ways we resist fear in this situation 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:52.960 is to begin to come against the strife of tongues and the only way you can come against the strife 00:02:52.960 --> 00:03:00.800 of tongues. The strife of tongues is the dissonance, the deception, the loud and the soft, the good, 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:08.200 bad and ugly that is just being, that we're being inundated with. And you have to decide in the days 00:03:08.200 --> 00:03:14.800 ahead that you will probably listen to news channels once a day or at the most twice a day. 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:21.560 That it won't be something you continuously listen to. That you will take a position where 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:28.600 you will resist rumors, where you will resist gossip, where you will resist lament and you 00:03:28.600 --> 00:03:35.800 will resist this idea of war is the earth because it doesn't lend towards resisting what is happening 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:43.100 around us. Guys, fear is a spirit. Resist it and it will flee. Fear is a spirit. Resist it and it will 00:03:43.100 --> 00:03:51.000 flee. Because one of the things fear does is when it causes you to take your protection into your 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:58.080 hands. Fear causes you to take your protection into your hands and when you take your protection 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:04.720 into your hands you remove yourself from God's security. Listen to this again. It is critical. 00:04:04.720 --> 00:04:11.240 I'm not saying don't follow guidelines. I'm not saying don't wash your hands while you sing 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:20.200 happy birthday to me much before July 17th happens. All I'm saying is that while you follow simple 00:04:20.200 --> 00:04:25.640 guidelines of keeping your hands clean and stuff like that you must remember that fear is a spirit 00:04:25.640 --> 00:04:30.680 and because fear is a spirit it attacks through sight and sound. It attacks through sight and 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:39.360 sound and so resistance to fear has to come by resisting the strife of tongues and hiding in 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:45.640 God's secret pavilion. Resistance to fear comes through resisting rumors, gossip, lament, war. 00:04:45.640 --> 00:04:54.000 Everybody is lamenting. Do not join them. And let me repeat that line again. The moment you take 00:04:54.000 --> 00:05:02.440 your protection into your own hands you remove yourself from the security that God gives. One 00:05:02.440 --> 00:05:07.000 Psalm put it this way. I don't know if it's Psalm 27 or some other Psalm. It says some trust in 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:12.760 chariots and some trust in princes but I trust in the name of the Lord our God. This is the idea 00:05:12.760 --> 00:05:20.000 that I cannot then think that washing my hands or using hand sanitizer is what keeps me. It is a 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:25.000 great guideline. It cleans your hands and it keeps you clean but it ain't that that keeps us safe. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:32.400 There is a God who protects his people. That must be the first place we lodge ourselves in. God did 00:05:32.400 --> 00:05:38.760 not have a problem with King Asa that he actually went to the physician. God's problem was, hey Asa 00:05:38.760 --> 00:05:45.400 why did you go to the physician without first coming to me? That your first resort was not me. 00:05:45.400 --> 00:05:53.460 So my question is as we walk around and we hear lament and woe and gossip and rumors, 00:05:53.460 --> 00:06:01.680 as we hear facts that are true about COVID, as we begin to hear these things and see these things 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:08.120 and just saturate ourselves with the news and the dissonance and sometimes the deception, 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:12.880 my question to you is where are the speakers of truth? Where are the speakers of hope? Where are 00:06:12.880 --> 00:06:18.120 the speakers of light? Where are the speakers of zest? Where are the speakers of life? I want to 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:25.040 be that. I want to sing that song after this. A history maker. I'm gonna be a speaker of truth 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:33.680 to all mankind and the truth is there is a God who does differently. Break the curse guys. If you 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:38.240 want to break the curse you have to break the curse by breaking the silence and sometimes silence 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:43.760 is the words that are being spoken all around you where if you don't break it you're not able 00:06:43.760 --> 00:06:49.040 to break the curse. People have to rise up and begin to say yes there is something called COVID-19 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:54.680 but guess what? Yes there is something called COVID-19 and two of my friends have been affected 00:06:54.680 --> 00:07:03.440 by it but guess what? That is how we break the curse. You can only break the curse by 00:07:03.440 --> 00:07:13.880 breaking the silence and if we don't do it then who does it? Any questions? Any questions? 00:07:13.880 --> 00:07:25.340 Ah shucks you can't put your hands up and ask questions. Oh there's a 30 second delay. Anything 00:07:25.340 --> 00:07:32.640 Derek or Jeevan or Josh? Okay cool the second thing you have to resist is resist self-preservation. 00:07:32.640 --> 00:07:41.120 Resist self-preservation as in choose not to self-preserve. Choose not to self-preserve. Choose 00:07:41.200 --> 00:07:47.280 to be selfless in your giving. Choose to be selfless in your sensitivity to the world around you. 00:07:47.280 --> 00:07:54.880 Choose to be selfless in your emptying and pouring yourself out. Choose to be selfless in your food 00:07:54.880 --> 00:07:59.000 and drink and money. You know one of the things I'm doing get up in the morning and ask God Father 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:05.280 is there anybody around the world who is perhaps in a situation where they're locked down and have 00:08:05.280 --> 00:08:13.320 no way of earning and so do you want me to send them any money and so couple of days ago it was 00:08:13.320 --> 00:08:20.040 a man who used to drive the cab in this particular province whenever I went there and it's out of 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:24.880 question he can't drive his cab down the entire place has been shut down so I sent him some money. 00:08:24.880 --> 00:08:33.640 He called today. He's not a believer. He's not a Christian. Ask God. Become ridiculously selfless. 00:08:33.640 --> 00:08:40.160 Pour yourself out. Empty yourself out. Do not ask people how they are and stop at it. Once you 00:08:40.160 --> 00:08:43.600 ask people how are you your next question should be how are you doing financially. 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:52.360 How are you will always be met by we are managing we are doing well. How are you doing financially 00:08:52.360 --> 00:08:56.920 now takes it a little deeper but the moment you ask that question now it becomes a problem 00:08:56.920 --> 00:09:07.120 because what if the person says I have a problem. Resist self-preservation. Now is not the time for 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:12.880 Esther to preserve her life. Now is not the time for you to live carelessly or live too carefully. 00:09:12.880 --> 00:09:17.920 There's two things we can do in this. We can either live carelessly in the palace that we have built 00:09:17.920 --> 00:09:22.560 because Esther could have gone and done that. I mean she was a king's favorite. She could have 00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:27.680 been careless in her living in the palace and the Jews would have died. She could have been 00:09:27.680 --> 00:09:34.840 super careful preserving her life and the Jews would have died. I can't afford either. Self-preservation 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:39.680 means that I cannot be careless about the world which means that there are certain guidelines that 00:09:39.680 --> 00:09:45.880 I'll have to follow that I will not flout for the sake of others. I'll also not be so careful that 00:09:45.880 --> 00:09:50.720 everything now gets hoarded and everything is about Jacob preserving his life. Jacob's life will 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:55.640 never be preserved if he takes care of it. It's a very simple statement that Jesus makes. You try 00:09:55.640 --> 00:10:02.200 preserving your life and you will lose it. You give your life away and you will keep it. These are 00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:07.280 not just scriptures that are meant to get us saved guys. These are scriptures that ones who are saved 00:10:07.280 --> 00:10:17.400 have to now live out. Man you will so regret it and I will so regret it if we don't live this way now 00:10:17.400 --> 00:10:25.920 because this will pass and you will miss out on an opportunity. I want to use this time to show the 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:34.200 world that the Christ I believe in and the Christ that lives in me lives a different way. You know 00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:38.840 what righteousness is really defined as? Sit Kenu the word. Righteousness and justice go together. 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:44.880 Righteousness is how are you to live in the world in relation to God and in relation to others? How 00:10:44.920 --> 00:10:49.840 are you to live in the world in relation to God and in relation to the others? That is the simple 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:56.360 definition of righteousness. How do you live in right standing with God and in right standing 00:10:56.360 --> 00:11:07.860 with others and times like this prove it man. There was a question from someone. What is the 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:13.120 curse we are breaking? Let's for a second assume that this is not a judgment from God that this is 00:11:13.280 --> 00:11:19.320 the work of the enemy and that it is spreading across the globe that the globe is being brought 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:24.760 to a standstill. Well then it is certainly not a blessing and if that is the case then we need to 00:11:24.760 --> 00:11:31.080 speak up and say what God likes to do in situations like this. What God likes to do. God wants to 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:36.760 bring this to a halt. Reading again from Isaiah 14 the verses I read just before we started. Let 00:11:36.760 --> 00:11:42.200 me read it again. These are the things we can speak at a time like this and here's what Isaiah 00:11:42.280 --> 00:11:50.720 14 says. If you missed it at the beginning. I will crush the Assyrian in my land on my mountains I 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:56.000 will trample him down. His yoke will be taken away from my people and his burden removed from my 00:11:56.000 --> 00:12:00.800 shoulders. This is the plan determined for the whole world. This is the hand stretched out over 00:12:00.800 --> 00:12:06.040 all the nations for the Lord Almighty has purposed and who can thwart him. His hand is stretched out 00:12:06.040 --> 00:12:13.440 and who can turn it back. This is what we now phrase in words that are commonplace so that every 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:21.080 time someone says something out of me comes a different way of speaking. Because truth always 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:28.960 persists. Truth always will bear witness here on earth by the Spirit. Any other question Derek? 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:38.480 Okay. We have to resist. We have to resist the idea of virtual church. We have to resist the 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:45.840 idea of virtual church. We have to resist this idea. It is not good. What can happen if we don't 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:52.000 resist it? And so I'm calling on you who are hearing. Do not think that this is a great thing 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:59.120 for the church. I mean the only great advantage that I have with doing this is that I can go 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:07.880 on forever. There's no time limit. Because you're in your house so it's not like you have to leave 00:13:07.880 --> 00:13:14.480 the service and go home. I could go on for three hours and feel zero guilty. But other than that, 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:21.480 let me take you to 1 Kings 12. There's a scripture that I felt the Lord highlighting last night at 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:32.280 1.30 in the morning. So I just want to read that. 1 Kings 12 26 to 32. 1 Kings 12 26 to 32. 00:13:32.280 --> 00:13:41.480 1 Kings 12 26 to 32. Here's what it says. Jeroboam thought to himself, the kingdom will now likely 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:47.360 revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:53.360 in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their Lord. They will kill me and return to 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:58.240 the King Rehoboam. After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, 00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:03.360 it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:08.680 up out of Egypt. Once he set up in Bethel, the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin. The 00:14:08.680 --> 00:14:14.240 people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there. Jeroboam built shrines on high places, 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:19.560 appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. He instituted a 00:14:19.560 --> 00:14:23.880 festival on the 15th day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered 00:14:23.880 --> 00:14:28.680 sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. At Bethel, 00:14:28.680 --> 00:14:33.040 he also installed priests at the high places he made. On the 15th day of the eighth month, 00:14:33.040 --> 00:14:38.400 a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built in Bethel. So he 00:14:38.400 --> 00:14:42.680 instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings. 00:14:42.760 --> 00:14:50.560 What's the intent of the story? Jeroboam decided that he would make worship convenient. He decided 00:14:50.560 --> 00:14:56.360 he would provide, like Aaron did in the wilderness, a couple of golden calves for people to worship. 00:14:56.360 --> 00:15:01.920 He did not want them to go all the way to Jerusalem because that would be tedious. Besides having a 00:15:01.920 --> 00:15:08.480 political intent, he also wanted to make worship convenient. And so he set up these calves, he set 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:16.280 up priests who were not from the tribe of Levi. That was unheard of. And so we have to resist the 00:15:16.280 --> 00:15:23.760 idea of virtual church because it will otherwise become convenient. It will end up with us molding 00:15:23.760 --> 00:15:36.400 God to a point where people can access God by pressing a button. That is not how God is accessed. 00:15:39.040 --> 00:15:45.440 You cannot have priests recruited from tribes other than Levi. How does that apply today? 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:54.640 Not, I mean, you should see the myriad versions of church that are coming up on Facebook. Some 00:15:54.640 --> 00:15:59.720 of those guys I know personally, I know their lives. They're beginning to teach and preach 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:07.360 and their techiness is bringing them greater claim. That's not how this works, guys. You 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:18.320 can't recruit priests off the street. Pixels do not convey purity. And you cannot distort the church 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:23.560 this way. I was saying to the Lord, Father, do I really need to bring this point up? Because now 00:16:23.560 --> 00:16:28.280 suddenly because we are live streaming, people are listening in different parts of the world. If this 00:16:28.280 --> 00:16:33.040 was Acts 29, I could tell them it should be fine. Do I really need to bring this up? And when he 00:16:33.040 --> 00:16:38.480 highlighted 1 Kings 12, I thought to myself, sure, I'll bring it up. You cannot do this. 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:46.480 This is why, guys, three years ago we started this idea of house churches because house churches 00:16:46.480 --> 00:16:52.160 are for times like this. When clampdowns happen, when persecution happens, when war happens, 00:16:52.160 --> 00:17:00.080 when pestilence happens, we are forced into two or threes. It's a good thing. But it is still 00:17:00.160 --> 00:17:08.880 flesh on flesh, bone on bone. And practice the breaking of bread. You got a family of four or 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:14.880 five, two or three, or just you and your cat, it's a little difficult. But practice breaking bread. 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:21.840 Because in the breaking of bread, there is both immunity and authority. Immunity and authority in 00:17:21.840 --> 00:17:27.760 the breaking of bread. It's a distinctive of the people of God. Every time they were in captivity, 00:17:27.760 --> 00:17:32.400 every time they would celebrate their freedom, one of the things that was common to the people of 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:37.440 God was the breaking of bread. I hope you practice it every week, not just on Sundays, 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:42.400 but whenever you sense you need to practice the breaking of bread, break bread, declare 00:17:43.040 --> 00:17:50.720 who God is and how he is to the earth. Take Isaiah 14. Take those verses. It's a distinctive trait 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:57.680 of the people of God. It gives you immunity. It gives you authority. It also is a judgment 00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:03.840 on the diseases of Egypt and the gods of Egypt. It is also a judgment on the diseases of Egypt 00:18:03.840 --> 00:18:12.240 and the gods of Egypt. Exodus 12 talks about it. You know, it's strange. I heard this phrase 00:18:13.520 --> 00:18:19.360 spoken by someone and I've changed it some. But listen to this. We socially distanced ourselves 00:18:19.360 --> 00:18:25.600 through technology, living together alone. And now that social distancing has been forced upon us, 00:18:25.600 --> 00:18:32.480 we are using every technology possible to one another virtually. Let me say that again. We 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:38.320 socially distanced ourselves through technology. All these years, we've socially distanced ourselves 00:18:38.320 --> 00:18:46.320 through technology and we learned how to live life together alone. But now that social distancing has 00:18:46.320 --> 00:18:53.440 been forced upon us, we are using every technology possible to one another virtually. 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:59.920 It's odd how this works. And we can't one another virtually. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:06.320 Hey, I would suggest to you, and I've been doing this and I don't like doing this, 00:19:06.320 --> 00:19:12.880 I prefer emojis and I prefer smiley faces. But I've decided that during this time, 00:19:13.520 --> 00:19:17.840 one of the things I'll do is I'll FaceTime people. I'll look at their faces 00:19:20.320 --> 00:19:27.520 and talk to them. I don't want to use text messages alone to convey things to people. 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:32.320 So if I call you and you're on FaceTime, trust me, it's more difficult for me than you. 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:39.520 Because it's so much easier to say something strong and put a smiley face and it kind of covers it all 00:19:39.520 --> 00:19:42.400 up. But what do you do when you have to say something face to face? 00:19:45.120 --> 00:19:50.080 But we can't one another virtually. I just need to emphasize this point guys that we must resist 00:19:50.080 --> 00:19:57.360 virtual church. Stand up against it because it's a distortion that is coming upon the world and we 00:19:57.360 --> 00:20:03.200 got to take a stance against it. And once it's spoken, it spreads, eh? Deceptions are exposed. 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:07.520 The next thing we want to resist is we want to resist the evil reality of what is happening. We 00:20:07.520 --> 00:20:14.640 want to resist the evil reality of what is happening. What is happening is evil. What is 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:22.400 happening is evil. So some of you have already seen the video where we talk about the spiritual 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:28.560 realities behind the physical reality of COVID-19. But here's the thing, there's an acceptance among 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:33.520 believers, amongst churches, perhaps amongst us that this too shall pass. And like I said in the 00:20:33.520 --> 00:20:41.280 beginning, it's a passive stance and it is unacceptable. It's unacceptable. The Bible instead 00:20:41.280 --> 00:20:48.720 says stand in the day of evil. Stand in the day of evil. With your heels dug right in. Stand in 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:54.400 the day of evil. That's what the Bible says. It doesn't say receive it with passivity. It says 00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:58.320 stand in the day of evil. It doesn't say say stuff like this too shall pass, but it says stand in 00:20:58.320 --> 00:21:02.960 the day of evil. Ephesians 6.13 talks about it. And what do you mean stand in the day of evil? 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:08.000 Stand in the day when there is decay. Stand in the day when there is death. Stand in the day when 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:13.760 there is strife. Stand in the day when there is deception. Stand in the day when the power of evil 00:21:13.760 --> 00:21:21.920 is being experienced with great intensity. Stand in the day when there's confusion. Stand in the 00:21:22.560 --> 00:21:29.280 day when there is darkness. Stand in the day when demonic activity is greater than usual. 00:21:29.280 --> 00:21:36.320 I'm trying to write as fast as I speak and I can't. Stand in the day. 00:21:39.840 --> 00:21:47.680 So my question is where are the finnehases of today? Where is that man who had the ability 00:21:47.760 --> 00:21:53.440 of today? Where is that man who had the ability when he saw this woman called Cosby who was a 00:21:54.320 --> 00:22:00.560 daughter of a Midianite priest and in her own capacity was a pagan priestess? Where is 00:22:00.560 --> 00:22:06.880 finnehase who took a javelin and thrust it to Cosby? Thrust it through Cosby and through Zimri 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:14.800 so that the plague would stop. This is the kind of violence that needs to arise. Resistance is never 00:22:14.800 --> 00:22:20.080 passive. What do you mean Jacob violence? What kind of violence are you talking about? 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:29.200 It is to realize that many will not see the kingdom of God because they are being taken away 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:38.080 in death. That a harvester with a sickle and it ain't God is going around the globe 00:22:38.080 --> 00:22:47.360 cutting lives down, paralyzing the globe. That this ain't the judgment of God. This is an evil thing 00:22:47.360 --> 00:22:53.120 and that if something doesn't begin to bother me inside and begin to grow inside me as in oh God 00:22:53.120 --> 00:22:58.320 I got to take a stance against it. Oh God I got to curl into a foetus on the top of Mount Carmel 00:22:58.320 --> 00:23:03.440 and begin to look for that fifth size shadow that will cause the rains to come again. 00:23:03.520 --> 00:23:10.160 And begin to look for that fifth size shadow that will cause the rains to come again and that apostasy would end. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:21.120 I pray that the spirit of God would take my words and begin to ignite this inside of you. 00:23:25.360 --> 00:23:30.800 If nothing else a deep crying or if nothing else a deep lamenting for the globe. 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:39.200 Go ahead Derek. What does standing look like? Standing looks like what will 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:42.480 unfold in the next two and a half minutes. Who was that? 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:51.120 Pawan, I'll get there man. We'll get there in more than two and a half minutes but we'll get there. 00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:56.320 You know there was a guy called Benaiah in the Bible. You'll find him in second Samuel 23. 00:23:56.320 --> 00:24:02.480 Benaiah was a man who later on became the commander of the armies of Solomon. He used to be 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:09.040 David's bodyguard and he had this ability to take on anything that was lion like. 00:24:09.840 --> 00:24:17.840 As in when the enemy came in like a lion Benaiah would step up. So initially he takes on two of 00:24:17.840 --> 00:24:24.160 Moab's mightiest lion like warriors and he slays them. Then he goes into a pit and he actually 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:30.800 fights a live lion that tries to devour and he kills it. And then it says he went down to challenge 00:24:30.800 --> 00:24:37.040 an Egyptian who had a spear that was the size of Goliath and was seven and a half feet tall and he 00:24:37.040 --> 00:24:45.200 took down that giant. Benaiah was one of the mighty three of David. And I'm saying I'm calling out 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:50.000 across the globe saying where are those Benaiah's? Where are those Phineas's? That would begin to 00:24:50.000 --> 00:25:00.640 rise up now so that you can stop the plague. This is what resistance looks like. And so in your time 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:04.960 when you wake up in the morning begin to pray down this road. You have learnt enough church 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:11.200 and you can begin to pray this thing. You can pick nations, pick your own city, 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:18.960 pick nations and begin to pray. Not begin to plead and ask God because this is not God's desire. 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:23.280 Begin to declare God's intent. I'm doing it every day man. 00:25:27.280 --> 00:25:29.120 And there are others doing it too so join in. 00:25:31.040 --> 00:25:36.560 I explained this on that video but just in case there are people who haven't seen it yet, 00:25:37.360 --> 00:25:38.880 remember this progression guys. 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:52.000 The enemy has always used war, lack, famine and disease 00:25:54.320 --> 00:25:59.840 through centuries again and again. And by the way these four would constitute in a sense the 00:25:59.840 --> 00:26:06.560 four horses of Revelation chapter 6 but we're not talking about revelations right now. The enemy has 00:26:06.560 --> 00:26:18.480 always used these four things to create in mankind fear, need, greed, power, pride. 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:28.880 These have been used by Satan and his various ways of affecting the earth. These have always been used 00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:40.400 to create this in mankind with the intent that once this is created man will turn to religion, 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:52.320 government and commerce to meet these needs. And history sees repetitive cycles of this. 00:26:53.280 --> 00:27:01.680 War, lack, famine and disease have been used by Satan to bring about on earth amongst mankind for 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:07.280 centuries fear, need, greed, grasping for power and striving for pride. 00:27:07.280 --> 00:27:15.200 So that in the pro and how do they meet these deficiencies that are caused by these 00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:24.400 four things by either turning to false religions, false hopes or turning to politics, government 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:38.240 or turning to politics, government leaders who offer them the next new solution or by turning to commerce so that lack can be met. 00:27:39.840 --> 00:27:47.120 This then is representative of Revelation chapter 6. This then is representative of 00:27:47.120 --> 00:27:53.840 Revelation chapter 17 and 18 and there's another name for this grouping it's called Babylon. 00:27:54.880 --> 00:27:59.920 But that's for another day I just wanted to bring it up in case some hadn't listened to the video in the past. 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:10.480 So there is something that we need to take a stance against and so Pavan asked the question 00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:15.680 how do we take a stand? Guys before I talk about that just want you to know that all satanic 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:22.800 enterprise is by divine permission. All satanic enterprise is by divine permission with the 00:28:22.800 --> 00:28:32.320 divine expectation that the body of Christ will resist, will stand, will overcome. So let me write that down. 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:41.680 It's a very cool thing to understand once we understand that we'll realize how powerful God 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:53.280 is and how powerful the body of Christ is in terms of the role it has to play. So all satanic enterprise 00:28:55.920 --> 00:29:07.680 is by divine permission as in God doesn't provoke it, God doesn't instigate it but God is aware of it 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:12.640 and Satan is in accountable rebellion. So it's not like Satan can go do whatever he wants. 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:19.120 There is this odd permission that must be sought before the enemy can do anything 00:29:19.120 --> 00:29:27.680 but all satanic enterprise is by divine permission with the divine expectation 00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:31.680 that the body of Christ 00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:39.680 will resist satanic enterprise, 00:29:39.680 --> 00:29:43.680 satanic enterprise 00:29:49.120 --> 00:29:50.080 will overcome, 00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:56.480 will stand against, stand and persevere 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:00.880 and will overcome 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:04.640 and reign over. 00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:07.200 Satan's plans and devices. 00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:21.760 This is how it works. So on one hand there is nothing that happens without the knowing of God. 00:30:21.760 --> 00:30:26.800 God doesn't instigate it, God does not provoke it, God is not saying yeah yeah go ahead but he is 00:30:26.800 --> 00:30:32.800 aware. So all satanic enterprise is by divine permission but at the same time there is in the 00:30:32.800 --> 00:30:38.400 heart of God the divine expectation that Satan may be doing this or that but I expect the body of 00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:44.720 Christ to resist it because I have provided for them my son who lives in them and I have provided 00:30:44.720 --> 00:30:49.520 for them the most dangerous spirit on the face of the earth which is the Holy Spirit. Who is the Holy 00:30:49.520 --> 00:30:56.320 Spirit that I provided for them? The Holy Spirit that I have provided for them is the Holy Spirit 00:30:56.320 --> 00:31:01.840 who has given me the power to stand for them all that is required to resist 00:31:03.840 --> 00:31:09.920 all satanic enterprise and activity that I've provided for them a way to stand and persevere 00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:13.760 and that I provided for them a way to overcome and reign. 00:31:15.840 --> 00:31:24.240 Is the scripture for it? Yes. First Peter 4 7 resist, submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. 00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:32.960 In the day of evil stand with your panoply or with your supply of armor, helmet on your head, 00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:40.960 breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the sword of the 00:31:40.960 --> 00:31:48.720 spirit, the shield of faith. I've given you all that you need to stand. Then it goes on to say in 00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:59.280 Revelation 2 27 that those that overcome I will give you the scepter that you can use to dash the 00:31:59.280 --> 00:32:06.880 enemy like one would break pottery. Revelation 3 21 and to those that overcome just know that my 00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:13.680 father and I will come and sup with you and you will be given the privilege of sitting with me 00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:20.320 on my throne and reigning as kings and priests. If we are going to postpone all this into the 00:32:20.320 --> 00:32:24.080 future then what in the world is the spirit of God supposed to do with us now? 00:32:27.360 --> 00:32:28.800 This is what standing looks like. 00:32:32.480 --> 00:32:38.560 This is what standing looks like. Why stand? Why should we stand at the time like this? 00:32:38.560 --> 00:32:45.360 Guys if you don't stand how will the snare be broken? How will the snare be broken? Psalm 91 3 00:32:45.360 --> 00:32:52.960 says that he protects us from the snare of the fowler. He protects us but what about the others? 00:32:52.960 --> 00:32:59.200 Someone has to take a stand. Imagine if all of us took a stand for Vancouver and we declare that 00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:03.600 father the snare that is over Vancouver shall be broken. You think it is ineffective? 00:33:03.600 --> 00:33:08.880 I am not talking about praying for the ones that are in hospital. That is one of the things we do 00:33:08.880 --> 00:33:12.720 but I am saying taking a stand against the evil that is being perpetrated upon humans. 00:33:14.800 --> 00:33:19.520 You think if just this mega church called Acts 29 00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:27.040 stands you think the snare won't be broken? So one of the reasons we stand is so that we break the 00:33:27.040 --> 00:33:35.520 snare. Two, one of the reasons we take a stand is so that we can deliver captives. I love Isaiah 49 00:33:35.520 --> 00:33:43.280 verse 9. I never know the scripture by heart but I always know what it says. It says something to 00:33:43.280 --> 00:33:50.880 the extent that go now Jacob and say to those in darkness come out it's safe now. Say to those that 00:33:51.360 --> 00:34:00.880 are bound come out you're free. Isaiah 49 verse 9. This is a marvelous privilege. I love standing in 00:34:00.880 --> 00:34:05.840 my balcony looking north, south, east and west and some of you have seen me do it where I'll stand and 00:34:05.840 --> 00:34:13.680 say hey Vancouver come out it's safe now. In places of darkness there is light. People have risen that 00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:23.040 are breaking the snare. Isaiah 61 guys. The spirit of the Lord is upon us for he has anointed us 00:34:23.040 --> 00:34:32.480 to set the captives free. I'm not saying don't pray for those that are sick. People that I know, 00:34:32.480 --> 00:34:40.480 ones that I knew and have respect for are in hospital with in critical 00:34:40.720 --> 00:34:46.400 condition because of COVID. So I'm not saying don't pray for the healing but as the church 00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:49.840 is praying for a healing there must be a group of Gaddites. 00:34:52.240 --> 00:34:57.040 And if you want to know what the group of Gaddites is I'll have to go down that road another time. 00:34:57.040 --> 00:35:05.200 There must be a group of Gaddites. Lion faced, ambidextrous with weapons in both hands, 00:35:06.080 --> 00:35:14.400 skillfully maneuvering the ravines and the mountains, learning how to undo the enemy 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:21.600 so that the darkness is being dismantled as light is being shown. And if that is our role, 00:35:21.600 --> 00:35:24.640 remember we did an entire series on the prevailing church. 00:35:27.280 --> 00:35:31.840 I was looking at those notes and saying oh God didn't know why we were going that way but please 00:35:31.840 --> 00:35:34.640 Lord let them not remain notes in my life. Let them become practical. 00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:44.000 We stand so that we break the snare. We stand so that we deliver captives. Acts chapter 10 verse 00:35:44.000 --> 00:35:48.960 38. This is the reason the Spirit of God is upon us. This is the reason the Spirit of God was upon 00:35:48.960 --> 00:35:55.520 Jesus and he was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power and he went about doing good, 00:35:55.520 --> 00:35:59.840 setting free those that were harassed by the devil. Guys, Acts chapter 10 verse 38 says 00:35:59.840 --> 00:36:04.880 that were harassed by the devil. Guys, Acts 29 has always had a mandate for the nations. 00:36:04.880 --> 00:36:09.920 You must pray for Peru. You must pray for Italy. You must pray for Ecuador. You must pray for India. 00:36:09.920 --> 00:36:14.640 You must pray for Canada. You must pray for the US. Pick your nation because we are not supposed 00:36:14.640 --> 00:36:21.280 to just go to the nations. We got to lift up the nations. This is something that we were given 00:36:21.280 --> 00:36:25.920 as a gift before the Acts 29 even existed. God had this for us. 00:36:30.800 --> 00:36:35.200 We stand so that we can destroy the works of the devil. First John 3 8. Someone has to stand 00:36:35.200 --> 00:36:40.560 otherwise the works of the devil are not destroyed. Someone has to stand. Christ stood. The works of 00:36:40.560 --> 00:36:46.400 the devil were destroyed. Jesus Christ the Son of God came down to the earth in flesh to destroy 00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:52.960 the works of the devil. One day when the time is right I'll tell you what is actually being prayed 00:36:53.120 --> 00:36:57.440 sometimes by this church across the nations. 00:36:57.440 --> 00:37:03.440 Big deal. It's a command. You go do what you're told and you come home. Nobody needs to know. 00:37:03.440 --> 00:37:07.440 This is not about recognition guys. 00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:16.480 It's strange how people still think that it is Jesus Christ who goes around trampling Satan 00:37:16.880 --> 00:37:24.240 and not us and yet Roman 16 verse 20 says that soon I will crush Satan under your feet. 00:37:26.240 --> 00:37:32.400 Roman 16 20. It is I who tread and trample down the enemy. It is you who trample down the enemy. 00:37:32.400 --> 00:37:37.200 It is us who trample down the enemy. The head is no longer separate from the body. Christ has 00:37:37.200 --> 00:37:44.800 forever decided that he is the only one who can trample down the enemy. He is the only one who 00:37:44.800 --> 00:37:50.800 has decided that he is not going to be severed from his body that he's connected to the body 00:37:50.800 --> 00:37:57.760 and it is his body that will now fulfill what he has finished beautifully. Christ the head has 00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:05.200 decided that it will be his body that will now fulfill what he has finished. Psalm 149 verse 6 00:38:05.200 --> 00:38:11.760 to 9 that here church it is your privilege to have the high praises of God in your mouth and the 00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:17.200 spirit in your hand so that you may go around executing the written judgment and binding 00:38:17.200 --> 00:38:23.840 nobles and kings and fetters. This is your privilege. This is what you should do while you lie on your bed. 00:38:29.840 --> 00:38:33.920 And guys this is not a we do we don't do this during times of crisis. 00:38:33.920 --> 00:38:39.840 When we do this during times of crisis it's new but what if this was an everyday thing 00:38:39.840 --> 00:38:47.440 and everyday resistance of the enemy and everyday refusal to give him an opportunity to deceive, 00:38:47.440 --> 00:38:54.240 to trick, to bring fear and every day stand against his schemes. You can check scriptures out 00:38:54.240 --> 00:39:01.520 and everyday resistance of the enemy. First Peter 5 9 James chapter 4 verse 7 and everyday resistance 00:39:01.520 --> 00:39:07.760 of the enemy and everyday refusal to give him an opportunity. Do not give the devil a foothold. Do 00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:12.400 not give him a foothold of fear through COVID-19. Do not give him a foothold to make you self-centered 00:39:12.400 --> 00:39:17.760 or selfish or self-seeking or self-preserving. Do not give him an opportunity to begin to distort 00:39:17.760 --> 00:39:22.080 the nature of the church. Do not give him an opportunity to begin to ask you to back off 00:39:22.080 --> 00:39:25.920 saying stuff like this too shall pass. No passivity for this church. 00:39:31.120 --> 00:39:35.520 These are the times when you have to have a spade in one hand, a sword in another hand 00:39:35.520 --> 00:39:36.880 and a trumpet in your mouth. 00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.480 It ain't enough to dig and build a wall. It ain't enough to have spears to keep the enemy. 00:39:44.480 --> 00:39:50.160 There is also the need to have a trumpet to your lips so that you can dig and build the wall. You 00:39:50.160 --> 00:39:57.520 can use the sword to push back the enemy and you can use the trumpet to announce God's intent. 00:39:59.760 --> 00:40:01.680 It's a new kind of Nehemiah assistant. 00:40:02.320 --> 00:40:03.280 All three in one. 00:40:07.840 --> 00:40:11.840 And every day stand up against the schemes. Every day stand up against the schemes. 00:40:19.200 --> 00:40:26.640 The public vocation of the church. I'll tell you who gave that question. Was it Tuni? 00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:33.040 I'll tell you who gave that question. Was it Tuni? See, I knew. Don't worry, it wasn't a word of 00:40:33.040 --> 00:40:40.960 knowledge. The public vocation of the church is to more than anything else be salt. In that one 00:40:40.960 --> 00:40:47.600 statement that Jesus makes is encompass the public vocation of the church. Salt is not 00:40:49.120 --> 00:40:52.640 to be used anywhere but... No, let me put it this way. 00:40:53.200 --> 00:40:55.920 Rotting meat... Meat will rot if salt is absent. 00:40:58.080 --> 00:41:05.040 Meat will rot if salt is absent. And so it is required... If you want to summarize the public 00:41:05.040 --> 00:41:10.240 vocation of the church, take those two things that Jesus said. One, you are the light of the world. 00:41:10.240 --> 00:41:17.280 Let your work so shine so that men may glorify the father. Two, you are the salt of the earth. 00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:24.320 Flavor. Both these things. And now if I were to go down this track, then you find that salt can be 00:41:24.320 --> 00:41:29.520 used to preserve. Salt can also be used to give things a new start. Let me quickly go down that 00:41:29.520 --> 00:41:35.920 road. And so the people of Jericho come to Elisha. He has just lost his master Elijah. And they say 00:41:35.920 --> 00:41:41.360 to him, Jericho is a great city but people here are barren and they do not produce and the water 00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:46.800 is bad. And Elisha takes... says, bring me a new bowl. And he takes some salt and he sprinkles the 00:41:46.800 --> 00:41:53.040 salt on the source. And once he sprinkles the salt on the source, a curse that was put on Jericho 00:41:53.040 --> 00:41:58.400 by Hiel who built Jericho at the cost of his firstborn is now lifted up. 00:42:00.480 --> 00:42:06.800 And the source of the water is healed and Jericho becomes profitable and fruitful. We think salt and 00:42:06.800 --> 00:42:14.640 flavor is one sided. That it is only the niceness, the kindness, the goodness. True. But who will 00:42:14.640 --> 00:42:21.680 remove the curse that was put by Hiel on Jericho when he built the city at the cost of his firstborn's 00:42:21.680 --> 00:42:31.600 blood? For that too salt is required. In those two statements of Jesus, you have the public vocation 00:42:31.600 --> 00:42:42.880 of the church. Good works, good lives, good homes. And good works include destroying the works of the 00:42:42.880 --> 00:42:49.600 devil. May we never think that good works does not include destroying the works that are bad. 00:42:51.840 --> 00:42:59.200 You can never build good works on top of bad works because the foundation will always show or crumble. 00:43:05.280 --> 00:43:07.360 Good question Tuni, but you got me too excited. 00:43:07.360 --> 00:43:18.080 Two more things that we need to actively resist and then we can stop. Guys, resist the hankering 00:43:18.080 --> 00:43:25.280 for communal life. Resist the hankering for communal life. We've hardly been into this for 10 days 00:43:25.280 --> 00:43:33.440 and there is this itch in the heart of man, woman and child to once again get back into being a 00:43:34.320 --> 00:43:41.440 community. Usually a church should lift up the idea of community and hold it as a high virtue, 00:43:41.440 --> 00:43:49.920 but at a time like this I'm saying to you that resist the hankering or the deep desire to gratify 00:43:49.920 --> 00:44:01.120 the need for, I need friends. Because an aspect, and this was a line that someone else said, 00:44:01.120 --> 00:44:10.160 an aspect of a Christ-enamored heart is a gnawing ache to get alone with him. An aspect of a Christ-enamored 00:44:10.160 --> 00:44:19.760 heart is a gnawing ache to get alone with him. Use this time to create that habit. Most couples in love, 00:44:19.760 --> 00:44:27.360 when they, why do people go off on a honeymoon? Because they want a break from a year of preparation 00:44:27.360 --> 00:44:35.840 of people, of crowds, of bad cake, of useless gifts and they want to disappear for a while 00:44:35.840 --> 00:44:44.640 to a remote island somewhere that just allows you to be with the one you love. 00:44:46.320 --> 00:44:54.240 Song of songs is so often full of phrases that seem to indicate, come aside, 00:44:54.400 --> 00:45:05.760 arises my love, come away, come away. And so an aspect of a Christ-enamored heart is a gnawing 00:45:05.760 --> 00:45:10.960 ache to get alone with him and it is a habit that must be cultivated to withdraw from others, 00:45:10.960 --> 00:45:17.440 to withdraw from sight and sound and to withdraw from screens, to converse with God in solitary 00:45:17.440 --> 00:45:26.080 places like David. My God, where did that boy learn his ways except sitting in solitude with 00:45:26.080 --> 00:45:35.360 sheep that just said, bah! And he would sit and he would learn the ways of God. He learned like no one 00:45:35.360 --> 00:45:41.360 learned. He learned how to battle the bear and the lion. He learned how to know God like no man on 00:45:41.360 --> 00:45:47.200 earth knew Him. He was both in love with God and He was one who knew that to love God was to obey. 00:45:47.840 --> 00:45:53.280 Where do you think Moses learned everything he learned except through the 40 years of solitude 00:45:53.280 --> 00:46:01.280 in the backside of Heron, of Mount Sinai? That is where he became the meekest man on the earth. 00:46:02.880 --> 00:46:09.760 What about Abraham? Alone in the desert sky looking at the stars being told that at 95 00:46:09.760 --> 00:46:15.120 he still doesn't have kids. At 75 he didn't have kids. 95 he doesn't have kids. He looks out and he 00:46:15.120 --> 00:46:20.160 sees the stars and he hears the voice of God. How does a man whose father was an idol worshiper, 00:46:20.960 --> 00:46:25.280 how does a man get chosen out of millions on earth to become the father of faith? 00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:29.040 There is this precious thing about solitude man. 00:46:31.120 --> 00:46:35.600 Where do you think Jesus started His ministry or how do you think He started it? Spending 40 days 00:46:35.600 --> 00:46:44.560 in the wilderness with beasts and with Satan and it launches Him. What about Paul? I love what he 00:46:44.560 --> 00:46:49.360 says. I was in the desert for 14 years through walking through Damascus, walking through Saudi 00:46:49.360 --> 00:46:54.720 Arabia and in those times Christ Himself appeared to me and then He has the audacity. This man who 00:46:54.720 --> 00:47:01.120 did not live to see Christ was born at a time after Him was the least of the apostles says 00:47:01.120 --> 00:47:06.800 and I pass on to you what I received from Christ. Where? How? When? 00:47:14.480 --> 00:47:20.080 Use this time guys. Don't hanker for communal living. How are we hankering for it? How are 00:47:20.080 --> 00:47:23.680 we meeting the need? We're meeting it through Facebook. We're meeting through WhatsApp. We're 00:47:23.680 --> 00:47:29.120 meeting it through hours of video conferencing. Nothing wrong with it. Let it be part of your day 00:47:29.120 --> 00:47:34.800 but my God you don't need this that desperately. It's okay. It's okay. 00:47:40.080 --> 00:47:45.040 You know I don't want things to go back to normal just so I can have my rights and freedoms and 00:47:45.040 --> 00:47:49.840 distractions and noise back. I was telling the Lord that yesterday. I said to the Lord, Father 00:47:49.840 --> 00:47:54.240 I'm praying that this thing will end but I don't want this to end so that I can have 00:47:54.240 --> 00:47:59.760 my normal life back. My life of noise, of distractions, of peoples, of things to do, 00:47:59.760 --> 00:48:07.600 of rights, of freedom. That's not what I am asking for. I don't want an end to this for that sake. 00:48:08.320 --> 00:48:13.920 I can learn how to live without that for a while. 00:48:14.800 --> 00:48:21.280 Psalm 84, 6. It says turn the stagnant pools of 00:48:22.160 --> 00:48:29.200 Baka. Baka means mourning or lament or weeping. It says as they walk through the valley of Baka, 00:48:29.200 --> 00:48:35.920 they turn it into pools of refreshing rain or flowing water. Take the stagnancy that is 00:48:35.920 --> 00:48:40.320 happening around in the world and turn it into a pool of refreshing rain in your life, man. 00:48:40.720 --> 00:48:46.480 Let this Sabbath for your life and for this land bring forth so much fruit when this ends 00:48:46.480 --> 00:48:52.400 and it will end. Isaiah 14, read it again. The past, the bits that I read out, 00:48:52.400 --> 00:48:59.040 the things I'm saying, take a stand, this will end. You know the strange thing and I'm sure it 00:48:59.040 --> 00:49:05.120 applies to pastors and to people and to Christians and non-Christians. The strange thing is men and 00:49:05.120 --> 00:49:09.040 women are struggling to be home with their spouses, with their children and with their 00:49:09.200 --> 00:49:14.400 parents because the legitimate excuse of work and business is taken away. They don't know how to 00:49:14.400 --> 00:49:19.200 function with their husbands and wives and children and parents because they're stuck with them now. 00:49:19.200 --> 00:49:25.760 You can't disappear from nine to five. I'm feeling really bad for pastors. They could go away into 00:49:25.760 --> 00:49:34.880 ministry five out of seven days. What do they do now? Thank God I have this flourishing, thriving 00:49:34.880 --> 00:49:38.480 relationship with my wife and kids 00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:49.440 because the legitimate excuse of busyness is stripped away. And so I'm glad that covenant 00:49:49.440 --> 00:49:55.440 relationships are suddenly taking on an importance that you didn't have to pay attention to before. 00:49:56.240 --> 00:50:00.960 So resist the hankering for community. Resist the hankering for community. 00:50:01.440 --> 00:50:09.040 Guys, I'm not saying don't video chat with each other. I'm just saying don't 00:50:11.360 --> 00:50:17.680 fall for the lie that you cannot survive without it. Actually learn to survive and then learn to 00:50:17.680 --> 00:50:25.920 thrive so that you, like the men I mentioned, can find a place in the sun, S-O-N. 00:50:26.560 --> 00:50:35.440 One last thing that we need to resist and this might be a little extreme. Any questions guys? 00:50:42.080 --> 00:50:48.240 This might be a little extreme and not for actually none but for some who may be hearing 00:50:48.800 --> 00:50:54.880 the first time. Guys, resist sickness. Resist sickness. Resist sickness. 00:50:57.120 --> 00:51:02.960 At times like this, learn how to resist sickness. There's a passivity that can happen towards 00:51:02.960 --> 00:51:06.720 sickness during times like this where it is. This is the condition of the world. True. 00:51:07.360 --> 00:51:13.760 But resist sickness. Identify yourself with people or places where you will find food for faith, 00:51:13.760 --> 00:51:18.960 the kind of faith that does not deny facts but the kind of faith that denies that facts have the 00:51:18.960 --> 00:51:27.360 final word. Let me say that again. Find places or people that you can associate with, that you can 00:51:27.360 --> 00:51:33.040 identify with, that you can connect with, who will feed your faith. What kind of faith are we talking 00:51:33.040 --> 00:51:40.160 about? Not a faith that denies the facts but a faith that denies that facts have the final word. 00:51:41.120 --> 00:51:42.720 Facts do not have the final word. 00:51:45.440 --> 00:51:52.560 Resist sickness. When this thing comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God takes up a stand against 00:51:52.560 --> 00:51:58.080 it. And if that is the case then take a stand with the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God 00:51:58.080 --> 00:52:07.760 always takes a stand against sickness. Say what God says about Himself and say what God says about 00:52:07.760 --> 00:52:13.680 you. What does God say about Himself? I am the one who causes you to fall sick. No! I am the one who 00:52:13.680 --> 00:52:18.640 will not put any disease on you. I am the one who takes away your sickness. He said this in the Old 00:52:18.640 --> 00:52:25.680 Testament before the New Covenant. Say what God says about Himself, say what God says about you 00:52:25.680 --> 00:52:31.920 with song and thanksgiving. Psalm 107 verse 20 to 22, Behold I sent forth my word and I healed your 00:52:31.920 --> 00:52:37.040 disease. So now let people gather and give thanks and sing to the Lord for the good that He has done. 00:52:41.040 --> 00:52:46.880 Sing the goodness of God. While you're sniffing sing the goodness of God. 00:52:52.240 --> 00:52:53.680 Proverbs 420. 00:52:53.680 --> 00:52:54.960 Proverbs 420. 00:53:03.840 --> 00:53:10.960 The difference is at a time like this use it to your advantage because most other times you will get 00:53:10.960 --> 00:53:17.360 Oh yeah let me repeat the question. Can you say the question again? 00:53:17.360 --> 00:53:20.400 What's the difference between hankering for communal living 00:53:23.200 --> 00:53:29.840 and just being made to be with others in the body? Yeah, most of the time the idea of community 00:53:29.840 --> 00:53:35.440 is highly valued and must be highly valued. It is critical to our existence because we are called 00:53:35.440 --> 00:53:42.720 the community of the spirit. So I'm not devaluing that. I'm not saying that we are not devaluing 00:53:42.720 --> 00:53:51.360 the spirit. So I'm not devaluing that. But at a time such as this use it to your advantage. Use 00:53:51.360 --> 00:53:55.680 the valley of Baka and transform it into refreshing pools of water first for yourself 00:53:57.040 --> 00:54:03.840 and then for others in the future. Use this time. It is okay not to be 00:54:05.600 --> 00:54:07.680 ones that are a community now. It is okay. 00:54:07.680 --> 00:54:14.800 Go back and look at all those men who were critical parts of community. Moses, David, Jesus, 00:54:14.800 --> 00:54:20.800 Paul, Abraham. These men were founders of community but they gained their strength in solitude. 00:54:28.320 --> 00:54:35.280 Going back to resisting sickness, Proverbs 420. Proverbs 420. My words are life to those that find 00:54:35.360 --> 00:54:41.360 them. My words are life to those that find them and health to their flesh. Hey, there's this little 00:54:41.360 --> 00:54:48.240 cat in there. My words are life to those that find them, find them, find them, find them, find them. 00:54:48.240 --> 00:54:55.200 My words are life to those that find them. It's not that God is hiding it but you still have to go 00:54:55.200 --> 00:55:03.840 find it. Manner had to be found. You could only find it by going out. You had to go out in the 00:55:03.920 --> 00:55:10.560 morning. You couldn't go out at noon. This is a great time to form habits. 00:55:13.760 --> 00:55:19.280 My words are life to those that find them and then it's health and the word health comes from 00:55:19.280 --> 00:55:28.320 a Hebrew word marpe and marpe means medicine and medicine to their flesh. Gouge, not gouge, gorge 00:55:28.400 --> 00:55:36.640 yourself on the word during times like this. Gouged out of the Bible and gorge yourself on 00:55:37.840 --> 00:55:45.200 the word because those that find them, to them it becomes life and health to the flesh. Romans 8-11. 00:55:46.160 --> 00:55:53.680 Romans 8-11. With his spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's. With his spirit 00:55:53.680 --> 00:56:01.600 living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's. Romans 8-11 says his spirit quickens us 00:56:01.600 --> 00:56:09.520 so most people take that and say he will quicken us once we die. True but you think the presence of 00:56:09.520 --> 00:56:16.560 the spirit of God in this temple doesn't keep this temple in a way that is amazing? This is 00:56:16.560 --> 00:56:22.960 God's property man. Let the spirit of God that is within you, who lives in you, make your body alive 00:56:22.960 --> 00:56:29.280 as Christ's or if you think that Romans 8-11 only applies to those that will one day die and their 00:56:29.280 --> 00:56:36.320 bodies will be quickened. Let me take you then to Psalm 105 verse 37 where it says that a God who 00:56:36.320 --> 00:56:43.040 did not dwell in them but a God who dwelt amongst them, outside of them, it says that he took Israel 00:56:43.040 --> 00:56:52.160 through the desert and not one of them was feeble. Not one of them was feeble. Through hostile terrain 00:56:52.160 --> 00:56:57.600 they walked and not one of them was feeble. Psalm 105 verse 37. Guys why am I giving you these 00:56:57.600 --> 00:57:05.520 scriptures because I'm saying to you learn how to resist sickness. I don't think there's anyone I'm 00:57:05.520 --> 00:57:10.560 speaking to who hasn't fallen sick at some point but man learn how to resist sickness. It ain't a 00:57:10.560 --> 00:57:17.680 natural, it isn't supposed to be something that we just, hey why is it that you resist sin? 00:57:22.160 --> 00:57:24.080 Is that the only thing that we are supposed to resist? 00:57:26.560 --> 00:57:32.000 Resist sickness too. I'm sorry if you think it's an extreme position because I don't. 00:57:34.080 --> 00:57:39.840 Proverbs 17-22 and then we'll end with this. Proverbs 17-22. A joyful heart is good medicine. 00:57:40.480 --> 00:57:45.040 A joyful heart is good medicine. You'll get another chance to be joyful for two songs 00:57:45.040 --> 00:57:50.000 but two songs don't make good medicine. Two songs are just two songs but a joyful heart is good 00:57:50.080 --> 00:57:55.920 medicine. A crushed spirit dries up the bones. A crushed spirit dries up the bones. What does that 00:57:55.920 --> 00:58:00.880 mean guys? Why am I throwing that verse in? Guys if you know people that are not well call them. 00:58:02.160 --> 00:58:08.400 Your call makes a humongous difference. It cheers people up. A joyful heart is good medicine. A 00:58:08.400 --> 00:58:17.040 crushed spirit dries up the bones. Call others. Call others. 00:58:20.640 --> 00:58:28.960 Resist sickness. Resist sickness. Let me conclude. 00:58:31.840 --> 00:58:39.840 I, you know one of my hopes for Acts 29, one of my hopes for you is that when you come back, 00:58:39.840 --> 00:58:44.320 when we start meeting again together once these rules are lifted, when you come back, 00:58:44.320 --> 00:58:49.920 that you will come back with unveiled blazing faces because you encountered 00:58:51.200 --> 00:58:57.360 Yahweh in the burning bush, because you heard the still small voice of God through this season, 00:58:57.360 --> 00:59:06.160 because you saw Christ himself turn up to receive your sacrifice like Abraham when he saw two angels 00:59:06.160 --> 00:59:13.520 come near the trees, the oaks of Mamre, that you will encounter angels, that you will 00:59:14.480 --> 00:59:22.400 overcome Satan in the wilderness. I pray God that every person in Acts 29 will come back 00:59:22.960 --> 00:59:29.440 radically changed through this time for the better because the times ahead we have to, 00:59:29.440 --> 00:59:33.760 I'll talk about that in a second, I pray that you come back radically changed. What should your 00:59:33.760 --> 00:59:38.880 expectation be of me? That Jacob when he returns or Jacob when he begins to meet with us again, 00:59:38.880 --> 00:59:43.920 there'll be a kinder Jacob, there'll be a meeker Jacob, there'll be a less self-engrossed Jacob, 00:59:43.920 --> 00:59:48.640 there'll be a more caring Jacob, there'll be a Jacob who's spiritually much sharper, there'll 00:59:48.640 --> 00:59:52.960 be a Jacob that has increased in intimacy, increased in authority, there'll be a Jacob 00:59:52.960 --> 00:59:59.200 who has been significantly changed by the oodles of time that he now spends in the presence of God 00:59:59.280 --> 01:00:05.120 because he has less to do, less hockey to watch, less places to go to, less hanging out in denny's, 01:00:05.120 --> 01:00:11.120 all those things are gone and Jacob instead of Netflixing is now beginning to enjoy and being 01:00:11.120 --> 01:00:15.920 changed in the presence of God. This is the kind of Jacob you must expect and this is the kind of 01:00:15.920 --> 01:00:21.840 person I expect of you that when what's her name, Jane begins to lead worship, there'll be something 01:00:21.840 --> 01:00:28.080 in that worship that you have never met before. That when Jeevan begins to speak, that even though 01:00:28.080 --> 01:00:32.800 he has so much at the age he is at, that something else will rise up, that when Derek speaks there'll 01:00:32.800 --> 01:00:37.840 be such authority, that when Don sings there'll be something about an anointing and the presence of 01:00:37.840 --> 01:00:44.720 God. I'm just picking on different people. That when Mike begins to play his sax, it's no longer 01:00:44.720 --> 01:00:52.720 the Mike the saxophonist, it is Mike the man of God. I expect Acts 29 to come back changed. 01:00:52.720 --> 01:00:58.960 I expect you to have a burning bush encounter. I expect you to have Christ come and receive your 01:00:58.960 --> 01:01:04.640 sacrifice and say to you, lay them apart and behold a torch shall pass through them and I expect you 01:01:04.640 --> 01:01:11.360 to receive promises from God who is your exceeding great reward and shield during this time. Not only 01:01:11.360 --> 01:01:16.400 is he a shield, he's your exceeding great reward and that's a word that goes out across the earth 01:01:16.400 --> 01:01:22.400 right now. If you're listening, then listen to this rema, the rema of the Lord, the rema of the 01:01:22.640 --> 01:01:29.200 Lord and here is a rema word for you that he says to you right now that I am not just your shield, 01:01:29.200 --> 01:01:33.440 I am your exceedingly great reward through this time. 01:01:36.080 --> 01:01:42.960 This is who we are talking about. This is who we are talking about. Guys, come back changed, eh? 01:01:42.960 --> 01:01:49.040 Come back changed. Persevere through this time. Come back changed with unveiled blazing faces 01:01:49.040 --> 01:01:54.400 because you have encountered Yahweh, you have encountered his son, you've known his spirit in 01:01:54.400 --> 01:01:59.520 a way that you've never known him before in your life. This is how we turn the valley of Baka into 01:01:59.520 --> 01:02:06.240 a pool of refreshing water. This Sabbath will bring back life to you and when it brings back 01:02:06.240 --> 01:02:11.120 life to you, it will bring back life to this land and to the nations of the earth. 01:02:11.120 --> 01:02:13.120 Guys, 01:02:18.240 --> 01:02:25.040 conspire with the Holy Spirit. Conspire with the Holy Spirit. 2020, God told us, 01:02:25.920 --> 01:02:32.400 was the year of the Holy Spirit. You think suddenly that it ended? My God, man, I'm telling you, 01:02:33.120 --> 01:02:40.080 this, he's setting us up. This will be more the year of the Holy Spirit than you have ever known. 01:02:42.080 --> 01:02:49.120 I love the fact that every time Satan thinks he's one, he loses bigger than ever. 01:02:51.200 --> 01:02:57.120 This is still the year of the Holy Spirit. Conspire with him. I'm already conspiring. Once 01:02:57.120 --> 01:03:04.960 this thing lifts, where, when, what, why, how? Conspire with him. I want to end with 01:03:04.960 --> 01:03:14.800 this. Others in the world, as in people of the world, are already predicting and preparing 01:03:15.360 --> 01:03:22.960 to fill the vacuum that will be created when COVID-19 lifts. Hear me carefully. 01:03:22.960 --> 01:03:36.960 The people of the world are already planning, predicting, and preparing for life after COVID-19 01:03:38.320 --> 01:03:42.800 because they know there will be a vacuum. And they're already thinking ahead, 01:03:42.800 --> 01:03:48.160 what will the world need most when this ends? And they're thinking ahead technologically, 01:03:48.160 --> 01:03:50.960 they're thinking ahead corporately, they're thinking ahead financially. 01:03:51.600 --> 01:03:57.680 They're thinking that if we don't find ourselves on the cutting edge, then someone else will come 01:03:57.680 --> 01:04:02.400 and take over that space or the vacuum that exists now as soon as COVID-19 lifts. 01:04:03.760 --> 01:04:11.280 One of the things I'm hoping God will give us as a church is ways for businessmen, for IT professionals, 01:04:11.280 --> 01:04:16.800 for guys who are sneezing, for guys who are coughing, for guys who are not, for pastors, 01:04:16.800 --> 01:04:23.520 for the church, for all of us to begin to plan ahead. And I'll be talking about that. One of the 01:04:23.520 --> 01:04:27.920 things I'm asking is, Father, could you show, could you please show? Hey, God did this with Joseph, 01:04:27.920 --> 01:04:32.560 man. Just think of it. This is not in my notes, but just think of this for a second. So there was 01:04:32.560 --> 01:04:39.040 a famine that was coming across. This is in Egypt. God knows it. Joseph didn't know it. 01:04:39.680 --> 01:04:44.880 But then God reveals it to Joseph through Pharaoh, a pagan king who sees a dream. And what does Joseph 01:04:44.880 --> 01:04:54.000 do? He begins to preempt, plan, predict, and then prepare. And in the process, the world gets grain, 01:04:54.000 --> 01:05:00.240 but Egypt becomes the greatest empire of the times. And Joseph becomes the prime minister 01:05:00.240 --> 01:05:08.160 who has all power. He was like unto Pharaoh. I am praying that God will give us the same ability 01:05:08.720 --> 01:05:16.000 in this rag-tag, motley crew called Acts 29, mega church as it is, that God will give us this ability 01:05:16.000 --> 01:05:21.440 so that in your different fields of work or your different fields of retirement, 01:05:21.440 --> 01:05:27.360 God will help you begin to plan for what will happen when a vacuum will exist as soon as COVID-19 01:05:27.360 --> 01:05:32.000 lifts. I pray, God, that I'll be able to give you that. Pray for me, guys, that I won't back off, 01:05:32.000 --> 01:05:37.680 that I won't take it easy, that I won't get passive, that I won't resign myself to kayserah, 01:05:37.680 --> 01:05:41.680 that there'll be such a passion that begins to arise in my heart. That will be a benefit to you 01:05:41.680 --> 01:05:44.240 and to the nations, eh? Because I'm praying that for you.