WEBVTT

NOTE
Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver
Episode: Spirit Strategic
Publishing Date: 2018-02-11T05:00:44-08:00
Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca
Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/spirit-strategic/

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Rosalind's in the house.

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Guys, what we have to talk about today is,

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I think, one of the most important teachings we've done in a while.

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Because last time when we left off,

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we were talking about,

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if you were the CEO of a company,

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how would you go about strategizing Matthew 18 to 20?

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And I got your replies and looked at them.

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And so this kind of sums it all up.

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So he'll give out the sheets and then we'll start.

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Okay, cool.

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Okay, cool.

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So guys, here's a statement we started off with last week and the week before.

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That we have been set apart by Christ to assist him in setting others apart.

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This is the statement we made.

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Or we've been making over the last two weeks.

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That we have been set apart by Christ,

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so that we may assist him in setting others apart.

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That's where we've been parked for the last two weeks.

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You can go on to the next overhead whenever you're ready, Ryan.

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No hurry.

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And so the question asked last time was, as an individual,

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how do I go about this?

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As an individual, how do I go about this?

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That's why we kind of stopped.

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That's why we kind of stopped.

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As an individual, how do I go about this?

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And the response was,

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I'm just summing up what we did last time.

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The response was you take the single cell of your life

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and you join it.

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That's the first thing you do.

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You join it to the body of Christ.

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Because by yourself, you can't accomplish much.

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But when you're joined to a body,

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now you find your place, your location, your direction, your function.

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So the first thing we do, and this is critical because

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in our highly individualized societies,

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we prefer being single cells.

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So we come to church on a Sunday

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and come in as single cells, go away as single cells,

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and we have our own ministries, our own gifts and talents,

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which we try to put into application during the week.

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And while there's nothing wrong with it, it's not effective.

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That's not how Christ wanted us to do things.

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Hey, May. How's your uncle?

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Stable, huh? Okay.

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So you take the single cell of your life

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and you join it to the body of Christ.

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Now when this single cell joins the body of Christ,

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now you've got direction, function, location, strength, ability,

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and all of Christ helping you to accomplish what you need to accomplish.

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So that's where we come in.

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And so today we want to talk about this thing called Spirit Strategic,

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which you can take any title and give it to this message.

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I just like the sound of Spirit Strategic.

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And what are we trying to say when we say the word Spirit Strategic?

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We're saying, what is the action plan of the Spirit?

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What is the action plan of the Spirit

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What is the action plan of the Spirit?

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What is the action plan of the Spirit

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revealed in Christ's teachings,

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revealed in the book of Acts,

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revealed in the epistles?

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What is the action plan of the Holy Spirit?

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For a church, or for the church,

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Acts 29 being one of the churches that exist.

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But what is the Spirit of God's action plan?

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Why is this important, guys?

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Because if you don't have that, then what do you have?

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On what basis are we running the church

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if it is not by the basis of the Spirit?

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Why even bother?

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Because really, we're not about gathering here for a time of worship.

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We're not even here gathering here for a time of teaching.

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Those things are a means towards an end.

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When church becomes about Sunday school worship and teaching,

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or marriage counseling,

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then it is a false end.

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It's a false horizon.

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All this is towards another end.

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And the strategy of the Spirit, or the plan of the Spirit,

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is revealed through looking at what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit,

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then revealed by looking at what the Holy Spirit did in the book of Acts,

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and then finally looking at what did Paul say

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when he wrote letters to the churches

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who had problems with the way the Holy Spirit dealt with them.

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Once you see it all, you get to understand,

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aha, so this is the blueprint of the Spirit.

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And guys, once you know the blueprint,

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and it is so simple, so easy to follow,

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once you know the blueprint, you know where you fit.

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You can prepare to fit when you know the blueprint.

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Like, I've sat with guys who are architects

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when they're designing a house.

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There's a guy in Vernon who does it,

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and I was watching him do it,

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and he outlines the whole blueprint,

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and then he even phases when each person should come in.

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There are trades that need to come in on a certain day,

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do a certain thing.

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A mason can't turn up whenever he wants.

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A plumber can't turn up first because there's nothing to plumb.

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So everyone gets to prepare and be ready for the right fit

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once you know the blueprint.

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And so the Spirit of God isn't keeping it a mystery or a secret.

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He's revealed it so that we as a church may know it,

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and when we as a church know it,

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then you get to know the part you play.

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And so the starting point for anything

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that has to do with church and the Spirit of God

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is profession and demonstration of the Gospel.

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That's where it starts, so that's where we go first.

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The first thing that the Spirit of God wants us to do,

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the starting point is that, guys,

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if you are someone who, there's one less,

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then profess and demonstrate the Gospel.

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Profess and demonstrate the Gospel.

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This is the starting point.

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We can't avoid this, and this is what we love avoiding.

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What do I mean by profess?

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Meaning proclaim and confess.

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Proclaim is not a word we use often,

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but professing is something we do.

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We profess stuff.

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It's not even an opinion, it's a conviction.

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We profess.

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We proclaim and confess.

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We put it together.

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We profess and demonstrate the Gospel,

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where in our spheres,

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segments of society,

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streets we walk in,

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that's where we profess and demonstrate.

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You see this, in the city that God has placed you in,

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in the city that the Spirit of God has led you to.

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This is where we start.

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If you go to Acts 16, Acts 16,

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you see that happening, Acts 16,

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they would be led by the Spirit,

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and once they were led by the Spirit,

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they would turn up at a certain city,

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and once they would turn up at a certain city,

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they would have, they would go to the streets.

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Paul went to the river,

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because he knew people would gather there.

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Let's go to Acts 16,

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and let's read from 6 to, say,

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6 to 13, Acts 16.

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Here's what it says.

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Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region

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of Phrygia and Galatia,

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having been kept by the Holy Spirit

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from preaching the word in the province of Asia.

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So they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching in Asia.

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When they came to the border of Mycea,

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they tried to enter Bithynia,

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but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to,

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so again they were stopped.

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So they passed by Mycea and went down to Troas.

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During the night,

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Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia

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standing and begging him,

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come over to Macedonia and help us.

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After Paul had seen the vision,

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we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia,

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concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

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So once they knew which city they had to go to,

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they went there.

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And they knew what?

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Not first to build a church,

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but to preach, to confess and demonstrate

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the Christ of the gospels.

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This is so critical, guys,

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and this is what we use evangelists for

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and have crusades for,

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when the truth of the matter is you and I.

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Confess and demonstrate.

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And so look at what happens next.

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From Troas we put out a sea and sail

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straight for Samothraeus

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and the next day onto Neopolis.

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From there we traveled to Philippi,

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a Roman colony and leading city

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in the district of Macedonia.

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And we stayed there for several days.

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And now look at the street or the place

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or the segment of society or sphere that they go to.

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On the Sabbath we went outside

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the city gate to the river

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where we expected to find a place of prayer.

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We sat down and began to speak

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to the women who were gathered there.

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So the first step or the starting point is,

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Oh God, in the city that I met,

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will you teach me and lead me to places

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where I can confess

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or profess and demonstrate the gospel?

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Because there are certain areas

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that you've given me in the city.

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You as a teacher have certain segments

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and spheres of society.

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You as a retired person

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have certain people that you can access,

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have access to. You as a pianist

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have certain people that we will never be able to touch.

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You as a construction worker

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have a bunch of guys that will never be

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willing to come to meet a pastor.

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That's where we start.

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What's the intent?

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The intent is what I've written here.

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Through our profession and demonstration of Christ

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and his teachings, we persuade men and women.

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Turn to 2 Corinthians

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2 Corinthians

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2 Corinthians 3.16

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2 Corinthians 3.16

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2 Corinthians 3.16

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I'm going to read it out loud.

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2 Corinthians 3.16

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Here's what it says then.

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Whenever anyone turns

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to the Lord, I'm going to say

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Lord Jesus Christ, but whenever

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anyone turns to the Lord Jesus Christ,

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the veil is

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taken away.

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And then we

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go to the next verse which we sang about today.

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Now the Lord is the Spirit

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and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

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But the first step guys,

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so when we say profess and demonstrate,

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what are we saying?

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We are saying, oh God, through our speaking

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and through our actions and demonstration

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of who you are, Jesus,

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we want to persuade.

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Not gently placed.

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Not, if you don't mind.

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Persuade has a degree of

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force to it.

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It's not aggressive. It's not

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invasion of someone's space.

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But there is a pressing

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to it. There's a persuasion requires

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a certain amount of pressing.

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We persuade men and women

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to turn to the Lord. Why do we

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want them to turn to Jesus Christ?

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Because the moment they turn to Jesus

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Christ, your work is done.

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This is the beauty

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of it. We don't have to bring

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a person into a place of

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confess now and receive Jesus.

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Otherwise you'll go to hell. We got to show

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them Jesus. When they see Jesus,

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what happens is

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they have

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their veil

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taken off.

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Till then guys, there's a dullness.

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But the moment you show them Jesus

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as who? Jesus as both

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Savior and God.

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I've said this

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before and I say it again. You can't

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have someone accept Jesus Christ

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as Lord and Master till they first

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admit that they need a Savior

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who can save them from sins.

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I find it easier

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to bring someone to Jesus saying

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do you like to accept Jesus as your

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Master? But the first

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thing that Jesus wants is

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do you want to recognize that you

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are sinful and that

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I am not your enemy. I'm your friend

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and I died for you to save you from sins.

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If you can

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show them who Jesus is

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and they turn to look at him,

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things change. I mean I showed you these

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images before and I told you it's not

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a religious image. It's not against

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any religion but it highlights this point.

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Just go to the next slide.

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Yeah. This is how most

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people walk. This is how you and I used

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to walk. Faces veiled.

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Completely covered in darkness.

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And trust me, I'm not talking about this religion.

00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:05.000
I'm talking about just the

00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:07.000
imagery of it.

00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:09.000
Completely covered in darkness.

00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:11.000
Veils on our face. And then at some

00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:13.000
point, the Holy Spirit

00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:15.000
used someone again

00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:17.000
and again and again in my life and your life

00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:19.000
till we were

00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:21.000
able to look at Jesus.

00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:23.000
And the moment we looked at Jesus,

00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:25.000
Ryan,

00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:27.000
the veil is removed.

00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:29.000
And for the first time,

00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:31.000
the dullness

00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:33.000
goes away. This still doesn't mean

00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:35.000
that the person is now willing

00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:37.000
to receive Jesus. But now

00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:39.000
the person has an understanding of Jesus

00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:41.000
based

00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:43.000
on which they can exert their will

00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:45.000
either to say yes or no.

00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:47.000
But the veil is removed.

00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:49.000
When you look at it,

00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:51.000
our job is so simple

00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:53.000
to turn people to Jesus.

00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:55.000
Because Jesus and his Spirit do

00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:57.000
the rest of the work.

00:14:59.000 --> 00:15:01.000
And when the veil is removed,

00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:03.000
at some point, the Spirit of God

00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:05.000
moves in and where the Spirit of the Lord

00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:07.000
is there is freedom.

00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:09.000
And what does freedom look like, Ryan?

00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:11.000
You take off everything, eh?

00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:15.000
Joy hits you.

00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:19.000
The reason I wanted to

00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:21.000
bring up these images again is because

00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:23.000
it kind of sums up

00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:25.000
what we are trying to do.

00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:27.000
Where is this from?

00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:29.000
It's in 2 Corinthians

00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:31.000
5,

00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:33.000
go to 2 Corinthians 5

00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.000
verse

00:15:37.000 --> 00:15:39.000
20, 19 and 20.

00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:41.000
Let's go to verse 19

00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:43.000
first.

00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:45.000
2 Corinthians 5, verse 19.

00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:47.000
Look at what it says there.

00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:49.000
That God was, I love the word,

00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:51.000
not that God is,

00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:53.000
that God was reconciling

00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:55.000
the world to himself in Christ.

00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:57.000
Not counting men's sins

00:15:57.000 --> 00:15:59.000
against them. And he has committed

00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:01.000
to us the message of reconciliation.

00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:03.000
God was, as in

00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:05.000
the price for all sin

00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:07.000
and every sinful person

00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:09.000
on the face of the earth has been

00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:11.000
paid for. He was reconciling.

00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:13.000
Having done that, having

00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:15.000
paid the price, now he entrusts

00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:17.000
you, as in assigns you

00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:19.000
with a degree of trust

00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:21.000
that you will continue

00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:23.000
to let people

00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:25.000
know that he is not an

00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:27.000
enemy, he is a friend who laid down his life.

00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:29.000
That God

00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:31.000
was reconciling,

00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:33.000
verse 19, that God

00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:35.000
was reconciling the world to himself in Christ.

00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:37.000
Not counting men's sins against them.

00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:39.000
And he has committed to us the message

00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:41.000
of reconciliation. Verse 20,

00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:43.000
we are therefore Christ's ambassadors

00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:45.000
as though God

00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:47.000
were making his appeal through us.

00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:49.000
We implore you on

00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:51.000
Christ's behalf, be reconciled to

00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:53.000
God.

00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:57.000
This is what it means when we say

00:16:57.000 --> 00:16:59.000
assisting Christ to

00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:01.000
set others apart. We have

00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:03.000
been reconciled so that we

00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:05.000
may assist Christ in helping

00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:07.000
him reconcile others

00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:09.000
to himself.

00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:11.000
Any questions on that before we go on?

00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:19.000
Guys, this is the core of our being.

00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:21.000
There is no greater

00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:23.000
mandate. You don't need to find another

00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:25.000
ministry. Every Christian has

00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:27.000
been given, entrusted, I love

00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.000
the word entrusted. It carries, hi

00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:31.000
George.

00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:35.000
Every, every, every

00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:37.000
Christian carries this ministry

00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:39.000
of being entrusted

00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:41.000
with. As in, I trust

00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:43.000
you enough to assign this to you.

00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:45.000
You don't need to find another

00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:47.000
ministry really. This is the

00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:49.000
general character of your ministry.

00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:51.000
Anything that avoids

00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:53.000
this is actually fake.

00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:57.000
It's cosmetics.

00:17:57.000 --> 00:17:59.000
It's not the real foundation.

00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:05.000
And we churches have

00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:07.000
become experts at avoiding this.

00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:09.000
We've mastered

00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:11.000
the art of avoiding this.

00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:17.000
With stuff like crusades and stuff like that.

00:18:17.000 --> 00:18:19.000
Nothing wrong with it, but it prevents

00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:21.000
the actual people from participating

00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:23.000
in the ministry of God.

00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:25.000
And it leaves it to some professionals.

00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:27.000
Who have to

00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:29.000
collect thousands and thousands of dollars

00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:31.000
before they can handle a crusade.

00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:33.000
While for you,

00:18:33.000 --> 00:18:35.000
it'll take no dollars. You're doing it

00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:37.000
at work. Someone's paying you for it.

00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:45.000
Questions?

00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:57.000
If we all did this, then we wouldn't need to have a crusade in the areas that we live in.

00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:01.000
Other areas, I'm not saying crusades are a bad thing.

00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:03.000
I'm just saying we have come up with

00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:05.000
less than excellent

00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:07.000
things to make up

00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:09.000
for avoiding the more excellent things.

00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:21.000
Any questions, guys?

00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:29.000
Any questions, guys?

00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:39.000
Then you let them be.

00:19:39.000 --> 00:19:41.000
Because the person has a will and a choice.

00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:43.000
And one must respect

00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:45.000
that the other person is made in the image of God.

00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:47.000
And exerts his will.

00:19:47.000 --> 00:19:51.000
Jesus gave Adam the freedom

00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:53.000
to go through the motion of

00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:55.000
taking the forbidden fruit

00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:57.000
from Eve to eat.

00:19:57.000 --> 00:19:59.000
Jesus gave Lucifer

00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:01.000
the freedom in his

00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:03.000
backyard to plan

00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:05.000
a rebellion.

00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:07.000
Not to just

00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.000
disobey. To disobey and then

00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:11.000
plan a rebellion.

00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:13.000
A rebellion takes

00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:15.000
a little time to ferment.

00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:19.000
Or maybe it takes two seconds.

00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:21.000
But he got two seconds.

00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:25.000
So,

00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:27.000
when a person does not want

00:20:27.000 --> 00:20:29.000
to hear,

00:20:29.000 --> 00:20:31.000
stop short of shaking

00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:33.000
the dirt off your shoes, because that only do

00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:35.000
to believers.

00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:37.000
But you have to say,

00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:39.000
if you do not want to know about

00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:41.000
Jesus Christ, then I will not

00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:43.000
force it on you.

00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:45.000
Because Jesus who loves that

00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:47.000
person who rejected him, will find

00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.000
at least 51

00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:51.000
other ways

00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:53.000
to bring his reality to them.

00:20:57.000 --> 00:20:59.000
That's the beauty of it.

00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:01.000
Just because I rejected him four

00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:03.000
times, didn't mean

00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:05.000
that Jesus didn't come chasing

00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:07.000
after me. I remember finally

00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:09.000
when I did give my life to the

00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:11.000
Lord, I was in a train and I was

00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.000
these were my words to Jesus. Jesus,

00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:15.000
you have told me through many

00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:17.000
people about yourself. And

00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:19.000
I have kept rejecting it again and again

00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:21.000
and again and again, deliberately.

00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:23.000
I've lost the number, count

00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:25.000
of the number of times I have said, no,

00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:27.000
I don't want Jesus. I am

00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:29.000
at this moment, not even

00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:31.000
sure if you are

00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:33.000
still willing to open the door.

00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:35.000
And therefore, if you're still willing

00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:37.000
to open the door and receive me,

00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:39.000
would you give me a visible

00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:41.000
sign, because I have rejected you so many

00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:43.000
times. And that's when the train

00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:45.000
comes and stops opposite

00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:47.000
a hill on

00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:49.000
which is a, on top of which is a

00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:51.000
Catholic church and in front of the Catholic church,

00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:53.000
is this three times the size of life

00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:55.000
statue of Jesus with his arms

00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:57.000
open wide like this. And I

00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:59.000
see that and I think to myself, my

00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:01.000
God, I can come to Jesus today

00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:03.000
after rejecting him so many times.

00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:05.000
And I did

00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:07.000
what you just said. One man,

00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:09.000
he would come after me and say, you need to receive

00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:11.000
Jesus. And I started using filthy

00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:13.000
words on him saying, Paul Daniel, you stay

00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:15.000
away from me because he was calling me the son of

00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:17.000
darkness, which isn't exactly

00:22:17.000 --> 00:22:19.000
the way to.

00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:23.000
Yeah.

00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.000
Yes, absolutely.

00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:31.000
So

00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:35.000
Jesus Christ keeps coming after

00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:37.000
you.

00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:39.000
But he

00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:41.000
never takes away your will to decide.

00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:43.000
Our intent is, can I

00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:45.000
turn this person's face

00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:47.000
towards Jesus? Because if he can

00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:49.000
see what Jesus did,

00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:51.000
it will change him.

00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:53.000
Or it will at least open his eyes.

00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:55.000
Now he can still choose. Ah, it is

00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:57.000
so brilliant that God does not take away free will.

00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:03.000
What a, what a, what a

00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:05.000
God. If there is anybody

00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.000
in the world who has the right to

00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.000
take away your will,

00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:11.000
it is the one who gave you your will.

00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:15.000
And he will not.

00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:17.000
What a God.

00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:19.000
How dare we? How dare

00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:21.000
pastors.

00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.000
What is our motivation for

00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:33.000
professing and demonstrating the Gospel

00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:35.000
in, as Christ has commanded us?

00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:39.000
I mean, if you go back to that first slide,

00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:41.000
it says, go and make disciples.

00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:43.000
Don't, Ryan, I'm just saying.

00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:45.000
You can shut the slight thingy off.

00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:47.000
Because there's nothing else, right?

00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:49.000
Okay.

00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:51.000
So

00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:53.000
what is the

00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:55.000
motivation? It's in 2 Corinthians 5,

00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:57.000
2 Corinthians 5,

00:23:57.000 --> 00:23:59.000
verse 11,

00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:01.000
and verse 14.

00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:03.000
Look at what it says, 2 Corinthians 5,

00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:05.000
verse 11 and verse 14.

00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:07.000
It says in 2 Corinthians 5,

00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:09.000
since then, we know

00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:11.000
what it is to fear the Lord.

00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:13.000
We try to persuade

00:24:13.000 --> 00:24:15.000
men. And verse 14,

00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:17.000
for Christ's love

00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:19.000
compels us, because we are

00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:21.000
convinced that one died for all and therefore

00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:23.000
all died. So there are two motivations

00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:25.000
for professing and demonstrating

00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:27.000
the Gospel. The first one

00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:29.000
is the fear of

00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:31.000
God, and the second one

00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:33.000
is the love

00:24:33.000 --> 00:24:35.000
of God. The fear

00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:37.000
of God persuades

00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:39.000
us, and

00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:41.000
the love of God compels us.

00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:43.000
These are the

00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:45.000
two motives that are mentioned in the Bible

00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:47.000
for going ahead

00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:49.000
and helping

00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:51.000
people look at Jesus.

00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:53.000
What do you mean the fear of God? We'll only

00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:55.000
touch that. We won't do the love of God today.

00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:57.000
We'll just talk about the fear of God. What do you mean

00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:59.000
the fear of God persuades us

00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:01.000
to let people know

00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:03.000
who Jesus is?

00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:05.000
What is this fear of God? Guys, the fear

00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:07.000
of God is this.

00:25:07.000 --> 00:25:09.000
If you have received

00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:11.000
Jesus Christ, you will not

00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:13.000
be judged anymore as a sinner.

00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:15.000
But there is an

00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:17.000
evaluation of the saints.

00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:19.000
If you

00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:21.000
are someone who's

00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:23.000
received Jesus Christ,

00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:25.000
who died on a cross for your sins,

00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:27.000
you will no longer be judged as a

00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:29.000
sinner. There is no longer

00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:31.000
condemnation for anyone

00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:33.000
who has received Christ into their lives.

00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:35.000
But

00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:37.000
there is an evaluation

00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:39.000
of your life

00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:41.000
by Jesus Christ.

00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:49.000
Christ will judge

00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:51.000
his servants,

00:25:51.000 --> 00:25:53.000
sons, and daughters,

00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:55.000
which we are.

00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:57.000
If you have received Christ, you will

00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:59.000
be evaluated on, hey,

00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:01.000
I gave you a gift.

00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:03.000
Salvation is a gift

00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:05.000
that comes with responsibilities.

00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:07.000
Salvation is a gift

00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:09.000
that comes with responsibilities.

00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:11.000
Jesus is saying, I gave you a

00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:13.000
gift. Let me see how you did

00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:15.000
with it, and you will be evaluated.

00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.000
There is a sense of

00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:19.000
accountability to the Lord Jesus Christ.

00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:21.000
There is a sense.

00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:23.000
This is not some big screen

00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:25.000
on which everything you do will be

00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:27.000
put. Read 2 Corinthians

00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:29.000
chapter 5, verse 6 onwards.

00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:31.000
2 Corinthians

00:26:31.000 --> 00:26:33.000
5, verse 6 onwards.

00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:35.000
Therefore, we are always confident

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:37.000
and know that as long as

00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:39.000
we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord.

00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:41.000
We live by faith, not by

00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:43.000
sight. Verse 9.

00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:45.000
We make it our goal

00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:47.000
to please him, whether we are at home or

00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:49.000
in the body or away from it. Listen

00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:51.000
to verse 10. That's a clincher. For

00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:53.000
you, I'm going to change the

00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:55.000
words a little, for you will

00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:57.000
appear before the judgment

00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:59.000
seat of Christ, that you

00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:01.000
may receive what is

00:27:01.000 --> 00:27:03.000
due you for the things done

00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:05.000
while in the body, whether

00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:07.000
good or bad.

00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:09.000
So there is a day when

00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:11.000
Wayne, when Rosalind,

00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:13.000
when Jacob, when Sheldon

00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:15.000
will stand

00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:17.000
before Jesus Christ as judge

00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:19.000
to be evaluated

00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:21.000
on in your body,

00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:23.000
knowing the truths you knew,

00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:25.000
the gifts you have, the life

00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:27.000
that was given you. What

00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:29.000
did you do with

00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:31.000
it? It won't be put on a

00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:33.000
screen for public display because God is

00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:35.000
not into doing

00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:37.000
anything but giving you dignity

00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:39.000
and honor.

00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:41.000
But there is commendation,

00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:43.000
there are rewards.

00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:45.000
And there

00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:47.000
will be responsibilities given.

00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:53.000
I want us to understand

00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:55.000
this.

00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:57.000
And it will be based on did we

00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:59.000
please him?

00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:01.000
And if we go by the

00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:03.000
last will and testament

00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:05.000
of the one who died for us, Jesus Christ,

00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:07.000
then Matthew 28, 18

00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:09.000
to 20 will come into play.

00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:11.000
Go therefore and make

00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:13.000
disciples of all nations.

00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:15.000
How did you do with it?

00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:21.000
And Wayne and Rosalind and I

00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:23.000
will probably face this before

00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:25.000
Jillian and

00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:27.000
Dawn face it.

00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:35.000
Redeem time if you are older than

00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:37.000
50.

00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:39.000
Be wise with

00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:41.000
time if you are younger than 29.

00:28:43.000 --> 00:29:03.000
There will be a sense of accountability to the Lord Jesus Christ with regard to the call on your life and with regard to specific tasks given you.

00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:07.000
Some of us, all of us have this general call on our life.

00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:09.000
That hey guys, you are

00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:11.000
meant to turn people

00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:13.000
to see my son Jesus

00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:15.000
because you were set apart

00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:17.000
to assist him in setting others

00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:19.000
apart. Through your

00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:21.000
profession and through

00:29:21.000 --> 00:29:23.000
a demonstration of your life,

00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:25.000
show them who Jesus is

00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:27.000
so that they may look at him.

00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:29.000
That's your job. One says look

00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:31.000
at him. The dullness is removed

00:29:31.000 --> 00:29:33.000
and they can choose whether they want

00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:35.000
to step in or not.

00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:39.000
I reconciled you,

00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:41.000
meaning I made peace with you.

00:29:41.000 --> 00:29:43.000
I shed my blood on the cross

00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:45.000
for you, Jacob, so that

00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:47.000
you could be mine. Now that you

00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:49.000
are mine, join me in the one

00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:51.000
task that I'm still doing on the earth

00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:53.000
which is bringing others

00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:55.000
for whose lives I've paid the price

00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:57.000
to recognize who I am.

00:29:57.000 --> 00:29:59.000
This is a ministry

00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:01.000
that is common to every person

00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:03.000
who receives Christ.

00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:05.000
And then there are specific mandates.

00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:07.000
In Paul's case, his

00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:09.000
specific mandate was I have been

00:30:09.000 --> 00:30:11.000
sent to non-Jews

00:30:11.000 --> 00:30:13.000
to show them who Christ is.

00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:15.000
In Peter's case, his mandate

00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:17.000
was I am being sent to the

00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:19.000
Jews to show them who

00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:21.000
they put on a cross.

00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:23.000
John's mandate was

00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:25.000
I am being shown what

00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:27.000
awaits in the future

00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:29.000
so that I can write it down and give hope to

00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:31.000
people.

00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:33.000
Timothy's mandate was you

00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:35.000
are an evangelist and a pastor. I'm

00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:37.000
going to send you to these churches and there you have to do well.

00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:39.000
Phoebe's

00:30:39.000 --> 00:30:41.000
mandate was I'm a woman of

00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:43.000
some substantial means and

00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:45.000
resources. I'll be a benefactor.

00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:47.000
Epaphroditus'

00:30:47.000 --> 00:30:49.000
mandate was I'm a faithful

00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:51.000
messenger. If you give me a message,

00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:53.000
I'll take it and do it well.

00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:55.000
Aquila and Priscilla's mandate was

00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:57.000
we are tent makers. We go from city to city.

00:30:57.000 --> 00:30:59.000
We'll start churches, teach people,

00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:01.000
bring Paul in, and then we'll move to another city.

00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:25.000
So please, the Master in your service here on Earth, for you will be judged on the management and the execution of the gifts and responsibilities he gave you for the sake of Christ and the body.

00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:31.000
Go to 1 Corinthians 3 and you'll see a passage there that is quite strong.

00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:33.000
I'm so grateful to visit the

00:31:33.000 --> 00:31:43.000
passages after so long because it will prevent me from hiding behind being the pastor of a church.

00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:55.000
We're only talking about the fear of God persuading us, the love of God compelling us. We'll talk about that next week.

00:31:55.000 --> 00:32:01.000
Both are solid motives for professing the Lord.

00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:05.000
Professing and demonstrating who Christ is.

00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:11.000
1 Corinthians 3, verse 10-15.

00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:13.000
1 Corinthians 3, verses 10-15.

00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:25.000
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each should be careful how he builds.

00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.000
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:33.000
Listen to the next bit. This applies to us.

00:32:33.000 --> 00:32:39.000
Because every believer is called to work with Christ in building his church. Nobody is exempt.

00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:41.000
So here's what it says in verse 12.

00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:57.000
If any man builds on this foundation, meaning the foundation of Christ, using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is because the day, meaning there is a day of judgment, which will bring it to light.

00:32:57.000 --> 00:33:08.000
It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burnt up, he will suffer loss.

00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:25.000
That's the strangest thing that I thought I would read there, that there is actually loss in heaven.

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:40.000
Because you would think it's a place only of rewards, gains, responsibilities, commendation, but there is loss in heaven.

00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:52.000
Now you can see why Paul said that the fear of God persuades me to do this because he really got a grip of, oh shucks, it's not going to be all angels and philities.

00:33:52.000 --> 00:34:01.000
There's more to it in heaven than that. And so he, this is why it really grabbed him, eh? It bothered him.

00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:12.000
Because look at what it says there. Verse 15. If it is burnt up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the fire.

00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:26.000
As in, yes, your salvation is secure, but you will suffer loss in heaven.

00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:41.000
Questions?

00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:56.000
I'm way behind the eight ball on this, guys. As a pastor, it's been easy to do pastoral things and not really step out to engage in professing and demonstrating Christ.

00:34:56.000 --> 00:35:10.000
It's easy to do this and be absolutely content and happy with, but I'm doing such a great job.

00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:33.000
Thoughts, questions? I mean, if you don't respond, I can understand because it's, I'm sure when Paul's readers read this, they didn't shout hallelujah either.

00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:44.000
Okay. Someone can find the eraser.

00:35:44.000 --> 00:35:49.000
We'll talk about how the love of God compels us next week.

00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:58.000
But I wanted to touch on the fear of God because I've rarely thought about that as a motivation for speaking.

00:35:58.000 --> 00:36:07.000
Well, there's this movie called The Fourth Magi or something like that. The Fourth Wise Men.

00:36:07.000 --> 00:36:12.000
It's a Christmas movie, kind of corny, but nice.

00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:20.000
And I used to watch it every Christmas for five Christmases because I kind of liked that movie. And it was Martin Sheen anyways.

00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:28.000
And in the movie, he's the fourth wise man who doesn't make it in time to join the three wise men who are going to see Jesus.

00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:35.000
And so he's got in his hands these very precious stones that he wants to give to Jesus.

00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:39.000
And he's chasing behind the three who've gone ahead.

00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:46.000
And then he comes to a place and there is a friend of his whose daughter has been kidnapped.

00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:50.000
And the soldiers are taking away, not kidnapped, she's being just taken away by the soldiers.

00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:58.000
And so he now has a choice. These three stones that he brought for the infant Jesus, he wants to give it to.

00:36:58.000 --> 00:37:06.000
But then he sees his girl being taken away. And so he takes one of the stones and exchanges it for her life, gets her back.

00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:14.000
Then he goes further and then he finds a leper who takes him to a leprosy colony and they are desperate for help.

00:37:14.000 --> 00:37:18.000
And now he gives the second stone away to the leprosy colony.

00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:23.000
And he ends up staying, helping the lepers for years and years and years.

00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:28.000
And then the third stone he gives away for someone else's sake. In the end, he's got nothing.

00:37:28.000 --> 00:37:35.000
And he misses the birth. He's been in Judea now for 30 years.

00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:40.000
Completely given up on life. He's become a bitter old man.

00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:45.000
And then the movie ends with Jesus being put on the cross.

00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:53.000
And as he's being taken to the cross, this fourth wise man comes across him.

00:37:53.000 --> 00:37:59.000
And Jesus looks at him and Martin Sheen, whatever his character was, says,

00:37:59.000 --> 00:38:04.000
But Lord, I've got nothing to give you. Nothing to give you.

00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:09.000
And that's when Jesus turns around, looks at him and says, But you gave your all.

00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:16.000
And this Martin Sheen starts crying and he says, Oh, something.

00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:23.000
I mean, his expression is, Oh, Jesus, you mean you noticed all those things I did?

00:38:23.000 --> 00:38:32.000
And why am I telling you this entire story? Guys, you have no idea what Christ's commendation will do to you.

00:38:32.000 --> 00:38:36.000
It'll break your heart. It'll melt your heart. It'll mold your heart.

00:38:36.000 --> 00:38:43.000
And you will desire that my God could I have given more.

00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:49.000
We have no idea what well done, good and faithful servant means, because no one says that here.

00:38:49.000 --> 00:38:53.000
We get a bonus in our salary.

00:38:53.000 --> 00:38:57.000
But that commendation will wreck you.

00:38:57.000 --> 00:39:02.000
Because it's the king of the universe, the one who laid down his life for you, turning to you and saying,

00:39:02.000 --> 00:39:06.000
Hey, you did really well with the gifts and responsibilities I gave you.

00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:12.000
And it'll wreck you. It'll also wreck you not to hear it.

00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:14.000
It will also wreck you not to hear it.

00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:28.000
Worse, if there is loss suffered by me in heaven, it'll be hard to handle.

00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:37.000
Therefore be persuaded for a day of judgment is coming when every servant of God will be evaluated.

00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:46.000
And so Paul says, it persuades me to go ahead and do what I am supposed to do.

00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:53.000
Spend every precious stone you have, because those are the stones that go into building the foundation.

00:39:53.000 --> 00:39:58.000
When Paul talks about gold, silver, precious stone, hay, straw, rubble, what's he saying?

00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:01.000
He's not saying that you have to build with six different materials.

00:40:01.000 --> 00:40:08.000
He's dividing those materials into two things, one that can be burnt, one that cannot be burnt.

00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:14.000
And in that you see what you need to build.

00:40:14.000 --> 00:40:20.000
And like Jesus said, the sum of the first here on earth will be last and some of the last will be first.

00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:25.000
The lion who sits behind the sun board may end up being in the front of the lion and I might be at the back of the lion.

00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:31.000
Why? Because he evaluates you on your gifts and your responsibilities, not on your preaching, man.

00:40:31.000 --> 00:40:45.000
Regent evaluates you on preaching, not Jesus.

00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:52.000
What's this doing here?

00:40:52.000 --> 00:40:57.000
Okay. Yeah, we've got time.

00:40:57.000 --> 00:41:04.000
Guys, once you go into a city and profess and demonstrate, the next thing is to gather.

00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:12.000
So the first thing is, profess and demonstrate in the city that you're in.

00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:17.000
Profess and demonstrate Christ in the city.

00:41:17.000 --> 00:41:23.000
You are based on your sphere, your radius of influence.

00:41:23.000 --> 00:41:50.000
Second, once you do that, gather those that are interested or have begun looking at Jesus into households.

00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:56.000
We are talking about the strategy of the Spirit. We are talking about Jacob's strategy or Acts 29 strategy.

00:41:56.000 --> 00:42:01.000
Jacob's strategy and Acts 29 strategy won't get you nothing.

00:42:01.000 --> 00:42:06.000
Have you seen that in the past, some of my strategies? We're talking about the Holy Spirit strategy.

00:42:06.000 --> 00:42:13.000
So gather those that are interested or those that have committed or those that have begun looking.

00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:22.000
Gather those that are committed, interested, or begun looking into households.

00:42:22.000 --> 00:42:29.000
Really? It says so in the Bible? Yep. Go to Ephesians 2.19.

00:42:29.000 --> 00:42:34.000
First we look at the idea of a household. Is it a word we came up with or is it really in the Bible?

00:42:34.000 --> 00:42:42.000
Ephesians 2.19 talks about the church as a household. Why? Because it has a father, it has children, it has grownups, it has elders, it is young.

00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:50.000
It is supposed to be that which represents a family. So Ephesians 2.19.

00:42:50.000 --> 00:43:01.000
Here's what it says. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners or Trump's favorite word, aliens.

00:43:01.000 --> 00:43:11.000
Consequently, you're no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household.

00:43:11.000 --> 00:43:16.000
So the church was known as a household forever.

00:43:16.000 --> 00:43:22.000
But see, the churches in the New Testament were made up of smaller households, two or more families.

00:43:22.000 --> 00:43:31.000
So what we're doing, let's settle this once and for all. Let's not, like Paul says, not that you've troubled me with it,

00:43:31.000 --> 00:43:36.000
but like at one point Paul says, do not trouble me with this because it's been established.

00:43:36.000 --> 00:43:46.000
Now let's settle it once and for all by looking at what the New Testament says about the entire church as a household made up of smaller households.

00:43:46.000 --> 00:43:53.000
And how small were these households? Two or more families. So let's look at it.

00:43:53.000 --> 00:44:03.000
Go to Romans 16.10. Romans 16.10.

00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:11.000
Because if it ain't in the blueprint, we shouldn't be doing it. If it is in the blueprint, we need to obey it. Romans 16.10.

00:44:11.000 --> 00:44:18.000
11. And then we'll look at another word. Romans 16.10 and 11. Here's what it says.

00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:22.000
Greet a palace, if that is how his name should be pronounced.

00:44:22.000 --> 00:44:29.000
Greet a palace tested and approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

00:44:29.000 --> 00:44:38.000
So there was a house run by a guy, owned by a guy called Aristobulus, where people used to meet in church.

00:44:38.000 --> 00:44:46.000
And yet remember, Romans is being written to an entire group of people who were believers in Rome.

00:44:46.000 --> 00:44:54.000
And Rome was a large city. Paul starts of Romans saying to the saints in Rome.

00:44:54.000 --> 00:45:01.000
And yet they were not all in one big stadium. They were in little households.

00:45:01.000 --> 00:45:11.000
Verse 11. Greet Herodian, my relative. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

00:45:11.000 --> 00:45:18.000
So we see another household there. Let's go to verse five. This even clarifies it further.

00:45:18.000 --> 00:45:24.000
Greet also the church that meets at their house. Whose house? Priscilla and Aquila.

00:45:24.000 --> 00:45:33.000
So he actually used to call the group that met in the house a church, that met in the house, and he called it household.

00:45:33.000 --> 00:45:40.000
This was normal in the New Testament.

00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:49.000
And if it's in the blueprint, then let's copy it, unless you and I are to believe that the first century ways are not our ways.

00:45:49.000 --> 00:45:55.000
Which isn't true, because Jesus is now in heaven. This is happening after Jesus went to heaven.

00:45:55.000 --> 00:46:01.000
It's the Holy Spirit who's doing this. This isn't even a Middle Eastern thing. It's spread. It's gone to Asia Minor now.

00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:09.000
Corinth was not part of Israel, nor was Rome. Rome was called Babylon because it was the center of darkness.

00:46:09.000 --> 00:46:20.000
Let's look at Acts 16, verse 14 and 15.

00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:25.000
Acts 16, verse 14 and 15.

00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:31.000
Acts 16, verse 14 and 15.

00:46:31.000 --> 00:46:35.000
Acts 16, verse 14 and 15.

00:46:35.000 --> 00:46:38.000
Let's start at verse 13.

00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:11.000
So, the Bible persuaded us, and that was the beginning of the first church in Philippi,

00:47:11.000 --> 00:47:21.000
which became one of the most commended churches in the Bible.

00:47:21.000 --> 00:47:26.000
So, profess, demonstrate Christ in the city.

00:47:26.000 --> 00:47:33.000
Gather those that are committed, interested, or have begun looking at Jesus into a household.

00:47:34.000 --> 00:47:45.000
Strengthen their faith. Strengthen their faith.

00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:52.000
And appoint leaders,

00:47:52.000 --> 00:47:57.000
so that the church can have an attractive witness.

00:47:57.000 --> 00:48:08.000
So that the church can have an attractive witness.

00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:14.000
I was talking to a relative of mine, and we were talking about babysitting.

00:48:14.000 --> 00:48:18.000
And so this relative of mine says that they go to two churches.

00:48:18.000 --> 00:48:22.000
One church does not believe in getting people born again.

00:48:22.000 --> 00:48:26.000
So that particular church has nobody who's born again.

00:48:26.000 --> 00:48:33.000
But people in that church are very willing to babysit for you. They'll do it with absolute ease.

00:48:33.000 --> 00:48:36.000
And so you can go drop your children there, and they'll babysit.

00:48:36.000 --> 00:48:41.000
And when you finish babysitting, guessing that you had a busy day,

00:48:41.000 --> 00:48:45.000
they'll even cook a meal for you so that when you come to pick up your children,

00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:54.000
you can get your kids and a meal. But they're not born again.

00:48:54.000 --> 00:48:57.000
And then they also go to another church. In that church,

00:48:57.000 --> 00:49:01.000
everyone is born again and clapping and shouting and dancing.

00:49:01.000 --> 00:49:05.000
But the moment you ask them to babysit, the first question that comes out of their mouth is,

00:49:05.000 --> 00:49:10.000
would 20 pounds be okay?

00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:16.000
The first thing that's negotiated is, would you be able to pay me 20 pounds?

00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:20.000
And so this person was telling me, Jacob, what do we do?

00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:24.000
On one hand, you can go to a church where there's nobody who's born again, but they're very loving.

00:49:24.000 --> 00:49:31.000
On the other hand, you can go to a church where everybody is born again, and they're not very loving.

00:49:31.000 --> 00:49:36.000
You need to find a third church.

00:49:36.000 --> 00:49:40.000
The point is, guys, it's important to have an attractive witness,

00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:44.000
and it's the hardest thing for us to do because the moment you say you're a Christian,

00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:49.000
know that you are under the microscope, and rightly so.

00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:52.000
There is a higher standard expected of you.

00:49:52.000 --> 00:49:58.000
The moment you move from businessman to president, there is a microscope on you,

00:49:58.000 --> 00:50:03.000
in case any of you are aspiring.

00:50:03.000 --> 00:50:07.000
But the point is this, guys, it is right for the world to look at us,

00:50:07.000 --> 00:50:16.000
and it is time for us to stop saying, but we are also sinners.

00:50:16.000 --> 00:50:19.000
I don't know who came up with that line, but I've quoted it here before.

00:50:19.000 --> 00:50:25.000
God is a distant star, and we are the telescope.

00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:34.000
For many, God is a distant star, but when they look at us, they will see him being magnified.

00:50:34.000 --> 00:50:39.000
And so may we come out of the microscope and do well with warts and pimples,

00:50:39.000 --> 00:50:44.000
but my God, the skin has complexion.

00:50:44.000 --> 00:50:50.000
So that's why we need to strengthen faith and appoint leaders.

00:50:51.000 --> 00:50:56.000
Let's go to Acts 14, verse 21 to 23.

00:50:56.000 --> 00:51:01.000
Acts 14, verse 21 to 23.

00:51:08.000 --> 00:51:12.000
Acts 14, verse 21 to 23.

00:51:12.000 --> 00:51:13.000
Here's what it says.

00:51:13.000 --> 00:51:15.000
Why are we looking at the book of Acts?

00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:19.000
Because you see the strategy of the spirits, Acts 14, verse 21 to 23.

00:51:19.000 --> 00:51:24.000
They preached the good news in the city and won a large number of disciples.

00:51:24.000 --> 00:51:29.000
Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the disciples

00:51:29.000 --> 00:51:32.000
and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.

00:51:32.000 --> 00:51:36.000
We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God, they said.

00:51:36.000 --> 00:51:40.000
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church,

00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:46.000
and with prayer and fasting committed them to the Lord in whom they had put their trust.

00:51:46.000 --> 00:51:51.000
And so on one hand they would go through step one and step two,

00:51:51.000 --> 00:51:54.000
and then they would go back to strengthening the faith of the disciples.

00:51:54.000 --> 00:51:57.000
Through what? Through teaching, through visiting,

00:51:57.000 --> 00:51:59.000
and then appointing elders and leaders.

00:51:59.000 --> 00:52:01.000
Appointing leaders. Why?

00:52:01.000 --> 00:52:04.000
So that the church would begin to look attractive,

00:52:04.000 --> 00:52:07.000
so that through hardship they would still shine,

00:52:07.000 --> 00:52:14.000
so that through different things that they're going through they would still be cities on a hill.

00:52:16.000 --> 00:52:20.000
This has never been done before. Paul is learning from the Holy Spirit.

00:52:23.000 --> 00:52:29.000
What is so cool is as we go down these steps you'll see that by mistake we have started doing this.

00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:36.000
Like by God having us tumble upon it, that's what I mean.

00:52:36.000 --> 00:52:42.000
Not by mistake as in oops, no, as in without really planning it we ended up here.

00:52:42.000 --> 00:52:44.000
And praise God for that.

00:52:44.000 --> 00:52:48.000
This is the grace of God that despite your pastor not knowing stuff,

00:52:48.000 --> 00:52:50.000
he still was able to do stuff.

00:52:54.000 --> 00:53:00.000
Strengthen their faith, appoint leaders. Go to Acts chapter 2, verses 42 to 47.

00:53:00.000 --> 00:53:03.000
Acts chapter 2, verses 42 to 47.

00:53:03.000 --> 00:53:13.000
Here again, Peter and the rest of the apostles.

00:53:13.000 --> 00:53:15.000
This has happened in Jerusalem.

00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:21.000
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

00:53:21.000 --> 00:53:27.000
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

00:53:27.000 --> 00:53:30.000
All the believers were together and had everything in common,

00:53:30.000 --> 00:53:33.000
selling the possessions and goods they gave to anyone as they need.

00:53:33.000 --> 00:53:36.000
Every day they continued to meet together in temple courts.

00:53:36.000 --> 00:53:41.000
So they did meet together in large areas, and then they broke, not then,

00:53:41.000 --> 00:53:46.000
they broke bread in their homes and ate together, households, with glad and sincere hearts,

00:53:46.000 --> 00:53:50.000
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

00:53:50.000 --> 00:53:54.000
And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved.

00:53:54.000 --> 00:53:59.000
You had a church that had an attractive witness.

00:53:59.000 --> 00:54:03.000
Next.

00:54:03.000 --> 00:54:07.000
I love this.

00:54:07.000 --> 00:54:17.000
Use the church as a base to further the gospel.

00:54:17.000 --> 00:54:28.000
Use the church as a base to further the gospel to new frontiers.

00:54:28.000 --> 00:54:32.000
Use the church as a base to take the gospel to new frontiers.

00:54:32.000 --> 00:54:37.000
Guys, please don't think as you listen to this that it doesn't apply to you.

00:54:37.000 --> 00:54:41.000
Because this is the blueprint. You know the blueprint, you will know where you fit.

00:54:41.000 --> 00:54:49.000
Who in their wildest dreams ever thought that Aaron would fit in a blueprint called Kenya?

00:54:49.000 --> 00:54:54.000
Who in their wildest dreams ever thought that Aaron would fit in a blueprint called Kenya?

00:54:54.000 --> 00:54:58.000
Who in their wildest dreams ever thought that Aaron would fit in a blueprint called Kenya?

00:54:58.000 --> 00:55:05.000
I never in my wildest imaginations for him thought Aaron will go to Kenya.

00:55:05.000 --> 00:55:14.000
Forget Aaron. Mike? Who sends Mike to Kenya?

00:55:14.000 --> 00:55:21.000
You would never think he was sending Mike anywhere but to Burnaby.

00:55:21.000 --> 00:55:25.000
Yeah, he was happy with North Burnaby.

00:55:25.000 --> 00:55:35.000
But see, when you know the blueprint, you suddenly begin to know how people fit.

00:55:35.000 --> 00:55:45.000
And it will be great when you begin to know it too and you begin to say this is where I should position myself towards.

00:55:45.000 --> 00:55:52.000
So when Sue writes to me saying I know that there is this urgency of a Macedonian call upon my life,

00:55:52.000 --> 00:55:59.000
it is then necessary to have her recognized.

00:55:59.000 --> 00:56:03.000
Because why not just fade into the sunset? She's done enough teaching, just retire.

00:56:03.000 --> 00:56:08.000
Go to Hawaii or Florida or the game with Florida on February 14th, Valentine's.

00:56:08.000 --> 00:56:12.000
Start there if you don't want to go to Florida.

00:56:12.000 --> 00:56:16.000
Just hoping I can sell those tickets.

00:56:16.000 --> 00:56:20.000
Rhonda, I think Mark would love it.

00:56:20.000 --> 00:56:27.000
And Dawn would just so enjoy taking babysitting the kids.

00:56:27.000 --> 00:56:31.000
Or maybe I could go with Mark if Dawn is going. Yeah, moving on.

00:56:31.000 --> 00:56:36.000
So guys, but give it to him as a gift. Buy both tickets and give it to him as a gift.

00:56:36.000 --> 00:56:40.000
And then let him choose who he wants to take with him.

00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:47.000
So guys, use the church as a base to further the gospel to new frontiers.

00:56:47.000 --> 00:56:52.000
Without knowing this is what we've ended up doing.

00:56:52.000 --> 00:56:57.000
Mongolia is the...

00:56:57.000 --> 00:57:02.000
After Mongolia, if you go beyond Mongolia, you fall off the face of the earth.

00:57:02.000 --> 00:57:05.000
Because that's the end of the world.

00:57:05.000 --> 00:57:12.000
But who would have ever thought that Acts 29 would be in Mongolia and that Uqan Nagi and Azza would be here?

00:57:12.000 --> 00:57:17.000
Who would have thought?

00:57:17.000 --> 00:57:22.000
This is why there's a team going from here to India.

00:57:22.000 --> 00:57:29.000
And none of them are Indians.

00:57:29.000 --> 00:57:33.000
I just love what has happened without us knowing, guys.

00:57:33.000 --> 00:57:38.000
I pray God that you'll see the enormity of what the Spirit of God is doing here.

00:57:38.000 --> 00:57:44.000
Without our interference or despite our interference.

00:57:44.000 --> 00:57:50.000
Still doing such an odd, magnificent thing with a small group of people.

00:57:50.000 --> 00:57:54.000
See the blueprint and let your heart start thumping saying,

00:57:54.000 --> 00:58:00.000
Oh God, before I leave the earth since I am in this church and I don't have any plans of leaving Canada for the next few years,

00:58:00.000 --> 00:58:05.000
could you hook me in?

00:58:05.000 --> 00:58:10.000
Because God operates in individual lives through the body that they belong to.

00:58:10.000 --> 00:58:15.000
And I will try my best not to put a ceiling on you and stop you.

00:58:15.000 --> 00:58:19.000
God hold me responsible if I do. Because nothing is going to stop you, man.

00:58:19.000 --> 00:58:23.000
No pastor can stop what he has for you, eh?

00:58:23.000 --> 00:58:33.000
No man has that much power to prevent your destiny from flowering.

00:58:33.000 --> 00:58:38.000
Let's look at some scriptures to see if this is true.

00:58:38.000 --> 00:58:43.000
Go to Acts 13, 1-4. Beautiful chapter.

00:58:43.000 --> 00:58:48.000
Antioch was a very, very cool church.

00:58:48.000 --> 00:58:52.000
In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers.

00:58:52.000 --> 00:59:00.000
Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Menean who had been brought up with Herod, the Tetrarch, and Saul.

00:59:00.000 --> 00:59:04.000
While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,

00:59:04.000 --> 00:59:07.000
Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.

00:59:07.000 --> 00:59:10.000
So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

00:59:10.000 --> 00:59:15.000
The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.

00:59:15.000 --> 00:59:20.000
When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues.

00:59:20.000 --> 00:59:24.000
John was with them as their helper. The journey started.

00:59:24.000 --> 00:59:27.000
Furtherance of the Gospel using the church in Antioch as a base.

00:59:27.000 --> 00:59:36.000
The church in Antioch, if there is any church that was a beacon, that was a model to the early New Testament believers,

00:59:36.000 --> 00:59:40.000
it was a church in Antioch because they followed these steps, man.

00:59:40.000 --> 00:59:44.000
Look at another scripture.

00:59:44.000 --> 00:59:57.000
Philippians 4, Philippians 4, 15 to 20, Philippians 4, 15 to 20, Philippians 4, 15 to 20.

00:59:57.000 --> 00:59:59.000
This in a sense is what's happening in Nandigama.

00:59:59.000 --> 01:00:03.000
This in a sense is what is happening with Chelyos in Mongolia.

01:00:03.000 --> 01:00:07.000
This in a sense is what is happening in the hills of Vietnam.

01:00:07.000 --> 01:00:12.000
This in a sense is what is happening, what happened in Indonesia.

01:00:12.000 --> 01:00:16.000
This in a sense is what happened in many places in India.

01:00:16.000 --> 01:00:22.000
Through Acts 29, Philippians 4, 15 to 20.

01:00:22.000 --> 01:00:30.000
It says, moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the Gospel,

01:00:30.000 --> 01:00:35.000
early days, this was a church that began doing this right off the bat,

01:00:35.000 --> 01:00:38.000
in the early days of your acquaintance with the Gospel,

01:00:38.000 --> 01:00:46.000
when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only.

01:00:46.000 --> 01:00:51.000
For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.

01:00:51.000 --> 01:00:56.000
Not that I'm looking for a gift, but I'm looking for what may be credited to your account.

01:00:56.000 --> 01:01:01.000
I have received full payment and even now I'm amply supplied, now that I've received from Epiphorus.

01:01:01.000 --> 01:01:03.000
This is a gift that you sent.

01:01:03.000 --> 01:01:07.000
There are a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God.

01:01:07.000 --> 01:01:12.000
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

01:01:12.000 --> 01:01:17.000
This church will do well financially because of your giving.

01:01:17.000 --> 01:01:21.000
Your giving has gone to so many places in the world.

01:01:21.000 --> 01:01:23.000
Fragrant offering it is before God.

01:01:23.000 --> 01:01:28.000
And my God shall supply your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

01:01:28.000 --> 01:01:33.000
We didn't use the money to build ourselves a temple or to prosper the pastor.

01:01:33.000 --> 01:01:35.000
Much of it was sent outside.

01:01:35.000 --> 01:01:40.000
$24,000 sent in the last 18 months to Nandigama.

01:01:40.000 --> 01:01:43.000
I mean, isn't that worth applause?

01:01:43.000 --> 01:01:47.000
$24,000. Where did that come from, guys?

01:01:47.000 --> 01:01:52.000
Not from under these benches, from your pockets.

01:01:53.000 --> 01:01:58.000
And from others' pockets outside the church too.

01:02:01.000 --> 01:02:03.000
We're on to something, guys.

01:02:03.000 --> 01:02:07.000
We're on to something and I'm excited about it not because I'm the pastor of this church,

01:02:07.000 --> 01:02:12.000
but because I'm seeing, oh shut spirit of God, you've been working undercover.

01:02:16.000 --> 01:02:18.000
Yeah.

01:02:23.000 --> 01:02:30.000
Then maybe the last step if you want to put it is continue establishing,

01:02:30.000 --> 01:02:34.000
continue establishing through letters and visits.

01:02:34.000 --> 01:02:36.000
In our case, social media and visits.

01:02:36.000 --> 01:02:44.000
Continue establishing through letters, media, and visits.

01:02:44.000 --> 01:02:48.000
This was the, in a sense, the last step.

01:02:48.000 --> 01:02:50.000
And this cycle would be repeated.

01:02:50.000 --> 01:02:55.000
Establish and trust.

01:02:55.000 --> 01:02:57.000
No, evangelize.

01:02:57.000 --> 01:03:05.000
This is a simple picture, guys, that was repeated again and again by the Holy Spirit in different ways.

01:03:05.000 --> 01:03:07.000
In different ways.

01:03:07.000 --> 01:03:10.000
At one point, Lucy goes up to Aslan and says,

01:03:10.000 --> 01:03:11.000
but why didn't you turn up?

01:03:11.000 --> 01:03:15.000
And Aslan says, you don't do things the same way twice.

01:03:15.000 --> 01:03:19.000
And the point is God is unpredictable in how he will do it.

01:03:19.000 --> 01:03:23.000
But there is logic and system to God.

01:03:23.000 --> 01:03:26.000
He's the ultimate mathematician.

01:03:26.000 --> 01:03:29.000
And here's a simple way he does it.

01:03:29.000 --> 01:03:37.000
Evangelize as in confess, a profess and demonstrate Christ in your city.

01:03:37.000 --> 01:03:45.000
Establish, equip, and trust.

01:03:45.000 --> 01:03:47.000
And move on.

01:03:47.000 --> 01:03:48.000
And move on.

01:03:48.000 --> 01:03:52.000
Evangelize, establish, equip, and trust.

01:03:52.000 --> 01:03:55.000
Evangelize, establish, equip, and trust.

01:03:55.000 --> 01:03:57.000
And it keeps going on, keeps going on.

01:03:57.000 --> 01:04:00.000
And the circle gets bigger and bigger and bigger.

01:04:00.000 --> 01:04:07.000
Surely you can find your place in, am I supposed to at present focus on evangelizing?

01:04:07.000 --> 01:04:10.000
Am I supposed to focus on establishing?

01:04:10.000 --> 01:04:12.000
And if I'm establishing how?

01:04:12.000 --> 01:04:16.000
By going every now and then, taking the message faithfully,

01:04:16.000 --> 01:04:20.000
being a co-worker like Aquila and Priscilla, am I supposed to equip?

01:04:20.000 --> 01:04:22.000
Is that what I'm called to?

01:04:22.000 --> 01:04:25.000
Or am I supposed to entrust as in become an elder somewhere,

01:04:25.000 --> 01:04:31.000
a leader somewhere who can be entrusted to entrust others and move on?

01:04:31.000 --> 01:04:36.000
Surely you can find your place in this cycle.

01:04:36.000 --> 01:04:39.000
Sometimes more than one place.

01:04:39.000 --> 01:04:45.000
And so if I report for duty saying, oh, so I want to be an equip and know that the first thing that happens is you start getting trained as an equip.

01:04:45.000 --> 01:04:53.000
Just because you want to be an athlete doesn't mean we send you to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics.

01:04:53.000 --> 01:04:59.000
First you start eating Kellogg's and then we work from there.

01:04:59.000 --> 01:05:03.000
Continue establishing the churches by visits and letters.

01:05:03.000 --> 01:05:05.000
Guys, look at Colossians 4.16.

01:05:05.000 --> 01:05:07.000
I'll wrap it up in five minutes.

01:05:07.000 --> 01:05:10.000
Colossians 4.16.

01:05:10.000 --> 01:05:14.000
Colossians 4.16.

01:05:14.000 --> 01:05:20.000
Man, Paul sometimes would say things so straight that there was no question as to what they needed to do.

01:05:20.000 --> 01:05:22.000
Colossians 4.16.

01:05:22.000 --> 01:05:24.000
Colossians 4.16.

01:05:24.000 --> 01:05:35.000
After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.

01:05:35.000 --> 01:05:36.000
He didn't have email.

01:05:36.000 --> 01:05:39.000
He didn't have Facebook or Twitter or any of those things.

01:05:39.000 --> 01:05:40.000
It was letters.

01:05:40.000 --> 01:05:44.000
But man, when he sent a letter, he expected it to be read at Acts 29.

01:05:44.000 --> 01:05:54.000
And then he expected Acts 29 to give it to Pilgrim and Pilgrim's letter to be given to Acts 29 so that we have the whole council of God in the epistles written.

01:05:54.000 --> 01:05:56.000
And Paul was not the only guy who did this.

01:05:56.000 --> 01:05:58.000
Go to 2 Peter 3.

01:05:58.000 --> 01:06:01.000
2 Peter 3.

01:06:01.000 --> 01:06:03.000
Peter's towards the end of the Bible.

01:06:03.000 --> 01:06:12.000
2 Peter 3.

01:06:12.000 --> 01:06:14.000
This is how you establish through media.

01:06:14.000 --> 01:06:20.000
So if there is a CD or if something is available on the Internet, it is not because we want to have a website.

01:06:20.000 --> 01:06:25.000
It is because people can access the website to do something with what is on it.

01:06:25.000 --> 01:06:30.000
And if you don't believe me, believe Peter.

01:06:30.000 --> 01:06:31.000
Chapter 3, verse 1 and 2.

01:06:31.000 --> 01:06:35.000
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you.

01:06:35.000 --> 01:06:40.000
I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to hold some thinking.

01:06:40.000 --> 01:06:48.000
I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

01:06:48.000 --> 01:06:55.000
He wanted them to go read the letters.

01:06:55.000 --> 01:06:57.000
Look at one last scripture, Acts 15.36.

01:06:57.000 --> 01:07:00.000
Acts 15.36.

01:07:00.000 --> 01:07:08.000
I want us to have no doubt as to what is being established here today, which is why we are going over so many scriptures.

01:07:08.000 --> 01:07:13.000
Acts 15.36.

01:07:13.000 --> 01:07:18.000
Hey, can you take a quick picture of me before the sun disappears?

01:07:18.000 --> 01:07:23.000
This halo is...

01:07:23.000 --> 01:07:30.000
Yeah, it doesn't happen too often.

01:07:30.000 --> 01:07:34.000
Silence. This is an important moment in Jacob's history.

01:07:34.000 --> 01:07:40.000
Oh, come on, quickly now.

01:07:40.000 --> 01:07:45.000
The sun's going down. Will your phone take a pic or not?

01:07:45.000 --> 01:07:49.000
Fire in?

01:07:49.000 --> 01:07:54.000
Okay, I hope you got a good one because maybe that's what the website is all about.

01:07:54.000 --> 01:07:56.000
Yes, hats.

01:07:56.000 --> 01:08:00.000
Acts 15.

01:08:00.000 --> 01:08:03.000
You're my new favorite, Sue.

01:08:03.000 --> 01:08:06.000
Acts 15, verse 36.

01:08:06.000 --> 01:08:09.000
No probation for Sue for the next three months.

01:08:09.000 --> 01:08:14.000
Don's got so many probations that we've made him the chief probation officer.

01:08:14.000 --> 01:08:17.000
We can distribute probations now.

01:08:17.000 --> 01:08:25.000
Sue, let me have a look.

01:08:25.000 --> 01:08:27.000
Oh, wow, not bad, man.

01:08:27.000 --> 01:08:30.000
I've got Jesus Christ's name above my head also.

01:08:30.000 --> 01:08:33.000
It's all coming together.

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Okay, guys, Acts 15.36.

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Abel, we are usually much more disciplined here.

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Today is one of those days.

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Acts 15.36.

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Some time later, Paul said to Barnabas, let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preach the word of the Lord and see how they're doing.

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Beautifully.

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Visits were not abnormal.

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If I go to Bahrain once every three months, it's not because that is a place I used to live in and shawarma's are really tasty.

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Because that's a whole lot of money to spend to go for a shawarma.

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It's because you need to visit to reestablish.

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You know, one of the problems that Paul had that we don't have or I don't have is that Paul often had to give up expansion for the sake of establishing the church

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because the church was having problems.

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Very often, Paul would want to expand further, but he would not be able to go because the church that he had established was having its own problems.

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And whenever it comes to a choice between expansion or establishing, you are supposed to establish, not expand.

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One of the gifts that acts 29 has given at least me and you, but definitely me, is that we really don't have major issues.

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And because we don't have major issues, it's safe to go and come back knowing that the church will still be there.

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Paul had difficulties when he would leave Corinth and he didn't know whether when he comes back to Corinth, whether people would still have him back.

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That's a huge blessing.

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Many times he had to forego expansion.

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Like one of the places is in 2 Corinthians 2, 12-14.

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Look at this. I feel really bad for him when I read this in that context. I had never seen the context in that sense.

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2 Corinthians 2, 12-14.

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It says, Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened the door for me,

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I still had no peace of mind because I did not find my brother Titus there.

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So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

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So why do you say it connects to problems?

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Because if you read the passage before, it's talking about a man in the Corinthian church who had done something sexually immoral that Paul was correcting and the church didn't like it.

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And so he's sent for Titus and Titus isn't coming.

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And now Paul has an open door in Troas to expand the gospel.

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He says, God gave me an open door.

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And even though God gave me an open door, my heart was not at rest. Why?

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Because he's got a problem in Corinth that has to be dealt with.

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And so he goes back to Corinth even though there was an open door.

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Much later in Acts chapter 20, God gives him another opportunity to go to Troas.

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But he had to forego an opportunity because of problems at home.

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And then if you go on 2nd verse 14.

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Yeah. But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.

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And then he goes on to explain the rest.

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Verse 9. Look at verse 9.

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The reason I wrote to you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.

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And the church wasn't. So he had to forego expansion for the sake of strengthening.

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I'll stop there guys.

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Our intent is can we train men and women and teams and send them to establish, equip, evangelize and entrust both at home and abroad.

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Let me show you three more scriptures.

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First Thessalonians 3.

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First Thessalonians 3.

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First Thessalonians 3.

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When was the last time you read Thessalonians?

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First Thessalonians 3.

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This is what rusting of paper sounds like for you guys who use phones.

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It's a strange sound to you, but it's a very real sound.

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First Thessalonians 3.

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Verse 1 and 2.

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So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.

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But look, he had already trained leaders.

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We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker, in spreading the gospel of Christ to strengthen and encourage your faith so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.

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Look at 2 Timothy 2 verses 1 and 2.

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2 Timothy 2 verse 1 and 2.

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2 Timothy 2 verse 1 and 2.

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Paul is writing to Timothy.

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You then my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

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And the things you've heard me say in the presence of many witnesses and trust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

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This is our intent, eh?

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This is why today for Marcus and Chris and me to see another group of guys doing worship here was in no way robbery, but absolute joy.

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Because finally we have another, if Marcus and Chris and I were raptured tomorrow and all of you were left behind, you would still have a worship team.

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That was the correct teaching.

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Yeah, sorry, it's too late to now cover that.

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But the point is guys, to be able to have Timothys and Titus and Apollosus in a church is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

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And thank God that God has supplied us more and more that are able to step up.

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Where the ones that used to do it can now go ahead and do other things.

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This is the whole idea of entrusting the next generation with what you have so that they can now be trusted to teach the generation that comes after.

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And so figure out guys, where am I supposed to plug in?

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Am I an equiper?

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Go to the message from January 21st.

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It was called Your Role in His Purpose.

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And we talked about are you an equiper?

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Are you a minister?

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Are you a messenger?

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Are you a co-worker?

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Are you a benefactor?

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Are you a short-term compassion team like the one that is going to Nandigama two weeks from now?

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What is God impressing on your heart besides the Ministry of Reconciliation?

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That is common to all.

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This is common to all.

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But when it gets to specificities, what is your role?

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Go listen to that teaching if you don't remember.

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And prepare yourself as a co-worker.

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Prepare yourself as a co-worker.

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And if you want to know what a helpful co-worker looks like, listen to the message on helpful or harmful co-workers from November 5th.

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Where it talks about the things you have to be if you're a helpful co-worker.

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Guys, let's assume you come and say I want to be a minister or I want to be a co-worker or I want to be a benefactor.

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Then here's the immediate four things that you require.

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Are you a God lover?

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Does it show in your life?

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Two, are you a loyal co-worker?

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Three, are you a reliable teacher?

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Four, do you know how to divide the word correctly?

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And by reliable teacher, I don't mean standing in front of a church and teaching.

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Standing in front of Roslyn and teaching her one on one or standing in front of the three of them and teaching one on three.

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Doesn't matter.

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But are you a reliable teacher?

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Are you a reliable teacher?

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Have you learned well so that it is both spoken by you and demonstrated by you?

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These are the four qualifications from the book of First Timothy and Second Timothy that qualify you to be a co-worker.

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Are you a God lover?

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Are you loyal?

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Loyal to a cause and to a people.

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You can't be loyal to Christ and not be loyal to his people.

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Has to be both.

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Three, are you a reliable teacher?

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What you have learned?

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Can you teach someone else?

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And four, do you divide the word correctly?

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When you read the Bible, do you now have you learned how to see what it says?

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If these four fit you, then you are now ready to be a helpful co-worker.

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And a harmful co-worker is one who is not loyal.

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He may be loyal to the cause but not loyal to the people of God who does not know how to teach one on one.

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Is not reliable.

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An unreliable teacher doesn't know how to divide the word because there is no interest in the word.

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And four, is not a lover of God but is a part-time lover.

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Remember that song?

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That song.

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This is a very old song.

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That song ain't a hymn in the church.

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That's from the 80s, early 80s, which rules out two-thirds of this church.

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But there are no part-time lovers.

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One last scripture, one last scripture.

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2 Corinthians 10, 15.

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2 Corinthians 10, 15.

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Look at what happens when we begin to live like this.

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2 Corinthians 10, 15.

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Paul is saying, hey guys, when you begin to live like this, as your faith increases, our area of influence is greatly enlarged.

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Verse 15.

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Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others.

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Our hope, this is a clincher.

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Our hope is that as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand.

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So that we can preach the gospel in regions beyond you.

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So, let's for instance assume that tomorrow, tonight, Sue actually sees a man from Macedonia saying come.

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And so, this weekend, she goes to Greece.

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Macedonia, Summonia, Greece, right?

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Yeah.

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So she goes.

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Now, her faith will cause our influence to expand so that we go beyond our present parameters into regions that we would not have otherwise been able to go.

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Because God looked at one or two people in a body and said, you now are ready to go and have the faith to go.

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So go.

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And they actually obeyed.

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When they obeyed, our influence increased.

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Because what is she going to go and deposit there?

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That which she has learned with us here.

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This is what was happening in UK 10 days ago.

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What we've learned here was taken there to the church in Bristol and in the church in Bristol, which is 13 and a half times bigger than us on the day that all of us attend, which hasn't happened yet.

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That church is beginning to employ the same things that we are teaching here.

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If I continue any longer, Heidi's eyes may shut because it's blazing.

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Okay, so let's stop.

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Father, I think this is one of the coolest things we could have learned in our lives.