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We will sing These Are The Days Of Elijah.
These are the days of Elijah,
Bearing the word of the Lord.
And these are the days of your servants,
Moses, righteousness being restored.
And these are the days of your servants,
Moses, righteousness being restored.
And these are the days of your servants,
Of famine and darkness and sores,
Still with voice in the desert,
Crying, prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Behold he comes,
Riding on clouds, shining like the sun,
At the trump record,
To lift your voice to hear of him lead,
Out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
These are the days,
These are the days of Ezekiel,
The dry bones becoming a splash.
And these are the days of your servant,
Rebuilding the temple of praise.
Oh these are the days of the harvest,
Of fields that are white in the world,
And we are the neighbors
In your dominion,
Declaring the word of the Lord.
Behold he comes,
Riding on clouds, shining like the sun,
At the trump record,
To lift your voice to hear of him lead,
Out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
Behold he comes,
Riding on clouds, shining like the sun,
At the trump record,
To lift your voice to hear of him lead,
Out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
Alright, we have a few guests.
Tuni, you want to introduce your friends?
So we have Ken, we have Karen,
They're from Singapore, and they have a friend,
Ruth, right? Yes.
From China, that's right.
Welcome.
Jeremy, you want to introduce your friend?
Hi Mika.
Today, as you can see, I'm very well behaved, very well dressed.
That's because my mother-in-law is here.
And her name is Salome.
Oh, welcome.
Alright, let's pray.
Abba,
What you've given me today is
not a teaching or preaching, it is
for us to prepare ourselves for the work in hand.
What we've been talking about, Abba, over the last few weeks is
you directing us to Victoria
and Nanaimo, and you building
churches there.
And so we come tonight, or this afternoon,
with hearts willing to learn,
with ears that are attentive,
with a vision of the future,
with ears that are attentive to prepare ourselves for the work
at hand. That's what we're doing today. So the
next 30 minutes, 45 minutes is meant to prepare
ourselves. Because we have heard enough,
the time is nearing, and we need to be ready for the work at hand.
So Holy Spirit, I pray that you put the right words on my tongue,
that you give us ears to
listen and hearts to receive. In Jesus' name,
Amen.
So, if you have missed out the last two or three weeks of teaching,
Jacob has been talking about us going to Victoria
Nanaimo
with the intent of making the Father known,
making disciples, multiplying churches.
That's what we've been talking about. And what I have
for us today is really prepping us for that work.
So there are a few things I want to talk about. But it's very important
for us to not look at Victoria and Nanaimo as
wow, we're going to Victoria and Nanaimo. And Jacob said
this is about training us and preparing us for the life ahead.
And it's easy to just look at these two places and
think about Acts 29, think about all of the desires of your
hearts and be zoomed in on that.
But it is a danger if we go that way. So I want us to
first step out of it, because we need to
go back to Matthew 28
19. And we need to start reading
Matthew 28 19 a certain way. Now when we read over
the next few weeks, we have to read it as, what did Jesus say?
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations
in Victoria and Nanaimo.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations in
Victoria and Nanaimo, baptizing them.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
And teaching them to observe everything that commanded you.
It is very important for all of us to go back to this
before we delve into this. We have to know why
we're doing it. We're doing it because we're following the commission
of Christ that is for us. And right now, over the next
little while when you read these verses, you have to put Victoria and Nanaimo
into it. Because we are following a direct
command from our King
to go into these cities. So when you do that, it helps
because now we remove from it anything else, because there is something
that's been taught here, which is a purity of purpose. Before
anything, this is the reason why we are doing it. Because we have a Savior
who died for us. We have a King who has commissioned us for a work.
And we now follow Him into what He is doing. And then
comes everything with respect to what's happening at Acts 29.
And with respect to the leading into
these cities to do specific work there. But we cannot take
this out of the equation. It's very important.
Now, I want us to read
Psalm 126, verse 1.
It says, When the Lord
brought back the captives out of Zion,
we were as those who were dreaming.
And it says, their mouths were filled with laughter
in the tongues, songs of joy.
So it's very important for us also then
to look at what will happen in Victoria and Nanaimo.
And look at that and go, that is exactly what God is doing.
He is restoring the fortunes of a people in Victoria
and Nanaimo through us. And
it is incredibly important to know what the end result is.
Before we proceed into the work, before we jump into the work at hand,
we already know the end picture. Because He is in the business
of rebuilding cities. And He is using us then
to follow Him into these two cities.
So the large canvas is important
before the specifics of Nanaimo and Victoria.
And I can't tell you how important it is. Because the reason I'm saying
this is because we can be very quickly going and doing
things without this. We cannot
afford to.
Yeah? Jeremy's friend,
what's your name? Mika? One of the things that
Mika, you're someone that
doesn't matter where you sit, doesn't matter where you are,
God will always call you out.
And it's like the story of Siqueus.
Siqueus was in a certain place. He just wanted to see what was happening. But Jesus
came calling. Like with Peter, like with
Andrew, like with the disciples, He'll come calling.
And you're called out, man. You're called out by Him.
So it is very difficult. It will be very difficult for you
to be
in the fringes. You will always be
in front. Meaning with respect to what God is doing,
there are things that have been called and named
and spoken upon in your life that you have to walk into.
And I'm just speaking out loud today.
Yeah? Because you are someone who He calls out
always. He will not allow you
at all to be anywhere else. You will be called out until
you're like, oh, this is who I am. Until you wake up one day
and recognize that it doesn't matter where I go, what I do, I'm always
called out by Him for His things. Until
the day you wear that cap, He'll keep on doing it.
So we bless you.
Where were we?
Yeah, we talked about Psalm 126.1.
So let's go. What I want to do today is really not a teaching.
It's really prepping us for the work.
And why don't we start with a few things.
So I have probably ten different things.
The first three things, we'll go into a little more detail. And then once those
three things are done, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and then
it's up to us to practice it, live it, walk in it, and
God is readying us for the work. So number one.
Count the cost. Before we step out and do
anything, we have to sit and count the
cost. Because following Jesus comes with a price,
we have to pay a price. And before we pay a price,
you've always got to count it. Jesus said it this way
in Luke chapter 14. Because this is not something we are
dreaming up. This is His command or His commission for us
to follow Him. And so Jesus said it this way in Luke chapter 14.
If you are building a house,
you have to count the cost of what it will take you before you build it.
Lest the building will be incomplete and
you're like, oops, wasn't planning.
Wasn't counting. You have to build it that way.
And then He proceeds. I want to say if a king is going to battle
with 10,000 troops and the other
king he's battling has 20,000 troops, he's got to think
about how this battle is going to be. He's got to have planning,
strategies. He's got to count the cost. And then
for us then to go into Nanaimo and Victoria,
we have to count the cost. We have to, guys, spend
time to think about the cost
that we are willing to pay. It's very important.
And I can tell you, there will be a difference between those who
count the cost and those who do not. There will be a
difference. Iris and I were
shopping yesterday, a few things for the baby.
And so we are at the store and we buy quite a few things
including the stroller and the, now I know the car seat and all of that.
So we bought all of these things.
We need to pay now. And I take my debit card
out and I'm like, okay. And I find out I have
got a thousand dollar limit on my debit card. So whenever
I took the debit card ten years ago, eleven years ago, I had
said my limit for a daily transaction is a thousand bucks.
I didn't think then that it will come a day when a baby is going to
come and I have to buy a stroller
and the stroller itself is eight hundred bucks or whatever. I didn't know.
So, oh! And the
lady goes, oh, it's not working. And I'm like, okay. I got it covered
so I take my credit card out and realize that, oh, I don't have my credit
card but I have my Apple Pay. So I go Apple Pay and there is a limit on the
Apple Pay. You can only do a hundred at a time.
So to pay the whole thing you have to do a few rounds of Apple Pay
and now there's a third problem. The machine
will only accept Apple Pay from one mobile once.
So you can't do it again. So now I ask Iris
and finally we even had to get a gift
card from Baby Zara's because I can purchase it online and then
use that and that took about forty minutes. So we're waiting there for forty minutes to make a transaction
happen. Why? Because we did not count
the cost. It's a funny story. Oh my
goodness. When it comes to Nanaimo and Victoria,
we have to count the cost.
It can be different things for different people.
It can be, see the thing is, for us
it's not the money that's the cost because often times when we think about it
money comes to the forefront but money is not the thing.
Because going to Victoria, coming back for a trip like this,
multiple times as we go, money will come. But it is all of the other
things that you have to lay down. It can be, and we'll touch on those
things. I want to be very practical about what we are to do.
So we have to count the cost.
If we don't count the cost, we will find ourselves in
places where we are not ready.
So the purpose of me sharing, going through these points
today, the purpose is that we'll take time offline
to sit down, think, ready ourselves.
Because if I am following the words of Jesus,
Jesus said, you've got to count it before you say yes.
Saying yes because others are saying yes, or saying
yes because Jacob is saying, hey let's go, it's good
but it's not good enough. Good enough would be yes, receiving it
and then saying, I have to pay a cost. And I'm
willing to pay this cost no matter what.
And therefore I am ready.
When it comes to big decisions in our life, we do it.
There is nothing more important than this.
And I say that because Matthew 28, 19,
that there is nothing more important than that in any believer's life.
That is the most important thing. That is the overarching call
of God over all of our heads. There is nothing
more important than that. So if I'm just remembering what
we were taught way back, remember this?
So at the center we have
there is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. The right way to do it is
Christ and his church is at the center. And then my family,
my work, my positions, my wealth, all of those things go into
that. So those things that we talked about, that we learned,
now we have a new opportunity to practice it. Because at the center
of everything that we are doing is Christ and his bride.
And all of these things fall in place
for us to live our lives in alignment
with what God is asking us to do. So we have to count the cost.
Go to
Haggai chapter 1. You know what? Don't read it. We don't have much time. In Haggai
chapter 1, it talks about this
one of the fascinating things there is God is saying
you're living in houses that are fully roofed. It's perfect. But you haven't
built anything for me. I need you to build me a temple.
And before he says that, he says consider your ways. It's so
important for us to sit down and when we sit down and not just
think of the cost or count the cost, but also consider
our ways. Again, I'm telling you,
there will be a difference between those who consider their ways
and those who do not. Some things are some things as
he established. We can't change it. It's
up to us then to take time and do this. So consider
your ways, he said. And I want to add
two things to that. Number one, it is dangerous for me
to rank or esteem myself higher
than where I'm rightfully at. So one thing that I need to and you need
to be careful about is do not esteem yourself
higher than where you're at in life.
And it is foolish to
overlook everything that God has been doing in your life and what he has
been doing to prepare you. Two things. One, I
cannot esteem myself higher than where I'm at in life.
So I'm able to do everything through Christ, but Christ
has also been training me up, has also been prepping me
up for the things of life. And if I go and
try to lift, okay, we don't need to go into that story, but if you go to the gym and try to
if I try to go with Powen and there is a, I don't know,
100 kilo stuff and Powen is going there and lifting it up and I try to do
that, I'll be pretty, I'll be dangerous.
On the other hand, if I've been prepped
and if God has been doing things, there is a tendency
that I can overlook everything that he has been doing.
And you shouldn't do that either. It's important for you
to also take into account what he has been doing in you.
So when it says consider your ways, consider what he has
been doing. Think about the last three months, the last six months,
the last year. What has he been doing? It is
important to find a relationship between everything that he has been doing
and the work at hand. Yeah? You're tracking me?
Yeah? Yeah?
Good. So it's important. Once we do
that, then we know where we stand and
we know the task at hand and there will also come a very quick
understanding of, aha, I need to dive right into
everything that God is using to prepare me for my life.
If you don't do it, you don't see what is happening, you have not thought
about where you're at and there is a gap
that you're completely ignoring. We don't want to do that.
We want to count our costs, but we also need to consider
our ways. So a few questions. What are some
changes required of me to ready
myself for the full work? What are some
changes required of me to ready myself for the work
at hand? And by that I mean the work in Victoria and Nanaimo.
And you need to answer these questions.
Not now, but because we're going to count the costs
and because we're going to consider our ways, we have to do it
in a different setting. Think, ponder with God,
answer these things.
Second question,
what are some things in terms of my thinking that needs to change
in terms of my thinking that needs to change?
What are some things
in terms of my thinking that has to change?
God can reveal it to you,
people around you can reveal it to you.
Number two, what are some changes with respect to my relationships
within the body where I need to change? Don't think about
family right now, think of this family here.
What are some things that I need to change with respect to my
relationships with this family right here?
As I prepare.
And you have to have answers for these things, guys. If we try
to answer them and you go, oh, I can't really think of anything, everything is so beautifully perfect.
It's not the case. Then you're
probably blinded to it. There are things
that I have to know. Because when I think about it, there are two or three things that
at least two things that
come right at me. So I have to then
sit down and think about, okay, Abba, you're bringing these things
to mind. I need to change in these things. And I'm
willing, I need help.
Now when I do it, I'm becoming ready for the work at hand.
I'm not interested today in
speaking something that's not going to be helpful for us, guys.
I know for a fact that if we go down this path, it will be so
helpful for us when we are in those cities. So helpful.
So it's relationships inside the body
is important. My thinking is important. Those are two things
as we go out that we cannot take lightly.
And then third question or fourth
question. You need to also look at what
the devil has been doing over the last little while
with your life to trip you up.
Are there things that are recurring? And I'm not talking about
habitual sins.
I'm talking about think. Be aware. Look
back at your life in the last three months, six months. See what are the
things that are tripping you. They keep coming up.
What are the things that keep tripping you?
What are the things that keep pulling you back? It's almost
like you hit your stride and then you keep walking and then all of a sudden
you're back. What are those things?
This is where the body can be so helpful. Because if you take
the time to think, to count the costs, to consider
your ways, as God reveals these things, as others who are with you
that you walk with, as they help you, you'll see a big
change happening. Big change happening. This is
life on life. This is living out everything we've been hearing.
Number two.
And maybe here I'll answer
Sade's question.
We need to prepare in abundance
and give in plenty. Prepare
in abundance and give in plenty.
I want to take us to 1 Chronicles 22. You don't have to read it.
No, you can read it later. But the picture is
David wants to build this temple. And he knows that. God has told
him he's not going to be the one building it. His son is going to be the one building it. So he knows
that already. But you find David still
preparing in abundance. And I'm using those words straight out of
1 Chronicles 22. Preparing in abundance
for the building of the temple that was to come. You see him
thinking about the gates, the doors of the gates.
You see him thinking about the nails. And him knowing that these
nails are going to be needed by Solomon later, he
puts them together. He brings them. He gathers them. He knows that
iron and bronze are needed. So he gathers them in plenty.
He knows that cedars are going to be needed. Timbers are going to be
needed. So he brings them. He prepares in abundance
for the work in hand.
When we think of Nanaimo and Victoria,
I pray that as a family we look at this as
not a side thing we're doing
along with everything else we're doing. But I wish I had
the drawing here before. This is central to what God is doing in our
lives. And if, and I know that
in a church like this, we all know each other, but we're also
in different stages of our lives. So it is possible
because I was reminded as I was writing this of someone here who asked me, hey,
I want to find out my purpose. I want to find out what my
life is about. I want to find out my purpose. And let me answer you
with this. If you are able to look at what God is doing
and delve right into it and say, I'm going to
obey you Jesus into these things, then
your purpose will follow you. You don't wait
for your purpose. As God opens up things
and He says, here is the path, walk in it. You jump
right into it and you walk. Your purpose will follow you.
The specifics of it will be opened up to you.
The gift will be unwrapped. But you've got to do it.
Because sometimes we look at our
life and we go, okay, I really need to know the purpose.
What am I really supposed to do in life?
I know I'm going to Acts 29. I know I'm doing this
and I know I'm doing that. But what's the real purpose? So the specifics
regarding your purpose will unravel as you obey Him
fully and you're fully committed to it.
Watch my words. It will happen to you. Because He's a good Father.
And when you say, it doesn't matter where, it doesn't
matter how, it doesn't matter what, I am in it.
If you say, go, I will go fully. I'll give
prepare in abundance and give in plenty. That's where you start.
Leave the rest to Him. He'll take care of it.
So I want to... Yes, Diana.
So you already said that the work in Victoria will be central
to our lives as a body. But the work that He gives us, there
might be something personal for us as well. So how do we balance that
out? Or could there be two completely separate things
that we're doing? Everything comes under
Matthew 28-19. Everything that we do comes under
Matthew 28-19. And then under this are specifics.
So God may ask you very specifically to do something in
Burnaby that none of us here are being invited into
or called into. And so this is part of counting the cost
and considering the waste. Because the answer for you may not be
the answer for me. It could be different. But because God is
doing this with Acts 29, we cannot
as... We should not as individuals, because we can't.
We should not as individuals take a step back and say, well, it's for the rest
of those guys. They'll do it. Because one of the things that Jacob kept hammering
initially was this idea that this is not for house church
leaders or a few people. This is for all of us. My
goodness, man. Matthew 28-19 is for all of us.
All of us.
And we should be so excited about
living the word. Living the word.
So, yeah.
There are different things that we may be doing.
But we have to sit down and weigh things and then decide.
So,
we talked about conspiring with the Holy Spirit earlier on. Not today, but
in one of the sessions before.
We need to conspire with the Holy Spirit also as we do
this exercise to reorganize our schedules
and our time commitments. We need to sit down
to conspire with the Holy Spirit. So, if I need to
do these things, I need to sit down with the Holy Spirit
and say, Holy Spirit, this will demand
of me to spend time outside of work,
outside of this thing and that thing and this thing.
And you know what? I really need your help.
So, between you and I, I'm committing to this.
And I'm prepared to pay this price.
And I'm also prepared to re-prioritize the things
in my life to make it happen. Conspiring
with the Holy Spirit is also useful in your
preparation for the work at hand. So, you sit
down and conspire with Him. As a family, sit down and conspire with
Him. It's going to be so good. Because even
before you're there, you have sat down with Him and you've talked
to Him. You've let Him know already, hey, here's what this looks like.
You know my heart. I want to give it all. Because, guys, there are going to be days when
it's not easy. And when you do this, you're prepared.
So, a few things we need to do.
We need to already start thinking about what we're
going to be doing. Plan your time, your schedule.
Because this is a real place
that real people need to go to using the 24 hours that we
have every day. So, we need to plan.
Prepare. So, start looking at your summer holiday
plans and start looking at when your days are off. And
in all honesty, we have to now think of our days
off this year. I'm going to say even to that extent. When we take time off
this year at work, think about how that's going to align
with this.
Think about how that will align with this. Super important.
Number two, organize your finances.
What do I mean by that?
Father, counting the cost, even the dollars are not
the most important thing when it comes to counting cost.
I am also prepared to spend. Because this money
you gave me. This money I want to give for you.
Three.
Trade everything that he has given you.
Be a good steward. Trade everything that he has given you.
Don't put it under your bed.
It's the story of the
guy who was given talents that he traded.
He made a lot of money.
He made a lot of money with these talents that he traded.
He multiplied it. So you have to look at your life
and go, when it comes to these things, what are the things that are
so innate to me, so me. Because you've built
me that way that I need to trade, use.
Because we're a body. Diana is good at certain things
that I'm not good at. And she's good at
us and therefore she has to trade it use it for the benefit of all of us and for
the benefit of those in Nanaimo and Victoria we have to trade the talents
trade the gifts that have been given to us and this goes without saying but when
I look at my life I find a gap that I need to fill prepare by feeding on the
word this is very important prepare by feeding on the word like never before may
this church now as we prepare may there be such a wind of the Holy Spirit
amongst us that all of us are spending way more time here than ever before so
important
prepare by feeding on the word
next prepare by setting up
godly disciplines it's part of considering your ways what are the
things that I need to change habits that are not fruitful what are the habits
that I really need to have in my life to be able to accomplish what God is saying
set up godly disciplines I was talking with Emily K a few weeks ago and Emily
was saying how she's been waking up at a particular time and she's sitting down
in this one area in our house where she spends time with God no one else just
herself and God and that's a place that she has to encounter him every day so
what are other disciplines other godly disciplines that you need to cultivate
that you need to set up as you prepare
another thing I would add and this is really when it comes to give in plenty
be prepared to give all of yourself to this work what does that really mean
don't be tight-fisted give all of yourself for this don't be tight-fisted
don't jump into this with we'll see how it goes give it all give it everything
and I'm not talking about money because when we talk about being tight-fisted it's very easy
to think about money I'm not talking about money is one thing but don't be
tight-fisted when it comes to how much of yourself you give to others don't be
tight-fisted with your time with your words with your attitude don't be
tight-fisted give all of yourself to others so the thing is guys what Jesus
accomplishes on earth is not done by superstars it is done by a people by a
community of ordinary people what Jesus accomplishes on earth is done by a
community of ordinary people it happened 2,000 years ago it started 2,000 years
ago with a group of 12 it continues today with ordinary people living a
certain way weighing everything that he has said and placing it over our heads
and saying I bow down to no one else but him and his words it will dictate how I
live it will dictate everything that I do my words my passions my my my my
disciplines my life my work everything will bow down to how the king wants me
to live and maybe we need to talk about it because none of us are pastors like
Jacob we're all regular people Jacob is a pastor sorry Jacob if you're watching
hello and he has trained us up well to know that the royal priesthood belongs
to all of us if you if you've been here long enough you know that you belong to
the royal priesthood so how how dare we step into something without recognizing
who we are we are a royal priesthood
one more thing I want to take a little bit more time on and then we'll go
through it real fast number three repair rebuild restore as per I say 58 6 to 12
that turn I know it's quite long well let me tell you tell you this way over
the next little while one of the passages that we should go to read again
and again and again understand with the Holy Spirit I say a 58 6 to 12 58 6 to
12 yeah one of the passages where we need that we need to give our time to
and learn with the Holy Spirit is this I had great plans to hooking up my iPad
with this thing to to point out a few things but I'll try to do it without it
because it ain't working good do I say 58 6 to 12 we'll spend a few minutes there
rebuild repair restore after I say a 58 pattern so the first verse that I want
us to read is I say a 58 verse 12 here is how it says and your ancient ruins
shall be rebuilt you shall raise up the foundations of many generations you
shall be called the repairer of the breach the restorer of streets to dwell
in read that again it's about us I say a 58 verse 12 and your ancient ruins shall
be rebuilt X 29 you will raise up the foundations of many generations X 29 you
shall be called the repairer of the breach in Victoria and Nanaimo and you
acts 29 you are the restorer of streets to dwell in that is them that is how
God sees us already okay so we we're starting from the very bottom and then
we'll make work our way up so I say a 58 12 spend time over it go over this
again and again and again until this is so inside you that even at night you'll
wake up I'll be like you'll say just like that it's important we need to we
need to see ourselves how God sees us before we go right into it and start
doing stuff so let's read that again X 29 you shall raise up the foundations of
many generations so what does that mean see one of the things even as Jacob
mentioned remember you talked about the the women the Salvation Army women in
Victoria the work that they did there have been others too after the fact who
worked there and there are things that he started in one generation that in
his timing he has already placed it for others to finish okay so there are
things that he started in Victoria Nanaimo he started it he did it things
happened and then he sometimes keeps certain things for the next generation
or the generation after to come and complete it's so scriptural Abraham
this is what is going to happen to you by the way it's going to take 400 years
there is something that I this is amazing there is something that the
father really loves when he looks at us and he sees the generations like it's a
view that we don't have but he enjoys that view he loves it that he starts
something and then he leaves something and same with us there will be things
that we start that Phoebe and others will continue and finish it's the way he
works he's a god of generations and so x29 you shall raise up the foundations
of many generations you shall be called the repairer of the breach the
restorer of streets to dwell in so we'll do we we have to do these things as we
follow him in the cities but if you look at Isaiah 58 6 to 12 I want to divide
that into two sections it's it's like an if-then statement Jeremy will know it
it's like if you do this then the rest of it I'll do right if you do it then
the rest of it works yeah if you do it the rest of it I'll do and and for today
okay just for today let's not even let's read it once we'll read once what he
says he'll do and the for today just forget it why because what he says he'll
do he'll do yeah so let's just read it let's read together I say a 58 8 to 12
so I said we're gonna divide that into two sections let's start with 6 and 7
this is our part okay this is where we come in as a body is not this the fast
that I choose to lose the bonds of wickedness to undo the straps of the
yoke to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke that's for us we're
seven again for us is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the
homeless poor into your home when you see the naked to cover him and not to
hide yourself from your own flesh again for us now he responds then with things
that he will do which will read once and then we're just gonna put it on the side
and what I mean by that is things that he says he'll do he'll do it he's so
good at it then shall you light x29 break forth like the dawn and your
healing shall spring up speedily x29 your righteousness shall go before you
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard remember where we started from
presence to go before that his presence with us before that she kind of his
presence is with us the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard then you
shall call and the Lord will answer you shall cry and he will say here I am
today we are only reading it once we just gonna put that on the side because
he'll do what he says next our part if you x29 take away the yoke from your
midst the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness if you pour
yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted that's for
us then his part shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the
noonday and the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in
scorched places and make your bones strong and you shall be like a watered
garden like a spring of water whose waters do not fail and your ancient
ruins shall be rebuilt you shall raise up the foundations of many generations
you shall be called the repairer of the breach the restorer of streets to dwell
in so we started from verse 12 because that is the work at hand and we went
back up and there are two things number one and this is so important for us a
when we go to Victoria Nanaimo can we do it this way can we be a shepherd king
can we on one hand recognize the evil at play the bondage that people are in the
traps that they are in and the need for people to be loosened for captives to be
set free all of which cannot happen with our power but can absolutely happen
with his power in us that is essential and then on the same token can we also
see the homeless and you can you can say well it's the same no it's different can
you also see the homeless and the poor and the needy and give all of what you
have so that their things are taken care of there are people who are in verse 7
go back because this is important go back is is it not to share your bread
with the hungry so when it comes to seeing a hungry man giving bread just do
it
don't discern just do it
sometimes we can be discerning and I understand the discerning part but when
you see a hungry man he said give food you're tracking me
bring the homeless poor into your house when you see the see the naked cover
him when you see a man or a woman who is naked don't wait for discernment the
discernment is already given to you to use this word and obey just do it and
not to hide yourself from your own flesh we can spend more time on it but let's
just leave it there so there is that that we need to do but we should not be
we should be careful not to be specialists specialists in one thing now
what I'm a specialist in feeding the homeless and covering the nakedness of
people when it comes to loosening bones that's I'm gonna leave that with a
couple of others or my thing is that I really like loosening the bones and
setting captives free but I'm not going to really do this part because that's
really not no do both if all of us start doing both how rich will we be if all of
us look at this and say Jesus we want to follow you into what you're doing we're
gonna fulfill all of this I'm not going to say that I am a certain type so I
can't do certain things I will show the desire to show everything and do
everything I may not be able to do some stuff as good as person a but that's
okay I want to do it all and this is important otherwise we will
compartmentalize and specialize which is not in the kingdom
so prepare yourself for both were six and were seven train my hands for war my
fingers for battle and the reason I said shepherd King is because on one hand
you got to take care of the poor and the hungry and the naked and being a
shepherd helps but you also got to be a king that he has placed on earth to
stand in his authority and say come out both both important so when the father
his children into a city or a nation they are to tear down what needs to be
torn down and you cannot build in fact what do we read this Jeremiah chapter
one verse 10 Jeremiah chapter one verse 10 I'll read it see I have set you this
day over nations and over kingdoms to pluck up and to break down to destroy
and overthrow to build and plant so we have to do that and then we have to take
were seven from Isaiah chapter 58 and hold it on the other hand man it'll be
so fun because I think and not I think all of us has to grow in it and what an
amazing opportunity to follow Jesus to be obedient to his call and to do exactly
what he's asking us to do few more things cities and lives will be contested
by giants and they must be overcome cities and lives will be contested by
giants and they must be overcome I like this verse Isaiah 49 even the captives
of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible be delivered
for I will content with him who contends with you and I will save your children
so I'll just wrap it up by saying rebuilding is not about feeding the poor
is not just about feeding the poor and clothing the needy it is the progression
and expansion of an upside down rule the rule of Christ it changes everything and
one of the things that came up and just I'll just say this and then we'll move
on one of the things that came up one of the days when we met for an encounter
metering is we will have to rename people and rename things work with the
father and prepare yourself above as we go we know there are people who will
meet who will need to be renamed there are things that will need to be renamed
because we are digging wells like Isaiah sorry like Isaac we are re digging and so
there are things that we will rename but that's just on the side will we'll do
that later and then a few more things we will wrap up in five minutes number four
shut down the voices of send ballot and Tobiah and others like them comes from
Nehemiah chapter four
it's important and for today I'll only talk about one thing if there are voices
that try to make you feel that you're so inadequate that you can't do this and
you know look at look at these guys and they maybe they can do it and I don't
feel like I can do it this is what you're dealing with you read the
Hama chapter 4 God said rebuild Nehemiah and his people started rebuilding
there comes and ballot and Tobiah and you know what they're saying you guys are
building look at this wall all that will take is for a Fox to run across and this
wall you're building will come down you're so feeble so weak what are you
building almost sounds like how dawn and Xavier talks to you in here on a soccer
ground that's how they speak but jokes aside if you if you hear that you've got
not just now but even as you do things it is because these voices it's a it's an
old trick played by the devil to make you feel inadequate for the task at hand
and you've got to as you hear it shut it down shut it down you cannot afford to
give it room shut it down
ok now three four points we don't have time to go into the details of I'll just
read it you write it or think it think about it
obedience is way more important than perceived results results are important
but obedience is way more important than perceived results when it comes to some
of the stuff we're talking about which is an invisible enemy we cannot go by
perceived results we have to go by obedience and then leave it to him
because all of the stuff that I said let's just put it on the site what a
confidence we have to be able to do that that are good good father when he says
something he'll do it
next do not forget the significance of one soul because we could be doing
things and this is important for me but for us because when we do things guys
there are going to be times when in a few of us are going to be doing stuff
that's going to involve 10 and 15 people and a few of us are going to be doing
things one-on-one with someone never forget the significance of one soul
never forget it
next I want to spend too much time here expect creative solutions to difficult
problems expect creative solutions from the Holy Spirit for difficult problems
reference second Kings to chapter 19 or 21 verse 19 this is when the men of the
city came to Elisha and said you know what this place is no good the water is
bad the land is unfruitful what do we do Elisha says this is what you do come
with a bowl of salt and a creative solution was given to him by the Holy
Spirit that he did so be attended to the spirit for creative solutions to
difficult problems and then the last thing I want to say as we as he
prepares us is go back and read Ephesians chapter 6 Ephesians chapter 6
that's the whole armor of God the full armor of God we've got to read that and
I know I'm not saying read it but meditate on it ask the Holy Spirit
conspire with him conspire with the Holy Spirit as we read it the helmet of
salvation the breastplate of righteousness readiness for the gospel
the belt of truth conspire with him sit down with him wear it
it is important as I said earlier on for us to think about what happened in the
past and to look at and consider our ways so that mistakes that we made or
things attempted against us are brought to light it is important it's it's not
exactly similar but there's a story that comes to mind I think World War two or
something the Royal Air Force they found out that the planes that were coming
back after going to Germany and thereabouts the planes that were coming
back most of them were hit in certain locations bullets fired at them in
certain locations and so they decided that you know what all of these planes
they have the same pattern it's the same locations that they get a lot of hit so
we need to reinforce those areas and make sense yeah but then one guy said
uh-huh no I don't think you're doing it right because what if the planes that
are not coming back are getting hit in other spots and we don't even see it and
that changed the way they build planes so conspire with the Holy Spirit we all
need to do this a we need to sit down and read through that passage and
conspire with him prepare okay let's pray in close
Abba you know our hearts you know our desires you know everything about us you
know this body this is your people we are your people we come to you today and
we we've been hearing we've been learning we want to prepare ourselves
for the work at hand we really want to prepare ourselves about and this
preparation is not a preparation where we just go and think about a few things on
no all of this is with your Holy Spirit we don't have to lift weights that we
aren't supposed to lift because you said I'm gonna give you a helper I'm gonna
give you a friend I'm gonna give you a comforter so Holy Spirit we come to you
we want to do this with you and all of us want to take time to count the cost to
consider our ways we want to take time we're gonna give ourselves to you so use
us Holy Spirit take all of us take this body and break it so that others can be
fed take this body like it was done with your son father and break it so others
can benefit father I pray protection and blessing over everyone here and those
who can't be here with us and those who are traveling and Jacob and May as well
in Jesus name amen that's it guys see you later