Standing Fast in the Faith (Part 3)

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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your

walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until

the end for our rewarding experience. Let's dive

right in. I want us to be expectant. I really

want us to pay attention. We're going to continue

with our teaching. We're going to be continuing

our teaching. This will be the taught part of

it. Standing fast in the faith. Standing fast

in the faith. And I sense the relevance of this

at this point in time because a lot of things

have happened. A lot of things are happening.

And every believer has to know what they are

holding on to, or who they are holding on to.

And not just know who they are holding on to,

but why. And hold fast. And hold fast to God.

Praise God. In the previous teaching, I think

we started the teaching on paying attention,

right? Paying attention. And you don't just pay

attention, you pay faithful attention to every

word or every teaching. And just to remind those

of us, or if this is your first time in church,

or if this is your first time joining us, the

team of this year's Greater Works, and if we

are going to work in greater, we have to pay

attention. We have to pay not just passive attention,

but close and active attention to God's Word.

As we continued in the teaching, I think I took

us to the text in John 14 verse 12. I think in

John 14:12

the second part of the teaching, I walked us

through the uniqueness of John's Gospel. phrase

most assuredly was used several times and in

those several times there was a communication

that has been made and it highlights and focused

on learning, like wanting to understand what

the meaning is. And we established that trust

in God always leads us to action. It always leads

us to action. It always leads us to action. And

I just want us to go to our text in I want to

remind us as believers that our faith is not

a blind faith. Our faith in God is not a blind

faith. There's a basis for our faith in God.

You have people that can't or just believe blindly.

They feel that your belief in God has no basis.

There's no basis for your belief in God. And

in case you don't know what blind faith is, blind

faith is believing in something without any reason

or evidence. You are believing in something without

any reason or evidence. You don't know why you

believe what you believe in. It's almost like

a passive ignorance. You know, but you don't

know. Kind of situation. And the cure for that

is knowledge. The cure for blind ignorance is

knowledge. And I will go back to that aspect

of what's paying attention. Because if you don't

pay attention, you will still be ignorant. Praise

God. It was tough that you are in the circle

of, you are in a place where they are teaching

you and you're supposed to be learning, but you're

still ignorant. I think it's better you're not

even here than you are here. And this is me calling

attention to the fact that you can be here and

you're not taking notes. You're just watching.

It means that you really don't understand or

you do not know why you're here or you just showed

up as a routine. Praise God. I want us to understand

that our faith in God, you don't want to come

into that space where you are going through the

motions and you don't even know why. And if you

go out there and evangelize regularly, you will

notice that you will meet with a believer and

the believer cannot articulate their belief in

God, why they believe in God. And you'll be wondering

to yourself, do these persons actually know why

they do so? And it's sad enough that you are

in a space where this is being brought to you

over and over again and you still can't articulate

it. It means that you are guilty of not paying

attention, praise God. Because every time we

come here, we bring us to that place where we

understand. And some people get this idea of

faith in God being blind from certain aspects

of the Word of God or certain areas of the Word

of God, which is you misinterpreting or mis -

misrepresenting the text in a sense. Because

when you look at Hebrews, I think what we read

as a church, we had gone through the book of

Hebrews. And in Hebrews 11, it looks like it's

not sin, right? The idea of not sin, it not being

sin. So people can take this notion that you're

anchoring your faith to something that you can't

see or someone you can't see or you have not

seen. How is that valid? Or in fact, we don't

see it. doesn't write it off. Your mobile phones

are the tools, the physical tools that help you

collect the signals of whether you're using a

took cell or a Telosim. You don't see the network.

You only can tell that the network is available

because you have the hardware that is able to

interact with the network that is flying around.

The same thing goes for the air we breathe. We

don't necessarily have seen or understand or

even say hi to it, but we know that it's there

and it's responsible for our living. Praise God!

So, the fact that you don't see it doesn't mean

it's not there. Praise God! And I want you to

be encouraged that your faith is anchored on

something solid. Your faith is anchored on someone

solid. Praise God! And even if you cannot explain

it, you know, I just explained something that

some people have not even paid attention to.

You just probably realize it now. That is your

phone that helps you tell whether there's a network

or not. You don't see the network to know that

the network is available. The same way, if you

cannot explain your faith, it doesn't mean that

it can't be explained. Praise God. The fuck because

you cannot explain your faith doesn't mean that

your faith cannot be explained. What it only

means is that you need to learn, right? It only

just brings your attention to the need for learning,

the need for knowledge, the need for understanding.

And when you are learning, you are learning with

the end goal of understanding. We don't learn

with the end goal, with the plan of being ignorant.

We learn with the end goal that we can be able

to understand. And how we know you understand

is in your ability to explain. Praise God! The

way we know that you understand something is

when we ask you, you are able to explain what

you understand. And as I said, what we have in

God, we are not scared to be scrutinized. Praise

God! When you are not sure, you are scared of

scrutiny. Many people, when they ask you, you

are scared because you don't know. Anybody that

understands or knows why they believe what they

believe, they are not scared. In fact, the Bible

has been scrutinized more than any book in the

world. And it is not still afraid of scrutiny

because it's solid. Right? The other people that

don't like... Because once you... You don't even

need to go too far. In the first chapter, you

have already diagnosed the problem. But the Bible

has gone through so much scrutiny... to get to

arrive at this point where we can see for a fact

that we know what we believe and we run with

it. Praise God! And Scripture tells us that faith

comes by in Romans 10 verse 17, that faith comes

Romans 10:17

by hearing. And the NLT will say that is hearing

the good news about Christ. That means our faith

is anchored on what we hear and what we hear

about the One who our faith is anchored on. Praise

God! And it tells us that there's evidence to

what our faith is, even though we cannot see,

even though you have not met Jesus in person,

or you know that you have met Him. Praise God!

You have had an encounter with Him. And if you

want to further argue the fact that, oh, this

faith I think is still blind. And I'm saying

this to help someone because I sense that there

are people that are struggling with their faith.

They have been brought into it. because they

had no choice and they are just here because

they still have no choice. They have to report

to the person that brought them here, in a sense.

But I want you to know that you have to come

to a place where you understand and know why

and you can be able to explain it. Remember,

last time we were teaching, I told you that the

reason why Apostle Paul could defend his faith

is because he knew the encounter he had with

God was undeniable. And you could see it anywhere,

even if they call them crazy. There's also crazy

faith. Crazy faith, you cannot see it, but you

know it is there. And they will call you crazy.

Abramos will be classified in that, because you

are going somewhere you don't know. There are

many instances where you believe... is something

solid. There's an evidence for what you believe

in and in spite of the circumstance and the situation,

you still will go on believing. Praise God. You

still will go on believing and that is where

as what knowing, that's what understanding helps

us to do. That it might not seem like it, but

you are willing to hold on because the one who

holds you will never let you go. Praise God.

The one who is holding you will never let you

go. And you'd be wondering to yourself that,

oh, Look at Jesus and His disciples. How many

of you, when you read your Bible, there's a lot

of explaining that was happening. In fact, the

Bible doesn't give us all the explanation. But

there was a lot of explaining that He had done

and the Jews are not that easy to come to. Luke

Luke 24:27

24 verse 27, it says, and beginning at Moses

and all the prophets, He expanded. He, Jesus

Christ, expanded to them as those coming with

Him from the mouth, to them in all the scriptures,

the things concerning Himself, that is, Himself,

Christ. 45. It goes to 45. 45. 45 says, "...and

He opened their understanding..." This is when

Jesus Christ had gone to... He was with the disciples

now. But all the disciples say, they open their

understanding that they might comprehend the

scripture. You can't be explaining when you don't

have evidence. I don't know about you, but there's

no explaining when there's no evidence, right?

Even if some people now can't explain without

evidence, but you have to. And the length of

explanation will tell that you have a lot more

evidence than, right? Because it's just a matter

of time. You will see holes in your explanation,

right? Because the longer the person talks, the

more lies you pick if the person is lying, if

the evidence is false. I want us to go to Acts

17. Well, St. Jesus will see. What's the Paul?

Acts 17 verse 2 to 4. Yeah, 2. Then Paul, as

Acts 17:2–4

his custom was, went into them and for three

sabbaths reasoned. with them from the scriptures

three explaining and demonstrating that christ

had to suffer and rise again from the dead and

saying this jesus whom i preach to you is the

christ for the last verse and some of them were

persuaded and a great multitude of devout greeks

and a few of the leading women joined Paul and

Silas. I want you to give me an NLT. Give me

an NLT. NLT makes it clear enough for us. Yeah.

So, as I told you, Ella, some of the Jews who

listened were persuaded. Remember, I told you

that the Jews are not easy to convince. So, some

of them were the ones that were... And they noticed

that they listened, right? They had to have listened

to have been persuaded. Because if the person

you're talking to is not listening to you, You're

not having a conversation or you're not communicating.

They joined Paul and Silas along with the many

God -fearing Greek men and a few of their prominent

women. So, we see that a lot of the Jews, a lot

of the Greeks believed and they came, they believed

and they happened to. The teaching hall was being

communicated, but you see that the Jews... What

it means is that you have to have evidence to

be able to convince. You have to know what you're

talking about to be able to convince. You have

to keep at it. You have to keep communicating

and keep talking and keep encouraging and keep

showing them from scriptures. Keep communicating.

It doesn't stop. You keep at it because the Word

of God, you're sowing seeds of that Word and

it's able to yield that increase. And I said

to ourselves, and I repeat myself again, there's

a basis for our faith in God. There's a basis

for our faith in God. There's a basis for our

faith in God. I want us to look at John 20 -31.

John 20 -31. John 20 -31. Not the NLT, the New

King James. Thank you. It says, but this were

written that you may believe that Jesus is the

Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you

may have life in His name. and that believing

you may have life in His name. Notice that in

the earlier verses, you will notice that Thomas

said that he will not believe until he sees.

When he saw, Jesus Christ asked him to put his

hands up, and because he saw, he believed. Then

Jesus Christ says, Blessed are you who believe

without seeing. And I want us to go to Matthew.

I want us to see more, you know, when you don't

have, if the evidence is real, right, when you

have a false, when you see falsification of an

evidence, let me read it the way I wrote it.

It says, if there's some, if there is, if there

wasn't any evidence, there wouldn't be any falsification

of the evidence. So if you, if the evidence,

if there wasn't a, If there wasn't truth, there

wouldn't be a lie, right? About something. If

there wasn't truth about something, there wouldn't

be a lie. I want us to see something. I want

us to examine, take our time and examine this.

In Matthew 28, 11 to 15. Matthew 28, 11 to 15.

Matthew 28, 11 to 15. Yes, let's use the NLT.

Let's use the NLT. Matthew 28, 11 to 15. See,

as the women, we are... Jesus Christ has resurrected.

Some of the men went into the city and told the

leading priest what had happened. Please pay

close attention. A meeting with the elders was

called and they decided to give the soldiers

a large bribe. They told the soldiers, you must

say, Jesus' disciples came during the night while

the soldiers were sleeping. stole his body. If

the governor hears about this, we will stand

for you so you won't get in trouble. So the guards

accepted the bribe and said what they were told

to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews

and they still tell it today. Notice something.

The first point we want to look at is the fact

that what is the need for the elders and the

leading priest? There's something that has to

be needed for them because there has to be something

that will result or amount in a covenant. And

then the first question I want us to ask ourselves

is, because you want to use what we have to make

a case, right? And the question is, If the soldiers,

because they were told to, if the soldiers were

asleep, how would they have known who stole the

body? Right? Because the thing is that they were

told to say, and I will take us to what actually

happened, but they were told to say that they

were asleep. Because if you have, and by the

way, these are Roman soldiers that if you have

seen movies of they are armed, they are armed.

So you are dealing with a bunch of armed soldiers

as against a bunch of fishermen, people that

are untrained against trained. Then if you add

education to it, anyhow. But you have some bunch

of untrained people against trained. And I don't

know which one for me is embarrassing. It's the

fact that you are a soldier sleeping on duty.

And I don't know which one is more embarrassing

to admit. When I was thinking about you, there

was a situation that happened when I was meant

to talk to security and I felt it was evening,

so the man was tired. The man was sleeping, but

I don't know how to wake him without making him

know that he was sleeping. So, I had to make

sounds because it's embarrassing because you

are not meant to be sleeping at your post. And

you knowing that the person that is coming to

check on you finds there's a bit of embarrassment

about it. So, you can imagine the amount of embarrassment

the soldiers were willing to take, right? To

not say the truth. And if you think about it,

they were incentivized because I'm giving you

money to lie and then I'm going to protect you

again to lie. So, I can only imagine the interview.

If it's in this day and age, I'm guessing maybe

one of the soldiers will do a YouTube video communicating

the actual thing that happened because he has

collected the money. He probably will be arrested

afterwards. But that's the thought that comes

to mind. I'm saying this for us to know the extent

to which people will lie to cover up the truth.

It means that if you are not critical... Notice

that we just looked at the fact that they said

that they were sleeping and then the disciples

came and stole this body. So, if you are fast

asleep, I don't know about you, except if you

are sleeping, because the story would make sense

if you were sleeping and they made some noise

and then you woke up and you saw them. But you

said you were sleeping, meaning that... you are

sleeping and then because if you woke up from

sleep you should be able to fight them and then

preserve but because I don't know how that would

even make sense but you want to just put that

in mind and the fact that they were going to

get into trouble and we understand that it is

a very serious thing for them to have mount guard

at that place and in fact it was the same elders

that insisted that they mount guard because in

fact they believed And they knew, even the disciples

were not, but they believed that this man, he

has said he will rise up on the third day. So,

they had instructed for that to be done. And

then, sleeping on duty was very serious because

if it wasn't in the verse 14, they wouldn't have

said, okay, we will protect you. When the governor,

because in the verse 14 it says, if the governor

hears about it, we will stand up for you. so

you wouldn't get in trouble. Because they had

given them the bribe and they were going to also

get protection when this happened. In the same

Bible, I want us to go to Acts 16 -27, just to

clarify that what they would have faced, if they

were not protected, would be death. So, this

is the jailer. The background story to this was

Paul. and Silas having praying, rejoicing in

prison and then all of that happened. The jailer

woke up to see the prison doors wide open. You

can imagine you are in charge of the prison and

then you know that the prisoners, it's not like

they're having fun in prison. If prison opens,

you run. But he said he assumed. that the prisoner

works to see because his life was preserved and

then he and his household, as we'll see in 34,

that's clever, I want us to go to 34, his household

and himself was now saved to 34, it says he brought

them to his house and set a meal before them

and he and his entire household rejoiced because

they all believed. I want us to see 31. 31 just

go to 31 Because they replied because the jailer

asked that what can he do to be saved they say

they replied believe in the Lord Jesus and You

will be saved along with everyone in your household.

Praise God That was what they are told him and

he responded took him to took them home and they

were saved So you you would have thought that

the prison situation will be end ugly But the

prison situation was also an opportunity for

the gospel to be preached, for the jailer and

his household to be saved. So, you want to always

think of difficult situations, challenging situations,

and this is me still going back to the theme

of standing fast in the faith. Know that no matter

what elements or whatever challenges will be

thrown at you, your consciousness should be in

the one or you should be conscious of the one

who holds you. and stand fast in it. Paul and

Silas were rejoicing in that prison. They didn't

look like they were led in prayers. Prison is

not where you would be rejoicing in. Every normal

person, because we walk by faith, not by sight,

rejoices in spite of. Corinthians would say that

there's a reason why we don't give up. There's

a reason why we never give up. So, going back

to... Matthew, I want us to go to Matthew in

NLT. Matthew 28, 2 -4. Matthew 28, 2 -4. I read,

Suddenly there was an earthquake. There was an

earthquake. There was a great earthquake. For

an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled

aside the stone and sat on it, his face shone

like lightning, and his cloth was as white as

snow. The gods shook with fear when they saw

him, and they fell into a dead feint." The NLTC

says they fell into a dead feint. Go back to

4. That's what we're saying. And they fell into

a dead feint, and the other translation was that

they were dead men. They were dead men, and you

can imagine. because they saw what they never

expected in all of the times of them standing

guard. You can now imagine which of the stories

would be better to tell. Which of them would

be better to tell it to me, because I don't know

how about explaining that kind of a situation.

Now they had explained it to the elders and the

Pharisees, and the Pharisees and the elders said,

look, this one will not go down well for us.

Just take money and we'll protect you. explain

this one because it's easier to say, you don't

have to explain all of these things and then

the person will not be arguing with you. So,

where did the angel come from? How do you start

explaining all of that? But the good thing about

it is that they were not the only ones that were

there. So, the fact that the chief priests and

the elders were willing to pay a large bribe

and protect the soldiers suggests a desire to

cover up the truth at all costs. There's a desire

to cover up the truth at all costs and I'm challenging

you. We have the Word of God. You add a desire

to know what is in it or you close it and invariably

not know what is in the Word and deny yourself

and walk in the ignorance we talked about. You

have faith but it's blind. You don't even know

what you believe in. Praise God! You want to

challenge yourself. It's not the easiest because

it takes work. to go and research, find, know

what exactly it is that your faith is all about.

Praise God. It's because you can't cover up the

truth for long, right? And I want you to think

with me the horror of the chief priests and the

Pharisees and the elders, when the disciples

now are healing people in the name of the same

person that they tried. The same person that

they tried to say that they were covering it

was a color of story for. Because if they say

they stole the body, how do you explain the fact

that some people had met with the person that

the body was stolen? Because the person was not...

You know, when they say they stole the body,

they mean that they stole the lifeless body,

right? Because when they say stealing the body,

stealing is the lifeless body. But now you have

people that have seen the person alive. You know

you cannot argue with that. You know you can't

argue with that testimony. And that's why, as

a believer, you want to know the truth. You want

to know the truth so well that when somebody

tells you it's like your name, that it gives

you a different name, you know you will be...

In fact, you will not stress yourself because

you know what your name is. And you want to have

faith in God like you know your name, right?

You want to have that solid faith in God like

you know your name. that when somebody tells

you that this is who you are, you tell them,

no, this is who I am. Praise God! And in this

case, you'd be saying, I am the child of God,

right? I know who my father is. I have the spirit

of God. I'm not unsure of whether I do or I don't.

In fact, God's Word confirms to me again and

again and again who I am in Him. Praise God!

That was it for the disciples. That was it for

the disciples. I want us to look at the case

of Peter and John. I want us to look at the case

of Peter and John in Acts 4, 16 to 17. Acts 4,

16 to 17. I'll read it to us. It says... No,

KJV. Just go to KJV. It says, saying, what shall

we do to these men? This was after they had healed

the lame man. What shall we do to this man? For

indeed, what a notable miracle has been done

through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem

and we cannot deny it. I want you to say it,

you can't deny the truth. Say it like you mean

you can't deny the truth. 17 now says, but so

that it spreads no further among the people,

let us severely threaten them that from now on

they speak to no man in his name. They speak

to no man in his name. What do you think Peter

and John's response will be to them? What do

you think Peter and John's response would be

to them? Let's look at their response in 19 and

20. He says, but Peter, give me the NLT. I like

to wait. What's it? He said, but Peter and John

replied, do you think God wants us to obey you

rather than him? You know, that's a very good

question to ask. You know, when you put somebody,

you know, that's what somebody would do to you.

Say, I'm serving my God. You cannot tell me what

my God has said and what you are saying. So,

we cannot stop telling about everything we have

seen and heard. Praise God! They have seen and

they have heard. The evidence they have is overwhelming

in comparison to the lies you are trying to or

the instruction that you are giving. Praise God!

And this is where you want to move to a place

where you have overwhelming evidence about the

God that you serve. An overwhelming evidence

about the God that you serve that when somebody

tells you contrary to it, you are able to stand,

right? You are able to stand. You are not going

to car. And these men are able to say that because

they had been with Jesus. They, doing otherwise,

were almost on... It would be that they are denying

what they have seen and what they have heard.

And for some of us, even the ones we have seen

and heard, we still deny it at every given opportunity

because we don't want to. We just deny it at

every given opportunity. I want us to look at

4 verse 13. That's the same Acts 4 verse 13.

Acts 4:13

It says, Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter

and John and perceived that they were uneducated

and untrained, uneducated and untrained men,

they marveled and they realized that they had

been with Jesus. Praise God! They had been with

Jesus. So, there is an education and a training.

that you get being with Jesus. There is an education

and a training that you get being with Jesus.

And when they say being with Jesus, it's not

just that they were in a community, right? They

were not... You know, somebody would say, I'm

in my house with Jesus. A ministry is a bedside

ministry. In my house with Jesus. Wake up every

morning and say, I'm with Jesus. But we know

that they are with Jesus because of the way they

lived, right? The way they were able to defend,

the way they were able to... The things that

they did showed us that these people were...

because they could see. In Marvel, you see, these

people didn't have... they don't have the education.

They are not scholars, but because of the time

they had spent with Him. So, if by what they

believed in, they would have just said, OK, fine.

This is the first and last time. It's okay. We

will not do it again. Is that what you want us

to do? Because if we don't do it, you're going

to lock us up because they threaten them. You

know, when they actually say that they are not

going to do what they have seen and heard, they

threaten them again. So, it means that the threat

will not stop until the person feels that you

succumb to their instructions, right? Because

just imagine, the soldiers had no choice. The

soldiers could not do anything and it was more

lucrative for them. I'm wondering, even if they

gave them bride, they would not still call it,

right? Because they know what they believed.

And I want you to pay attention to what they

did afterwards because sometimes we undermine

the value of the church community. Because after

that incident, what they did was that they went

back to the believers and told them of what had

happened. And what had happened afterwards is

that they prayed and they were strengthened and

they went on preaching. We see it in 23. They

went back and told the brethren about it, told

the believers about it in 23. They went and said

their own companions and then in 31, they prayed

and then in 31, we see that they prayed and the

place was shaking and they were filled with host

and they went and spoke the word of God with

boldness. Praise God! They went and they spoke

the Word of God with boldness. I want you to

know that standing fast in faith is not automatic,

right? It's not something that happens automatically

when you just come in. It just happens. It happens

as a result of you... as a result of you actively

paying attention to what is being taught and

learning the Word of God. It comes from all of

that. The Word of God is... is food for our faith.

The Word of God is what builds us up. The Word

of God is what ensures that we are confident

in what we believe in. Praise God! That's what

the Word of God does to us. And I want you to

know that because your faith is anchored on His

Word, you will see results that will blow your

mind, right? You will see results of... I think

I was having a conversation with someone and

I was like, okay, that was probably on Friday

when we were evangelizing. We asked the person,

okay, why do you believe what you believe in?

And the person was saying, Omar, you will know

that there's no basis for the believer and they

can only have... It was just going there. And

then... I asked a couple of questions. Well,

that aside, I will say that I have seen things

that I know that it can only be good, right?

It can only be good. I think we talked about

it. I think it was last summer. I think I shared

it with Pastor Fred as well. It was last summer.

I think the first time Pastor Fred was the one

that pointed to the lady and told me, Do you

know this lady? I said, I see her around in church,

but I don't know her. Some weeks later, I had

woken up, I had a dream and in the dream, I was

praying for the lady. She was crying and then

I prayed for her. And then I woke up, I told

my wife, I was like, this lady I saw. And then

that week that happened, she was used as a flyer

for the church, like a church flyer, that same

week. And then I was like, this is interesting.

And then the lady did not show to church from

last summer. until like two Sundays ago. The

moment she walked into church, I was like, I

think I told Sister Easy to go and call the lady

for me. So, when the lady came to me, we started

talking. She was... When I told her... I told

her, I was like, the situation... I can't...

We can't have that conversation here. So, but

we talked over the phone because we couldn't

meet. We talked over the phone. And over the

phone, she opened up and said, that was... That

particular period was the... was the darkest

period of her life and not Cyprus. Meaning that

she was probably praying for a solution to her

problem and then she had other people praying

because I was like, why did you disappear? Because

I was looking. In fact, I told my wife that I

should probably send the person... I think I

said, bro, Gabriel would know this person, but

I forgot to ask him about it. Unfortunately,

when I... was speaking with her. She said they

live in the same building. My brain was like,

how can you make this up? You cannot make it

up. And we spent time, I think we spent close

to an hour plus on the phone. We talked and she

cried, laughed. There was all manner of emotions

on the phone and I knew. I thought she had left,

so she had mentioned that she was traveling on

the Tuesday of that. So, we took time and prayed,

and it was really a blessing. That aside, that

had happened the previous Sunday. He started

talking, and he was in tears. He was in tears,

and the next words he says afterwards, I couldn't...

But I've heard that before because... I've heard

it before. I think there was an instance where

a lady walked into my office. I just picked up

that she was suicidal. When I told her, she was

in shock. And the next words that she will say

is similar to what the boy said. That's why I'm

connecting the two stories together. Because

the lady now tells me that she had planned that

that particular summer she was going to go home,

lock herself and kill herself in the house. Because

she knew that dying... Because when she was talking

about it, I said... I know how expensive it is

for your dead body to be sent back to you because

it's very expensive. It's $12 ,000 or $8 ,000.

It depends on the country you're from because

they have to move. When you're talking to some

people, you have to reason so that they will

reason with you. It's bad enough that you're

killing yourself. You're not giving your family

a death in the process. And most of the times,

when people that feel that way go back home,

they recover. They are huge. But you can be huge.

You don't have to go back home because it's expensive.

Because you go back and then you come back. You

can go back and never come back. So, she had

said all of that and then I said, no problem.

She came, I gave my wife, I followed up with

her and by first of all, because she has graduated,

I think the last time I checked, she has graduated,

she's back. She came here a couple of times and

then she had left. And this particular young

man too, said the same thing. He said, in fact,

he said there's a seed he saw on Amazon. He's

planning to order it. when it takes it to...

What blows my mind is how people talk about death

like they give themselves life. You know, if

you're the one that gives yourself life, you

know, it's almost like you can do and undo. But

once you've done it, you can't undo it. And some

people in the face of death, their life flashes

before their eyes and they regret it. But it's

late because you're not the one moving yourself

to... Scripture tells us that the enemy comes

to steal, kill, and destroy. It's the enemy that

souls seize. Because what God does in the life

of a believer, for suppose, is to see, to live.

There's a game because the work of God will go

forward, right? In fact, that should stop you

from wanting to... because there's work that

needs to be done. Praise God! So, we had a conversation

with him. We talked. I said, let me pray for

you, but I was praying already on the program.

I was praying in the Spirit, but I said, no,

he doesn't want to be prayed for. I said, no

problem. If you don't want to be prayed for,

I will pray for you. I had to send him a text.

I said, you see, you will hate death. As much

as you love death and you want to take your life,

you will hate it and the other things that are

tied to it. And I think last Sunday he came to

church, at least he didn't kill himself. He came

to church on Sunday and we were praying. And

then I think the following, I think that was

this week that just passed, I saw him on the

road. We talked and then he told me about, okay,

the situations are better now. He was very excited

and he says it's going to be more. And that is,

there are certain things and this is interaction

with people and certain things that you have

experienced that will make you know that God

is real. I said all of that not to... I want

you to know that in this season, the greater

works will not just be the team of the church.

The greater work will be something you can say

for yourself in your life. That God is doing

greater in and through you. Because God is able.

We are the ones that put a limit to how God can

minister through us to meet the needs of others.

We are the ones that say, this is the only way

God can do it. Because sometimes that's why it's

almost like... But it can happen in any... You

can be in your classroom and you get the word.

You know, when I said what I said to the lady,

my brain had to... You know, that was when logic

came in, but I've said it already. I can't return.

So, her response now gave me the confidence that,

OK, you're on point, because how else can you

tell? Because the lady was like, I didn't post

it anywhere. I didn't write it. And you can't

tell a person, you cannot tell, I don't think

you can tell. You can probably deduce with some

clues, but you can't tell a person that has that

plans. Because if she had not opened her mouth

and said this was the plan, the way she had it,

you know, like somebody is telling about a business

plan. That is basically how it sounded to me.

But this one was going to end the person's life.

And I don't know if you're here and you're contemplating

taking your own life or you have had thoughts

of that. I want you to know that the thoughts

that you have had of that nature is not from

God. First and foremost, it's not from God. It's

not from God. It's not from God. And John 17

.3 says that this is eternal life, that you may

know that they may know you, the only true God,

Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. This is Jesus

speaking. And they might know the only true life

news. And we know that basically this is what

brings a believer into this world. You know that

this is it and you know Him. You can't have it

any other way. You have it in God. It's either

you know you have it or you are just going through

the motions. And you have to come to a place

where you know that regardless of the difficulty

you're going through, you know, If the young

man had taken his life, he would not have shared

the testimony later on. It would have been the

end of him. Praise God! I want us to know that

what God calls us to is to continue to learn,

to continue to grow, to continue to learn, to

continue to grow. The part that I struggle with

or which blows my mind is when you see students

that have a problem with studying, right? Because

it's there in the name, student. If you just

move the ENT and put a Y, it's literally the

same. And the worst of it is they are shocked

when they fail. Like you didn't study and then

you are surprised that you failed. That's the

part I like, you're like, you're like, oh. Like

I said, how were you expecting the miracle to

happen. And then the other part, the other group

of people are engineers that hate maths. They

are engineers, they are studying engineering,

but they say that they hate maths and they are

bragging. It's bad that you shouldn't even say

that you hate maths and you're doing engineering

and you are now bragging about it. I think a

student told me that they hate maths, they hate

numbers. In fact, they go specific. They say

they hate numbers and I see Do you know your

phone number? She said, that's different. I said,

you have a problem. If you hate numbers, you

should not know any number in your life. Somebody

said, I showed them a picture of Abraham Lincoln.

I said, do you know him? They said, we don't

know his story. I said, but do you know Ataturk?

They said, that's different. So, I said all that

to say this because sometimes the logic... I

can't understand. I had to even take it a step

further. It's like someone says, I love to swim

and I hate water. The question is, what do you

intend to swim in? I start thinking of things.

Maybe it's money, but money is not readily available.

And then I say, maybe it has to be air, because

that's the only thing, because if you can't swim,

you'll fly. That's the thing, air. And the same

thing goes for a believer that doesn't want to

learn the Word of God, doesn't want to learn

because it's the same thing that applies here.

Because you're a believer, you believe, right?

Because you're a Christian, you have a relationship

with the One that has saved you and then you

grow in that relationship. And I want this to

challenge you to want to know God better than

you did yesterday. to want to know God better

than you did last year. Because if we're going

to see God do the supernatural and mighty things

He's already doing, because it's you that needs

to participate in it, He's already doing it and

through us, He will be limited by the amount

of what you know of Him. Because it's what you

know that you can work with. Because if you know

Him to do... One that if you know him to save

if you know you want to see that happen through

you and in fact You're gonna be posturing yourself

to see that happening to you. Praise God So I

want us to just open our mouths and just thank

God for his word We appreciate you being here

today, we hope you carry this war with you throughout

your week Don't forget to check the show notes

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blessed.