Ark 2 - Aaron's Staff

Guys, we had stopped a week ago before last Sunday with the Ark and how the contents of

the Ark work. So today we continue with the contents of the Ark. Pray for Rennie. She's

not feeling well and Aaron had texted that. You just pray for her so that she begins to

feel normal and breathe easy and the Lord hears your prayer. I'll call her after. Hebrews 9,

Hebrews 9:4

verse 4. I'm starting at verse 3. Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy

Place, which had the golden altar of incense and gold-covered Ark of the Covenant, and then

the contents of the Ark. This Ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded,

and the stone tablets of the Covenant. Above the Ark was the cherubim of glory,

overshadowing the atonement cover. We cannot discuss things in detail now.

So Aaron's staff—we're going to look at that today—and here's the basic idea and we'll see

why we say this. Aaron's staff was representative of the eternal, unchanging principle

of divine order. These words are deliberate. Aaron's staff—God specifically tells Moses,

listen, I want you to keep these things in the Ark so that they might be a reminder to Israel

for generations to come. And one of the things in the Ark was the staff that Aaron used to hold.

So it's Aaron's staff, that's what it's called, and it was representative of the eternal, as in

divine, unchanging, as in not something that changes from culture to culture, time to time,

Old Testament to New Testament. So it is eternal, it's unchanging, and it's a principle of divine

order. Not divine orders, divine order. So where do we get that from? Go to Numbers 17.10.

Numbers 17.10, and you'll get the back story. Numbers 17.10. So let's start at verse 1.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs,

one for each father's house. From all their chiefs, according to their father's houses,

twelve staffs. Write each man's name on the staff. Write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi,

for there shall be one staff for the head of each father's house. Then you shall deposit them in

the tent of the meeting, before the testimony where I meet with you. And the staff of the man

whom I choose shall sprout, thus I will make to seize from me the grumblings of the people of

Israel, which they grumble against you. Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and all their chiefs

gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their father's houses, twelve staffs. And the

staff of Aaron was also among their staffs. And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the

tent of the testimony, as in the tent where the ark was kept. On the next day, Moses went into the

tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put

forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. Then Moses brought out all the staffs from

before the Lord to the people of Israel, and they looked, and each man took his staff. 1710. And the

Lord said to Moses, put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, or before the ark, to be

kept as a sign for the rebels that you make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.

Thus Moses did, as the Lord commanded him, so he did. What's the backstory? The backstory was

different people saying, but I should be the leader. Another one saying, what qualifies you

to be a leader? Another one saying, but you married an Egyptian called Zipporah, what gives

you the right? I'm the one who's supposed to be leader. To settle it once and for all, God

asked Moses to take the staffs of the fathers of all 12 tribes, and he told them,

I'll tell you, I'll select one, and then let's end this grumbling. And then he takes the staff

and puts it in the ark of the covenant as a reminder for the rest of Israel's history, that listen,

there's a way I go about choosing and appointing leaders, and I want you to understand it and not

keep rebelling and grumbling. That's why I'm calling it an eternal, unchanging principle of

divine order. He still goes about it that way. We may have changed it because of culture and time,

but he hasn't. One of the things God wanted to prove was, listen, this staff is like a

signal or flag against bitterness, rebellion, obstinacy, or stubbornness in the house.

That's what Aaron's staff was meant to do.

Crazy, eh? It matters to God

against bitterness, against rebellion, against obstinacy, or stubbornness.

And so what's God's idea of leadership? Go to Numbers 27, 16 to 16 and 17, Numbers 27, 16 and 17.

Numbers 27, 16 and 17.

And this is a conversation between Moses and the Lord. And Moses spoke to the Lord saying,

Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,

who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in,

that the congregation of the Lord may not be sheep that have no shepherd. So the Lord said to Moses,

take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him.

Again, what's the back story? Moses knows it's his time to go. Moses knows a leader has to be

appointed. So he says to the Lord, he doesn't pick one, he says to the Lord, Lord, why don't

you appoint a man? And he says, some versions say a set man, a man who is set in place, a man who

is appointed. Why don't you appoint a man? And what's the role of this man? The role of this man

is very simple. He leads people out and he leads them back in so that God's people may have a

shepherd and they will not be sheep without a shepherd. He didn't say appoint a committee.

He didn't say appoint a board. There are many different versions of leadership that I've entered,

but there are certain things that are eternal and unchanging.

And we'll see how it develops in the New Testament and what must be added,

but what cannot be taken are. Things are added in the New Testament, but certain things are

not removed. One has to know what is not removed. And so we can use different words to describe

what God was saying here, but basically every house.

Guys, here's the other thing. I'm not saying this for my benefit because I know who I am in this

house. I'm saying it for your benefit because the time will come when you may have to be in

charge of a household and you need to know what the structure is. It takes one generation for

principles to be lost. Judges chapter 2 verse 10, and the sons of Joshua did not know the God of

Judges 2:10

their father. It takes one generation. So if John hears it, if Jacob hears it, if an Emily hears it,

and they happen to lead a household seven years, seven months down the road, will they be able to

remember these principles and not circumvent them for something that's more convenient or more trendy?

So that's the intent of this. And the other intent is to expose any false assumptions in our midst

because we can be part of this church and know all this and still behave almost quietly against

principles that God establishes. And the third thing is, at this present time in Christianity,

with the amount of noise being raised about leadership, it's good to once again lay down

fundamental biblical principles. Those are the three main intents.

Besides the fact that we started on these series and this happens to be part of it. Numbers 27,

16, and 17 basically says every house must have an appointed, or an easier word would be, set man.

Set man.

A set man.

To shepherd in and out. To shepherd in and out.

Who said this? God. And so while we all have a common priesthood,

while we all have a common priesthood and we are co-equal before God,

God for some strange reason selects, please listen to these words, inadequate,

sometimes working on their faults people, working on their faults people, I mean

on their faults, as in these are people that are still a work in progress, inadequate.

He selects them by divine design,

divine sovereign design, and he doesn't care for my opinion about them,

because people had strange opinions about David. He doesn't care for my opinion about them,

he doesn't care for their pedigree, and he doesn't care for their reputation.

And he appoints them

as set men or women.

He does this. There's this tendency nowadays to say that we don't follow man, we follow Christ.

I want you to know that divine order can only exist and only exists on earth through man.

Anybody who says that I only follow Christ is following someone who's invisible

and you can get away with murder.

All divine order happens through man.

This shouldn't chaff guys, this shouldn't chaff.

If we were to look at the story that we just read, it then requires that a leader have a life that

is spiritually and therefore practically

budding,

budding,

blossoming as in continuously growing and producing fruit.

These are some qualifications that God had. In that staff that belonged to Aaron,

it says three things about it. One, it was budding, two, it was blossoming as in the flowers had

appeared, and three, that it had actually produced almonds. Almonds in the Bible were always a sign

of an early awareness of what God was doing.

An early awareness. In Jeremiah 1 12, God asks Jeremiah, what do you see? Jeremiah says,

I see a branch with almonds on it and God says, you have seen well.

And so this idea of almonds in the Bible, it was an early fruit, it always came early.

You and I are blessed if we have leaders that have an ability to see what God wants to do

early so that a path is already prepared for us to walk down.

That's an essential qualification of leadership, an ability to see early what God is doing.

So the qualification for a set man is not that he's a prophet or a pastor or has a

degree from regent or is an apostle. Those are not the qualifications. The qualifications are

almost similar to what David had, which was a man after God's heart,

quickly repentant,

giant slayer.

Hands skilled for war.

Love for the bride.

Ability to hear.

Anointed.

Recognized by

other sages in those days or other other Samuels.

That's what qualifies it.

And if there are such leaders, if you insist on circumventing the process,

then know that you will languish.

If such leaders exist, but you insist on circumventing the process as in

this may be true, but I'll keep a healthy distance. I've had bad experiences in the past.

This is as close as I get. Then know that you will languish.

What is languish? Languishes when bones decay internally.

Life saps out. Outside you may look fine. Spiritually, it's a recipe for decline.

When people deliberately subvert divine order, that is recognizable.

In a church, please again, think of the future and think of our mindsets.

Don't think of people right now. You can think of people a little later,

but I'm trying to attack the mentality that we sometimes have that yes, this may be true,

but I've had my experiences. I'll keep a healthy distance. You will languish.

That's a very simple threat. Not from me.

It's from the scriptures.

How does one get past spiritual abuse, hurt, being let down?

How does one get past it? To begin with, time heals everything. This is very true.

That aside, you have a God that heals. That aside, you have the scriptures that renew vision.

That aside, there is the spirit that brings the conviction of truth.

That aside, there are people that have experienced differently and you can go and talk to them.

That aside, you get to taste and see if it's real because it must be experienced and embraced

or experienced and rejected. Far too many advantages for us to keep it at a distance.

I would rather that you reject it than keep it at a distance.

Keeping it at a distance is what causes languish.

Reject it. That's okay.

The other thing that happens is in most churches, because this seems so

not how we live in our highly individualized, independent, democratic societies.

So we've come up with other systems. While these systems aren't bad, they aren't biblical.

Some of the systems that we see, the first one is Episcopalian, which is you have a bishop,

he isn't here today, and you have pastor or you have a pope and you have cardinals.

So there's a head summon and there's a direct communication.

Then the second one is Presbyterian, where it is elders and board tell you how to function.

This is quite common and that's why we have this system.

This is usually coupled with a third form, it is congregational, where the congregation votes

on what is or is not permitted.

The fourth one is the Church of Christ, where it is elders and board tell you

the fourth one, equally dangerous, is when it is an independent leader, in which case he's charismatic

and can be authoritarian and he becomes a bridegroom and the church becomes his bride.

These are the usual forms that churches embrace. Most of them embrace these two.

Small catholic when this happens, but this is more common in most protestant churches,

and this is common in independent churches. What is ideally required is what we find in the book

of Acts, where you have a plurality of elders with a set man.

Are there examples of this? If you go to Acts 15, 13 to 20, you will find that in the church

in Jerusalem, which was one of the first churches that was formed, there were elders. There was Peter,

there was John, later on there was a guy called Judas, another guy called Silas.

There were all these guys, but the one who was a set man in Jerusalem was James.

James the just, the brother of Jesus, and so James would be the one who in Acts 15,

after the Jerusalem council discusses what Paul should do, James is the one who stands up

and delivers what is the final decree. In the same manner, in Ephesus, there is a set man,

in Ephesus there were elders. How do we know that? Because we know that in Acts chapter 20, verse 28,

Acts 20:28

we see Paul meeting with the elders, saying, I won't see you again. I appoint you so that no wolves

or Philistines, actually he doesn't use the word Philistines, he uses the word wolves, will savage

the flock. You I appoint you as shepherds, he says to the elders. So we know there were elders,

but we also know from 1 Timothy 5, 1 to 20, that the one who was a set man in Ephesus was Timothy.

So if you go to 1 Timothy 5,

1 Timothy 1 to 5, sorry, 1 to 5, sorry, that's not the truth, 1 Timothy 1, 1 to 5, sorry,

1 Timothy 1, 1 to 5. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of our God and Savior Jesus Christ,

our hope to Timothy, my true child in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father,

and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that

you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, not to devote themselves to

myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations rather than stewardship from God,

that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that it choose from a pure heart and a good

conscience, and he begins to tell Timothy what he needs to fix things at Ephesus.

Embrace this, eh?

Or reject it. But for God's sake, and I mean that as in really, for God's sake,

do not hold it at distance because you will languish.

Why? Because these are eternal, unchanging principles of divine order, and everything

in the kingdom works based on order. Order is an arrangement of God set here on earth

so that things function a certain way based on heaven's patterns, which is why even Jesus

had to be part of an arrangement where even though the Father, Son, and Spirit are co-equal,

Jesus said the Father was his head.

While most churches have a set man, as in most churches have a pastor or a leader,

while most churches have a set man or a leader or a pastor or whatever you want to call them,

they are prevented from functioning as fathers. They are prevented from functioning as fathers

and are forced to operate

as hirelings.

As hirelings.

They're forced to operate as hirelings. As in, you're not even given permission

to be a leader that can be a father to the congregation, but you have to,

you have to realize that you're a hireling, that you can be hired and you can be fired.

And strangely enough, really good believers think that's a great idea.

A hireling cannot produce sons, only fathers can produce sons. A hireling cannot produce sons.

A hireling can only sire a mixed brood of sons and daughters, a mixed brood of males and females.

When you go to Judges, go to this chapter, it's fascinating. Judges 17.10. Judges 17.10.

You don't know what a privilege it is for me to be a judge.

You don't know what a privilege it is for me to be so sure that I'll die with you.

One day, you guys will turn up at my funeral. This is a, I can say like Ruth,

your God is my God, where you die, I'll die. Or if I'm older than you, where I die, you'll die.

But the point being that what a privilege.

What a privilege.

And yet when you look at the scripture that I gave you, people were,

this business was normal even ages ago. Judges chapter 17, Judges chapter 17, verse 10.

Judges 17 · chapter mention Judges 17:10

And Micah said to this young man, where do you come from? And he said, I'm a

Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I'm going to Sojourn where I may find a place. And Micah said

to him, stay with me and be to me a father and a priest, and I'll give you 10 pieces of silver a

year and a suit of clothes for your living. And the Levite went in. Now go to 18, chapter 18, verse 19.

Someone else hires him. Chapter 18, verse 19. And they said to, and when they went into Micah's house

and took the carved image, the effort, the household goods, the gods and the metal image,

the priest said to them, what are you doing? And they said to him, keep quiet, put your hand on your

mouth, come with us, be a father and a priest to us. It's better for you to be priest to the house

of one man or to be the priest to a tribe and clan in Israel. Just hiring.

You as a future leader should carry in you the desire to father people. Will you fail? Absolutely.

Did your dad fail? If you say your dad didn't fail, you either didn't have a dad or you were

dreaming. There's not a dad here that hasn't failed a child or a child here whose dad didn't fail them.

Oh my God, it's the only way to raise households. Think of it this way, guys. God wants a family.

He has wanted a family in Genesis. He will have a family in the book of Revelation.

If God wants a family, then he approaches the family not as an uncle, not as a tutor, not as a

mentor, not as a guardian. He approaches his family as a father. It is impossible to build a household.

It is possible to build a church. It's possible to build a ministry, but it is not possible to

build a household without leaders being fathers and fathers that will make mistakes.

If the mistake is repeated, then 1 Timothy 5.20 kicks in immediately.

Any leader who keeps persisting in sin must be called out and must be rebuked publicly

as a warning to others that this cannot go on.

I've said here before that God makes people in his image. His image is not of a leader and follower.

His image is of a son and a servant. If that is the case, then every person sitting in this room

right now has the potential to, in one form or the other, at some stage or the other,

be able to rise to a place where they can father 200,000.

Do not think this message is to solidify positions that presently exist in the church.

It is meant as something that is meant for everyone here because everyone who is a leader

here today was not a leader one day. I wasn't born like this. I paid my dues big time to

get to this place where I was a good son. Any questions before we go on?

Any questions?

God builds generationally.

God builds revelationally.

God builds relationally. And there is no other relationship on the face of the earth

than a father and sons and daughters where these factors can be effectively conveyed.

No other relationship. Nowhere else can you find a relationship on the face of the earth

where things can be done generationally, revelationally, relationally, other than in

the context of fathers and sons existing in a household. No other relationship. No guardian,

no mentor, no pastor, no teacher. Nobody can do this. This is the only relationship

where things can be conveyed and transmitted. You take this kind of interest in anyone. It is only

a matter of time before they see the father. Hey, hear me again. It doesn't matter who you are.

You might be a believer that has been around for one year or a believer who's been around for 40

or 50 years. If anyone takes this on, it is impossible for the person that you are taking

care of not to see the father. Impossible. Even if you mess up, it'll be impossible

because this is your constant attitude. It's impossible.

Can it still be resisted? Absolutely.

Which brings us to this context of Matthew 23 19,

which either you're thinking or someone else will bring up at some point. Matthew 23 19.

Go to Matthew 23 19.

Did I say Matthew 23 11? Sorry, Matthew 23 11.

And call no man your father on earth for you have one father who is in heaven.

And so often the scripture is brought up as in how can we go down this road when Jesus very

specifically said call no man your father. So understand the context of Matthew 23 11. Sorry,

no titles. No one is called father. No titles, no ownership.

We are not talking about titles or ownership. We are talking about one simple word, relationship.

Pardon? 23? Okay, 23 9.

Matthew 23 9. The context is yeah, don't call anyone father. Don't call anyone. Hey, here's

the odd thing. We only get stuck at this concept of father because it says don't call anyone rabbi.

Don't call anyone instructor. Just make sure if you go to Regent or any Bible college that you go to,

make sure you don't call your professor professor. Yeah, take it to the full extent. If you're going

to try to drain out gnats and grasshoppers from your drink, you might as well go the whole way

and call no man sir, professor, teacher, instructor. Don't call them anything,

because you want to stick to Jesus's words. That's not the point being made here. The point is listen,

you don't look for titles. You're not looking for ownership. You're looking for a relationship,

and that's a relationship you must build. And so how best to put it?

No man can be a father. No man can be a father other than father God. No man can be a father.

Jesus was consumed. Jesus was consumed with and represented the father, and no man should take that place.

No man, never. To do that is almost sacrilegious.

By the way, God comes into a family, by the way God comes into a family,

is through a representative figure. It's through a representative figure who substitutes for him,

who substitutes for him, and that's how he creates households on earth.

So there's no ownership. There is no ownership, and if you see ownership,

you should question the person in terms of, you're supposed to steward, not own. There is no

ownership in representation. There is no ownership in representation. There is no ownership in

representation. Only stewardship. Do you know, and this might be hard for us to wrap our heads around.

Do you know that God actually thinks like this about Eliakim? Do you know that he actually thinks

that Don and Keziah do not have ownership? Do you know that he's not actually the owner of the

foundation? Do you know that God has actually survived the foundation? Do you know that he

was the owner of the foundation? Do you know that he was the guardian of the foundation? Do you know

that Don and Kezia do not have ownership over Eliakim.

That Eliakim is a full individual that God made before the earth began.

And that at some point in history, he decided that he was going to send Eliakim in 2025 to the earth.

And that before the earth existed, before man was created,

he had already decided that Don and Kezia would be the parents.

And that he would place them in Don and Kezia's care,

so that they can steward this person that he had created with full destiny, full brilliance.

That he doesn't think that they own that child, even though all of us think parents own the child.

And yet they don't.

This is how it works in the larger household too.

And the moment parents begin to stop stewarding a child,

they become the determinants of the child's destiny and future.

And it ends usually disastrously.

Here's the crazy thing guys.

Jesus, born of a virgin, without any male interference,

still was given to a dad and a mum to be raised,

so that Luke chapter 2, verse 51 and 52 could unfold.

Luke 2:51

And what does Luke 2, 51 and 52 say?

This is shortly after he comes back from the temple, when they find him in the temple.

And it says, from that day on, Jesus went home and submitted to his parents.

And the boy grew in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man.

What makes me think that I can do Christianity without this?

It's absurd.

I beg you, reject it or embrace it, but don't hang out in between.

You'll be like Absalom with his head tied to a tree.

But Jacob, what if I have this problem and this problem and this problem?

Hey, embrace the eternal, unchanging principle first.

You have to embrace the eternal, unchanging principle of divine order first.

Everything else follows.

Any questions?

Guys, many houses do not get you an inheritance.

You can adopt me, I can be your child, I can be your child, I can be your...

I can go everywhere.

At the end of the day, guess what?

Judah will get what Remy has, not me.

Why? Because...

The marvellous thing about how God transmits inheritance

is when one is able to lodge oneself in a household that is faulty, inadequate, broken, messy,

difficult and wonderful at times.

But you begin to step into what you're supposed to be stepping into.

Without that, it's not possible.

We can't be cats.

Cats go to every house, so they belong to everybody.

Dogs don't.

In terms of why that's included,

in terms of why that's included,

so leaders have an ultimate state of...

One of the sins of leadership is when leaders begin to behave like Gehazi,

where they throw away their integrity for some Babylonian garments and a few silver shekels.

Finances and leadership literally have nothing to do with each other.

Nothing.

They are two completely separate things that have nothing in common.

A father is not looking for your money.

And if he is, it should come because you gave it, not because he took it.

And if he takes it, he should distribute it and not use it for himself.

Our present system has brought together leadership and money as if it was something that is owed them.

But it's not.

If you shift from leader to set man and father,

you'll find that your way of functioning changes.

Which father here wants to exploit his children?

Which father here is raising children so that the father gets richer?

Which father here is raising children so that the father gets richer?

And the children get poorer?

Any dads here like that?

Derek looks like he's raising Brielle just for one thing.

A big mansion and a Bentley.

It's we who brought this together and convoluted it.

The systems of this world that have wormed their way into the church.

When people would come and lay money at the apostles' feet,

it was not so Paul could ride a better horse.

It was so that everything could be taken to Jerusalem or Judea or Samaria, wherever they were going, and completely disbursed.

It was so that everything could be taken to Jerusalem or Judea or Samaria, wherever they were going, and completely disbursed.

I love Paul's letters. On one hand he says,

I won't take a pie from you because I know how you think.

On the other hand, he says,

Why can't I and Barnabas have the same rights that you give Peter and his wife?

Isn't a man supposed to eat from the garden that he cultivated?

I used to say this 20 years ago.

I'm saying it again after a very long time.

If I brought a truth into your life that completely revolutionized your life,

how much would you pay me?

How much would you pay me for God using me to heal your life,

bring a truth into your life, set you free from the demonic,

bring you into a place of your destiny?

How much would you pay me that would be enough?

How much could I pay Eddie?

How much could I pay Michael Scantleberry?

How much could I pay Chantel's parents who are here?

How much could I pay these guys for where they have brought me?

What is the price that you pay for what you become?

I dare not put a price on what they did for me.

Because there is nothing I can give them back that will say,

this is now full payment for what you've done for me.

Jesus was begotten of the Father,

wombed in a virgin without the agency of man,

was placed in the care of a substitute Father in Joseph.

Please understand, he was placed in the care of a substitute Father,

God.

He was placed in the care of a substitute Father in Joseph.

He was placed in the care of a substitute Father,

God.

Please understand, he was placed in the care of a substitute Father.

Come on man, that's crazy.

I love preaching messages like this,

especially at a time like this because I remember three weeks ago

talking about a teaching called Holy Defiance.

In your face, why?

Because it's the truth in your face, man.

I'm not talking to you right now, eh?

I'm talking to people who have a problem with this.

Just find it so...

so...

limestone.

That's his story.

Joseph and Mary were to relay the grace,

the love, the correction and the will of the Father to Jesus.

And Jesus had to do two things to learn and grow in wisdom, stature and favor with God.

It'll just blow your mind.

Go to Luke chapter 2, verse 52.

Luke 2:52

Luke 2, 51 and 52.

And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.

And his mother treasured up these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

There is the need for submission and dependence on the ones that are appointed to take care of you.

If you want to be a good man,

you have to be a good man.

If you want to be a good man,

you have to be a good man.

The ones that are appointed to take care of you,

if you want to grow in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man,

try to do it on your own and you will slow down the progress that can be made.

It's the truth, man.

Two words that we hate right now, right?

Submission and dependence.

In an entitled world,

guys, one of the things I learned with all the three or four people I mentioned,

I learned how to access,

I learned how to access the world.

I learned how to access the world.

To access,

I learned how to access the grace

and the attributes of the Father in their lives.

I wasn't looking for

I wasn't looking for endorsement,

for emotional feel-good moments,

and I had to humble myself

multiple times

when corrected.

Because that's what children do.

This is why building like this is so much more painful,

so much easier to just pastor a church.

Any questions before we go on?

I'll conclude in two minutes.

Some of my real stories,

I think I've shared some I'll pull out two.

One is a story that has to do with Wayne,

where Wayne had to humble himself.

He doesn't even remember what it has to do with me.

Heidi will probably remember this.

I remember Eddie coming to Vancouver

and I had gone with him to Chris's house for lunch

and Chris's mom, Gisela, would always give me

the chair where her husband used to sit

and I would feel so much at home in that house.

I could literally do what I wanted.

I remember sitting there and finishing my lunch.

I had taken Eddie there as a guest.

I finished my lunch and I got up from my seat

and I went to the living room

and I sat down on the sofa waiting for the rest to finish.

I remember Eddie looking at me and saying,

boy, you will come back and sit at this table

till everybody is finished.

And everything in me rose up.

He's a guest.

How dare he talk to me like that?

He's not my real dad.

How dare he embarrass me in front of all these people

and try to correct me?

And I have two choices.

Either I can defy him

or I can do my usual thing when I get nervous,

crack a joke and make it all go away.

Those are my choices.

And I also know something else that's happening in my heart.

What are you going to do, Jacob?

Are you going to be humble enough to say you were wrong

and go back and sit with the rest of them

or are you going to crack a joke

or are you going to try to show your rebellion?

I remember getting up from the sofa, going back to the seat,

sitting down, looking around the table

and you can ask Heidi this, if there's any exaggeration in this,

looking around the table and apologizing

for getting up from the table and leaving while the rest of them were eating.

Something happened that day in my heart

where I realized that I was ready to do what it takes

to be who I need to be.

It was in 2009 or 2010.

Wayne and I used to struggle with things,

because Wayne was much older than me

and we'd have these arguments about stuff.

And one day, I remember saying to Wayne,

Wayne, you're a great help in this church.

Without you, we couldn't have set up the church like we did.

But I want you to know that you're still not a son in this church.

You're still someone who stands on the outside, advises,

but you're not a son in this house.

There's a man who's much older than me.

He's old enough to be my father.

One of the things you have to realize,

if you are placed as a set man and a father over the house,

is sometimes you have to bring torment, touchstone torment.

Touchstone is what gold, that's how you find out what's real gold.

Sometimes torment or friction with the truth is necessary.

I want to say that to Wayne.

Wayne didn't say a word.

I went on a trip.

Somehow Wayne found out when I was coming back.

I arrive at Vancouver.

And guess who's waiting there?

This man, old enough to be my father, is waiting there.

Without a word, he comes and he picks up my bags.

And I'm thinking to myself, I shouldn't let him,

but I also know what he's doing.

He picks up my bags and he carries it to his car,

opens the door for me, has me sit in the car, drives me home.

Everything changed that day.

A man old enough to be my father.

Either embrace this guy or reject it, but please don't hang in between.

I can give you story after story after story of what it takes

to on one hand be someone who is a leader and a father,

and on the other hand, look forward to becoming that one day.

By learning how to walk now.

Yeah, Diana was there too and Eddie was there, I think.

This teaching is meant to cement truths, build this household,

and it's a reality check on false assumptions you may have about yourself.

Because fathering really reconstitutes and positions you spiritually.

1 Corinthians 4, 15-17, I'll have to end.

1 Corinthians 4, 15-17.

Let me start at 14.

I do not write these things to make you ashamed,

but to admonish you as my beloved children.

For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers.

For I became your father in Christ through the gospel.

I urge you then, be imitators of me.

That is why I sent you, Timothy, my beloved and faithful child,

in the Lord to remind you of my ways in Christ,

as I teach them everywhere, in every church.

Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you, and so on.

I always run out of time.

There's a whole page left, huh?

We shouldn't, right?

We shouldn't.

Let me end with this and we'll talk about it next week.

I'll just give you the points.

One, read the story in 2 Kings 4, 18-22, right now.

2 Kings 4, 18-22.

We'll talk about that next time.

What will we be talking about?

What does it look like to have disengaged fathers?

We'll then talk about the sins of fathers.

What are the sins that fathers presently commit

that really wrecks a household and destroys sons and daughters?

Then we'll talk about engaged fathers.

What does it look like when a father is engaged?

Is it all fun and games?

No, it's not.

And then finally we'll talk about what will you be tested in

so you can rise and father?

Okay, so let's read 2 Kings 4, just for those four verses.

When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father

among the reapers, and he said to his father,

Oh, my head, my head, the father said to his servant,

Carry him to his mother.

And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother,

the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died.

And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God

and shut the door behind him and went out.

Then she called to her husband and said,

Send me one of the servants, one of the donkeys,

that I might quickly go to the man of God and come back again.

What we see there is a father who's missing,

who's disengaged, who isn't present.

What does it do to a son?

We'll talk about that and these things next time.

And here's the ways that what will you be tested in

so you can rise and father?

Guys, just be aware of this.

We won't be talking about it today, but just be aware of this.

You'll be tested with purpose.

With purpose.

With your past.

With purity.

With power.

How do you do with power when you're given power?

With offense.

With hiddenness, when nobody knows your name,

nobody is giving you credit though you did all the work.

With opposition.

With satanic resistance.

Why do I want to end with this?

Because I want you to know that the leaders you have in this church,

including me, are inadequate and faulty,

and you'll find ways in their life that have errors

and that sometimes those errors stand out like a sore thumb

and the only one that doesn't see it is them, the rest of us see it.

All that may be true, but I want you to know that none of them are where they are

without having gone through this process.

Every one of them.

Was tested with purpose, tested with their past, tested in purity,

tested with how they dealt with power, tested with offense,

tested with hiddenness when credit wasn't given,

tested with opposition, and tested with satanic resistance.

And it is because they were tested and tried

that they now have the ability to do what they're doing.

And I desire for myself and for them that they'll be leaders and fathers,

not just Settman, but Settman and fathers.

And my desire for you is when your turn comes, Remy,

when your turn comes Sedi, when your turn comes Sen,

when your turn comes Mark, when your turn comes Josh,

that these things would be so easy for you because the path was ploughed for you.

The path would be ploughed for you.

That you'd be able to stand and be like a Vivek to a Mia,

or a Remy to a Judah.

My God, can you imagine that?

Can you imagine the households that will rise?

God is desiring households.

Households are built by fathers.

It's a genderless term.

Please don't think I'm thinking of men.

It's a genderless term.

Households are built by fathers.

A household that does not have a father is either a widow's home or an orphanage.

And it's not conducive for raising sons.

Let's pray.

You know, October 2005, I should ask Derek to read this.

Derek, come up and read this.

I'll listen because I want to listen to this.

October 2005.

This was the word that was given to this church.

And I don't know why Derek reminded me of it a year ago,

and I found it again.

And I'll just ask him to read it.

So listen to it as he reads it, and then once he's done, we're done.

There are fatherless multitudes, orphans in the spirit,

waiting to find a spiritual father.

In this house, there will be a reconciliation of wandering Christians

who will come back to the father's house.

There are fatherless churches that you will become the spiritual father over,

not just in Vancouver, but around the world.

And God will father through you a supernatural work to reproduce.

You will wait on God for the supernatural food of heaven

because there are going to be such men and women around you hungry

for the word of God to flow from you.

You're about to step into a new realm of the mercy and grace of God

because mercy is on the left and grace is on the right of you.

And wherever you turn, you will find every need met in the grace of God.

This city will begin to realize that Papa God is moving in his power,

restoring back what you did not even know was missing.

I will revive, provide, break through even right now.

You will see manifestations of faith that only I, God, can take credit for.

You will be part of something the world has never seen before,

the greatest restoration man has seen since Noah,

affecting every continent at the same time.

You will not contain it. You will not resist it.

If you stand on the banks and put tip of your toe in it,

it will still reach over the banks and drag you in.

I have assigned angels, flames of fire,

who will be ministering spirits to and through you.

God is about to do something in this house.

He is about to release gifts of the spirit and things inside you

that you have never even accepted.

Gifts, ministries, anointings are about to spring forth in this church

and even those listening online.

Young men and young women, bishops, strong apostolic ministries,

strong teachers will be going out from your company,

and they will reproduce this anointing.

Here's the important bit. Everything else God will do.

So take time to pull aside and develop the strong anointing

stored for a time such as this.

What God is starting today is extravagant and beyond your ability to cope with.

Are your ears awake? Listen.

Listen to the wind words, the spirit blowing through the church.

Crazy, eh? 20 years ago.

Wayne just wants to share something.

I don't know what, but he's going to take two or three minutes.

He half-acidated after this word, but I'll still let him go ahead, because he's just...

I may end up crying here.

But his message this morning

just proves that when we started this church, we did what he was talking about.

He was a father, and the way he has functioned proves that he is.

I know you probably don't need me to tell you that,

but we knew it when we started this whole thing.

So thank you for your word. It's right on.

Thanks, Wayne. Bless you.

It just shows that it's not age-dependent, and it's not gender-dependent, eh?

I remember Derek was the first leader here, and I told him to do a Bible study,

and everybody in that Bible study was older than him.

He went there the first time, and he came back saying,

Jacob, how am I going to face all these people?

Like, they were not his fathers, they were his grandfathers.

But this is not age-based or gender-based, and I invite all of us into this,

because if you listen to that word, you hear what it's saying.

There are fatherless generations waiting.

And that word was as true 20 years ago as it is today.

Yeah? Bless you.