The Spirit and The Bride

Let's pray.

Father we thank you for today. We thank you that we get to come to you, be with you as

a people. We thank you that in you everything is new every day. So Holy Spirit as we've

been singing and thinking we come to you with yielded hearts. Hearts that are ready to receive.

Hearts that are ready to ask for more. Hearts that are not satisfied. Hearts that are wanting

to burn even more. We come individually and corporately like this to you. We say yes to

everything you want to do with us. We thank you that in you we come to you with yielded

hearts and through us. Thank you that you're a good father Abba. Thank you that your son

made everything possible for us and today we celebrate the person of the Holy Spirit.

We celebrate the Holy Spirit. We celebrate, we say thank you for the Holy Spirit. This

church thanks, we thank you for the Holy Spirit. As a people we thank you for the Holy Spirit.

Thank you. In Jesus name I pray Abba. Amen. I just got reminded that last year I had spoken

for Pentecost Sunday and I wrapped up that message by saying between then and this Pentecost

Sunday there will be fresh new births amongst us. One of the things I said as I heard it

back is there will be people who come from different faiths who weren't born in Christian

families who will receive him. And our friend got baptized two weeks ago and there are other

lives that have been touched that I know of. They are not coming here for a special reason.

They are not coming here for a Sunday service but through the people here lives affected.

Through the people here, people from other faiths, people who were in the kingdom of

darkness receiving Christ. And I look at our friend there and I say thank you because he

is the firstborn so to speak of many more who is to come. If that was a shower there

is a thunderstorm coming. I believe it. I wholeheartedly believe it. And it's not for

the pews to be filled here. It's for lives to be affected. It is for lives to turn around.

Some of them will come here. Some of them won't. Because this may not be the place for

them to come into and be disciples but we may be influential in affecting their lives

forever. Yeah? Does that excite you? I don't see it. Does that excite you? Because these

are things that we shouldn't forget is happening amongst us. These are things that he speaks,

he does and there is more coming. So it's like a shower as I said but there is a downpour

coming. With the two churches that have been formed now in Revive 24 and the different

things happening there is one thing that we aspire for in him that the world outside will

come in. That the world outside will be touched. That we are a people that he put together

in Vancouver for his purposes to be accomplished. Yeah? It should excite us. It should make

us laugh. Sometimes when you write about these things or you think about these things out

of you should burst out a laughter. Out of you should burst out something that cannot

be explained in words but can only be expressed in sounds. It is important. Because otherwise

there is a gap between everything we are talking and what's happening. Yeah? So as a people

that's what we are here for. Because on one hand the main purpose of the Holy Spirit amongst

us is that he will conform us to the image of Jesus. That's the main purpose. But as

he does that he also gets the world outside to come in. Yeah? So I want to as I was preparing

for beginning to prepare for today and I did not know exactly which direction to go. I

heard the Holy Spirit say the Spirit and the Bride. The Spirit and the Bride. As soon as

he said it I knew he was pointing me to the last chapter of the Bible. So that's what

we are going to read from first. The title for today is the Spirit and the Bride. The

Spirit and the Bride. So can you read this? Revelation chapter 22 verse 17. Revelation

Revelation 22:17 Revelation 22:17

chapter 22 verse 17. The Spirit and the Bride say come and let the one who hears say come

and let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life without

price. I am going to read that again. Revelation chapter 22 verse 17. Let the Spirit and the

Revelation 22:17

Bride say come and let the one who hears say come and let the one who is thirsty come.

Let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Last chapter. Revelation

Revelation 22 · chapter mention

chapter 22. See before we delve into it one of the things we need to touch on first is

when you look at Luke chapter 2 there are two characters in the story of Jesus' birth

Luke 2 · chapter mention

that we should pay attention to. Simeon and Anna. They are important in the story because

as soon as the story of Jesus' birth happens there are all of these characters in the story

of Jesus' birth happens. There are all of these other characters that play that we see

a lot of in skits and drama and stuff. But we don't necessarily talk about Simeon and

Anna much. But they for me I really love those two people. I would have loved to meet them

back in the day. You know why? Because they were given a promise. A promise that the Messiah

is coming. And the same promise was given to many more of course. And these were words

that they heard. Anna was a prophetess. Simeon was a devout man. And they heard the promise

that the Messiah is coming. But here is what separated these two people from many others

in Jerusalem. From many others from the Jewish community. These two were separated out because

as soon as they heard the promise they began to shift their life and the focus of their

life to just this one thing. You see this of Anna. That Anna who was a widow never left

the temple. Wow. She never left the temple because her mind, her heart, her being was

about one thing and one thing only. That there is a Messiah coming. That I am here because

he has told me this and I will see the Messiah. She received the promise. She treasured it.

She nurtured it and then she held the promise. You see Simeon he received a promise. The

same promise that you will see the Messiah. What did he do? Same thing. It says that he

was his heart longed for the consolation of Israel. The thing that is unique about these

two people is that it wasn't a personal promise that they were trying to wait on. It was the

promise that God gave to a people. That became their promise because they loved what God

was about amongst that people. You following me? Yes. See when we get promises we get excited

about the promises we get from God for our lives and rightfully so we must be. But can

we be as excited and more for the promise that God has over Canada? Can we be as excited

and more for the promise that God has over Jane? Can we be as excited and more for the

promises that the Lord has over Vancouver? Because he is looking for a people like that.

Far more excited than the prophecies we receive on our lives for us. Way more excited because

he is about something and that's people and cities and nations. And our hearts align with

his heart and we say come. So this is way beyond the story of our lives. Because the

story of our lives is this. But as soon as we partake in the story of God, in the story

and the narrative that he has for earth, for cities, now everything about our lives changed.

Let's be a people like that who get far more excited about what he is doing on earth. Who

get far more excited about his plans for Vancouver. Who get far more excited about everything

he is doing in the rest of the world. That, those are the kind of people that he is after.

He is interested in our personal lives. Of course he is everything that he says he is.

But that is what he is looking for in a people. And when that happens, as a collective, things

begin to shape. Things begin to move. Things begin to shake. Because it's unstoppable.

See this is the desire of the Holy Spirit amongst us. That we become a people like this.

That we are about his things. That while we depend on him for all of the things that we

are about and all of the things that we need, we depend on him for what he is doing across

the earth. So let's read that verse one other time please. So Revelation chapter 22 verse

Revelation 22:17

17, the Spirit and the bride say come and let the one who hears say come and let the

one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life without price. So I

want to divide this into two sections let's say. One is the Spirit and then the bride.

So on that day when the disciples were huddled together, 120 of them in the upper room and

as they were waiting the Holy Spirit came and filled them. And we've, if any of us who

have received the Holy Spirit, we now have all of him in us. Yeah? All of him in us.

The same filling that the disciples experienced in the upper room is the same filling that

I have received that you have received. It's the same. But one of the things that happens

in that upper room on that day was that the people who were huddled together as disciples

now became part of the church. Until the arrival of the Holy Spirit and that day marked the

arrival of the Holy Spirit. Until that day they were the disciples of Jesus. From that

day on they became the church. See the bride and the spirit are inseparable. They are

inseparable. The bride and the spirit are inseparable. You cannot separate the bride

and the spirit. The spirit is about the bride. As the spirit came the bride was formed and

we know after 2000 years we are part of that bride. Many rest in glory but we walk the

earth today as part of the same bride. And as I go through this you have to see yourself

as part of the bride of Jesus Christ. Where do you fit in? What is it that he has for

you? And the people who were assembled that day, the 120, they were already in the church

and the people who were assembled that day, the 120, they were ordinary people. Men, women,

married, single, young, old, rich, poor. But the course of history changed that day. Everything

changed that day and they became the first church. The band of disciples became the first

church. See in the Old Testament the point person of the triune of the Holy Spirit was

God the Father. During the days of Jesus Christ the point person was Jesus Christ.

So for anyone on earth who was interacting with God they had Jesus Christ. And in the

days of the church today, the days that we occupy, the point person of the triune God

on earth is the Holy Spirit. He is the point person of the triune God. One of the things

I remember I was thinking about last year was that how much time do I spend talking

to the Father? How much time do I spend talking to the Son Jesus? How much time do I spend

talking to the Holy Spirit? And for me when I thought through that last year I found out

that I don't talk with the Holy Spirit much. I like conversations with the Father. I like

conversations with Jesus. But I don't talk to the Holy Spirit as much. But the point

person for you and me here on earth today, for the church today is the Holy Spirit. And

so if we can begin to think, yes, you being the point person for us, Holy Spirit, I want

to change my relationship with you. I want my relationship with you to be radically changed.

That by the time I come here next year, same Pentecost day, as a church we will be in such

a different space because we have known him better. That we know who the Holy Spirit is

more than we ever knew him. That is his desire. That we understand the emotions that the Holy

Spirit has. He's a person. We know how he talks. We know how he reacts, how he responds.

We know what brings pleasure to him. We know what grieves him. And it becomes not just

a thing that's happening with one person and two people. It becomes something that's

happening collectively in us. To a point where we become what we always say the community

of the Spirit. The church is the community of the Spirit. The church and the bride, they're

inseparable. So can you even as I'm talking, think of this, Aba, next time Pentecost Sunday,

when we come, can I be, I want to be at a place where I know the Holy Spirit so much

more than I know him today. See we can do that with relationships here, right? If I

choose to say, Tuni, I want to know between now and the end of next year, I want to know

you so much better man. Like I want to know what you like, what you don't like. I know

you don't like city. I know different things like that. But if I know these things and

I say I want more, I need to, I need to know you better, then it can absolutely happen

with earthly relationships. How much more when the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit

who was hovering over the earth, that's okay, the same Holy Spirit who was hovering over

the earth, when he is hovering over you and me while he is inside me, when he is hovering

over us with this desire, how much more can it happen? Man, this is how he transforms

communities. This is how he transforms churches and he wants this for us, that next year,

Pentecost Sunday, we will be a completely different people because we walked our days,

we walked our weeks, our months differently than before. Then when we said as a people

we are interested, Holy Spirit, in knowing you, in pursuing you, in being so intimate

with you that our lives begin to change. The way I talk begins to change. Everything about

me begins to change. Everything about you begins to change. And then as we come, see

it will be so much more easier for the worship guys because they will never have to stir

us up to sing. We should give them a run for their money when it comes to worship. We don't

need them. Seriously. See, these things are important because it changes the way we as

a church operate. That when we see Jane or Toonie or Vidish or anyone up here, we are

we don't think of them as worship leaders or music leaders or whatever that is. We look

at them and we say, yes, you lead us in worship, but I am not behind you. I am here because

his spirit is in me. His spirit and I are one and I worship my Lord. I worship my savior.

I don't need your encouragement to worship him. I'm not waiting for you to say, now let's

do it and now let's do that because inside me is the Holy Spirit who is always communing

with the father and who always wants to exalt the son. And I submit when I submit to his

desires, then worship becomes so much easier and they don't need to do that job to encourage

us to worship because we then say, let's go. It's important in the life of this church.

I tell you, this is so important. Never again should be. And I understand there are days

when you don't feel as good or whatever. If anyone says you don't have days like that,

they're lying. So there are days like that. During times like that, lean in on the next

person next to you because they'll take you from where you are at to the next place. But

it cannot be a tendency and a habit. I had no idea I was going to say this, so I don't

know why I'm saying this now. There should be no room for us to rely on them to lead

us in worship. We are being led through them because God placed them there, but we're not

waiting for their cue to say, no, let's go. Out of this place should come up songs. And

it happens occasionally, I know. But it can happen more because again, we are the community

of the spirit. See, when we become a people like that, not just once every six months or

once every five weeks, when this becomes the way we are as a church, it begins to change

things in the spiritual atmosphere. This is what he desires of us, that we increasingly

become a people like that. And I think that's the most important thing. I think that's the

most important thing. This is what he desires of us, that we increasingly become a people

like this. Yeah? Because the thing is, if I decide that I will not settle, then I will not

settle. If you decide, even as I speak, that you will never allow that to happen, that

whenever you step into this place, you're not waiting for someone to spur you up so you

can speak and shout and sing, that you're waiting for no one. You're here and you're

as excited as anyone else because in you is the Holy Spirit. And you want everything in

terms of honor to be given to Jesus, in terms of your love for the Father to be expressed,

in terms of what he wants in the city to be done. As these things happen, as we sing, as

we think, as we talk, everything in you rises up because it is your rightful inheritance to be

one like that. Because if I choose to say this is for all of you guys and I say let me

settle back because I'm different, then I am losing what has been rightfully given to me. Why

do that? Press in. If there is one guy who cannot sing, that's me. I tell you. Even when I was

growing up, my mom and Don would make fun of me. I would sing with my eyes closed and then I

opened and they were laughing at me. It's true life stories. I can't sing. Today while I was

singing, I got something wrong and so Iris touched me because she was like, that's not the

lyrics. But I really don't care. So I can't sing. So it doesn't give any of you any

excuse. If we can be like this guys, next Sunday, remember, all in. Everything in you. And

maybe I have no idea why we are going this way, but I think it's important for us as a

people. And if there is anyone here who thinks that, you know what, it's not about sound, you

know what, it's not about what you express on the outside, you know what, it's not about

lifting up of my hands, you're wrong. It is about all of these things too. If I tell Iris,

you know what, I really like you, but when it comes to talking about you, I won't have any

excuse. That would be absurd. Wouldn't it be absurd? So these things matter. When it comes to

things of God, we must be different. And the thing is, this thing spreads. So when I am a certain

way, the person next to you will be affected. When Mark is a certain way, Emmanuel will be affected.

So let's move on from there. So the point person for us today on Earth,

the point person of the triune God is the Holy Spirit. So when you read through the

books of the Bible, you see this. Genesis chapter 1, the first reference for the Holy Spirit, it says

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

the Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters. And then different stories, one after the other, you see

reference to the Spirit of God. One of the references, if I am to pick up from

Judges chapter 4 or so, or 14, I have to check, Samson. What happens? It says there was a lion

Judges 4 · chapter mention

coming at him and the Spirit of God rushed upon him. The Spirit of God rushed upon him and he took the lion

and tore it into pieces. You then see Saul, who is anointed. And it says, in

1 Samuel, it says that when the prophets from a particular place came and they saw Saul,

he jumped in with them. He started prophesying because the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.

And it says the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him. So you begin to see these instances in the

Bible where people were overpowered by the Spirit to accomplish certain things on Earth.

You see David, you should listen to the David part. It's different in the way it's written.

1 Samuel chapter 16, it says, and the Spirit of the Lord, and this is when David was being anointed,

1 Samuel 16 · chapter mention

the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. So it was not a one-time thing.

It happened over and over again with David. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day

forward. Interesting that there were so many times in David's life where the Spirit of the Lord

rushed upon him. It was not a one-time event that happened. So you see, the Spirit of the Lord

you see these references of the Holy Spirit. And then in the book of Isaiah, you see prophecies.

And then you get to Jesus's story and Jesus is being baptized. It's a beautiful picture because

that's one of the instances in the Bible where you see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all in the same frame.

If you take a picture, you see all three of them in the same frame at that very time because as Jesus comes out of the water,

the Son of the Living God, the Father speaks, in you I am well pleased. And at the same time you see the Spirit of God

coming down like a dove. But I want us to focus on one thing there. It says now that the Spirit of the Spirit of God,

the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and it rested, and he rested on Jesus. I want us to think about that first.

The Spirit of the Lord rested upon Jesus. What's the difference?

So think about it this way. Here is how I understand it. I have the fullness of the Spirit. You have the fullness of the Spirit.

We have the same fullness of the Spirit that the disciples received in the Upper Room. All of him is inside us.

See the thing is you also see the same verbiage in Acts chapter 2 where it says the Spirit of the Lord came into that room

Acts 2 · chapter mention

and the flaming tongues of fire rested on them. You see the word rested there again. So here is how I understand the difference.

He is in me. The Holy Spirit is in me. And that will never change because when he is given to me, he is with me forever.

He will never leave me nor forsake me. And he is in me for my sake. He is in me because he is changing me, molding me to look more and more like Jesus.

He is inside you because he is doing a work in you. And he will never leave you. What is that work? To make you look like Jesus.

Yeah. So he is always inside you. It will never change. Here is the thing. If I could hear the sound of the Spirit the day I became born again,

this is what I would hear. As soon as I became born again, there was a cry from the inside of my being that my physical ears did not hear.

But that cry was Abba, Abba, Abba. In that very instant, my sonship with him was restored.

So the Spirit of God is given to me and to you to change us. And he is with us. He continually transforms us.

And there are things that he is doing in the deepest, darkest places of our lives, of our souls that we sometimes don't even know.

But he is at it. That's why sometimes you wake up a day and you can't remember the you from five years ago.

Because he has been at work inside you. He is in you. He knows everything about you. You and him, you are inseparable.

Yeah. So that's one. So he is inside me, inside you. But when it says he rested on Jesus,

the difference is that the resting of the Holy Spirit on you is for the sake of others.

When he is resting on me, he is resting on me because he is interested in affecting the world, the surroundings next to me.

He is resting on Jesus. Now, the thing is, if I had the Holy Spirit resting on my shoulder,

See, I won't run down the steps like this, right? Because with this Bible, if I have it here and the Bible is resting on my shoulder

and I don't want the Bible to fall down, I'll be careful in how I come down the stairs.

If I have to stand like this for the next 60 seconds and it's important that the Bible should not fall down, I'm so careful.

I'll make sure the Bible does not fall down. See, the thing is with the Holy Spirit, it's just an analogy in that

when it says the Holy Spirit rested upon Jesus, there was this resting of the Holy Spirit on Jesus

because the Holy Spirit is waiting to be released into the things that are affecting, into the things that are surrounding Jesus.

The weight of the Holy Spirit on you as he rests on you is for his purposes in the things surrounding you.

There is a difference, therefore, that when he is in me, he is doing a work in me.

And when he is on me, that's why when Iris said quenching the Holy Spirit, you can never remove the Holy Spirit from inside you.

But you can quench the Holy Spirit when it comes to what he is doing on you, meaning his presence on your life for the sake of other people.

You can quench it. Even what he wants to do inside you, for you, you can quench it.

He's all in you, but you can quench it. See the difference?

So you have to look at that passage and think of it this way then.

For me and for you, he's in you, but he is also on you.

He is resting on you for the sake of the people who you encounter, who you meet with.

For people at your workplace, he's on you.

For people in your family, he's on you.

Because, see, this is why Jesus, as soon as someone touched him, he was on you.

See, this is why Jesus, as soon as someone touched him, knew that power went out from him.

In a crowded place like that, many people were touching him.

But this one touch was different.

Because this touch demanded something of the weight of the Holy Spirit resting upon Jesus' life.

This touch was different because this touch demanded something.

This touch asked for that presence to flow.

And that is what resting means.

That I walk on earth, day in, day out, knowing fully well that he is in me,

but also very conscious that he rests on me for the purposes of God here on earth.

So that when I meet Tunian and Enile, as I recognize that he is on me,

I live a life so that I'm ready for the power to flow through me.

That I haven't quenched it.

It's so important when we begin to think like this, the way we walk will be different.

Because as I showed you, when I have the Bible on my shoulder and I don't want the Bible to fall down,

I will walk a different way.

So it's not about the Holy Spirit being sensitive.

Because sometimes we equate all of this to, he is sensitive.

Yes, he is sensitive, but it's not about him being sensitive.

It's about him saying, I'm interested in these things.

Can you work with me?

Can you make sure that your shoulders will carry me?

Can you make sure that you see what I am seeing?

You hear what I am hearing.

And if I begin to think and live like this, my life will change, your life will change.

So he rests on me while he is fully inside me.

I was looking up the Greek translation where it says in Acts chapter 2-3,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

where it says the Holy Spirit rested on them.

There is a Greek word that goes like E-K-A-T-H-I-S-E-N.

I don't know how to pronounce it.

But it actually means sit down.

When it says the Holy Spirit rested, it means sit down.

It's the same word that's used in Hebrews where it says,

Jesus Christ sat down at the right hand of the Father.

See, the thing is, the Holy Spirit is sitting down for a time that he can stand up.

I'll explain it.

You see Jesus at the right hand of the Father.

Multiple times in the New Testament it's written,

Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father.

But I think in Acts chapter 7, there is a reference of Stephen being stoned.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

And it says that Stephen saw Jesus standing up.

There is something that causes Jesus to stand up.

Similarly, the same Holy Spirit who is resting on you,

that at times when he wants to launch off from you for the sake of those around you,

and when you're conscious of that and when you align your life to that,

everything begins to be different.

See, again, as a church, when we recognize this,

as a church when we say we are going to walk a certain way,

where we will be careful about him,

in that we don't want to do things, speak things that will disturb what he has for me, through me.

Oh my goodness, then my life will be so much more impactful.

Your life will be so much more impactful.

It absolutely will be.

This is the difference sometimes between I have the fullness of him versus things happening.

Because yes, you have his fullness, but are you carrying his presence?

Are you stewarding his presence?

Are you careful about making sure that you live a life that pleases him

and is aware of the weight that you carry?

See, as you begin to understand the weight that you carry, the weight of his presence,

then what happens is the way you pray changes.

The way you think of situations begins to change.

When you're aware of the weight that you're carrying, the weight of his presence,

then as you speak over a city, you're not relying on your words.

You're not relying on something you've heard.

Now you're speaking from a place of, I know the weight of his presence on me,

and from that place I speak.

It changes everything.

One of the lines that Jacob said a few weeks ago that I really liked is,

I think he said, when you're too busy, your heart is not formed.

Something along those lines. You remember that?

When you're too busy, your heart is not formed.

See, with the Holy Spirit, when I engage with him, when I know him,

as I spend time with him, as I appreciate his presence on my life,

as I understand his desires, one of the things that will change is,

you'll find that other people will receive from you like never before,

because you're carrying the weight of his presence,

and you're so mindful of it that others can draw from it.

This is why Jesus says, out of you will flow rivers of living waters.

So again, we have time to change. We have time to learn, make mistakes,

stand up again, and do this, because if we commit our lives to this,

and that's the thing, if this is not a Sunday thing that we heard on a Pentecost Sunday,

but if you and I commit our lives to this, we will be so different,

that the next generation, who will soon be 10 years, 12 years old,

they will look at this bunch, and we will have a godly inheritance to leave for them,

because the stories that they're going to hear will be very different.

Because by the time they are 12, they will know what it is to live,

not just having the Holy Spirit inside you, but also carrying the weight of his presence,

like Jesus did.

This will change. So if you, yeah, we'll get there.

The effectiveness of your life here on earth is dependent on your alignment with the Spirit of God.

And those who trade the desires of their flesh and soul will get more of the Spirit.

If I trade the desires of my life for the sake of God,

I will get more of the Spirit.

If I trade things that I like that aren't in alignment with him,

if I trade those things and say, go, I don't want it, I'm going to sell you,

because I have a prized possession here, I have something that I want to buy,

I want to buy more of the oil, as the 10 virgins,

five of them said, I'm going to buy oil.

Five of them had the lamp, but not the oil.

So if I recognize this and say, Abba, over the next six months, I want an acceleration in you.

Over the next three months, I want an acceleration in you.

So the thing is, guys, never allow the devil to lie to you that your purpose is to be the Holy Spirit.

Never allow the devil to lie to you that your purposes are lesser than someone else.

Never allow the devil to lie to you that you're not good enough to do the things that God has called you to do.

Never allow the devil to trick you into believing that your past will dictate your future.

It is a lie. If you tell him, I come, your servant, your son, mark it Abba,

for the next three months, teach me. He will go over it line by line with you.

Nothing can stop you because the Holy Spirit in you is limitless.

He is limitless and your capacity for him is limitless.

That's the beautiful thing. While he is limitless, your capacity for him is limitless.

Think of if I had a balloon here and I filled it and I asked you what is inside it, you would say it's full of air.

But I can take the same balloon and blow again and it'll take more.

The thing is with the balloon at some point it'll burst.

But with me and you and when it comes to the Holy Spirit, we will not burst.

What happens because we have new wineskin, what happens is the river flows out.

That is why even a handkerchief made a difference in the New Testament.

That's why the shadow of a person falling on someone healed people.

These are stories for today and it is happening on earth today.

It's not alien. These stories are happening today on earth.

But these can be your stories and my story.

So my capacity for the Holy Spirit is limitless and he is limitless in me.

Your obedience even in the face of difficult circumstances will cause multiplication of the oil.

Your obedience even in the face of difficult circumstances will lead to multiplication of the oil.

I'm going to tell you a story that is very important.

Will lead to multiplication of the oil.

I'm going back to the story of the widow of Zarifat who was about to die.

But there comes an old man who is saying, can I have some bread?

Actually asked for water first and as she's turning back and going to get some water, he asked for bread.

She was about to die. She wanted to kill herself and her son.

In the face of difficult situations is when obedience is asked of you.

See it's very easy for me to practice obedience when things are going well.

But when things aren't going well, when things are difficult, when you feel the pressure,

when you feel like, when you feel like it's so difficult, why did it happen like this?

Why is it that this turned out to be like this?

Why do they have to treat me like this?

Why did this not work out the way I want to?

In times like this, can you still be obedient is the question.

Because right now being obedient is way too easy because we're in a place like this.

And that obedience will change your life.

That obedience in the face of difficult circumstances, when everything is difficult,

when the pressure is mounting, when you can take things into your own hands,

during those times, will you let loose of control and say, your will and not my will.

When you can absolutely take it into your hands and no one will know.

We live like this daily.

There are things that we do that we've gotten so much accustomed to

that we don't even ask for the Holy Spirit or we don't even recognize his desires in those things.

That's where the change happens when we say, I'm going to do a post-mortem of my life.

I'm going to do whatever doctors do to say these things, oh, I see.

And I'm going to deal with these things differently.

That is yielding to the Holy Spirit to give more room in your life for everything he wants to do.

Do not be satisfied with past experiences.

Tony said this earlier on.

And if you haven't had an experience,

meaning it's good to ask for tangible physical experiences as well.

Absolutely, ask for it.

If, for instance, one of the gifts you should aspire for,

amongst many gifts, is the gift of tongues.

Ask for it.

Because when you ask, he gives.

A father will not stop a good father from giving.

That's the first ask he gives.

A father will not stop a good thing coming to you.

Especially when the father has the keys to all of this, it will be granted to you.

Because you're asking exactly what he wants to give you.

And so when you say, the thing is,

an occasional ask is very different from a continuous thirst.

An occasional ask is very different from a continuous thirst.

What we are lacking is a continuous thirst.

When there is continuous thirst,

he pours out.

Let's move on to the bride.

And listen to me carefully on this, because

as I was writing this,

I realized that these are things that we have to adjust

practically amongst us, within us, in obedience to him.

So number one, I already said that the spirit and the bride are inseparable.

The depth and the type of my relationship with Jesus' bride

is a direct representation of my intimacy with Jesus.

I will repeat it.

The depth and the type of my relationship with Jesus' bride

is a direct representation of my intimacy with Jesus.

See, if you really like me, if you love me,

and you say, Derek, I really love you,

you cannot be neutral to Iris.

She and I are one.

I love her.

I married her.

We are one.

So you cannot say, Derek, I really love you,

and be neutral to her.

So my relationship with Jesus

is with the body, with the bride of Jesus Christ.

It's a direct representation of my relationship with Jesus.

See, when it comes to practical stuff,

in this room, there are people who you will find more easy to talk to,

more easy to spend time with, more in your zone, more like you.

You're right.

Yes or no?

See, ultimately, there has to be a purpose to what we hear from the Lord, right?

Like, all of these things have to lead to something tangible.

Otherwise, we are coming and going.

It is true.

There are people who, if you're a human being,

you will have preferences, you will have certain things

or people, types, characters that you like more than others,

if you have breadth inside your being, that is.

But here is the thing.

Are you passive to the bride?

Are you passive to the bride?

Or are you neutral to the bride?

Or are you actively involved with the bride?

It's an important question.

What's your hard attitude when it comes to the bride?

And the thing is, you can't right now picture the bride spread all over the earth.

Right now, just picture Acts 29.

This is the immediate bride to you.

So right now, don't think about the churches in Iran and China and India.

We have the church right here within these four walls.

This is the church that I'm talking about.

Because if you can't love this church, you can't love the church in Iran.

Thank you, James.

The church here, can you love his bride?

See, sometimes what happens is

is you want to be Jesus' servant and a friend to the bride.

But he is asking you to be his friend and a servant to the bride.

I'll repeat it.

Sometimes you want to be Jesus' servant and a friend to his bride.

But he is asking you to be his friend and to be a servant to this bride.

Can that be your hard attitude?

Can you begin to see yourself as a servant to the real men and women and children

occupying this building on Sundays and walking life with you?

As I begin to think of it, see, if I'm honest, for myself,

I can see areas where I need to change in this.

One of the things that we'll deal with this later,

but one of the things that while worship was happening,

I was thinking about the church,

we'll deal with this later,

but one of the things that while worship was happening

and I kept hearing the words, make more room,

make more room, make more room.

And he wasn't talking about making more room for him.

He's talking about making more room for others.

One of the things, and I want to do it before we wrap up,

we have to make more room for other people here.

I'll explain it.

We have to make room for different types of people,

people who aren't in your zone,

people who aren't in your age group,

people who are different from you,

speaks a language different from you.

We have to make more room for that here in this church.

If you think that you've accomplished it

and that you have no room for improvement in that,

I'm telling you, you're wrong.

Because sometimes we can sit and think,

oh, we do it so better than everyone else.

We may be doing it better than some,

but we aren't even close to the standards

that Christ has set for his bride.

Make more room.

So can you be a servant to the bride of Christ?

This is why John the Baptist,

one of my favorite verses in the New Testament,

I don't know how many times you've already heard me say this,

is when John the Baptist says,

I am the friend of the groom, the bridegroom.

This is the thing between the bridegroom and the bride.

And I'll stand here and I'll enjoy it.

Can we be like that,

where we begin to see the things that the Holy Spirit wants to do with the bride?

And we do everything that we can do for that to flourish,

because we are a friend to the bridegroom.

We wake up as a friend to the bridegroom,

and we see ourselves in the story of this bridegroom and the bride,

and everything in our life is based on this.

Can I bring the bride closer to the bridegroom?

Can I bring the bride closer to the bridegroom?

Can I bring the bride?

She comes in different forms, sizes, languages.

Can I bring her closer?

See, what's the Holy Spirit doing inside us?

He's making us holy, purer, purification.

That's what sanctification, if you want theology word,

that's what he's doing inside of us.

So can I look at Mark and say,

whatever it is, and this is not for leaders only,

because when the Holy Spirit looks at Acts 29,

of course he sees the order and the arrangement that is put in place at Acts 29,

but the things he asks of you and I,

these things are common to everyone.

So if you walked into, if for our friend here,

who is very new to this family,

he has to look at everyone else and say,

while I am maturing in Christ,

because you're not waiting for you to mature,

because that maturity will only happen when you meet Jesus or you die and go to him.

The full maturity, maturing into the fullness of Christ,

it happens daily.

So you're not waiting for your maturity to happen to get to this stage,

because it will never be enough.

But while you're maturing, he has to think,

how can I bring the bridegroom, the bride closer to the bride?

And for leaders, that must be the only thing on your minds.

How can I bring the bride closer to the bridegroom?

If anyone wants to do any sort of ministry ever in your life,

you must be about the bride.

If you can't see the bride, you've lost it.

Because Jesus is about his bride.

The Holy Spirit and the bride are inseparable.

Revelation 21, verse 2.

Revelation 21:2

And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband.

I'll read it again. Revelation chapter 21, verse 2.

Revelation 21:2

And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, that's the bride,

coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband.

See, there was some, as I read that, immediately remembered,

there was another person who is referenced in the Bible,

who saw a city and was walking on earth, waiting for a city.

Who was that? Abraham.

Where does it say that?

Hebrews chapter, you don't have to read it, just listen to me please.

Hebrews chapter 11, 8 to 10.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Skipping a couple of things.

By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land,

living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.

Listen up.

Listen up.

For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations,

whose designer and builder is God.

Abraham walked on earth, waiting.

Can you and I, like Simeon and Anna, wait?

This is one thing we are after, the bride of Jesus Christ.

See, when I say the bride, it includes us sitting here,

but it also includes those outside who aren't yet part of the bride,

but they exist outside in the kingdom of darkness.

See, can you be like a Philip who is talking to a man in a chariot,

but in the spirit he is seeing a nation affected?

Because that man is going to Ethiopia.

Can you see the bride in that?

You see the bride assembled here in this room,

but can you also see the bride, part of the bride that's coming in?

Can you see, as you look at our friend again,

can you see the train of people who will come into the family of God through his life?

Those are the eyes that the spirit is demanding of us.

To see that which is not here yet,

but to see the things that he has already planned for this church.

So the bride, when I say the bride, of course it is us here

and the extended community of the spirit spread across the world,

but it's also those who haven't recognized themselves yet to be part of the bride,

but will be part of this bride very soon.

Those are the eyes that we need to have.

As you begin to talk with the co-worker, can you see that?

Can you, even as you're talking, as you talk with friends,

even as you're talking, can you inside your heart whisper,

inside your heart say, I am a friend to the bridegroom.

I desire to bring the bride closer.

As you begin to love the groom, you will love the bride.

And when you can be someone who can be trusted with the bride,

can you be trusted with the bride?

Can he who loves her, can you be trusted with the bride?

It's an important question.

I'll finish on time.

Don't worry.

It is an important question.

Can you be trusted with the bride?

When it's difficult, can you be trusted with the bride?

When they're not responding to you the way they should,

can you be trusted with the bride?

In correction, can you be trusted with the bride?

In exhortation, can you be trusted with the bride?

In encouragement, can you be trusted with the bride?

Can you be trusted with the bride?

I've shared this once but this is so important

When they built the Tower of Babel

Genesis chapter 11

Genesis 11 · chapter mention

They were they had one language and one of the if I read it from Genesis chapter 11

Genesis 11 · chapter mention

It'll say God actually says they're unstoppable

So I have to stop this

and

Then in Acts chapter 2 one of the things that happens is we get one language not the tongues

Acts 2 · chapter mention

But the language of the Spirit

That's why when Jesus says I will build my church and the gates of hell

Will not come against it

He means that because we then become a community of the spirit

Guarded by the most offensive spirit on the face of the earth

Is not the dove anymore

That is who we are

And when we begin to live like that things begin to shift

So one thing I want to do as we close is I want to respond to what God said make more room

There's enough room here, so it's not the physical room it is inside your heart

Inside my heart making room for those here that I don't have enough room for yet

Inside my heart making room for those outside who are yet to come in you yeah

Make sense questions

Make more room

So one of the things I want us to do is

Take 30 seconds before you do it because it's not the act. It's the heart behind the act

What I'm gonna ask is

Everyone has to come you know we have to fill the three four

Rows here no one is sitting at the back including the sound guys

We're gonna make room physically at the back for others to come in number one number two as you

Everyone including the the guys here Jillian sue to NLA

They'll have to move forward too

But as you move one of the things you're doing is you're gonna find a person to sit with who see here's what's happening

I

Emanuel mark

Bros

Joy

Megan

They know each other perhaps. I don't know if you guys know each other or you spend enough time together or not

Dawn is with KC. I

There are familiar people sitting together

You see that there's familiar people sitting. I'm not talking about couples of course you have to sit together

Of course I'm not talking about couples I'm talking about

Very simple guys because I have done it at axe 29. I have

Especially when I was single there used to be a group of us who would always sit together you guys would know who I'm talking about

So I completely get it

But what I am saying is can we change?

Who we associate with and the meaning can we change the patterns of our association inside the body meaning?

this

These are my kind of people thing has to stop I

Have to be as comfortable with

That's who I'm just picking on you sue as I'm comfortable with Jillian as I'm comfortable with Betty as I'm comfortable with

ego

This is so important I tell you if you can think of it in your heart that yes barriers like this in my mind

I will not allow and I'm

Jumping right over it something will happen in the spiritual

Hundred percent because the bride of Christ is not broken into segments

The bride of Christ is the bride of Christ

and

when I begin to associate with the bride as the bride groom's friend and say

Everyone is one to me

It changes something so then do this without any music without anything take

30-seconds as to why you're doing it first you have to submit to the

to the

Direction that the Holy Spirit is giving and then follow that with an act

If you just do it it does not make any difference

If you believe and if you're perfect in this don't worry about it

But if you believe that ABBA I need correction I need in this thing to change the way I am so I'm moving around

I'm moving a step forward to make more room and in my movement

I'm gonna sit with someone who I don't usually spend time talking with that much and I want to build that relationship more do it

after 30 seconds

So

Yes change happens

Through simple steps of obedience

That's how change happens

That's how

Months later when a new person steps in they will see something that is not seen today in our midst

It happens through simple steps of obedience

Where you break all sorts of walls down and

Say I am for the bride of Christ and I belong to the community of the spirit

And I'm not choosing comfort and familiarity

That is what I'm talking about

And I am someone who has made that mistake

So I'm not talking to you from a place of I've been corrected like five years ago

Some of you will know three four of us who were always together

So yeah time to move

I

Guys even as you're doing it in your in your heart in your mind

Know what you're doing because it's not a one-time thing. It's a decision you're making

Don't you notice it with toony what man

You

Hey John you guys can you take the the can you can you guys move two rows up all of you, please

And you guys to move up one

You

See this is the bride of Christ even the way we are sitting you see how it's different

Because sometimes things happen because we are familiar to a way of doing things

But when we break that wall and say Jesus broke every wall to get to us

We will not allow any walls to come between us. It makes

Some it makes it it makes everything different

It's a breath of fresh air I have to take a picture

Actually, I want to take a picture

Yeah, no, bro, I think I have almost all of you

See

See

Let's let's make sure this is a day something shifted in our minds

Yeah, you with me

Something shifted in our minds to say ABBA. I know that your son paid a price

For the people that I am part of including me

There is a price that was paid guys

At the foot of the Calvary at the foot of the cross when if you were there you will see the blood dripping

That very blood paid for every single one of us

This is a family that Jesus put together

And

when we now begin to see each other as part of the bride of Jesus Christ and

you become a servant to the ones you're sitting next to and

In your mind when you have said this is who I am for the rest of my life

I may make mistakes, but I'll always fall back to my nature in the spirit, which is exactly this

something shifts I

Want us to sing one song and we'll wrap up

He agrees to

He always agrees at the right time. That's the thing well done Remy

Yeah

It what's a thousand generation song you know what I'm talking about can we sing that song

Guys as you sing this

Guys as you sing this

Holy forever yes as you sing this last two three minutes

As you sing this sing finding yourself truly as part of this pride

No questions about do I fit no questions about

Anything this is Jesus's bride and rightfully your place

Sing from that place number one number two

sing as a people

exalt him lift him up because as we make room in our mind and

Turn around and welcome the people coming in things will begin to change

Yeah, so sing it like that we'll go and we'll wrap up with that

Oh

Oh

Oh

Oh

Oh

Oh

About you hear our songs you hear our singing we come this evening

Together here making more room in our hearts for you bright

Making more room for those outside to come in

Making more room and yielding our lives yielding our living our being to carry the weight of your presence

So that others around us will be affected about please mark this day as we

As a church unite in agreement that we want to know your spirit more

Please mark this day so that by

2025

Pentecost Sunday when we gather together we will all have a story to share and may some of us

Without being even asked

Raise up and say I need to share something come up and say the beautiful story of intimacy with your spirit

We long for this this is our rightful inheritance and we live by your word in Jesus name

Just announcement if you're involved with the worship night whether you're sound or singing or anything you're there's gonna be a meeting so just come

Find done

At the back maybe we'll meet at the back for a short meeting

And then second there'll be people praying so if you want to come up for prayer there'll be people on the sides

Bless you all