Sermon

Hebrides 2.0 Nations to the Kingdom

Acts 29 Vancouver

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  1. So these wild promises that God makes seem wild when he makes them, but then when you

  2. look at them in hindsight, you think to yourself, shucks, over the last 16, 17 years, so many

  3. wild promises have been made by God.

  4. They're not wild from his side, they're wild when you hear them.

  5. But now when you look at Bahrain, now when you look at over 263 churches across the earth

  6. that have some connection with us or have been planted by us.

  7. One is not supposed to take a census, but Tuni was doing a project on house churches.

  8. And so we put down the number of house churches, the Chattin I have, NLAG and Acts 29 have

  9. worked at, and it's over 263 churches covering almost every continent of the earth.

  10. Then you realize, ah shucks, it's not a wild promise, this is real.

  11. But it started with one or two people.

  12. There's a guy in Shillong where I was last week.

  13. One of the questions he always asks me is how many people in your church?

  14. It's embarrassing to answer.

  15. Because after 16 or 17 years it's still pretty small, but small don't count because of God.

  16. So this was what Hebrides 2.0 was about.

  17. And so when we were in Stornoway, God gave a promise and it's on the screen.

  18. And that's a promise that we are now teaching.

  19. Because it will happen, just like every other wild promise of God, it will happen.

  20. A purifying fire from heaven, this was the promise He gave in Stornoway, that's a scene

  21. from where the first revival in the 40s and the 50s started.

  22. A purifying fire from heaven that burns up religious and historical junk, we dealt with

  23. that.

  24. As the divine warrior marches, we talked about that three, four weeks ago.

  25. Last week it was, what's his name, Derek teaching on delivering young men and women.

  26. And there is an emphasis on young men and women as being the ones who are the recipients.

  27. It's not that the others are left out, it's just that young men and women is the focus.

  28. Delivering young men and women, and today we deal with from nations into kingdoms, from

  29. nations into kingdoms.

  30. It's not enough that we have young men and women in different nations, they must form

  31. or be forged into this thing called the kingdom.

  32. That's one of my regrets when I went to Israel, is that after 2000 years there's still a lack

  33. of a church in Israel that is made up of the one new man, both Jew and Gentile.

  34. You have Gentile churches called Messianic churches, you have Jewish churches that are

  35. Jewish Messianic churches, but rarely do you find, or almost never do you find in Israel

  36. a church made up of what Paul had asked for ages ago, which is one new man, the Jew and

  37. the Gentile doesn't exist.

  38. 2000 years later you think God's heart doesn't grieve.

  39. So today we deal with nations into the kingdom, and then next week and so on we'll go on with

  40. calling sons and daughters into that circle of dancing, abundance and joy before the lion

  41. and the lamb, a torch bearing generation that goes forth and will not return empty.

  42. That we'll deal with later, so today we deal with nations to the kingdom.

  43. What is our role in this as a church?

  44. Our role is to announce it, because everything God does must be announced, and then to do

  45. what is in our power and at any cost to initiate it, as in get it ignited.

  46. Once you ignite you can hand the torch over to people, if you hand a torch that's not

  47. ignited they don't know what to do.

  48. How do we do this?

  49. We do this with event words.

  50. Event words are words that we use that cause events to happen.

  51. The part of the reason we teach is because of that, and that leads to open doors.

  52. This is God's formula, if you think this is man's formula, some nice stereotypical word

  53. put together, no, God always does it this way.

  54. Before he does anything he announces it.

  55. It's been his practice since the Old Testament and the New Testament, he announces it.

  56. Once he announces it, he sends someone to initiate the process.

  57. He sends people.

  58. People that have been trained over years to be receptive to the Spirit of God.

  59. People that will initiate at any cost.

  60. And then once he initiates it, he ignites something.

  61. Not something really, he ignites people.

  62. He ignites people.

  63. People catch fire.

  64. And then they can't turn back.

  65. Then you use event words.

  66. Event words are words that God speaks, that God has people speak over a nation, in a situation,

  67. over people.

  68. And with those words, God then begins to spread what he wants to do.

  69. I mean, look at the Old Testament.

  70. Israel is surrounded by an army and all that God says is, he will not shoot a single arrow

  71. into the city.

  72. As he has come, so he will return.

  73. Event word.

  74. What happens?

  75. He comes, sets siege all around the city.

  76. Nothing happens.

  77. He gets a call from, not a call, smoke signals from wherever he was, and he has to return.

  78. Event words.

  79. Jesus was so good at event words.

  80. He would try to create a situation where event words could be spoken.

  81. What do you want me to do for you?

  82. Lord, I want to heal.

  83. According to your faith, may it be done to you.

  84. Event words.

  85. Paul used to do this too.

  86. He says to the captain of the ship, I want you to know that as long as you do not leave

  87. the ship, you will be safe.

  88. The God I worship came to me last night and he said to me, not a single life will be lost.

  89. Event words.

  90. Words that create an event.

  91. We don't realize the weight of it.

  92. You can take that off if you want to, Brandon.

  93. And event words lead to open doors.

  94. Event words lead to open doors.

  95. Things that are happening today are the result of something spoken many, many, many years

  96. ago, eh?

  97. I remember going with his brother-in-law to Bhutan and standing in Bhutan, which is a

  98. a Buddhist kingdom, standing at the gates and declaring Psalm 24, that these gates will

  99. open.

  100. It is one of the most restricted nations in the world in terms of Christianity.

  101. Standing and speaking those words over those gates.

  102. Haven't gone back since.

  103. Maybe others have.

  104. Maybe one day we will.

  105. But event words happen.

  106. Words that never go waste.

  107. They will happen.

  108. It's only a matter of time.

  109. And from here, this morning when we were worshipping, may have thought of Bhutan if you did.

  110. We'll send you there tomorrow.

  111. I think you did, Diana.

  112. No?

  113. That was a quick no.

  114. And so the other thing is why young people, why young men and women?

  115. Because it only takes a generation to forget what God is personally doing, eh?

  116. In Judges chapter 2 verse 10, it says, one generation after Joshua, Israel's children

    Judges 2:10

  117. forgot and did not have any idea of who this God was.

  118. Go to Judges 2 10.

  119. It should be seared into your memory in terms of how quickly things are lost.

  120. Judges 2 10, this is shortly after Joshua.

  121. And it says, and all that generation also were gathered to their fathers and there arose

  122. another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done

  123. for Israel.

  124. How is that humanly possible?

  125. Judges chapter 2 verse 10, how do you forget in one generation?

    Judges 2:10

  126. Therefore it must be passed on.

  127. In Psalm 48 verse 12, Psalm 48 verse 12, it says, hey, you guys need to go and count the

    Psalms 48:12 Psalms 48:12

  128. ramparts of the fort that I have built.

  129. Go around Jerusalem, look at how it is built so that you can tell the next generation.

  130. Psalm 48 verse 12, Psalm 48 verse 12, Psalm 48 verse 12, walk about Zion, go around and

    Psalms 48:12 Psalms 48:12 Psalms 48:12

  131. number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels that you may tell

  132. the next generation that this is our God, our God forever and ever and he will guide

  133. us forever.

  134. It's important.

  135. And then the third scripture that comes to mind is Psalm 45, Psalm 45 verse 16.

    Psalms 45:16

  136. It says, children, sons will stand in the place of their fathers.

  137. Sons will stand in the place of their fathers, meaning the ones that are younger must replace

  138. the ones that are older.

  139. But how can they replace the older if they haven't been prepared for?

  140. What awaits?

  141. Sear this in your heart, eh?

  142. This is why we live.

  143. We live so that what God has given us will be perpetuated.

  144. We don't live so that we have strong churches.

  145. I always say that.

  146. The only reason a strong church must exist is so that it empties itself out, pours itself

  147. out.

  148. Nothing should be left of a strong church because that's the only reason why Christ

  149. lived.

  150. He poured himself out for the sake of others.

  151. A strong church that exists for itself is a monstrosity.

  152. So nations to the kingdom, nations to the kingdom.

  153. But here's the question, why would nations come into the kingdom?

  154. Why would nations come to the kingdom?

  155. Aren't the nations really having fun?

  156. Aren't they more attractive?

  157. Didn't Satan offer Jesus in Luke chapter 4 the kingdoms of the world?

    Luke 4 chapter mention

  158. So why would nations come to the kingdom?

  159. We pray that nations should come to the kingdom.

  160. Why would the young abandon what they have to join the kingdom?

  161. What good reason is there?

  162. And so we go to Isaiah 60, Isaiah 60 verse 3.

    Isaiah 60:3

  163. We look at some of the reasons that God says the nations will come to the kingdom.

  164. And those are the reasons that we'll have to stick by.

  165. Isaiah 60, starting at verse 1 to verse 3.

  166. And I know you know the scripture well.

  167. Isaiah 60, it says, arise shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen

  168. upon you.

  169. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness of peoples.

  170. But the Lord will arise upon you and his glory will be seen upon you.

  171. And the nations shall come to your light and kinks to the brightness of your rising.

  172. The nations, let's just call it a nation of young men and women, will only come to

  173. the kingdom because they see that there is glory that has risen upon you.

  174. Now we'll examine what it even means to have glory that has risen upon you.

  175. Because Isaiah is talking from the past.

  176. He's talking about a time when glory hasn't descended yet.

  177. We are not where Isaiah is.

  178. Isaiah is prophesying.

  179. We don't need to stand in that prophecy because that prophecy has come to pass.

  180. The nations do not come to the kingdom if there is nothing risen upon the people of

  181. the kingdom.

  182. God says the nations will come when they will see the glory of God upon the people of the

  183. kingdom.

  184. I will talk about what that looks like and how to guard it.

  185. Any questions on that one?

  186. The nations shall come to your light and kinks to the brightness of your rising.

  187. What light or what brightness are we talking about?

  188. We're talking about the glory of the Lord.

  189. Again, what is glory?

  190. It doesn't matter how many times we define it.

  191. It is such an archaic word that we never use that we keep having to define it.

  192. Glory, otherwise called kabod, in Hebrew, or otherwise called doxa, there are other

  193. words for it too.

  194. The glory of the Lord is the weight, the splendor, the presence, the laughter, the power, the

  195. goodness, the majesty of God wrapped into one word.

  196. And that is what a light upon dwells in, emanates out of him and whoever he dwells in.

  197. This is the truth, whether you like it or not, whether you accept it or not, whether

  198. you're practicing it or not, whether you believe it or not, this is the truth.

  199. What word are you trying to figure out?

  200. What a light upon dwells in emanates out of him and whoever he dwells in.

  201. A light upon, as in...

  202. What's the difference between the light and dark?

  203. Greek-Hebrew, Hebrew-Greek.

  204. Whether I like it or not, I'm not saying you don't like it or that you don't believe it.

  205. I'm just saying this is present reality.

  206. The ignorance of it, the unawareness of it, the absence of it, the non-display of it,

  207. is perhaps our problem or perhaps our struggle, but this is reality.

  208. Do you doubt that?

  209. Do you want to question it?

  210. That the weight, the splendor, the presence, the laughter, the power, the goodness, the

  211. is all wrapped in one word, glory, and he actually is dwelling in us, in me.

  212. How do we know this?

  213. It's scriptural.

  214. It's in Colossians.

  215. It says so.

  216. Christ in you, the hope of what?

  217. The expectation of what?

  218. The ex...

  219. Christ in you, the hope of glory, again, is an archaic term, so let's simplify it.

  220. Christ in you, the expectation.

  221. Hope means expectation.

  222. Christ in you, the expectation of what?

  223. The expectation of the weight, the splendor, the presence, the laughter, the power, the

  224. goodness, the majesty of God in me.

  225. This is my expectation.

  226. Unfortunately, because it's not my expectation, I do not subscribe to it, experience it, display

  227. it, but if it was my expectation, it would begin to show.

  228. I have status with Air Canada because I fly a lot.

  229. I have expectations.

  230. I have expectations that if I go up to the counter and ask for something, it will be

  231. given to me and it will not be given to you.

  232. There's an expectation that comes with status.

  233. There is status here.

  234. Whether I use it or not is up to me, but it is present.

  235. These are benefits.

  236. These are the benefits of presence.

  237. And as I become aware of my status, it is easier for God to do what he wants to do.

  238. So it's never an absence of this.

  239. The great thing about everything in Christianity is we are not trying to obtain it.

  240. We are trying to display it.

  241. Because everything in Christianity is contained in one person and his name is Christ.

  242. And that Christ dwells in me.

  243. Therefore, I have nothing I have to obtain.

  244. I don't have to climb a mountain to get to him.

  245. I don't have to go to the depths of the earth to get to him.

  246. You see it again in Revelation 21, verse 24.

    Revelation 21:24

  247. Revelation 21, 24.

  248. What are we talking about?

  249. We are talking about why would the nations come to the kingdom?

  250. Revelation 21, verse 24.

    Revelation 21:24

  251. Guys, Kamal and Ann may suddenly get up at 1 o'clock and leave.

  252. If they do, do not make them feel awkward.

  253. Do not look at them.

  254. Let them leave quietly.

  255. Because they have to go to the airport to pick up somebody.

  256. So just let them leave quietly.

  257. Don't worry, Ann, I took care of it.

  258. Why would the nations come to the kingdom?

  259. Why would the nations come into the kingdom?

  260. Revelation 21, verse 24.

    Revelation 21:24

  261. Starting at verse 22.

  262. Love it.

  263. And I saw no temple in the city.

  264. Again, when you read the book of Revelation, it's an already not yet situation.

  265. Isaiah was a prophetic word of not yet.

  266. Anything spoken in the book of Revelation is an already not yet.

  267. As in it's already begun.

  268. But it's in the process of being fulfilled.

  269. God has separated Isaiah from Revelation.

  270. One is a prophecy fulfilled, one is a prophecy that is happening.

  271. And here's what it says.

  272. It says in verse 22.

  273. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb.

  274. This is why a building don't matter.

  275. Throw this away on July 31st.

  276. Nothing changes.

  277. And the second thing is, the second thing is, the third thing is,

  278. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb.

  279. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of the Lord gives it light and its lamp is the Lamb.

  280. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.

  281. Again, the same thing, man.

  282. Nations become part of the kingdom when nations begin to see the light of the Lamb,

  283. Expressed through our lives.

  284. And Jesus, before the Holy Spirit was given, says in Matthew 5.16,

  285. Let your lights shine, that others may be drawn to the Father.

  286. It's all being tied together again and again and again throughout scripture.

  287. We're just not aware of it.

  288. And like I said last week and the weeks before, the periodic awareness of God was never God's design for man.

  289. Periodic awareness of God's presence was never God's design for man.

  290. This is why we should again go back to, in the middle of the service, as you're listening to him,

  291. Suddenly go quiet and say, He's here.

  292. And it's so easy then to tune our hearts, not to Jacob but to the world.

  293. So easy for Jacob suddenly, the preacher, to realize that our shaksh, He is here.

  294. I'm not preaching, I'm not teaching the word.

  295. He is here.

  296. I'm talking about Him who is here.

  297. Immediately our hearts begin to learn faster.

  298. Because He is here.

  299. And He is holy.

  300. The strange thing is, one should be able to take this out.

  301. Because He doesn't seem to be out there, He's only here.

  302. Momentary pauses like this during the day.

  303. So later he realizes He is here.

  304. And everything is noisy when there are no songs.

  305. It's amazing how we forget God during preaching and worship.

  306. We are reaching out to Him.

  307. We forget the awareness of Him in the place.

  308. But we'll get aware of Him.

  309. We are a wonderful work in progress, guys.

  310. Wonderful work in progress.

  311. Be proud of yourself, eh?

  312. Highly flexible, highly adaptable church.

  313. Continuously learning.

  314. Not resistant.

  315. Willing.

  316. And changing.

  317. One of the things that happens, one of the reasons nations come to the kingdom,

  318. is because there is a distinction between the people of God and the people of the earth.

  319. And this is the distinction God was trying to bring about in Exodus.

  320. Exodus 10.23, you see it first.

  321. Where you see that while it was darkness all over Egypt, there was light in Goshen.

  322. That is what draws nations.

  323. And you can imagine after the tenth plague, Egypt was saying,

  324. I wish I had an Israeli passport.

  325. Paul says that in South Africa right now.

  326. I wish I had a Canadian passport.

  327. Every time the power goes up, it is ten hours a day in South Africa.

  328. He says, I wish I had a Canadian passport.

  329. It is literally like that in Egypt.

  330. The light is out again.

  331. More bugs.

  332. Cows are dying.

  333. Gosh, these locusts.

  334. I wish I had an Israeli passport.

  335. And so there must be a distinction.

  336. And the distinction comes simply because of one thing.

  337. Nothing else distinguishes us.

  338. Because if we made the distinction based on wealth,

  339. if we made the distinction based on standard of living,

  340. it wouldn't work.

  341. Because you'll find guys a hundred times better than us

  342. in nations that are super poor.

  343. This is the only distinction.

  344. Do you carry this?

  345. The crazy thing is you carry it.

  346. And that is what people are attracted to.

  347. And therefore how you respond must be based on this.

  348. Are you sick?

  349. This is your response.

  350. Are you poor?

  351. This is your response.

  352. Are you confused?

  353. This is your response.

  354. This must form the filter and the matrix out of which you speak.

  355. This must be what I must speak out of.

  356. Anything else I speak out of is a mixture,

  357. is me taking scriptures and putting it in context of my circumstances

  358. and deciding whether the circumstances stand or the scriptures stand.

  359. But this, at the end of the day,

  360. before you even think of the scriptures,

  361. think of the nature of God,

  362. and this is who dwells in you.

  363. Everything you speak, decide, pay costs for, choose,

  364. must be based simply on this.

  365. The expectation of He who is in you.

  366. And my words must be shaped by who He is,

  367. not by anything else.

  368. And every time it doesn't matter because my emotions take over,

  369. or my mind takes over, or my confusion takes over,

  370. or my terrible circumstances take over,

  371. I must come back to this.

  372. This is inviolable.

  373. Inviolable.

  374. Inviolable.

  375. And my circumstances don't count.

  376. Really don't count.

  377. As in, they are very real and they are hurtful,

  378. but they are not true.

  379. Okay.

  380. Egypt, thick darkness, land of Goshen, light.

  381. The thing that God does is He,

  382. a very simple key to having God display all this through you,

  383. is in Isaiah 43 verse 9,

    Isaiah 43:9

  384. it says, I will display my glory because you are my servant.

  385. Servants are, a servant attitude is the best attitude for bright display.

  386. Isaiah 43 verse 9, or 49 verse 3, I'm not sure.

    Isaiah 43:9

  387. 49 and 3. Isaiah 49 and 3.

  388. These are just simple keys God gives us.

  389. And He said to me, you are my servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

  390. One of the ways God gets to display His glory brilliantly is when I behave like a servant.

  391. Servanthood is an amazing vehicle for the display of glory.

  392. I want a servant look like.

  393. I want a servant look like.

  394. Faithful to the master, faithful to the house, faithful to the master's guests, faithful to the master's will.

  395. No expectation of reward, no expectation of pay, dependent on Him.

  396. I'll say that again.

  397. What a servant would look like.

  398. Faithful to the master, faithful to his house, faithful to his guests, faithful to wherever he sends you.

  399. Not expecting reward, dependent on the master for life.

  400. That's what servanthood looks like.

  401. Servanthood is a nicer word for slavery.

  402. But we have a benevolent master, that's the difference.

  403. Like I've said a million times, you cannot be a servant first, you have to be a son or a daughter.

  404. From the son or daughter, you move to servant.

  405. Anyone who goes the other direction will burn out, will feel exploited, will regret it, will be resentful.

  406. Any questions?

  407. Isaiah 2, 3, another reason why nations will come to the kingdom.

  408. Isaiah chapter 2, verse 3.

    Isaiah 2:3

  409. Isaiah 2, verse 3.

    Isaiah 2:3

  410. Isaiah chapter 2, verse 3.

    Isaiah 2:3

  411. Isaiah 2, verse 3.

    Isaiah 2:3

  412. These are such cool scriptures, man.

  413. Isaiah chapter 2, verse 3.

    Isaiah 2:3

  414. First it talks about the kingdom and then it talks about what will happen.

  415. So let's start at verse 2.

  416. It shall come to pass in the latter days as in now, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of mountains,

  417. and shall be lifted above the hills, and all the nations shall flow to it.

  418. And many people shall come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,

  419. that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths.

  420. For our desire shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

  421. Let me read it from the message.

  422. They'll say, come, let's climb God's mountain, go to the house of the God of Jacob.

  423. He'll show us the way he works, so we can live the way we are made.

  424. He'll show us the way he works, so we can live the way we are made.

  425. Brilliant, eh?

  426. And so one of the reasons people, young men and women, will come over the next many years,

  427. from the nations to the kingdom, is because they will be shown how to live.

  428. They'll be taught.

  429. Who does the teaching? You.

  430. Who does the teaching? You.

  431. And so the question is, have you learnt well?

  432. If you learn well, you walk well. If you walk well, you have earned the right to teach.

  433. That's how this works.

  434. That's the reason we have house churches and hubs and mission and mentoring in this church.

  435. That's the reason.

  436. It's not so that we get knowledgeable. It is so that we can now reproduce.

  437. You cannot reproduce except if you are after a certain kind.

  438. That is God's problem after the fall. Before the fall, God was fine.

  439. Go reproduce, replenish, fill the earth. Why? Because you're after my kind.

  440. But the moment Adam fell, it changed because now God had to come up with another plan.

  441. And the plan was Jesus, so that we can go back and return to being His kind.

  442. You can only replicate after your kind. Dogs don't produce cats. Praise the Lord.

  443. The point is, one must replicate after one's kind.

  444. So one of the reasons we have house churches, hubs, mission and mentoring or raising,

  445. I hate the word mentoring, raising, is so that we replicate after our kind.

  446. Only then can you go and reproduce. Otherwise you cannot reproduce because you're reproducing your own kind.

  447. And your own kind ain't the kind.

  448. This is a word that God wants us to know for the future.

  449. I don't want to call it a prophetic word, but I'm calling it a word that this church should hear

  450. and anybody else who's listening to this will hear and see it come to pass.

  451. Praise God for His faithfulness.

  452. Just like YVAM has a base in Kona, Hawaii, and other organizations have their bases in Colorado or in Hawaii,

  453. we will have a base on an island called St. Martin's.

  454. And out of that, some of the things we're talking about today will happen.

  455. It's close to the Caribbean, to Caracas, Venezuela, and to Puerto Rico.

  456. And perhaps we'll send Kamal off there permanently. St. Martin's.

  457. St. Martin's. Yeah.

  458. Yeah. It's a lot of beaches. It's an island that's divided into two.

  459. There's a French half and a Dutch half. And we'll be going to the Dutch half.

  460. But on that island, in the near future, we will establish a base where,

  461. just like people go to Kona and get trained in Kona by YVAM and then are sent all over the world,

  462. there will be a base on St. Martin's. And out of that, people go to different corners of the world.

  463. This is not an imagination. It's someone just called out of the blue in the morning saying,

  464. your church needs to know this. There will be a base that operates.

  465. And so that will happen. Just wanted you to know.

  466. So that when it comes to pass, we'll go, oh shucks, how did that happen?

  467. Because, okay, it can be a prophetic word.

  468. So much easier agreeing with you.

  469. For those that are new, that's Diana.

  470. Kamal, you were going to say something? No? Okay.

  471. The Dutch half, it's S-I-N-T, Martin's.

  472. Oh, I thought you went with the baby and came back without the baby.

  473. The other thing is, guys, whenever nations come to the light, whenever nations come to the light of God's glory,

  474. they bring two things with them. Read every scripture and you'll find that

  475. whenever nations come to the light of God's glory, they bring two things with them.

  476. They bring sons and daughters.

  477. And they bring the wealth of the nations.

  478. Every scripture that talks about it talks about this.

  479. Expect that. Expect that when nations begin to come to the glory of God, and they already are,

  480. that they will bring two things. They'll bring sons and daughters, as in ones that belong to God

  481. and will have a passion that will put us to shame.

  482. It's good when ones that are joining put the old ones to shame.

  483. It'll cause the old ones to be jealous to run faster.

  484. It's supposed to happen.

  485. And then the second thing that will happen is they'll bring you the wealth of the nations.

  486. They bring the wealth of the nations.

  487. You don't take them an offering, they come with the offering.

  488. So the money for these things gets provided.

  489. Any questions?

  490. The money is provided not for the pastor to have a higher salary,

  491. but for us to be able to do what we are supposed to do.

  492. Any questions?

  493. Why is this important? Because any hope for any kind of peace that God is aiming towards at the end of the world

  494. is peace that only comes through people understanding how to walk in the ways of God.

  495. Any other attempt to bring peace is an illusion.

  496. If you do not teach people how to walk in the ways of God,

  497. any kind of peace that we try to forge is an illusion.

  498. It does not exist. It's false. It's detente.

  499. Closing one eye, hoping that May won't murder you in the middle of the night.

  500. Sorry, you were sitting in the front again.

  501. Any questions?

  502. Okay, the young will also come to the kingdom because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

  503. The young will come to the kingdom. The young will come to the kingdom.

  504. Young men and women will come to the kingdom because of the work of the Holy Spirit.

  505. So what does his work look like internally?

  506. It looks like are they meeting people who are not just talk.

  507. I'm not saying talk is not important. Talk is super important.

  508. Not just talk, but right living or righteousness.

  509. Peace as an amazing ability to not be troubled or not control life.

  510. Peace must be defined that way. Peace is so hazier that we don't know how to define peace.

  511. No, peace is when it takes a lot to trouble you.

  512. Everything is raging around you, but you're not losing your senses.

  513. You're not panicking. That's one.

  514. Second way peace is defined is peace is when someone does not control.

  515. How do you know a person who is not in control?

  516. How do you know a person who is not at peace?

  517. The person is highly controlling of their circumstances.

  518. We never equate peace with that.

  519. How do you know the areas where Jacob does not have peace?

  520. Every area that Jacob does not have peace, Jacob will try his best to control his environment so that he has the outcomes he wants.

  521. Peace is so much about trust that it's a loss of control.

  522. If you could follow me around, you would easily know the areas where I do not walk in peace.

  523. Because you will see how strongly I control those areas so that I can have predictable outcomes.

  524. Or at least try and have predictable outcomes.

  525. I know, we all start squirming.

  526. At least I saw you squirming, even though you were trying not to squirm.

  527. Internally, it's right living peace, joy and power in the Holy Ghost, in the Holy Spirit.

  528. That's what it looks like.

  529. If you want to affect people with the same kind of power,

  530. That's what it looks like.

  531. If you want to affect people with the glory of God,

  532. one of the ways we do it is by letting them see the work of the Holy Spirit.

  533. Internally, it looks like righteousness, right living, peace, what we define it as,

  534. joy, as in pretty easy to recover to a place of it is well, Hakuna Matata.

  535. That is neither Greek nor Hebrew.

  536. And power, power.

  537. The power to live.

  538. I'm not even talking about power to do science, miracles and wonders.

  539. The power to live.

  540. And what power are we talking about when we talk about the power to live?

  541. We are talking about the power of the risen Christ who dwells in me.

  542. And what does that power look like?

  543. It has the ability to overcome.

  544. It overcomes.

  545. It overcomes negative thoughts.

  546. It overcomes torment.

  547. It overcomes circumstances that I'm mired in.

  548. My circumstances don't change, but I begin to have the power to overcome.

  549. I mean, I know some of your stories.

  550. I'm baffled at how you overcome.

  551. And then I know that you have overcome because of one person, the Christ who lives in you.

  552. The miracles that have happened in your life are so much greater

  553. than the miracles we see externally.

  554. I'm marveled.

  555. Trophies of grace sitting in this room, eh?

  556. And then externally, it's what Paul talks about in Romans 15 and things like that.

  557. But externally, they must see signs and wonders.

  558. Go tell John that the sick are healed, demons are cast out, lepers are cured,

  559. the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached.

  560. Externally, it has to do with signs and wonders.

  561. This will draw people, eh?

  562. This will draw people.

  563. Teach them.

  564. Teach them how to walk.

  565. This is a very odd sentence.

  566. Teach them how to walk

  567. like unfallen atoms in a fallen world.

  568. How can you teach them?

  569. Just one way to teach them, man.

  570. That's the only way.

  571. Teach them.

  572. Unfallen atoms.

  573. Not making the mistakes Adam makes, even though we live in a world that is far more evil than his.

  574. He had it easy compared to us.

  575. Unfallen atoms.

  576. That's how Christ walked.

  577. Christ walked as an unfallen atom with the same advantages that you and I have.

  578. The Spirit of God.

  579. Teach them.

  580. May not be able to conquer it in a day, but in how about 3,000 days from today?

  581. What if there are certain areas that are so brilliant that the young can follow?

  582. Don and I were in the Young People's Conference.

  583. There were about 600 to 700 young people.

  584. And we taught them, man.

  585. We taught them what it was to know the presence of God.

  586. You should have seen them.

  587. They were hungry like, I don't know, hungry like a horse.

  588. Just lapping it up.

  589. But you know the only problem now that we have is that we don't have places where they can be incubated.

  590. They go back to their cities.

  591. They go back to their churches.

  592. And there is nothing we can do to sustain it.

  593. That is why we need places like St. Martin's.

  594. They don't look at them.

  595. That's...

  596. Shh! Stop laughing.

  597. You're going to St. Martin's.

  598. See, I try to keep it on the...

  599. What's it? Download?

  600. Yeah, I try to keep it on the download.

  601. Okay, see ya.

  602. See ya.

  603. Thanks, Michael, for the two A's in St. Martin.

  604. Yeah.

  605. Interrupt your flow graph. Why text you? I was going to say...

  606. Okay.

  607. You did interrupt my flow. I don't know where I was.

  608. Yeah. So...

  609. It's so hard to incubate it, eh?

  610. What happens when you go back?

  611. Who will help?

  612. One of the advantages that we don't recognize we have

  613. is that

  614. in this matrix, whatever we learn can be cultivated

  615. because there are others that are doing the same.

  616. And if you can't buy into it, if you think you still don't belong,

  617. then sometimes it's very hard, man, to convince you.

  618. But at least we have an oven where these things can be baked

  619. and you don't get pulled out of the oven until it's really fully baked.

  620. And that's a disadvantage in other places.

  621. I was sitting with one of Tunis' guys last week

  622. and thought to myself, he's going to go back and how is he...

  623. He drove nine hours.

  624. I mean, he sat in a bus for nine hours to spend 30 minutes.

  625. That kind of desire?

  626. Not in a luxury bus over smooth roads.

  627. And to spend 30 minutes.

  628. And then he has to go back.

  629. And when he goes back, how is he going to get sustained?

  630. Hey, this is why, you know, I'll be asked,

  631. what did you do with what I gave you?

  632. Because I want to say to this plainly,

  633. this church has a whole lot of problems,

  634. partly because you are there and I'm there.

  635. But that aside,

  636. this church has a whole lot of problems,

  637. but the advantage you have in this church,

  638. you must recognize and hold precious.

  639. Yeah.

  640. That's just on the side.

  641. Let's conclude with the next 20 points.

  642. Alex?

  643. In Shillong, the plan, where last week,

  644. in Shillong, the plan is to raise about 30 young people,

  645. just like David, 30, raised 30,

  646. was in Vienna and met this pastor

  647. who was a very important person in the church.

  648. He was a very important person.

  649. He was a very important person.

  650. He was a very important person.

  651. He was a very important person.

  652. And I think that's just a very important part of the plan.

  653. I met this pastor who is having

  654. a young adults conference in Stockholm.

  655. And these are kids who can speak

  656. four or five different languages.

  657. What if we could get them?

  658. What if we could teach them on a regular basis

  659. and then have them go throughout Europe?

  660. They can speak Hungarian, they can speak German,

  661. English, French.

  662. Fascinating what can happen.

  663. Get ready, go with mobile.

  664. Lose any desire to secure your life.

  665. I wrote down this just to disturb us a little more.

  666. I wasn't planning on reading it.

  667. You cannot find security in what God is doing

  668. because God commits you to the impossible,

  669. the invisible and the outrageous.

  670. You cannot find security in what God is doing

  671. because God commits you to the impossible,

  672. the invisible and the outrageous.

  673. There is no security in that place.

  674. The only security is in who God is.

  675. You cannot find security in what God is doing

  676. because God commits you to the impossible,

  677. the invisible and the outrageous.

  678. There is no security in that place.

  679. There is only security in who God is.

  680. This is the way to live.

  681. And if this is not your preferred way of living, change.

  682. Let me write it.

  683. Let me look at what you wrote.

  684. I have great security.

  685. No, no.

  686. Okay, I'll write it.

  687. Alrighty, I'll write it down.

  688. You cannot find security

  689. in what God is doing.

  690. Guys who say stuff like,

  691. the safest place is in the center of God's will,

  692. don't know what they're talking about.

  693. It's the unsafest place.

  694. You cannot find security in what God is doing

  695. because God commits you,

  696. because God commits you

  697. to the impossible,

  698. the invisible.

  699. So it's not like you have a point you're going towards either.

  700. And the outrageous.

  701. I had to look for St. Martin's on the map.

  702. There is no security in that place.

  703. I had to look for St. Martin's on the map.

  704. There is no security in that place.

  705. There is only security

  706. in who God is.

  707. Nomadic lives, pilgrim lives,

  708. our Christian lives,

  709. Philippians,

  710. citizens of another country.

  711. Okay, we won't finish,

  712. but I'll take about six minutes more.

  713. Yeah.

  714. Yeah.

  715. Nomadic with a group of people.

  716. Yeah.

  717. Nomadic is different from Maverick.

  718. Both end with C, but...

  719. No, both end with...

  720. Both have C in it.

  721. Oh my God.

  722. Teachers immediately jumped on it.

  723. Anybody here...

  724. I see kids.

  725. It has an I and a C in it.

  726. So Maverick is different from Nomadic.

  727. Nomads are mad people who roam around together.

  728. Mavericks are just guys who go off on their own.

  729. Mavericks end up stragglers eaten by tigers and lions.

  730. Depending on where you're roaming.

  731. So...

  732. God's presence has returned.

  733. God's presence has returned.

  734. You have it, me.

  735. Another word for presence is glory.

  736. Another word for glory is all that.

  737. God's presence has returned.

  738. God it.

  739. God it.

  740. Please, you have him.

  741. He's saying to you, you have me.

  742. I'm saying to you, God it.

  743. God is presence.

  744. What do you mean, God is presence?

  745. Presence will always be challenged by distractions.

  746. Presence will be challenged by seductions.

  747. Presence will be challenged by complaint.

  748. You know how Israel lost the presence of God every time?

  749. They would go into great mourning and complaint.

  750. And they would suddenly not be aware of him who was in their midst.

  751. Even though he was then visible form of pillar and cloud.

  752. And they would lose him because of the complaint.

  753. How does that happen?

  754. How do they see a 300 foot, maybe more, pillar of cloud and fire every day?

  755. And how do they still not believe that they will be provided for?

  756. If you want to come in, you can come in anytime.

  757. He was wondering if there's a permission slip or something.

  758. How do they still forget?

  759. Because once they started complaining and hearts became bitter, presence was lost.

  760. So just be aware of it.

  761. I'm not saying don't complain.

  762. Complain to God and complain to people.

  763. But after a while, get out of it.

  764. I mean all of David's Psalms were what?

  765. Began as a complaint, ended up in praise.

  766. So, guard it.

  767. Guard it from distractions.

  768. Distractions, I mean you see in those movies, right?

  769. Guy will be walking with a girl and another girl walks by, he walks like this and he walks into a lamppost.

  770. That's what I mean by distractions.

  771. Or your cat is taking you out for a walk and suddenly you realize the cat's somewhere else and you're still walking and talking.

  772. It's that kind of thing.

  773. You have to be aware of presence.

  774. Presence is often taken away by distractions, taken away by seductions, taken away by complaints.

  775. Guard it.

  776. Guard it.

  777. By...

  778. It's actually really easy today but so difficult.

  779. You always guard what you cherish and treasure.

  780. And so I have to come into this place where this is so precious to me now, so priceless that I'll never let it out of my sight.

  781. You always guard what is precious.

  782. So sometimes the reason we don't guard presence is because it hasn't become that priceless.

  783. And the more you associate yourself with presence, the sooner you'll find out.

  784. Ah, this God.

  785. I mean, I love pausing in the middle of preaching now just to become aware of Him.

  786. I don't try to imagine Him.

  787. I just know that He is here.

  788. And sometimes when I preach, He's really proud of me.

  789. And the same with you.

  790. And that He's holy.

  791. It gets me somewhere here.

  792. And I want to burst into tears because I love Him like crazy and at this moment He could ask me anything and I laid down.

  793. Go ahead, Rebecca.

  794. Is God happiness?

  795. It's the only thing He is.

  796. He only got to know sadness after the fall, even though He was aware that it would happen.

  797. But He's the gladdest being in the universe.

  798. We can grieve Him now, but His intent was there'll be no tears, no fear, no sadness, no sorrow.

  799. And that day is coming.

  800. Because remember, why is the Holy Spirit here? Why is God's presence here?

  801. Never forget the real reason why the presence of God is on earth, to make all things new.

  802. That is what we are drawing the young back into.

  803. We're not here to have them speak in tongues.

  804. We're not here to have them raise the dead because if you raise the dead, the dead will die.

  805. The person who's raised will die again.

  806. You can't keep raising them.

  807. At one point they'll die.

  808. Lazarus died.

  809. The intent is though, through these signs and miracles, we are showing the world that a time is coming where there will be no death.

  810. So what is the reason the presence of God is here on earth?

  811. Very simple, to make all things new.

  812. Never forget that.

  813. A part of making all things new is a time of gladness.

  814. And that's why jumping in the river is okay.

  815. Gladness is expressive.

  816. It is not British.

  817. They didn't guard his presence fiercely because it's priceless, it's precious.

  818. They didn't guard his presence in the garden, eh?

  819. And they let a serpent subdue them.

  820. They didn't guard his presence.

  821. God seduced by a blooming fruit.

  822. Yeah.

  823. Next, God's presence has returned.

  824. Grow it. Grow it.

  825. God's presence has returned.

  826. Grow it.

  827. Grow his presence.

  828. Others must taste the fruit.

  829. Anything that grows produces fruit.

  830. Remember that. It's very, very simple.

  831. God is really simple.

  832. Anything that grows produces fruit.

  833. If you are growing in him, people will taste.

  834. Wherever you taste fruit in my life, it is because in that area, I have grown in Christ,

  835. and Christ has had the freedom to grow in me.

  836. Wherever it's still lacking, it's because in those areas, I have not grown.

  837. Grow it.

  838. Let people taste it.

  839. Guard it.

  840. Grow it.

  841. These are lifelong things, but people will be attracted to it.

  842. Grow it.

  843. Show them what he's like.

  844. Show them what he's like.

  845. Show them what he can do.

  846. Show them what he's like and what he can do.

  847. I'll just quickly give you the points and end because we won't go into detail.

  848. God's presence has returned.

  849. Grieve him not.

  850. See, the thing is, I can't break his fierce love for me, but I can wound him.

  851. I can't break his fierce love for me, but I can wound him.

  852. So one of the things that happens when you grow or guard his presence is you become more aware,

  853. and when you become more aware, you don't wound.

  854. And if you wound, you hurry quickly.

  855. I told someone recently, hey, if I hurt you, come quickly to me so I can make sure that I take your hurt away.

  856. We can grieve him, but if I'm aware of his presence and his holiness,

  857. as I increase in it, there's less likelihood, man, of wounding him.

  858. And we wound by vexing him, eh?

  859. But we wound by flirting with things he, you know, is wrong.

  860. Like, I know I've said this before, but let's assume you tell a child not to touch this desk,

  861. and the child goes here and says, I'm not touching it.

  862. I'm not touching it.

  863. You really want to whack the kid in the olden days.

  864. No, you don't. Right now you give them a certificate for not touching it.

  865. But you stand next to him, I'm not touching it.

  866. That's called vexing.

  867. Vexing is when someone obeys but barely obeys and has no intent of really obeying,

  868. but wants to push the limits, push the limits.

  869. And don't we all do it?

  870. Grieve him not.

  871. I grieve him when I don't reflect his character.

  872. I grieve him when I actively resist him.

  873. I grieve him when I reject holy living.

  874. Isaiah 63, 10 talks about it.

  875. Isaiah 63, 10 talks about it.

  876. But they turned on him. They grieved his holy spirit.

  877. In the Old Testament it says,

  878. So he turned on them and became their enemy and fought them.

  879. God resists you sometimes just so you won't go over the edge.

  880. And the last one, give him away.

  881. Give it away.

  882. Give presence away.

  883. Give it away. That's the last one.

  884. Give it away.

  885. Give it away.

  886. God's presence has returned to me.

  887. Now give it away.

  888. Give his presence away.

  889. It's life to others.

  890. We must not have any fire conferences, any dove conferences, any river conferences.

  891. We must not have them.

  892. The holy spirit was never meant to be kept inside the church.

  893. It was never meant for worship.

  894. It was never meant for speaking in tongues.

  895. Those are things that are like fries or gravy.

  896. His main thing is, I have come to make all things new.

  897. Give me away.

  898. John chapter 7, verse 38.

    John 7:38

  899. That's where you hear it first.

  900. Out of you shall flow rivers of living water.

  901. Flow, as in dispensed, not to be kept.

  902. Therefore, being a charismatic church is not the highlight of service.

  903. You know how much I like everything, the holy spirit, in terms of gifts and all this stuff.

  904. I must stand against us turning into a church that just enjoys charismatic.

  905. Give it away.

  906. The idea of Pentecost was very simple.

  907. To the ends of the earth.

  908. To make things new.

  909. Anyone who believes in that is a Pentecostal.

  910. Who's a Pentecostal?

  911. A Pentecostal is someone who believes that the holy spirit came in all his power and in his full person

  912. so that he could disperse the church to the ends of the earth.

  913. Don't even say disperse the church.

  914. Disperse me.

  915. Who is a Pentecostal?

  916. Are you a true Pentecostal?

  917. You're a true Pentecostal if you believe that the holy spirit came in his fullness

  918. so that he could disperse you to the ends of the earth so that you could make all things new.

  919. And you do that through the community that he created, which is the church.

  920. When we don't behave like this, we exile ourselves into a religion of toil.

  921. Very toil.

  922. When we don't do this, we exile ourselves.

  923. Because the moment we decide we will not move outward and won't take the presence in Eden to the rest of the earth,

  924. the moment we do that, we become, this is too harsh a word to say, so don't take it in its literal sense,

  925. we become anti-Christ when we refuse to take the presence of God from Eden to the uttermost parts of the earth.

  926. As in, it's not an anti-Christ spirit, I'm just using the word anti-Christ.

  927. When we do that, we go against the will of Christ.

  928. On that happy note, let's end.