Threshold - Hindrance to Transition

So if you stand around here a little longer, I'll take it.

Oops, he ran.

I'm live again?

Okay guys, let's go.

Okay.

All right, so we continue with threshold.

Today we talk about hindrances to crossing thresholds.

Hindrances to crossing thresholds.

So we've been on thresholds for the last six or seven,

or maybe four or five Sundays.

And why are we here talking about thresholds?

Because I really believe there's hardly anybody

in this church who isn't at the juncture

or the point of crossing thresholds.

It applies to almost any person in this church.

That's a strange thing.

It's not for a few, it's not for the future.

It's for now.

And as a church, we will be crossing thresholds.

This is a very odd statement to make,

but it has nothing to do with Derek.

But we will go back to that whole theme of revival

when Derek comes back to Vancouver.

It's got nothing to do with Derek.

It's just a matter of timing.

But remember we spent quite a lot of time

talking about revival, and then we haven't said anything

about it for a while, and every time I want to,

I feel got to wait, wait.

And one of the things that we have to wait for

is Derek's return.

He may think he's something special.

He's not, it's just a date.

So whenever he comes back, we'll start

on the whole revival thing again.

I believe he sleeps late, gets up late.

It's a very different life for him, huh?

Poor Don.

Pardon?

Is that for somebody else too?

Yeah.

Ha ha ha.

Sambhyaona.

Ha ha ha.

Okay, so, we are, how do we prevent ourselves

from being hindered from crossing thresholds?

To begin with, one of the reasons we should cross thresholds

because we are the people of the way.

We are people of the way.

It's natural for people of the way

to be continuously moving.

I forgot, how do you get this pen started?

You gotta tap something or hit something?

Pull the cord on the side.

Pull the cord on the side.

There's something I'm supposed to do.

You know, the button on the flat part.

Oh.

I thought the button on the,

the button on your thumb.

The button under my thumb.

Like on the flat portion towards.

On the flat portion towards.

Life was so much simpler when it was,

we are people of the way.

Could someone fix the pen, please?

Because I'm looking technically very unsavvy.

So people of the way,

and because we are people of the way,

it's natural for us to be on a spiritual journey

throughout our lives.

Throughout our lives.

Where's Jeevan?

He knew, he used to know these things.

People of the way.

So it's natural for us to be on a spiritual journey

lived out in the natural.

This spiritual journey is always lived out in the natural.

When I was much younger,

I used to be fascinated with Elijah and Elisha's journey

through Jericho, Gilgal, Bethel,

and then to the Jordan, and then his double portion.

It was almost like each of those cities

represented a certain part of a spiritual journey

lived out in the natural.

And so this is why crossing thresholds

is a very normal part for most Christians.

Maybe we don't know it yet,

but that's how it's supposed to be.

You must transition.

You must cross thresholds in your life

because your history, at the end of the day,

when you look back,

your history is governed by the seasons of God.

Your history, your history is governed

by the seasons of God.

Your history is governed by the seasons of God.

Never forget that, guys.

Your history is not governed

by things that happen around you.

Your history is not governed by pandemics, government rules.

Your history is governed by the seasons of God.

So when you look back at 2021, on December 31st,

you should sense that, ah, my history through 2021

was actually governed by seasons of God that I followed,

regardless of whether there was a pandemic

or there was no pandemic.

In other words, if history can be looked at as Kronos,

then seasons are looked at as Kairos.

Thanks so much.

Is it working?

Okay.

Oh yeah, thanks.

So if history can be referred to as Kronos,

then seasons that can be referred to as Kairos,

then our history is governed by the seasons of God.

This is so important.

That's why thresholds are important

because whenever God brings me to the edge of one season,

now there's a threshold that has to be crossed.

And what the new room I'm stepping into is so much larger,

so unfamiliar, that unless I follow through,

I will not, at the end of 21,

look back and see the rooms I've traversed with God.

Life cannot determine the rooms I step into.

Life cannot determine the rooms I step into.

My job, my employment, my visa status, my wealth,

my ambitions cannot determine the seasons I step into.

It has to be determined solely by the seasons of God,

as in what has God dreamed for me at this stage in my life

that I need to step into,

which is far larger than I think,

but he thinks I'm capable

because he's put the substance in me.

I know I'm going over this almost every week,

this intro part, but so critical to our understanding

because it follows us for the rest of our lives

and some of us are really young.

In the Old Testament, New Seasons were given a name.

And usually when God was going to bring something new

into the life of Israel,

he would ask them to set up a memorial

and he would give it a name.

Set a memorial and give it a name.

Why? Because he wanted them to know that,

listen, here is where I started this,

here is where I started that,

here is where I got rid of this or got rid of that.

So he has them circumcised before they enter the promised land

and he calls the place Gilgal.

Why call it Gilgal?

Because Gilgal was a rolling away of reproach,

rolling away of shame.

He calls the place Bethel

and Jacob suddenly changes the name of the place

from Luz to Bethel.

You've got it on your shirt.

Yeah.

From Luz, he changes it to Bethel

and in changing it from Luz to Bethel,

what is he saying?

That the presence of God is here,

this is the gateway of heaven,

this is the house of God.

Changes an entire, there's an entire shift

in Jacob's life after that.

So name your journey at present.

That's one of the things I love doing.

Once I know that, okay,

this is the new room I'm entering into.

All it is is a room, but I name the room

because in naming the room,

I know what God is going to do.

Ask me questions if it's unclear.

How do you name something like that?

Ask God, Father, so if this is the place I'm stepping into,

what do you want me to call it?

What are you gonna do here?

What is this place?

What is this place?

What is this place?

What are you gonna do here?

What is one phrase that I can instantly connect to you?

What is a word that I can use

and then start exploring it more?

Why is Mark Zuckerberg calling it metaverse?

Why has he changed Facebook's names to meta?

What is the extent of things?

What is meta?

Strangely though, Zuckerberg, even though he's Jewish,

doesn't know that meta in Hebrew means dead.

So there's a small situation there.

Abraham used to do this regularly.

And what happens when you do this

is that when you name the place

that God is having you enter into,

you do a few things, you restructure.

What am I doing wrong, Evan?

Stick it to the iPad, okay?

Okay, so Abraham used to do this.

And what happens then is you restructure thinking.

You restructure your thinking.

You plan action.

You determine location.

Think of it for a second, eh?

So Abraham would be caught by God

into a certain season in his life.

And so he would usually build an altar

and name what is happening in his life.

Once he named it, he would start restructuring his thinking.

He would change his name from Abraham to Abraham

because God said so.

He knew that even though he was important,

that there was a day when he was going

to become the father of nations.

He would begin to change his thinking.

After he changed his thinking,

he would actually take action.

He would do something that would show God

that he had faith in God.

Because still the thinking has changed.

Faith is not easy to exert.

Once the thinking changes, faith is easy to exert.

Faith is trusting that what God has said

you're so fully persuaded about.

Where are you persuaded about?

Here?

Now, here is easy.

Most persuasion has to happen here.

This is easy persuasion.

This is where the persuasion is difficult.

The heart believes pretty easily for believers.

It's a thinking that is difficult.

So you restructure your thinking.

Now your action begins to change.

And then you even determine location.

Abraham knew that he had to leave.

Abraham knew that he had to go there.

He would move according to God's plans

because with the restructuring of thinking and action

comes change of location if necessary.

And if one is stagnant, if one does not cross thresholds,

one of the disadvantages of not crossing thresholds

is stagnation becomes the adversary of divine intent.

Becomes the adversary of divine intent.

This happens to such good people, man,

where you decide for whatever reason

that you are not going to move into what God has next.

That's where it starts.

And you hesitate or you say, next year,

or you decide I'm not gonna move

into what God has for me next.

What happens two years from now?

When others want to move,

you start telling them also not to move.

You start justifying why you haven't moved.

You build theology to justify

that you don't need to move further.

And in the process, what happens is

you establish a monolithic institution

around your little pet peeve that you won't move.

And now it becomes the adversary

or begins to oppose pioneers.

It begins to oppose the ones that wanna move.

Churches and denominations have done this

for hundreds of years.

Where they moved and they came to a place

and then they had to cross a threshold and they didn't.

Doesn't matter whether it's the Baptist,

the Pentecostals, the Charismatics,

everybody comes and stops at a certain place.

And after they stop, they establish themselves there.

And they become the enemies

of the next wave that wants to move.

Because you will always begin to justify your stagnancy.

Your inflexibility and my inflexibility

always finds valid reasons.

Unfortunately, you have free will and I have free will.

So there's nothing you can do.

But if we were to change, then thresholds catalyze,

thresholds catalyze spiritual migration,

whereby you move into the perfect will of God.

Whereby you move into the perfect will of God.

And then you move into the perfect will of God.

And then you move into the perfect will of God.

Whereby you move into the perfect will of God.

And whenever you move into the perfect will of God,

it attracts his favor, it pleases him,

and it opens your destiny.

It attracts favor, his favor, it pleases him,

and it opens your destiny.

Take Israel's journey, take Jacob's journey,

take Paul's journey, take Jesus's journey,

take David's journey.

Take any of those journeys.

It was constant movement with God,

always finding themselves at the place that God was,

that God had gone to.

It was never the place that God was.

It was always moving forward.

Israel could have had such a different history.

We would have had a different history.

Israel could have had such a different history.

We would not have books like Numbers.

It would be Exodus, and then it would have been

no Numbers, no Deuteronomy.

Why?

Because we wouldn't have had to go around the desert

for 40 years.

It would be 64 books.

But he's always moving.

This is not activity, this is obedience.

This is not activity, it is obedience.

Any questions?

We'll talk about hindrances.

This is just a recap.

Because when I begin to behave like this,

thresholds catalyze spiritual migration,

whereby you move into the perfect will of God.

And three things happen when you move into

the perfect will of God.

It pleases him, it attracts his favor,

and it unfolds your destiny.

It pleases him, it attracts his favor.

It unfolds destiny.

So Joseph decides not to do something,

David decides not to do something,

Moses decides not to do something.

Can you imagine how different their lives would have been?

They were obedient, and each obedient step unfolds.

Man, I'm telling you something.

If you and I are inflexible,

if you and I are stuck,

then we have to pull ourselves out of the rut we are in.

Do not justify it.

Some of my inflexibility and my being stuck in a rut

comes out of sheer fear.

Or sometimes out of ignorance.

Well then, there are ways to now step out of it.

The older you get, the worse it gets.

Therefore, at this age, while all of us are still young,

let's get out of the rut.

Still young, yeah, totally man.

Like I'm learning new songs also now.

What was one song that someone sent me?

When the sun comes down,

something new town or something, I don't know, forget it.

Anyways.

So let's talk about hindrances.

Any questions on what I just said?

When the sun comes down?

Sorry?

Oh, it pleases God, it attracts his favor.

It pleases God, it attracts his favor,

and it unfolds destiny.

So when I migrate spiritually into his perfect will,

so let's assume that this was his perfect will,

but in the next 20 seconds, this is his perfect will.

When I step in here, it immediately pleases God.

Man, this boy of mine, he just obeys without even knowing enough.

Then it attracts his favor,

because wherever I'm supposed to be in his perfect will,

will always draw everything from heaven.

Because wherever you're stepping is not for your own progress,

it is for the benefit of others.

Just remember that too.

Moses' journey, Jesus' journey, Joseph's journey, David's journey,

at the end of the day, they paid the price and others benefited.

That's a strange thing.

They pay the price, others benefit.

It's never for your own upliftment, your own,

let me make Hebrews chapter 11.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

In fact, Paul says there are many others

who I could have included in Hebrews chapter 11,

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

but time doesn't permit me to, or space doesn't permit me to.

And now that I'm here, I attract everything from heaven,

because God wants to reward people around me through my obedience,

and it unfolds destiny.

And what is destiny at the end of the day?

Destiny is God's dream before you were formed,

being fulfilled through you.

Beautifully.

He's a father. He dreams for his children.

Miguel has a dream for Isaac.

And so, as a father dreams,

and he sees his dreams being fulfilled through his children,

gosh, man, that's the unfolding of destiny at the end of the day.

That's all it is.

The unfolding of God's dream through you.

And he's always about others.

In the process, you get to partner with your father.

Eat lunch with him.

Wipe the sweat off your brow while he works.

Get all the money that he earns.

Hey!

We are all in this room.

Some of you are brand new.

We are all in this room.

At a threshold, this series is not in isolation or in a vacuum.

God knows how many others it's helping around the world.

There are 10 million of them in the world.

Totally, man.

The only...

Guys, there's two ways to go about life.

Be super righteous and your steps are ordered by God.

For behold, the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God.

You don't have to worry.

You can... You're just living such a righteous life

that tomorrow you are not because you disappeared like Enoch.

But if your middle name is not Enoch,

then I would suggest that another way you can walk this is by being intentional.

Where you find out from God and you walk intentionally.

And if you can combine both, then you can both be Enoch and intentional.

But many times you're walking in what God has

just because you're living a righteous life.

You don't even know it.

But because we are not all Enoch's,

sometimes it's good to know the plan too.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But sometimes it's too late, Marcus.

Where people...

Or because the time left in my life is less now.

Because I found out too late.

No, not really.

We think that our lives, our days are numbered by God.

There's two ways God numbers days.

One, he numbers the days that we are numbered by God.

Two, he numbers them when you were formed.

And two, he numbers it based on your obedience.

So Moses was supposed to enter the promised land.

But he doesn't.

And so on one hand, he numbers that day saying,

Jacob, this is all the things I have for you.

And then there are other times when

Jacob just doesn't walk in the ways of God and his days are numbered.

Ananias and Sapphira.

They were given days that were numbered, but it got cut short.

Two ways God numbers.

Hindrances.

The first hindrance is a damaged mindset.

The first hindrance is a damaged mindset.

A damaged mindset is when you have a mental fortress that imprisons you.

A mental fortress that imprisons you.

Or smothers you.

Imprisons or smothers you.

Or smothers maturity.

Despite your desire.

Despite your desire.

Despite godly desires.

This is such a, it's like a, it's like a vice that traps you.

So on one hand, the desire to run after God is there.

But because over the last three years I've thought a certain way,

cultivated a certain habit, behaved a certain way,

I'm not able to step into the maturity that will allow me to

to realize the godly desires I have.

Let me rephrase, not rephrase it, let me repeat it.

I have godly desires, but because for the last three years I've

thought a certain way, I've behaved a certain way,

I've not aligned myself with what God says in his word or what

he said otherwise.

What happens is the godly desire is there, but I do not have the

maturity to walk in it because my mindset has smothered or has

imprisoned me from enjoying the desire I have.

It's like someone who wants to play hockey and become like a

witchkin, but doesn't want to get up at five o'clock and skate

in the ice rink.

Sleep is more important, like for Derek and that other person.

So what happens is the godly desire is there.

The other person, if you're looking at me, it ain't me,

Marcus was meaning you.

So it's a deep godly desire, but you do not have the maturity to

walk in it because the mental citadel of fortress is so strong,

so strong.

Doesn't that so often resemble us, resemble me?

So we have traditional mindsets.

Traditional mindsets are basically religious mindsets and

Pentecostals and Charismatics and Baptists have it.

Traditional or religious mindsets, mediocre mindsets,

mediocre mindsets is one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,

which are doing quite well and are quite happy with doing

quite well.

It's a terrible trap.

Sentimental mindsets.

Sentimental mindsets are when you're very emotional about

stuff and so emotions easily affect you.

Logical mindsets.

I feel bad for anyone who has a logical mindset because it's so

hard to step into anything illogical and God is so

brilliantly illogical, even though it's super logical.

Any questions on that one?

Yeah, it's just that his ways and thoughts are higher than mine. That's why they

sound illogical.

But his ways are very logical. I mean the fact that scientists are finding out

things about how the earth

works and how light travels and all that stuff, just as an exposure,

a miniature exposure of God's brilliant math

and logic.

Any of these minds you have to check.

These are damaged mindsets. And you cannot find out damaged mindsets.

I cannot find out if I have a damaged mindset till I speak to someone

about my mindset. And so one of the best ways to stay in a damaged mindset is not

to talk to anybody

about how you think. But when you start talking to somebody about how you think,

that's when the holes are revealed. Not just anybody,

ones that you think can help. And the help has to primarily be

sourced from the word. Any questions?

What we do about it, I can give you the first couple of steps for each of these.

The first step is to actually talk about it.

To bring it out into the open. A mindset that is damaged will stay damaged if it

is hidden.

It must be brought into the light. It is light that reveals flaws.

Light that reveals problems with the substructure. This is why

we have something called the body.

True. Sorry I didn't understand. Just repeat the second part.

That it is caused by people? Yeah, it is caused by people. But now

that people have caused it, I need to come to a place of healing.

And for that I might need help because I can't do it alone.

I know this line sounds so repetitive but every improvement in my life is

because of people that have come in at the right time to help me.

Sent by the Holy Spirit. Occasionally not, but mostly yes.

And it changes. So the first step for damaged mindset is to bring it into the light.

With someone who is walking in the light, bring it into the light.

That's the first place. Because until then, the last person who can find out a blind

spot is you. That's why they've got those funky things

on your cars now. Where it makes noises, it starts flashing.

It looks like a police car when a car goes by you.

Because everything starts flashing. That also fails sometimes.

The best solution for anyone who is afraid to drive is to take Evan with you.

Evan does all the shoulder checks for you. He's been teaching so many people how to drive

that he'll be sitting next to you on the passenger thing and he'll brake for you.

I mean there is no brake there but he'll brake for you.

He'll shoulder check for you. He'll do everything for you.

If you look at him, you will know how to drive straight.

I don't even look at the road now. I look at Evan.

Even when Evan is not there. So the first step is to bring it into the light.

After you bring it into the light, now you recognize your flaws.

Start there. Start there. We don't need solutions.

We need first steps. So today we'll give first steps for these things.

Second hindrance. Second hindrance is wrong company.

Wrong company. Wrong company is not wicked company.

Wrong company is wrong company. Solomon's associations prevented him from moving

into God's purposes. And in his case, his associations were immoral.

Solomon's associations, I was once told that I don't give scriptural references.

So let me give scriptural references. 1 Kings 11, 1 to 6.

Solomon's immoral associations prevented him from moving into God's purpose.

Who was Solomon? The wisest man on earth.

Crazy, eh? The wisest man on earth.

And I'm not talking about wisest, I know a little bit of science.

Wisest as in wise man, like wisdom. The wisest man on earth.

Solomon's immoral associations prevented him from moving into God's purpose.

So if you want to cross thresholds, do not hang out with settlers because you will not

cross thresholds. Do not hang out with settlers.

As in Numbers 32 verse 5, you find that Gadites and the Danites stayed on one side of the...

Numbers 32:5

I mean for 40 years they've been told they're going to a promised land.

After 40 years, seeing all their old men and women die, they're at the brink of the promised

land and they will not cross the Jordan. Why? Because their cows like the grass on this

side. There's something seriously wrong with that man.

And so the Gadites and the Danites stay on this side of the Jordan while the rest of

Israel crosses. And Moses makes a concession and tells them

it's okay. Fight with us and then you can go.

Where if you want to move past thresholds, you cannot hang out with settlers because

we will all go to heaven but settlers will not be able to help you cross over.

Numbers 32 verse 5. Because iron sharpens iron and the process

Numbers 32:5

of sharpening is not fun. Oh yeah, iron sharpens iron is a great verse

but it's not fun. Brother, sister, iron sharpens iron.

It means that she's going to grate me and it's going to hurt and I will dislike her

through the process. But iron sharpens iron.

On the other hand, when you associate with those that are moving with you past thresholds,

man, it's so easy. There's a momentum that comes with that.

Which brings me to a super important point. Order and framework are conducive to company

Sorry I'll explain it. Yeah, if you have people in your life who

walk in order and have a framework, then what happens is any vision that God has for you

happens much faster. And even if your purposes are diverse, the common vision that God has

for a people allows whatever God has for you to happen much faster.

And even if you have a vision that God has for you, it's not going to happen faster.

And even if your purposes are diverse, the common vision that God has for a people allows

whatever God has for you to happen faster. So it's not that everybody has to think alike.

Betty may want to do a dance school through which children get to know Jesus.

Jillian may want to do a young people's group that wants to get to know Jesus.

Heidi may want to do a group with women that need help on a daily basis that can lift them

up. It doesn't matter what your diverse purpose is. When you are actually in a culture that

has order and a framework, you find that you can accomplish what you want to do much faster.

Nimrod recognized this in a very wicked way when he called them to the plains of Shinar

and said, if we purpose things together, not even God can stop us. And God replied, even

I can't stop them. There's something to order and framework that you belong to that will

help your diverse purposes come to pass. So Jeevan may have Nandigama. What's his name

may have Square One, the guy who sleeps a lot, Derek, may have Square One. Karen may

have something to do with women that need to be helped from the streets. Different things

that people have, man, diverse purposes, but they all happen much faster within the context

of order and framework. Framework is when there is sufficient oversight so you're not

a maverick that does not know lanes. When you start a race, what's that, relay race,

you're supposed to stay in your lane for a little while. And then after you stay in the

lane after whatever, obviously you can see how involved in athletics I was. And so after

you run for a little while, you can then leave your lane and then you've got to come

back and hand the baton over to the guy. There's a framework within which if you don't stay,

you become mavericks that do whatever they want with whatever they have. And that doesn't

help you cross thresholds. Any questions on that one?

One of the hardest things to do is to actually come under order. Talking about order is super

easy, man. Coming under order is so painful. Why? Because order happens through people

and submission to a principle has to come first before submission to a person. So sometimes

even if I don't quite like the person, I have to learn to submit to the principle. And that

is why it is so difficult. That is why the talk is easy. But to actually bring your life

under order to a people or to a person, man, it can be stifling because it doesn't give

you the freedom to do what you want.

I was telling Chad yesterday that when I say these things, sometimes I feel Jacob is so

harsh, it's so strenuous, it's putting such a demand on people to walk a certain way.

And then while I'm thinking, I suddenly think to myself, no man, I paid my dues in this.

I walked this way and I know the benefits of it. Why would I rob you of it?

Absence of faith. Next hindrance. Absence of faith. Absence of faith can hinder crossing

thresholds. We've talked about this. We did a whole series of threshold faith. So what

faith does is it propels you to take risks. It propels you to take risks and to take risks.

So faith is essentially a kind of a

What faith does is it propels you to take risks. It propels you to take risks even though

you don't know the outcome. Even though you don't know the outcome. It's like blind

Bartimaeus who was validated by what he wears, which was the blanket that blind and the sick

used to wear in those days. He knows Jesus of Nazareth is coming along, so he casts it

aside. He's expecting things. There's an expectation. But before the outcome, he's

already cast aside. And so faith propels you to take risks. It helps you overcome giants

you've always been afraid of. It increases expectation.

It removes excuses. And it invalidates inability or inhibition. The last word is inhibition.

So when the faith is absent, these things don't work. So it's so important for me to

go into this new, unknown, unfamiliar room on the invite of God. I require some faith

because it propels me to take the risk. It overcomes giants I've always been afraid

of. Trust me, when you cross over thresholds, one of the first things that will face you

is familiar giants. Because some of them know that they don't even need to do anything.

They just need to show up. Goliath knew this. And he would make his appearance immediately

after the morning sacrifice. Israel called upon Yahweh, finished the morning sacrifice.

Just when they finished the morning sacrifice, Goliath would come up. And the hallelujah,

Jehovah is king, would suddenly have the soldiers scurrying back into their foxholes. And so

the intent was, can we destroy this great enthusiasm about Jehovah immediately so that

they don't have strength for the rest of the day? Then he would come out again after the

evening sacrifice. And so, overcome giants you're afraid of. Faith gives me an increased

expectation. There's nothing to show, but there's an increased expectation. It removes

excuses. All the excuses that I've had all this time here, it removes excuses. And it

invalidates my inhibitions or inabilities. As in, yes, Jacob, you have these inhibitions,

but why don't you just dance anyways? Show them how amazing you are with two left feet.

Faith allows you to see. Some mornings, man, I'll get up and say, show me, father, so that

I'm my walk. Faith allows you to see. And why is that important? Because perception

determines pursuit. Perception determines pursuit. Sometimes he shows you a lot of things

and sometimes he shows you a little. But father, please show me how this is going to happen

or what's going to happen. What am I supposed to see so that I can get up and say, okay,

let's go? Got no evidence except what I thought God said. And you go with it. Perception determines

pursuit. It gets to a point where you need to see very little. Very little. I remember

standing at Bahrain, at the mortuary in Bahrain. It was very odd, the way, Roland Tan was with

me. Roland is standing there and my dad's dead body is on a slab. We pulled it out of

the mortuary and Roland is praying for my dad to rise up from the dead. He did not.

Let me just in case you're waiting for the punch line. He did not. But as Roland is watching

the body and commanding it to rise, he's like standing like this. You know why? Because

he was saying, Jacob, if I saw even a little movement, I was going to go do something.

It was this sense of expectation that was so odd that he had. I was praying my heart

out because it was my dad, but he was praying with the kind of faith that I looked at and

thought, man, this is something else. Why did that story come to mind? It gets to a

point where you need to see very little and it's something that clicks inside you. But

this won't happen until we develop the habit of it. Most of us want quite a picture painted

before we can step into it. But once you get habituated to God, what then happens is a

little bit enough to cause your feet to start tapping even though there's no music. Any

questions? If you don't see results, we do exactly what Jacob felt when he saw the wagons

coming at a distance. They said that Joseph was alive. He did not believe it. But then

Genesis 49, and Jacob saw the wagons at a distance and his heart was refreshed and encouraged.

Whenever there are no results, I keep looking for the fist-sized cloud. I can go from one

fist-sized cloud to the other for the next 20 years. Why? Because you are faithful. You

are faithful. You are faithful. You are faithful. I know who goes before me. I know who stands

behind. The God of angel armies is always by my side. The one who reigns forever, he

is a friend of mine. The God of angel armies is always by my side. Sometimes look for the

writing in the fist-sized cloud. Sometimes God will say, hey, I know you waited 10 years,

but can you change this about your waiting? Or can you try this? Guys, when it comes to

the will of others, that's one area where even God won't take away the will of others.

Sometimes when we wait in faith for something to change in another person's life, always

give them the... We always know that there is freedom of will that even God won't mess

with, because otherwise he could save everybody here on earth. There's not a single person

that would go to hell if God could violate their free will. We've got to understand this

because I've met too many people who pray that, no, God is going to make it happen.

Who's going to save? Yes, he's going to save, but he has to let us have the free will to

choose. Otherwise, everything could be done. He could just intervene with anyone's free

will and change the world easily. The next hindrance is ignorance. Ignorance.

Ignorance leads to stagnancy. Ignorance leads to stagnancy. So what happens is you're waiting

for a break. You end up waiting for a break instead of recognizing God. This happens

in John chapter 5, verse 4 onwards, where Jesus is present, Son of God is present. There

John 5:4

are people around the pool all waiting for an angel to stir the water so that they can

get into it. Everyone's waiting for a break while God himself is there and they cannot

recognize him. Many of us, when we are at the brink of this is old, this is a new world,

I know I need to step into something new. I don't know what it is. We are waiting for

that critical break and God is saying, listen, if you could only look at what I've been saying

over the last little while, you would recognize what I've said between the lines. You would

recognize what I've been saying through the teaching. You would recognize what I've been

saying through the prophetic word. You would recognize what I've been saying through your

daily reading. You would recognize what I'm doing just through circumstances and orchestrations

around you. And so I'm saying to you, instead of waiting for a break, recognize what I'm

already doing and you will have an idea of the dimensions and the length and the breadth

and the height of the room that I'm asking you to step into. And you can look back two

years and you'll see that he's setting you up for tomorrow.

Someone gave me a watch one day, an expensive watch. I had a watch, but it was quite expensive

what they gave me. As soon as I got it I knew that I had to give it to someone one day and

so I kept it, kept it, never wore it, kept it. Brand new watch, I thought I've got to

meet someone and give it to them. And I knew that whoever I gave it to, God was saying

to that person, listen, I'm going to expand your boundaries. I'm going to bless you.

I'll change who you are. People have seen you here, they will see you here. And so one

day I meet the person and I give him the blue watch. Now my question is this. I did what

I was supposed to. Is that person thinking like that now? Too often in church prophetic

words and symbols are great, but restructuring of thinking is what has to happen. I don't

want this church to be a church where we have prophetic words and symbols. In fact I told

the young adults last Sunday, let's not prophesy for the next two months. Let's restart prophecy

after December 15th. Why? Because we are prophesying so much that there's no, and it's not inaccurate.

It is good prophetic words, but it's like there are 20 that have yet to be fulfilled,

so let's fulfill them before we move on to the next 20. What are you doing with the words

that have been spoken and the symbols that have been given to you? Has your thinking

changed? Who's crying man? Sheldon, what did you do? No, no, I'm completely okay with the

crying. I was just asking who, because I saw Sheldon there and I thought, oops. You have

this way man. Yes. Migrate. Migrate. Migrate. Migrate. Migrate. Migrate. Migrate. Migrate.

Migration or moving past thresholds must be seen as a necessity, not as an option. It

must be seen as a necessity, not as an option. Do you really believe that? Ask yourself for

a moment. Do you really believe that? That it's a necessity, not an option? Next one.

Purity goes without saying. Israelites failed to step into places that they were supposed

to because of the works of the flesh and of disobedience. Works of flesh and disobedience.

That's an easy one. I won't labor the point. Purity is vital. Otherwise the cloud just

keeps going around the wilderness till you change. This is one of the problems with God

because he doesn't live in time. He doesn't measure time. And so he's quite okay waiting

till you change. He's quite okay waiting. And so if you don't change in here, you're

not going to change. Then he will let the cloud go round and round in the wilderness

till Jacob changes. And all that will happen is Jacob will do the same thing again and

again and again and again and again. And so works of the flesh and disobedience, God will

wait. Because your tickets to heaven are booked. What happened, Aaron? Your dad is on your

right. On your right, on your right. Sheldon, leave at least one or two kids alone, man.

All of them are coming in crying. Jane, I hope you're watching this. Now, I'm going

to go to the next one. Material comfort. Loyalty. Security. These are so not conducive to crossing

thresholds. They've stopped me so many times it's crazy. Whenever personal comfort, security

and loyalty get in the way, I do not make the progress I need to. Abraham journeyed. Lot

found it hard. Abraham didn't know what to do. Guys, catch and release. Whatever you

get, catch and release. If you're a fisherman, I'm not, but I know this term. Catch and release.

Whatever God gives you, be it family, be it wealth, be it possessions, catch it, hold

it, enjoy it, measure how big the fish is and then release it. I love the slogan over

the fisherman's shop in Twasin Mills. It says, welcome all hunters, fishermen and liars.

I love that. That's the slogan right on the door. Welcome all hunters, fishermen and liars.

So at the end of the day, whatever God gives me, family. I know you think to yourself that

should come first. Family, wealth, possessions. These are Jesus' words. Anyone who puts wife,

husband, brother, sister, son, daughter, land, possessions, wealth, he doesn't say, well

if you're like that then you'll have to work on it. He says, you're not worthy of following

me. You're not worthy of being called a disciple. How extreme is that? But one of the things

that prevents me from crossing thresholds is material comfort, loyalty and security.

Loyalty is an excellent quality. I'm talking about misplaced loyalty or illegitimate loyalties

or past loyalties. So choose not to own it. Choose to catch and release because illegitimate

loyalties stifle migration or movement, stifle migration. They spawn idolatry. They spawn

destiny. They swallow destiny. How does it spawn idolatry? When Jesus' commands have

to be filtered through something or someone here on earth before I will follow it, it

means there is someone else sharing the throne with him. Crazy, eh? When Jesus' commands

have to be filtered through something or someone here on earth before I will follow

it, then I must realize that there is someone else sharing the throne with him. And that

is the definition of idolatry. When I'm bowing to someone besides Jesus, when Jesus says

something I have to go and check with someone else to say, you okay with it? I'm not okay

with it. If you're not okay with it, then we can postpone it. There are times when I

will have to take care of people and postpone things. There are exceptions to these. I'm

talking about when it's become a habit. When you know it's a habit.

Can you distinguish that from the border?

Which part? Okay. Yeah. So let's say Jesus has space and room for things to be delayed

when people are sick, when people are dying, when people have died. He used to have times

of mourning that were deliberate so that people didn't have to continue to do what

they needed to. There would be times given. Even in delay and delayed obedience there

is a framework that Jesus has created for us. He expects David to find a herdsman that David

can leave his sheep with before David goes off to battle. He expects David not to cut

off Saul's head because the time will come and David will be king and David is not supposed

to take it into his own hands. He expects Paul to apologize to the high priest for calling

him a whitewashed tomb because Paul didn't know that he was talking to the high priest.

There is order, there is framework even in the midst of wickedness, in the midst of decay

and death. But there are times where we have decided that this is going to be someone I

will give allegiance to first before I give allegiance to God and it has become an idol.

We know that. There are certain things in our lives. Sometimes it's work, sometimes

it's family, sometimes it's a parent, sometimes it's this. Nothing gets done and Jesus had

to turn to people who said I'll come after I bury my dad. He said let the dead bury their

dead. This sounds so cruel but Jesus is the kindest person on earth saying it. I love

the extremes we have in Jesus. We must embrace these extremes. This is what discipleship

is. I was saying this to leaders some nights ago that guys we are not doing house churches

so that we can all participate. That's great. It gives us the ability to express the things

of God that benefit each other. We are not doing hubs so that we can have greater participation

and everybody gets to be a shepherd at some point or a prophet at some point or a teacher

at some point. It's great. People benefit. We are doing what we are doing only for one

reason that every person in this church becomes a disciple which means you are divinely owned

and you are divinely fathered. You are divinely fathered so you are a son. You are divinely

owned so that you are everybody's servant. And that the only reason we are doing it is

so that as a disciple you spend your life. What does spending your life look like? Spending

everything you have in terms of your physical life here on earth. Whatever that physical

life is made up of. That is what we are aiming at. That is what I must aim at in my life.

That is what you must aim at in your life. And if I am not there today, tomorrow I must

be a bit closer to that than today because that is the only kind of disciple that exists.

Every house church, all hubs, this teaching, worship, the way we do things, the casualness,

the children crying all lead to just one thing. Can I be this kind of a disciple that imitates

Jesus Christ to an extent where you lay down your life for the sake of others, for the

sake of the king, for the sake of the kingdom. That's all. And if we ever lose that plot

for sharing or singing in a house church, then the house church has become something

far greater than it should be. But a house church is a place where that is cultivated.

Where you are not afraid to speak for God. You are not afraid to teach from the word

because you have got substance. You are not afraid to sing praises openly or closely.

Wrong word. And it happens in the context of a body. If you think you can become like

Jesus without being part of the body, not possible. Impossible. Why? Because Christ

is attached to his body. The bridegroom reveals himself only to the bride, will always show

himself only through the body fully. You will get bits of him. This is why we are different

from Hindu sages who go up to Himalayas and sit there trying to get a download from their

gods. Our download always happens in the context of his body. The head and the body. In his

brilliance God talked about it in Psalm 133. That the oil that is poured upon the head

of Aaron will flow down his head to his beard upon his robes. Do you realize what that means?

That standing alone I cannot walk in some great anointing because the anointing comes

from the head and flows down into the body. Therefore real anointing happens when I am

connected to the body because the head is connected to the body. Which is why the bells

toll for superstars in Christendom. That is a side topic. Beware of illegitimate loyalties

as a result of duty, as a result of the importance it gives you, as a result of obligation to

lay ban, or as a result of the grace shown to you in the past. Some of us stay in a church

because the person who built the church has been dead for 20 years but there was great

grace in his life. So we are still sucking on the grace of a dead person. I know that

sounded very crude but that is the truth. Burn your yoke of oxen. Come out of the grave

of the rut. I'll have to stop because we don't have time so I'll do the rest later.

Hatred is important if you want to come out of ruts. Destroy idolatry. Hatred is important.

If you don't hate, you will not choose what you need to. David in Psalm 37 and in Psalm

139 would say stuff like, I hate oh God that which you hate. Or I hate those that hate

you. We are not asked to hate those that hate God. But I hate that which you hate. If I

want to come out of something I have to have a hatred for it. Cultivate hatred if you want

to break loose. Be aware of illegitimate loyalties as a result of duty, as a result

of the importance that is given you. Sometimes we stay at a place because we feel that we

are being given importance there. Sometimes as an obligation to lay ban. Sometimes because

of the grace or mercy shown to you in the past. I must have a hatred for things that

stop me from crossing thresholds because otherwise they'll always have a pull on me and so I'll

hold on to them while I'm stepping forward. I must hate this to a point where I know that

everything is going to be crippled. Once I hate, now I can plan. I'm not saying hatred

should just catapult you into the unknown. Once you hate, you can plan. Once you hate

something, it's amazing. The moment you hate your work, you're already, while you're at

work and the boss is not looking, you're scrolling down employment opportunities.

So let's take fear of the Lord. So let's redefine fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord

is the dread of offending the one you love. Fear of the Lord is the dread of offending

the one you love. And then it comes back again to this thing of loving what he loves and

hating what he hates. Fear of the Lord is the dread of offending or grieving the one

you love. And so, fear of the Lord is the dread of offending the one you love. And then

the Lord is the dread of offending or grieving the one you love. It bothers you

so much when he's grieved that you can't bear it. It'd be like... One day Derek

tripped Phoebe and she fell and she started crying like crazy and you should

have seen Derek man he could have crawled into a hole this small. Why? Because

he couldn't bear the thought that he had caused so much hurt to this. Leah, I

remember this man. She was at the airport going back the last time and she was

rocking on a chair and she rocked all the way back and instead of holding the

chair I laughed for a second. I'm so sorry I still remember that ten years ago. She

hit her head so hard man. There was a bump and she was very brave. She didn't cry

though. I'm feeling the bump on her head and thinking I would be crying and she

went and I'm thinking to myself I don't know what the point of the story is. Yeah

the dread of grieving the ones you love. It bothers you so much that you've hurt

someone. To love what he loves to hate what he hates. I got a lot of points but

I can't finish them so I'll stop. We got satanic opposition. We got spirit of

fear and control. We got how God empowers us for crossing thresholds. That's a

cool thing. God resources you before you cross thresholds. God resources you. He

knows that to open the doors of this big room you need some extra help. So as

you're trying to push the door open James happens to walk by and

James just leans on the room and the door opens and you walk through and you

say bye to James and now you got your room. So God has the ability to

resource crossing of thresholds. You look at it when Israel left Egypt they

were resourced. When Jacob left he was resourced. There was always

resourcing as in strengthening for entry. Whenever I cross the threshold I'm

looking for okay who are you going to send me to help? Where is the wealth

going to come from for this news thing? How is it going to happen? But like I

said we've run out of time. Thank God we did communion early and then we'll talk

about examples of inaccurate transition. Guys like Ruth, guys like Abraham, guys

like like I said we'll talk about it next time because knowing me I can go

down that whole thing and finish it in the next 20 minutes. So let's just pray.

May you just want to come up?

Father I just pray for me. Before I pray for me I just want to pray for what we

heard. Father as we heard these things given the way that I sometimes teach it

can bring guilt, it can bring what am I going to do now, it can bring I have to

obey if I don't do this it'll be disobedient.

And you're saying I lift that burden off you I know you have heard and if you

come to me you and I can plan this well but I remove from you the burden of

guilt, the burden of oh I've got to do something. I love that you hear says the

Lord that is the beginning of obedience. So stay there and you and I can start

talking about it and we can work out the rest. Don't take this into your own hands

and try to do it on your own because I can plan it much better. So father I just

thank you as you lift off any burden of guilt or any burden of I have to do

something or I've got to make this happen. You're taking it off us saying you

have heard now invite me to work with you so that I can do it for you instead

of you trying to wrestle this thing. Thank you Jesus you're so kind. So I

free all of us from this father but I pray that there be an urgency to invite

you to deal with these things so that we can cross the threshold. As a father as

May goes to Dayton it's our first trip into Dayton. Five months ago we couldn't

have imagined four places in the US. It's happening at such a fast rate.

It's crazy in January there's Nashville. So church can we just pray for this step

into Dayton please. Just just feel free.

Father may you give such incredible wisdom, such incredible strength that the leaders there will be able to step into whatever they are called to step into now.

They will be able to cross the thresholds that you could have brought them to. That you would give them direction and that you would give them guidance. Father may they be such rich resourcing as they cross into the state of Maine.

Father may you give May such creative and brilliant ideas only from you who is here, only from you as she speaks with them, as she meets with them so that your church will be established.

Father I pray Isaiah 28 verse 23 to 25 or the last few verses or 23 to 30 that different grains require different ways of treating them, planting them, threshing them, harvesting them.

Isaiah 28:23–25

I pray that as May goes and as I go that what works at Acts 29 may not be what works there. And so you said you would teach and you would give us the wisdom to plant different crops, cumin, barley, different things done differently.

I ask that for us Father. Grant us the wisdom to know how to deal with each of these. So Father as we go now we don't go in May Wong's name or Jacob John's name. We go in the name of Jesus Christ sent out by this body.

So we thank you. Father I just place Stephen in charge as we go. I just place him in charge as we go. May he nurture your church well while I'm away.