Laodicea Part 2

of course. No, I'm good. Okay. Betty, if you want to share the sound that you felt God

wants us to hear. It's not like I will kill my enemies. It's not that kind of a sound,

right? Okay. Hey, can you give us some volume? Actually, it's Psalm 45. It's a wedding song.

Cool. And we are the bride in this song. My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite

my verses for the king. My tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. You are the most excellent

of men and your lips have been anointed with grace since God has blessed you forever. Gird

your sword on your side, you mighty one. Clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. In your

majesty, ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice. Let your right

hand achieve awesome deeds. Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies.

Let the nations fall beneath your feet. Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever.

A scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate

wickedness. Therefore, God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the

oil of joy. All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From palaces adorned with

ivory and music of the strings make you glad. Daughters of kings are among your honored women.

At your right hand is a royal bride in gold of Ophir. Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention.

Forget your people and your father's house. Let the king be enthralled by your beauty. Honor him,

for he is your Lord. The city of Tyre will come with a gift. People of wealth will seek your favor.

All glorious is the princess within her chamber. Her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered

garments, she is led to the king. Her virgin companions follow her, those brought to be with

her. Led in with joy and gladness, they enter the palace of the king. Your sons will take the place

of your fathers. You will make them princes throughout the land. I will perpetuate your memory

through all generations. Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.

Guys, so what you need to do is go home at some point between today and tomorrow and read Psalm

45 and see if there's a promise for you in it, eh? That's how these things work. If it is a psalm

given to us as a church, when you read it out like this, it's so hard to keep track, especially

because it's half the size of Psalm 119. And so then you need to go home and then read through it,

comb through it to see if there's a promise. That's what I'll be doing once I get home at

some point between now and tomorrow. Okay. No one still has a pen, right? Okay. Don,

just can you grab that bag and I'll give you my keys and then check if there's a pen in the back

of my car. Okay, guys, we'll start. So this is Laodicea Part 2. We did Part 1 last night,

Laodicea Part 2. And we talked about the problem with Laodicea when it came to hot and cold,

not being about spiritual temperature that Jesus was talking about. He wasn't saying,

because that's how it's usually interpreted, that either be hot or be cold. That seems to him that

Jesus is okay with hot or with cold. I think I'll switch to the other mic, man.

Can I have some? Yeah. So when we think of hot and cold as two things that Jesus is saying is

okay, it would imply then that he's okay with being hot or cold, which doesn't make sense,

because there's nowhere else in the Bible where he says that it's okay to be cold. So we said

that when he's talking about Laodicea and he's saying you are lukewarm, what he was doing was

comparing the hot medicinal springs of Hierapolis and the cold, refreshing waters of Colosseum,

which were about 10 kilometers apart from Laodicea. And then there was water that would come via an

aqueduct into Laodicea, and it was tepid and it was lukewarm. And so what Jesus is saying there is,

listen, you have faith, but there's a barrenness to your faith. I don't see your faith as faith

that produces works. I see your faith as having the ability to exert, but there's no works that

go with it. And therefore I would rather that you either be help to the sick or be refreshing to

the weary, but you are neither. And therefore repent, because if you don't, I'll vomit you out,

because I cannot handle lukewarmness when it comes to the things of faith. That's what we said

yesterday. And if that's news to you, then you need to go and listen to that teaching from yesterday,

because only that will allow you to place what I'm saying next in the right perspective, because

almost everything here is a continuation of yesterday. So let's go to 1 Thessalonians 1.3,

and we'll continue with the idea of work produced by faith, work produced by faith. And so much that

I'm saying today is based on the prayer we prayed at the end of the teaching yesterday.

1 Thessalonians 1.3, 1 Thessalonians 1.3, and it says there, we remember before our God and father,

your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, your endurance inspired by hope,

in our Lord Jesus Christ. Beautifully. We remember before our God and father, your work produced by

faith, your labor prompted by love, your endurance inspired by hope, in our Lord Jesus Christ. And I

want to focus on work produced by faith. And work produced by faith takes five different forms. And

I'll go slow, because I probably won't be writing it today. And I've used the acronym migrate to kind

of split it. Migrate has more letters than five. So don't worry, it's still five points. So MI is

the first set. And so the first place that we need to show works producing faith is in the activity

of ministry, in our ministry, and we kind of define ministry, what does it look like? So if you go to

Romans chapter 15, verse 18 to 21, there was fruit to Paul's ministry. The question is, does

Romans 15:18–21

Acts 29 have fruit to our ministry? And as we look at this, you've got to look at it in three ways.

First, apply it to the church. Second, apply it to us as individuals in the church. And third,

apply it to yourself as an individual, uniquely placed or uniquely called by God. Three ways we

need to apply this sermon. The first is, as these questions are being asked, we have to question

whether we are this way as a church. Then you've got to question, am I this way as an individual

who is part of this church? And then the third thing is, am I this way as an individual, uniquely

placed in situations and uniquely called by God with a very specific plan that God has for me?

How am I doing when it comes to works bearing faith? We talked about Abraham yesterday. He was a guy

who showed his faith by works. Like I said yesterday, it's one thing for you to say to your

servants that I'm taking my boy and going up the mountain to offer a sacrifice. It's another thing

for you to turn to your boy and say, don't worry son, God will provide a lamp. But it is a completely

different situation when there is no lamp in sight and now you're binding up your son and placing

him on the altar and pulling out your knife. That is works producing faith. It is faith that does

not back off. So the first bit is, how do we show works producing faith in our ministry? How is

Acts 29 doing at it? We can't compare ourselves to other churches. We can only compare ourselves

to Christ and what the Bible says. So if you go to Romans 15 verse 18 to 21, that's the way we

Romans 15:18–21

evaluate ourselves. Romans 15, 18 to 21, and I'm reading from the message. I have no interest in

giving you a... I'll start at verse 17. Looking back over what has been accomplished and what I

have observed, I must say I'm most pleased in the context of Jesus. I'd say even proud,

but only in that context. I have no interest in giving you a chatty account of my adventures.

Only the wondrously powerful and transformingly present words and deeds of Christ in me that

triggered a believing response among outsiders. In such ways, I have trailblazed a preaching of

the message of Jesus all the way from Jerusalem, far into northwest western Greece. This has all

been pioneer work, bringing the message only into those places where Jesus was not yet known

and worshiped. I'll go to Matthew 10, 7 to 33. Matthew 10, 7 to 33. This is what ministry should

look like by Jesus's standards or by the standards of the New Testament. What Paul was saying in

Romans 15, 18, 21 was, listen guys, wherever I went, I had this ability by the power of God,

and I'm quite proud of it, though only proud of it in Jesus. Wherever I went, I had this ability

to preach the gospel, and then the word would always be accompanied by deeds, as in works,

as in acts. It would always be accompanied, and therefore I was able to trailblaze. So the question

is, is that Acts 29's common experience? And the answer is, not yet. There's something that we

haven't keyed on to, and we will. Persistence always pays off. Endurance always pays off.

Matthew 10, 7 to 33. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead.

Touch the untouchables. Kick out demons. You have been treated generously. Live generously. Don't

think you have to put on a fundraising campaign before you start. You don't need a lot of equipment.

You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. For some of us,

just one. For Dawn, five. Travel light. Sorry, Dawn, you're such a nice guy. I feel bad after I take

these shots, but not really. When you enter a town or village, don't insist on staying in a luxury

inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave. When you

knock on a door, be courteous in your greetings. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation.

Don't say, two minutes more, two minutes more. If they don't welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don't

make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. You can be sure that on Judgment Day,

they'll be mighty sorry, but it's no concern of yours now. Sometimes the way the message presence

thinks is so real, and it's not too far from the original. But the thing is, this is what it looks

like when ministry has works producing faith. This is what it looks like. I long for these days,

not for any of us as individuals, but for us as a body. I long for stories like what happened to

Manoj and Dawn and Evan on a very regular basis. Not every day, because then you'd be sleep-deprived

at 1.30, but it would be happening to different people, taking risks. This is what I long for,

this church. And it'll happen. It'll happen. In John 14, 15, and 16, you find this conversation

that Jesus is having with the Father, and I've kind of paraphrased it, and it goes like this,

Father, you've given me works to accomplish. Every day I must see these works and do them.

And when I do, they will bear witness to people that I'm a sent one and you're the sender. Father,

you've given me works to accomplish. Every day I must see them, and I must do them,

because that's what Jesus used to do. Sometimes I don't see them ahead of time. I see them right

when I'm there. And then as I do them, it'll bear witness to you, and they will recognize

me as one that you have sent, and they will recognize the sender. Here's another one. This

one I really love. I put a smiley face next to it. Father, you are in me, and I am in you.

I will let you who dwell in me do your work. Father, you are in me, and I am in you. I will

let you who are in me do your work. That way, people will believe on account of the works,

not just the words. That way, people will believe on account of the works, not just the words.

Won't that be cool? You think this guy who had a COVID-negative test and was prayed over in the

name of Jesus, you think he'll not struggle with the idea that Jesus is real? You will believe

because of the account of my works. Very cool, huh? Love it. So the first one where working faith

should express itself is in ministry. The next one is good works towards others. Where can Acts

29 develop work-producing faith, working faith, work-bearing faith, where every time we exert

faith in these areas, you'll find that it produces works, acts, deeds that the world

so would be blown away by looking at. Doing good, good towards others. Ephesians 2.10,

very famous old well-known scripture. We are God's workmanship created for good works. Colossians 1.10,

not very famous verse. Colossians 1.10. We pray that you live well for the master,

making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works,

you will learn how to do your work. Let me read it from the NIV or the ESV.

Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work,

and increasing in the knowledge of God. God gives each of us a store of seed and of bread.

God has given each of us a store of seed and of bread. Let me say that again. God has given each

of us a store of seed and of bread. It doesn't matter whether it's $20, it doesn't matter whether

it's not money, whether it's time, it doesn't matter whether it's strength, it doesn't matter

whether it's some amazing characteristic you have, but God has given each one of us a store of seed

and of bread so that you may overflow in every good work. Your intent should be, how can I be a

generous dispenser of the seed to the needy? How can I be a generous dispenser of the seed to the

needy? There's a guy in our building. I think he's Catholic. Six months ago, the Lord told me,

every time you meet him, I want you to reach into your wallet and pull out any note that comes and

give it to him. And so sometimes I might meet him today and then meet him again tomorrow. Sometimes

I may meet him only once a month. He doesn't know what to do, but he knows this is not charity,

because I explained it to him. I said, I don't know what to do. I know his name. I don't know

what to do, but I want to say to you that this is something that I've been asked, God has asked me

to do. And God has asked me to do it because every time I meet you, he wants you to know how much he

cares and how much he wants to bless you. This is his graciousness. Now what is happening is every

time I do this, he just starts weeping. He's not weeping because of, because sometimes you pull out,

you might only get a $5 note. So he's not weeping for the $5 note. He's weeping because he can't

understand the graciousness of God. And it is doing something in his life that is marvelous.

Each of us has in our hands a store of seed and bread. It may not always look like money. It could

be something else. Each of us has it. Why? So that we may overflow in every good work.

Your intent should be, how can I be a generous dispenser of the seed so I may disperse it to

the needy or to those that God is saying, go give it to. Sometimes it's not need. And as you do,

you will find that your radius of right living, your radius of life work begins to increase.

Somehow God will begin to give you a greater radius of doing things right, making things right. One

of the favorite things God likes to do is make things right. Another simple word, a complicated

word that he uses for make things right is justice. Justice is simply making things right. As you begin

to do it, God does something else which is so cool, which comes from Malachi 3 verse 11. He rebukes

Malachi 3:11

the devourer. He rebukes the devourer for you so that the fruit that grows in your garden will not

be eaten because it's that fruit that is producing the seed and the bread that you use to distribute.

You think God won't watch over it. We must increase in this. We're doing it individually. We're doing

it corporately. But if you listen to the end of the message yesterday, I'm saying that we are at

present beating giants that we beat two years ago and it's time to meet bigger giants. It's

no fun beating up a guy you know you can beat up every time. Like there's no victory in that,

right? Like Tooni beats Manoj. Tooni beats Manoj. That was very fast, Don. You should have given

it another two seconds. Tooni beats Manoj and Don. Like Don and Manoj play on one side, Tooni

plays on the other side and he beats them at ping pong. It's not much of an accomplishment yet.

Now nobody even watches now. It's that that's happened to Acts 29. The giants we are dealing

with we've beaten too many times. So I'm not saying we do not engage in good works individually

or corporately, but the scale of it has to be so enlarged that we will be scrambling because we

don't know how to handle it. We'll be out of our element. Any questions? Nick, I can hear a question

in your head. Pardon? See I told you I could hear the question in your head. Sorry, can you say that

again? Seed and bread. Bread you give it out once and that's it. You eat it and it's over. Seed

keeps producing more. So you can give some people seed and they have the ability to then go and live

the rest of their lives because they know how to use the seed to produce bread. But if you give

bread it's a one-off thing. But sometimes you need to give breadache to tell a guy who's hungry,

here's some seeds. Six months from now you just watch. He'll be buried in the same ground as the

seed. Yeah, so you don't want to do that. So yeah, that's the answer. Yeah, so as you begin to

distribute this, as we begin to distribute seed and bread, you'll find that God will rebuke the

devourer for our sake and he'll destroy lack. There'll be no lack of form of famine. He'll destroy

lack of famine in our midst together and in our midst individually. He'll destroy it. Third one,

our repairing the breach, restoring streets to dwell in. Essential part of every group of God

people. Every people of God must have these five things as an essential part of who they are. The

first one was ministry. Ministry involves word and deed. The second one was good works. This is

fundamental to Jesus. In Matthew 5, early in his ministry he says, let them see your good works and

glorify the Father. Let your light so shine. Let them see your good works. It's important. The good

works have... Guys, at the end of the day good works is not for getting them to receive Jesus. Good

works is not for salvation. Good works is for nothing. Good works is this is my heart. I like...

All my life you have been faithful. So, so good. Well then Jacob, behave that way. This is not so

that you get them saved or get them to come to your church or anything. It is very simple. I'm like

this. I'm generous. I'm good. So engage in good works. This is why everybody gets seed and bread, man.

R. R is for repairing the breach and restoring the streets to dwell in. Yesterday in a sense

what happened was a repairing of a breach and a restoring of streets to dwell in when they stopped

for this woman. Repairing the breach and restoring streets to dwell in. Leviticus 25, 10. Leviticus

25, 10. That's what it... That's what we're talking about. These things are so, so important to the

heart of God. Leviticus 25, 10. I think they have their own little worship service going on inside.

Sanctify the 50th year. Make it a holy year. Proclaim freedom all over the land to everyone

who lives in it. A jubilee for you. Each person will go back to his family's property and you

will reunite with his extended family. One more time. Sanctify the 50th year. Make it a holy year.

Proclaim freedom all over the land to everyone who lives in it. A jubilee for you. Each person will

go back to his family's property and reunite with his extended family. So when we talk about

repairing the breach, we're talking about this idea of a justice of restoration. In the Old Testament,

justice was an execution of judgment. The Old Testament justice was, I am weighing you. I find

you guilty. You must now pay the penalty. In the New Testament, justice is a justice of restoration.

It's a justice of restoration where the church is continuously producing faith-based works that show

people favor. Faith-based works that show people favor. In this one area, other than Jeevan and

Nandigama, and some of the things that are happening in Wall-E, Acts 29 lags. I'm not talking about

Acts 29 lags as in Acts 29 is not putting resources into it or stuff like that. I'm saying as a people,

we are not Isaiah 58 conscious. We may have individuals who engage in it, but as a people,

it hasn't grabbed our heart so much so that it hurts if we don't. Things that hurt, Acts 29,

if you cannot hear the voice of God, we would hurt. If we didn't have the freedom to converse

with the Father and interact with him the way we do, we would hurt. If he didn't prophesy,

we would hurt. If he didn't go to the nations, we would hurt. These have become such essential.

If we didn't walk in rest, we would hurt. If we weren't generous and give money tons of it away,

we would hurt. If we didn't celebrate Jacob's birthday on July 17th, we would. It's okay to

chant together this once. Okay, so these are the things that we would hurt about, but I would say

to you Isaiah 58 verse 8 to 12 does not hurt us yet, and I want it to hurt me. And if it hurts me

Isaiah 58:8–12

and hurts you, then be a salt. What does it say in Isaiah 58 verse 8 to 12?

Isaiah 58:8–12

Let's start from 10. If you're generous with the hungry, start giving yourself to the down and out.

Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness. Your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.

I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a life full of the emptiest of places.

Verse 12. You'll use the old rubble of the past. Let me read from some other version. NIV verse 10.

And if you spend yourself on behalf of the hungry, satisfy the needs of the oppressed.

Your light will rise in the darkness. Your night will become like noonday.

58 verse 12. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins, raise up age-old foundations.

You will be called repairers of broken walls, restorers of streets with dwellings.

Verse 6 and 7. Is this not the kind of fast I've chosen to lose the chains of injustice,

untie the cords of the yoke, set the oppressed free, break every yoke? Is it not to share your

food with the hungry, provide the poor wanderer with shelter, and you see the naked to clothe them,

to not turn away from your own flesh and blood? You see, it's not that we are not doing it. I'm

sure some of you are doing it and you don't even talk about it. And then I know that we are doing

this in Nandigama and that Jeevan is kind of the engine behind it. But I'm saying as a church,

we don't see this as an essential. And this must change because God demands that it change.

And may he hold me responsible if I don't make an attempt.

That's like inviting trouble, but I'd rather invite trouble than take it easy.

If we love Micah 8, the Holy Spirit thrills to work through us. If we love Micah 6.8,

sorry, if we love Micah 6.8, the Holy Spirit thrills to work through us. What's Micah 6.8?

Walk humbly, act justly, show mercy. Walk humbly, act justly, show mercy. If we can do that,

he thrills to work through us. This is very close to his heart.

I know you've heard this quite a few times, but at the end of the day, what was Jesus reading out in

the synagogue that day when he took the scroll, he was announcing Jubilee. When he read from Luke,

when he read from Isaiah 53, he was 61, he was announcing Jubilee. Same thing we're talking about.

He used to have this ability to invite people who were down and out. He would then begin to

listen to them, then he would protect them, and then he would invest in them.

Invite, listen, protect, invest. Invite, listen, protect, invest. One day we'll talk about that.

Invite, listen, protect, invest. He would be so protective of the woman caught in adultery,

of Levi the tax collector, of children who would come to him. He would be protective. He would

invite them, he would listen to them, he would protect them, he would then begin to invest in

them. You read those stories of the down and outs, of the ones that people didn't care for.

He had this ability to do these four things. He would have done the same thing with LGBTQ.

Invite, listen, protect, invest.

I was listening to a woman talk who was gay and became a believer and was talking about how to

deal with LGBTQ issues. One of the things she said was,

when you initially speak to someone who's dealing with gender issues, why is it that

you make sexual preferences the main focus? You wouldn't do that with someone

who is straight. You wouldn't. Before you save them, you wouldn't begin to talk about their

sexual preferences or habits or what their sexual norms and approaches are. You wouldn't do that.

That is not where you would begin. That's a separate topic. Invite, listen, protect, invest.

The next one is accomplishing tasks. Accomplishing tasks. AT. AT. Accomplishing tasks.

Where every church and every individual, think church first, then individual. Every church and

every individual has definite tasks and mandates that God gives, saying, I want you to accomplish

these tasks and mandates. They are church specific. They are person specific.

There's no question that Acts 29 is meant to go to the nations. Not every church is asked to go

to the nations. I know a church downtown that loves working amongst the poor, loves it. You cannot

be part of the church unless you have a heart for it because that's what they are wrapped around.

It's called Calvary. A guy called Charles Rigma used to be part of the church and he used to teach

at Regent. I visited that church a couple of times. Every one of the people in that church

has a heart that is so towards the poor that they will move out of their houses and go into

this area. They'll give up their riches and go into this area. Why? Because they cannot bear the

thought of doing anything else but living amongst the very people that they are supposed to help.

But then there are churches like Acts 29 that are so completely caught up with the nations that

you would do anything to go to the nations. There will hardly be a person who hasn't gone in the end.

Well, they wouldn't be able to do that. That's not in their DNA.

Accomplishing tasks or mandates specific to a church or specific to a person is another

important part of what God wants to bring about. And if you look at 1 Corinthians 1,

if you look at 1 Corinthians 9, 1, 1 Corinthians 9, 1, 1 Corinthians 9, 1,

Paul is talking about his rights as an apostle. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle?

Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord?

Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you,

for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. He had a specific task.

Many of his letters start with, I come as an apostle appointed by Christ.

Ephesians 3, 2, he again talks about the same thing. He had a specific mandate.

Churches have specific mandates. For us right now, there is this idea of a revival,

a global revival that is supposed to start with us and spread across the earth.

It is a very specific mandate. And God is saying, okay, if you have faith for it, show me works now.

If you have faith for it, show me works. Like Tony was saying, step out, fail. God's got no

problems with failure. Really, he really doesn't think much of failure. You are a prime example.

Just in case you were thinking, what Bible story can I come up with? You. Ephesians 3, 2.

Surely you've heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you.

I love it. The guy had some audacity to talk like this. He's writing to a church and he's saying,

surely, Acts 29, you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given

to me for you. Love it. Where there was a specific mandate appointed to him. 2 Corinthians 10,

13. That's where he talks about, hey, you guys are people we planted and I have a mandate to go

further and you guys are going to help me with this. 2 Corinthians 10, 13.

We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has

assigned us, a field that reaches even to you. As in, listen, guys, I have a specific task. My

task is to spread the gospel in Lithuania. Therefore, I say to you, let's spread the gospel

in Lithuania and let's spread the gospel in the whole world. Let's spread the gospel in the whole

world. Let's spread the gospel in the whole world. Let's spread the gospel in the whole world.

Let's spread the gospel in Lithuania. Therefore, I say to you,

Jinteros and I say to you, Davila, you guys are going to be ones that will rise up so that Acts 29

can spread into Lithuania through you. I wish I had a pen. But guys, when it comes to you as

individuals, God gives you specific tasks and mandates every six months, every year, every two

years, and you've got to get it. And one of the easiest ways to get it is to figure out, okay,

what is God's identity or how is he coming towards me at this present time? We've talked about this,

but it's brilliant. It works so beautifully. How are you coming towards me, oh God? What is

your identity as you come towards me? Aha, got it. So you are approaching me nowadays as

one who wields a scepter. Great. So if you are one who wields a scepter, and that is the way you're

interacting with me, it means then that you would like me to take on that persona. You identify how

God is approaching you. You begin to change your persona. So Father, I'll stop fighting and I'll

start exerting authority. And as you begin to take on the persona that God is now coming towards you

as, God says, hmm, so you are beginning to change, Jacob. So let me anoint you differently,

because you need a different anointing for what you're stepping into. I'll have the Holy Spirit

empower you in ways you haven't tasted before. Before you had the anointing of a swordsman,

you wielded the sword brilliantly. But now that you're putting down your sword to take up the

scepter, let me show you what the anointing of a king or a prince looks like. And so you begin to

operate under a completely different Holy Spirit paradigm. I love using that word paradigm, slipped

it in somehow. And then you find that as you begin to switch to how the Holy Spirit now leads you,

you find that your obstacles are different, and the way you deal with obstacles are changing too.

When you become someone else, your obstacles are different. If you're an electrician today,

and tomorrow you become a race car driver, your obstacles completely change. Before you'd have to

put your hand in a socket and you would get a shock. Now you can just ram into another car and

you get a shock. Completely different set of obstacles, therefore completely different ways

of dealing with obstacles. This is God's favorite thing. That is why some of the things that James

will have to learn how to do as he steps into June is he can't go and say, I used to do this,

so I will do this again. Really? You want to keep doing things that you're good at and feel good

about yourself? No, give me things I'm not good at so that I can get good at them.

That is what I meant yesterday when I said we need a new set of giants, man.

Like a preacher said, that went down like a rat sandwich.

Pardon? Thank you.

When I go home, I'm not this bold. I was having my own personal conversation with God's sake. So

what are you going to do?

You just wait, Mr. Higgins. You just wait.

Wait.

Yeah.

Guys, one of the ways God...

If God wants to show you how good you are in his relationship with you,

he usually shows you that in battle.

Just like you know your friends when there's friction and when there's trouble, God shows you

how well you're doing with him by taking you into a battlefield. That's when he shows you. So all the

things you've learned, I'm right here with you, but now let me show you. You never lose these

battles, never, but it shows you. You suddenly realize, oh my God, I am my father's son. I jump

into his arms immediately. Or, oh my God, I do have authority. Did you see the way that demon fled?

Never thought I'd see something like that.

Or, oh my God, can't believe that I actually had the guts to step out of the car and go to that

woman. Didn't know I had courage like that. While Manoj and Donna saying, come back, come back,

get back into the car.

No, Manoj was just revving the car.

Manoj was saying, let's go, Don. It's okay. Evan can come home himself.

Anyways.

I'm half excited about this. Okay, E, the last one. This kind of sums it all up. Empty yourselves.

In this, when you look at the ministry produced, the fate that produces works in ministry.

When you look at good works, fate that allows you to increase in good works.

When you look at repairer of the breach, bringing favor and justice to the oppressed and the people

around you that will really complicate your life if you get involved.

Fate that produces works amongst them.

When you look at accomplishing tasks or mandates specifically given to the church or to

an individual. And producing works because of the fate you exert in that.

All these things are tied up by the last one, which is in the process of doing this empty

yourself so that you don't do enough, but you do much, much more than you could have done.

Emptying yourself is going beyond Christian requirements. Emptying yourself is going beyond

church requirements. Emptying yourself is going beyond what would be decent, kosher, sufficient

enough. Not withholding. Not holding onto the advantage that is by right yours. Philippians

2, 6 to 9. Jesus knowing that he was equal with God did not hold onto that advantage as if it was

something to be aspired for. It's the key to acceleration. It's not acceleration, it's the

key to multiplication and acceleration too, but multiplication. John 12 verse 24 to 26,

John 12:24–26

unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it will not produce anything.

So that's the scary part. One of the things we have to learn is, oh God, as I begin this process,

I want to pull out the stops so that you don't have to come back and preach this to us again

in six months. You'll have to come up with another fresh new assignment for us because

we are so spent with this one that there's nothing left in the tank.

So here's how I want to conclude. God is inducing us. First I wanted to use the word luring. I

thought God doesn't lure. So God is inducing us as a church and as individuals into three scenarios

he hopes we'll be persuaded into. I'm very carefully choosing these words. God is inducing

us as in he's not saying, hey, this is an invitation. He's not saying I demanded of you.

He's saying, listen, I'm inducing you as I'm provoking you enough. I'm frightening you enough

and I'm inviting you enough. It's that kind of an inducement. God is inducing us corporately and

individually into three scenarios he hopes will persuade us to step into them. So the first one

is Joshua 14 12. We talked about this yesterday. I'm just summing it up again

in terms of inducement from God. Joshua 14 12. He's saying to us as a church and to us as individuals,

hey, any chance that you can provoke me to give any chance I can provoke you to give me an

opportunity to prove my greatness and faithfulness. Listen to those words, the crazy words.

God is saying, hey, any chance that I can provoke you to give me an opportunity

to show you how great and faithful I am.

That is nuts. Any chance I can provoke you to give me an opportunity to prove my

greatness and faithfulness again. Hey, Jacob, hey, Heidi, any chance that I can provoke you to give me

a brand new opportunity to prove again to you a fresh like you've never seen before

my greatness and my faithfulness. Joshua 14 12. Joshua says, Caleb says to Joshua, hey, Joshua,

40 years ago I was promised land here. So can I get that hill? I know, I know, I know, I know.

That hill has giants and acts in it, but please can I have that hill?

I mean like 70.

80.

Crazy, eh? That's what that's the first scenario. Second scenario.

Again, we talked about this yesterday, Deuteronomy 9 2 and Judges 3 2. Deuteronomy 9 2, Judges 3 2.

Listen, if you want to be induced, persuaded into what I'm calling you to, I want you to know that

I'm sending you to take lands with unconquered fortresses stronger than what you've ever come

across. I'm sending you into places where there are fortresses stronger than what you've ever come

across. And in the process, I will train you in the art of war and I'll test your obedience.

Guys, I'll tell you something, this is the best time to leave Acts 29 again.

Every so many years, you get an opportunity to leave the church. This is a very good time.

That's the right response.

That this is the best time to leave the church.

I'm sending you to take lands or take things. I'm sending you into places where there are

unconquered fortresses stronger than what you've come across. And in the process, I will train

you in the art of war and I will test your obedience.

We haven't gone this way for very long. We've been a happy, strong church.

Nothing wrong with that. God gives you times like that. But it's longer with you.

Times of peace are God-sent. And they are strong enough to catch you on you and again,

it's going over to you. Under him I am. He's right above you. He's right on your head.

where you prosper and we have.

Third scenario, I don't know what this means.

We'll find out what it means later.

Second Samuel 5.8, use the water shaft

to enter the fortress city.

Use the water shaft to enter the fortress city.

I've just put Selah next to it

because I don't know what it means.

Second Samuel 5.8, third scenario, use the water shaft.

So David is supposed to take this hill

called that the Jebusites control.

On top of the hill is a fortress.

What David doesn't know is soon

that hill will be called the city of Zion.

He'll build the city of God there,

of which it will be said in Psalm 48,

beautiful in situation, joy of the whole earth,

is Mount Zion on the side of the north,

the city of the great king.

He doesn't know it.

And the Jebusites taunt him saying,

nobody can enter this fortress

because it's way too well placed to be taken.

And even the blind and the deaf that are within the city

are enough to drive you away.

David gets agitated at that.

And later on he says, there's a way to get the city.

There's a water shaft that goes right into the fortress.

Go up by the water shaft, take the fortress, and he does.

And later on becomes the city of God.

Don't know what it means, but we'll find out.

I need to see this clearly.

We need to see it clearly before we can tell you

or show you what it looks like.

So God willing, we'll look at it next week.

Now can I do it unilaterally as an old Jacob saw this,

so let the judge go down this route.

I'll have to talk to some of you and say,

hey, this is what God is saying.

What do you think?

So that we have a good idea of what this looks like.

And so hopefully next weekend, I'll take you up Mount Pisgah,

which is to the left of Grouse, and show you the terrain,

like was shown Moses and like was shown Abraham.

Just look at those scriptures, Deuteronomy 3, 27 and 28.

Go up to the top of Pisgah, and look west and north

and south and east.

Look at the land with your own eyes,

since you're not going to cross this Jordan.

That was Moses' thing with God.

But commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him,

for he will lead those people across and will cause them

to inherit the land that you will see.

That's part of the thing we'll have to do.

We'll have to do the flying V thing, where guys like Pawan

and Evan and Jillian and Emily and Dawn and guys like that

will have to, at some point, begin to run with this.

Look at another scripture.

Deuteronomy, sorry, Genesis 13, verse 14.

Genesis 13:14

Genesis 13, verse 14.

Genesis 13:14

This is what I'm hoping will happen

in the next couple of weeks, like either next week

or the week after.

Genesis 13, verse 14.

Genesis 13:14

Well, it won't be another set of teachings on how to do this,

but a set of teachings on what to do.

Genesis 13, 14.

The Lord said to Abraham, after Lot had parted from him,

look around from where you are, to the north and the south,

to the east and the west.

All the land that you see I will give to you

and to your offspring.

The Lord said to Abraham, after Lot had parted from him,

look around from where you are, to the north and the south,

to the east and the west.

All the land that you see I will give to you

and your offspring forever.

This is what I'm hoping will happen over the next weekend,

or the two weekends that are here.

God is saying, okay, now that I've shown you, let's go.

It'll be very cool, man.

Some of you will grab it.

Some of you will be like Caleb saying,

please, please, I know you showed me that.

Please, can I have that hill?

Why?

Because there are giants there, I want that hill one.

Some of you will be like Caleb's daughter, Aksa,

who dismounts from her donkey and goes and says to her dad,

can I have those springs?

You've given me the Negev, but I need some water,

so can you give me those springs?

She gets it.

I pray, God, that it be such a demand for,

please give me something difficult,

that it'll be like, I can go into the easy things

at your expense and still get paid for it.

Life is good.

I'm just kidding.

I'm looking forward to these giants, man, in a subdued way.

Sorry?

Yeah, all these three scenarios will happen.

And so this is the final point that I wanna make.

Genesis 13, 14.

God uses the word please.

Most translations skip it.

If you go to King James Version, if you know what that is.

If you don't, just ask Mike.

So go to King James Version.

Genesis 13, 14.

And the Lord said unto Abraham,

after that lot was separated from him, lift up now.

That word now, and really, I'm not a Hebrew Greek guy,

but this is something that God just brought up suddenly

and showed saying, hey Jacob,

this is what I'm doing with you guys,

and it really broke my heart when he did it,

and I think I need to convey it to you.

So this is a God Hebrew Greek,

not a educational Hebrew Greek.

In that scripture where it says,

and the Lord said unto Abraham,

after that lot was separated from him, lift up now.

The word now comes from a Hebrew word called na,

N-A, with a little thingy over it.

That's how much I know Hebrew.

Lift up, lift up now.

And the actual sense of that word now is please.

Or Abraham, I pray, or I beseech, or please.

Lift up, please.

Lift up, I beseech you, Abraham.

It is very odd that God says please,

or God says I beseech you, or God says I pray.

It only happens four times in the Old Testament,

where God says I beseech you, I pray you,

I please ask you, four times in the Old Testament.

And how do the four times it happens in the Old Testament?

Three times it happens with Abraham.

One is here in Genesis 13, 14, where he says,

and it's fascinating when he uses these things.

He uses it, the first time he uses it is here,

Genesis 13, 14, where he says, Abraham, listen,

can you now please exercise faith

that this land I'm showing you will be yours?

Can I beseech you?

The next time it happens is in Genesis 15, verse five.

Genesis 15, verse five.

Again, if you were to still use KJV.

Genesis 15, verse five.

And he brought him forth abroad and said,

look now towards heaven.

And again, the word look now is,

and he brought him forth abroad and said,

look, I pray you, look, please,

look, I beseech you towards heaven

and tell the stars if you're able to number them,

and he said, so shall your seed be.

The second instance is where God is saying,

listen, I know this is a big deal, but I beseech you.

Exert the faith that you need to as a 19 year old man

because you are going to have a son.

I beseech you, I say please.

And the third time it happens is in Genesis 22, verse two.

Genesis 22, verse two.

And each time God knows the faith that will be required.

God knows what a demand he's placing.

God knows how much it's going to cost

and every time that happens with Abraham,

God goes into this one word that is just swept

under the English carpet.

But it actually means I pray you,

I beseech you, please, Abraham.

And in Genesis 22, verse two, it says,

and he said, take, I beseech you,

take, please, take, I pray you now,

your only son, Isaac, whom you love

and get into the land of Moriah

and offer him there for a burnt-out child.

Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering

upon one of the mountains which I'll tell thee of.

And that's so we know where the fourth time is.

It's in Exodus 11, two,

when he asks something of Israel

that must have scared the heebie-jeebies out of them.

Exodus 11, two.

And that is when he asks especially the women of Israel

to go to the Egyptian masters,

knock on their doors and say,

you owe me wages for the last 400 years.

Please give them to me.

These are the same masters who beat them,

who whip them, and he's telling them

to go do something ridiculously impossible.

And again, he uses the same word,

speak, I beseech you, I pray.

Speak, please, in the ears of these people

and let every man borrow of his neighbor

and every woman of her neighbor,

jewels of silver and jewels of gold.

These are the four instances

where God actually says, I beseech you.

Take a look, why I go through all this?

Because I'm saying to you something that

just wrecks my heart and it is this.

God is saying to us that Acts 29, please,

please will you step into this?

Please will you take on giants you haven't dealt with?

Please, I pray you.

Please, I beseech you for my sake.

Will you now begin to abandon your security

and begin to take on something that is way beyond you,

that will just completely rock your present status

and put you back into a place

where you have to interact with me,

find out who I am, how wonderful I am.

Please, come.

If he's saying please, then know that

what lies ahead of us is something

that we have not experienced till now.

If he's saying that, please know that it will test us

in terms of our obedience, it'll give us an ability to war

and it'll show us God like we have never seen before.

That is why he's saying please and I can't refuse him.

I don't think it's fair to refuse him.

I hate it when he beseeches anything.

He should be demanding it.

He should be sending us out like,

you're my soldiers, you belong to me, go.

No, no, no, he's not pleading, he's beseeching.

Any questions?

Any questions?

I don't know.

I wish I was more scholarly, but I really don't know.

Ah, it's such a cool picture.

Why is it left out in English?

Yeah.

Why is it left out in English?

Why is the word I beseech please left out in English?

I don't know.

But it just wrecks me that he's asking this office.

I'm okay if he asks of Abraham,

because man, he was demanding things of Abraham

that were ridiculous, but then it puts this holy fear

of God in me thinking, okay, so what are you asking office?

What are you planning?

I have more to say, but I'm gonna ask Renny to come up

and sing oceans and then we'll continue after.

I may have more to say, but I'm going to ask Renny to come up and sing oceans, and then

we'll continue after that.

Hello.

Hello.

I also have no makeup.

Okay.

I'm just going to start.

Keep my eyes above the waves.

When oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace.

For I am yours, and you are mine.

You call me out upon the waters, the gray unknown.

Where my feet may fail.

And there I find you in the mystery.

In oceans deep, my faith will stand.

You call me out upon the waters, the gray unknown.

Where my feet may fail.

And there I find you in the mystery.

In oceans deep, my faith will stand.

I will call upon your name.

Keep my eyes above the waves.

When oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace.

For I am yours, and you are mine.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters.

Your sovereign hand will be my guide.

Where feet may fail, and fear surrounds me.

You've never failed, and you won't start now.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters.

Your sovereign hand will be my guide.

Where feet may fail, and fear surrounds me.

You've never failed, and you won't start now.

So I will call upon your name.

And keep my eyes above the waves.

When oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace.

For I am yours, and you are mine.

I am yours, and you are mine.

For I am yours, and you are mine.

So father, I feel like you're saying, be like Peter.

So I bid you father, if you ask us to step out of this boat, we'll step out father.

And you're saying come. You're saying come walk on the water.

Step out of the boat. Keep your eyes on me and walk with me.

Because when your eyes are fixed on me, when you're walking with me,

it doesn't matter the winds and the waves. It doesn't matter how big the giants are.

Because our gaze is fixed on you father.

So I choose father, I pray that we all choose to step out of this boat.

Stay out of the comfort zone and the safety that we've been in father.

So we step out of the boat father, and we come to walk on the water with you.

Because as we walk on the water with you, the giants are bigger, the waves are bigger.

But we're walking with you father.

So I thank you Abba for what you're doing.

And I choose to step out of this boat with you Abba.

I choose to come and walk with you and face these bigger giants.

So with excitement and with glee we choose this father.

Abba, when Jacob was telling us that you beseech us,

I very much sensed that you're saying, but I have something for you.

I have something for you. When I'm beseeching you, when I'm asking you to come towards me,

it's not coming into the unknown and then black and darkness.

I'm waiting to give you something, church. I have something. I'm rubbing my hands.

I'm gleeful. I have something for you to send to the nations.

So come, come and step out of that boat and you will experience something that you've never experienced.

And I am preparing you for it. I am readying you for it.

And I'm willing and I'm going to give it to you.

I've got something for you, for this church, for the nation, for this world.

So step out. I just want to thank you for that Abba. Thank you so much.

Then when you call us out, you're calling us into your glory.

You're calling us into your goodness. Not just for us, for all the people of this world.

For all the people of this world. Because we are going to be like Jesus.

We're going to come to restore. We're going to come to redeem.

We're going to come to do the work that Jesus has started.

And he's going to complete in us and through us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Amen.

Two or three more.

Two or three more.

Father, just staying on the theme of the boat.

It's what Peter said in Luke when you asked him to throw the net.

He said we have worked all night, Father. And we have not caught anything.

But because you say that we should do it, we shall do it.

So Father, that's what I pray into, Father.

Because you say, Father, we shall step into that.

So thank you Jesus for that. Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Two more.

Two more.

Father, I just want to say that I'm tired of sitting and waiting and watching other people go ahead of me.

That I don't know what or who or where or when.

But I want to do this just because you said so.

Two more.

Thank you Father for pouring out so abundantly over us in these past few years.

And you're saying it was for a time such as this.

So the time is now and I thank you that the time has come.

Yeah.

Two more.

Father, thank you for the time.

Father, thank you for really telling us it is time to leave the old behind.

It's time to step into the new.

And Father, we want to step into the new that you have for us.

We're expecting great things.

Expecting you to train us as we step into new battles.

And to receive and experience the victories.

And the opening of the boundaries and doors that you have for us.

Father, I'm just coming up as my turn.

Remind us that we're moving from Elijah to Elisha.

Elijah's done.

We're going to a place where Elisha went.

Where things were twice as many as Elijah.

So we thank you for our forefathers and what we've done over the last 16 years.

But we look into this new place that we've never been to before.

Unfamiliar, completely unfamiliar.

But the only thing we have is your voice and your presence.

We step into this phase in our life called Elisha.

Two more.

Father, I pray that none of us would be left behind.

I pray that we would all be totally on, totally engaged in this.

And when you beseech, may we all follow.

Two more.

God just reminded me of Numbers 21, 9 and that's where.

So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole.

Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

And then the next verse says, the Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth.

And I think that that's where God is calling us to.

He says, you've seen me make a snake in your midst.

You've seen running around with this snake.

You've seen the healing.

You've seen the breach that has been restored.

And now I'm calling you to move on from that place to the new place that I'm taking you.

Not because that place wasn't wonderful, not because that place wasn't full of miracles, but because there's more.

So like the Israelites, Father, we want to look and acknowledge the snake that you put on the bronze pole to heal us.

That you have you've made these representations in our midst.

You've made these you've had these miracles occur in our midst.

And you're calling us forward to the next place.

Father, I pray that you would help us to move away from the cares of the world and the culture that that grasps stuff and things and money.

And and and wants to plan for retirement and do all of the do all of the things that are involved in self preservation.

That you would help us to move away from those things and move into your culture, which is a culture of giving and generosity.

And good works and being willing to just pass on what we have at your prompting without without hesitation.

Because I struggle with that and I know that others do too.

And so Father, help us to move into that move into that culture, move into a new paradigm of of seeing who you are in our hearts and and being moved by you in our hearts and just doing just doing it.

One more.

Our heavenly father.

We're putting.

Micah six eight into practice.

As we step into this new territory, Lord.

May our walk be humble.

May our acts be just.

May our deeds, may our actions may our behaviors, may our attitudes.

Show mercy.

About as Jacob said, we step into the land of giants.

And as I recall the story when the spies went to scout the land, they cut down a branch and the branch was too heavy for one man to carry.

The two men had to put on their shoulders and carry it back.

So about thank you for the fruits that you're giving us.

And these fruits are not just for us as individuals, but we have to share them.

We have to band together and put them on their shoulders as a body.

Because we all have to carry it together.

So thank you for this.

These enormous fruits that we couldn't grow on our own.

We can't care on our own, but they're for all of us.

In Jesus name.

Great.

If anyone else has a picture like that, it is important.

What if he had decided not to have it come up?

These are critical to our going forward.

Anyone else with any image that you think you need to speak and that you're holding back, speak now or hold your peace at least until next week.

Anyone?

Okay.

We're done.

Sorry.

Oh.

We're done.