Pre-requisites for Prevailing Prayer

The three requisites for prevailing prayer.

Three requisites for prevailing prayer.

We started that about three weeks ago, but we always get to one point.

And then never get past that.

Is Nick in the church?

No.

Great. So we won't have any questions today.

No.

Oh.

Hey, but wasn't he bold to ask those questions?

Yeah, he was.

He's a relatively new guy and he started asking four or five questions.

I almost wanted to call him bad.

So here are the three requisites for prevailing prayer.

And the first requisite for prevailing prayer we said is that if you want to engage in prayer that contends, that fights, that overcomes, that conquers, that's the kind of prayer we're talking about.

We're not talking about prayer for individual needs, which is what most churches engage in.

There's nothing wrong with that.

God loves meeting my individual needs.

But we're talking about the kind of prayer that has a cost to it.

And some of the three requisites for prevailing prayer.

The first one is if a church forgets its mission, it cannot pray the kind of prayer that prevails and engages, contends, conquers.

A church that forgets its mission.

And so last week we said that churches forget their mission every two or three weeks.

We went over this last week so I'm not going to take much time.

Here's how our mission works.

And when I say our mission, it's not specific to Acts 29, it's specific to every church that exists.

So here's how it works.

So here's how it works.

The job of the leaders is to make sure that individuals and families are equipped to the point or disciples to the point.

You can use any word you want.

Equipped or disciples to the point that they both demonstrate and profess the gospel and the teachings of Christ.

They penetrate places with the gospel and the teachings of Christ that others don't normally go to.

And they make sure that the gospel progresses, that it's not stagnant.

Let me say that again.

As leaders, it is the job of leaders in a church to make sure that every individual and every family begins to demonstrate and profess the gospel and the teachings of Christ.

And that they penetrate places that the gospel wouldn't normally go to, where churches wouldn't normally go to.

Churches that are in the history and that it progresses.

So where are we taking the gospel?

To our sphere of influence, to the streets we live in, to the secular society that we occupy and the state of life we are in.

And therefore we said last week that I cannot influence Jewish kids who want to learn the piano, but he can.

I cannot influence those that may be learning how to be psychologists, but she can.

I can't influence students in a school, but Jenny can.

I can't influence truck drivers, but Ouk can.

And so it goes into spheres of influence, streets that we occupy, segments of society and the stages of life that we are in.

And this becomes the job of every person.

Therefore if you're going on holiday, you must think along the lines of, I am going on a holiday because my family and I need time.

But our primary purpose during this holiday is father.

How can we demonstrate and profess the gospel and the teachings of Christ when we are on holiday?

How do we penetrate places that we go to?

Our spheres of influence, the streets we walk in in Hawaii, the segments of society and the hotel we occupy and the state of life we are in.

Because not all of you know about bungee jumping. I can't see Kamal bungee jumping.

I can't.

So I'm just trying to reimagine it in a restful way. Sorry Kamal.

Because I didn't think of that about myself either, Kamal. So we are in the same boat. That makes you feel better.

So now that we've taken it into these places, it doesn't matter whether you're on holiday or on work, this is how you think.

What is our intent of taking the gospel of Christ and his teachings?

What is our intent? Our intent is it's the only way people can be rescued.

It's the only way people can be rescued. There's just no other way people can be rescued.

There is only one name on the heaven and earth by which a person can be rescued from sin, sickness, physical danger, false doctrine, the penalty of sin, hell, death.

There's only one name and that name is the name of Jesus Christ. No other name.

I mean the word sozo which basically is what rescue and salvation means.

Saves us from sin, from Satan, from the penalty of sin, from dangers, from physical death, sorry from eternal death, from sickness.

All of this is included and there's only one name that can do it and that is the name of Jesus.

And so why are we doing this? Because you have to feel for cancer.

So we do it because it rescues people and it transforms people and the world is watching it.

And that's why we have to both demonstrate and profess, demonstrate and profess.

And become the job of everyone from Wayne to Dagmar to the kids who go off to Sunday school.

Guys this will be repeated at least 52 times over the next one year.

So that it becomes like breathing.

So that we don't think any other way because the church loses its mission every two or three weeks.

We forget.

Like I said last time, my reason for coming to church is I want to be a strong Christian.

Jesus' reason for bringing people to church and strengthening them is very different.

He says come to the church and be strengthened as you have not come to the service.

Be the church and be strengthened so that you might pour out your life and have nothing left every week.

That's the intent of being strong.

Might be a strong church so that you can pour out your life every week.

And then come back absolutely exhausted so that you can be strengthened again.

Any other reason for being strong? A Christian.

You're only strong so that you can be poured out.

You're only rich so that you can be poured out.

You're only amazingly talented so that you can be poured out.

At the end of the day, I must expend everything in me so that there is nothing left.

So that the Holy Spirit can again do a new work and fill again.

Any questions on that?

Okay. So when the world is rescued and transformed, we then make disciples of them.

The intent of discipling is threefold.

One, to become a disciple as there is no other category in the Bible.

You'll be either a disciple or you're not.

Jesus didn't have any other category.

We talked about that last week.

He didn't have convents. He didn't have believers.

He didn't have same-seed.

All came up with that. He just had disciples.

So one is a disciple and two is to bring them into freedom.

We are still in the process. Why do you think we need discipling?

We need discipling because there are still areas in your life, in my life, where there is fear, there is anxiety.

There are addictions. There are psychological problems.

There are mental issues, different things that you and I are suffering through.

Backgrounds that may come from that have been so terrible and it still tells in our life right now.

And therefore discipling brings us to a place of greater freedom.

I wish I was completely free. I am not.

And then the third one is establishment.

Once you free somebody, you can establish them.

To do what?

To go to Jerusalem, to go to Judea, to go to Samaria, to go to the ends of the earth and maybe disciples.

This is the mission of the church.

When this becomes a mission of the church and this is all you eat and drink, a strange thing will begin to happen to you.

Your prayers will change.

This is why it's important to go over this point again and again and again.

When your goal or purpose changes, your prayer, your attitude and the way you use your resources change.

It's always that way.

Questions?

No questions?

Do you understand why it's important to keep hopping on this?

Because if this becomes the goal of the mission, the very air we breathe, then it begins to change the way we pray.

Because everything is now about somebody else somewhere or something else.

And in the process, God takes care of you because you're building His house so He builds yours.

Would you go on?

No questions?

I must have been tired already.

I don't know what happened last night.

Okay, the second point which we went over four weeks ago is...

So the first prerequisite for creating prayer is that the church must remember its mission, must read its mission, must not forget its mission, must not have amnesia.

I read this amazing book.

I think I've told you about it.

Sidney Randolph, the author of The Greatest Prayer, is a great poet.

He's a great poet.

He's a great poet.

He's a great poet.

He's a great poet.

He's a great poet.

He's a great poet.

He's a great poet.

I read this amazing book.

I think I've told you about it.

Cinderella with Amnesia.

Cinderella with Amnesia.

And the book is about the church.

That the church is Cinderella.

She's lost her shoe, but she doesn't even remember that she does not have a shoe on and she doesn't remember where she lost it.

What a beautiful title for a book, eh?

Cinderella with Amnesia.

Really old book.

You won't find it anymore.

And so true.

We don't even remember what we meet for other than strengthening our own selves, which is so not Christlike.

The father sent his son, made him strong for one reason only, so that he can hang on a cross and pour himself out for the sake of the world.

And that is his only intent with now the son that occupies his body, the church.

I'm strengthening you so that you can pour yourself out for the rest of the world.

Because many more have to be brought into this world.

And then we'll get tired of saying this, guys.

So get ready for another 51 revolutions.

So the second prerequisite for prayer is know the strength of your opposition.

Know the strength of your opposition.

Know the size and the nature of your opposition.

But don't be too enamored by the size of the opposition, because that does not bring breakthrough.

Know the nature and the size of the opposition.

So you're not caught napping.

And so this is straight out of Ephesians 6, 12, where it says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood.

So none of us are battles in prayer against normal flesh and blood.

In Colossians 1.13, here's what it says.

It says that you once used to belong to the kingdom of darkness.

But when you were rescued by Jesus, Jesus transferred you out of the kingdom of darkness into the dominion of the sun.

So there's nobody in this room right now who did not exist in a kingdom that had only one purpose.

Can I see you kill and destroy your life so that you never get to see Jesus Christ who made you, never get to see.

So that you never get to see.

I mean the very name kingdom of darkness means absolute blindness.

In another scripture in 2 Corinthians 4, it says that God of this world has blinded them from seeing the light.

That's where everybody existed.

Look at who blinds you.

We talked about this four weeks ago.

All these are Greek words.

Look at the spiritual array of powers that blinds the world.

And this is why prevailing prayer is required if you want to break open bars of iron, open double gates as it says in Isaiah 45 verses 1 and 2.

Isaiah 45:1

And get the treasures of darkness.

The treasures of darkness is not money.

The treasures of darkness are precious, precious people that are hidden behind bars of iron, never able to see the light of Jesus Christ who made them, who cares for them, who did everything to draw them back.

And now wants his body to go and tell them.

Simple.

And so look at the forces, the demonic forces that are arrayed against us in the world.

You just happen to be rescued out of there.

This is where a whisper, praise God you did that, might end up being heard in here.

So if you want to try it, praise God you did that.

Because we don't want to shout, you're Canadian.

But just imagine this guys.

Just imagine.

All these powers were holding you back.

Archangel means chiefs as in humongous demonic forces.

Chiefs as in archangel kind of demonic forces.

Lucifer was one of them.

Exusia which means powers and principalities.

Powers and principalities.

Where there are nations and regions where there is darkness that is so powerful that it is impossible for people to escape.

And the strange thing is sitting here are people from different nations and we were rescued by Christ.

This is the amazing thing.

The name of Christ can rescue you whether you're from India, Mongolia, the Middle East, Great Britain, Canada.

Doesn't matter because the powers and principalities are everywhere.

They just take on different shapes and forms.

And then the third one is cosmocra, which is world rulers.

Where do you think ideologies come from? Where do you think religions come from?

Where do you think mysticism comes from?

Where do you think these come from?

We don't have the sense to invent it.

And then pneumaticos which is bodiless spirits.

Bodiless spirits.

And this is giving you the plain, clear translation.

Bodiless spirits of depravity.

Bodiless spirits of depravity.

When you begin to understand the science and the nature of opposition, then you begin to realize,

ah shut so we don't really wrestle against pressure.

But there's no point getting angry with some guy who might be preaching a false doctrine, promoting a false ideology.

Because behind it lies an array of forces that have to be dealt with.

And when we begin to think like that, God begins to show us what to touch and what to undo.

Therefore when Paul goes into Ephesus, he knows that there is this goddess of Artemis that has to be brought down, that has to be undone.

And in Ephesus as he begins to speak, strange things begin to happen.

People bring 50,000 vatmas worth of magic potions, charts, papers, papyrus, and they throw it and they burn it.

What's being done that the powers that are pressing there?

Daniel knew this in Babylon.

He knew what he was going up against.

Moses knew it when he was standing before Pharaoh.

And the Holy Spirit who is absolutely filled with greed whenever there is a battle afoot.

Is looking for people who will listen and say, sure, we know how to pay for it.

Any questions?

J.K.

With the world rulers, I just want to see the word that that's not, people aren't in charge of the countries that we're in.

No, we're not talking about sexual love. We're talking about the spiritual love.

Is there likely to be a connection between spiritual world rulers and world rulers?

Yeah, there are connections between spiritual world rulers and world rulers.

Because you find certain nations, hey, it doesn't matter that you bring an Indian out of India,

he still has certain cultural values that are so deeply ingrained over 4,000 to 5,000 years

that you can't remove it from him until he decides to embrace a kingdom value.

Why is it that you can remove a person from his home and bring him to a foreign nation and plant him there

and he yet holds on to certain cultural beliefs, religious beliefs from the land he came out of?

Because it's a deeply steeped day.

We fight against it being taken away.

It's not that our culture is unimportant.

It is that it is secondary because there is an overarching culture now for the kingdom culture

as in the ways of Christ that must override everything else.

And many of our cultural traditions, doesn't matter whether you're British, or Canadian, or Indian, or Mongolian, or whatever,

have such poisonous roots that you can't remove them.

And like I said, the Second Corinthians 4 says that the eyes of people are blinded by these people,

by these eyes of the world are blinded.

Who can sense it? The only ones who have light inside them.

Who are the ones who have light in treasures inside jars of clay? Us.

What needs to happen with the jars of clay? Break them.

What does breaking look like?

Facing scorn and opposition and being absolutely unsophisticated

and preaching this simple gospel for a man who is supposed to be king but was crucified.

It is such a not sophisticated message.

There is nothing wise about it in Greek stated.

There's nothing miraculous about it that Jews didn't like.

And that is the message that you and I are supposed to take out and preach.

But we costumed it. I did not costume it.

Preach as it is.

That Christ is God. That He came down to the earth.

That He lived on the earth in flesh.

That He walked on the earth and did not sin.

That He took the punishment of your sins upon Himself.

That He was hung on a cross. That He died on the cross.

That they buried Him. That after three days He rose again.

He appeared to more than 600 people showing them that He was alive.

Historically it has been proven that Jesus Christ existed.

Even our girls are named after Him in terms of aging.

And be thieves for that matter.

And then not only does He walk the earth for 40 days, after that He ascends.

And He now sits in heaven.

And the Father's light rules over the entire universe.

That He is the King. That He is absolute sovereign in head.

That He works through a people who call His body.

Another word for the body is His Church.

And His intent is there are thousands and thousands of others that I want to bring into my flock.

So guys, I'm not here but I live in you so go out and do exactly what I've been doing.

And know I'll be with you till the end of here.

Everything else is gravy.

This is real steak.

Any questions on this guys?

Hey, once we get a hand on this, no prevailing cry becomes both challenging, provocative, or fun.

There is nothing like knowing what you must come against.

There is nothing like, there is no pleasure as seeing what you come against bowing and people being free.

You must understand why the disciples came back absolutely overjoyed in Luke 10.

When they said, Jesus, Jesus, you won't believe what happened. What happened Peter?

You won't believe what happened. I mean I just wanted that demon to go at it.

Fled and the man was set free.

And Jesus wasn't saying, I don't want you to rejoice over demons being cast out.

What he was saying is, hey, I'm really happy for you.

But there's something even happier and that is that your name is written in heaven.

The killjoy way of preaching it is, don't get too excited about casting demons.

Really it is the most exciting thing that can happen to a person when the person is set free from demons.

And then led to the Lord and get saved.

Getting the person saved now means not only is he free of demons but he has a place for the rest of eternity in heaven.

That is more joyful for casting out demons is not less for it.

It is pretty fun.

Questions?

Oh come on.

No questions?

You won't be put on probation if you ask questions.

Don't stop here.

Okay, let's move on to the next one.

Hey, I have a thing.

Look at Ephesians 2, verse 2 and 3.

Ephesians 2:2

When you followed the gates of the world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are the civilians.

All of this happened in one direction.

This was how, hey Nick, we were talking about you.

Man, I was relieved you weren't coming and then you threw it out.

No, no, that was the way it was.

No, no, that was the way it was.

Okay.

The third critical requisite for the prevailing threat is knowing the risen and ascended Christ.

Knowing the risen and ascended Christ.

We touched on this some detail.

Knowing the risen and ascended Christ.

So the first requisite was, hey church, you can't forget your mission because when your purpose changes the way you pray changes.

It's rarely about you anymore.

And I take care of your enemies because you're seeking the kingdom.

All other things are going to be added to you.

The second requisite was know the size and the nature of the opposition and you'll realize that oh shucks, prayer is more about engaging with an invisible enemy who perpetuates things in the visible.

So that's where we win our battles and then see the consequence in the physical.

The third one is knowing the risen and ascended Christ.

Knowing the risen and ascended Christ.

Why is this important?

Guys, Ephesians 3.16.

Ephesians 3.16.

I mean this is something we rarely pray.

Ephesians 3.16.

It says that I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen me with power through his spirit in your inner being.

So here's what Paul is basically saying.

He's saying God wants to grant you out of the wealth of his splendor a release of the power of the Holy Spirit so that you comprehend him.

Think of that.

God wants to grant you a release of the power of the Holy Spirit so that you may comprehend who God is.

Crazy.

It's one of the prayers that I've started praying every morning to Father.

Could you now release to me the power of your Holy Spirit as it says in Ephesians 3.16 so that I may comprehend you.

Because we're talking about someone who is immortal, eternal, invisible, wise.

It's impossible to comprehend God.

And yet God gives us an out or a clause in Ephesians 3.16 saying, Hey, but here's something I want to do for you.

Why don't you ask me to release to you the power of the Holy Spirit so that he may help you in comprehending me.

Start your days like this.

Ask the Spirit of God.

First Corinthians 2 puts a brilliant thing.

Who knows God?

The Spirit of God.

Who knows you?

How the Spirit of God knows him.

He clowns the depths of the Father and brings to you who the Father really is.

So why not start the day of saying, and this is so important for us, because our minds are dull in a sense.

How do you comprehend?

How does someone who's blind from birth comprehend the sunrise and the sunset?

And now multiply that a million times.

That's what we're trying to do.

And yet you have his spirit who knows him, who clowns the depths of his eternal life and then says, Jacob, let me show you something about your father that you haven't seen yet.

And I always like saying there'll never be an end to it because he's in fire.

So there'll never be a point in our life where we say, aha, God finally I got you.

No.

But to spend the rest of our life every day asking the Holy Spirit, can you show me a little bit more of the Father?

This is why Paul keeps repeating it at different times, in different words.

In Ephesians 1.18 he says, will you enlighten my eyes of God?

Will you enlighten my eyes?

Ephesians 1.18, listen to that.

Ephesians 1.18.

It's a very long sentence so I won't read it because Paul really didn't know how to write short sentences.

Ephesians 1.18.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.

The riches of his glory is inheritance of the saints, his incomparably great power for us to believe.

Their power is like the working of the mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm.

Far above all rule, authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in this capacity but also in the one.

Amazing. I'll put a full stop after that.

The point is this guys, that it's the Spirit of God who is to ask him every day.

Will open this up to you. Ephesians 3.16, use it.

Guys, we must understand how the Spirit of God yearns to be asked to ask you.

Guys, we must understand how the Spirit of God yearns to make the Father well.

You have no idea. Think of how much you've yearned over someone.

Or if you're a mother or a father, think of how much you've yearned over your child.

Or if you're a mother or a father, a brother or a sister who's had a younger brother or sister,

and think of how you've yearned over your child, especially when the child is not doing well.

How you long for the child to do well.

Multiply that a million times and you will get the heart of the Holy Spirit saying,

I yearn over you, Jacob, to make the Father known a little more.

Catch a glimpse of him that you haven't caught.

Show you a sight of him that you haven't seen yet.

He yearns for it. Is there scripture for it?

Yes, in James chapter 4 it says the Spirit of God yearns jealously over you.

James 4 · chapter mention

There's a possessiveness that he has because he knows you are the father, son or daughter

and he loves letting the father be known to his sons and daughters.

Yearns over you.

All the more reason why we should pray Ephesians 3.16.

It enlightens our mind, it opens our eyes, it makes us see things that we would otherwise not be able to see.

What a brilliant God, huh?

Furnishes us with everything so that we can partake in his divine work.

First Peter, I think, or second Peter.

So one of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit is not that we speak in tongues,

though he gives us its tongues.

One of the main ministries of the Holy Spirit is, very simple,

it is to make the power and the presence of Christ real to you.

To make the power and the presence of Christ real to you.

This is what the Old Testament prophets, priests and kings used to enjoy

because they were the only ones who could have that privilege where Yahweh would be made known to them

by the falling on them of the Holy Spirit.

God's Spirit would come upon them.

Yahweh would prophesy.

David would begin to do amazing things, even Saul prophesied.

But now there is no prophet, priest, king distinction.

It's everybody and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the primary ministry of the Holy Spirit is,

now that I live in you and you are my temple,

can I make the power and the presence of God really real to you?

Drink it up like you're drinking.

Let's go for a coffee.

I was thinking of some other drink.

Not everyone can think that's healthy.

So it was, now I've got it.

Ephesians 1, 18, 20 we've already read.

Guys, the eyes of our understanding,

the eyes of our understanding need to be open.

Ephesians 1, 18 we just read that.

The eyes of our understanding are open in three ways.

Time, teachability, trainability.

These are the three things that open up the eyes of our understanding.

I know how to spell trainability but I spelled it wrong there.

So one of the ways the eyes of our understanding is open is when we spend enough time with the Holy Spirit.

Say, hey Holy Spirit I'm really here for this, just like you are to teach me.

So could you show me from the Word?

God will use to open up the Word.

Because at the end of the day who's the author of the Word but the Spirit of God?

The second one is teachability and that happens indirectly in some situations like this.

Whereas I'm talking to you, you say, oh shut up, I've read that before but now it makes sense.

Teachability.

There's nothing that's copyrighted in the Church.

Anything that I'm telling you I must have heard it somewhere.

So feel free to take these truths and market them.

As in, look what Isaiah 55 tells you to do.

Oh, is anyone thirsty? Is anyone hungry? Come, for I have bread for you.

Eat, and you don't even have to pay for it.

That's what Isaiah 55 says.

You do the same thing.

So the second way we have the eyes of our understanding is to be open.

The second way we have the eyes of our understanding is to be open to teachability.

God uses people to teach us.

Like it's happening right now.

And the last one is trainability.

Because God says you can't be just heroes of the world but doers.

It requires that when I hear something that I do something with it.

Because I just can't be a hero, I have to be a doer.

Therefore when these three things come together, you'll find that your growth begins to accelerate rapidly.

I would suggest to you that the reason Paul did phenomenally well, even though he was man born out of time and didn't actually have a meeting with Jesus in his physical body.

The reason Paul did so well is perhaps because of this.

He goes off into the deserts of Damascus in Saudi Arabia and spends time there.

Christ revealed himself to Paul directly.

This is why Paul always says it's my gospel and this is why I say my gospel.

Because he received the story of Christ directly from Christ.

First Corinthians 11 he says and now let me give to you what Christ gave to me.

And he says, he starts breaking bread.

And then the second thing was teachability.

He learned. He learned under Demaglia.

He learned under Peter and James when he went to visit them in Jerusalem.

He was learning and finally trainability.

That guy just didn't sit on what he learned.

He actually went to practice there.

What does he do three days after getting saved?

He stops preaching Christ.

Get these three things and you'll find your life actually.

Any questions?

David you said everything you learned that you're teaching you here from others.

There's some nugget of truth that I've always gotten from others.

I may have been on it but I always get it from someone else.

Okay, do you also get notes here?

Yeah I do.

But this is the second part, the teachability part.

Any questions?

Okay, the other thing we need to know if we want to know the reason in the hand of Christ.

Let's understand that one of the reasons Jesus Christ rose again and is seated in heavenly places and actually thinks you are seated there with him is because he loves showing you kindness.

Go to Ephesians 2.6.

I know we've talked about it before but it's so worth visiting.

Ephesians 2.6. Ephesians 2.6.

Look at what it says.

This is beautiful.

It says that Ephesians 2.6 and God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

And so now that's the truth.

It's not something that's going to happen in the future.

It is something that it's all about things because the life that you personally possess is the indissoluble eternal life of Christ.

The moment you receive Christ, the old you died and you got a brand new spirit and you are saturated and full of the Holy Spirit and Christ lives in you.

Ephesians 2.20.

It is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me and the life that I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and died for me.

So Christ actually believes that you are seated with him in heavenly places.

But look why? Look why?

Verse 7.

Seated with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Guys, Jesus loves being kind to you.

He enjoys being kind to you.

Why is it important to recognize the risen and ascended Christ as one who is kind?

Because when you realize how kind he is you will stop casting suspicions on his character.

One of our biggest problems living here on earth and praying is we are not sure that God is kind.

I'm talking about kindness that comes out of tremendous compassion and love.

It's not kindness that comes out of I got money in my pocket and I'd like to give you some.

It's not kindness that comes out of it's Sunday.

Therefore I will be kind.

There is no kindness month in heaven.

Every month serves kindness.

And so one of the things Jesus is extremely kind, extremely kind.

And the more you realize how loving and kind he is the less you will cast suspicion on his character.

Therefore when you are sick you will not go and think Jesus is doing this so that I may learn a lesson.

Jesus is doing this because he's trying to punish me so that I might change.

Jesus is doing this because he wants an angel in heaven.

That one sucks. Jesus is doing this just for different reasons.

Or when something goes wrong and you've caused it, you are the one who's done wrong.

You are the one who messed up.

You are the one who committed the mistake and hurt people.

In the midst of that there is a God who is kind.

And he just comes swooping down with kindness.

He's got talents of kindness.

Just takes it to your flesh and it doesn't hurt because it's kind.

Swoops you addicted up.

If we get used to the kindness of God we stop casting suspicion on his brilliant face.

But God's we are not sure of his kindness.

The stuff that he pours.

And it's impossible to engage in prevailing prayer that overcomes the enemy and sets people free if you are not convinced in your heart.

Regardless of your circumstances whether you make them happen or whether someone else did.

Or whether the devil did. This one thing I'm sure of.

Oh God you are kind, you are fair, you are just and you are good.

This is inviolable, non-negotiable, nothing other than a chivalrousness.

Any questions?

I'm not going to just close my mouth.

Jeremiah 15, 19 Jeremiah goes to a time where he's been prophesied, he's been doing things.

It's not working out well.

At one point Jeremiah says to God that you are like a deceptive brook that throws intermittently.

Sometimes stops, sometimes it's not.

You are like a deceptive brook.

And because it's Jeremiah, God turns to Jeremiah and says if you don't stop casting suspicion on my nature.

If you don't separate the nonsense from what is true.

I will stop using you as my mouthpiece.

Because I can't use you if this is the way you think of me.

Amazing, eh?

Because if I'm not convinced of his goodness, I'll have to sell him.

As in whenever a salesman is not convinced of the product, he'll have to do the spin.

But when someone is convinced of a product, you're not a salesman, you're just a promoter or something that is so valuable to you that you don't need to be paid for it.

There's no spin doctrine.

It comes from your understanding of who he is.

He is kind.

He is kind to his enemies.

He is kind to those that persecute him.

He is kind to those that defy him.

He is kind to the rebellious.

He is kind to those that don't know him yet.

He is kind to those that are in the clutches of Satan.

He is kind to those that are killing Christians in different parts of the world.

He is kind to murderers, rapists.

Child molesters.

He is kind to them.

Can you believe that?

And they don't even know him.

Sorry, Jo.

It is...

Oh my God, when you put down the list of people that he is kind to and then put yourself, who has been redeemed, rescued, is an actual son or daughter of God.

How dare you and I question the one thing that he always has been super loving, super kind, full of compassion.

That comes from almost a sense of a mother's womb.

That's how he talks about compassion.

This is who he is.

I hate it when I doubt his kindness.

I think no other wound is more of a stab into his person than right.

I stop thinking of him as kind.

How do they attempt that Lucifer and that the serpent made the God redeemed?

I'll tell you the truth.

He doesn't want you to have everything he has.

He does not want you to have this kind of understanding and knowledge.

If they had waited, if Adam and Eve had waited, imagine what God would have taught them.

Every day, teaching them a little more, little more, little more.

In finite God.

Cast suspicion on the nature of God and you immediately will have the devil whispering in your ear.

Every time you doubt or cast suspicion on the nature of God, the serpent will begin whispering.

Carefully,

carefully,

carefully,

carefully,

carefully,

carefully,

carefully,

carefully,

every time you cast suspicion on the nature of God or question certain aspects of who he is, obviously this, the serpent starts whispering.

You're right. He doesn't really want to give that to you.

You're right. He has no desire to do this for you.

You're right. This is all your fault and you're done.

You're right. It's not good.

He just starts whispering.

He's having that in the Garden of Eden.

He's not creative. He does the same things.

Any questions?

You know, there is one thing that the world calls acts of God.

Yeah.

The most horrendous thing.

Yeah.

They call me acts of God.

Acts of God.

Even your insurance policy has that. Acts of God.

I know.

Acts of God.

Acts of God.

Acts of God.

Acts of God.

God is a kind God, guys.

He is not a God who likes being appeased.

Appeasement is when someone is so angry that they're going to bribe, dance, sing, suck up to them.

Ain't talking about to over.

Because you never have to appease Jesus.

No offering, no worship, no worship.

No worship.

No worship.

No worship.

No worship.

No worship.

No worship.

No nothing with appease.

He's a kind God.

Jesus didn't die to appease God's anger.

Because that means he was angry

till about 2000 years ago and then suddenly changed.

And he decided, hmm, time to change over and start afresh.

He's always been kind.

The first thing he does on Mount Sinai,

in Exodus 33 when he leaves the temple,

I am Jehovah, gracious and compassionate.

He reveals who he is right then and there.

We talked about what about wrath and appeasement and atonement the other day.

Because I got something to be thinking there.

So hold on to that thought.

But you'll find that it's not contradicting.

I always say in Christianity so many things exist in tension,

not as contradiction.

Tension.

Gravity, aerodynamics, both have to work for a plane to fly.

It's the same way in Christianity.

Next thing, the critical cost of prevailing prayer that we have to pay.

This guy's recognized the significance of being part of the body.

Recognized the significance of being part of the body

if you want to engage in prayer that actually brings results beyond your individual needs and self.

If you want Ephesians 1.21, Ephesians 1.21, Ephesians 1.21.

Ephesians 1.21.

That's what it says.

Oh shucks, I'm going to believe this.

Ephesians 1.21.

Yeah.

Far above all rule, authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given,

not only in the present day but also in the one to come.

22. And God placed all things under his feet

and appointed Jesus Christ to be head over everything for whom?

For the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Why I read this?

It is impossible for an individual or a group of individuals to engage in prevailing prayer

because one of the things God wants to do is spread his aroma,

the fragrance of life through the people who call his church.

One of the things that's hardest for a church to do is get people together to pray.

You can get them together for fellowship, you can get them together for the prophetic,

you can get them together for teaching.

But the one thing that is very hard for every church to do is get people together for prayer.

Partly because when a church realizes, oh shucks,

if we actually gather as a people and can engage in prevailing prayer,

the enemy will do everything to stop.

Because Christ's head, for the sake of the church,

at whose feet things have been placed,

fills his body with himself so that he can use the power that he has.

Remember I showed you this picture last time and I talked to Prashanth about it later.

I poured water on Prashanth's head, remember?

And it flowed down his beard and it flowed down to his clothes.

The intent was somewhat very three.

The benefits of Christ are fully recognized only when you are part of the body.

As an individual believer, it is impossible to recognize or realize all of Christ.

Impossible.

It's not possible.

It's not possible.

Take your elbow out, take your nose out, take your eye out,

take your knee out, leave it on the slope,

and it is impossible for your elbow, knee, eye or nose to benefit from your body anymore.

Why? Because it's just been disconnected.

And as it lies there disconnected, it still looks like a part of the body,

but it does not draw from the life of the head.

Why? Because it's been disconnected.

And therefore, to engage in prevailing prayer,

the kind of prayer that contends that battles that overcomes,

you have to see yourself from Sunday to the next Sunday as part of this thing called the body of Christ

and not something that ends in an hour from now.

I know I've said this before, but it's so worth saying,

at least for the tape of the people who haven't heard this before,

I knew a lady who used to have an artificial leg.

She would come to church and you wouldn't know she had an artificial leg,

then she'd put it up and then you'd realize that her right leg was a prosthetic limb.

When she would go to bed, she would remove that prosthetic limb,

put it on the side and she would sleep without that leg.

During the night, that leg was separate from the body,

didn't look like part of the body, didn't have the same texture of feet.

It was absolutely disconnected.

In the morning, she would pick it up and put it back on and it would look like the rest of the body.

That is sometimes our existence and it is anti-biblical.

At the end of the service, one cannot disconnect the limb,

put it on the side to come back to church next Sunday.

It is wrong.

I have to be the thing that throughout the week I'm part of this people,

or whoever or wherever you go.

I'm a part of this people. Their business is my business.

My life is owned by them, their life is owned by me.

There is this thing called relational ownership when you begin to become part of it.

It is a strange, uncomfortable, anti-western thing.

Because we like our individualism and Jesus came to undo that

and make us little fragments that are put together as one loaf,

broken every time you break a human.

Just to show us that my body was broken so that you guys would be put back together.

I know a guy in South Africa who had a false limb

and his daughter was telling him,

I told this story that I just told you and she said,

you won't believe this Jacob, he wasn't a Christian.

When he got buried he insisted that his false leg also go into the coffin with him.

I don't know why I said that, I don't know how to correct that.

It doesn't have any particular meaning but I'm sure I'll come up with something in the future.

But the point is this, you're kind of a part of one.

How many you are, but here's the thing,

you have no idea of the protection that is offered to you because you're part of the body.

Satan hates it when people connect to the body.

Satan loves it when it's only a connection on a Sunday.

Hates it when people connect to the body,

where they actually see their church every day

as I am part of this thing called the body of Christ

that I am actually concerned about everyone else I've connected to and they are concerned about me.

And I will do everything in my power to foster this thing called one another.

When you really think like that, it becomes safety proof.

Any questions on that before we move on?

I mean it's strange, James 5 says 17,

what makes the effective prayer of a righteous man?

It talks about the prayer of a righteous, the following prayer of a righteous man,

it's dynamic and has great effect.

It's talking about Elijah, but look at the preceding verses.

It says that, listen, this is what you need to do.

Confess your sins to one another, your false steps, your offenses,

and pray for the good of others.

Confess your sins to one another, your false steps, your offenses,

and pray for one another that you may be healed.

The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man is dynamic

and has tremendous power and can accomplish much.

What is the intent there? That right relationships are critical to prevailing prayer.

If you want to have dynamic, effective prayer,

then it is critical that I be in right relationship with the people that I have been placed amongst.

Because the oil always flows from the head, not to the elbow, not to the toe,

but it flows down the head to the beard to the rest of the body.

So when I remove myself from the body,

so when I decide that I will only be part of the body on Sunday,

all I get is what happens in the body for one and a half hours,

and that is insufficient to sustain a Christian life.

But when I begin to take along the lines of,

I am relationally owned by you 24x7, that I belong to you,

that I am at your service, that one anothering is a critical part of my Christianity,

that everything that God does begins to flow right through the congregation.

When manna falls, everybody collects it.

When the quaint comes, everybody grabs it.

When the rocks, the bricks and water comes up, everybody drinks of it.

When the sand dunes don't wear out, everyone's clothes stay wet.

The pair of clouds is warm in the night, the shade of clouds is shaded in the summer days.

It becomes something that everybody enjoys.

This is how it's supposed to be.

It's just that we haven't seen this enough.

Just because we haven't seen this enough does not mean that we don't make it a reality.

Someone has to show it so that someone else can have it.

Someone must show it so that they can have it.

Go ahead, Shari.

I just have an example about that.

Do you have the women's group?

You've got it.

You can wipe.

Alright.

Oh.

No worries.

This is just a small example about, I think I'm uncomfortable.

I needed prayer and I just reached out to one of the women's group.

We have an app.

And just ask for prayers.

And no matter what, the women pray and then what I'm sitting here saying, I'm not going to work.

So I think, yeah, I would say the church.

Yeah.

It is important.

The thing is, when we say outside the church, we mean outside the two hours we spend together on Sundays.

When God says outside the church, it means out there in our part of this body.

It's critical that I see myself relationally owned by you.

And I actually do.

And then I forget I remind myself, you are owned relationally by someone else.

It's what Ruth said to Naomi.

Never forget that, guys.

It's an old Testament story.

Listen to the strength of it.

Your people will be like you.

You know what that means?

It's a scary talk.

But the reps are no longer Joan's private family.

She's got another new family.

But the Watsons are no longer her heritage.

She's got a new family.

Your people will be my people.

Ruth, Naomi at least came from an Israeli background.

Ruth was a mobile.

And she's saying, your people will be my people.

Your God will be my God.

When we begin to pursue this Christ together, egging each other on,

sparring each other in good works, one another in.

That's the intent of one another in.

It's not that your family becomes less important.

It's not that your family becomes unimportant.

It becomes secondary, as if your family lying in your heritage.

Jesus did this. Who are my mothers and my brothers?

Brothers.

Scary, man, if you're actually willing to live like a child.

This is the wrong place to speak when new people have just come to me.

I've just chosen a nicer place.

But come by my church, it might be nicer.

There's no guarantee of it.

So, yeah, and so relational ownership.

Your people shall be my people.

Your God shall be my God.

Where you go there, I will go.

Where you die, I will die.

Nuts, man.

That's relational ownership.

This doesn't mean that we can't go to Victoria and settle there like our pets are going to do in five or six months, though we won't want them to go.

It just means that when we commit, we commit to an extent that the world cannot understand.

Otherwise, the commitments are as shallow as the rosary crown club of the lion's den.

Here are some things that really work against prevailing prayer in a church.

Isolation.

Isolation is when a problem-taking one is a horrible one, but it's a striking one.

It's a problem-taking one.

The first time I read it, I thought to myself, oh, shucks one.

I've got to be careful about that.

I've got to be careful about that.

The first time I read it, I thought to myself, oh, shucks one.

I better not privatize my Christian life.

Provoking one.

An unfriendly man.

In some verses it says, a man who isolates himself pursues selfish ends.

He defies all some type.

A man who isolates himself pursues selfish ends and he defies all some type.

You cannot live life together alone.

You cannot live life together alone.

Isolation makes it very difficult to engage in prevailing prayer.

Allowing bitterness to be absorbed.

Isolation makes it very hard.

Isolation, allowing bitterness, makes it very hard.

God against us.

This is one of the things that will happen when a church begins to engage in prevailing prayer, which we will.

Make sure that you don't isolate yourself.

Make sure you don't allow bitterness to start devouring each other.

That's in relations 5.15 and that's in problems 18.1.

Make sure you don't fall for either of these things.

Any questions before we move on to the next part?

Let's move on.

Any questions?

A man who isolates himself has his own selfish ends and he defies some type.

As I liked Christianity, that was privatized.

That was on my own terms.

That was when I wanted things to happen.

That's called self-will.

Self-will.

The Bible says a man who's self-will and contributing usually ends up in trouble and I end up in trouble so much in my life.

Self-will. Sometimes it's not the devil.

The devil just knows a jigger.

You're a guy who likes being self-will.

So let me give you what you need to be self-will.

That's how you end up in trouble.

It's not the devil. It's not addiction. It's not some kind of attack.

It's just self-will.

That was my problem.

Still is every arm.

Any questions?

Nick, any questions?

You're still allowed to ask questions even though you went through your quota one day.

Still my text.

Oh my God. Let's move on.

I'm just kidding.

I really enjoyed your questions.

I just thought those questions were well thought of and that they were questions that others wanted to ask.

I was just surprised that you've been here only for two or three months and you had the courage to do it.

And I applaud you for it but I don't want to encourage you.

Because the last time I encouraged Diana with questions which was 13 years ago, she's still asking.

So I think mixed messages here.

I don't know whether you should or you should not.

Another critical cost of prayer is if you want to pray in prayer, you have to build faith under the colours of olive.

It's not like an olive tree.

It's like a tree of a tree.

Faith under the colours of olive.

It sounds like an olive sentence.

So let's paint it.

See, for pre-mating prayer, the kind of prayer that pre-mating doesn't mean, oh we've got to pray until the sun comes up.

Pre-mating prayer is the kind of prayer where Jacob fights the angel and won't let go.

I'm not letting you go until you bless me.

Pre-mating prayer is not some kind of long-drawn prayer.

It's prayer that contends, that engages, that does not let go, that has a bulldog issue to it.

I'll stick with it till what needs to be done is received.

That's all it means.

It can take two hours, it can take 24 hours. It doesn't matter.

Once we finish talking about the three records of pre-mating prayer, we'll actually go into what it looks like.

But that doesn't necessarily mean 24 hours of consistent prayer.

No, it doesn't mean 24 hours of consistent prayer.

I'm just saying, when we talk about pre-mating, I always get this idea of a woman in labor and that frightens me.

So that's not where I'm going with this. And I know nothing about that but it still frightens me.

So it's not that, oh you've got to.

It's something that can happen immediately or it can take time.

So, pre-mating prayer requires faith.

This faith must be built under the covers of order.

Meaning, when new buildings are built, they put a fence around it and you don't know what's happening within the fence.

It's that way. Because there's a faith that has to be developed within you.

But that faith has to submit to order.

It's a faith that is rarely talked about in churches but Jesus marveled at it.

In Matthew chapter 8 verse 9 and 10.

Matthew 8:9

It says, For I am also a man under authority, having soldiers under me.

And I say to this one, Go, and he go, and to another come, and he come, and to myself, and do this, and he does it.

When Jesus heard it, he marveled. It is the story of the Centurion.

Why is it important that we build faith under submission or order?

Because the one thing the devil always tries first is the very thing he tried first in the Garden of Eden.

Which is what? Can I bring you out of order and cause you to repent?

Because that's exactly what I did in the backyard of heaven.

That is exactly what I did in Eden. And can I try again with you?

And if we can do that, then he knows that he has snaked his way into what is being built.

And at the right time, he can rear his head and cause the thing to collapse just when it's beginning to take off.

So when it comes to prevailing prayer, it is critical that I learn to build faith under the canopy or the cover of order.

Because you've got mighty warriors in churches who have great faith and if they were to stand could rub satanic forces, but they aren't submitted to order.

And so they fall in the battlefield because Satan resists their authority, prolongs the battle, exhausts them, brings money, sex, or power into the equation, and they always fall.

And you don't have to be a well known figure for that to happen. You can be an honorary nobody.

It's just that when you're a well known figure, more damage is caused. If you're an honorary person, just your family hurts.

If I'm not submitted to order in my faith, as in when I exert faith, if I'm not doing that in a way that submits to order, and God has different forms of order set for us as Christians.

Every episode that Paul writes ends with how to live an ordinary life in a world that is desolated and barren.

Every fifth or sixth chapter of every one of Paul's letters is about that.

He spent so much time putting what remains in order.

When that doesn't happen, you may be extremely powerful, but the authority that it requires is in there. So your battle is prolonged, they exhaust you.

And when you're exhausted, and you're walking up and down your balcony when you should be at war, that's when Bathsheba turns up for a battle.

That's what happens.

So I suggest to you that if you were to engage in prevailing prayer, and this church will, and if you were to begin to take part in it, please make sure that in orderly structures, you are under authority, that I am under authority.

I submit in authority to this church. I do not do anything without checking with at least one or two leaders. When I'm in trouble, I call the leaders. When I'm unsure, I call the leaders. When I make a decision, I call the leaders.

There's nothing I say to the church that someone in authority doesn't know. I'm talking about leaders who are sometimes 20 years younger than me, and sometimes 20 years older. Thank God there are people older than me.

But it can be at school, it can be at marriage, it can be at work, it can be with government, it can be with your taxes. Make sure you're under order when you come to fight against that enemy who is the master of confusion in this order.

We must be able to say like Jesus when we pray for things that the Prince of the world has come but he has nothing in you. The Prince of the world has come but he has nothing in you. Why? Because when there is no darkness in you, you can overcome the darkness.

Science owns it. It's absolutely possible. It's absolutely possible. It's no big deal, guys.

When it comes to dealing with other powers, this element is critical. It's a type of faith that's rarely taught where this faith is able to dismiss rules of darkness with a word that is built under the covers of submission and order.

Which is why Jesus modeled it because it's said during the same, I'm a man under authority having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, go and he goes. And to another, come and he comes. And to myself, I do this and he does it.

Jesus, you can do the same because you are under authority. If Jesus was under authority, what makes you think you and I can do without it?

This is why churches love being individual Christians who turn up on a Sunday and do not have to be connected to authority, order. My sin is my business. Church is your business. I turn up, I listen to your sermon, I'll do the worship, I'll pay my offering but don't bother me during the rest of the week.

This is why we love it because we love being authorities unto ourselves. I am an authority unto myself. If I come and ask you why you're coming late to church every Sunday, you don't like it. What business is it of yours? At least I'm turning up.

No, your life is my business now just as my life is your business. There's no MYOB when it comes to church.

Do you think that under order, you think of like baronets and all that sort of thing, I've always struggled with legalism and like the law and the way it's tried to scare me a little bit and you have to be terrible with the law. Is that what you believe?

Roman 13 says that most governments mean good. There are some governments that know. If it conforms to what the Bible says, then I must take a stance against it, which is more difficult. But if it does not, and it's meant for the welfare of people, and this is all writing when Rome was ruled by Caesar and it was tyrannical.

I'm Roman 13, top star. Therefore, there's an obligation on my part to fulfill the rules that are set by the government.

Every time I speed, I realize I'm speeding, I have two choices, slow down or look at the traffic behind me and realize that that's a low traffic if I slow down anymore, they're just going to hit the backside of my car or pull off to the right lane and slow down.

I know it's frustrating to drive at 50, but move to Germany. Don't, because we have enough music today. Don't move to Germany, as it's not a prophetic word in there.

So, unfortunately, when it comes to driving, I hate it when people bring up driving because I have to pay more attention to it.

Any other questions, guys?

Yeah, it's all there. As soon as a believer, disciple of Christ, gets a ticket, he changes his way of driving.

He changes his way of driving. Someone in this church got a ticket recently and he's looking at me and smiling, but I won't look at him so you won't know who he is.

Whenever I'm looking this way, the guy wants to be on that side.

So, and you should see his driving now when he drives, it is so, so easy now.

I love that.

Wow, that's a word of confidence in you, who I'm not looking at.

Here's what it says in Romans 13, everyone must submit themselves to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against authorities, rebelling against what God has instituted.

And those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right or for those who do wrong.

Do you want to be free from fear of one authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.

For he is God's servant, do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid. For he does not bear the soul for nothing.

He is God's servant and he is to be wrapped in the punishment of the wrongdoers.

Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience.

This is also why you pay taxes. The authorities are God's servants who give their full time to government.

Give everyone what you owe him. If you owe taxes, pay taxes. If it's revenue, then pay it.

Respect and respect. If honor, then honor.

This time all this is not worth.

Mad! It's almost as if all of what's happening today.

It's amazing how both covers everything.

Let's take the last part.

The last prerequisite that we'll touch on right now is truths and righteousness.

Truths, truths and righteousness.

Truths and righteousness.

Truths and righteousness.

It's a critical factor in prevailing prayer.

Isaiah 11 finds it pure and simple. I wonder if I have to explain.

Isaiah 11 finds it says righteousness will be your wealth.

Righteousness will be your belt.

And faithfulness will be the sash around your waist.

The sash around your waist.

Faithfulness here says of the word, there's fidelity to the truth.

Fidelity to the truth. That's what it means. Isaiah 11 finds it.

Righteousness shall be your belt.

Faithfulness sash around your waist.

This is what was then reflected in Ephesians 6.

Where it says the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness.

Critical if you want to engage in prevailing prayer we're talking about.

Why? Because here's the old thing.

In the article or the picture of a soldier that Paul paints in Ephesians 6 where he talks about wrestling against not flesh and blood but spiritual forces.

The belt served an amazing function. It carried the soul.

It also girded the loins and it had straps that connected to the breastplate.

And so when the belt of truth is broken what you lose is a breastplate that is not in place.

A righteousness that is not in place. Not in place.

A sword that you grab and it ain't there because it's out of place.

And the loins which are strained not girded.

Loins are always a figure of speech or strength in the Bible. Not girded. Not ready.

And that's what happens when the belt of truth is missing.

I find this so alarming and at the same time such a thing that I need to focus on.

Because when untruth works itself into my life then I lose my ability to wield the sword.

Which is the only offensive weapon I have because everything is killed with a double-edged sword when it comes to things that are false and true.

Everything is a double-edged sword of the spirit.

And when truth is not something that is important to me in my life then what begins to happen is that I'm unable to wield the sword.

This is when you begin to go into error because whenever truth is not loved it's only a matter of time before delusion comes in.

First Thessalonians talks about this and first Thessalonians 2 it says when people refuse or resist to reject the truth delusion is waiting in the wings to make an entry.

And so when Jacob and this has happened you know in 1994 when I first came to Canada in 1995 I see a dream and in this dream I'm walking around and I've got a belt and I see a crack on the belt and I don't pay attention to it.

And I keep walking and time passes by and the crack begins to grow to a point where the actual belt snaps because I didn't pay attention to the first crack that developed.

And it's very easy I didn't need to go into some famous dream interpreter for that one.

It was that Jacob focus on truth when your belt is staring because you don't love the truth enough.

You're okay with a few exaggerations here, a few untruths there, a few deceptions here.

You're okay with that. You're behaving like Jacob from the Old Testament not like Israel.

So stop being someone who doesn't think much of the truth.

Every now and then I have to remind myself because when you lose sight of the truth where it's not important, when it's not precious, then strangely enough delusion is waiting in the wings to make a grand entry.

And when it does you find that you're not able to wield the sword.

You're stuck in ways of thinking that are now 20 years old, 30 years old, 40 years old and the truth loses its ability to cut into your life because the belt has never been mended.

The other thing that happens is when truth is not focused on the breastplate of righteousness, that which protects your vital organs, that which is right relationship with God, right relationship with Shabbat, right relationship with myself and right relationship with my environment,

which is basically what righteousness is, is out of sync man.

And therefore I begin to question my relationship with God, my relationship with Shabbat, my relationship with myself and my relationship with people around me.

It is affected. Why? Because the belt of truth is missing.

And finally my loins are not girded with strength. As in loins are girded with strength.

Basically in the book of Ephesians, basically it says your strength must be girded with your belt.

And when your belt is loose, your strength is not girded. It's spread all over the place. It does not have focus. Your strength is just all over the place.

And that is in the way God wants it to be. Strength girded, ready to run like a trained, thorough red stallion, waiting to hear the King's command and dash into wherever he wants to dash into.

Whether it be down to Buckingham Palace or into some Flanders field where you die.

When there is a lack of love for truth, just listen to me, lack of love for truth.

How do you know a person loves truth? You must see truth happening in their lives. It is not enough to have love for truth.

The knowledge of truth must work itself into your life.

How do you know if Jacob loves the truth? Very simple. Is the truth working out, shining out, being made visible to my life?

Truth that is not made visible is sheer information.

Truth that is not practiced, that is not demonstrated is sheer information.

Revelation, tons of revelations coming out for the church. But when it's not demonstrated, all revelation becomes knowledge.

And here's what happens when Jacob increases in knowledge. Knowledge pus Jacob up. Knowledge pus you up.

To war against what we have to war against, to prevail so that people may be set free in the places we touch, be it New York City.

I mean, I found a hotel that overlooks Times Square. Why David? Why try to go to some place where you can sit in the boon box in New York?

Why? Because ages ago when I first became a Christian, I remember reading David Wilkinson's Teen Challenge books.

Crossed on the switch page. And then after I read David Wilkinson's books, I began to take an interest in David Wilkinson teaching him.

He was a guy who was asking me. Every time I read this, and this was just within months of coming to Canada, I would begin to pick up his books.

Because I went for Teen Challenge for six months. And there was material available. I had a weak man. Just at the risk of dismantling.

I even went to church in Times Square. A lot of stuff had happened. I'm not going to visit that church.

But for me, as silly as this sounds, it'll be such a cool thing to stand there and pray for that city.

Say, Oh God, I don't know what actually I was supposed to do here, but whatever seat we can sow here, we would love to sit.

Because there was a man who long ago sowed seeds here. Wasn't very popular. People didn't want him around because he was too big to sit.

Wasn't accepted. Change that city for the better.

Wasn't popular, but that's kind of the legacy we want to leave. Unpopular legacies that affect the legacy.

Jesus was very unpopular. He still is.

If you have a daughter, I mean if you guys, if some of you get married or aren't married, eventually have a child, and the child is a daughter, please name her Aletheia.

I've always wanted to name someone that unfortunately I have to get married first. And that's too high a cost to name a child.

So, but it's not a problem. I'm not saying name a child Aletheia.

But you know what the word Aletheia means? It carries in it the sense of truth. But it doesn't mean truth. It's such a beautiful word. It means non-conceivment.

Ah, it does something to me now. Non-conceivment. That's what Aletheia means.

Where I begin to live a life that is not conceivant, that has no masses, that has no pretense.

Where my life gets to a point where it becomes so transparent that it's unconceivant, it is non-conceivant.

That's what Aletheia means.

Non-conceivant.

And that's what truth eventually looks like.

For Christianity, truth is not a concept, it's a person. And he was a person who was unconceived. He was fully revealed. Non-conceivant.

He was that kind of a person. And at the end of the day, freedom isn't freedom until it's transparent.

Freedom isn't freedom until it's transparent. How do you know you're free? Your life is getting more transparent.

That you can see less.

And what happens when your life gets transparent? They say Jesus.

Because the opaqueness of the veil of your flesh is undone, how people see Jesus.

That is the essence of freedom, the essence of truth. Non-conceivant.

Ah, if we could yearn for this, because for freedom we will accept freedom. But this is what freedom looks like.

The jinn has very little now to conceive.

Non-conceivant.

That is freedom, freedom, where people get more transparent.

What a beautiful thing to work towards it. And you have your life to work towards it.

If I could say when you die, and some of you may die before me, I also desire that this is a stereo fact.

I would love to say about you that you're like somebody who is so transparent. Who lived a life so transparent.

I'd love to say that about you. And if I die after you, I need a few more years to work on this.

I pray that you will be in the scene of my life.

That Jesus worked to a place where he became more and more transparent. I'd love that.

Any questions?

Transparent doesn't mean this is who I am, this is what you get. That's not transparent.

That's just I'm not willing to welcome myself but you have to live with it.

That's not transparent. Transparent is Christ's scene, actually.

Christ's scene.

Any questions, guys?

Just a comment, Jacob. You're doing pretty good at that moment.

Thank you, Diana.

Can someone make sure that she's in my funeral?

No, really, Diana, thank you. I had to say something funny because it's very nice of you to say that.

Any questions, guys?

Cool. So let's go back to with this new knowledge of what we know about God.

Synchronous song. Worship in that way.