Appointed

If you call yourself a follower, this message is not for you.

If you call yourself a seeker, this message is not for you.

If you call yourself a part-time believer, this message is not for you.

But if you're a disciple, then God has appointed to you a distinct lifestyle.

You have to exhibit a distinct lifestyle.

And what does that lifestyle look like?

It should bear the marks of divine ownership and divine sonship.

It should bear the marks of divine ownership and divine sonship.

A disciple's life bears traces of divine ownership and divine sonship.

What do you mean by that?

Guys, do you know that if someone became a disciple ages ago,

like when John was baptizing people and they became John's disciples,

or when Jesus' disciples were baptizing people and they became Jesus' disciples,

every time someone got baptized, the intent was to say that,

I join myself to your doctrine, to your teaching, and I acknowledge you as master.

That is why when you got baptized, you didn't get baptized in the name of Jacob John.

Because if you got baptized in my name, then what you would be saying is,

Jacob, we subscribe to your doctrine, your way of thinking, and you are our master.

Thank God that didn't happen.

Thank God it was in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And what are we saying when we get baptized?

We are saying we now agree, Jesus, that your doctrine is our doctrine,

you are our master, and we are your followers.

So there's divine ownership in being a disciple.

And there's divine sonship.

God doesn't want slaves and students.

He wants sons.

God doesn't want slaves and students.

A teacher can have students.

God is not interested in students.

God is interested in disciples.

Divine sonship and divine ownership are part of who we are as disciples,

which then means that every time you say you're a disciple,

there is an expectancy that you will live a distinct lifestyle,

that you're appointed to certain things.

Once Jesus went up the mountain and spent a whole night praying,

he comes back and he calls to himself twelve.

And he called them, and then he appointed them to things.

I mean, there were tons of people walking around him.

He did choose seventy-two, but he did choose twelve.

And he chose the twelve because he said, I've chosen you twelve,

I'm going to call you apostles from now on, I'm going to call you sent ones,

but I'm sending you with a specific task.

I'm appointing you to something specific.

So here are the appointments that you as a disciple are called to.

The first thing that you are appointed to is you're appointed to follow.

You're appointed to follow.

You're appointed to follow.

What does that entail?

Guys, in Matthew chapter four, verse eighteen, it says,

Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, and he sees two brothers.

One of them was Simon, called Peter, and the other one was Andrew, his brother.

And both of them were casting a net into the sea because they were fishermen.

And then Jesus says to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

That is all Jesus says.

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

These guys leave their dad, leave their nets, leave their boat, leave their occupation.

They had wives. They leave everything.

And they respond to a simple command, follow me.

And the strange thing is Jesus didn't have a reputation at that time.

He had just begun his ministry.

It was not like there was a track record that they could examine.

There was no cost analysis, no cost benefit analysis.

They just heard him say, follow me, and they stepped out.

If you say you are a disciple, if I say I'm a disciple, then listen to this very carefully.

You must at any cost follow him to whatever he says to you this week, this day.

It cannot be amended.

You do not have any leeway in this if you're a disciple.

There are demands placed on disciples.

On seekers, there are no demands placed.

On students, there might be exams.

On followers, well, wishy-washy.

But if you're a disciple, there is no amending the voice and the call of God.

So the question then is, why is it that we can live such easy lives?

May I suggest to you it is because we aren't even looking to see every week

whether he is asking us to follow him to a certain place or go to a certain place.

This guy loves saying this. Eddie loves saying it.

If you listen, you will hear.

If you look, you will see.

And if you dare, you will go.

The question then is, tomorrow morning when I wake up,

I must understand that as a disciple I'm appointed to follow.

So my question is, Jesus, as you're walking down the Sea of Galilee

and I'm doing what I normally do.

Peter and John were just doing what they normally do.

What is it that you're asking me to follow you into?

Where do you want me to go?

It's a must that we ask this question.

Otherwise, Jeevan's work will take over.

My pastoring will take over.

Your cycling will take over.

Heidi's nursing will take over.

Your retirement will take over.

If you listen, if you choose to listen, you will hear.

If you look, you will see.

If you dare, you will go.

Because God beckons you to follow his command.

Will you heed?

Luke chapter 9, verse 57 to 62 is about this.

Luke 9:57–62

Jesus is walking. There are people around him.

Everybody wants to follow Jesus.

Everybody wants to follow Jesus.

There is nobody in this room.

Anyone in his sane mind wouldn't...

No, actually, anyone who isn't a follower wouldn't be here.

There are better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.

But you're here.

And if you're here, it's because you want to follow Jesus.

Luke chapter 9, verse 57 to 62, you see people who wanted to follow him.

Luke 9:57–62

But when they were appointed and when there was stuff demanded of them,

it was very hard for them to see it through.

I do not want a life that is less than a disciple.

I pray, God, that when I turn Wayne's age and when I turn Gisela's age,

that it is still the same.

The father, either disciple or nothing.

Don't want to be a follower. Don't want to be a retiree.

Will you ask tomorrow?

Will you ask tomorrow?

Is there an agenda in heaven for me this week?

Are there people you're bringing to mind?

Are there places you want me to go?

Is there a nation you want me to visit?

Is there a holiday you want me to take?

Is there some money I'm supposed to give?

And then without question, without question,

do exactly what he says with no thought to the past, present or future.

Anyone who stops to think of past, present and future

is just like the man who said,

Let me go bury my father or let me finish taking care of my fields

and then I'll join you.

This is the demand of discipleship.

And God expects nothing less from us.

Nothing less.

It's this or squat.

In Matthew 9, 9, unfortunately, there was a man who was a disciple

and he says to Jesus, can I come?

And Jesus says, sure, but you won't have this and this and the other.

And the guy says, I'm sorry, I'll have to delay my coming

because I've got to go bury my father first.

What he was saying when he said, I've got to go bury my father first

is saying, I'll come after my dad dies.

What if that took 20 years?

We don't have this luxury.

Please, guys, please understand that the demand that is being made of you

is beyond your work, beyond your family, beyond your possessions

and beyond your wealth.

All that is secondary to the primary call of Christ.

Remember that image we've drawn many times over.

All that comes second.

Your work is not primary.

Your family is not primary.

And God will not make unreasonable demands,

so you don't need to be afraid of it.

Pastors may, God won't.

Yep.

The next thing he's appointed us to,

he's appointed us to bear fruit, to bear fruit.

He's appointed us to bear fruit.

I love the fact that, and I know I've shared this with you before,

but John, when he started following Jesus,

John was probably a kid, eh?

He must have been 13 or 14 or so,

which then helps us understand why his mother came to speak for him.

It helps us understand why Jesus had this love for John that was unusual,

which helps us understand why John would rest his head on Jesus' bosom while they were eating,

which helps us understand why he was on the island of Patmos

and he's 80 or 90 years old while all the other apostles have died.

Must have been 13 or 14 when he decided to follow Jesus.

What kind of a life did he live, man?

Leaving everything, getting up and following the Son of the Living God.

How dare you hold back?

I say this with much love, much love, and I sincerely mean that.

How dare you hold back?

How dare you hold back?

How dare I hold back anything for the sake of the King?

How dare?

How dare?

I've been praying that what I teach today may convict you by the Spirit.

I've been praying that Father, may I not shout, may I not use rhetoric,

may I not use any skill I have, but Spirit of God, would you just do something?

At Acts 29 over the next four weeks so that there's an odd kind of transformation that happens for us.

Just the sheer work of the Spirit of God.

That our proud hearts, where its pride may be humble,

that where we lack wisdom, that wisdom may enter,

and that where there is a lack of truth in our inward paths, paths, truth may arise.

We are appointed a bare fruit.

John chapter 15, I think 15 or 14, I'm not sure.

John 15 · chapter mention

John chapter 15, verse 16.

John 15:16

You did not choose me, but I chose you.

Why did I choose you?

Why did I choose you?

I chose you and appointed you that you may bear fruit,

and that this may be the kind of fruit that remains.

And then if that happens, whatever you ask my Father in Jesus' name, I will give it to you.

Guys, we are appointed to bear fruit, appointed to bear fruit.

One of the scriptures you should look at is when you get home,

it's a beautiful scripture, 2 Peter 2, verse 5 to 9.

2 Peter 2:5–9

It says, to your faith, now Jacob, add, diligently add, to your faith add,

what is this thing after faith?

I forgot.

And to that add, sorry, no, to your faith add something, to that something add knowledge,

to that knowledge add self-control, to self-control add patience,

to patience add godliness, to godliness add brotherly love, to brotherly love add love.

I don't remember the one in between.

But the point is this, when you read 2 Peter 2, verse 5 to 9,

2 Peter 2:5–9

depending on which version you read, the message says it beautifully too,

cultivate those qualities, cultivate those qualities.

Godliness is described as reverential awe.

Self-control is described as passionate patience.

Virtue, yeah, 2 Peter 1.

Virtue, virtue is another word for virtue is the good character of God, godly character, godly character.

And so cultivate these because, guys, we are appointed to bear fruit.

We are appointed to bear fruit.

We are appointed to bear fruit.

Appointed to bear fruit so that people can come and eat of you and say, oh shucks, the father tastes good.

At 3 in the night, a couple of days ago, I got this nasty text message with a lot of foul words.

From someone I know.

And I'm getting up the next morning and all kinds of thoughts are filling my head as to what I will do.

Cultivate good fruit, man.

Don't know why this person wrote what they wrote.

But cultivate good fruit.

Learn not to take offense and when they prod you, let Jesus just keep coming out in oodles and oodles of Jesus.

I may become a regular thing for you, eh?

Regular thing for you.

Loving with the love of another.

It's impossible.

I sometimes hear preachers teach a group of people who are not believers how to forgive and how to love.

And I think to myself, it's impossible.

It is humanly impossible to forgive.

It is humanly impossible to love.

But there is one whose life, if he begins to live in you, it is possible to love and live like him.

Love with the love of another.

Love with the love of another.

But you're appointed to bear fruit.

Many, many will be found in the end days.

Hey, I'm someone who believes that if you're really saved, you're saved forever.

I believe that.

But many will be found who said the sinner's prayer and there was absolutely no fruit in their lives.

And they will not be found in the kingdom of God.

There will not be found in the kingdom of God.

I really believe that once your spirit is new, it's new forever.

That salvation cannot be lost, is what I believe and what this church believes.

But it has to be, it has to be shown.

If there is no fruit, Jesus in you, if it does not produce fruit, ain't Jesus.

I mean, if Rachel came and told us she's pregnant for the last seven months,

and there was nothing to show, we'd talk to Matt about it.

Appointed to bear fruit.

This happens outside of church, eh?

We are the guys who won't know about it.

Your friends and your colleagues will know about it.

What will they say when I go and ask Chantal's colleagues, eh, how's Chantal?

And what if I hear stuff like, ah, she's got a foul mouth.

What if Jeevan is all nice here, but is a terror at work?

The fruit is cultivated between Sundays.

This is a quarry where things are done silently.

When Solomon's temple was being built, there was no sound of chisel.

Because everything was done quietly, but out there six days,

there would be the work of putting things together.

I pray, God, that this be, this is what makes us look like Jesus, eh?

The third thing is you're appointed to walk with and like him.

You're appointed to walk with and like him.

You're appointed to walk with him and like him.

In Mark chapter three, verse 13 to 15,

it says,

then Jesus appointed twelve that they might be with him

and that he might send them out to preach

and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.

Mark chapter three, verse thirteen,

Then he appointed twelve that they might be with him

and that he might send them out to preach

прик and have power to heal sickness and to cast out demons.

Guys, to walk with Jesus, you cannot be like Jesus unless you walk with Jesus.

You cannot be like Jesus unless you walk with Jesus.

But then we have a problem because He ain't around.

So today, He appoints us to the body, to sent ones, and to equip us.

Who as they imitate Christ, will help us imitate Jesus.

It is not possible to be like Him unless you walk with Him.

I'm talking about in areas of works and words of Jesus.

It's not possible.

You have to hang around with Jesus.

This is why Jesus called them.

Yes, He's given us the Holy Spirit.

Yes, the Holy Spirit is the one who brings us the words of Christ.

Yes, the Holy Spirit is the one who allows the works of Christ to be expressed to us.

But know this, that we, God has been doing this since the beginning of time.

You imitate Christ through being part of the body, through associating with sent ones,

through being equipped by equippers.

And if you choose not to, you will not, on the authority of the word of God I say to

you, you will not walk in the words and works of Jesus Christ.

Will not.

We'll hear about it.

We'll pray prayers like Sheldon prayed.

Oh God, let me be a witness to your healing.

And you'll see a healing or two.

But I ain't going to go further than that.

It's God's method of both empowering and humbling.

One of the things I liked about Sheldon being on the Strip is how teachable he was.

How teachable he was.

The last day he's leaving India, the reason he laid hands and instantly that pastor was

in New Zealand.

The pastor called me and said, you won't believe what happened.

And he told me.

Before this guy could tell me, he told me.

But it was because someone was teachable and someone was willing to learn.

I encourage you over the next six months to a year, come on a trip with us.

There'll be some basic qualifications that are required of you.

But come on a trip with us.

And you will see how your life will be changed.

You will learn in six months what you otherwise take ten years to learn.

Because there is nothing like learning on the go in the field.

Anybody who's come here will testify to that.

But remember this, that if you are unable to receive sent ones, equipers and the body

into your life, opening your life saying, teach me.

There are two things that happen when you're appointed to walk like Jesus.

It humbles you and it empowers you.

It humbles you and empowers you.

And if you choose to be proud in this, you will witness, but you will never eat.

Strong words, but these are those times guys.

These are times like that.

Because today it's the body, the sent ones and the equipers who train you into a stature.

Ephesians 4, 12 and 13.

God has appointed in the body, equipers to equip the body for ministry.

Ephesians 3, 1 to 8.

Paul is saying to the church in Ephesus, man you read Ephesians 3, 1 to 5 and you think

to yourself, gosh Paul was a daring guy.

He's saying to the church in Ephesus, hey Acts 29, if he was here he would have said

to you, hey Acts 29, I'm here for your benefit.

If you associate with me, you will do better.

Come from me, because I was sent to reveal to you certain things that God wants to teach

you.

And now I want to set Paul aside and I want to say to you Acts 29, there are areas in

my life that if you imitate, you will do so well in Christ.

There are areas of ministry in my life that if you came along and associated with and

imitated you would learn so much.

There are areas in the prophetic and in building apostolicly that if you imitated me, you would

learn so much.

Years of reading books and going to Bible college could be sorted out in six months.

There are areas of generosity in my life which if you saw, you would learn so much in terms

of generosity.

And I say that with all humility and modesty because I say that with enough fear before

God.

But I encourage you, choose, choose.

Do not let your pride prevent you.

Do not let your pride prevent you.

Some of you have, eh, and you've definitely benefited.

Some of you are hesitant.

I would say please take advantage of this season in Acts 29's life.

I don't know if I've told you this and if I am repeating myself.

So look at how shameless you sometimes have to be.

So he tells his wife that this is what I'm going to do and he calls me up and he says,

I'm going to, can I turn up at your house at 9 o'clock?

And I want to spend the whole day from 9 to 10 in the evening or 11 in the evening till

you go to sleep with you.

And so he spends the entire day with me.

Was it a pain at times?

Yes it was.

I mean I was meeting with Mike at Denny's and I told him to go sit on a separate table.

And then the next day he says, I want to come and visit you at home.

I want to see what your house is like.

Can I come into your house?

I mean people inviting themselves.

And so I said yes.

So he comes into my house and now he's looking at every room.

This is called shameless pursuit.

What is the, is this even biblical?

You should see what Jesus did with Peter and Andrew.

When they said, where do you live?

He said, come and see.

He took them home.

One of the first things he does in his ministry is he takes them home.

He opens his life to them.

Shows them how he spends.

Shows them how he behaves with his mom, his sisters, his brothers.

This is the life that is expected of you as a leader and expected of me as a leader.

And if it is denied to you, then you can say, ah Jacob, but, but till it's denied to you,

till you ask, you won't know.

This is the kind of life that should be developed in our households.

This is the kind of life that is expected of our leaders in this church.

And this is the only life that will get you to where you'll be able to say, I walk like

him now.

I'm minister like him.

I heal like him.

I cast out demons like him.

Him being Christ.

There's no other way around it guys.

There'll always be a ceiling on your life unless you do this.

Always be a ceiling on your life.

Only way to walk in the words and the works of Jesus is to learn the ways of the Spirit.

Learn the ways of the Spirit.

I'm going to give you an opportunity to ask questions here.

I'm not even interested in finishing all this.

I've got 10 of them.

So I'm in no hurry.

We can continue it next week.

So any questions on what I've said thus far?

If your question is, but I'm a female and you're a single guy, how can I come to your

house?

That can be arranged by getting a few more females there.

But if you just want to see my house, I'll bring photographs next week.

That wasn't the intent anyways.

I got a decent place.

Reading the Bible is good, Gisela, but so many of us read the Bible and ask the Holy

Spirit to teach us.

But we do not go through this process.

And because of that, we always come up short.

I know I've repeated this line a hundred times.

This is the hundred and first time.

Upgrade comes through association.

Imaging leads to formation.

Formation causes imitation.

And not mimicking.

Imitation.

Mimicking is different from imitation.

Mimicking is when you parrot what someone else is doing.

Imitation is when it's expressed through your own personality.

Any questions?

Go ahead, Mike.

Yeah.

How does it work when Jesus on one hand says any man who neglects his family is worse than

an infidel versus we have left everything to follow you, Jesus?

Because the same Jesus who said leave everything and Peter says we've left everything to follow

you.

The same Jesus said, but if you neglect your family, you are worse than an infidel.

So how do those two equate?

See, what Jesus is saying when he says your family, your work, your possessions and your

wealth does not come second is that hate it so that you love just one.

It doesn't mean you neglect it.

It means when it comes to a toss up between Christ's call, Christ's demands, Christ's

principles that there will not be a contest.

There will not be a contest.

So when my mom had her eye problem, if my mom said hey, I want you to come and spend

10 days with me because I'm going through an eye operation.

I want you to be here because your sister can't come.

If I turn to her and said too bad, I've got to go to Mongolia.

Now we've got a problem because now I'm leaving my mom helpless.

My sister can't go and I'm going off saying I've got to go to Mongolia.

There there's a problem.

But if my mom says to me that hey, Jacob, I would rather that you choose not to go to

a certain place and stay and we go for some unnecessary thing on a Sunday.

It's easy for me to make a choice because God is saying hey, Jacob, this is what is

important.

My mom's saying forget it.

You do it most of your life.

Why do it?

Just leave it alone.

Out of question.

There have been times when my mom and I have had arguments because I believe that what

I'm doing is more important than what my mom's asking me to do for the sake of social welfare

so that a few relatives are happy.

Couldn't get two hoots to keep a few relatives happy if there is something that is a greater

call upon my life or a greater demand.

So to answer Mike's question, it is not that God is saying neglect your family.

It is God saying when it is a toss up between your family, your possessions, your work and

your wealth and me and what you clearly know I'm telling you to, there should not even

be a contest.

You should hate one and love the other.

It should be hatred and love.

Yeah.

And if, when you choose to do what God has called you to, he'll take care of the family,

not tenfold, not twentyfold, not thirtyfold.

It says in Mark 10 or Matthew 10, 28, Peter says to them, but I've given up family, I've

given up wealth, I've given up land, I've given up possessions, I've given up, and Jesus

says anybody, anybody who gives up all these things will get in this life a hundredfold

plus persecution, plus eternal life.

And guess where the persecution will come from?

Sometimes from your own family.

We were shocked when we were going, a pastor was telling us that they went and planted

churches in a certain area in India and guess who persecuted them?

The Baptist Church.

And I'm thinking to myself, I was listening to stories, hundreds of them got beaten up

and I'm thinking, ah, poor guys.

I'm thinking it must be some militant other religion people.

So I said, who beat you up?

They said the Baptist Church.

And I'm thinking to myself, really?

The Baptist Church beat you guys up?

Somehow it didn't feel like persecution suddenly.

But it was because they got big sticks on their heads, man.

Let me do half and then we'll stop.

Appointed to receive the Holy Spirit.

Appointed to receive the Holy Spirit.

Appointed to receive the Holy Spirit.

Guys, there's no blanket statement, eh?

There's no blanket statement.

Last Sunday, after the wedding, which was on Saturday, I was asked to go speak at that

large church in Chennai, the Chad pastors.

And so I'm asking God, okay, so I've been in India for 12 days.

I think it's a good idea to go spend a day with my mum.

And so father, here is four services that I can do in this 25,000 people church.

Or I can spend a day with my mum.

And without a shadow of a doubt, the choice was, go spend it with your mum.

And so I called Chad up and said, I'm sorry, I won't be coming to the church.

And then later on I joined him in Mumbai for the evening service on Sunday.

So there are no blanket statements.

It's just that when God puts a demand on your life, there should not even be a contest.

It should be an outright denial where Jesus says, and you say, who is my mother and who is my brother?

But those that follow the will of God, they are my mother and my brother.

There should not be a contest.

There shouldn't even be a thought of, guys, that's the wrong word.

Yeah, there shouldn't be a contest.

There is no contest.

Fourth one is, appointed to receive the Holy Ghost.

Appointed to receive the Holy Ghost.

Ephesians 1.13 says, it's in Christ that you now, it is in Christ that, it is, it's in Christ that you,

once you heard the truth, believed and found yourself home free.

Sealed, signed and delivered by the Holy Spirit.

Or in other words, you were purchased, you were jealously loved, and now you are occupied by the Holy Spirit,

who is a reminder of everything else that God wants to give you.

At the end of the day, you and I were appointed to receive the Holy Spirit.

Go every morning and say to the Spirit of God, this is what I was preaching in Mumbai last Sunday,

that say to the Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, I so eagerly recognize this morning that you think this is your body,

that I am the purchased property of God, and here I come to be fully available not to live by my fullness,

but to live by your measure, your measure, O God, your measure.

Here walks a man called Jacob John on the earth that is filled with the Holy Spirit, as full of the Holy Spirit as Jesus Christ.

And Jesus, would you now teach me to be as yielded to the Holy Spirit as you were,

so that the same things that happened on the earth when you walked, greater things may begin to happen through this piece of earth, O God.

For this I was born, for this I was called, for this I was set apart, for this I was anointed,

and for this I will live every day, to live for anything less, O God, is a disservice to you.

A disservice.

You gotta be like this, guys.

Gotta be like this.

Unfortunately, the only way we can do this is by practicing it every morning.

And I would say with Peter and with Paul that it bothers me not to repeat this to you again and again and again.

For it is for your good to have these things repeated.

Regardless of whether you're suffering from a sleep problem or a cramp or a pain or a disease or a sickness,

all of them will begin to line up when you align with God.

The more you yield to the Spirit of God, the more He quickens your mortal body.

The more you walk free of diseases and sicknesses, the more you're aware of how to handle everything that God has given you,

abounding in every good work for all things at all times, in all sufficiency.

You dare things that you would not otherwise dare, you dream things you would not otherwise dream,

you think of yourself with an estimation that is right in the sight of God,

and not lousy humility that is sometimes just low self-esteem that is another way of self-control.

Guys, many of us know how to live by faith from one occasion to the other occasion.

We do very well in the wilderness.

One of the things Christianity, Pentecostal Christianity does to believers,

or charismatic Christianity, is to live by faith.

What Christianity does to believers, or charismatic Christianity does to believers,

is they make them experts at living by faith from one situation to the other situation to the other situation.

God likes that, but then He brought Israel into the promised land.

We have to learn to stop living like we are still in the wilderness.

We've got to begin to live like God has brought us into a land where there are wells, where there are vineyards, where there are houses,

where instead of carrying baskets to collect manna, we now have to learn how to dig the ground and produce grapes.

I mean, I suggest to you that knowing what I know about what God is going to do with this church,

He's saying stop living faith to faith to faith to faith to wilderness to wilderness to water from the rock,

to manna from the sky, to quail from the horizon.

Start living like you've actually arrived somewhere where God is now big and He knows how to sustain you.

That's what God wants us to do.

Guys, I am telling you a time is coming in this church where there'll be more and more people walking in health even as you get older.

It's okay to say a quiet Amen or a whispered Hallelujah to stuff like this.

Nothing will happen to us.

Anything. Things may get better.

It is okay.

We were meant for a time like this.

You don't know how long for the last 12, 13 years God has been waiting for a time like this.

Saying you've plotted with me. You worked with me.

You were not interested in fame. You were not interested in renown.

You were not interested in preaching what is normal.

You weren't interested in all these things.

You came together. You stuck with it.

Now let me show you what a big God I am.

And the one thing that stands in the way of a big God in you is one, pride.

Be humble.

Do not allow pride to get in the way.

How does pride get in the way?

Guys, the thing that pride stops is dependence.

Do not let.

Do not let independence prevent you from sharing in the full fruit of God.

Dependence on the Spirit and on the community of the Spirit.

Remember that. Dependence on the Spirit and on the community of the Spirit.

Dependence on the Spirit and on the community of the Spirit.

Critical.

I'm so excited about the time we're entering into.

And the last one.

No, they say appointed to receive the Holy Spirit.

Appointed to receive the Holy Spirit.

May every day this week have less and less time when you're not aware of it.

May every day this week have less and less time when you're not aware of it.

When you're doing the most mundane things, in my case it would be washing dishes.

Even in the most mundane things, may you be aware of him.

May you be aware of him.

May you work not towards his presence, may you work from his presence.

Oh, the mistake Christians make where they spend half the church service helping the congregation to get into the presence of God.

When they are actually dwelling in the presence of God and must operate from the presence of God, not towards the presence of God.

We are not in the Old Testament.

We work, we worship, we do things from, not towards.

May his presence, may you be so aware of his presence.

Guys, there are many people in this church that I meet with and I'm so encouraged when I meet with you because I know the strides you're making.

So don't think that what I'm preaching is because I'm disappointed or anything.

No, I'm preaching so that the bar that Jesus has set for us is so high, so high that I praise God that it will be hard to achieve except by the power of the Spirit of God.

I love straining for the things of God.

Love straining for the things of God.

It's like that woman who lost a coin.

She's blooming, moving her sofa and tables.

Finally, she has to call the movers because it's stuck somewhere in the deep end of the sofa.

So finally the movers come and they move the sofa and she finds that coin and she calls everybody and she celebrates.

So you should be straining for every little piece that God wants to give.

And when you begin to strain like that, God says, my God, this boy or this girl has such a desire that I will tear open windows in the tent so they can see more and more and more.

For to whom much is given, more will be given and more will be expected.

And to whom much is given and not much is produced, even that which he has will be taken away.

Choose this day which side you want to be on.

Duh!

I think duh is the new silah.

Last one because we've got 10 so I'll stop at five.

You're appointed to great kindness.

You're appointed to great kindness.

To great kindness.

One, two, three, four, five.

You're appointed to great kindness.

In 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 9 it says, you as believers are not appointed to wrath.

1 Thessalonians 5:9

You are not appointed to wrath.

I was WhatsApping a guy we met in Mumbai who ended up reading a lot of books and stuff by guys who keep talking about how God can be troublesome.

And so I told him that listen, do you understand this concept of being a much loved child?

And he wrote back in a WhatsApp saying, every time I mouth the words that I'm a much loved child, I immediately feel a wave of condemnation after that.

And this is someone who has been a believer for a while, is a worshipper and stuff like that.

And yet God says, I've not appointed you to wrath.

Another word for wrath that we'll understand easily.

He's saying, I've not appointed you for angry rejection.

I've not appointed you for angry rejection.

And therefore guys, nor should we appoint anybody to angry rejection.

Make sure that even when you're angry that you don't reject.

Every time I'm angry and I say a word that is rejecting, I'll go and apologize for it.

I'd apologize to him at one point for a word that I use.

Nice word, but it was a little rejecting.

And so then I went and told him, I'm sorry I used that word.

I really meant it, but I could have used another word.

Just as God does not appoint us to angry rejection.

So you and I should not appoint anybody within our scope except the devil and his demons to angry rejection.

So keep that in mind. That's just a side point.

But the main point is this. If you were not appointed towards angry rejection, where does that leave you?

It leaves you in Ephesians 2, 7 where it says, and now you have been seated with Christ in heavenly places.

For what? All my life I thought it was so that you can have authority over demons.

That's a side point. Ephesians 2, 7 says that you have been seated with Christ in heavenly places so that for now and for years to come, God can shower his kindness on you.

God didn't appoint you to angry rejection. Instead, he has appointed you to high places of exceeding kindness.

High places of exceeding kindness. Is this your glorious expectation every morning?

Is this your glorious expectation every morning? That I am appointed to high places of exceeding kindness.

This is the nature of my father and the nature of my life and what will then proceed out of my life to others.

Do we know what it is to be wrapped up in the laughter and the goodness, the kindness and the majesty of King Jesus?

Let me ask that again. Do you know and do I know what it is to be wrapped up in the laughter and the power, the goodness and the kindness and the majesty of King Jesus?

What is it to be wrapped up in that? As a child wrapped up in swaddling clothes, are these the swaddling clothes that you are wrapped up in?

Because if you are, life is lived super differently. Super differently.

Life is lived super differently. Super differently. And therefore may I suggest that we are not.

Because I'll tell you something else guys. I'm going to end on this perhaps sour note.

If we were wrapped up in the goodness and the kindness and the laughter and the power and the majesty of God,

it would be impossible for us to sit quietly and listen to what I'm saying.

And I charge you who are sitting here who want to say things but have gotten used to the silence in this church.

Do not allow it to smother you.

There are people sitting here in this church who came out of a background where it was alright to express.

But this church has created an environment and I'm partly responsible for it that smothers expression.

That cannot respond to a teaching like this with any expression.

And that has nothing to do with the spirit of God. It's devilish. It is not even cultural. It is demonic.

May you who feel the stirring within now have the guts and the courage over these next few Sundays

to begin to speak because you will not come under the power of a false spirit.

You will not.

We break the culture here. How did it come about? It's Canadian.

And it slowly worms its way into all our lives. Guys trust me.

I'm most responsible for whatever happens here. But praise God for a new day that is coming.

And I firmly believe it. I'm not rarying. I'm not being dramatic. I'm being absolutely factual.

But you guys arise. You guys arise.

We won't... Yeah. You guys arise. On that brilliant note I'm going to end.

And we'll do the next five next week.

Bless you guys.

Father we bless you. I thank you, spirit of God, for you.

It's almost like you're saying like in that Sherlock Holmes movie, the game is afoot.

And it's almost that sense, Holy Spirit, where you're saying the game is afoot. The games have begun.

Yes, spirit of God. Have a riot. Have a riot, spirit of God.

Because your riots are so orderly, so honoring, so godly.

I'll choose another word. Have your own way, oh God. Have your own way.

So we bow and we say please Jesus, we are ready.

Thank you for the month of August and another July Sunday. Thank you.

We look forward, spirit of God.

Rachel and Matt are looking forward to their baby.

Every day passes by, it's another day down. Soon they'll have this child.

If they can have that kind of an anticipation, we have an anticipation both for their baby

and oh God, for what you are about to do in our midst.

And it's a fact. It's not a rah rah statement. It's a fact.

So we bless you. Father I thank you that every need in this church will be met.

Every need that is brought to the altar today will be met.

Because oh God, you are a portion and you are enough.

You are enough and you are here and it is enough.

You are enough oh God. So I thank you for every need that will be met.

Again, that's another factual statement.

So we bless you now. In Jesus name. Amen.