Hidden in Christ

Colossians 3 3 before I left we were on Colossians 3 verse 1 and 2 and so we go to Colossians 3 3 now and

Colossians 3:1

Here's what it says it says for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God for you have died and your life is

hidden with Christ in God

Guys in the New Testament

Slaves were a non-entity meaning they were not even persons slaves were a non-entity

They would work and then they would have to disappear

And in Philippians 2 9 we hear that said about Jesus that he set aside the privilege of deity and took out the status of a slave

He set aside the privileges of deity and he took on the status of a slave

And in that Jesus was completely hidden in fact in Isaiah

Maybe one of you knows where the scripture is I forgot to look for it in Isaiah. It says he grew up like a shoot out of the ground

Does anyone know where that is

Isaiah 53 verse 1 onwards here's what it says

Isaiah 53:1

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

He as in Jesus grew up before him like a tender shoot like a root out of dry ground

He had no beauty of majesty to attract us to him nothing in his appearance that we should desire him

I love that line. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him

Nothing in his appearance that we should desire him

Jesus was such an average looking and perhaps below average guy

Charisma was not his thing. He was not charismatic

He was perhaps less than average looking maybe slightly ugly if necessary

It says there that there was nothing there was no majesty about him

That his appearance was a kind of appearance that in some versions it says you wouldn't even give him a second look

No charisma

No charisma

Why? Because he came as a slave as a bond servant. He starts life on earth being hidden

Why is this important? Because you must disappear first if God is to appear through you

You must disappear first if God is to appear through you and this is completely countercultural to how church is done

I mean what makes a great pastor? What do we look for first charisma?

Oratorial skills, great talent and ability, management capacity

The very things that should have been found in the ultimate shepherd the good shepherd the ultimate pastor

And yet he turns out to be someone in whom there is no majesty who's absolutely unattractive

Whose appearance wouldn't even draws to him who has no charisma

And yet people who hung out with him would leave and others would say that he must have been with Jesus

Because he teaches with a certain authority not with charisma, but with authority

A slave was someone who would not be seen

He would work he would disappear

Jesus disappeared first and if Jesus disappeared first and was hidden then I need to disappear and be hidden too

He was hidden you need to be hidden

To be spirit effective you must be hidden first

To be spirit effective you must be hidden first

To be spirit effective as in with a big S

To be Holy Spirit effective you must be hidden first

Which is why for 30 years he was hidden man nobody even knew about him

Actually concealed

And Colossians 3.3 says for you have died and your life is hidden in Christ

To be spirit effective I must be hidden

Only then does the weightiness of his presence in me become visible

When I am hidden the weightiness the word is kabod

The weightiness of his presence or the glory of his presence in me becomes evident when I follow the same pattern that Jesus's life has set

Guys why is this important because I am telling you something

The way Acts 29 is going it's going to end up being copied in different parts of the world

And Acts 29 has to become nothing so that God can become everything so that the world may benefit

I really think in terms of the world when it comes to Acts 29

Not because all of us will go to different nations

But because people like they just said

Guys everything that they are doing is modeled on what we have done and then they improve it

Because they don't have to go through the same mistakes we did

In every nation it is the same

But what a wonderful thing it will be if we guys were able to go into disappearance and hiddenness

So that the splendor and the weightiness of God may be made visible and may be made manifest

What a way to live

You are hidden in Christ

The less I love this line

The less I strive

The less I strive

To make myself known

The less I strive to make myself known

Or the less I strive to make myself known

And taken care of

The less I strive

To A. Make myself known

And B. Strive to be taken care of

The more

The more his life emerges

The more his life emerges

And I am taken care of

I love this line it is so true

The less I strive

For my life

For my life to be made known

For my life to be made known

Or make myself known

For my life to be made known

The less I strive for my life to be made known

And the less I strive to be taken care of

My basic democrats to be taken care of

care of, the more his life emerges and the more I am taken care of.

I so badly want this because at the end of the day I don't think there's anybody in

this room who doesn't greatly desire that Christ be made manifest and visible through

them.

And what if an entire church began to think like that?

That the less I strive to make myself known, the less I strive to make myself known as

a worship leader, as a pastor, as a this, as a that, as a pianist, as a drummer, as

a sax player, as a children's this thing, the less I strive to make myself known, the

less important my life gets, the more visible he gets.

The less I strive to take care of my needs, the more my needs are met because I have a

good good father and because a good good father's son dwells in me and the more hidden I am,

the more I disappear, the more he appears, the more you disappear, the more he appears,

the more you disappear, the more he appears.

I think I've shared this story with you, but it may be a while ago.

When we were at Ross Street or even before Ross Street actually, there was a couple that

had come from Ontario, well-known couple, like a prophetic couple, and they didn't do anything

but they were doing a meeting at another church here in Vancouver and I was supposed to help

with the meeting and so the person who was organizing it asked me to go pick them up

and so I went to pick them up somewhere in Richmond and they thought I was the driver.

So they told me to take them here, take them there, go get them Starbucks and I did all

of it and then they told me to wait while they finish some stuff and then they said

okay we'd like to go home and come back at three o'clock to pick us up for the meeting

so I said okay and so then dropped them home.

I'm so grateful they didn't give me a tip and then I took them home and then brought

them to the meeting and it's at the meeting that the person who brought them from Ontario

introduced me to them and you should have seen their faces man, you should have seen

their faces, I so enjoyed that part of it but that's why I said I'm so grateful that

they didn't give me a tip because that would be the height of embarrassment and so one

of the prophetic words he had on my life after that was Jacob you have the ability to wear

different hats and God can ask you to be anything he wants you to be and I really treasure that

phrase but the point is when you disappear he appears guys, when you disappear he appears.

Disappear, disappear, be hidden, let Christ become the first filter that meets everything

in your life. We'll talk about that a little. Let Christ be the filter that meets everything

in life. There's a scripture that says put on, put on Christ, put on Christ. The whole

idea of put on is to sink into a garment that's the idea of put on. Put on is to sink into

a garment, that's the idea of put on. To put on something the actual sense of it is why

don't you sink into this garment and so when it says put on Christ it's saying why don't

you sink into Christ, S-I-N-K, sink into Christ and once you sink into Christ you disappear,

you disappear and so then Christ becomes the first filter that meets the world you're walking

in. What does that mean? That when you say something nasty he's the first one who meets

the nastiness and so Jacob then still stays hidden. When you shower me with tons of money

he's still the first one who opens the door and receives it and Jacob is hidden. When

you give me accolades for what I've done well he's the first one who receives it and Jacob

is hidden. When you rebuke me rightfully for things that I've done wrong he's the first

one who meets it and brings it to me so that I can examine it and deal with it well. When

you offend me he's the one who opens the door and takes the offense and then I don't have

to deal with it the way I would deal with it if I didn't have this filter called Christ.

Put on Christ is to sink into Christ so that he becomes the filter through which I meet

the world. It's not my personality then that meets the world because the world can really

trigger off my personality. It's not the pastor Jacob that meets the world because the pastor

Jacob has his own thoughts about being a pastor. Hiddenness. What's his name? What's his name?

Watchman Nee writes in one of his articles that because I live an exchanged life when

the devil comes knocking at my door Jesus opens it. In Galatians 3.27, no Colossians

3.10 it says therefore put on your new self as in put on Christ who is being renewed.

Put on your new self that is being renewed in the image of God. As in this is the way

to live guys. It's a daily practice. It is very very possible to do this. Where you understand

that you have to put on someone not something. You put on someone so that every time you

meet the world he meets it. So now imagine what happens when disease comes your way.

When sadness comes your way. When depression comes your way. When a boorish husband comes

your way or a nagging wife comes your way. And wives and husbands can come sometimes

be like that. Each one is met with by someone else. That is your first filter. How many

thereafter do you react? Hidden in Christ. How do you hide yourself in Christ? By putting

him on every day and realizing that you have been. One of the Galatians 3.27 says put on

Christ. How do you put on Christ? You put on Christ by being baptized into Christ. One

of the ways we put on Christ is by being part of the body guys. You cannot put on Christ

all by yourself. You cannot put on Christ all by yourself. You can only put on Christ

if you are part of the body. Because Christ does not. I mean you are not the sole proprietor

of Christ. The sole proprietor of Christ is his body. The sole proprietor of a bridegroom

is the bride. The sole proprietor of the bride is the bridegroom. The sole proprietor of

the bride. The sole proprietor of the bride is the bridegroom. The sole proprietor of

Christ is the body. You cannot put on Christ if you are not part of the body. It is impossible

for you to meet all your needs. Impossible. But in a body your needs, your location, your

direction, your ways, everything can be met guys. It can be met. I want to tell you that

all my needs are met in the body of Christ. It has been that way since the beginning of

Acts 29 and it continues. All my needs, I am not talking about finances. All my needs

are met in the body of Christ. The wisdom I need, the prayers I need, the healing I

need, the essentials of life I need, I find in my dependence on the body of Christ. The

body of Christ is not just Acts 29, it can be outside Acts 29 too. So hide yourself

in Christ and in the body of Christ. Disappear. Disappear. How do we, here are some other

things we can look at and then I want to show you something. To come to this place where

your life disappears into the background. That's another way of looking at it. Your

life must disappear into the background. Your life must disappear into the background. Hey,

you walk into an Indian restaurant and your nose starts smelling these spices. Then it

disappears into the background. Then your hands come out and start breaking the naan

and you pinch a little bit of butter chicken and you put it in your mouth and the hand

disappears into the background. Then your 32 teeth, some of us less, starts chomping

on the butter chicken and the meat and the naan and then they disappear, no they stay

where they are. If they disappear into the background we'd have a problem. And then

there is this intricate system inside you that begins to grind it down. You don't even

see it. Every part of the body making an appearance and disappearing. None for a second thinking

that it needs to be known. None for a second thinking it needs to be known. I would love

for us to get to a place where this whole idea of the body of Christ and Christ being

always evident in you disappearing and becoming hidden becomes so normal for us that you have

no desire for anything else but Christ and the body being known. For Christ and the body

being known. For Christ and the body being known. I want to show you a picture. Can you

put up that picture please Ryan? Isn't that a really cool picture? That is the body of

Christ. That is Christ. That is Christ and the body. This picture was taken by a guy

called Liu Bolin. Liu Bolin. Liu Bolin. I think he is from China. I really love this

picture because it really tells us all that we know about disappearing and making Christ

and the body evident. This is Christ and the body. That bulldozer is Christ and the body

being evident because you can hardly see him. This is Christ and the body. This is Christ

and the body. Can you see him now? Can you see him? That is Liu Bolin. These are his

feet. This is his body. This is his head. Can you see him? He is there. Oh sorry. I

didn't even talk to you. Guys the point is that we have this huge instrument which is

supposed to represent Christ and the body and yet you don't see him. I saw this picture

the first time and I thought boy this guy is an expert at camouflaging. He has done

this in so many places. He will go to a supermarket, stand against the soup cans and paint himself

and stand there still and people will walk past him not realizing that they are walking

past a person. Check him out. You should see his work. He is a camouflaged photographer

and in this he has painted himself against the black of the tire of the bulldozer so

that none of you saw him and this is one of his best pictures. Hidden in the dark, he

is in Christ where you shouldn't even be made. People shouldn't remember you. People

should not remember you. How I want to get to a place where people don't remember me.

And so learn how to be hidden in Christ guys. Just disappear. How do we disappear? Here

are four ways to disappear. Guys here is the thing. The whole world cries out for self-determination.

Yesterday millions of women marched in different parts of the US. Self-determination. Saying

that they had all kinds of funny and vulgar posters that they were carrying but the whole

idea was self-determination. We have the right to determine our own lives but you must understand

the moment you declared Christ to be your Kyrios or Lord you were saying this day I

forego self-determination. I no longer have the right to determine things for myself.

Self-determination ended the moment you declared Jesus Christ your savior as Lord. You no longer

have the right of self-determination. You serve at the pleasure of another. Your self-determination

ends the moment you declare him as Lord. And what freedom there is in that. Philippians

Philippians 1:21

1 verse 21. You can take the picture off Ryan. His name is so you guys can check it out later

please don't open your phones right now to check it. L-I-U-B-O-L-I-N and the work he

does. Guys here's some of the ways that the first one is Philippians 1 verse 21. It says

Philippians 1:21

in Philippians 1 verse 21 that to live is Christ, to die is gain. To live is Christ,

Philippians 1:21

to die is gain. So we're talking about how do we disappear? How do we become hidden?

It is when Christ becomes my life. The first step is Christ becomes my life. Christ becomes

my life. When someone comes knocking on my door with offence Christ will meet it. When

someone comes knocking with accolades Christ will meet it. When someone comes knocking

on my doors with money, Christ will meet it. When someone comes knocking on my door with

sickness, Christ will meet it. When someone comes knocking on my door with accusation,

Christ will meet it. Christ becomes my life. He is the one who meets the world on my behalf.

He is the filter through which I operate. You think that is not happening? Guys, think

of all the filters that are at work in our lives. This is, let's pick on Dawn. This is

Dawn. Derek's handsome brother, in case you didn't know who I'm talking about. Yeah. So

this is Dawn. Look at the filters in Dawn's life. First, philosophies of men. You think

it doesn't affect the way he does things. Second, deception. You think the devil doesn't

want to deceive him. Third, traditions of men. You think he doesn't come from a place

where there are traditions active in his life. I saw it in both Derek and Dawn's life.

Four, principles of the world. You think the principles of the world don't tell him that,

hey, if you don't do this, you're not going to make it. If you study this, you'll get

a better job. Six, elemental spirits of the world. We talked about this two weeks ago.

Elemental spirits of the world. You think the spirit world is not out to try and build

strongholds in his mind. Everything that comes to him from the world, these are the filters

that he has to destroy so that at the end of the day, he does not operate by these.

The only filter he has is Christ has become his life. Christ becomes a filter. Christ's

word becomes a filter. To everything, Christ and Christ's word becomes a filter. This is

when you disappear and Christ begins to make an appearance. You think Jeff and Mariam don't

have Iranian left in them. You think I don't have Indian left in me. You think Rosalind

doesn't have a Brit left in her. You think Heidi doesn't have some Germaness left in

her. It is when we abandon clan, country, reputation and every which way of living,

you think Betty doesn't have, where are you from Betty? Malaysia and left in her. The

point being guys, these filters are actually operating in our lives. We have gotten so

used to them that we think they are a natural part of life and now Jesus is saying put on

as in sink into this garment called Christ. Put on. We put all these filters on and we

think it is natural and the moment we say put on Christ, we think not in this world,

in the next world. Hey, this world, this world, this world because we won't need it in the

next world. Put on Christ. Put on this filter of Christ and his word. Relate to the world

through Christ and his word. For me to live is Christ. To die is game. No, in that scripture

it is saying if I die I am with Christ. If I live I am going to live for Christ. If I

die I am going to be with Christ anyways. So Philippians 1.21 is where we start. Christ

becomes my life. Next one is Philippians 2.5. Philippians 2.5. Man, have they turned on

the air conditioning? Philippians 2.5. Does anyone know how to make this place a little

warmer other than jumping and stuff like that? Isn't the director of heat here? He is the

director of the heat. Oh, there you are. Thanks Wayne. Philippians 2.5. Philippians 2.5. What

does it say? Sorry. I don't want to paraphrase it. Philippians 2.5. Philippians 2.5. Philippians

2.5. Here's what it says. It says your attitude should be same as that of Christ or your mind

should be the same as that of Christ. Guys, the second part of disappearing is when your

attitude and mind is that of Christ. Another simple way of putting it is think like God.

Think like God. Think like God. It's absolutely possible to think like God. We have the mind

of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2. We have the mind of Christ. Let this attitude or this mind

be new as was in Christ. And then it goes on to say he set aside the privileges of deity

to take on the form of a born servant and became like us. He became like us. He became

like us. Take on the mind of Christ. Begin to think like God. I'll never tire of saying

this to myself and to us. Think like God. Think like God. In your marriage, in your

work, think like God. When God tells you to give $50 and you want to give $40, start thinking

like God. Think like God. And you will begin to disappear. What are we saying? That as

these things begin to happen, you begin to disappear and God begins to appear. Third

one. Philippians 3.8. Philippians 3.8. Philippians 3.8. Philippians 3.8. Here's what it says.

Philippians 3.8. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing

greatness of knowing Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them

rubbish that I might gain Christ. That I might gain Christ. Philippians 3.8. Christ becomes

is that and then it goes on to say I lay aside things behind pressing on towards the goal

in front in verse 12. Not that I've already obtained all this or have already been made

perfect but I press on to take hold of that for with Christ Jesus took hold of me. Verse

12. I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me. Guys, the third thing

is Christ becomes my goal. Christ becomes my goal. So the first one is Christ becomes

my life. The second one is Christ becomes my mind or I take on the mind of Christ or

my thinking. Christ becomes my mind or thinking. The third one is Christ becomes my goal. Christ

becomes my goal. It doesn't matter whether you're working at Telus trying to fix software

or working at Telus trying to take care of customers or working at Kumaon where you're

taking care of students or working at a church where you're trying to teach or working at

a warehouse or working in a hospital. Your goal is Christ. And what do you mean your

goal is Christ? Every day, every week, every year I have the magnificent opportunity to

ask God what is your goal through my life this year? That is what I want to press towards.

That is what I want to press towards. And we'll talk about that where our work, our

possession, our family becomes subservient to Christ and the church. Our work, our possessions,

our family becomes subservient to Christ and the church. Your only goal should be Christ.

Otherwise, let me put it in the words Jesus put it in. In Luke chapter 9 verse 57 or so

Luke 9:57

He said, if you keep looking back while you're plowing my field, you, Jacob, are not even

worthy to be my disciple. We're talking about just basic discipleship. Basic discipleship

guys. We're not even talking about level two or two. Just one or one. If while you're plowing

the field that I've sent you to plow, if you keep looking back at work, possessions, family

and stuff like that, then know this, that you're not even worthy to be my disciple.

I love the fact that those are the standards He set for us. And I know that if I were in

your place doing what you do, I would still have the same goal. That Christ and His body

be known. This is not a pastor's pet sermon. I've said this in Bible study groups. Guys,

this was not what I did for a living. I used to work three jobs. I finished work at a quick

copy printing. Then I would go work at another place and then I would do a third job and

then on some days I would work at Emmanuel Baptist. So it's not like this is what I've

been doing. But here's the beautiful thing. Had someone taught me this then, I'd have

run with this then. Because there's a tendency sometimes to think that pastors have a disconnect

that what they're asking of us is way too much. It is not. This is not me asking you

to come to the church and volunteer. This is me saying, guys, you have no other goal

than Christ and the body of Christ. To make Christ and His body visible and made known

is your only goal, regardless of who you are, what you do. That is the only goal. The Spirit

of the Lord is upon me. Why? So that I be a nurse at VGH? No. The Spirit of the Lord

is upon me, a nurse at VGH. That I might preach the good news to the poor, heal the broken-hearted.

That I might set the captives free, open blind eyes, garment of praise for the Spirit of

heaviness, orcs of righteousness raised. This is what the Spirit of the Lord is upon me

as a nurse at VGH. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me as one who's retired and living

in Richmond. Why? So that my retirement is peaceful? No. So that I might preach the good

news. That I might heal the broken-hearted. That I might set the captives free. That I

might open blind eyes. It's the only goal we have. If there is a need to be a nurse

if you think you have any other goal then know that you are not even worthy to be his

disciple. Sometimes I think going away for two weeks sets me on fire when I come back.

That's not me. That's the fire. Guys, this is the way we need to live. How do you want

to take that? Okay, let it ring. Any questions guys? Any questions? As we do this, as Christ

becomes my life, as Christ becomes my thinking and my mind, as Christ becomes my goal, do

you see why you disappear? Suddenly people will see the bulldozer and they won't see

you. Because Christ and the body becomes foremost. You don't even, you don't appear. And it's

in the context of the body that Christ really moves. He will move through you but he moves

so much more powerfully. I mean imagine a spade and that bulldozer. You are a spade.

The body is the bulldozer. I'd suggest that we hire a bulldozer to get things done.

That's why this whole household thinks that we are meeting in the small groups. Yeah,

you'll have teething problems. Yeah, there'll be days when Heidi and Derek's teaching sucks

but there'll be other days when it'll be good. You should listen to my sermons from ten years

ago man. I shudder. You should listen to them from fifteen years ago. I burned them. I burned

them. Sue and Heidi, Sue and Joan and Ruth have heard them. There'll be a lot of props

and stuff like that. It used to be so innocent and simple but at the end of the day people

didn't know what I was talking about. There are still very rare Sundays like that but

today is not one of them. The next one. Yeah, you can throw away some of those old CDs.

Philippians 413. Philippians 413. I'm grateful to the guys who still gave me a chance to

speak. Philippians 413. Philippians 413. It says I can do all things through Christ. This

is when Christ becomes my strength and my sustenance. Christ becomes my strength and

my sustenance. Christ becomes my strength and my sustenance. Christ becomes my strength

and my sustenance. First, Christ becomes my life. Two, Christ becomes my mind or my

way of thinking. Three, Christ becomes my goal. Four, Christ becomes my strength and

sustenance. I am no longer fueled by my fat cells or my grey cells. I am fueled by the

spirit of God. This body is quickened for what it is supposed to do. God will give me

strength according to my days. There is a passion and a fire that is lit within you

by the sheer presence of the spirit of God and you begin to accomplish in limited time

what others would take long to do. You don't jump into Ahab's chariot but you run faster

than that and you get to Jezreel before the clouds break and pour rain. The fig trees

don't blossom. The cattle are not in the stall. The olive trees have cast their fruit and

there is nothing to show but you are doing cartwheels of joy because there is something

inside you that tells you that your strength and your sustenance comes from God and we

do not operate by the systems of the world, the deceptions of the world, the philosophies

of the world, the traditions of the world, the words that men speak because we operate

by the spirit of God and the words of God, man. That's how we live. I don't mind a couple

of hallelujahs at the end of something like that. Yeah. Guys, this is how we live guys.

Where we now begin to disappear. We get hidden. Christ and his body. Christ and his body.

Christ and his body. You know when you want to serve somebody really well, you disappear.

It is only when you want your service to be noticed that you appear. Very odd that is.

Go ahead Miriam. It is kind of the same where it is no longer important to me. In fact,

Colossians 3.3 puts it this way. You have died in Christ. You are now hidden. I mean

strange thing happens there at most funerals. Everyone is crying and all that stuff but

the person has disappeared. And then you are not there. You are not there. You are not

there. That's what happens when you die. When you serve somebody, I have seen this. There

will be husbands who will serve their wives so faithfully on an occasion where the wife

is doing a Tupperware thing or a baking thing. And you hardly notice the husband. Why? Because

his only intent is to make sure that the party goes so well and that she is an amazing hit.

And then there are some husbands who want every woman there to know that he is the husband.

And when that happens, it's not the Tupperware party that is important. It's his really sad

flat jokes. And I am not talking about Kamal. Guys, I am not talking about Kamal. I am talking

about Kamal. This is how it works. I sometimes marvel at some of you who do things at Acts

29 and no one even notices how and when and what happened and how it came and where it

disappeared but it happens. Nobody even knows about it. Because your intent is I want to

serve Christ and the body. Once you serve someone lovingly with a desire to make the

other person shine, you don't care and you disappear. I dislike the idea of serving the

other person like joint Good Friday meetings and stuff like that. Because you will have

six pastors and everybody has to be given something. So you start with prayer and you

say the opening prayer and you say the closing prayer and a prayer and then there is one

pastor left who comes last and they say you can say the closing prayer after the last

song. Why? Because everyone has to be given something. Why not just disappear?

Anyways, let me wrap up. Next week we will continue this. There is so much more to say

and such nice things God has for us. Guys, remember this picture? This is the picture

of Christ and his body. My family, my money, my family, my family, my family, my family,

my work, my possessions. We are talking about disappearing. The only way to disappear is

when my family has only one reason for existence to serve Christ and his body. When my money

has only one reason for existence to serve Christ and his body. When my work as in my

job and my work timings and everything else has only one reason for existence to serve

Christ and his body and my possessions has only one reason for existence to serve Christ

and his body. This is when Christ becomes visible and all these things multiply and

do well. This is why it does not disappear. Me and my family, Christ and the body. This

is why it does not disappear because this is how most Christians including us at Acts

29 think that me and my family will find time to serve Christ and his body. This is why

me and my family, Christ and the body. This is why it does not disappear because this

is how most Christians including us at Acts 29 think that me and my family will find time

to serve Christ and the body. Me and my family, I will make sure that I save enough money

for my family so that my family is taken care of. My work is so that my family will

have provision and I will be a responsible husband or a responsible wife and my possessions

are so that I will leave my children and inheritance for the future. Oh by the way, I will give

Christ and the body 10% and yeah occasionally I will come after work to attend a household

meeting. This is how we normally think and it's a good way of thinking. This is how

good Christian lives and this is absolutely unbiblical.

It's next week we will be talking about that. How when I, guys one of the things we lack

is prioritizing. It's surprising how many of you moved countries, provinces to enter

an educational institution spending thousands of dollars leaving family clan country just

because you wanted to become an engineer, a nurse, a teacher or a pastor. You died to

your clan, your country, your family, your mother, your father and your bank account

and moved 10,000 kilometers to start a new life for your children even if it meant a

hard difficult life here. We prioritized what was important. We prioritized what was important

and we prioritized what was important. Christians have only one priority, the rule of God through

a submission to Christ and his body. Until that is not prioritized, this is how we live

and it is a good Christian life but it is an unbiblical Christian life. A biblical Christian

model is when Christ and the body is at center and all that is me begins to disappear. Me

and my family begin to disappear because Christ and the body are more important. My work and

my attachment and security and my complete immersion in my work begins to disappear because

Christ and the body demand the best of what I have. My possessions are no longer primary

and important because Christ and the body, that is what my possessions are for and my

money is no longer something that I give 10% off because all my money belongs to Christ

and the moment you say Christ, Christ and the body and when you do this, Mark 10, 28

comes swooshing out of heaven and just creates a whirlwind around you and when it disappears,

you say, alas, alas, the chariots of, what the chariots of? Heaven is chariots of Israel

and the horsemen of Israel and around you, you see the possessions, the family, the money

and the work multiplied many times over with absolutely no effort. That's what Mark 10,

28 says. For whoever gives up this and this and this and this shall have hundred fold

in this life and persecution and eternal life. Next week we'll talk about prioritizing

but remember guys, can you go back to that picture? I've got it on my phone now to remind

me. Not this picture. I've got it on my phone now to remind me. Not this picture. I've got

it on my phone now to remind me. Yeah. Christ my life, Christ my mind, Christ my goal,

Christ my sustenance, Christ my life, Christ my mind, Christ my goal, Christ my sustenance.

Christ my goal, Christ my sustenance. All for the sake of Christ and his body, will

I rally my life, my family, my possessions and my work to serve Christ and his body so

that Christ and his body become primary. I disappear into the background. I play my function

but I disappear into the background. People don't remember me. Any questions? I'm done.

Any questions? We'll just leave it open for questions. Anything you want to ask? Next

week we'll talk about okay so how do we prioritize this? How do we work it out? What are some

of the secrets to get this going? Questions?