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Episode 6: Salt and Light (Part 2)

Double Edged Sword ♱ Assyrian Church Podcast

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  1. In the name of the Glorious Trinity.

  2. Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever.

  3. Amen. Glory be to the Everlasting

  4. mercies which sent you on to us. Oh Christ, the light of the

  5. world and the life of all give us wisdom by a law and Enlighten

  6. our impulses, by your knowledge sanctify, our souls by your

  7. truth and Grant that we may be obedient to your words and make

  8. fulfill your Commandments at every hour.

  9. O you who enlightens the rationale with the knowledge of

  10. your greatness? Do Enlighten oh my Lord are

  11. thought that we may meditate upon your holy and divine

  12. scriptures at all times. Lord of all Father and Son and

  13. Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

  14. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, gotten Morgen

  15. guten Abend gotten my German. I need to brush up on beloved

  16. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, welcome to the double, edged

  17. sword podcast Ministries, good to have you again.

  18. And if it's your first time that you listening, 150 gazillion

  19. percent sure. That you're going to love the

  20. message. You know why?

  21. Because God is giving this message through his son.

  22. Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

  23. That's why we love the hear the word.

  24. We love to hear the word of God because our souls that have been

  25. Sanctified by the Holy Spirit yearn to be fed on the word of

  26. God. Your words were like a food as

  27. the psalmist says. So welcome again.

  28. And thank you for your for your feedback.

  29. Please don't stop those feedback.

  30. And most importantly, don't forget to share, don't be

  31. greedy. And keep this for yourselves, go

  32. out and share it. You know, Jesus said to his

  33. disciples, what you whispered amongst one.

  34. Another now, going Proclaim it on the rooftops, so you go and

  35. do that. And and I'm sure that God will

  36. work his amazing glorious ways and plans and miracles, in the

  37. hearts of those who are listening, Christians are

  38. non-christians. If we have friends listening to

  39. this, This to this podcast, welcome.

  40. And we truly welcome you and we pray that you know, Jesus

  41. Christ, Our Lord, Our Savior who is the savior of the world?

  42. Who is the Son of God? Will Enlighten you Enlighten

  43. your minds Enlighten, your hearts that you two can perceive

  44. and understand and accept his way.

  45. He's truth, his life glory be to his name.

  46. This is the second episode on result, salt of the earth.

  47. Salt. Isn't it salt?

  48. Yeah, but we're talking about salt.

  49. So, Stephen and Audrina. Where is it mining?

  50. Like, yeah. Miming.

  51. This is we're going to talk about light when it's going to

  52. take a while until we reach like, but we're talking about

  53. the salt of the world Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 verses 13 to

    Matthew 5:13–16

  54. 16 instructs that you to his disciples are the salt of the

  55. earth or the world. But if the salt from The insipid

  56. pasta blend what with what shall it be seasoned.

  57. It is fit for nothing but to be thrown out and be trodden Under

  58. Foot by. Man you are the light of the

  59. world. A City built upon a hill cannot

  60. be concealed last segment or last.

  61. Yeah, last segment, we spoke about understanding and Define

  62. defining salt. And as we said, we don't need to

  63. reinvent the wheel, the wills of been invented.

  64. Ship Mari issue. Dad of nerve, of Hadith had

  65. Eartha a Palestine are Village in.

  66. You know the year eighty fifty eight, fifty a d-- has defined

  67. salt. Some of the characteristics of

  68. salt salt, he says he writes possesses many Powers.

  69. It gives a taste to the insipid - the blandness the packet, - or

  70. the boringness, or the inactivity in activeness of a

  71. life. And we know that the world

  72. pertain To life. And we read from Colossians

  73. chapter 5, verses 5 to 6 chapter 4, I'm sorry.

  74. Verses 5 to 6 st. Paul instructs, Walk in wisdom,

  75. towards them without without that means, outside the church.

  76. And that's what we focused on those who are not in the church,

  77. those who are not increasing them, those who are outside of

  78. the church and redeem your opportunity, and let your speech

  79. at all times, be with Grace, as it were seasoned with salt and

  80. no, you You, how you ought to give an answer to everyone and

  81. we concentrated more on speech, the tongue what we say can be

  82. Bland, or can bring savior flavor to the lives of those who

  83. are not with Christ or those who are with Christ.

  84. I'm going to talk about that today.

  85. And how we can, we can be a flavor to those increase in them

  86. in the church who are a little bit Bland in their lives.

  87. James Chapter 3 Verse 6 now, Tongue is a fire and the world

    James 3:6

  88. of sin is like a forest and this time, which is one among our

  89. members Mars or defiles our whole body and it inflames the

  90. series of Our Generations that roll on like a will and it

  91. itself is on fire. What we're going to concentrate

  92. today is now to those who are within to our Christian brothers

  93. and sisters, how do we become? Well no I shouldn't you know

  94. I'll rephrase that we are. We do not become Jesus said you

  95. are not, you will become not you.

  96. Maybe not choose to be no you are.

  97. And we ascertained from our faith to our baptism to our life

  98. being called Christians. We are the light of the world.

  99. So how do we sometimes? Are the salt of the world but

  100. increasing them in our, in our Christian Life, our brothers and

  101. sisters at times, maybe even our own lives.

  102. We see that truly there is a lot of Fitness.

  103. There is a lot of blandness pack Hooter in our Christian Life.

  104. So today we're going to talk about those within within the

  105. church within the faith brothers and sisters.

  106. I'm going to say it again. Brothers and sisters, not

  107. friends. You know.

  108. I'm sure you've noticed. When I welcome everyone, I

  109. welcome our brothers and sisters and friends.

  110. Why do I stress brothers and sisters?

  111. Who is my brother? Who is my sister.

  112. Now, if we're going to talk biologically, I don't have a

  113. brother, so this doesn't apply to me.

  114. Only the term sisters will apply to me, but when we say brothers

  115. and sisters as Christians, we are talking.

  116. We are referring to those in Christianity and it's very

  117. simple, very simple. Paul sets, a straight in

  118. Galatians, chapter 3 verses 26 to 27 and this is how we are

    Galatians 3:26–27

  119. salt for. You are all children of God.

  120. So if Stephen and Audrina and myself and you are children of

  121. God, how by faith in Jesus as the Messiah.

  122. So for all children because we have faith and those who have

  123. been baptized into Christ, have put on the Christ.

  124. So we've all had, we all have faith, we have been baptized, we

  125. become the children. If we are all children, then we

  126. are Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

  127. So we refer to each other brother and sisters in sisters.

  128. Now if there is no faith in Christ the Messiah and no

  129. baptism, well then that person becomes our friend.

  130. Because that person is a fellow human being and we love and

  131. respect and we pray that they too.

  132. One day will come to the knowledge of Truth, which is the

  133. Lord Jesus Christ, the truth of God, which is only seen in Jesus

  134. Christ, and I put to death with Christ to to gain or to receive

  135. that glorious title. The adoption of children, being

  136. the children of God. So as I said, we refer to, we

  137. are referring to those within the church within the faith.

  138. Do we? Let me ask a question, do we as

  139. the salt of World Salt of the world?

  140. Not not become as the salt of the world.

  141. That means we are, do we provide flavor, Saviour, Saviour, I'm

  142. sorry A Taste of life to each other.

  143. Let us always keep in mind beloved.

  144. As Christians children of God, brothers and sisters of Christ.

  145. Co-heirs with Christ of the Glorious Kingdom.

  146. You know what I say these words, I get goosebumps co-heirs, you

  147. know, who's the richest in the world.

  148. Let's take what's-his-name, Microsoft, which is the Bill

  149. Gates Bill Gates. Just imagine you're a CO are Of

  150. his inheritance talking billions of dollars, right?

  151. Which is perishable one day, it will mean nothing the stocks

  152. Shibu and what have you will mean, nothing one day.

  153. Saint Peter said, sit straight, everything will melt, but we try

  154. to Fathom this and if you're driving stop because I don't

  155. want to crash and God forbid. You are a co-heir with Christ

  156. because of your faith. Your baptism of the Glorious

  157. Kingdom of Heaven that God has prepared for all those for his

  158. servants. Well, he's good and Faithful

  159. Servants, but we have an obligation to one another in

  160. Proverbs 27:17, we read as iron, sharpens, iron.

    Proverbs 27:17

  161. So one man, sharpens, the countenance, the person, the

  162. Persona of a brother or sister, or even of a friend, not only in

  163. the Chris and them even of a friend.

  164. And so, to answer our question, how do we as salt become a

  165. flavor, a taste of life to others?

  166. Bishop Murray issue that comments, salt constricts,

  167. Titans compresses and dries up. What does it drive up?

  168. Dry up. The dampness that parents the is

  169. that is the parent of slackness and Pew or rottenness.

  170. So salt has this effect that it constrict it compresses the

  171. depth and then plus causes the salt to be slack.

  172. Let's talk about that slackness. And this is where we all where

  173. we all fail. Where we all drop the ball.

  174. One of One of many of them you know significant areas of a

  175. Christian Life Christian obligation, our Christian Duty,

  176. our Christian gifts, where slackness is exhibited and I

  177. believe the main reason for this being complacency, you know,

  178. this ain't his fire engine is trying to compete.

  179. I'm just gonna raise my voice. You're not until it got.

  180. There you go, it's gone away now.

  181. He'll go. So one of the very significant

  182. areas of our Christian Life, obligation Duty gift.

  183. As I said, we're slackness is exhibited and I believe, as I

  184. said in the main reason, for this being complacent

  185. complacency And complacency in praying.

  186. This is where we become Bland. And if we are bland, if this

  187. salt of God, of Christ is Bland. How are other people going to be

  188. flavored complacency? Sainte-marie should add comments

  189. is the killer of zeal for life in the Lord, when you become

  190. complacent. You know, that first step you

  191. take I'm gonna pray tonight because I was in Bible studies

  192. here, this Sunday. I'm going to miss church, you

  193. know. Let me tell you how credit card

  194. Works. Let's go into Finance.

  195. Yeah I think they they psychologically created the

  196. minute. You miss one payment because you

  197. have plenty of credit and you got to make the next payment.

  198. Next thing you know that you've accrued so much credit that it's

  199. out of order. That's how it works, you become.

  200. Complacent in not paying when we become complacent in our

  201. Christian life, especially in our Peril.

  202. And I'm going to tell you why I'm saying prayer, not

  203. attending, church reading, the holy scriptures, Etc.

  204. No, in praying that one time you miss that one time.

  205. You're reluctant nine out of ten times.

  206. That's the beginning of complacency Someone said, if you

  207. don't feel like praying, pray, make sure you pray,

  208. specifically, when you're tired and you'll lakhs, then you don't

  209. feel like praying, get on your knees and pray.

  210. And I'm going to give you an example of a very simple

  211. effective prayer prayed with all the, with the heart with the

  212. soul and the mind. Why am I saying prayer beloved?

  213. Because praying Is entering before God's presence.

  214. Now this it's not this topic is not about praying we're talking

  215. about being salt. So how do you become salt is?

  216. First of all, you need to be praying.

  217. If I'm going to encourage someone, be a flavor in

  218. someone's prayer life. If I'm not praying, how am I

  219. going to be doing it? Someone said to me Robbie, why

  220. is it that some people are effective with their messages?

  221. And some people are not and I think this is the reason when

  222. you believe in something. When you We believe in you

  223. practice that something that's the time you become really,

  224. really effective. If I found a medicine or a

  225. medication or a solution to coronavirus.

  226. Let's say, for example, and it's worked on me and I truly believe

  227. in it. I'm ready to lay my life for it.

  228. I'll be so much more convincing than when I think it's gonna

  229. work. You know, take a try, may work

  230. when you truly believe. In something that you say and

  231. you do you'll be more effective when your prayer life is on fire

  232. and prayer life, not meaning, you know, constantly repeating.

  233. Oh Lord, Jesus Christ, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

  234. You know the name Jesus Christ is such a powerful name for

  235. those who continue to in the name of Jesus, in the name of

  236. Jesus, in the name of Jesus, I have an issue with that because

  237. I believe the name of Jesus. Shutters demon shutter in the

  238. name of Jesus. You mention it.

  239. Once once with Zeal with sovereignty, with respect it

  240. works, once you don't have to continue to repeat, repeat the

  241. name of Jesus, so when you're praying in, your prayer is, is

  242. on fire. And you're constantly entering

  243. God's presence. Then you can be affecting.

  244. You can? That's your salt in someone's

  245. prayer life. So prayer, life is entering

  246. before God's presence. in order to communicate, To speak to

  247. consult verbally, spiritually mindfully, with God, the

  248. almighty creator of all things visible.

  249. And invisible, you can be reading the gospels cover to

  250. cover your Bible cover to cover. It could take you a week a week,

  251. you know in one week, you finish your Bible and you continue

  252. doing. But when you're not talking to

  253. the Lord, when you're not entering God's presence, then

  254. there is something lacking. It's like last the the program

  255. on fasting fasting must be accompanied by praying and must

  256. be accompanied by reading the scriptures.

  257. If you're only fasting not praying, not reading.

  258. Scriptures, it's just the spiritual diet.

  259. That's all you're doing. You're just dieting.

  260. If you're reading the scriptures and you're not living the

  261. scriptures, it's only Academia. You just learning a lesson if

  262. you're just praying and not fasting and not reading the holy

  263. scriptures. You're talking to a guy you just

  264. you just want to talk to God but you don't want to listen to God.

  265. So that's why prayer is the most important.

  266. And I think one of the most important factors in our lives

  267. that we need to be on fire so that we can become that salt.

  268. That flavor that tang in someone's prayer life in prayer.

  269. There is an act Now, keeping in mind, this is for those that are

  270. within, when we pray, we Adorn God.

  271. There is a duration, we confess, confess our sins, our Frailty,

  272. our unworthiness to be even calling God, our Father and

  273. mentioning that that precious Almighty Majestic name of God,

  274. in our mouths, are defiled mounts.

  275. I talked to a friend And every now and then, he forgot that I

  276. am a priest who throwing the effort and he guys, thank God.

  277. But thank God, I'm thinking from that same mouth.

  278. The f word comes out, and then God comes out, you know, is it

  279. st. James says, how come from a

  280. fountain both bitter water and good clean water come out.

  281. All right, so prayer is a duration is confession is

  282. Thanksgiving and his supplication there.

  283. It is acts so to become effective.

  284. Someone's prayer life, our prayer life has to be on pain.

  285. We're going to talk about how we do this.

  286. Philippians chapter 4 verses 4 to 7 Paul writes and Paul writes

    Philippians 4:4–7

  287. rejoice in our lord always. And again I say rejoice and that

  288. your humility be known to every person.

  289. Our Lord is near, do not be worried for anything.

  290. Listen to this, do not be anxious.

  291. Do not be worried for only thing, but always look at what

  292. Paul says, not attend church do good.

  293. Give arms. Help the needy know.

  294. No, but always in prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving,

  295. let your request be known before God.

  296. Now as Blissful as tranquil as it seems it at times, becomes

  297. burdensome and that's where we become inconsistent and it

  298. doesn't take any effect. So what do we do?

  299. You know Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5 16 to 18.

  300. Pray without ceasing Pray, without ceasing.

  301. When I read this was, I don't want 24 hours a day.

  302. I'm going to be on my knees, praying, and praying and

  303. praying, lovely, Steno to be realistic.

  304. That's not what Paul is saying. We're going to talk about that.

  305. So then being the salt of the world and effective salt to

  306. those within, we need to bring flavor to the prayer life of

  307. others. If our Christian brothers and

  308. sisters are not praying, Then how can you claim that you have

  309. a good relationship with God? It's like me sitting, he and

  310. calling Steven and Audrina. Yo, guys are always going to be

  311. the guinea pigs, right? Calling Stephen and Audrina and

  312. saying, listen, let's just come together and read the gospel and

  313. everyone read by themselves. No, communication, no

  314. discussion. How is their growth in that?

  315. Unless I we read, we pray, we read, we discuss, and we build

  316. each other up. So our prayer life, examine your

  317. Life if your prayer life is not on par with the scriptures will

  318. then you cannot be effective. But if it is then there's the

  319. salt. That's what Jesus says.

  320. Now, you are that salt that will give that will make effect that

  321. will preserve that brother and sister who does not have the

  322. that active prayer life. How, how believe in the power of

  323. prayer, trust in the power of prayer, be persistent.

  324. Be persevering, you know, what is it allowed?

  325. Dan said to Jasmine, do you believe me, was it?

  326. Do trust me? All right, twice, he said it

  327. first, he said it, and then the second time he said it, he gave

  328. himself away. He said, do trust me, do you

  329. trust in the power of Prayer? Keep a regular prayer life.

  330. We have our personal life, private prayer life.

  331. We have our public prayer life. Now this is not just about

  332. praying, this is just just looking at being that salty that

  333. black that that Tangy that flavory salt in our prayer life.

  334. So that we can tell us. You know, if I if I when I say

  335. to people just pray it sometimes comes along as yeah that's just

  336. a cliche, Robbie everyone. Just pray, just pray.

  337. But when you say, listen, let me give you some examples, pray,

  338. truly pray. I've been in this situation and

  339. there's no other way but praying and consistently praying and

  340. persistently praying and perseverant.

  341. Perseveringly, if there's a word perseverance Lee, praying and

  342. waiting for the God for God to to reply.

  343. So we have our private prayers. We have our public press,

  344. private prayers are at home and if we We don't have a private

  345. prayer life at home. We cannot be effective in a

  346. public prayer life. Let me give you an example of a

  347. drummer or a guitarist, who's in a band, if the drummer, and the

  348. guitarist doesn't continually practice at home and Implement,

  349. his rolls his fillings. I was a drum eyes drunk.

  350. Anyway, if you if a drummer, is just comes to this that gig.

  351. And just plays during that gig and has no other private

  352. practice sessions where he's increasing his ability, he's

  353. over to be that effective is going to be Bland.

  354. He's going to be monotonous. If a soccer player doesn't kick

  355. the ball at home and practice his soccer skills.

  356. When he comes into the team, he's going to be very Bland, but

  357. when a soccer player has perfected, a certain specific

  358. skill, brings it to the team, then that effect.

  359. The whole team, it enhances the whole team and you know, the

  360. team could be winning and being Victorious, so it's the same.

  361. If we are lacking in prayer, privately then our public prayer

  362. will not be, not be quite effective if I may say.

  363. So. Believe in the power of prayer

  364. give testimonies how do you become salt in someone's prayer

  365. prayer? Life.

  366. Give give your testimony of how effective and consistent prayer

  367. life has reshaped. Or spiritual.

  368. Let me give you a specific example.

  369. And I always remember this, when I talk about pray, there was at

  370. one time in my Ministry. I was truly confronted with an a

  371. challenge. I would be on my knees every

  372. day, every afternoon. Every, every time I thought

  373. about that challenging circumstance, I would be on my

  374. knees and Trust, not trust me. Trust God, God just made it.

  375. Did he just fixed it? God.

  376. Perfect timing. Now sometimes when you're

  377. praying, yes, things get worse. But continued, Continuum of

  378. guys. God has a perfect plan for you.

  379. In Psalm 55:17 at evening at dawn and at noon, I shall

    Psalms 55:17

  380. meditate and speak. And make my voice heard so,

  381. become that salt in someone's prayer life because if a person

  382. is not praying, as I said, has no relationship with God.

  383. There is a, it's like when we just, you know, some people say

  384. I went I go to sleep. I always do the sign of the

  385. cross in sleep. Excellent but just imagine I see

  386. you and every time I see you, I've wave my hand and I don't

  387. say anything. I don't even say hello or peace

  388. be with you the next day. I just wave my hand and it goes

  389. on for months. What do you think there's

  390. something wrong with that are be because you're not speaking.

  391. It's the same talk to the Lord, go into the presence of the Lord

  392. so that you can be effective bear each other's burdens.

  393. Paul says, in Galatians, 6:2 bear the burdens of one, another

  394. for, in this way, you fulfill the law of Christ.

  395. We need to be concerned about one another.

  396. We need to be concerned about our Christian brothers and

  397. sisters in our church has at home, our parents, our friends,

  398. our cousin's, our relatives. We need to be we need to carry

  399. that burden. And how do we do that beloved?

  400. How do we do that? We bring it to Christ.

  401. Come on to me all you. Who labor and are forced to Bear

  402. burdens. How do we bring it to cross

  403. through prayers? Do we pray for one another?

  404. You know, we quickly, we're ready to quickly myself.

  405. I stand corrected, I stand rebuked.

  406. And I'm a little bit hit with hypocrisy.

  407. I'm quick to point the finger at someone and say, look at this

  408. person's social media. Look how this person is being is

  409. dressed how this person, you know, conducts him or herself as

  410. opposed to. Bending my knees and coming to

  411. the lawn saying, Lord help this person.

  412. Lord deliver this person that effective prayer.

  413. Lord, Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me him, her Sinners.

  414. So beloved to become salt in the most effective way in someone's

  415. life is to bring that person. Bring flavor bring tang in that

  416. person's prayer, life encouraging, come to Prague.

  417. You know, we don't have that, we should establish a prayer group

  418. in the church where we just come and pray.

  419. Yes, we have our Vespers. We have our metin prayers, which

  420. is early early morning. We have a morning prayers, but

  421. personal reflection where we come together, some of the crew

  422. from the Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Sydney will recall

  423. that. We, the core group of that

  424. Parish would come together in prayer.

  425. We would be praying for hours and I specifically remember one

  426. night, we prayed for about an hour and a half, and we prayed

  427. for rain. When we stopped praying, we

  428. didn't pay attention Nina's Haroon.

  429. If you're watching says, Hey guys, do you hear that?

  430. We said what it was pouring outside.

  431. It was pouring rain and this is not one of those are.

  432. Maybe I saw a vision. No, it was actually pouring I

  433. have. I have six other people to

  434. testify that. Yes, it was pouring.

  435. Through prayer. We have caused people to come to

  436. Christ through prayer. So, to be salt, we are salt

  437. actually have a look at our prayer lives.

  438. Let's examine our prayer life, so that I can be that Tangy

  439. salt, that can preserve the rottenness of someone's prayer

  440. life. And that, that person you, we

  441. bring in the presence of God and cause that communication to be

  442. between that person that brother that's it.

  443. The and God himself to whom be glory now in at all times and

  444. forever. Amen.

  445. One last thing. Please also don't forget to rate

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  450. /j double-edged sword. God bless you all.