From Me-ssion to mission | Elder Rosalind

Listening to a message to go from ex Church. We

hope this message will.

Like mission before you do the mission imen. And I

think a great story, a great person that we can

glean from is this person called Saul.

Do you know Saul? Of course y'all know Saul.

Tell me what you know about Saul.

Murderah? What else he changed his name to Paul? Excellent?

Thank you for that he changed his name or people

change his name for him? Right?

Good one? What else y'all know about Saul? Missionary? Right?

And where can you find a lot of stories about Saul?

The Book of X.

And that's why we're gonna delve into the Book of

X today because we are called X. Right, so it's

good to learn about this book that we are named after.

And so the main book of where we'll be reading from.

Are you okay? We're reading the Word of God.

Yeah, open your bibles and we'll be reading from X

chapter nine. All right, X chapter nine. Here we go.

I'm gonna read first, and I'm gonna unpack it together

with you.

Is that okay?

Okay? So just track along with whatever version you have.

I'm gonna be reading from the nk JV version. Okay,

all right, so we're gonna be reading quite a big change.

So please pay attention.

Yeah, okay, let's go Acts chapter nine, verse one, and

then Saul, still breeding threats and murder against the disciples

of the Lord. Hmm, sounds like a bad guy.

Went to the.

High priests and asked letters for him to the synagogues

of the Mascus, so that if he found any who

were of the way, whether men or woman, he might

bring them bound to Jerusalem. As a journeyed, he came

near the Mascus, and so s everybody says. Suddenly a

light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to

the ground and heard a voice saying to him.

Saul saw, why are.

You persecuting me? And he said, who are you?

Lord?

Then the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

It is hard for you to kick against the goads.

So he, trembling and astonished, said Lord, what do you

want me to do? Then the Lord said to him,

arise and go into the city, and you will be

told what you must do. And the man who journeyed

with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.

Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes

were open, he saw no one. But they led him

by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he

was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus name Ananias,

And to him the Lord said in the vision Ananius,

And he said, here I am Lord. So the Lord

said to him, arise and go to the street called Strait,

and inquiet at the house of Judas, for one called

Saul of Tassus. For behold, he is praying. In a

vision he'd seen a man named Ananias coming in and

putting his hand on him so that he might receive

his side. Then Ananius answered, Lord, I've heard from many

about this man, how much harm he has done to

your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from

the chief priest to buying all who call on your name.

But the Lord said to him, go for his a

chosen vessel of mind, to bear my name before gentles,

kings and the children of Israel, for I will show

him how many things he must suffer from my names sick.

And Ananaias went his way and entered the house, and

laying his hands on him and said, brother, saw the

Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as

you came, has sent me that you may receive your

side and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately there

fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received

his sight at once, and he arose and was baptized

Verse nineteen. So when he had received food, he was strengthened.

Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at the Mascus. Amen, Amen,

did you follow the story right? Do you know the

context of this? So what happened in a few chapters

before this was Saul was giving approval to the murder

of this man called Stephen. Do you remember that? So

now you know what I think? Right, Sometimes we give

Saul a really really bad rep right, I mean, the

first thing you think about him, murderer? Right? Of course,

then he had to change your name. And this is

the encounter that changed him forever, permanently changed him. And

I wanted us to learn from this encounter, to see

what can we learn from this and move on? Now,

not many of us have this encounter, right, the Damascus

are like something the boy speak to you? No, No,

I think none of us have that experience. But do

you know that everything that happens in the scripture is

for us to learn? Now?

The thing is right.

We always think of Saul as a backguy, but do

you know that he was the Pharisees of the Pharisees.

If anything, that there was more. If you want to

find any man who was more zealous for God, who

can you find?

It is Saul.

Saul was a man learned under one of the great priests,

and he studied to the and he was a Pharisee

of the Pharisee, the Jew of a Jew. That's why

you call himself. So you want to say that he's

a man that was really really devoted to God?

Can you deny that he was a man.

Who was really devoted to God, the Jewish God that

he knew. He followed all of Moses' commandments. Do you

know that that this is not us, not your simply

you know, run off the milk kind of guy. This

man is serious about God? Are we that serious about God? So?

I mean we always say, oh, this this bad guy

putting Christians to death, But actually he was a man

who really, really really wanted to do God's way and

to him because he only knew the Jewish God as

the way Moses had taught him, and so this Jesus

is a fall an idea to him. And so that's

why he's persecuting the Christians, right, He's persecuting Christians. And

you know that as we went along this way, it

didn't just remain that way. Thank God, right, Thank God,

thank God literally, thank God that he didn't just leave

Saul alone. And can I tell you that if you're

here this morning, God's not.

Gonna leave you alone where you are right now.

God is gonna come and mess up your life if

you think about it, not really mess up, bring you

to the right message. God's gonna come, and he loves

you so much that he doesn't want you to remain

the way you are. Do you know Saul can go

on the way he is and then continue to persecute

the Christians. But God says, Okay, I'm gonna show this

guy what I have in store for you. Amen. So

if you're taking notes, there are some points for you,

and there's some questions that I'm gonna ask. All right,

So the first point is this, what are the questions?

I love this.

Because questions always reveal yes, questions always reveal what's inside

or heart. Sometimes you can sit down and you're like, yeah,

you know, you tell me Jesus, But have you really

asked God the herd questions? Or has God asked you

the really hard questions? Aleao, are you ready for it

or not? Now? The first question. You know that in

this conversation, in this encounter, you know that there was

you know, light shine, and then suddenly he lost his

eyesight and then there was a voice that he heard. Right,

So it is God who is initiating this conversation right now.

And I'm saying, right now, God is speaking to you Church.

And this is the.

First question that Jesus asks Saul. He said, Saul, Saul,

why you persecuting me? This is a tough question to answer. Now,

let me ask you this question, Church, is it possible

to persecute Jesus today?

Yeah? Do you agree that you can persecute Jesus?

This is a really out you know, even though we

say yes, but it really is a very searching questions.

And then I had to ask myself, Jesus, when was

the last time I persecuted you?

This is hot.

Onna, because he can say, oh no, I think it was.

So it's true.

Saul was the one who put the Christians to death

right approving of their death, and he wanted to go

and bind more people, throw them into jail. So he

is persecuting Christians. Some people say, oh, no, it's not possible,

but do you know what Jesus had reason? You know,

this is the gospels right, and so you cannot put

Jesus back on the cross. But Jesus in his rerisen

state can be persecuted today. Is a really ouch thing, Like, wow, Jesus,

you mean I can persecute you today? You can even

though you fear God, just as soul feared God. Do

you know what drives him is? I think he really

really feared the God that he knew in his mind,

and that's why he was willing to persecute anyone who

disobeyed the way, the law, the law right.

And so.

Why are you persecuting?

Do you know?

Yesterday at our Missions conference, our culinary speaker shared her

life story. This is a seventy five year old woman

on stage. Okay, and today she is teaching English to

refugee children. Are you ready to retire?

Not yet? Okay?

Come on, doesn't matter. She is full of fire air

those who's hurt her.

She's full of energy. She's talking at such a fast face.

She's like, I really, you know, there's so many stories

in her life that she couldn't wait to share. And

it wasn't just that. It was really about, you know,

the hardships that she's gone through. Can you imagine living

in a country where you can hear bombs every day putting,

you know, gun point at your head. Have you gone

through that kind of persecution? I think none of us have.

Then I asked her, I said, oh, my goodness, you know,

have I really even gone through such things? For my faith?

And one of the things that really touched me, she

shared this story about a young girl, a pre believer.

She heard about this Jesus, but she wanted to know

Jesus for herself. And what she did this pre believer

she locked herself in a room for seven days, no food,

talk about fasting, right, I'm like, oh, thank you, where's

my next meal?

And I'm gonna eat right.

She fasted for seven days just so that God can

reveal himself to her that kind of desperation. You know,

then I'm not asking myself, my goodness, my faith. What

is thisler? You know, twenty four hours or so, like Lamar,

already are weed that spirit for the Lord. And so

these are all the encounters and experiences that she went

through that shaped her faith to be who she is,

you know. And at one point, you know, she was

at the threat of being raped, at the threat of death.

She's gone through all that and still going strong. And

she could still say, O Kila God, if today is

my last day, so be it, So be it.

Are we ready to die for our faith?

Church? I know it's easy to sail like maybe easier

to say, but it's to be tested. It really is

to be tested, you know, what we say and what

we will do to hold on to our faith. You

know sometimes I find right it's easier to die on yourself,

but to see your children suffer. I don't know. You

know that there's this real story about this. I think

it's in one of the Middle East Eastern countries where

they come in, you know, and they say, are you

ready to deny Jesus? Are you ready to deny Jesus?

If you say yes, I didn't I renounce Jesus. I

no longer follow him. You will live What would you

do guarn it your head. Never mind, I will shoot

your daughter first. No, are you ready to deny Jesus? No,

I believe in Jesus. Boom the next child, sister, and

then ready, finally, are you ready to deny Jesus? Never

like that? The kind of faith, you know, the kind

that is not wishy washy I today, you know, I

don't think God's answering my prayer, then I'm gonna leave

the faith. Or you know, God didn't give me what

I wanted. That guy, that girl. I don't know what

kind of faith are we building on church? If it's

if it's as easy as so flaky that you know

you can today put on Christ, tomorrow put on something else, then.

What is the faith?

Right?

What is your faith?

Oh? If people for hurt me, you know, this leader

says something to me and then you get like all

rolled up and you're like, okayl I'm ready to give

up the faith.

Come on, come on.

I'm just speaking this because I'm also being challenged myself.

I'm being challenged to really.

Ask myself what is my faith founded on? If it's

not for Jesus and my encounter with him, then it's

gonna be built on all these experiences expectations you have,

and you know, we will always fall when our expectations

are not met, and then we fall from the faith

right and so so church, I want to encourage all

of us, Let's build our faith on something solid, something

that will not be shaken, something that if.

The world takes away you're like, Okay.

Fine, you can't take away my finances. You can't take

away my EPF, you can't take away my job, it

doesn't matter. You can take away my health, you can

take my family, Lord, but I will never deny you, man.

That's that's the kind of faith that we want. You know,

I at least I desire Lah, I really desire this

that God, no matter what, it's always been you, and

it's you first. Amen. And so this global thing, I

want to show you the next slide, which is this

global persecution is happening today. Don't think that it's happening

like you know two thousand years ago. It's happening right now.

What you see on the the world map are colors

of the nations that is most persecuted. Do you know

that every year four thy four hundred people die for

your faith? That's real people yeah, four thousand.

I don't know.

Some of you think I also little one soul dying.

It's a lot to God. Do you know what's the

first What is the most persecuted country in the world.

Can you give me a guest, Which is the most persecuted.

Country in the world.

I heard China, India, somehore. Number one on the list

is North Korea. Yeah, you can see right there, number one,

the most persecuted.

And of course, you.

Know so I got this from a Global Statistics you

know website, and over the last five to six years,

I checha che chacked at all. Yes, the colors will

change on, you know, according to the persecution level. But

I say, Malaysia all white color. You know, it means

we're not persecuted at all. Hayo, you think you're being persecuted,

not the level that you the way our brethrens in

the other countries are being persecuted, not even in comparison.

So you know, I think, you know, I always have

this conversation with eloping whole, and I think the greatest

challenge that's facing the modern church, at least in Malaysia

is comfort. I think we are all too comfortable. Me

included too comfortable, you know, and I think God is

gonna shake that comfort. He's really gonna shake it, you know,

to see what are we made of, to see what

our faith is really made of. More than three hundred

and eighty millions Christians suffer every year. We cannot say

we are suffering. La. I don't know what kind of

suffering we have, la, your late you know, reigning. Today's

so beautiful, ry the weather, sleep, wake up? The kind

of prosecution? Nothing, guys, We are not suffering, not the

way our Christians brothers and sisters.

And please, if anything, I would.

Encourage you, you know, to remember our persecutor brothers and sisters.

Can you do that in your prayer time?

Just you know, add on?

Can or not? Can I ask you to add on

a prayer item. Don't just pray for your family, your

needs and all that. Just add on, Lord, I remember

those who are being persecuted. I remember those who are

dying for their faith. Because as a sister soun yesterday

she shed with you know, the people that she encountered

in all these persecuted countries.

She said, can you just please bring.

The message back to the churches to remember us in prayer.

When was the last time you prayed for someone who

is standing for their faith, who is dying for their faith.

I think when we pray for our brothers and sisters

like that, I think it gives us a sense, you know,

to not take what we have for granted. Really, church,

you know, let's be a church that mobilizes, you know,

our prayer to where the needs are. And sometimes we

our prayer so full of ourselves are yo, come on, lah,

our prayers should be for the nations, for global you know.

And so so this is how the global persecutions happen.

So they are persecuting Jesus. Hello, the world is persecuting

Jesus today. And how we persecute, how we persecute Jesus

on a daily basis is this. I got this from

Oswald Chambers. Do you know who Alsold Chambers is some

of you know? He wrote a great devotional, My Utmost

for his Highest a very very old school. But can

I tell you that their updated version more modern ones.

And this is one of his devotion which really struck

a chord in my heart. And I'm gonna read this.

He says, stubbornness and self will will always step Jesus Christ.

It may hurt no one else, but it wounds his spirit.

Whenever we are obstinate and self will and set on

our own ambitions, we are hurting Jesus. Every time we

stand on our own rights and insist that this is

what we intend to do, we are persecuting him. Whenever

we rely on self respect, we systematically disturb.

And grieve his spirit. Wow, Church, Hello, are we.

A church that is full of self respect? I don't know.

When you come to Gosh, she's like, Hea, people look

at me. You know, I don't want to live my hands.

That is self respect, you know, because you're trying to like, oh,

you know what if people look at me? But David says,

I will be undignified before the Lord and even more

for his glory. So there's no more self Okay, When

we are truly for the Lord, and he says, and

when we finally understand that it is Jesus we have

been persecuting all this time, it is the most crushing

revelation ever. The spirit of Jesus is conscious of only

one thing, a perfect oneness with the Father Amen. So

one way you can test, how are you persecuting Jesus

is this if your mind is conditioned to only think

of am I in perfect unity with the Father? Will

this please Jesus? Will this please the Father? Not this bickering,

this unforgiveness, this I don't want a friend, new thing,

this I don't want to serve each other?

Thing?

Is it perfect oneness? We got far from men? Then

you know that you're prosecuting Jesus. And when you have

this revelation, friends, then you will be like Saul. You

know when Jesus said to him, Saul, Saul, why are

you persecuting me? You're not persecuting the brothers, sisters. You

know you're not persecuting Sarah, You're not persecuting Elder Mabel.

You're persecuting Jesus. And then in that moment of revelation,

what is Saul's respond? The first question that we need

to ask ourselves is this, who are you Lord?

True?

When encountered with Jesus and all of us will have

this encounter when Jesus meets with us and asks us,

what are you doing with your life? Alex Martin, and

we have to ask who are you? Lord? And I

think many of us have not really asked that question

to the Lord, Who are you Lord? Because you know,

you know, the disciples over Jesus for many years, right,

And then he goes around and there's this part where

he asks his disciples, now, who do the people say

I am? And what did his disciples say to him?

Do you remember that some say that you are Elijah,

some say you're the prophet, right, some good teacher. That's

what people say. But Jesus is not satisfied with the answer.

He goes to him and says, but who do you

say I am? Sarah?

Who is God?

To you?

Who do you say I.

Am my mom's God, my Dad's God. Who do you

say I'm Church?

Have you asked God? Who are you?

Who are you? Lord? Who are you Jesus? And Jesus says,

it is I I am Jesus.

I am Jesus.

And until we can come to this revelation that he

is Jesus, the Son of God, our lives will remain

the same.

It is.

It is doesn't matter. You know, you'll still walk out

this door after this. And it's like, yep, you know,

Jesus is just nice on the Christmas tree, you know,

Jesus is just nice on the postcard.

But then now when you know.

It's Jesus, it's Jesus done. Now when you prayer in

Jesus' name, I pray, WHOA come on? Do you know

how powerful that is? It's not just saying thank you

love for the food in Jesus name. Amen, That's how

he used Jesus name. You know, I know this is

really ouchla, really really ouch how we have reduced Jesus

name to like a stamp. But when we can come

and hon his name and in reverence saying well, Jesus

name is powerful. Jesus name can heal you that?

You know.

Until you come to that revelation of who Jesus is

in your own life, Jesus will be meaningless to you.

And I amen, I don't want Jesus to just remain

like someone a great teacher in the Bible, or you're

not a nice poster a nice plaque on your table.

Is that who Jesus is to you, by the way,

or Jesus is your god and man, Jesus is my god.

That revelation need to happen for you and me, not

only in our hats. In your hate, you get it,

you know, but in your hearts do you come trembling

before the name of Jesus, or you take him and

it's like, oh yeah, Jesus, just my friend. Love doesn't matter.

He can cure up. I got other priorities, Jesus. You wait,

you're number fifty seven God, So I got other things

to attend to. That's how we treat Jesus. You know

when me say, God, I have no time for you.

I have no time to pray.

Read the word.

Maybe next time, La, Maybe if the church can do

a Bible reading plan, maybe LA. That that's the truth

reality Church. And the more and more we find that

the Christians don't know the Word of God. And if

you don't know the Word of God, you don't know Jesus.

And if you don't know Jesus.

He will mean nothing to you, Amen, because that revelation

comes and until you can say who are you? And

you know this is very interesting, right? This is what

Jesus says. You know, Jesus says, Hi, your soul, it's me, La, Jesus.

It is hard for you to kick against the goads.

Have you ever understood this term? You understand?

No?

No, no, thank you?

Okay? Jay? That I will explain, try to explain to you.

Have you understood what it means to kick against the gods? No?

Right now in a modern day setting, right, we don't

understand this because we are not farmers any farmers here. See,

that's why we don't understand the scriptures. We live in

a day and age very very far removed from farming.

So next time you can go farm in the city,

maybe get educated a little bit. Okay, But the thing

is in the olden days how they want to direct

their oxen. Do you know oxen?

Right? How they direct oxen to plow the land?

Hello?

How many of you want to be oxen for the Lord?

Oh? Nobody here Susalah. Hello, Church, You're called laborers, you know,

but you don't want to be the ox right cause

you say, maybe we buy bulldozers, we buy excavators. But

do you know that the Lord likens us to an

ox We don't like ox low, you know, gose big

and have to do hard work. How many of you

like how work? Don't put up your hands. I know

nobody likes hard work. We come sometimes, I feel, and

I fear, we come into Christianity thinking, Jesus, if I

believe you, all my problems will be solt. My life

will be so easy after this. Can I have some

news for you that when you come into Jesus and

you say I follow you, I know who you are.

You are my God.

There is work for you to do, friends, there is

hard work for you to do, my dear friends. And

sometimes we like, actually, then I don't want to right.

I thought it's gonna be easy. I thought it's just

gonna be like one prayer. And then Jesus is like

the genie, right, genie, you know, just make my wish

come true. And we treat God like that. And I

fear that for the Church, that we treat God like

a genie who stems and rubber stems all our prayers.

And when he doesn't, I'm going to look for another genie.

I fear I feel for the church that we will

become like that, do you know? And so Jesus is saying,

it's very hard for you to kick against the goads, right,

And what happens is in the farming industry, right, when

you have oxen.

I want them to move.

Okay, for those of you, if you have a plot

of land and you want to plow the land, right,

what does plowing do.

So that you can plant seeds right, so that the

sea can go. Otherwise, the ground is very hard. Do

you agree? Ground is very hard? And if you don't

plow the land and.

The seed will land on hot ground, and will that

produce anything for you? Nothing?

Right, So as a.

Farmer you want to sow seeds, but firstly you have

to prepare the ground. And that's where you need the oxen,

right to break up the ground as they go to

carry something behind them, and they always go in past

and this is beautiful, right, And so there's a yoke.

Can you see a picture of this two oxen with

a yoke? Do you remember another verse that talks about

the yoke? Which one do not? Every time I asked this,

like you said, do not be an equally yok correct?

That's number one? Okay, that's a message from John to

all of you. Do not be an equally yoke. That's

the first message. Do not be unequally yoke. Get that

into your spirit. What's what's the other verse that talks

about the yoke? My yoke is easy for you, for

my burden is light. Do you know that as you

walk as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you are going

to be yoke to Jesus as you do the work. Amen.

Some of you already like not happy with the idea

of being an og.

And now you have to be yoke together. You know

this york thing is not the most comfortable thing. It's

a metal thing that binds your head together with Jesus.

I don't know if the imagery very is very pleasing

to you. You're like, what you mean, I have to

be yoked to Jesus. But if you want the promise,

we all want the promise right to be at rest,

not have burdens. But Jesus said, then you gotta be

yoke to me. Take my yoke upon you, Jesus, I'm here,

I'm being yoked. Are you ready to come in to

submit to that yoke of Jesus, to walk with me,

to lead I will lead you And many of us

struggle with that. And that's why you know our faith

is shaken because you're like, no, I don't like this part.

I'm wanna ride on.

Jesus babe, like you know, like a horse. But Jesus said, no, no, no, Hello,

you're your pay place is next to me, yoke together

with Geesus. But you see the things right. When you

don't strive against Jesus, when you don't fight him, he

will lead you. He will lead you to that place

of rest. He will lead you the place where your

burdens you can carry, because he's gonna carry that with you.

Amen.

Jesus is not saying like, no more burdens, no more work.

Jesus is not saying that at all. That Scriptures does

not tell me that. It tells me that you will

be yoke to Jesus as you carry your burdens and

walk with him.

Amen.

Ah, this on very hard to amen. Right behind, are

you okay? Are you ready to be yoke to Jesus? Okay?

A few of you, huh.

Not easier, not easy.

But you see the things right as.

The farmer tries to go because they need to go

in a straight and I can imagine if your oxen right,

and many of us are like this, stubborn oxen, we

go left, we go right. Sometimes you got the ballet

whos saying how to get the job done right, Jesus says,

go this way, go straight lines, easier to sow your

seats right. And so what the farmer will do is

they will have this shop thing a stack with a shop.

And it's a god.

It's called a prick as well. A prick.

Do you like a prick?

No, don't preak your friends? Sorry now, And so how

the farmer guides the oxen is if you are going

slowly to the left.

Right, you will prick you. Oh okay, okay, sorry, sorry? Right?

And then if you're going to the right and a

gentle prick. And some of us think it's very cruel. Right,

any any animal lovers here? Okay, you're saying, no, this

is wrong. But can I tell you I was doing

my devotion the other day? Right, and at the end

of Ecclesiastics, and you'll read this in the final chapter,

and it says that the word of God is like

a god.

To guide the.

People of God.

Hello, you don't like to be pricked?

Right and right now? The word of God is freaking

you really hard. Ouch ouch or not?

The word of God is to prick you so that

you will ouch and go the right direction.

Do you know why Jesus took the problem that the

trouble to come and meet with Saul is because he

loved him so much that he they don't want to

leave him alone.

The way he is. So he came and he pricked. Saul,

why are.

You persecuting me? He pricked? He says, it's useless to

kick against the gods. It's useless to kick against the pricks.

Because he says, hello, I'm sovereign. I am Jesus. Like

it or not, my will will be done, my kingdom

will come. Amen. This is how powerful Jesus is. This

is the authority that Jesus has over lies. So, Church,

you want to continue kicking against the goads or not?

We say no, Nila, right, but secretly we are doing it.

But you see the things right, the more you go

against the word of God, the more you kick against

the ghost.

Guess what have you tried kicking against a nail? Ouch?

Have you tried?

Why?

Accidentally?

Maybe, La? But you want to purposely do it? Right?

And Jesus is saying, why are you kicking against me?

It's useless.

It's gonna hurt you more.

So when I give you that gentle prodding, can you

just obey instead of saying, oh no, but low, I

want to try for this, La, How how is it

on this side? It's kicking against the goads. We are

kicking against the pricks, and we're like, oh God, why

is it so painful.

In my life? So full of suffering?

Can I warn you that we may be kicking against

God whenever? You know, when it's too much? Right, sometimes

it's di guiel ola. You know understand that it means

you brought it upon yourself. Why do we do that

to ourselves? And God's word is clearly stated for us

already follow his words, follow his commandments.

Amen.

Now let's not be gold kickers. Amen. Now after that revelation, right,

is these few things so that Jesus will encounter you.

Why are you persecuting me? And then we will have

to come to this revelation of who are you Lord?

And do you know from the who are you Lord?

What's the most next rational question to us? And this

is what saw us? What do you want me to do?

Amen?

Did we read that in scriptures? Right after he said

who are you Lord? And Jesus says, I'm Jesus, whom

you are secure thing? Why it is useless to kick

against the goods? And then straight away so repented in

his heart, and he says, okay, you win, Lord, what

do you want me to do? And Can I tell

you that when you have that kind of encounter with

the Lord, you will always ask what do you want

me to do? Amen? You will not no longer come

to a place where Lord, I want to do this.

It's more Lord, what do you want me to do?

And you know of course he went, he arose, he

was led, he was praying and fasting. Okay, let me

let me move quickly to my next point. What do

you see? What do you see? Do you know that

all of us here have eyesight?

Right? But we can be so blind?

Hello? You can have four eyes or so Chinese people

call it sugary and dinger with your specs and still

be blind. And so what God wants to do is

to restore our sight. Amen. Do you know that this

whole encounter is for us? And what it shows?

The most beautiful part Church?

Okay, can I tell you the most beautiful part that

I see here is Jesus coming after Saul. Do you

see that? Although yes, I know it's like, oh you know,

woe is me? But the most beautiful I hope you

will take this away with you, is that Jesus will

come after you, not in a bad way. He will

come and pursue you, just as he never lets Saul go.

He came and encounter him, dig a deep operation in

his heart because he wanted Saul for himself and Church.

Can I tell you act Church, santaty, God wants you.

Doesn't matter what your back if you think you're of

your back background, you want to compack to Saul who

murdered Christians, but can still be used by God so powerfully.

It wasn't because he was very good looking. In fact,

he was a shot guy ball Hello, that's all okay?

Do you think it's very eloquent? In his speech, he says, no,

I speak with status, nothing to command him except his

zeal for God. And God wanted to restore that right.

And so you know the things right. God didn't just

restore him physically. Remember he was fasting. And in this

period of fasting, as you're praying for forty days, pray

and fast, I pray that we will have this hunger meant.

To Really, God, who are you to me? What do

you want me to do?

Wrestle with that church?

It's good to wrestle with the Lord.

I'd rather you wrestle than be apathetic. And apathy means

I don't care. Church, That's what comfort is, right, comfort

is My life is comfortable. I don't care about the

things of God until something happened. Then you will come

running to your knees and say, God, why did this

happen to me? Let let's not be dead, lad. But

even if you're in that space, know that God is real.

God is for you. He wants to restore and redeem

our lives for his purpose.

Amen.

And he will restore us. He even gave him strength,

you know. And there was a healing, a laying of

hands to receive the Holy Spirit. Church, if you have

not been baptized with the Holy Spirit, and I believe,

but Elope, who is preached about this? You know? Can

you come to a leader and say, I want to

receive my sight. This restoration of sight comes through prayer,

through earnest seeking of the Lord, and true laying of

hands practical things on not practical things, and ask for

the Holy Spirit to come. Amen. Now I want to

move to the find the third part. All of this,

all of this, the whole encounter, what for?

What for all?

Right? I mean, if you think about it, what God?

Just like the drama is it? You know? It's so dramatic.

This whole thing. It's in the Bible. But ultimately, let's

see what was the response of Saul in verse twenty Acts,

Chapter nine, Verse twenty And let's see how this happened.

He says, immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues,

and that he is the son of God. Amen, And

that all who heard it were amaze, And said, is

this not he who destroyed those who call on the

name in Jerusalem and has come here for that purpose,

so that he might bring them bound to the chief

priests Verse twenty two.

But Saul increased all the.

More in strength and confound that the Jews who dwelt

in da Mascus, proving, proving, proving that this Jesus is Christ.

Amen.

There is a purpose.

All of this to reveal.

God's purpose in our lives. Amen. Would you want to

be used by God like Saul?

We do, right, do you know?

And as I was preparing this right yesterday, the Lord

dropped in my heart. But maybe not many of us

will be like a soul turn Paul. Maybe you know

we will not be credited with writing all the scriptures

in the New Testament, most of it anyways, not all

of it. Would you still do it? I have to

ask myself, you know, if I became an unnamed person

in the Bible, nobody knows my name. Actually, a lot

of the missionaries nobody knows a Nima. They're not like

some superstar rocket, you know, like Ilomas or whatever always

come out in the news and none of that. Are

you gonna be okay? Are you gonna be still doing

the work of the Lord because you just love God,

not because you're gonna be famous, not because you're gonna

be a leader, or not because you're gonna have all

these titles and positions. Will you still do it for

the Lord? Can I tell you that Paul? You know,

we all know Paul, right, we all know Paul, great

man of God. And many of us say, are you

I cannot measure Abbah, But can I ask you? Have

you heard of this guy called epper Proditis? Anyone Apper Proditis?

I can't even pronounce the name, right, epper Proditis?

Anyone?

Have you heard of this name? One or two? Do

you know that this is in the Bible? Let's see, yah,

let's see this guy. Oh okay, The wordings came out

a bit weird, but never mind.

This guy is a real guy, okay, and he.

Was mentioned a few times in the Word of God.

Let's see where is he mentioned. Now, let's go to

Philippians chapter two, verses twenty five to thirty. I'm going

to talk about the unknowns in the Bible today, right

at this point, the unknown. Are you going to be

okay with an unknown? To be an unknown? So it's

says yeah. In Philippines, chapter two, verse twenty five. Now

this is the time that he was mentioned. Okay, this

is Paul. This is Paul, the great man that we've

been talking about, and he is talking about someone else.

He's talking about this guy. Yet I considered it necessary

to send to you epaphroditis. Can you say that appaphroditis? Okay?

Very high?

Go back and practice. This is how he described epaphroditis

my brother, fellow worker and fellow fellow soldier, but your

messenger and the one who ministered to my need, since

he was longing for you all and was distressed because

you had heard that he was sick. For indeed, he

was sick almost unto death. But God had mergered see

on him, and not only on him, but on me also.

Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent

him the more eagerly, and that when you see him again,

you may rejoice, and that I may be less sorrowful

Verse twenty nine. Receive him therefore in the Lord with

all gladness, and hold such men in esteem. It means

respect this guy, Cau Gau okay, because for the work

of Christ has come close to death, not regarding his

life to supply what was lacking in your service towards me.

Do you know that Paul could not have done what

he did without help? Sometimes in our minutes, should we

all want to be the paw? But who wants to

be Epaphroditis? And what he did simply was he was

sent by the Church to go to Paul and become

his personal care. He ministered to his knee, tended to

his wounds, fed him clothing. That's ministry. That's mission, guys.

Do you see that?

It's as I wouldn't say simple, but it's as downgrading

as that. La If you think mission is why I

need to go with Thimbaktu. You know some people say, oh,

I want to go Afghanistan.

Then you're like, yes, I.

Am the missionary, right but what it was just to

help pass Sarah with ex kids ministry, serving the children,

feeding them, changing, bring them to go toilet. Hello. It

says in Matthew ten forty that if you receive this

person in the name the office of the Prophet, you know,

and for pass Saties is the children's ministry, you receive

the same reward. Would you do it? And you think, no,

I want to be glamor la, I want the top one.

But would you be willing to be an apple proditists?

Who was just that? You know? And what was his contribution?

I think he showed courage, loyalty and sacrifice.

Do you know that he almost died?

Do you remember I was reading Philippines too. He almost

died because he was sicking. And then Pole said, okay, yeah,

I better send you back because you're.

Saying I don't want you to die in my watch.

But you know, send him back so that you know

and tell the people that he has been of great

help to me.

Would you want to be of great help? Do you know?

Sometimes in church we always see the big ministries, but

you know the small ministries like hosting, returning the chairs back,

setting down after church, That is ministry. You know that

is mission. You know that is making things work together.

Right. It doesn't always have to be the glamor come

on church.

That is mission in our own brother in our own church.

Sometimes you say I want to go and serve everyone,

service everyone else, right, but you forget that the first

ministry that we have as believers is to our own

brothers and sisters. And that is very clear in scripture.

If you don't believe me, I can show it to you.

Don't think about saving the world when we are not

helping our brothers and sisters. Amen.

That is ministry.

That is mission. That is our mission in life. To

help someone, to serve someone. Now that's a guy. Now,

can I have you had someone called Phoebe an you

want Phoebe?

Yeah? You heard of Phoebe.

There's only two lines of her in the Bible, only

two versus. But there's so much we can glean from

Phoebe's life. Let's go to Romans. Let's go to Romans.

Who is this Phoebe Romans chapter sixteen. If you want

to be famous that this is your two verse of fame,

only two verses. Let's go to Romans Romans chapter sixteen. Now, okay,

I'm gonna read verses one to two.

Are you here with me?

Okay, let's reader one, two, three? Oh no, oh, maybe

we can read this together. Exhiby, do you have the verse? Oh?

Cool?

All right, so let's read this together. Three two one.

I command to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a

servant of the church in can Korea, that you may

receive her in the Lord, in the manner worthy of

the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has

need of you, For indeed, she has been a helper

of many and of myself. Also. Now do you know

that in the Bible sometimes you might read the Bible

and you think that it's really all about the men. Right,

It's all about the men. The disciples were all men

and all that, But where with the women? And do

you know, to write about women means a lot. And

for Paul himself, as a Jew, who usually don't have

anything to do with gentles or the other gender, for

him to write something about someone like this means a lot.

Right now, how many of you like the Letter of Romans?

You don't know Romans or please read? Romans is one

of the many theologians. Many troologians love Romans because they

say it's one of the most systematic theology of our

Christian faith. Wow, what is that? That's what you'll never read? Right?

Never mind? No, but it just this is Paul writing

as his best write, writing everything about his faith and belief.

And do you know without Phoebe we will not have

the Letter of Romans. Why because Paul entrusted this woman

as she was going to Rome for a business, to

bring the letter to Rome, to the church in Rome.

She was the messenger and that was her key role

to bring this letter, the scroll to the church in Rome.

And today we have it in our scriptures. Can you

imagine if she lost it?

Oops?

Oops, I burned it. I dropped it into the drain

or into the red sea. Can you imagine what we

would have lost this entire scripture if not because of

her faithfulness. And so you might never know about this

Phoebe or anyone ever preached to you about Phoebe before.

Never right, because there was only two scriptures about her.

But from these two scriptures we knew that Paul and

trusted her with such a huge task. Can I wonder

sometimes I ask myself if Pastor and trusted a message

to me, will I be faithful to deliver it? If

you have been entrusted with a message, will you be

faithful to deliver it? That's something for us to think about.

You know, everything that you hear every Sunday Sunday after

Sunday messages the word of God. You have been entrusted

with the word of God, do you deliver it? Sometimes

we just keep all the message to ourselves, right, and

it just stays there. But do you know that every

message that comes to you, God wants you to deliver

it to someone else? Hello, you have a job and

it's called the messenger. Another word of its ambassador, right,

And the other word for messenger is apostle. Apostle means

the sent one. Hello, ex Church, you are the scentth one.

All of us are the scith one.

And we shouldn't just.

Say, oh, no, I received this word.

What does it mean? After I asked you? What did

you catch from today?

A current? Most of the time it's like that, right

goes in here and elisia. But that's why we encourage

you to take notes, because can you imagine if I

have an important duty for you to do, deliver this

message to someone else?

What will you do.

You're furiously write down everything right, making sure you don't

miss anything. And that's how we need to treat the

word of God. Hello, not my words, but whatever the

Lord is speaking to you. Do you believe that the

Holy Spirit is speaking to you right now? So do

you take him seriously? If you don't take it seriously,

he will come and you will go, the world will

come and the world. And sometimes we say, how come

the Lord is not speaking?

Actually he spoke already.

He's spoke already, we just cannot remember. So specialty for you,

not just students. Can you just begin to take down notes.

It's a good habit because you're noting now what God

is teaching us through the word. You know right now

I can say one thing, But the Holy Spirit is

ministering to one hundred and fifty three of you, all

of you individual word words that I don't know. And

it's a Holy Spirit who knows your heart. And so

would you capture that and say, God, yes, thank you

for this word. You are speaking to me every Sunday,

every time there's an opportunity, the Lord speaks right otherwise,

why come and gether? So we want to take hold

of that and say, God, you are speaking to me

right now.

Amen.

Phoebe, she she carried the letter. She was a wealthy patron,

so she minister.

She you know, she.

Even house Paul in her own home. She opened her

doors her home, hospitality, Ladies in the house, hospitality. Would

you open your homes to others, to minister. That's another

way we do mission. Don't just think it's you know,

it's too small to think it's a mission trip the man.

And finally, I want to give to you this last

couple and sometimes husbands and wife, I'm speaking to you here,

husbands and wife. Have you heard of this name called

Aquila and Priscilla? Not Jason and Priscilla. Ya, we have

our very own Jason and Priscilla. But this couple called

Aquila and Priscilla. And what was beautiful about them was

they came to meet with Paul.

See.

You see, all these people got connection with Paul on

you know. And I'm saying that we don't have to

be the paw. If God did not call us to

be the paw, we can be all these other people,

the unnamed, the Phoebe's, the Sarah's, you know, the Mabels,

whatever it is, the law YenS. You know, we can

be any one of this that God had called us

in working together for the ministry of the Gospel. We

all have a different part to play. Not all of

us have the same gift things, and God doesn't not

want us all to be the same man. And so

this couple called Aquila and Priscilla, they they were ten makers.

So they were co workers with Paul. They met him

first and then they began to do ministry with him.

You know, one of the greatest contributions of them is

that do you know this guy called Apollos Apolos, he

was a great teacher, a very learned man, feared God,

fervent in the spirit.

Right, he began to preach Christ.

And what this Aquilla and Prisllo after they heard Paul

teaching in the synagogue, was they heard this Apollos preaching,

but a bit said wrong, a bit of tension, okay.

And so what they did was they quietly brought Apollos.

This couple ministered to this great teacher and teaching them

the ways of God more accurately. Do you know what

they contributed was day enabled a great teacher to do

his job even better. Amazing, right, I mean, we always

hear the poll and Apollos, the Barnabas, but ever heard

of Aquila Priscilla behind the doors, you know, just ministring,

quietly teaching, you know, and then that's what they shaped

a powerful teacher. Amen, I'm gonna close. I'm gonna invite

the band to come on stage. What is the Lord

speaking to you? I think it's important for us to

remember that before we do the work of the Lord,

it's me.

The mission in me needs.

To happen first, because without the great work of God

in my own life, we cannot have an outgoing and

exploit for the Lord that he wants us to do

for him. Amen, don't focus so much on the what

to do? Focus on the who are you?

Lord?

First? Because when we can get the who are you

Lord in our lives, then we can ask God, what

do you want me to do? Amen? Amen? Church, can

we stand? Let's stand?

We hope you've.

Been blessed by this message. For more information on our church,

please visit aschurch dot RG. We are also active on

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to be a good week, a hit for you.

God bless