Church Newsletter | Elder Rosalind Ang

You're listening to a message to go from at church. We hope this message

will light up your day. What I want to share with you this morning

is really an inspiration even from the theme that we took from Bloom right,

Second Timothy, chapter two. But before I go to that, I want

to give you a little bit of background to this letter. Right so you

can see the first light Essays Church newsletter. Wow, you want some newsletter

or not? So this is the background of the letter Second Timothy. Do

you know who was it? Written by Paul? Okay, great tag along

with Mia. So Paul wrote this letter. Paul wrote a lot of the

letters in our New Testament. Do you have your Bible today? Yeah?

Oh, I need to hear the first second Roule, do you have your

Bibles for you today? Okay? We want to be a Bible believing church.

Yes, are we a Bible believing church? And so bring your bible?

Lah Ooh right. If we say something, if we believe, then

we have to behave correct. So so I want to encourage us to begin

that habit of bring that Bible with us because there's so much truth and so

much power in the Word of God. So in the New Testament. This

is a letter written by Paul to who, to Sappa Timothy. Yes,

okay, dangerous quiet, don't not be quiet on me, okay. So

this letter was written to Paul, from Paul to Timothy, his son in

the faith. Did Paul have a physical son or not? Did he marry

No, he didn't marry la. He was a singer bujang guy, and

he was fine serve and he served the Lord, and he was used by

God mightily. Yet and then too we get a lot of our doctrines,

the apostles doctrines, many of it is written by Apostle Paul. So it

was a great man used greatly by God. So he was writing to Timothy.

Now this is some time between eighties sixty four to sixty seven, right,

it's how many years ago? Two thousand years ago? And this was

written at the last days of Paul's life. This was written from prison.

Can you imagine. Now Paul is in prison in Rome, and this was

his second time in prison, and he knew that he didn't have much time

life. He was about sixty four years old, right, Paul, he

was in his last days because at that point, you know, the first

time Paul was in prison. Right, that's when Luke wrote the gospel,

the Gospel of Luke. He do you know that the Gospel of Luke was

written as a defense for Paul. Did you know that already the Bible?

Yelo, it's just like four different gospels, right, Matthew, Mark,

Luke, John, And you don't know what is the context. But Luke

actually was a letter of defense written to the judge to say, hey,

this guy is not crazy. What Paul is preaching is not crazy. He

is witnessed and he is confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. That's why Paul

was put in prison in the first place. Right. So second time at

that time was Emperor Nero in Rome. Yes, have you heard of this

guy? Crazy guy? Okay. Some of the crazy things he did was

he would put tar on Christians, tar tar on the road, yes,

put it on the christ on Christians, and then he would like them up

like Christmas trees around his garden to light it up. Yeah, it's true,

that's how crazy it was. He's vicious and his cycle okay. And

so this was the environment that Paul was living in. The Christians were living

in Rome at that point, and so he was in prison, and he

knows, okay, I'm in prison again, and I don't think there is

another you know, he knew that his time was coming to an end.

So he wrote this letter to Paul urgently, very urgent. Okay, And

this letter is one you know Paul, he he's very enduring towards Timothy.

There's two letters that he wrote which is very personal. One is to Timothy.

The other one is to Titus. Right, so if you read the

letter to Titus again, you will see that this is like Paul giving his

last instructions. But you see, the thing is right, Paul and Timothy

and Titus are two very different characters, two different personality. Titus was the

guy like, okay, you tell me what to do, I'll do it.

Write, very very focused on his task and his mission. But Timothy

was a very gentle, meek, scared guy. He's afraid. How many

of you are kind of feeling or you can identify with him a little bit,

yes, right, But he was entrusted with this task now of passing

on this faith, this work of the ministry that Paul was going to leave

behind. Can you sense this now? How urgent is this the heart of

Paul writing Okay, So let's read from chapter one. It's a very very

short letter. It's only four chapters. I'm going to cover half of the

letter today. Okay, are you with me? I'm reading from New Kings

James version. I think so good to read God's word because God's word is

the one that will set you free. Amen. Okay, So understanding the

context now, right. So Paul says from Worse one, Paul and the

Apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, according to the promise

of life which is in Christ Jesus to Timothy, a beloved son, grace

and mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ, Jesus our Lord.

I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers

did as without seizing. I remember you in my prayers day and night,

greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may

be filled with joy when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in

you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Louis and your mother Eunis, and

I'm persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the

gift of God which is in you, to the laying on of my hands.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, of power,

but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Yes, we

always read this verse right, but some of us don't know where this come

from. So do you understand where this come from? Now this is Paul

telling Timothy, who was timid. He says, but God did not give

it a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a

sound mind. Verse eight. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony

of our Lord, not of me his prisoner, but share with me in

the sufferings for the Gospel according to the power of God. Remember, I

say he was in prison. This is not a spiritual prisoner. This is

a literal prison. He was in prison verse nine. Who has saved us

and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but

according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ

Jesus before time began, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our

savior, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death in man and brought life and

immortality to light through the gospel to which I was appointed a preacher, an

apostle, and a teacher of the gentles. Vers Teve. For this reason

I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I

know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep

what I have committed to him until that day. Vers that in hole fast

the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love,

which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you,

keep by the Holy Spirit withdwells in us a man this you know that

all those in Asia have turned away from me. Among those are Figilius and

Hermogenous. The Lord grant mercy to the house of honest Siphers, for he

often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. But when he arrived

in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord

ground to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day.

And you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.

Amen, do you get the context now that Paul was in prison and he

was cheering tim On. He's cheering tim On. Hey, this is for

you, guys. God is cheering ex chegh on. Don't be ashamed of

the faith that you have received in this day and age, especially today,

with everything that has happened in the Middle East. Are you aware of what's

happening? Are you ashamed of the Gospel? This is the call, guys.

This is as real as it can get. You know, it doesn't

get any more than this to say we stand for our faith. Faith is

what we have. We might not have anything else, but we have faith,

faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and everything else that He has done.

Amen. I hope that you will not be a shame of the Gospel.

I don't know in what ways we are ashamed, but there are many ways

that I can think of. I don't know if some of your collliques know

that you go to church on Sunday. Have you ever told them, yes,

Have you ever told them that I cannot work on Sundays because my commitment

is to God. I've set aside my Sabbath on a Sunday for him.

How many of you have made that choice to say, on Tuesday nights,

I will go for prayer even though all your colliques are working late. And

I suddenly remember when I was in audit. So I'm encounter by training and

I used to work in an audit firm and you know, crazy hours,

right audit this go back? I told me not usually and then after that

we say, okay, that's like second shift right after that. But I

think what I learned in acts at that time was no compromise, no compromise,

no excuses, you know. And at that point I made it a

conviction, a personal conviction that says, God, no matter what, I

will still make it for preers service. It's a personal conviction because I did

not want to be ashamed of God and what I believe in. Do you

know that it says that if you're a shame of me, God will say

I will. If you deny me, I will deny you. It's as

clear as that. And I made it a point to say, God,

no matter how late I get off work, I will rush to those days

I work in KLCC, right, you know what KLCC is, the heart

of town. Jam there not pretty okay. And if it rains like a

different story, okay, I would clock off work. Try the clock off

work right as soon as I can. And Russia, I remember there's one

press office I arrived at nine thirty and we finished at ninth thty. But

it was so crazy, it was so gammed, but that was what I

could do. And I came here and say Amen, and then after that

reballet great. But that was building my faith, if not anything else.

Do you know that you build your faith? Your faith doesn't just grow on

its own. Your faith is built by the choices that you make every day.

Do you know that you sitting here right now, it's a choice that

you made. Everyone else who's not here is out there right So you made

a choice, and this choice will anchor your faith. You might think it's

very little, you know, what is it? It's a habit, Yeah,

it's fine. But it's the little habits that will make your character.

Yeah, it's your little little habits, your little choices that you make.

What is your conviction, people of God? What is your conviction? Do

you say that I will not participate in bribery because that's my conviction. Do

you have a conviction that says, I will honor any person because this person

is made in the image of God, whether it's your evil boss or not.

Right, I will still honor, I will still speak with respect.

Is that your conviction? Oh, you treat me like that, I treat

you back words. All right. You slap me on one cheek, I

slapt both your cheeks. That's my personal conviction. That's how I grew up.

You know, I grew up in clanch, not gangst the town.

Right, you hit me one time, I hear you ten times. That's

my conviction. I don't know what's your conviction, but if you are a

follow of Jesus Christ, then our conviction has to be based on the word

of God and the teachings of God. Are you serious about following his ways?

Do you want to follow his based on I don't know, because I

find sometimes as Christians, as believers, we like the faith part. We

like the salvation and the grace and the mercy of God, but we don't

like the cost of following him. Don't tell me about discipleship. I just

want to receive from the Lord. Do you know that just half of the

working out of your faith is not complete? And you will not be complete?

You will be, in fact, a crippled Christian. If you are

just on one end, sitting and receiving and say what's in it for me?

You will be crippled and you wonder he why my faith never grower?

Why I don't hear from God? Why is there no breakthrougher? Because you

did not choose that path. It is a path less taken, is a

path that is not easy. But I think God wants us to make that

choice, to be encouraged to know that it's not easy, but it's worth

it. I don't know. Is it worth it for you? Is it

worth it for you to hang on to your faith only elder mable in this

church? Is it worth it to you or not? Are you convinced?

Are you fully persuaded, even as Joy read from Romans? Are you fully

persuaded that this is the truth, that Jesus is the only way, truth

and life. If you're not persuaded, you won't persuade others. It's as

simple as that. If you're not persuaded that Jesus, that Heaven rules,

you won't convince others that Heaven rules. If you're not persuaded that Jesus can

and heal, then you will not ask other people to come for prayer because

you don't believe. If you don't believe, how will you ask others to

believe? Right? And so this is the work that Paul's heart is saying

to Timothy. Timothy, as you are going to those churches, tell them

this, do not be a shame of the gospel. Let your life be

seen in the light. Let the world see your life. The light of

God has to come forward from you. Otherwise it's just it just remains a

dark place. You see that the light is in Christ, right in the

Kingdom of God. God's kingdom is the kingdom of light. Everything else is

the kingdom of darkness. And if you go out there on a Monday till

a Saturday, where there are no believers, is a very dark place,

very very dark place. And you you are the only Christian there. Wow,

are you making a difference? Are you? I know? Hard question,

right, hard question? Never mind. God will remind you that there

is a purpose while you're there. You're not there just to earn mania.

You're really, really there to make a difference. You're there to shine God's

light. Amen. And I want to go to then the second chapter of

Second Timothy, and this is the verse that was taken for bloom okay,

and it says here from verse eleven to thirteen, and you will see this.

Yeah, I think actually you oh, okay, I put it there

already for you. Okay, so to help you read this, Okay,

So let's read this. This is a faithful saying. This is what Paul

is saying to Timothy. This is a faithful saying. For if we died

with him, we shall also live with him. If we endure, we

shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny

us. If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny

himself. Amen. Amen. I wanted to understand this word, you know,

because it seems a bit contrasting, right, and many of times when

we read this, you know, if we are faithless, God is still

faithful, right, and therefore we are kind of like safeler in that sense.

Right. But as I studied this a little bit further, I found

out that there was actually a different meaning to it. You no know what

is the meaning of it? It is both an encouragement but also a warning.

Yeah, it is both an encouragement and a warning. So let's go.

Let's go to God's nature first, which is God is God? Is

God is faithful? What is this word faithful mean? Right? In Greek?

It means peace toss all right, so X, we can you help

me with the slide? I think there's a slide on this peace toss Adah.

That means I have to go to my notes becuse I don't remember.

Okay, So what faithful means. It means someone that is worthy of trust.

Yes. Yeah. When you say someone is faithful, Joy is faithful.

Joy has been with church from beginning until now. She is faithful.

It means that she can be relied on. Hey, you know, without

Joy, right, I don't know whether sometimes the church is open or not

on Sunday. Without Joy, I don't know whether at the end of the

day someone will lock up or not. She will make sure someone does.

We can count on her. She can be relied on. That is faithful,

faithful, doing it even when no one tells you to do it,

you will do it. That is being faithful. Right. And with regards

to God, when he says God is faithful, it means that God will

abide by his promises. Amen. That means whatever he has said in the

Bible, it will come to pass. You can count on him. That's

what it means. You can count on God to do what he said he

will do. Right, that's faithfulness. That's God's faithfulness. But you see,

the thing is right. It will both be of the reward and the

punishment of what he has said. Yes, like I said, sometimes we

are very selective hearing, right, or we are very selective readers. We

read the word of God and we oh, okay, I'm sure none of

us right, focus on that if we deny him, he will deny us

because we just like the part that says, if you if our faithless God,

you are faithful. Correct. But you see, the thing is right,

even when we are faithless, he will. Heaven rules is what we've

been talking about, right the whole year. Heaven rules. Heaven rules.

It means that God will never change whether you believe him or not. It

means that even when you turn away from him, God will do exactly what

he has planned. God will meet out his just rewards and he will meet

out his just punishment based on our response. Right. And so that's what

faithful means. And faithless now, let's look at this meaning faithless right?

This faithless in Greek, Now, it's it's this word says a pistio a.

Pistio a means don't have correct, right, a pistio means to have

no belief or to disbelieve. That is the first definition. And many of

us when you read, you know, even if we are faithless, we

always take this first definition right, even when we don't believe it or we

disbelieve something. But the actual meaning for this particular verse is to actually to

betray a trust, to be unfaithful. Can you see the implication of this

verse. It means once you believed, now you don't. It means once

you trusted, now you don't. And this is the warning for us,

right because we can say, you know that there's a I don't know what

your understanding and believe about salvation is, but I have to say to you,

all of you who are sleeping here right now in church naturally if they're

sleeping, I can see some people sleeping on me, you know, and

just say, hey, wake up, a wake up church. See the

thing is right when God's way, it's so important, right the spirit the

flesh is very weaker, and we're like, oh, asleep and you miss

you miss what God is saying to you. Hey guys, this is a

wake up message. Okay. God is asking you to wake up. Wake

up in our spirit and receive this word, because it's not easy to hear

this. You know, it's not easy to hear this. It means to

be unfit when we are faithless. It means we have turned away from God.

But the like the Greek tens of this or suddenly I give you Greek

lesson pulla, not like I know, but that's what I read from commentaries,

the Greek tense for this is a continuous betrayal, a continuous unfaithfulness.

I understand there are times when we fall, but that's where God's grace comes

and picks us up right. But when you make it a habit of continuously

mistrusting, of continually betraying Jesus, I know we all betray Jesus one way

another. I'm the first one to say it. I have betrayed Jesus.

Have you out right? I don't think many of us have asked ourselves this

question before? Have you betrayed Jesus? Oh? Ouch? If we are

honest, we have every day, And may God bring to revelation to your

heart and your mind, how so that we can repent from it and turn

towards him. We have betrayed Jesus, one way or another. Jesus will

not betray us. Amen. That's why God is faithful. Right, But

we have betrayed Jesus in many of the ways that we behave many of the

ways that we have taught. So I want to ask you this question,

what is your habit? Remember? I said the Greek term episteo is a

continuous verb, a continuous tense. It means you continue. You make it

a habit to continuously betray. Now what is your habit? Think about your

own life? Do you have a habit? There's only two choices, right,

between faith or faithlessness? What is your habit on a daily basis?

As you go through your life? Right, you go through different challenges,

you meet different people, you're raising your kids. Ah, you have financial

difficulty. Ah, your knees are creaking, My knees are painful. Yeah,

life life is not easy. But in everyday life, is it a

choice to say, God, my knees are painful, but I will still

kneel and worship you. That's a choice. Oh, you say God,

I feel so sick. I don't want to go to church. That's a

faithless choice. Okay, I mean you've got COVID and all that. Okay,

wear in Musa and all that. Okay, I'm not gonna go into

that or you know what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying. What

is your daily choice, my dear friends, brothers and sisters. Is it

a choice of faith? Or is it a choice of faithlessness? When you

come into crisis? Is it your first response to say, God, I

need you right now? Or is it a choice of who can I go

to? Who can I turn to right now? Who's the biggest contact I

have? Hey? Hello, you forget your biggest contact? Is there?

We forget? Right? So? What is that habit? When you make

it a choice? A personal conviction? Today? Onwards? You say,

God, I want to make it a habit, a daily choice of faith.

Someone you know criticize you, your boss say wow, you're so lousy

and all that. What is your choice? Is it? Turn to God?

Amen? Thank you sir, Turn to God? See you? Can

you see that? It's a habit. And many times we don't make it

an intentional habit. We just like life happens to me, We let life

happen to me. Hey, hey guys, we are above it all.

We are victorious in Christ. Amen. We put life under us because life

is under God. I like this person who said this before you know.

He says, I am very well, not under the circumstances, but over

the circumstances. No matter what you go through in life, I am very

well above the circumstances. Can you say that or not? But many of

us are a victim of I'm under this circumstances. I got no choice.

Hey, hello, there is always choice. Don't say you don't have a

choice. We are made with people of choice. No, you can't get

rid of your family. No, you can't get rid of your mother in

law, but you have a choice in how you respond. Things will not

change. I don't know. I met a girl recently and she's sort of

like seeking her faith. She grew up in a Christian family, but because

the family are Christian right and they behave in a certain way, and it's

very dogmatic, very legalistic, that she totally turned away from the faith.

Now she's like, I don't I don't want to go to church because everything

that I encounter will be legalism. You'll be like do this, do that,

But that is not the faith. That is not faith at all.

So so I'm like discipling, I'm I'm just counseling her, talking to her,

and she she's gotten herself involved in like witchcraft and things like that.

Yeah and so, and she's recognizing like, oh man, I think this

is really nasty stuff. Let me get myself out from it. Because she

was feeling that uneasiness already. So I say, then, what do you

do? What is your choice? She says, I think I know what

I need to do. I need to reconsider some of these friendships and really

distance myself from it. She had a choice that The thing is, would

you make that choice? It's very easy to just go with the floor,

right, I mean, she is like leading this particular group. You know

it's a particular project. But would you make that choice to say I will

only do it with the context of the work and not to have any other

social meetups with that, because all they want to do is like do tarret

reading cards and stuff like that. How would you make that choice? This

might be the only friends you have now you know, I have no choice,

I got no friends in Hello, make new friends a correct not.

Don't fall under the victimized mindset that you have no choice over your life.

That is a lie of the enemy. You know, do you know that

that is a deception that you have no choice. Oh you know, I'm

like that. Oh my child is like that, I have no choice.

No, you always have a choice, and the choice begins with you.

The choice begins with how you think about the situation. The choice begin when

you want to invite God into the situation or you leave God completely out of

it all the time. What is your habit church? Is it a habit

of faith or not? Or is it a habit of faithlessness? What is

your habit? What is it? I don't like this person. You're going

through a trouble in your marriage. Is there God in that picture? Is

it a habit to go to God? First? Prayers are so powerful,

guys, men and women of faith. Prayers are so powerful because that is

a habit of faith. Do you practice that habit or not? Really?

Really, let's just be very serious about it. It is the end days

already. You don't want to pray now? You want to pray? When?

When are you gonna pray? When you meet Jesus Jesus withater, Let

me pray right now when I meet you, When I meet you, Jesus,

let me account for all my life. Let me think about it.

I think today our prayer when I meet you Jesus today, is it no

time to pray? Is now in preparation to meet with Jesus so that we

can get our lives right. Are your lives right or not? Ah?

Come on, it's time to rise up a man. It's time to rise

up in faith. And let's make it a habit. Let's not be found

by God to say, wow, you denied me, and you made it

a habit of constantly denying me. And Jesus says, I will deny you.

It's a truth, guys, It's a truth. You know. When

he says God is faithful, it means God is faithful to everything that he

has said. Yes, and you know that Jesus taught about hell. Do

you know that? Jesus says, you know some of you will come knocking

to me and says, oh, Jesus, we did this for you.

Jesus, we did that for you. And Jesus said, go away from

me. I don't know you. That will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

God is faithful to death as well. He will say that he has

said it and he will fulfill that. That's the warning part for USLA.

Right, are we gonna be continuously faithless in our journey as believers of Christ?

Or are we gonna say today we choose faith every day? We choose

faith every day. I choose to be in this marriage, even though it

doesn't look very pretty, even though there's a lot of things to work out.

I choose faith because you think God cannot turn around the marriage. Come

on, where is your faith? If you believe that Heaven rules, God

can turn around that marriage. If you believe that Heaven rules, God can

turn around your workplace, if you believe that Heaven rules, God can do

anything that's impossible in our minds, I think right in I would. I

am reading John, the Book of John, the Gospel of John in my

devotions, and there's one thing that stood out to me. Right. He

says, sin is this, Sin is not believing in Jesus and what he

can do. That's it. Sin is not doing wrong, you know.

Sin is not like stealing some pens from office, you know, or or

hitting someone or slapping someone. Sin is actually not believing in Jesus and what

he can do. That is sin. That is unbelieved. Unbelief is sin.

When we are faithless, when we have unbelief, and not just an

unbelief one time, a continuous unbelief. That's sin. And you know,

this continuous thing that we make a habit of, it makes us deny Jesus

one day. If some armies come here right now and point a gun to

your head, do you believe in Jesus? I don't know. Would you

say yes, I'm ready to die right now. I am ready. I

will not deny Jesus. I will not deny Jesus. There was a story

of a man who, of course, he was surrounded by armies, you

know, and they say, just deny Jesus one time, right, just

deny Jesus and we'll let you go. He says, no, I will

never deny Jesus ever, even it from my mouth. So they slashed him

all over, cut his body right, and he's beating right. Ouch.

We all got one cut pin one paper cut also so pain row Have you

had the paper cut? It's very painful. Lisi slashes across his body and

they say, would you deny Jesus? No, I will never deny Jesus.

They smeared honey on his body over the wounds. Will you deny Jesus.

I will never deny Jesus Christ. They set the bees and the swarms

and the walls on him, and he was stung to death. Literally to

Goury eighteen Essex. Is this too too hard for us to grasp? But

when you are put to the tests? Will you deny Jesus? Will you

deny Jesus? And this man said no, No matter what my persuasion,

my confidence, my faith is that this body can die. Does not matter.

The pain that I go through is nothing compared to the glory that I

will receive when Jesus comes back and crowns me. Hallelujah, Imen. He

will crown me with his life. You will crown me with his glory.

Do you know that sets a promise awaiting you? Never deny Jesus, Never

deny Jesus in your own life. How are we denying Jesus? I pray

that we will never deny Jesus in our thoughts, in our words, in

the way we think about others. Never deny you, Never deny Jesus to

them. Guys, do not deny the Gospel to our neighbors. Do you

know by not sharing we are denying Jesus. Oh that just came to me.

No, by not sharing, we are denying Jesus Oucha. Oh,

that's really a real slep to me. If we are not sharing Jesus,

we are denying him. There's work to do. There is work to do,

okay, And I want to bring you some encouragement because I really realized

that this, this, this this word of God was it's just so so

so much needed for us right now because in the phase of growing opposition,

it is growing opportunities. Yes, in the phase of growing opposition. And

actually we can help me with that picture. In the phase of growing opposition

is growing opportunities. Do you see that now? I think in Malaysia,

Malaysian you've never had it bad, not even one bit. We can freely

meet in a church wherever you want, whenever you want. Right, But

it's getting more difficult. I'm sure we are being monitored and it's not easy.

And there's all these noises that's coming on the ground right Our school children

in the government schools being asked to see who they support in the current Middle

Eastern conflict. Up to your face, you know, do you support Israel

or Palestine? How do you answer in the face of growing opposition, and

it is growing. And please, can I warn you already Church is gonna

grow some more. It's gonna get more difficult. Don't be surprised, Okay,

don't be surprised if you're denied some privileges just because you're a Christian.

Don't be surprised. It's gonna happen because Jesus said, ready, Jesus,

sit, ready, you are Why are we surprised? But what we need

to do is we need to prepare. We need to prepare for this growing

opportunity. Do you know why Paul was okay when he was in prison,

Paul and Silence being chained, locked up, because he said, wow,

no, I have this captive audience of all the prison gods. I can't

preach to them the whole night long. Can you see that? Or not?

In prison, he had no escape, but he said, sorry,

not me. I'm free. I'm free. Guys, if you are a

believer, you are free. It doesn't matter if you're in prison or not.

He was free in his spirit, he was free in his mind.

He says, huh, all these prison guards, they are the ones who's

captive. Because I'm gonna appreciate Jesus to them until they believe, and they

did praise God. They did. He was praising God, you know,

he was stomping the silence. You know that story writing acts, and the

chains were losing, but they didn't escape. But it was an opportunity in

the face years of growing opposition, is growing opportunity. Are you going to

use these opportunities? Or are you gonna shy away from this? Right?

And so what must we do? What must we do? What is our

response in this? And so let's go back to Paul again. Paul.

You know, Paul is knowing that Timothy is gonna have a hard time,

He's gonna have a hard time defending the faith from false teachers, false prophets

that was coming into the church, and already in our church today it is

come in, right. It depends on what you're watching live, it depends

on what you're reading. All those false teachings come in to the church.

And so Paul is warning Timothy against all this, and he says this,

So that's right. Let's go to read chapter two now, and this is

Paul's very very practical advice. You want some practical advice, right, you're

saying, now, Now, I don't want to deny Jesus. But how

how, how how do I do it? That's why Paul says in second

chapter two Second Timothy Chapter two, he says, you, therefore, can

you understand the therefore? Now you therefore, in the light of everything that's

happening, you, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that

is in Christ Jesus. Amen number one, Be strong in the grace that

is in Christ Jesus. If you've never believed, fully believed in what Jesus

has done for you, today is the day to strengthen it. Yes,

be strong, be strong in the grace that is in the Lord Jesus.

And this be strong is right. Is an active thing that you do for

yourself. Do you understand It's not something I can do. No. I

can only strengthen myself. When I go to the gym, I'm strengthening myself.

I cannot strengthen Liza. No, No matter ten times I carry the

weight, I carry two sides or so I'm like Eliza, be strong,

be strong. Guess what my muscles are growing, not hers. So being

strong is only something that you can do for yourself. It's how you would

exercise your faith. It's how you would exercise your belief. What is it

that you have unbelief of today? Say God, I repent, help my

unbelief. I don't believe in my marriage anymore. We have grown so far

apart. Help my unbelief because you brought us together. How about that?

Exercising faith? And ask God? What can I do? What can I

do? What must I do? What must I change? You exercise your

faith. If I have to say sorry, I would say sorry. That's

how you exercise your faith. If I have to love extra, I love

extra. If I have to wake up extra early, I will wait extra

early. But are you willing or not? Because we're saying many times right,

it's like but the person never do for me or so no. God

is saying no, This is you exercising your faith. This is you strengthening

your faith. Paul is saying to Timothy, be strong, be empowered yourself,

be encouraged, be strengthened. I can preach all my heart out.

I will go back strengthen. You will only be strengthened if you begin to

preach to yourself the word of God. Amen. Preach to yourself. Say

I don't care what people say to me. La my family might be against

me or whatever, right, I'm gonna let God's word preach to me.

So that's what you read God's word. Do you know when you read God's

word out loud, you're preaching to yourself. You're preaching to your unbelief.

If anything Jesus could not believe, he marveled at the unbelief of the people.

There's only two things that Jesus marvel at, you know, only two

things that ever shocked Jesus at. One is great belief like the centurion.

One is the great unbelief of the people. Even though he has done so

many miracles. Do you know that he says that Jesus could not perform any

miracles because of the unbelief. Maybe there are many unperformed miracles in your life

because there is unbelief. Jesus is waiting on you know, Hey, hello

believe lah Hello, where is the faith? If you speak faith? I

will answer in faith. Do you know that the currency of heaven is faith?

Nothing else, not your good works? Yeah, not your position,

not your bank account. That will not move Jesus. The only thing that

moves Jesus is your faith in action. Your faith in action, you hear

me, church, Is your faith being worked out or not? Or is

it a date faith? Is it a like I believe ten years ago?

Like, yeah, I gave my life to Jesus. I unsered the Salvation

call. And then after that, no transformation in your life, nothing has

changed. That is not faith. That is a date faith. That is

a one time belief. And that's it. But we are called to continuously

believe, believe again, Believe today, believe tomorrow, Believe until Jesus comes

back. Believe until you see him coming on the clouds. Believe do you

believe? That's what he says. Be strong? And number two in verse

two, he says, and the things that you have heard from me among

many witnesses. Commit this to faithful men who will be able to teach others.

Also number two, we need to pass it on, correct? How

do we strengthen our faith? Hey guys, we have to pass it on.

Whatever you hear today, can you pass it on to someone, because

if you don't pass it on, it's dead in you. It will go

in one side and then you will go out the other side. And it's

day. So I stay up so late, so no point right preparing message

but God's word will not return to him for amen. See I chose See

I can feel one way. I can feel like a yah. So I

put all this efforts for what nobody respond or so, but then I click

in and say, no, I'm making a habit of believing it's not me

God, it's your word. Your word is so powerful. It's not about

Mela. Forget about us, cannot it's not about you. But by the

way, it's really not about you. It's about God and how God wants

to partner with you, to use you as his vessel. And so this

is kind of like how I'm thinking right now, Like if I flock badly,

God, you can redeem that. If I do well, it's for

your glory. That's that's a habit that I'm trying to practice my mindset.

I'm trying to practice that instead of like beating myself out. Ah, I

did that mistake. I wish I didn't do that mistake. You know,

sometimes we can put ourselves in the ah God. Then I just quickly goes

God. If it was it's my mistake, I would say sorry, I

will take ownership of it. I will not do it again. But you

can also do the miracle in this mistake because you can. Ah, you

can do anything. I'm believing this with all my heart. Church. God

can do anything, even through your mistakes. God can turn around things in

a way that only God can. No human can, but God can.

Things that are impossible with man is possible with God. Amen. Let faith

arise in us, Church, Faith arise. Do you believe again or not?

What God did twenty years ago in your life? He will do it

today. He wants to do it today. Are you ready to receive it?

Are you ready to respond in faith? You need to pass it on.

Pass on what you've learned today. Pass it on to someone you know.

As we are practicing this right, you know, I'm lifting weights.

I'm like, Heyle, come, let's live with together. I show you

how. Come together, Hey, come on together. Let it okay?

Right, So you're moving some muscles now, it's working right, And then

Eliza, you need to pass on Eli Eli right, And this is how

we pass on the faith. Right, pass it on to others. Don't

keep it to yourself. If you feel that I don't know who to pass

on. Pass on to your children. I don't know who to pass it

on. Pass on to your mom. I don't know who to pass on.

Pass it to the bus driver. I don't know something someone, There

are people all around you. Yes, you can pass it on. You

need to pass it on, otherwise your faith will be dead. Number three

Verse three, You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Oh, my gosh, end your hardship endurance and Paul gives three illustrations.

Yes, number one, you can see this the next picture soldier.

First picture is to be a disciplined soldier. It says that if you are

a soldier, let me read the word of God. It says, now,

you therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No

one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may

please him who enlisted him as a soldier. Yes, are there some disciplines

in your life that you need to put right? Hey, we are in

a battle. No guys, please, la don't forget that you are called

a soldier. We are not just a believer. We are a soldier for

God. How are you soldiering on? How are you soldiering on? Are

you doing the work. Are you getting yourself ready? Are you getting fit

or not? Are you cutting out junk in your life? You know,

soldiers are can I simplete things? When we gotta learn to discipline some of

the things in our lives, our thoughts, our habits. Discipline not only

as a soldier, because we know that we are engaged for war, a

battle, a spiritual battle, and that's what we need. Prayer warriors,

Lah what you think we call you for prayer for? Because you are calling

prayer warriors. You're praying and battling something that's spiritual. It's not flesh.

You better your flesh was to come. Then you battle against the spirits you

engage in the spiritual warfare. Would you do that? Would you? Are

you willing to get dirty? Are you willing to sweat tears and blood for

God's kingdom? Are you? Or are we just epithetic? Let the young

people do, let joy do like Joey can do everything right. Maybe that's

our attitude, but that's not God's call it. Or if that's what you

believe being a Christianist, then I'm sorry, that's not what the Bible says.

You're called to be a soldier, You're called to be an athlete.

Wow, how many athletes do we have? Godla, I know some people

are very fit. One. You know, what are you supposed to do

as an athlete? He says in verse five. And also, if anyone

competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

Why they are rules, guys. In this race of life, there

are many rules, and the rules have all been written out in the Word

of God. See. The problem is right, we don't know the rules

because we don't read the word of God. Ouch again, yeah today,

sorry? After this, ask God for healing again. There are many rules

in the world of God, and the reason why we don't abide it is

true ignorance, because we don't read it for ourselves, and we expect someone

to do all the hard work for us and not engage in God's work for

ourselves. Can you see how coming back to the Word of God again and

again and again, because that's that's all I have to give you the Word

of God for yourself. In fact, you have the Word of God in

your own hands, in your device. Why is it sitting there, not

being read, not being plowed? True to receive the gems and the truth.

And when we go like, oh, but I cannot hear God,

It's got real. You read God's with I promise you if you if you

commit to read God's word every day, I promise you, you will experience

Him like never before. But it's a discipline. Don't expect suddenly I read

God's a one time. You know, read until your own and you cannot

read that you hear put on all your Bibles. I don't. There is

no limitations to the Word of God, Amen, if you believe that it's

truly the word of life itself. The third one is a hard working for

malla. See, it's so many illustrations right bending down in the hot sun.

It's a lot, how you know, to build out faith. It's

not easy. I'm not painting to you an easy picture, because Paul did

not say it was easy. He endured hardship. He endured hardship. I'm

gonna go to verse fourteen. Now, verse fourteen, he says, remind

them, So I'm reminding of you this thing's church is that okay, it's

a reminder to all of us this morning, remind them of these things,

charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to

the ruin of the hearers. Let's not argue and debate so much. Lah,

It's no point arguing be diligion. To present yourself approved to God,

a worker who does not need to be a shame rightly dividing the word of

truth? Amen? Are you an approved worker? Are you working to find

God's truth for yourself? Every day? It's an opportunity to spend two hours

on social media, or it's an opportunity for you to maybe hear a sermon

on how to read God's word? What are you gonna choose? It's a

choice, right, Like I said, don't think that. Oh yeah,

your your your handphone is the master of you? Are you the master or

your handphone the master? Oh? Come on, I'm being real, right.

Are you being sucked into your handphone more? Or are you being sucked

into God's word more? Which one? Your choice? It's your choice.

I've made my choice. You make your choice? Right? What is gonna

what's your habit gonna be? Don't be ashamed? God is looking for workers

that can handle the truth. Because when we can handle the truth, we

will speak truth and we will set people free. Amen. That is what

we are called to do to make disciples right, make disciples so that everyone

will know that Jesus is real and he's coming back, and that there will

be a time of judgment. And we want to be found in the right

side of God. One who will not be a shame of the word of

God. One who will be courageous and bold to stand on your principles,

even if you're the only one who stands on that principle. Would you be

that one? We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information

on our church, please visit as church Org. We are also active on

Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this week is going to be a good

week ahead for you. God bless