12+1 Core Values: Christ Centered | Pr Matthew Chang

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

We hope this message will light up your day.

Today. We're gonna be going through, uh the core value

number two? What's the first one? Spirit failed? Okay, so

the second one is what crit centered? Uh? I apologize.

The first thing you notice is that my spelling is

a bit different because one is British, one is American.

I think so. Okay, I don't know. I'm so used

to this as well. So I added an additional e there,

but so apologize. I think the additional one is more

more American. I think so. I think so because we

did went through well is he e without E? So

I always add an e and then my other what

it got the author? Uh? Now then they check it

without e? Also? Okay? Oh is it both folks correct? Okay? Fine, okay,

so it is a crist centers Okay, So now let

me just quickly put up my notes here. Okay, So

what does Christ center not actually means? Okay? First of all,

what does Christ centeredness actually mean? What does it mean? Actually?

What does Christ centeredness actually mean? What is why is

it so important not just to have Christ but Christ

in the center. Let me a lot of times I

like to understand the meaning of something by going the

opposite way. You know, what does non christ centeredness look like?

What does non christ centernel dook like? When it can

be about everything but not about Christ, isn't it? You

know what I'm saying. No, it can be about Christ,

but Christ is not the most important thing, isn't it.

You can be a family man, but if you're not

family centered, what does it look like? Oh? You know

what I mean? Yeah, I mean right. You can be

a family man. Everybody can be a family man. You're

inside the house, you are present, but not everything is

about the family, isn't it. Sometimes sometimes I'm your son,

I'm your daughter, but you love your family. But not

everything is about the family, or so isn't it? Family

is not in the center of your attention? Maybe your

iPad is your phone, is your work? Is your career?

Is you know when you say when we talk about

being in the center means you know, it's the center

of our attention, the center of our focus, the center

of our heart, the center of our resources, our time,

our energy, everything that we are able to expand on.

It is the center, you know, and we think about

you know, there's so many things that can take our attention.

But it's not just about our attention. It's not just

about all we think about it. But it's a lot

about what is first. It's a lot about what is priority,

isn't it. You know, it's funny that we talk about,

you know, fathers and what makes fathers different from all

about all different cares you know or providers. You know,

the father, by right should always put their family first

more than anyone else. You know what I'm saying now.

You know why because the family always look to the

father for the first defense and provision. Always want you

know what I'm saying now. And the father when you

take about think about your family, must always think about

before anything happens to my family has to go through

me first. I have to think about it. That's why

fathers are always stressed on you. I mean fathers know

I'm looking at always stress. You want the to go

to go to college? I want to do this, that

want to travel. The fathers always stress keep quiet only

but the fatherest thing. They want to enjoy it. But

I stress, you know because I do think about provision,

you know, I think about say you know, of course

the mother. You know, the wife also think about it,

but the father always think about that. Why, don't know.

So it's not just about you know, all the different

things that they have to do, but they always put

family first. Now, so when we think about Christ centeredness, right,

I really like this verse. Okay, let's turn with me

to Romans chapter eleven and verse thirty six. Okay, what

does it mean to put Christ in the center? Okay? Really,

I think that this verse really summarizes it. Okay, Romans,

chapter eleven, verse thirty six. So it says, and I

think you should memorize it as well. Okay, it says,

for from him and through him and to him are

all things? Okay, can everybody here repeat after me and

readly together again one more time? Riot one two three four?

From him and through him and to him are all things.

I think it's a wonderful way of expl what Christ's

centeredness is about. Okay. So let's quickly you know, understand,

you know, or take apart from what this verse is

trying to tell us. Okay, So Christ centeredness first thing

talks about what from him? Okay, from him? I like

the word there from him? Okay, you must understand that

everything that we do, or any energy that we have,

any source of inspiration or motivation, the one that is

only truly worthy, the one that is truly everlasting, an

e Turner, comes from him. You know, the word father

comes from the word source. You know, So when you

say father, you're just talking about a figure. You know.

When we call father or above father, we are saying

you are my source. I come from you. You know,

I was literally birth from you. But everything about me

comes you know, my energy, my being, my existence, and

my sustenance and everything comes from you. And we say

that when you say other fathers, say my source, it's

a very powerful thing, you know. You know what I'm saying, No,

when you call it, it's really saying that my source,

my provider, and my sustenance and everything. So when we

call God our father, we're saying that Lord, we come

from you, and we belong to you. You know what

I'm saying that. And so one of God's great joy

is also to pour out his fatherhood onto you. I'm

saying no, to let you know that you and I

belong to him. Yah, to let us know that we

didn't come out of random chances. You know that you

didn't just exist out of a big bang, out of

an evolution. You know, we say that evolution come from monkeys.

You know. I always say, you know, what's the next part?

Wings is it? Or the next one? Maybe aquament is

more evolved than us, you know, what's the next what's

the next stage? You know? Why is it that if

we are evolving, we have not really evolved over so

many years, we've actually gotten worse, you know, really really

gotten words and not really you know, really really really

gotten words, you know, and now with AI and screen time,

we've really gotten quite backwards. You know, where's the evolution happened?

Evolution explains the growth, but it doesn't explain the source

of life. Of course. Then suddenly we have this guy.

I think it's something I was doing a writing about

him anyway, And the guy who came out with the

idea of of the Big Bang is a British astronomer. Okay,

so he even himself, you know, he was saying that

the idea of everything happening for the Earth just to

be at the perfect location, at the perfect temperature, at

the perfect environment for everything to happen just out of

you know, just for the Earth to be located Goldilocks situation,

the chances of it happening now, if you really believe

in the Big Banger, you know how, how what is

the probability of that? You know what's the probability of

the Big bank happening in all life? And you are

now sitting here right now, why's the chance everybody believe

in the Big Bank so much? Ma? You know what's

the probably? Okay, it's the probably of zero two hundred

and forty zeros in the power there. Okay, two hundred

and forty zeros? Are you know what's the aughts of that? Now,

if you take the measure of the expanding universe, and

the whole universe are from one end to the other end,

and on one end of the universe the non universe

a and you throw at dout, Okay, you will need

to hear and the size of an atom on the

other side of the universe. That's the probability. I don't

know if you throw it that I can't hit you

right there, right now, you need to throw a dart

from one end of the universe onto the other end

of the known universe and it hit the precision of

an atom. That's the chance of a big bank happening.

But people say, but still possiblema, still possible, Burma. But

then we take all these possibilities and extract it. You know,

you must be removed more. But if I take your

phone right now, right, and I take it into small pieces,

and I put it into a container and I shake

it for one billion, ten billion, one hundred billion years

or whatever money blaze, do you think it will ever

become a handphone? Do you think if you walk in

the broader hills out of nowhere and you saw a

watch and you picked up, Oh, this must be a

big bank com out of nowhere. One. No, the first

thing you look at it, somebody dropped it, you know,

isn't it first thing you think about it? Somebody dropped

it in you say, somebody you didn't have brow nowhere.

But you see, we are so quick to say that

he didn't come from nowhere. But there is a source, people,

there's an intelligence. There is a grand designer. There is

a grand creator that caused everything to happen. And in

what all of us there is a desire to know

why we are here, where we come from. We need father,

you know, you know, saying what I'm saying, no, there

is why we say what from him? Okay, we come

from far from That's the first thing. And so christ

centeredness is understanding that we come from Him, not just

our existence, but everything that we do as well must

come from a source, from an inspiration. Because if you don't,

if you don't understand you come from God. The only

thing and the only reason for your living is to

live for your self. And eventually you begin to realize

that you are sole, limited, so empty, and you begin

to betray your own conscient and your own motivation and

your own purpose as well. You know what I'm saying.

So that's the first thing. From Him, and then through

him means what we can do nothing apart from Him,

I'm saying. We are when we are young, we think

it can run, you can do, we can achieve, we

can accomplish anything that we do. Yes, you can for

the moment. And then when you get to your forties,

your fifties, your seventies, and your eighties, and all the

things that you do become forgotten. Ready, how many or

you remember what you did twenty years ago? The energy

that you expanded so much you can't even remember, right,

do you remember what you did when you were five

years old. You don't remember, isn't it just like that?

Time begins to make everything so small and insignificant. You

think you can in the moment, but when it's time

goes on, suddenly nothing happens, nothing actually matters anymore. Okay,

So we must understand that if we want to achieve

anything that is of significance or eternal value, we cannot

do things out of our own strengths. Okay, we must

do things through him. That is why Jesus said what

you suld say it in I think it's in John

chapter fifteen. And then he says, I am the true vine,

and my father is the vine dresser. Abide in me

and I in you, And as the branch cannot bear

fruit of itself unless he abinds in the vine, neither

can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine,

and you are the branches. And he who abides in

me and I here bear must bears much fruit. But

without mean you can do nothing. He's not saying that

you cannot wake up and you cannot make coffee, you know.

He's saying that you cannot do anything of eternal value.

You come saying it's not just doing anything of eternal value,

you kem saying. Not so when you think about when

you want to be forty fifty, sixty seventy, when you're all,

what is that thing that you did that you really

truly feel proud of or you feel I have touched

eternity in your life? You know what I'm saying. Now,

if you only have one week left to live, what

would you do? Would you know what to do to

make use of that one week you have? You will

know you'll be stuck depressed. You know what I'm saying. No,

But today it starts right now. What really is important

that you want to do? And you can only do

it through Him? You know I'm saying, No, you have

to tap into God, said God, I need you to

tell me, not me figuring out, but I need to

tell me what's really really important? What I am I

made here, what am I made for? And what to

do to achieve so that when I return to you,

when I look at you in the face, I can

I can hear say, well done, my good and faithful servant. Okay,

Then the third one, what's the third one? Okay? So

the first one is from him through him, and the

last one is to him. Okay, everything that we do

must be towards a goal. We come from him, and

all the things that we do is for him. And

you realize that it's so important because a lot of

times we like to ask, Hey, what am I doing

this for? And if you cannot figure that out, you

wouldn't pay the cost, isn't it. Am I coming to

church just to make sure that you know my leaders

and my pastor don't don't don't know, don't call me again.

You know I'm here because my parents ask me. So

you already have a different motivation. You're not doing for yourself.

You're doing for your to please somebody else's name. You're

not doing something for somebody else is the most hiring

thing in the world. You know, It's the most hiring

thing in the world. And all that is why it

doesn't mean, you know, trying to make a person change

for somebody else is the most feel tileble thing you

can ever do. You know, if I want to make

likeness you to change for me, I will never ever succeed. One.

If I want to make my children change for my sake,

they will never change. One. If I want to make

my spouse to change because I keep trying to tell

him or her this is the right way to do.

They will never change one spouse agreeing on all the

wives agree in, all the fathers agree in, all the

husbands agree Ina. I mean, how long have you be,

guys been married? How long have your spouse been trying

to change you? Is it successful or not? They can

tell you no, it's no work. I do my gray

hair come out also still the same fellow, you know,

because and if you try the first fellow to change

you are tired. That person is tired. It will never work.

One the only reason. But it doesn't mean that people

cannot change. No, people can change, but just not for

you or for anyone else. The only reason they will

change is that they change from within. They want to

change because they want to survive and they want to succeed.

That's the only reason. And when I say that we

want to change because of God, it's because we realize

that there is no other way, no other place we

can run to by God. You know what I'm saying.

Not he said God, apart from you, there is no

life apart from you. There is no truth apart from you,

There is no light So the only way, the only

person I know that way I can put my life,

and I know I will succeed even though I can't

see it, is you, because I don't know anyone else

who have died for me. I don't know anyone who

have died for me. I don't know anyone else who

I will call out to now when I'm alone or

in my final hour, that will be willing to hold

my hand and walk me into eternity. I'm saying, no,

not your children, not your spouse, are the only person

whom you when you call that, who will hold your

hand and walk you into the next part of your eternity.

It's only Jesus. It's only Jesus. No one else are

as much as I love my wife, and my wife's

not going to be able to hold my hand. Noah,

my children won't be all my sony Jesus, Okay, are

every day of our So let's let's read this verse again, Okay, John,

that say Romans chapter eleven, versety six. Okay, four, From

him and through him and to him are all things. Okay,

So this is what Christ's centeredness means. Now, what are

some of the let's just very quickly go through some

of the things, challenges and maybe distractions that like to

maybe deviate us. You know, it's always easy until we

realize that, you know, we go to the whole, to

the real world. There are so many things that wants

to distract us. I put it into two care they go, Rizia.

One for the church, because we are all the church,

it's not just the leaders, all of us. And also

for your own individual life as well. Okay, I try

to put it in the peace, the peace, the peace, okay,

the peace and the trees. Okay, all right, so what

are some of the challenges for the church? Okay, when

we realized we become not very christ and that when

we focus too much on performance true or not performance.

So everybody check out likeness and not just now where

he played the guitar and they say, so watch you performance,

you're greating. Yeay, nay, yeah. Anyway, you know you're a

performance based and we start to care about what people

say about us, you know. Yeah, Pastor Matthew, why he

preacher not nice one now he only used so little

slices you no, no jeefs, no funny thing, you know,

cannot connect to campus people. Also, yeah, they start to

affect you. You know, you can mean right, you know,

oh maybe you know this stage not better, not better?

But if I go to the other place and another venue,

are ah they even got you know, ex kids, they

got a slide ler, they got a mascot lar or

they got lunch cater from McDonald's for everybody. One for

you and don't go forward that guy anyway. Yeah, So

all these performance things, you know, over the presence of God.

You know, if the churches don't have all these decorations,

will you still come and join or you still focus

on God? You know there's one thing. Second thing. It's pressure.

Oh it's pressure, real or not? What's the pressure? Pressure

to do? What? Pressure to what? Pressure to what? Pressure

of the to follow? Popularity isn't it? What's the popular

thing to do? Isn't it? People? Now they sing this song?

We sing songs like twenty years ago one? And how

connect you know people? You know, people somehow will write

to you. So I really feel this song is really connecting.

You can't sing this song, you know then people were

threatened it not. But I feel like I go to

other church and worship, I feel more connected, you know

all how how our life. That's how you know, what

should we do? Should we change our library or huh?

I can tell you I used to be what she

did a long time. I tell you, I can tell

your songs don't really matter really really the times when

I really worship the most, I don't even need songs

really really, it's when they're I don't need song, but

I really need God. We need God with the more

than we need songs. You know, you really, really, you

will realize when you really need God, you will really worship.

You're like God, I need you. You really worship when

you don't need him. That's when you start to think, hey,

what songs are you playing? You know it's true, people,

is true. It's very very true. Okay, So there is pressure,

cultural pressures, you know, different things to appease different people

as well. Oh, you know we can't we have ministries,

but we can't have every ministry. Of course, we always

depend on the availability of people serving as well. But

I've been to churches you know where the people like

to you know, pull the pastor or the leaders are everywhere,

and you need to serve. Young adults need to serve,

and grown adults need to serve. Kids, the pasta I

do everything and then fully stretch one now and no

rest wanta know, And yet they still left the church.

You know, I feel I know a friend, I actually

know a friend who's like that. He was really abundanting.

I'm like, people think about asking more than they actually

think about how can I serve? You know, they asked

for everything and then they compare and they left despite

all these things. And I feel like I'm not saying

that that by just saying like, it's feel really sad

and alone all this as well. So there's a lot

of pressure that we also have to understand as well.

Sometimes people will say, oh, no, we must visit this

person who is so and so because the person is

a bit more wealthy. You know. You know, we noticed

that the last time the conference that you know, we

saw a five figure and six figure by these particular

homes and this person as well, maybe we need to

celebrate you, or maybe we need to give them a

person a leadership role. You know, these things are more

real than you can imagine, more real than you can imagine.

People very real, very very very want and so there

are a lot of pressures as well. Sometimes you don't

ask yourself. Are you okay if people leave? Are you okay?

If people don't like you? Are you okay? If people

write bad things about you about social in social media

as well, say no, are you okay with that? Sometimes

you won't get validated? And all people write things, and

then you want to go online and write also the

same thing. Do you know what actually happened? I tell you?

Or but we cannot do that? Isn't it? Sometimes? Isn't it?

We need to have wisdom, you know, self control, refrain

and knowing that God is the one who avenges and

justifies his sayings, you know, not asking not because if

we do, we also bite debate of doing things off

our own, flashing all you come saying, you know, And

so we have to be very endearing and and very

what they call it enduring and percificing and self control

in a lot of things as well. Okay, next to

our platform, No, we care a lot about branding or

nowa this, I see a lot of TikTok and Instagram

about to just become cool with that jokes and everything.

Nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying. But we must

not confuse popularity on online media and everything else. It

should you know, that is the most important thing. We

should never care for that the most important thing is

on the pulpit. Did you preach what you're asked to preach?

Did you preach according to the scripture? Or do you

preach to be popular? You can't say no. Maybe you

don't like why I preach that. I'm sorry, real, but

I preach based on what I'm asked because I believe

that God speaks not direct not just that really through me,

but also to those above me and around me as well.

And I really try to preach as if I can't

preach you next week anymore, maybe it's my last moment,

I will tell you the truth. Okay, that's because that's

what you need. Pragmatism, Okay, pragmatism. What is what pragmatic?

What does pragmatic mean? Pragmatic means one thing, just be

real that no real, you know, focus on actually what

works there, you know what we can see the reason out.

Super pragmatic, you know, just be real. You know you

always that, you know we always do pray, you know not,

but then suddenly there's somewhere just be real, la and

then you know, like lack of faith, but only focusing

on the results and the works, you know, but not

realizing that you need to make room for scripture and

what the spirit speaks as well into our lives in it.

You're over primit Yes, are there pragmatic things. Yes, if

you're sick you haven't eaten, you should eat that of

course that huh. There's not being over pragmatic. You should

eat la okay. But when you feel sick, you ought

to pray or soma. True. Now you are to find

you know, and certain times you need to really see

the God. Don't just looking for every daughter. But he

never wants pray to God as well. You know, I'm saying,

you know, not over pragmatizing things and lasted politics. Ah

why politics? No. I used to know people and they

say that they're they're real disappointed with the world because

everywhere they go to they find people and people always

disappoint or and then they decide to go off greet,

you know, really go off greet. When they said go

off great and means are they try to go into

the jungle and do the live food organic and you know,

really you know, really go off the great. But they

try to go off great. But then they realize so well,

they need to need, they need people, and then they

realize when they connect people, people disappoint again. So everywhere

you go, unless you go to an island, just by

your own and survive. Just like you know, I don't

know what you want as well, you will always meet people. Yes,

people will have their own challenges, people have their own interests. Yes,

there will be some sometimes politics and stuff like that.

But we must learn that said CHRISTI is the center

and we must learn to overcome it as well. We

don't just avoid, you know, avoiding is never the choiceer

know the pathway for for God wan No, he always

wants us to overcome, not to avoid. You know. You

know what I'm saying. You seeing temptations, challenge, sickness as well,

learning to overcome by faith. You know what I'm saying,

by perseverance. Cross. You know, we look at Jesus. Did

he avoid the Cross? No? The greatest act of love

was not done to avoidance, but truth overcoming, and Jesus

says that I have overcome the world. Okay, Now, for believers,

what are some of the things that we deal with?

Pace so busy, isn't it. That's the one big, biggest

things that keeps us from not putting Christ in the center?

Is in it? Busy? So busy like Martha like that? Yeah,

Martha and Matha so busy, you know, until we tell

God what to do one. You know, you know if

I don't know if I preach about Matha and Mary.

Did you notice if you read the scripture very carefull? Ya,

Martha was complaining, isn't it? And then now what did

she do? What did she do? Did she speak to

Jesus or speak to Mary? No, she's to Jesus. Mary

is clearly the problem, but she clearly blames Jesus for it,

saying she blames she blames Jesus for Mary. And she

goes and tell you, now go and tell Mary to

come and help me. Well, you tell Jesus how to

help you by instructing Mary. You know, you said, if

I have a problem with Likeness instead of having instead

of talking to him, I asked Ben and all Ben,

you go and take it to likeness how to help me.

So in a way, I'm blaming you, you know, because

I blame because he feels like you don't care. He

obviously doesn't care, but you saw all this you don't care.

So now I tell you how to help me, And

a lot of times we do that to God, isn't

it God? You don't care? Right? So this is how

I tell you to help me. You do this and this,

and then you help me as well. And when we

get busy, this is what we always tend to do.

He said, we're so off focused. We pray, we tell

God how to help us. You know, God, if you

supply this, if you will heal this, you will talk

to this boss, to this manager, you make this person

say sorry. We like to tell God how to help us.

One but then God is like, really, am I to

be faltered and blame for everything? Yeah? So pace business. Second,

of course, performance, isn't it performances? Trying to find identity

in our achievement rather than in Christ. You know, Oh

if I am successful in my you know, yes, work

is important. But if you know, the only time I

even ever give praise report is when I get a

good testimony in my marketplace. Only why then I get

a good bonus, Thank you God, and I get a

new car, Thank you Jesus. Instagram? Oh God provide, you know,

But then you know when you don't and you look

at other people, why God doesn't care about me. Ah,

but everybody can find boyfriend, girlfriend and not me. One

will mean everybody can have a success. And after that

you have a we have a warp impression or what

a blessed life is? You know? You know what I'm saying. Ah,

Then you go into a walk into the bookstore and

you see all books. You know, Oh, this is truly

a blessing, a blessing you see. I look at the scripture.

It doesn't seem to be that way. You know, Jesus

didn't have a car, you know he did, you know

everywhere he go to it he couldn't find a place

to put his lips with his head down one and

on d challenging one. Not I look at the disciples

not so easy or so in a What is the

blessed life? You know? The blessed life, it's not just

about having the worldly things, you know, nothing, having the achievements,

everything that we wanted. By having the truth, they will

never abandoned us, the presence that will never leave us.

I'm saying, No, that's the blessed life. Pleasure. Who doesn't

want to have pleasure? You notice all these things are

they are kind of good? You know, but they're not God,

No things not is it nothing? You know, Once in

a while, I like to drink a really nice cup

of coffee, really really nice one. Sometimes I like to

see them in a nice car as well. I like

to you know, sometimes when I go into a plane,

it's like whoa. Sometimes business class looks a lot more

attractive than the economy class. And I sit there and

I realized that my feet is already pushing. You know,

this is my big problem. And when I see I

really hit very hard and the person in front, I

really feel bad because it feels like they've got extra

lumbar support from me. So I give a lot of people.

I give people a lot of support, and so you

know that. But there are things that is it wrong

to have to to to to to desire or to

have like oh pleasure. No, exactly wrong. But it shouldn't

drive you. It shouldn't drive you. You know what I'm saying.

You should not be driven by your need for the world.

It things alone, I'm saying, God, It's given us a body,

a flash and sensus, you know, to understand what is

pleasurable and not pleasurable. It's true, it's God given we're

not decriminalizing it, but to understand that it is not

the most important. Is the most important is what we

need to understand. So because we're all given a choice

as well, we can make a choice. You say that

even if I don't have it, it's fine. Don't let

it drag you like, oh, because I have whoe is

my life? Oh? Everybody is talking about you know, house renovation,

buying property and you know what they're made to sell

and they make money. Oh, whoa, it's me. Please don't

be like that. Don't let your yourself be dragged down.

Of course, don't surround yourself with too many people like

that or so that. You know, sometimes you go and

meet people I got, I know you're going chet you

come back or you cry and one know you know

why because you feel like your life is not successful.

Everybody is more successful than you actually have friends do

with that. You know, he actually came back after Mama session.

He feels like he's the failure of life. You know,

everybody is successful. Hang out with people are that, don't

talk so much about these things that you get me right?

Sometimes I Chinese to you. I can't help you. A

lot of family members I like to talk about where

they've been, what renovation they go, Oh, my renovation is

so expensive for so long, five hundred thousand. Here they

have to flex one and like, oh yeah, I didn't

ask for a figure. I didn't ask it was five

hundred thousand. I took up a lot. Okay, okay, yeah,

good to know, good to know. Okay, Okay, yeah I

had to I bought the wrong car and I had

to change my car too times. Oh yeah, okay, porting porting,

Oh yeah, supporting people they can't help it, can't help it,

but they have to tell people what the pain they

went through, okay, and so yeah, anyway, pride, I was

just talking about pride just now, so no self reliance

and then on the refusal to depend on him. A

lot of us have a pride, isn't it? From young os?

We also already have pride. You know, I can see

my children also, so ad mean to me? No, So

why why you don't want to accept help from the

mommy and certain things, you know, whether you want to

go for classes or swill forward to help yourself? So no,

I want to prove that I can do it. Then

in my in my mind, it's like, oh it's there

a good pride or a bad pride. You know, it's there,

a good source or bad source. You know, they say

they want to and after that, you know they then

they didn't succeeds, Like how I should have asked for help.

So sometimes I let them go through and the challenges

the circuit and it's like, oh, say, do you know

where they come from? Or not one thing to succeed

this one. But having that pride because you achieve something,

because you're needing somebody help, that is not the right attitude.

You must understand you cannot do anything on your own

me or so we all. Actually, the smartest thing you

can do is to get all the help you can

and you learn a lot faster. So don't don't be

don't don't feel that you are lesser by asking for help.

You know, you know what I'm saying. No, it's very

it's actually it's very important for you to ask for help,

very very very very very important. A lot of people

feel like if I ask, you know, it means I'm weak.

No no, no no. If you ask or help means you're

a smart person. When I lead young people when I work,

I used to work in businesses as well. The staff

that I like the most are the staff. They're always

looking for the right help. They actually ask, but they

don't ask silly questions. They ask because they haven't done anything,

But after they have done, they ask. I love it.

I love those types. Start true and you want what

I'm saying. No, they try all the things ready, and

they ask it's just correct or not? Is there a

better way to do it? Or not? Great? The person

who had not done anything, Oh, they're asking to be fair.

That'spoon fair. That's different. Now, okay, there's different. But if

you if you constantly ask, I like that guy because

they are always trying to do things the right way.

They are not they are not letting their ego or

their pride gate in the way. That's a very very

very important thing. And then lastly, pretense. Oh there's a

very uchal you want, isn't it. Sometimes you don't really,

we don't realize that. We actually play a lot. We

like to play pretense. You know, we even pretend before God.

Oh we play we pretend by praying. You know, we pray,

but we're not really praying. We pray there we are seeing.

We know, we pretend we are worshiping, but we're not

really worshiping. We pretend that we are, we have we are,

we are a good Christian, you know by I don't

know whatever skin or whatever lifestyle that you're thinking or living,

but inside you are so far away from God. And

not just the pretense. Now you make yourself believe that

you are. That's the problem. If you pretend because you

are hiding from something, Okay, we can work with that.

But if you pretend and eventually you believe that you

are a good Christian when you are not, then you

become like the what we call the foolish virgins. You

know what I'm saying. I preach about the ten foolish

visions remembers. Yeah, you become like the ten foolish virgin

think that you are okay when you are not. That's

the big problem. Okay, a very very big problem. Okay.

So so at last I draw to a close here.

I know there's quite a few points here. Last, Why

I draw to a close, like some of the things

that we can do to keep Christ centered. Firstly, we

need to abide in Him. Okay. Now, it's a very

generic thing that we always say, Hey, must abide in Jesus.

Abiding means to stay, to remain like you know, the

ying and the branch, you know. But Jesus didn't say anything.

He said one very important thing, you know. He said,

abide in me. Can if you read if I think

it's John fifteen, I was teaching this in the seven

A M. How do you abide in Christ? If i'm

your save, for example, your parent, and I said abide

in me? Are you asking me to stay in your house?

What you're saying come to church always? No is a

specific I you're right, John fifteen. What do you say?

Keep my commandments? Keep my commandments? If you want to

abide in me, keep my commandments. Now, this is where

people struggle a lot because a lot of times when

we think about commandments, we think about rules. We think

it's something that it's dictator, like a dictator, not but

the word I don't have time to go into it.

But if you study the word commandment of in the

Hebrew or in the Great it relates to actually, first

of all, it relates to something that's internal. When I

give a commandment to someone, I'm not just giving instruction.

Commandments are typically reserved for people, either from a king

to the subject of parents to their children. What I'm

saying a king gives commandments, isn't it. But if you

are my staff, I can sort of give you commandment,

But most of the time I give you instructions. We

don't give you command You know what I'm saying, commandments,

I have authority. But more importantly, if I'm a king

or a parent and I give commandments, right most of

the time, it means that I'm responsible for you and

you are in my domain. I am a king and

you are my subject. You are my people. I care

about my people. I care about my realm and how

it works to thrive, to succeed. If you are my children,

my daughter, my sons, I give commandments. Don't steal from anyone,

don't lie to me about anything. Don't play with fire.

You know what I'm saying. No, don't disorder and shout

at your mom and your dad. You know what I'm saying.

You know you know why we say these things, Because

this is our domain and I am responsible for you

and you belong to me. I would not if other

friends come in they want to do I don't like.

I will give you instructions, but I will never give

a commandment because they can because the next day or

after this, they will go back already their parents sholl

instruct them. Not me, you know why, because they don't

belong to me. You receive commandment the ones whom you

belong to. People you I'm saying not, and you know

it in your life. You won't take no commandment from

anyone who you don't belong to. Who are you? Who

do you think you are? Right? Oh? There, you give

me your commandment? You don't really you will never say that.

But if your dad gives your commandment and your mom's like,

oh okay, that's different. Yeah, I'm saying not, but you

see that. So that's one thing you feel when you

only get a commandment, When you feel a sense of responsibility,

your sense of belonging, accountability, and you care about the

person more than anything else. That's the first part. The

second part of commandment is that commandments reveal the DNA

of a person. I will never tell you, don't lie,

don't be rude unless it's the most important in me.

When you know my commandments, you actually know me. You

know you come. I'm saying, when you know my commands,

you know me because I will never say it and

make it a commandment unless it is the most important

to me. And so a lot of times when you

talk about commandments right in Hebrew, of course the word

is called mitzvah. Okay, there will no people will perform

a mitzvah, But mitzvah or commandment, it's not so much

to follow a rule. It's more like to connect with

a person. When you follow the commandments, you connect with

the heart of the person. When you follow the commandments,

you touch God's heart. And then it's why if you

read John fifteen again, he said that if you abide me,

keep my commandments. And this is my commandment, what is it?

Love one another. So when you keep the commandments of

loving one another, you begin to get into the secret

place of Jesus Christ. The most important thing to me

that you don't realize that what I'm here for. I'm

here not just to heal people. I'm not here just

to make food pop out for five thousand people. I'm

here because I love and now you are my disciples.

I tell you the most important thing to me, keep

my commandments by loving one another. You know I'm saying no,

And so remember how you abiding Christ by keeping his

commandments and love one another. And when you keep God's

come mong issue make you feel draw closer to gordinal

because you begin to see God everywhere, is everywhere, and

you begin to do it because this is what God

will do, because this is what God will do. This

is God what will do. It is commandments. So by

following God's commandments, we become more like him. That is

what it means abiding Christ. It's not some fancy intangible

thing or feeling feeling by thea. No, it's a very

practical thing. By knowing His commandments and following His commandments,

and that say what I'm saying, that makes sense? Does

it make a lot more sense, a lot more practical. Right,

That is what it means to actually abide in Christ.

You go back and read John fifteen again. Okay, write

it down John fifteen. If you don't understand what it

means to abide, go ahead read John fifteen. Understand what

does it mean? Okay? Now what else? What are we

supposed to do? Draw to a close. Okay, let me

pick one. We are we are meant to behold him daily? Okay,

Second Corinthians. Let's turn to Second Corinthians Chapter three, verse eighteen.

He says, verse three, verse chapter three, verse eighteen. But

we all with unveiled face beholding us in the mirror,

the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the

same image, from glory to glory. Okay, now what does

it mean? We become what we look at? Okay? I

said this again? We become what we look at? Do

you agree? In true or not? We become what we

look at? I can tell you, like some of us,

we have our our so called ambitions, right, our plans,

our goals. If I take away your phone and your

digital social media whatever it is, for sixty days, do

you believe that your goals will changed? You believe that,

you really believe that you believe that you as a

person would have changed a bit? How many say yes?

Hands up the rest and no? I changed the phone.

That sounds like yeah, but it's true or not. Some

of the things that you want to buy, can you've

ever thought about where did they come from? Suddenly I

go online? I want to buy a new fan. Suddenly

I just don't know why. I feel like I need

a holiday? Where did they come from? You think, eve?

Who want to become likewise like God? Unless you saw

the tree. Yeah, but it's not just a tree, isn't it.

It's what at the end of the day, it's not

just what you see. It's what you see promises you

true or not. It's what it promises you more than

anything else. So you don't understand. It's not just all

I don't care about. I don't be like her. No,

what they're selling is promises. So it's the promise of vision.

Sometimes you don't really you don't even know what it is,

but there's something attractive that you want to gear towards

the world that you look because somehow I can't really

put it. But it's promising something beautiful, something attractive, something

that will make me feel good about myself, success or anything.

Of course, a lot of these people will tell you, oh,

you know, it's a lot of hardware, but they are

they are selling you success, and they are promising you success.

But of course they will say, I'm not a financial

advisor piece, you know, but they are selling your promises.

And that is why when we come to Christ, men

shall not live by bread alum, but by every word

that proceeds from the mouth of God. The word of

God is also promising us something we can't see everything.

That's well, call leave by favor, but it's also promises,

even the money that you have. You know, if you

take out a dollar, you know, what does your dollar mean?

If you take a ring it? Oh so loud. If

you take a ring it and you go to US,

can you use a ring it? You cannot? Why a

ring it means nothing, you know, unless he represents the

promise of the government. That is why your ringate is

backed by Bangnagara. But if I take my promises in

Malaysia to the US, it means nothing. They will say

you need to convert. I don't trust in your government's promises.

I trust in my government's promises. That's why I only

take you as dollar makes sense or not. So the

whole world system is run on promises. You can't saying

right should oh yeah, you're right. That's why we run

on the US dollar, not on the goal system anymore.

It's very run on promises. So you must understand you

when you want to deconstruct your life and really see

where you're heading, look at your heart right now in

your life, what are the promises that I really believe on?

Where did they come from? And that is why you

begin to like, Hey, why am I being driven by

promises by random people who I don't know, who don't

care about me? And I'm letting them draw me to

promises that they may but they won't care about me,

Whereas I have a savior who came and died for me,

who will never leave me north for sake me. You

come saying you know there's two promises there, you not,

And so in saying instead of in see, the promises

come when you keep looking at it. It's not just

hearing you keep looking at it. You keep looking at it.

That's how the world gets you hook on the promises

by keeping you looking at it. And so what we

ought to do is to step back and look at Christ.

That's why it says, but we beholding in a mirror

the glory of the Lord. And as you behold him

and you look at Christ, it's not just a teacher.

He's the one who loves you, who will always be

with you. Like I said, when you're sixty, when you're seventy,

If I say, if tomorrow or next week it's your

final days, whose promises are you holding on to? All

the TikTok Instagram will not matter zero for you. I

tell you zero, you wouldn't care a single thing. You

wouldn't want to travel, you wouldn't buy another clothes, You

wunna won't care about losing ten morechilos. Do you know

what I'm saying? No, you want care zero? You only

care about where am I going? You know what I'm

saying now? And this is where the promises stand true.

The most important thing. You know, you realize their levels

to promises. You know. Okay, so we ought to behold

him daily. Okay, you know I'm here, that we become

like what we look at. So it's actually a very

good practice. And that you set a scheduler for how

much time you use your handphone. You know, I begin

to do that in the last few months. I realize

that my kids, I thought my kids can handle it,

I realize I can't. I said, nine o'clock. Every gadget

in my room, there's a basket there, iPads, laptops, the phone.

What it was quite challenged you There was a challenge. Oh,

my kids struggle. And because they come back from school

at like six o'clock, they've got three hours. That's it.

You have to deal with that. You make sure, but

I need to text friends and then do that. Yeah,

make sure you text before that. Be careful. Yet, you

could have set boundaries because you don't trust yourself with

what your eyes are looking to. You don't trust ah,

my eyes like to look at beautiful thing and then

you like, oh no, no, no, set my hours. I

like to sleep very late. If you don't have your gudget,

you trust me, you won't sleep late. If you don't know,

you don't net face, you won't sleep so late. Won't

trust me? Trust me? True or not? How many of

you just like to stay in the wall until two

o'clock in the morning? One? No, true, I gotta you

have a problem sleeping? Only I take away? Take it?

Get just more problem, I guarantee you. How many if

you just like to say, I don't know. I just

like to stay, you know, from twelve to two o'clock.

I love to stay. But I don't know why my

finger keep doing this, you know, for some reason, keep

doing this? You know of you because of the gudget.

You cannot You're like you you think you need to sleep,

but another one another one, another one you cannot. The

truth is we cannot trust ourselves. You know, we really

we cannot leave our destiny to our flesh. You know,

really they really not just a way Okay, some of

the things that I wrote here set our minds on

the things above. You get mean? Right? Okay? You know

you know, don't just focus on the things that are

on the world. Not easier said than done. Yes, there

are things that you need to attend to. But how

you continue to set your things on the things on

above are always have a like what they call it.

I always say that, always have a plan for your

own spiritual life. I always I always ask myself this, now,

if this is a very powerful exercise I do? I

always ask I keep saying this, if I only have

one week left to live, what would I do? It's

a very good because Bible teacher told us teaches us

to number of days. You know, really, you know it's

true or not. I see your friend now, no where

a randomly are even make him for a year? I

just found out he went through stage four cancer. No,

you take it for granted. It's it's very challenging when

your side whoa and just like that your life change

one Just like that, you think if you want to

focus on things on the above, be willing to tackle the

difficult questions always in your life. Set everything that you do.

I always like to ask myself one or two questions,

will these things really really make me happy? Not just

for now, but twenty thirty, forty to fifty years. It's

God really happy with what I do? And if I

have such a short time, will these things really really

really matter? Always have this some ale these things back

up in your mind, so then when you make a decision,

you make things. Decisions are with a proper mindset, with

a high with a hire mynselt with an eternal mindset.

I'm saying, sometimes, oh, you don't want to spend money

or certain things. Oh, sometimes when I treat people, I

try to be a bit more generous or sometimes with

some of I know, when I walk on the streets

are and sometimes I when I see people buy, I

will buy a bit more from them. I'm not trying

to flaunt my thing. But I learned this from my dad,

because you know, it's a good Father's day. You know

one thing about my dad and realized that my dad

is very generous is that when he meets someone poor,

he will tend to always go out and give a

lot for them. Sometimes we don't need a gardener, my

dad will get a gardener. I was like, I don't

want to get a gardener. My friends have an impression

that we are reached, you know. No, But he gets

a gardener because he wants to give job for some

of the stuff in the government because my dad work

was in the government place. So he hires them and

when they come to do gardening for him, he normally

sends them off with a lot of biscuits and food.

Because this gardener has six kids, you know, six kids

and none of them work. I really don't know how

they survive, are none of them what? So my dad

heart goes out for them and he gives him generously

for them food and make sure that so the gardenor

always comes. You know. Then when we go on holiday

ly thing, he was, oh, the way is his boss

because there is a supply and all, and he is

the biscuits for himself because all the children eat the

rest all the other food he don't. He most of that.

He go back home. He got hungry, so the biscuit

is to feed him. Money knows. It's really my heart

really goes out, really heartbroken for for for these things wanting.

You know what I'm saying, it's very very important that

we remember the poor. We really, really really really really

remember the poor. Don't focus so much on what we

get what we don't have. Look at other people. Always

have a mindset thing about you know, not just you know,

going to good all things good, all things are good.

But if I'm not mistake, there's a scripture. You know

it's better for you to go for funerals and people dying.

You know why, because you think about long term, you know,

people who don't have, you know, proper mindset. Enough surrounding

yourself is some of these things, you know, and the

kind of people that you surround will really determine your pathway.

I'm sorry if I'm a bit everywhere here you know

today I know I'm just sharing my heart out all

the day. But I think that this is a very

very important thing because I really believe today's lesson it's

not just for the church, but it's for all our lives.

How do we continue growing year by year, always centered

on the things that truly matter? Amen, Come, let's just

stand together. Are the lawyer? Thank you Jesus. I want

to pray. Maybe I don't know I want to do this.

I don't need you to come up here, but I

just feel like the sense are that some of you here,

maybe the students here, you have a sense of desire

and longing, wanting to know what to do with your life.

You know what I'm saying. You don't want to know

what to do with your life, and you are here

and asking this question not by coincidence, and I want

to let you know that you can't do this out

of your own strength. You can't do this by just

looking at the world. Or how do you find the

meaning of your life? Or someone will say just follow

your passion and so another person just follow your feelings. Oh,

someone go when skydiving and you feel like maybe skydiving

is my purpose and planning my life. No, no, no, no,

you have to look to God and not just look.

You have to ask. Don't you feel like, oh, if

God knows, I don't need to ask. No, you need

to ask, because you don't realize that asking is the

exercise of faith. You just pour your heart out all

I feel soul lost and you think that's asking. No,

you need to ask and ask by faith, and when

you receive it, you have to receive it by faith.

You I'm saying no, it's a very very important thing.

A lot of young people don't do that, and a

lot not just young people, a lot of Christians don't

do that. We don't. We just say that God, you

know my feelings. But no, ask, ask, keep ask, ask

by faith. Ask. The Bible says, and now, how much

more would the Father give the Holy Spirit to those

who ask from him? True or not? How much more

He's not just so you're not asking for you're asking

from the Father now. Father.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit as Church RG. We

are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week.

I hit for you. God bless