20250713-ASJ-1330-Are you a joyful disciple-Eld Rose

You're listening to a message to go from ex Church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

So this year in Next Church, our team is disciples first,

and that's something that we truly believe that as a

community of believers, it's not just coming on a Sunday

and Kumbaya, it's really living life together.

Yeah.

So you want to know more about discipleship, speak to

one of us.

We'll be happy to you guide you more.

All right, moving on to our segment for today, which

is one word, and we're in for We're so so privileged.

I know.

He told me like, please just just say my name,

introduced me, that's it.

But I felt like, you know, I really need to

introduce you properly.

La.

Yeah.

So today we have Fast David y'all who's also our

ex UK church coordinator.

He used to be a journalist also what our campus past.

He was actually trained legally in the legal profession. He's

got so many achievements, but he's such a humble person

and every single time I speak with him, I just

feel that power that he went in his when he speaks,

it's like it's really in conviction and in faith.

So I really think we're in for a treat.

Can I invite everyone to stand up as we welcome.

Past the day?

Amen, hallelujah. Come ask give God praise. So I cross

this place is Jesus, Say man, here's the reason we're gathering.

Here's the reason we're living. Here's the reason we're singing.

Here's the reason we're still alive, because Jesus is alive.

Hallelu yeah, Thank you Lord.

Lord.

We are here because we love you. We're here because

you first loved us. And Lord, we're here because you

are good. Even when we are not good. You are

good even when we are not faithful. You are faithful.

When we are weak, you are strong.

Lord. When we are lost, you went to find us.

Lord.

We're here by your grace. Lord.

It is you, Lord and Lord today as we gather here, Lord,

we just say, Lord, we want to we wanna encounter you.

We wanna Lord, we wanna we wanna fresh touch from you,

or we wanta fresh bread from heaven. Today, Our Lord,

we want to eat of your word today. We want

to hear of your wisdom today. Oh Lord, would you

right now, Lord speak to us Lord in the wild

as we read your word, Lord, let it not be

any ordinary reading.

But let it.

Let every word, every letter, let it jump out of

the pages, and then it leaps straight into our hearts. Today, Lord,

we don't want to have our ears tickled. Lord, we

don't want to have more information. But Lord, what we

desire is transformation that only you can provide. Lord. We

want to be transformed by you, Lord, so that we

become more like you. And so Lord, in a while, Lord,

have your way, have your way in, Lord, have your

way long. Let your word not return to you void

an empty hander today, but let it be sold, and

let it be seated, and let it let it accomplish

all this mentalcomplished Lord, according to your will and your

perfect plan. Lord. Lord, again, we also say this afternoon,

make our hearts alive, make our minds alert to receive

and to understand all that you have in stuff for

us today. In Jesus na me pray, ay, man, come, ask,

give God, praise hallelujah. Amen. Amen. Why do you high

five three people before you sit down and say, I'm

so glad I'm sitting next to you. I'm so glad.

It's not an accident that a stually didn't force me

to sit next to you. I wanted to sit next

to you. Amen. Praise God. Let's give the worship team

a big hand of encouragement. Thank you so much, Worship

team for leading us and serving, and thank you so

much for ushers and the excus teachers. Let's give a

bighind to ask his teachers so that they can hear

us all the way.

Man, Praise God, Thank you everyone for serving. You know

found team x TV.

I'll start because you know I'll I'll surely leave someone

out and I don't want to offend anyone. You know,

one person good. See Poston never acknowledged me again. Uh,

you know, so sorry. I'm just a guest speaker. You know,

I forgive me for I know not anything, uh except

that God is good. Amen. Praise God. Hi. My name

is David and it's my privilege to serve you today

by delivering God's words. And first and foremost, I just

want to say I love this service. I love this church.

If you're visiting and you're looking for church, my humble

recommendation is look no further, look no further. This is it.

Welcome home. Amen. This is a good church, This is

a good service. I love the one thirty PM gang.

Don't tell the other services that you know as as winning.

Our chatperson said that it being my wife and of

a Sunday because he he gets excited, he makes noise sometimes.

Uh and uh, you know, we we had the privilege

of serving us you know, God's church ex.

Church actually in the UK.

And so just in case you're wondering, yes, we have

an overseas family all the way in the UK.

Uh.

We have three church plans in London, Bristive, Edinburgh. If

you're ever in those cities, if you know anyone working there,

traveling there, studying there, please let us know. We'll love

to connect with them and uh, you know, reach out

to them and and and you know, apreciate good news

to them if they haven't heard the good news or

help them to route down. Uh, if they haven't found

a church to route down, pray for us also because

the Lord is doing wonderful things around the world. We

recently started a church plan in Germany. Uh so x

chuser if you are wondering, uh anyway, just gonna ex

youre many. If you find the K word a bit

hard to pronounce, uh, so, please pray for Doris Simon

and Micah there as well. Uh and yeah, you know,

so it's it's our privilege. And uh, you know, every

time we come back to Malaysia, uh you know, you

know we we we we often worship at one thirty.

Not not only when I serve to deliver God's word,

but sometimes, you know, the timing just suits me. I

don't know about you. I know sometimes you know, doctor

Daniel will go like you no, no, one thirty. You know,

I don't know whether people come or not. You know,

I am like secretly going, you know, because I'm a

pastor on and you keep up. I do keep up

appearance of holiness, you know, but but deep down inside

I'll be like, gee, I'm not a morning person, you know,

Like one thirty is like perfect or you know, it's

like I get to have a Sunday, like hey, wake up,

have my coffee, you know, do whatever I need to do,

and then you know, have lunch and then come to

come for spiritual food. So yeah, so so one thirty guys,

this this this God's designed for you. You're not a mistake.

You're not a mistake. One thirty is not a mistaken hour.

I believe that God's plan uh in whenever I come here,

you know. Sometimes you know, my hometown's in Penang, and

so sometimes I when I'm back in Malaysia, I travel

to see them, and so I drive back. I always

make it a point to be in church on Sunday.

So sometimes I drive back from benight and and you know,

perfect time because I'll reach kl and and and all

the services I finished, you know, like especially the eight am.

I don't know what abomination people wake up. I'm not okay,

just okay, just joking. You know, the night hours will

understand right the night the night house or look at

the people who go to eight am and go like

what's wrong with you? You know, like you need Jesus

or maybe that's what you're there. Ah no, no, no, no joking. Okay.

We love we love our eight A M brothers, and

you know, we just hope to never have a combined

service to them now, just joking, just talking, just joking, joking.

In spirit, we love them. In timing, we go like

God help us, no, no, no, this is church. Okay, we

can be real, we can laugh because Jesus is alive. Amen.

Uh.

And we're all brand sisters, so please don't misunderstand, Okay.

So just in case you're new to me. I'm pretty sure,

but I like to joke also, so please don't be

to offended.

You this must to just this the other surface.

No no no no no no no no no no just

friend friendly, friendly banter.

And so whenever we're here, you know, we love it.

And I just want to you know, before if I

dive into my message today, just want to give a

real encouragement. You know, I really believe that God's position

one thirty pm for amazing things. And one of the

gift things I really believe is worship. And I just

sensed that, you know, the picture or the phrasing that

Lot gives me is this, you know, like like like

one thirty pm and and your your love of worship

and your gifting of worship. You know when when when

you worship, it changes the hemisphere. You know, when we

worship God, it changes the atmosphere. Uh. And that's why

it's so great to be in church and just worship

together of God's people. It's like walking into an aircon

room on a hot day, you know, like like some

of you, you know, you're maybe you know, I've been

away from Malaysia very long time.

No, so I'm not sure.

No, it feels that every time I come back, you know,

global warming just becomes more real. And I melt this morning.

I put on I haven't put on my suit. I

put on my my, my, my shirt, long sleeve shirt.

I already feel like so I think already, uh, and

so I definitely know the relief and the blessing. Have

you been there before. It's very hot and then you

walk into the shopping mall and the acton is just

the right temperature, and you just feel chills down as

if God's presence is that, you know, and you know,

baby really says that spiritually speaking, you know, when we

worship God, when we live up the sun of men,

when we live up Jesus, he will draw all men.

And my encouragement is that watch your team, you know,

keep going for it, you know, make one thirty. This

perfect oasis in the desert of No Call. I don't

say desert cal Malaysia, but you know, like sometimes people

go through, you know, they look very blessed on the outside.

They got a lot of money, they they look very

well connected, but their life is a spiritual desert. And

I pray that the Lord, you know, there's not prophecy

because or not. I only start eighty eight percent on

my gifting, So that's not not not only only eight

percent of profit. Uh so there's not This is not

my prophet it's my hope that the law will use

you and worship thing. But my incourasiments is praise God

your gifted, but don't don't crave gifting. Crave anointing because

it's not the gift. Praise start for gifting, but anointing

because it's the anointing of God that will set people free. Amen.

And I pray that you guys and you guys are

such a warm church, and I pray that you guys

will keep that up as well. Amen. And and and

you know, like you guys have have it in space,

you know, worship, you know the five ws that we're

going through as a as the church and homes. You know,

worship is here, no warmth is here. But again, don't

just have the warmth of fellowship because you like each other.

You know, well you're very good, okay, you very goo. Okay,

we should hang out. No no, no, you know't let

that be anointing. Let me annointing, and let that be

anointing of hospitality and fellowship. You know, let that be

anointing where where God gives you such a big heart,

where you go like, you know what, I just want

to connect with you, and I want to go out

across my aurl and and and connect you, invite you

to my house, you know, and and and and we've

got to bring back the old fashioned gift of hospitality,

no Christian hospital If I be pointing your house but

before if they're strangers, what if they mean you?

Hum's okay.

The Lord will protect you, you know by invite you know,

and connect and show God's love. Amen. The Bible says

that you never know who you entertained, You might end

up entertaining angels.

Amen. And so no continue to do that. And I

really believe.

And my hope is that you know, when you can,

you pursue and what the Lord has already, you know,

being faithful the talents that God has given you, He's

gonna multiply.

And my hope is that we'll outgrow this room today.

It looks like we're going to outgrowd this room, amen, uh,

and and grow this place even and who knows, maybe

the love will lead us to to be positioned out there,

you know, not not even in something anymore about out

there sort of more can come, more can experience the

old ways of God's presence.

Amen, Praise God. That's not even my message is still lit.

Hello, how are you?

Church? Just want to encourage you. I'm so blessed by you.

Just want to encourage you. Amen. So you know my

message for you today, My wife reminds me to pre

short because it says that you have, you know how

the one meeting later. Uh and uh, so make sure

you're pre short so that you're time to connect and

time to go to that meeting. So I'm sure go

straight into it. You know, I said, my, my, my,

You know, my gifting is not you know, prophetic. You

know it's also not pastoral. No, Doctor Danikan is very pastoral.

You know.

He'll be with you. He'll come out of the hospital,

just go to your party, and you know, amazing, amazing,

you know. But even though I'm not prophetic, I have

a prophetic work for all of us. And so if

you are taking our notes, the title and my word

and God's declaration over you for this week and the

season is hit, is this that bad days are hit Okay,

I know some of you didn't want to walk out.

It didn't What counts is this? You just you just

you know, say while blessed and then now you're saying

bad days. I hear, I reject that in the name

of Jesus. You know, you start doing the ultraman stands

or the cross. I don't know what shad uh and

but okay, but if you notice, it's it's not bad.

It's b dot A dot d. Bad days are hit?

Bad days? What do what do the bad days represent?

B Let me give you a go one be blessed, blessed, hallelujah.

How many one blessed days a hit? I mean, how

many will go? Like, well, over here your blessed days

a hit? You know you start thinking it will be

eighty blessed, you know, anointed in a delicious days. I

don't know why, you know, just you know, but friends,

I'm here said, blest days are hit. You know, some

of you in the coming weeks and months and years,

you're gonna experience God's blessing, you know, you know, maybe

financial blessing, maybe employment blessing. Maybe the law will bless

you that dream house or you've been eyeing. Bless you

with children that you've been hoping for. Bless you for

promotion that you're that you're that you rightfully deserve. Bless

you with I don't know the different things and and

and and the coming days where you're gonna be so

blessed by God, so blessed. You know you're gonna be like, Wow,

you know, I'm so blessed by God. I wake up

one day and my children silly, well behaved.

Wow.

I wake up one day and Sully, my my husband

is complaining that there's growth happening his body. But when

we went to the hospital, turns out that six packs

just coming out. You know, it's not growth on the inside,

by growth on the outside. Suddenly, supernaturally, you know, he's

losing weight and then six packs are coming. He's looking younger,

My hand's growing back. Bless days, friends, blessed days. You

know you go to word thinking that your boss will

have a long papa your face. No, suddenly you go there,

new boss, you know who loves you. Wow, hallelujah. You know,

bless days, blessed days. I hate for some of us,

some of us there's gonna be abandoned days ahead, A

for abandonment A four alone. Have you been there before?

He loved Jesus. But but but somehow you go through

war and it feels like a guy. You know, I sang,

you know, you know I laid my life at the altar.

You know, you know you can have it all? Then

then then how come come Monday? When I go through work?

How come come Monday? It feels like I've lost it all?

God? Are you still there?

God?

You know?

Have you been there before? Don't raise your hands. We've

all been there before. I've been there before. You love Jesus.

Jesus loves you. But you feel so alone. You feel

like suddenly like I thought, I'm blessed and you were

just the day before. You know, your husband was having

you know, outer growth. Instantly the next day he's having

internal growth. You know, I go, oh, no, certainly, you

know there are days at that right and then maybe

there are days where you know you're so desperate, d

for desperate. You're desperate for God to move. Have you

been there before? You're praying, you're fasting, you're believing, and

you're so desperate. God, God, you know, only you can move,

only you can heal. Only you can deliver me. If

you don't move, nothing will happen. I'm desperate for you.

I'm desperate for you. If you have you been there

before and in friends, I'm up here to tell you

that when you go through seasons like this, and maybe

some of us hear you right now. No, you're you're

in the midst. Not a blessing, but you're in the midst.

You're feeling abandoned. You feel like I step up by faith,

But how come I'm sinking. I thought I step up

by faith and the Jews cost me the water water,

But I'm sinking. God.

You know I love you.

I know that you're with me.

I don't feel abandoned. I sense that you're with me.

But Lord, I'm desperate because the mountain ain't moving. The

walls are still standing. You know. I've been praising and

praying over my problems, but my Jericho is still standing.

The giants in my life are still mocking God. I'm

desperate for you to move. God, when when? And I

want you to know that when you go through seasons

like this, it's not because God has left you. It

is not because God changed his mind. It's not because

God is schizophrenia. And go like one day. You know,

it's not God's or God is not bipolar. He's a

one day world. He said, bless my people. Second day

purss No, No, it's it's not right, it's not you

know if some of you who who you know, you study,

you know, you know all this AI app and stuff

like that, you you understand that's a phrasing in the

tech world, it's a it's a it's a design, not

a bug, you know. And and some of us we

you know, I want to know that when you go

through the same season, it's not a bug. There's not

nothing wrong. God's not sabotaging you. God's not punishing you.

It's part of God's design. It's part of God's design

to bring us through the different seasons for his plan

and his purposes.

And and and and this is not me trying to

give a positive spin.

Uh.

This is embedded in the world of God. Let's turn

to a very familiar passage of scripture that we all

hold very dear to our hearts. Some twenty three is

such a comforting sum it's a beautiful pum uh and

and and and and we're gonna read it together and

and in it you're gonna realize that the Psalm is

it's not just declaring God to be a shepherd, but

it's declaring that God to to to be the solution.

And he's saying that God is ever present in all

the seasons. That that the nomttal what he is going

through the ups, the downs, the valley is the lows,

the blessing, the the the challenges. That God's abiding presence

never leaves us. You see that that we should not

forget that Christianity is not about God blessing us. That's

that's not the full gospel Christianity. It's not about God

judging us. That's not the fool godspel. Christianity is about

God being with us. We serve a God who doesn't

wait for us to get better. We serve a God

who came to make us better. That's the one difference

between Christianity and every other major religion out there. Other

religions will say you gotta meditate your way out of

your problems. Other religions that you gotta do good works

outweigh the bad them you'll receive your blessing. Other religion

is that you gotta fast and pray and change the

way you dress, and change what you eat, and and

and and and and you know, do all these things. No,

cover your head, and then God will be merciful towards you.

And know it's all about jumping through the huddle, you know.

But Christianity is different. Christianity is saying that God. The

Bible says this, for God so loved the world that

he made the first moves, that he gave his only son.

You know, every other religion is like this. No, imagine

I imagine imagine like I'm a guy. I am a guy.

I imagine you're gonna imagine. Okay, imagine like you know,

I'm single, and then I'm like trying to look for

a good friend. So hypothetically say you know, uh soever,

it's like, you know, beautiful today just for elicitship, profess

beautiful in then girl. Okay, So so imagine imagine one

day right, this this is this is this is all

other religions, all.

The religions, this are wow, very beautiful for you to

be loved by me, to have.

The privilege of basting in my presence, do everything in

this book and then we will see. But Christianity is this, man,

I think you're great. I'm gonna pay your dowry, I'm

gonna marry you, I'm gonna rescue you out of things.

And by the way, I happen to to to like

some of the uh foods in this recipe. But if

you would have me, and if you want to live

with me, you know what would make me really glad?

If you maybe you cook up some stuff here? Did

you see the difference to Christianity. God loves us and

then gives us his command so that we our relationship

with him is enhanced. All the dues and don'ts in

the world of God is to enhance our relationship with him. Amen,

Because because no matter how much you love someone, there's

gonna be some dues and don't right, you find the

perfect girl a perfect guy. One of the don'ts is

this he I love you, you love me? Were men

for each other. Okay? You know, before I say I do,

we're gonna agree on some I don'ts. And the I

don't is that I don't want to date anyone else

except you. Makes sense, right, nobody will go It's so barbaric,

so barbaran. Do you know that the bride and the

groom before they say yes, I do. They gonna say

no to every other thing. You know, That's what Christianity is.

There's no other girl except me. Worship me alone, follow

me alone. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Amen.

And so that that is the heart of it. And

and so in some three we have this reminder that

God is saying that I am the girl who's always there,

and I am the girl who enters into your affairs.

You know.

So let's reap.

Okay, let's read three says this because I have you know, shorts,

not shortshetters, I have a low fire this. Okay, Let's

let's read the whole verse. Okay, there's there's there's there's

only you know, normal think eighteen versus. Let's go. Okay.

The Lord is a shepherd I shall not want. He

makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me

besides still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me

in powers of righteousness for his namesake. And though I

walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will

fear no evil, for you are with me.

Your raw and your staff.

They come me. You prepare a table before me in

the presence of my enemies. You annoy my head with all,

and my cap runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall

follow me all the days of my life, and our

dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Heymen, praise God.

Just six verses, very good foster, memorize and keep you heart, amen,

And so mantis read. Get very blessed by it. But

in it it's a reminder that no matter what season

we're in, God is always there. And so I got

three points for us today, right, And I pray that

these three points will also help you as you go

through the upcoming seasons in your life, whether it's blessing

or abandonment or desperation.

Point number one, Master Master.

You have a master. You have a God, and he

is always there throughout the seasons. There's one constant, his

abiding presence. It says, you know in the summer, says this,

that the Lord is my shepherd. You know I shall

not be in one he leads me. Besides steel waters

and green pastures, is a reminder. Sometimes we're blessed, we

forget that we have a master. Sometimes when we're blessed,

we think that we we are the ones. A I

network my way, I did the overtime. I passed the

A C C A and the C F A and

the C LP and the the no something like like

I I did all the hard work. It was me no, no, no.

But some say, hey, when you're blessed, remember that it

was him who led you. It was him who led

you to a place of normal want. Can't imagine why

you're so blessed. You got normal want? You know, It's

like have you been to you know? It is some

Have you been to a place where God bless you

so much? The idea bless my neighbor, bless my nib

You know, I got, I got more in more cast

and then I have houses. You know I can't, I

can't even more. I cannot evenore you know, you know,

please please bless my you know, And and and then

it's it's like he's throughout the seasons with a master.

When times are good, we are not the master. He's

the shepherd, you know. Do you see the humility in

the summers. No, I'm at a place where I got

no one. I'm a place where the waters are steel

and and quiet streams, where the grass is green and

the dew entries are full. They got strawberries by one

side and nankou on the other. I don't know, like

like like whatever right, oh man, I'm wow, everywhere around

me looks like New Zealand and Cameron Hyland's had a child,

like like you know, like wow, every everything it's just

just serene, beautiful. I can't believe this is Malaysia. Wow

Wow wow Wow. And when i'm my life is good

and my cup is full, I still remember it is

not me. It's never been me. It's always the Lord,

and I am nothing but a sheep under his leadership. Amen.

And and but then the sums continue to go like

but but person, just when you feel blessed, but I

don't feel blessed. I feel so abundant. I feel so abndant.

But yet the summers continuous. In verse four, he says,

though can we have it flesh up again? Thank you

so much? XTV. And though I walk through the value

of shadow of death, I will fear no evil. And

and you notice this, right, God, I recognize that it

is you who leads me to blessing. And sometimes it's

I who walked through the value shadow death. You didn't

lead me there. In fact, I might have you know,

in my blessedness, disobeyed you. In my blessedness, I made

decisions based on my own wisdom, based on how much

my bank account.

Is, and he ended me in values of shadow of death.

Though I walk through the value of shadow of death.

Even though I was disobedient, even though I was the

one that led me to a place of abandonment, you

didn't abandon me.

I ran away from you. But even though the head

is the truth, you were with me.

You were with me, And so for some of us here,

I'm telling you in love, because nobody wakes up one

day to go like life is so good, hallelujah. Today

I will abandon the Lord. Nobody will say that. Nobody

it's gradual, it's gradual.

Well, life is so good. I don't think I need

to pray anymore.

Wow.

I can go through work every day and whether I

pray or not, there is provision. Well, I'm so gifted now,

I'm so only so smart. I don't need to pray,

whether I pray or not. I'm passing all my exams,

even the exams I didn't study. You know, you start

giving those cant testaments praise a lot last week, you know,

I overslept for my exam by maybe in time with

half an hour to spare. Uh, and I just did

my best and then I still came up with the

best in the class. You know, I don't know whether

it praised a lot that you've passed to go like

a which which university are you studying? That that you

do that again?

Still be tout of the class. Okay, let's not stand

out children, and you know, and no is that?

Friends? You know what I'm saying, I'm so blessed. Oh

I don't go to church, but but I'm not struck

by lightning. Been there before. We think that you know,

skip church? Oh no this following week? No, no, you

skip church and they got promoted the next week because

your Boston noa. You know what I'm saying. You know,

And then we after a while, we go like and

then we end up or in an overconfidence in our

self righteousness, we end up in the valley. And yet

I'm here to tell you that that we are only human.

We never meant to rebel against God, but happens. Our

heart is deceitful, our heart trousers. Hey you're doing good, chill,

We're not. And that's why Church is so important. Church

is so important.

You know.

Church is that friend that you know you come out

from the bathroom and you're checking the mirror and go like,

I look so good, but actually there's like toilet paper

at the back of your bands, you know. And then

and then church, your home leaders and the church can

be are people who love you so much, who go like, hey, hey,

before you step out of the public, there's toolet people. Hey,

you're zip, you're zip, you sip? Hey, you know you're

underwear and and anyway, and then you know, sometimes you

don't why you talk about mine? Don't don't, don't don't

look at my back and look good one right, and

and and thank God for people who can see our

blind spots and stop us from going. But yet sometimes

even though people say hey, don't, we go like what

do you know? And then we step out and then

we fall. And if you're in a place where you

feel like I'm in the doom of my own making.

God loves you, guys, abandoned you, guys, and give it

on you. God's not angry at you. Turn your neighbor says,

God's not angry at you. Instead, he is with you.

He is with you amen, I gotta go on here. Okay,

spending a bit too much time on the first part again,

that's last week.

No despiration and aspiration.

It goes up to say, right, you know, in the

presence of my enemies, you set a table my enemies.

My enemy is called bills, My enemy is called disease,

my enemy is called cancer, my enemy is called I

don't know this, obeediencen, angry, boss, whatever it is. And

yet in the presence of my enemies you provide. That's

what it means. A table got spreads a big spread.

God creates a buffet table and ask you eat eat

my enemies that just eat, eat, I will provide. He

don't sit there and eat and let me feed your enemies.

Sit there and eat and be refreshed, and let me

deal with your problems. And so do you feel desperate,

because sometimes when we're desperate, we pray a lot. The

we we cost correct our life and hear the launch

trying and say that, yeah, yeah, praise start those things.

But it's not gonna be your praying fasting. That's safe.

You pray God.

Praise God for praying fasting, Praise God for a change life,

Praise God for being realigned back to God. But ultimately

it's still Him now. Otherwise we can become very religious,

you know. Or the last time I got out the

problem was cross. I prayed and faster for three days

exactly three days. So this time I'm having a problem,

I'm going to do three days again. You know. Then

we become very formula and then we treat God's word

like some sort of magic spell.

You know.

If I do my prayer fast perfectly for three days,

while the mountain will be moved. It's just trying to

recreate miracles about our God. Is God new beginnings. Amen,

and so Master, remember when you're desperate, it is it's

not your desperation and moving his love. Yeah, you know,

when you're alone and abandoned, you feel that you left God,

He's not anger you. He is still there. He got

he He has every right to go. Like see, I

told you don't go to your left turn. You know,

sometimes you got friends at that right you know, I

told you don't do it. Add you know, I don't know. No,

I'm learning to drive again. It's like not learning, you

know in Malaysia because now everything in the roads I've changed.

So I need ways everywhere I go. Sometimes I think

around it. I feel some my waste is passive aggressive,

tells me if you've ever started before, maybe it's just

me condemning myself, you know, you know, recalibrating, recaliories like

that that you know, sorry, I don't know how to read.

And sometimes we think that when we make a wrong turn,

God's angry, and then we begin the process. We begin

to project anger, you know. And even when when the

chatperson comes and say, hey, you know, tell your neighbor says,

God loves you. I feel condemned. But friends, don't be.

Don't be even in your rebelling, God loves you enough

to jump into your problem, because that's what Jesus did.

God demonstrated his love for us that while we were

still sinners, he laid his life for us. Amen. So remember, friends,

whatever you're going through, you have a master who loves you.

The truth about Christianity is this. We are more sinful

and flawed than we ever that believe, and yet at

the same time we are more love and accepted in

Jesus Christ.

You have a master.

His name is Jesus, and he loves you very much. Amen.

So do you feel like you're miss a turn. He

loves you very much. Come back to him. Do you

feel blessed? Pray to God, he loves you very much.

Stay in him. Are you desperate for him to move

and you're waiting? You're waiting. You say, maybe Tomorro's byvirirtue,

Maybe tomorrow's virtue. How can we betru? Don't worry, don't

don't be fixated with the timeline of your blessing. Be

blessed by the fact that He is there with you.

Amen Part number two. Right, God reminds us that you

know he he's the master. But I want to sayerstand

that God uses movements. Movements. Our God is a God

who moves right and we are to move with him.

Why movement is so important because movement allows us to

experience different aspects of God. Okay, So for example, if

if if you know the psalm starts with green pastures

and then moves to valleys, and then goes to a

place of presence or enemies, and he ends with being

in the house of the Lord forever. There's a movement

in the sum. The sum is not static. Your faith

is not meant to be static. A lot of us

will love for a static faith. God, just keep me

in the green pastures, keep me in the still waters.

But God is saying that, but that's not you know,

like what what Waning shared? And you know, and I

wrote it, so I just thought it was a confirmation.

Genesis one twenty six. God says, let us make man

in our image. According to our likeness. We are meant

to be image bearers of God. We are meant to

reflect him. We're meant to walk into creation. And they

can't physically see God, they can physically see human means.

And God's original plan is that when when, when all

our curations sees physical human beings, is as good as

seeing God, because we're meant to image him and reflect

him in such a way. And and and so is

God only a god a blessing? Or is the God

the God who jumps into our problems with us? Or

do we only serve a God who's on time? Or

do we also serve a God who is always walking

something behind the scenes.

And even though we think that God, you're let no,

we are not. He's not laid. We are just desperate,

and He's got.

Perfect timing to lend you that perfect job with the

perfect boss with the perfect pay, you know, in the

perfect company, nontoxical environment for a place so here also

shined for Jesus, and and and and These kind.

Of things take time, right. You know you want a

fast meal, go eat Maggie me. You know the worst

thing to eat. Sorry this miss me projecting, you know,

working through my therapy. One of the worst things I

ever tasted is magging me cup noodles. When you pour

hot water, it smells like a good idea. The moment

you take your first bite of God, I regret this

and every other bite is just you committing to finishing it. Right.

But if you want really good stuff, you're gonna go

to the ra men or the noodle shop where they

take time to handmake the neurals and they boil the

soup overnight, not five minutes, but twelve hours, and then

they serve you something. Good stuff takes time. And man,

so God, you know he's always working but coming back

movement right. God wants us to reflect him. That's why

he brings us through the different aspects of life, so

that in every aspect we experience him and then we

begin to reflect him. I love like doctor Drenkan's you

know testimony because you know who wants to have kinging stones?

Nobody but him? Going through it allowed him to connect

and allow him to connect in a very real way.

No, who wants to go through a painful, a scary

procedure like like what just it?

But because she ran through it, now she's able to

connect somebody who's about to go through it. Do you understand?

God wants us to reflect him. God wants to to

bear image, and and and and and I know you

know this this It might not be a welcome statement,

but God doesn't want you to have a boring life.

God does want to her born life. We think blessing

is good and stay there bless No, but this blessing

is boring. You know, have you ever watched a movie

where it's just blessing all the time. Let's say, for example,

the new movie is I'll haven't watch it by Superman.

Can't imagine Superman if only good things ever happened to him.

Once upon a time, there was this boy born in

this far away planet. He was so blessed that the

planet never exploded, so it has never needed to be

sent to another planet where he can be stronger than

the planet. The end, because you're so blessed. The planet

never exploded. They live happily ever after that book, Give

me my money back, right right? Imagine if you watch Batman.

Batman was born rich in the rich family, and his

parents never died tragically.

They grew up.

He had a very good relationship with his family members,

and then he lived long enough to inherits for this business.

The end, he buck me my money by no. We

we we we we love right, we love the excitement

right there comes no? Can we all agree? Can we

all agree? Okay, in case my my cartoon anology is

lost to you? Right, can we all agree that Jesus

is the most blessed person in all of chreation? Can

we agree on that? Right?

The answer is yes, Yes, He's not your Christian because.

No, no, he is. He's the King kids and Lord

of us is He's his God. He is most blessed.

But did Jesus have a comfortable life. No, he didn't

go like and God so loved the world that he came,

and he was so loved by the world that when

his mother was press with him, every inn was open

to him. They said, come, we will all love to

be the place where the Messiah is born, have the inn,

have the presidential swede. And so he did. And when

he was there, he grew up and all the villagers

loved him, and so he didn't need to do any

miracles to prove his divinity. He lived, and he was

so good that he didn't need to crucify himself. But

because he came with a mission, he had to crucify himself.

The people held him back and said, no, Jesus, we

love you so much, why are you doing this to yourself.

Don't harm yourself. But Jesus I must. And so with

his own hands, he crucified himself and he died. And

because you're so loved, people gave him a big funeral

parade all of Jerusalem, and he was buried in the

most prestigious tomb, right next to the Second Temple. And

three days later, everybody, because they believe him, were waiting

in anticipation for his resurrection. And he did, and the

whole town shared, and every one I'm believed, and the

whole nation of Israel was mobilized, and they moved throughout

the earth, and everybody swore on their life that Jesus

is no, No, Jesus is the most blessed person. Yeah,

he went to hardship. She is also the most blessed person. Yeah,

he went through rejection. She is also the most blessed person. Yeah,

he went through conflict and in people hated him enough

to kill him, and yet he came back to save

all of us. And so you canna understand. Movement causes

us to reflect God in all of his glory, in

all of his glory, not just in his blessing, but

even in his humanity, even in his humility, even in

his kindness, And not just that movement. When when you

allow God to move you from from season to season,

from error to error, it causes you to know him deeper.

When the psummists said that he was in his pastures,

he say that you are my shepherd. When he was

in the valid shadow death, your right, your staff, They

comfort me. He became God, became his protector. You see,

if he stayed in the green place, He'll ask me,

a goyish shepherd, only got his shepherd?

Only gotish shepherd? Can he protect me?

Not Sula? But I know he's a good shepherd. But

it's only my inventor to Valie that he goes like no, no, no.

My god is a god who also knows how to

use the rod and the staff. He's a Bruce Lee there,

and then he's like protector, right, And then he's also right,

my provider in the presence of my enemy, Can you

provide me valuo shadow of death? You know he can provide.

He can then protect me. But now I'm sorry, my

enemies can he yes, he can. He's my provider. And

then eventually, when I in the House of the Lord,

he is my rest. I'm gonna do that in the

house of Lot forever, he's my rest. He is my peace,

and and and and another thing. I hope this is

not lost on you, right, can we flash up verse four? Right?

Some of the trees is a beautiful thing. We we

know it so well, we miss so much of it.

It starts with like, the Lord is my shepherd, you know,

the Lord. Third person the Lord, the Lord, he is

my shepherd. I shall not want he makes me lie

down in green pastons. So so third person he the Lord.

In verse four, when I mess up, when I walk

through the value share their death, I will fear no evil.

And then suddenly it becomes first person, for you are

with me You see, if if the summers didn't experience

God through the seasons, there would not be a growth

in intimacy. He goes from a God is the shepherd,

and sometimes we we we we we we grow up,

but we have an inherited faith. I know god' is

the god that my mother believes. He's the God that

heal my mother. But what about you? Who do you say?

Jesus is and the sum is Only when he went

through friends, I want to catch this. Only when he

went through the difficult seasons did God became personal. Before

that it was third person. Then it became first person,

and then you go back to elaborate. But verse four onwards,

it became personal. You are with me, your rod, your staff,

and this says the lot's rod and the low stuff

your rod, your stuff. They come for me.

You make a big spread of table. If the presence

of my enemies you you you you.

Friends. When God brings you through the seasons, he doesn't

hate you. He wants you to experience Him in greater intimacy.

So if you're going through a transition, times are becoming

from bad to worse or worse to good. However you

want to flow, don't get caught up with what's happening.

But remember the law is also allowness. Because he wants

me to grow in personal intimacy with him, to know him.

So I have a personal story to tell, I have

a personal testimony to declare, amen, and and and you

know it's so beautiful right, I mean again, sorry, this

is the past Bible nerd. I'm running out of time,

but record record, okay, so so so so uh sometimes

is very beautiful. It is not the shortest. It's not

the shortest sum. Some one one seven is the shortest sum.

Uh.

Some twenty three is quite a short sum, right, but

not the shortest. But in Hebrew, it's made out of

fifty five Hebrew words and and and twenty six Hebrew

words in the middle of like, so right in the

middle you got like you know, so let me fifty

five Hebrew words. Okay. If you study ancient Israel numerology, uh,

certain numbers mean a big deal to them, you know,

like like Chinese people, number eight is like you know,

and then then for for for inter issue that if

you've seen the number five, it's a number of grace, grace,

So fifty five is grace upon grace perfect grace right

and and then not only that, right in the so

right in the middle, okay, So fifty five, so twenty

twenty six words in and then right in the middle

three words, and after that there's twenty six more words.

So right in the middle there's three words three the

number of twenty right in the middle of twenty six

words and twenty six words. Okay. Is this three words

that we read in verse four that says that you know,

though I walk through the vedeo shutter, I shout off

up because you are with me's verse four for you

are with me, And the ancient Hebrew it's actually tree

words key ata imadi, kei ata imadi. Okay, if you

learn some people today, k I A t A E

m A d I key ata imadi. In your darkness

of hours declared is key ata imadi. Because the English

says for you are with me, the Hebrew says, because

you are standing with me. There's the difference between with

me and standing with me. We all you know when

our friends stands with us. Not just am with you, bro,

but I stand with you. Your battle is my battle.

I'm standing with you even though you got into this

trouble but your door is my door. Key atta imadi

the next time and go through something. Say key ata

i maadi is Hebrew for for you are standing with me,

or in English, for you ure with me. Because our

God is God who brings us true movements then leaders

to greater intimacy. Part of my three My last point,

Oh my tresdt st I m master movement last molding.

God wants to mold you. We're men to reflect God.

God brings us through the different seasons to mold us,

to make us into something beautiful. However, you have done

like pottery classes before, right, right, you know that to

do part three or anything, you have to go through

the different movements.

Right.

It's never just mine. You're making the mond, then you spinning,

then eventually ships into something. Then you gotta bacon, and

then you gotta rest it. Those of us who who

bag you understand. There is the mixing stage, and then

there's the measurement stage, and then there's the baking stage,

and then there's the you know, decorating stage. God brings

us two different movements to remind us his master, to

create deeper intimacy, but also to mold us. God's plan

is not just to bring us through the tough times

and low times, so that we know that he's in charge.

God's not He's not ego to skill like that. So

you never forget I'm the boss. I bring you to

the tough times, so you know that it's all in

my hands.

No, no, no, no.

He brings us through it so that we come out

looking more like him. We come out, you know, representing

him better, you know. And and and it's him in

Ins twenty three again verse three, it says what he

restores my soul.

He leads me in the path.

Of righteousness for his namesake. He's the one that restores.

To say restore means that there was you know. Can

we have a verse three up again? Thank you? He

restores my soul. To restore something means that it was

one's damage. But who was it that is doing the restoration?

Is God? We reserve a God who loves us and

puts us through the movements so that he can restore

our souls, so that he can fix what has been

damaged in us. You know, the Hebrew word for restore

is truth, which is a root word for repent, and

y'all reading it means that he repents us. You know,

sometimes we say that, well, God, I see the error,

whereas I repent and God, but God saying that, actually,

I repented you, and I helped you. I helped you

to connect the dots. But of course God is gracious

to go like, but yeah, yeah, sure, yeah, yeah, yeah,

you know, it's like them young kids are good. Yet dah,

I did everything. Yeah yeah, you did everything. Yeah, but

I paid for that and cool, you know, and yeah

I graduated from university. Yeah yeah, prays God, you graduated.

Yeah yeah, I put you there anyways. But but God

is also gracious and shares his glory of us.

Right.

So he's a god who restores, and then sometimes he

leads us in the path of righteousness. Sometimes when we

go like whoa, no, praise God. Ever since I joined EXTRA,

I become more generous, you know, I chee, I I

stopped smoking just like that.

You know.

I came to service one day and got enough and

the crunched up the secret and never touch that stuff again.

And people go like, whoa, praise the lot, and we should.

But yet he says that sometimes what the Lord does

is that he leads us in the path of righteousness, right,

leads us into the rad path. He causes us right

for his namesake's. He did it for himself. He loves

you so much that he rescue you for himself, heal

you for himself. Hell you're not because you backed him. Hell,

hell you're not because you pray.

Hell you know.

And sometimes we've been there before, haven't we. We stand here,

we go like, praise God for his healing. But if

you're really honest, cheer never did my quiet time. I

cheers quite bitter with the loutler. But then suddenly, you know,

just when I was going to the doctor's report hoping

for the worst, he ca me the best. But we

don't share that, you know, we don't share that and

say praise the Lord he heals, hallelujah. But we don't.

We don't share that.

Actually, he is the one that leads us for his namesake,

because verse five, he says, you prepare a table before me.

You annoyed my head with all so that my cap

runs over. It is God, Amen, And I'm here to

tell you that when God brings us through the motions,

when God brings us through the bad days, he's not

punishing us, but he's molding us. You know, his God

loves us so much that he doesn't leave repentance to

our own ability, but he steps in and then he

does all the behind the scenes work.

So fancs.

If you're going through something, you know, and he's painful,

but you know, tell your soul, this God is working

something in me. He's working something in me.

He's molding me, He's making me become more like him

for his glory.

Amen. You know, let's let's let's bring a message through clothes.

And I pray that this has encouraged you. And have

you loved God? Have your eyes open to go like

you know what, I'm not alone no matter what I'm

going through, he is there with me. And I just

want to end this mensters by saying that you know,

we've been saying the Lord the God, but can't tell

you God has a name, and his name is Jesus.

And and and it wasn't just the Psalmist that had

this experience, but when Jesus came, he came as the

good shepherd, the good shepherd that saw his people whom

I say his people. It's not just the ancient Israelized,

but all of humanity, all of humanity. You know just

now I say that the shortest sum it's actually some

one one seven and you know it's the sum that

talks about Malaysia. Uh okay. I could be exaggerating, but

it says, praise you all, gentiles, and so we are

partner as well. You know, whether you're a Filippino or Malaysia,

Indonesian gentiles, no non jew gentiles, praise you always people.

And it was written back in the in the time

by by even before Jesus came here, already prophesying that

one day God will do such a magnificent work, the

whole world will praise him, whole ward will praise him.

And the good news is says God did do it.

God came. Jesus is his name. He's the good shepherd

that lays down his life. And Friends, if you're sitting

here today, I don't know what you're going through, what

you've been through. By wanting to know that no matter

what you're going through, what you've been through, what you

will go through, God loves you. And God gave his

life to save you, and not just to save you

and give you blessing, but to save you from all

the wrong things you've ever done. To forgive you. He

died the type of death that we should have died

for disobeying against God, for hunting. Because when we disobey God,

it's not just against him, it hurts the people around us.

And and and and and the Bible says that you

know the wages of sinner's death. When we sit against God,

we sin against humanity, and and and it's a death sentence.

And yet Jesus love us so much much. We were

the ones that landed ourselves in the value shadow of

death called sin. And yet he's there with us and Imadi,

he's standing with us, and he took over. He didn't

stand with us. He died for us, and then he

rose again. And so, friends, I want you to know

God loves you. Why do we invite the worship team up?

And I just want you to know, friends, if you

are here, you be invited. Maybe you're a Christian, but

you never had a personal faith. Maybe you're a Christian

but you've been far away. The different challenges in life

have made you doubt God's goodness. But I'm here to

tell you that he is good. The purpose of all

this is so that you know the world that we're

living in is broken. Systems are broken, people are broken.

Everything is broken. That's not how God created the world.

God created the world and he meant it was meant

to be paradise. But we sin against God and it

became a broken place. God saved us, healed us, forgave us,

and it's now molding us so that we can be

sent out not as finished works of perfection, but even

as works in progress. We can already be sent out

to reflect Him and to be so and light wherever

we are, so that we don't add to the problem,

but we add to the solution.

He's a Christianity.

Becoming a Christian is not about oh, I changed my ways,

I give up my evil ways.

I just want to do good. They'll be moral.

No, no, no, no no.

Christianity is this that I am too corrupt to save myself.

I need a savior.

And this savior is so gracious that even though I'm

a sinner, he's patching me up and says that, you

know what, there's still work to be done. But I

think you're good enough to go out there and start

patching other people up, and start bringing other people to

come in and meet me.

The great physician and so friends, are wanting to God

loves you.

There's a place for you in his house, the House

of the Lord, where we are invited the rest forever.

And friends, you're here. You're not here a Christian and

for some reason you today you just feel God's peace.

You feel a pool in your heart that's inviting you

to put your childs in him. Friends, I want to

invite you to believe in Jesus. I want to invite

you to surrender your life to Jesus. Maybe you're already

a Christian, but you know a certain things have robbed

you and you have left your first love. Today it's

a beautiful day to come back to Him, and you

too can respond by faith. You too can respond in

this simple prayer. Let's pray together. And if you desire

to be included in this prayer, if you desire to

surrender your life to Jesus, if you desire to respond

to God's pool, if you desire to come home, if

you desire for God to enter into your life and

turn your mistakes and into into something that can be beautiful,

I want you to just pray and maybe just repeat

in prayer after me, And would you say, Dear Lord, Jesus.

Do you know Jesus, thank you, Thank you for loving me,

for loving me, thank you, Thank you for dying on

the cross for me, for dying on the cross for me.

Please forgive me of my sins.

Please forgive me of myself and wash me clean, and.

Wash me clean by your precious blood, by your precious blood,

and come and live in my heart.

And come and live in my heart.

Feel me with your holy spirit, fill me with your

holy spirit. Teach me your ways and teach me. I

now live to worship you.

I now live to worship. Please you and please in

Jesus name, In Jesus name, Amen, Amen, if you if

you said that prayer, manty all your heart. And when

you know that you are love, you've been born again.

The past has been wipe clean. Please don't leave this

place without talking to someone. We would love to give

you a Bible and some materials that will help you

know Jesus better. We'll look to celebrate with you and

do life with you. But you know can invite all

of us to stand and right before I pass the

time back to waning, I also just want to pray.

You know, I talk about some sensitive stuff. You know,

blessing but also abandonment, but also desperation. No matter what

season you are in, and you're desperate for God to intervene.

No problems too big or too small for the Lord

came v you doing raise your hands. I just don't

pray for you. I might not know your problem or

the extent, but God knows. God knows, and we serve

a God who is standing with us throughout the Season's

key it Madi, he stands with us. Lord. You see

every hand lifted up, every hand represents a problem, Every

hand represents a situation. Every plan represents a season, Every

plan represents a pain that is too much for words

to even express. But I thank you that you know

our hearts and we don't need to explain ourselves to you.

But all we need to do is lift up our hands,

and just reaching out to you will heal us. Just

reaching out to you will deliver us. Just reaching out

to you or give us assurance and peace. Just how

the woman an issue of blood belief that just attached

just a small grabbing of the helm of Jesus' goverment

can heal just like the Roman cent you who believe

that just Jesus agreeing to intervene will solve all his problems. Friends,

God sees the lifting of your hands of faith, and

I pray that every hand lifted up right now symbolically

will be like the woman reaching out for the harm

of Jesus's goverment, will be like the Romans.

And shouldn't say that. God, All it takes is for

you to say the word, and it will be done. God.

Were reaching out our hands to you, says God. Say

the word. Say the word, and you'll be done. God,

reaching out our hands to you as and say God,

just a touch from you, and we know that we

can carry on. So Father, Lord, would you just meet

everyone here in their situation, in their valleys, in the

presence of their enemies, in the still waters. Lord, wherever

they are at, would you meet them, would you stand

with them? Would you part your love over them, pour

your peace over them, pour your your your sustenance over them.

Would you refresh them, help them through. Know right now

that they are loved by you, that they have they

that they are hurt by you, and they are seen

by you in Jesus name. Amen. Amen, Amen, Let's give

up clap offering in advance for the breadth for the

breakthrough that we received in advance for healing. Hallelujah, Amen, thank.

You show you issue the line this time.

Let's fall love me again, the sun Mercy Fall loves me.

In the sand Mercy Fall loves me, roll the mid days.

Again, the sand Mercy Fall love me. You can the

sun Mercy Fall loves me. You can in the sand

Mercy Fall love.

Me for roll of midday you Hollelias, you can the

sunder Mercy fallolostomy you can the sand Mercy falloas me,

you can the sand Mercy Fall.

Hone for all of my days. Hallelujah, hai Yah high

yeah high singing halleeen high yeah high yeah high.

Sing Holle hello o.

Hi, just the voice this one last time.

H ho lo.

What an amazing God we serve truly Your goodness and

mercy follows this.

Though I walk through the valley or the shadow of this,

I will fear no evil for you are with me.

Key it I Maddie, what a beauty, beautiful message we

just heard from passa day today. Now, if you say

the prayer that we that we prayed earlier together for

the first time or the first time in a very

long time. Please let us know we want to walk

through this journey with you, and you know, if you

had an amazing time here at service, do share your

experience with someone in the coming we invite them to

join us for church. There's also homes as I mentioned,

whereas a small group you can speak to anyone the

leaders to know more about it, and you can also

stream our message to go. You can listen to passa

day's message over and over again, or even share this

link with someone who wasn't here today. All right, okay,

that's the end of service. Allow me to say the

closing prayer. Father, We pray for your covering and care

to come upon Passes Candeth and Sandra, or our elders

Passes and church plant coordinators both here and abroad, as

well as our leaders, to serve your house so faithfully

week after week. Give them your daily peace and protection,

and provide them all their needs according to your riches

in glory, especially the wisdom to continue to lead your

church in line with your perfect will, that your joy

always be their strength, and that their lives always being

you glory in Jesus'.

Name, Jesus, and pray Amen. Can I invite all of

you to lift up your hands.

Society declared of Benediction, reading from Numbers, chapter six, verse

twenty four to twenty six. The Lord bless you and

keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you,

and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his

countenance upon you and give you peace.

Are you joyful? And this thought has been on my

mind for the longest time. And many of you know

that we are on this series of discipleship, right, so

uh and yeah, you've learned a lot of things.

You know.

Discipleship is discipline, Discipleship is faithfulness. You know, it's loving others.

And then this thought came to my mind. But are

you a joyful disciple? Are you a joyful disciple? Because

sometimes as we go through life, we can do things,

we can meet people, we can just do do do.

At the end of it, we forget to be. You

know what I'm saying, You can do do do, do,

do do, and forget the very essence of what discipleship

is all about, you know. And it's it's having that closeness.

You know, in bacycles, it's called a crupt when you're

so akrupt, when you're so intimate with the Lord Jesus

that nothing baffles you anymore, amen, Because I realized that

as we go through life, there's so many things that

baffles us. There's so many things that just makes us

go out of our minds. You know, we are so

we face with stresses every day. How many of you

here don't have any stress? No stress at all? Anyone

I don't have a Okay, I guess you're a real ah.

If you say that you have stresses, then I guess

life is very real. Right. And this morning at ten thirty,

we had the privilege of having a guest speaker, a

doctor gouchig Lyong. Don't know if some of you know him.

He's one of the sort of the executives director for

Help College, Help University, and he was the one who

founded the psychology school, right, and he's been there for

a long time. And so he was sharing a story

about how we need to be resilient as disciples, right,

Are we resilient or not? And so, you know, but

I wanted to bring a different perspective and the question

is are you still happy? You know, guys, are you

happy being here? Or is that questions? They're like, oh, yeah,

I don't know. What I'm doing here a lah, you know,

and you know, sometimes we forget what is it like

to be a believer, to be a follower. It can

be very rode, can be very routine day in day out,

day in day out. Right, But today I want to

bring us back again to our very very first love

and to find that joy. Can you remember the first

time when you encountered Jesus? I'm sorry, my voice sounds

very sexy to hear, so hopefully you don't fall asleep.

It's okay, it's a bit raw, but I still want

to give you my best. Okay, So you know, can

you remember the first time you fell in love with Jesus?

I know? Just not right when we're talking about the

wedding anniversaries and then you know, we have Joe and

Joline right and she's like, she's rolling her eyes. I

don't know what that means. She's like rolling How many

years has it been? Five years? Wow? Significant milestone? Five

years are so so maybe let me just ask how

has it been your five years? With a bit of shiver, Julie,

how has it been for you? Fun?

Oh?

Fun?

Not so convincing, la, not as convincing as uh, what

what can you name me one of the greatest joy

of being married, one of the greatest joy of being married.

Suddenly I spotlight on them.

Lah.

So Joel's playing the smart card right. He's like, Okay,

let's let the wife speak first. Maybe I can cover her.

What's the one of the most joyful things you've experienced

in your marriage? Did y'all hear that? He said that

every single thing that he does, he does it with

his best friend. Okay, Julie, you have to talk that

lat freedom to be yourself. You know, in a marriage

where it's transparent, you're free and you accept one another.

And I wonder if you can say the same of

our relationship with the Lord. That everything that you do

you're doing your best friend.

Wow.

Nice, right, Everything that you serve in, whether you're playing

the keys or you're in X kids, you're saying, I'm

doing this with my best friend. You know, when you're

at work, when you're ministering whatever it is you're doing,

you're like, I'm with my best friend. There's nothing like it, right,

And that's what we want. We want that close with

the Lord. And and I find that sometimes when we

lose that joy, we lose our strength. Do you know

the song that we've been singing, the Joy of the

Lord Joy was okay, good song, But I wonder how

for how many of you it's just a song or

is that a reality? Because if you find that you

have lost your strength in some things in your life,

then my next question would be, maybe you have lost

your joy? Have you lost that joy? Do you know?

It's like you know, when you love doing something, actually

no need effort, right, it feels like effortless, right, like well,

like you're God dating your wife. I don't need to

think about it. We're just gonna go with the floor

before you know it, you know, top hours past by already.

But suddenly as you go in clean house, first twelve minutes,

like comes so long? How come the toadless? Do so

the tia? Right? If you you don't find joy in something,

it will always become like a chore. I don't know

how many of you find you love your quiet time

right now? Okay, love your quiet time? Okay, not many

of you are. I'm a big concern whire. We have

to ask ourselves. Okay, I'm not here to put anyone down,

but I'm just really asking ourselves because there was an

article that I read earlier this week, right, and he

says this, you know, is your theology something that you experience?

Think about it is whatever that you think? Okay, what

is theology of Some of you say, I don't have

theology because you don't have a Bible degree. Sorry, I

also don't have a Bible degree. Okay. Theology is not

about having a Bible degree. Theology is just simply what

you think about God.

That's what it is.

It's your understanding of who God is. Right, and every

week you can come to church on a Sunday and

you can see the joy of the Lord. The joy

of the Lord is my strength. That is a theology.

It's biblical, you know. It is from the world. We

don't just sing songs because it sounds good. It's biblical principle.

That's a theology, right, because it's scriptural. But the question

is is the theology that you sing something that you experience.

Is theology something you experience? I can also put it

the other way, then, is your experience theological or not?

Think about it? Is everything that you experience in accordance

to the Word of God. Because we can experience many

things right in life, we can experience many things. Wow,

you know, I recently, which I don't usually keep up

with the news, but I just saw a Backstreet Boys concert.

Do you all know about BSB? They're running their concert

in the sphere in Las Vegas. I don't know why

I know this are I shouldn't know? This is okay,

I'm so old school and how many of you know

Backtreet Boys, Backstreet Black, Ah, my era and agay? And

the concert is just out of this wall. It's called

Millennium two point oh, I think, right, So I'm so

inven I feel so insuddenly. I'm usually not a so happened?

That's so happened? I saw that end.

It's crazy the.

I mean the whole theoretical part of it. Right, it's

out of this wall. Why did I get to Backstreet Boys?

I also don't know, but experience that's right. So it's

it's yeah, is it theological? Now? Something? You know? I

ask myself this question. Right, every time there's a football

match and then you go to the stadium and it's

twenty thousand people and they are giving their best cheers

to the eleventh people team that they're supporting, and I

wonder every Sunday, whether there's twenty thousand people giving that

kind of best cheers to our Lord Jesus Christ. It's

a real question, I asked, because I really believe that

football is a god.

To some.

It can be. You know, you can be a Christian,

but if you're watching more sports news than you are

reading the Bible, I also wonder Who's GODLA talk about experiences,

talk about being real, talk about what occupies your mind

and your thought. That is your God right. And so

I wanted to just bring us all again to say, God,

we're really serious. Are you serious about God? And we

really really want to get hold of what God wants

to speak to us. And he wants to restore to

us the joy of our salvation. Amen. I will read

that in Psalms fifty one, but I just wanted to

read to you. And we're gonna read a lot of

scripture today. Are you okay with that? I love this

book and it's a letter written by Paul, and it's

a letter that's full of joy. Okay, as we read

through it later, I want you to just just maybe, County,

no matter how many times you see this with joy, Okay, Okay?

And I'm gonna be reading from the NLT version. I

don't know whether XTV has it, but it's okay with

whatever version you have. Do you have your Bibles with you? Awesome?

Turned to the Book of Philippians and we're gonna read

quite a lot of it because you know, I just

love the Word of godla Okay, now, okay, Philippians. What

do we know about this letter? Anyone? Tell me? What

do you know of this letter? It's written by Paul? Excellent?

Good start? What else for the church in Philippi? Very

clever people? First? Roll off first said, you're so smart

people are You're very smart leaders? Okay? What else? What

else do you know about the church in Philippi? Sorry?

Say again? Paul was in prison in Rome when he

wrote this letter. Thank you brother?

Wow?

Okay did you know that? Did you know that Paul

was writing this letter in prison? From prison? How many

of you have been to prison before? Don't raise up

your hands. I don't want to know, or maybe I

do want to know. It's okay, you're here right now. Okay,

But how would you feel if you're in prison? Said?

What would you be thinking about? You want to get out? Someone? What? What?

What would you be thinking if you're in prison, death right,

death unfair? Yes, that's me. I'll be like, this is unfair.

And actually Paul was wrongly in prison. Right. He was

in prison, of course for his faith, but he did

nothing wrong. There were just people accusing. How many of

you feel that many times you're in a prison where

you're wrongly accused. It's not a physical prison, but it

can be a very very emotional or it can be

a very spiritual experience where it's like wow, you know,

how can this be? It's you feel like you're wrongly

in prison for false accusations and things like that. Right,

And so Paul was writing this from prison to this

very church. Now it's a little bit interesting about this church.

This church is one of the first church plants that

Paul planted. Okay, so talk about church planting, right. So

Paul was the church planting missionary, and this is one

of the first churches that he planted. And amongst all

the other churches that he planted, this was the only

one that supported him find nantially right, So all the

other teases you know, sometimes right, when we give, we're

giving to U in partnership with the work of the gospel. Right,

when we give our money, we cannot go. We give

our money, our money can go. But for Paul, he

said that I actually don't need any funding. That's why

he was a tent maker. You know what time maker is?

Do you know what tenn maker is? What is it?

He makes tends?

That's try.

Yes, in those days, tanme maker was an actual profession.

So he made ten for a living. He sold tents

in between he was preaching a So it sounds like

a lot of us are. We also have to make

a living. Right Monday to Friday we work and then

you know we do ministry on the weekends on Fridays.

So yeah, it's very similar. We can identify with Paul.

So so let's go to uh, I'm gonna read from

from first first chapter and verse one. Okay, are you there?

All right? So let's go. Okay, I'm just gonna read

from the NFT. You can follow the NKJV on the

screen if you need to. Okay, all right, So this

letter is from Paul Antimothy is writing slaves of Christ Jesus.

Wow.

The other version says, bond servants, do you consider yourself

a slave of Jesus Christ? Okay, it's a very hard

thing to grasp because I know not many of us

like to be slave to anyone.

Lah.

What is the mantra of this world? Be yourself, be free,

cob not. Just do whatever you want, be whatever you want.

If you feel like you're a dog, just be a dog.

You laugh, But it's true. It's crazy in the Western world.

Now.

If you feel like you identify as a dog, okay,

I will greet you with a whoof woof. No, you laugh,

But this is so real, guys, this is happening, not

here yet, thank God, but who knows how soon you

will hit us.

Lah.

But we don't want to be slaves of anything else

because you don't like it or not. Right, we're all

slaved to something you like it or not. You say, no,

I'm a free person. No, you're a slave to yourself.

You are because if you become the center of everything

that you do, then you are a slave to you.

And I'd rather be a slave of Jesus Christ. Amen.

So this is what Paul and Timothy are. I'm writing

to all of God's holy people in Philippi or I

always like to localize it. Subana Tintati, who belong to

Christ Jesus, including the elders and the deacons. May God,

our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace

and peace. Amen. So grace and peace of God upon

each one of you. And let's go verse three. Every

time I think of you, this is Paul writing, I

give thanks to my God.

Wow.

Do you you know when you think about someone, do

you give thanks to God? Hardleh? So I think all

the persons agree, But okay, let's try and get into

the mindset of Paul. Is that okay? Because to me

he was one of the most joyful disciples and apostles,

and we want to understand what this meaning of joy is. Okay.

So he says, every time I think of you, I

give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make

my requests for all of you with joy, for you

have been my partners in spreading the good news about

Christ from the time you first heard it until now.

And I'm certain, I'm certain that God, who began the

good work within you, will continue his work until it

is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Amen.

I like this term that he used. In verse five,

he says that you have been my partners in the gospel.

So what is the source of Paul's joy? You think

about it? What is your the source of your joy?

It can be many things, right, but joy that is

true and everlasting is what we're gonna learn here.

Right.

Firstly, he says you, my joy is that you have

been my partners. What is partnership? Anyone here run the

business and you have a partnership, can I see? No,

don't have a Are we all like employers? Sort of ish? Okay?

But you understand the difference between a partnership and like

an employee employers sort of relationship. You understand run which

one holds more responsibility, which one holds more rewards? Partnership also,

so greater responsibility comes greater rewards. True, not spider man, right,

And you know that's the reason why in acts we

don't call our church members. Do you know why we

call you guys partners? Why why partners? Because you partner together.

Partnership means you say, I have a stake in this,

not sticker sticker, not stick to eat on a stak,

meaning you have a percentage of, you know, ownership in this.

That's what partnership is. It means that I'm gonna put

my stake in and it doesn't matter how tough things go,

I'm gonna stay put and see it through. That's what

partnership is. And in fact, right a marriage is partnership.

You know, you know, you don't suddenly say, oh, today

I don't feel like it, then I want out, let

me resign from my job as husband. No, no such thing.

Partnership means to death. Do us part real partnership?

Right?

And actually this word partnership is this word coin onia.

Some of your translation uses fellowship. Do you see that?

What what do you understand about fellowship? Tell me? What's

the first thing that comes to your mind when we

say fellowship? Gather ring? What else in between? Okay? Okay,

so it's multiple people involved? What else with fellowship? Where's

my express with them?

Food?

I don't know. That's that's our common association. Right when

we think about fellowship, we're like, oh, where do we

go for macana? That is true, that's true, that's how

we use right. But do you know that in the Bible,

all right, that fellowship is not marcane? You know, it's

saying that we are partnering together in such a way

that we are going to put our hands to the

plow and we're gonna say, you know, this is family

and you don't shirk your family when the going gets tough.

That's what partnership is. Its deep, it's deeply rooted. It

means I want to be part of this. And so

that's why you know the person cannot always say is

this you know you know who our real partners are

by the number of those who show up for a

Preyer service. It's true. You know why because across all

church history, right, usually twenty percent only a ten prey service.

And I'm not saying using Preyer service as a gauge,

but to a certain extent it is true. Right, if

you really believe in prayer, you will come, whereas the

others will say it's okay, like you know, I come

on a Sunday to receive. But when you come for

something else that requires you to give, that is the

real test. That's a real asset tests of where you

know your partners are. You will know who your partners

are when you say, okay, let's come and clean church

together because you know, I don't know, maybe we're gonna move,

and you count how many people show up, and those

who show up are the true partners. And we've seen

this doing church. I've been in ex Church for twenty years. Yeah,

not short time, twenty years is quite a long I've

seen how people come and how people go. Many would

treat church like okay, it's just something that if I like,

I come. If I don't like, I don't come, okay.

And but I've also seen faithful partners who it didn't

matter who was preaching on the stage, it didn't matter

who was leading worship. All that mattered to them was

that I know God is here and that's all. And

I know God called me to be here, and so

I'm gonna be here. I'm gonna serve not because of

what my leaders tell me. I'm here to serve because God,

you told me to be here, and I'm here to

grow this church. That's That's what true partners are. And

we are very thankful for our partners, very very thankful

for those of you who be inhibit us for a

long time. Thank you, thank you for understanding what true

partnership is. To say that God, you know this is

where my family is, and you don't shirk family, right.

I know that your own family, your reunion. Sometimes you

also don't want to go right, but it's different when

you choose this family, it's a choice, right and say yes,

we want to partner to get it. So why Paul

was so joyful was because they remember I told you

that this was the only church that partnered with him

in the ministry of gospel through giving of finances. So

is Paul right materialistic? No, little you will see that

he says, Actually, I don't need the money, but what

I'm after is the fruit that it produces in you

through your giving.

Hello. Church.

It means every time you saw into missions or giving

to your offering, tips and offering, we are not looking

into the money the amount. God is not looking. Do

you think God needs your money? He's looking at what

the giving is producing in you. That is the most

important thing to God. Amen. So we celebrate because we

have very generous partners. I can tell you that the

church is alive today. We are still standing here together

in this beautiful space because of our partner's generous giving. Amen. Amen.

So that is that source of joy that Paul recognize. Amen.

So let me read on from verse seven. So see

this is Paul's heart. He says, So it is right

that I should feel as I do about all of you,

for you have a special place in my heart. You

share with me the special favor of God. Amen, both

in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth

of the good News. God knows how much I love

you and long for you with the tender compassion of

Christ Jesus.

Amen.

Do you feel Paul's heart here for the church? Do

you feel the same way for God's Church?

Hello?

Do we feel the same way for the Church of

God that we think about the Church? We pray for

the Church that we should continue to love the Church. Amen.

And this is verse ninety says, I pray that your

love will overflow more and more, and that you will

keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want

you to understand what really matter as Church, what really matters,

so that you may live pure and blameless lives, he

says here, so that you may approve the things that

are excellent, and that you may be sincere and without

offense till the day of Christ Jesus. Amen. That's what

being pure and blameless is. Are we pure and blameless?

Sometimes we need to ask ourselves, Lah and my is

the life that I'm living right now? If we examine

it before the Lord, is it pure and blameless? It's

okay if it's not, and that's why we need the

grace of our Lord Amen to say God, Yes, I

do want that. Do you want that or not? That's

the first question. Do you want to live pure and

blameless lives? If you don't even have the desire that,

say God, I need that desire because the opposite that

of that is I will live a life that is

full of blame and impure. Do you want that? Of

course we say, remember theology. Of course we will say no.

But what we experience is whatever that you're experiencing, according

to the theology that you believe in. Can you okay,

let me ask you this question. Do you think that

Christians can live a sinless life?

No?

We fall yeah, okay, So with that theology, how would

you treat sin? Okay? So then the next time you sin?

Because okay, so the theology now that I think most

of you seem to agree with that, it's impossible to

live a sinless life in this world. And so how

the next time you fall into sin? What is your

response to that? Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, and then

forgive me Lord. Okay, okay, we're the right track here.

Some more I repented some more not to fall into

it again. You see, the thing is right Sometimes when

our theology is a yeah, every Christian scene norm we

cannot run away from sin, right, And what we do

is we start to cheapen sin and we make it

something like a yah, white lion. It's okay, La, It's okay, ma. Right,

Christian scene one, why uh you you mean you want

to change some things on your text income text form?

It's okay, la, Christian scene one. What it's okay? Can

you see where I'm going with When we begin to

take sin as something that is granted, you know, we

will all fall into sin anyway. Therefore we just sin.

Lah?

Hello, Am I making any sense to you? I think

we have to be very careful how we look at

things like that. And if you can come to this

place where you say I'm gonna hate sin because God

hates sin, it's a very different theology now because now

you are guarded by the fear of God. And therefore

the next time you're tempted to say, hey, you know,

why don't you go look at this website, You're like, hey, no,

straight away, it's like no, because God hates sin, right,

and I will not touch anything that is detestable to

the Lord. Can you see how your theology now begins

to make you hate sin? You know why I hate

sin so much? It is sin that put Jesus Christ

on the cross. It is your sin and my sin

that put Jesus Christ on the cross. And so sometimes

we don't look at sin the way we should be

looking at sin, guys, you know, and there's many things

that's very subtle in our lives that we begin to

be okay with it. We become very okay with sin.

It's almost like, hey, you're you're not my best friend,

but okay, we can live with each other, you know,

like the whole roommate that you don't quite like, but

you can live with each other. And that's how we

treat sin in our lives. And so we've gotta be

very careful, guys, with our theology, right. And we you know,

my prayer is God, of course, you know, the Lord's

prayer every day says, you know, forgive me as I

forgive others. Right in that very sentence, it's acknowledging that, yes,

I'm going to fall. But it's not that I want

to fall, right, I don't purposely want to fall, but

it makes me become so conscious of the things in

my life that makes me fall. And you know when

you say repentance, right, it means I'm going to cut off,

cut off everything that is going to tempt you to fall.

That is what true repentance is. Many of us we say, okay, Lord,

I'm so sorry. Then the thing is still there and

guess what, You're weak. I'm weak, And so we fall

into it again, and we fall into it again, and

we fall into it again, and we say, God, how

come there's no transformation in my life? Why is there

no power? There's no power because you let that very

thing that scepts your power live with you, right, and

we need the power of God to see out with it.

Cut off everything that is hindering my walk with the Lord.

And for some of us, right, it's our social media.

How much time are you spending there? I don't know

what kind of thoughts are you letting it influence your

mind that makes you become so unsatisfied with your own life?

Are you satisfied with your life. Okay, I'm glad someone

you say yes, But many of us, if you really

really ask the heart of your hearts, right, you're not

and you have to ask ourselves why am I not satisfied?

You know? There's one verse in a Second Currentents that says,

I have nothing, yet I have everything. Second Corindance, chapter six,

I have nothing and yet I have everything. I encourage

you to go and read what that means, because it can.

It simply says I have I can have nothing of

this world, no success, no money, no wealthy connections, no

good looks, and yet in Christ, I have everything that

I truly need. Amen. Can you come to that place

or not? Can you come to that place of joy

and saying that I don't need all these things? You know,

some of us we are also busy, right. The reason

why we're so stressed is because we're trying to chase

one that thing that you think will give you joy.

What is it? Is it career? Is it your next promotion?

Is it to earn your first million before you're thirty

years old? What is it that you think that once

I hit it there, then I think, God, I'm gonna

be happy. I'm gonna be contented at last. Oh no, no,

no can He's like, no, no, no, that's a polacy.

He's been there, try that, done that, not working, not working. Solomon,

in all his splendor, the richest man on earth, he

says all this meaningless. I think only a rich person

can say that, Like, Okay, I'm not a millionaire, I'm

not elne mask. You know, I cannot say all this

is nothing. But Solomon was the richest man on earth,

and he could say all this is like a vapor,

actually not meaningless. It just means it's a vapor, means

it's gonna come today and it's gonna go tomorrow. So

the question to us is what's gonna be long lasting

for you friends? What's gonna be the long lasting joy

that nothing in the circumstances around you can rob you

of that joy? Amen? Because joy is not circumstantial. Joy

is a relationship. Amen. Amen. Let's move on. Amen. This

is I hope you catch something. Yeah, you catch something

that God is saying. He's looking and looking and defining

joy in a very very different way from what we

would define joy to be right for some of us,

you know, it's like you're trying, I know, there are

a couple who are trying for children. Maybe and to them,

my life is not complete without child, but we are

encouraging them. No, find your joy, find your completeness in Christ.

I know it's not easy. I know it's not easy.

I'm not I'm not looking at anyone because I don't

know your situation. Okay, I don't come to that one

to the other. I don't know your situation. But then

my question is can you truly find contentment in the Lord?

Because so many of us are defined by our contentment

in what the world can give us or don't give us,

and we lose our joy when something goes against us.

You see that. But joy for Paul, how is? How

is joy possible from prison? Will you be joyful when

you're in prison? No, it's probably the last year that

the last emotion or the emotions I know, anger, bitterness, envy,

maybe all right, No, no joy there. Joy is not

gonna be done around what's in it? What's in us? Amen?

So joy Paul's joy was dictated because firstly, there's few

things that he counted joy and these are treasures in heaven.

You know. Firstly, he was excited that there was a

partnership in the gospel, and I thank God for you

guys here. You are partnering together with us in the gospel. Amen,

and we can rejoice every one of you your partners. Okay,

he's also rejoicing because Christ is preached. I don't know

how many of you get excited when Christ is being preached. Really,

every time you hear about the Cross, you're like, oh, okay,

time to sleep. I know this story. Hey hello, but

are you excited or not that every time Christ is

being preached You're like, thank you Jesus man. This is

something that it just fills me with joy. Vestov says this,

and I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters,

that everything that has happened to me, this is Paul

here has helped to spread the good news for everyone here,

including the whole palace. God knows that I am in

change because of Christ and because of my imprisonment. Most

of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak

God's passage without fear. Amen. Wow, this guy is really

out of this world, right, He is in change. And

he's like, yeah, it's because then Christ can be preached

even more. You're in change.

To make good.

You're my captive. I'm going to preach Christ to you

until you believe.

Wow.

Can you, in your imprisonment, whatever that you're going through

right now, think about it and say, I'm going to

preach Christ to you. Your help captive by me. Not

I'm help captive by you. You are held captive by me.

And I'm going to preach Christ because that's the source

of my joy. Amen. Christ is the source of our joy,

not anything else.

Amen.

Amen. So the other thing that Paul was really really

joyful about was the fact that the church partners are

growing together with him. Amen. So I'm going to read

from verse twenty verse twenty still in chapter one, this

is pausing for I fully expect and hope that I

will never be a shame, but that I will continue

to be bold for Christ as I have been in

the past, and I trust that my life will bring

honor to Christ, whether I live or to die. Now,

in the Nalty version, it says, for to me, living

means living for Christ, and dying is even better. I'm

going to read the NKJV because this is the verse

that you're all very familiar with, right, Okay, let's read

this together. Three two one. For me, to live is

Christ and to die is gain. Excellent. How many of

you this is your theology? You're smiling. You're smiling because

theology does not match up to experience right now, right.

I know, it's very nice, very nice to say. Why

you can poster it in your room, But to me,

to live is Christ and to die is Gain. And

then the next moment you receive bad news, you're like, ah,

You're like, ah, something happened. I don't like this person.

I'm gonna leave church. Ah, I'm gonna leave my job, ah,

whatever it is. And then we forget that actually, living

is not about us. Hello, Living is not about you anymore.

Every day that you have becomes an opportunity for Christ

to speak through your life. We always forget this because

you know why. You know, what is the biggest challenge

we all face? Can I be honest with you, it's

not the devil. The biggest challenge that you and I

face in this world is not the devil.

It's us.

It's you. It's your flesh that is even harder. You know,

there's a verse that says, you know, you stand from

in God, and the devil will flee from you can

you flee from yourself. You're stuck. Sorry, guys, You're stuck

with yourself. And that's why Paul says in Romans right,

the battle rights with the flesh. You know we have

the Holy Spirit? Amen? Do we have the Holy Spirit?

We have the Holy Spirit, Praise the Lord. But you

know who the Holy Spirit has to battle every day?

Not you are me?

Every day there's a there's a wrestling match, no thing,

thing thing today, Rose versus Holy Spirit. Who wins? And

I pray that as we grow in maturity, as we

grow in strength, as we grow in faith, this is

us right, Maybe the earlier days are your thing down.

You know, Rose is out and no, no, the Holy

Spirit is out. You know every time right, rose winds

la because my flesh gets in the way, my desire,

my impatience, my anger, my bore songness, me my proud pride.

Pride is very real for me. Right, It's like I'm

better than you, I'm smarter than you, I got more

ease than you. It's it's very easy to fall into

that place. And when we when we are you know,

when we're new in Christ, right, the flesh is so real, right,

and so the Holy Spirit right is like okay, well, Rose,

very scary, but to keep quiet, you know, the Holy

Spirit very gentle, right right with Rose, who wins. And

Yet as I grew in my walk with the Lord,

I'm learning this is a very hard verst for me

to learn. I'm learning more and more that now when

I want to live, I want to live for Christ.

I want to live in such a way that when

people look at me, when they talk to me, when

they have an argument with me, they can see Christ

in me.

Do you see? Do you see?

It's not that we will not disagree. It's not that

we will not have wrong days or bad days or

bad temper. It's not that it's saying that even through

this I can see woh, suddenly God self control. I

want to say this that I followed and say it's okay,

I don't need to win this argument because I just

want to love you. Do you say it's very different

when we say that I'm now living for Christ, because

it's not about you anymore. How many of you are

ready to die? Ready to die?

Oh?

Yes, thank you?

This is so true.

You know all the subvices that I share this right,

it is those who are closer to the Lord that

will say I'm ready to die. And I mean, I'm

just saying all of you are very young, okay young,

But as I grow older, maybe that's the thing. As

I grow older, I'm like, I'm all ready to die now,

because sir, your bodies have to feel all these aches

and things and something like, oh, you're crick right once

you hit fortyer, I tell you, guys, it's a different world.

You haven't hit forty yet. You don't know what I'm

talking about. And then they say fifties and others. It's okay,

I'm gonna get there, Okay. But the more I think

it's more, the more you walk with the Lord, the

more you realize actually are dying is really gain? You know,

to die is gain? Did you are you ready to

like say, I'm gonna it's better for me to be

with the Lord, Because as you grow more and more

through life, you realize the more pain and suffering you see.

Did do you realize that the more of you know?

And we are living in perilous times right now like

never before. When I was growing up, I didn't hear

a war like I hear now. It's like what water

is gonna happen. No, anytime there are shooting bisiles is

very real. We are very insulated, you know, because our

biggest problem is what electricity bill or packing? No packing,

modern day sort of problem. Right, But if you really

think about it, just across the Gulf, our brothers and

sisters there are living in bomb shelters because real missiles

are flying over the heat. Reality check, where where is

our reality? Right? And so you know it's it's much

better to.

Die.

This is what Paul is saying. Paul is saying that

I read a dialer because it's gain, Ma, you know

what gain is. It's better, right, Gain is better? But

if I live, I live is Christ. Okay, let's let's

try and understand a little bit more of what he's

saying here right in verse twenty one. For to me,

living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

But if I live, I can do more full work

for Christ. So actually, pauls confused. LOA, so I really

don't know which is better. This is another vision, quite cue,

So I really don't know which is better. I'm torn

between the two desires. I long to go and be

with Christ, which would be far better for me, But

for your six it is better that I continue to live.

You love right, Like Paul, Hey, you wanna make up

your mind? You say dying is better. Now you're like,

I don't know which is better. Can you see that

Paul's love was never about himself? Because right, I can

understand this in a cynical way, because he said if

I die, right, it's about me. I don't have to

deal with all of you anymore, your all love Ana

the Young Rebellious callon. You know, Paul is dealing with

the churches, right, and and I can understand as a parent, like,

oh yo, sometimes when they go through a really really

bad spell, you're like, Jesus, take me home. I don't

want to deal with this mess. I don't know. Some

mess is so messy that you're like, I just want

to exit out right? And sometimes is that? You know?

I just want to exit?

You know?

Sometimes you can think of it like but then when

I'm with Jesus, I'll be in glory. I will know

no more pain, no more sorrow, no more tears. Don't

you want that? We say only we wanna, But in

the actually fact, as you choose die now ready or not? No?

No no, no, no no, no, no, no, no, Actually

I don't want yet yet. I stay, haven't gone to

the Backstreet Boy concert yet. You know, I don't know

what is it that you're living for. But for Paul,

living is Christ and doing for full work. And yet

he says this, and I can see this in his

love for the Church. He says, I'm torn between the

two desires. I long to go and be with Christ,

which would be far better for me, but for your sake,

it is better that I continue to live. So do

you know that Paul is now living not for himself.

If he has to go through the pain of living,

he's doing it because of you, of the church. So

you think about the way you live right now? Do

you live in such a way that if I'm gonna

live right I'm just focusing my pure, entire focus is

full work for Christ.

Wow?

What the theology? Man? What a way to live that

is not about me, my needs, my my family, my

you know, me, me me me me me me me, me,

me me, what's in it for me? That's not God's theology,

it's our human theology. But instead, if we can, if

can you imagine if all of you here right now,

you come to church and you say, I'm here to give,

I'm here to serf, I'm here to meet your needs. Wow,

every one of you, you know, every single one of

you come with this mindset that I'm just here to

serve God and serve Pew because God says love God

and love is people, right and the best way to

love God's people is to serve them, true or not.

And all of you come with them. And I say,

guess what will happen to the church?

Can you?

Can you imagine with me what will happen to this church?

All your needs will be met? All I dare to

say it boldly, all your needs will be met. You

know this, this quote that Pasia cannot always says, right,

if everyone gives, everyone gets. If no one gives, no

one gets, And that's true. If all of you give,

I tell you there is no lack. And that's that's

the church in acts right. Everyone came together and they

gave willingly, and they gave generously. And it says in

the Word of God that no one had any lack.

What a church?

What a church?

And I pray that AX will become more and more

like that. You know that if you call and you

believe that access your church. You come with a mindset

and a willingness to give, not say he give, la, give, la,

give give gif You know who am I?

Poor?