Destination Of Discipleship | Rachel Ann Thong

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

We hope this message will light up your.

Day disciples for us, So no surprise, I'm going to

be speaking a bit about discipleship, so like oh again,

but yeah, you're gonna be hearing a lot of these

messages throughout the year, and we keep speaking it until

we get it, until you know our our prayer and

our vision. Our hope of course, it's that everyone in

ex church, throughout all our church plans will be discipled.

I know Elder Penguins O the Roads were.

Just in in Chiang Mai as well, Thailand, and they

had a discipleship camp, like you know, you just focused

on sharing discipleship, how to do it and things like that,

and they're so excited, you know, to get on this

journey together. So yeah, everywhere across the globe here is

the discipleship.

Discipleship, discipleship.

And I actually had two messages in mind, and I was,

you know, weighing out which one should I speak about,

but I think all safe the other one for next

time because this one is something that yeah, I think

I was going through at this point.

So on topic of discipleship, the title for today.

The taking our notes is destination of discipleship, and the

gonna be a lot of these today.

Got spoken a lot of these.

To me and somest maybe wondering, you know, why why

do we need to be disciples?

I mean, isn't huh what what? What a destination?

Yeah? I found a lot pretty a destination dream destination

for those never been to these places, but hopefully one day. Okay, hint, hint,

you don't don't be distracted by all the pretty pictures?

Uh yeah?

But isn't being a believer enough? Why do we need

to go another stare? Why do we keep talking about

disciples ship? Now? James two nineteen It says this, I

think I have it? Yeah, I have it there? Okay,

So don't need to turn. There's some there's some scriptures

that I will get you to turn. But some I

put it. It's a shot, I put it on screen

for you. So James Chatter two vers. Nineteen stays, you

believe that there is one god? You do well, But

guess what even the demons believe and tremble. So I

think it's not enough just to believe. Although you know,

when we obviously, when we put our trust in Jesus

and we invite him to our lives. Yes we are saved,

but it's not enough just making just taking that first step.

There's so much more that God has in store for us.

Amen.

So when we keep talking about discipleship this year, where

are we actually trying to bring the church?

Where are we trying to bring you? Where is God

trying to bring us? Okay?

So I'm going to talk about that a little bit.

And my first point again I said, I got a

lot of these today. The first thing that came to

mind was we want to bring you or you know,

every every leader in this church wants to bring us

from dat faith to doing good works right, And I

guess this way we start, it's not it's not enough.

We just believe we have faith or we say we

have faith, right.

But we need to move on to acting on our faith.

So a big part of discipleship is really challenging us

to step up right, step out of your comfort zone.

When we start having hurdles, some may ask, you know,

like yeah, why can't we just we just do our

one on ones. You know, we can just talk about

our lives, just talk about my problems, things I'm going through.

How Can you help me? How can God bless me?

How can There's a lot of me and me? Right,

But even we wed up in huddles, which is our

discipleship structure or system how we want to call it.

But it's going beyond it. It's we're challenging you and

those of you have joined us before. You know that

that's the case, right, It's not just about us, it's

what else can we do? We want to help you

step out of your comfort zone? Can I'm gonna get

you to turn with me to James? Got your Bibles? Yeah? Good, James, James,

James James, chapter two, verse fourteen to seventeen. If your

dad say amen, Amen. Some are still searching it James,

Chapter two, verse fourteen to seventeen, are read it to us?

What does it profit? My brethren? If someone says.

He has faith but does not have works, can faith

save him?

Wow? The question? Can faith save him?

If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of

daily food and none of you, and one of you

says to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled,

but you do not give them the things which are

needed for the body, what does it profit?

That's also faith?

By itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

He's dead.

So we want everyone to be on this journey. The

destination starts at faith, right he started. We definitely need

faith to know that Jesus is God, that he died

for us, he saved us. But the destination is we

want to be doing We want to be doing good works.

Man.

I think about Jesus and he sent out the twelve.

You know, he sent out the twelfth two by two

to do crazy things. I mean, imagine his grown man.

They were with Jesus, they saw the miracles he did,

and he knew he's God.

He's God.

But then he sent them out and you told them

you do the same thing. Okay, don't at the start,

how do we even like what's in these hands? You know,

how can we even perform these miracles to heal and

to ask the demons to flee? Di did crazy things,

you know, they went out to the poor, the widows,

they helped the people. But She's just send them out

and things that were impossible for men only possible for God.

But she just still challenge them. You go do it now,

you see me do it. You go do it. And

it's the same thing when we're doing discipleship here, that's

what we're doing. We're seeing, we're seeing how Jesus has

done things. We've seen through his word, how he's led

the people, how he lived with his disciples, how he

challenged them, how he lived with them. And then we

are basically imitating right what he did, what his disciples did,

and he empowered his disciples to do what he did.

You know, such amazing. Who are we?

Who are we to do the things of God that

only God can do? And you know, we want to

bring you not just a place, So we start off there,

you know, doing good works, going to community like we

have Kerry Island right Also, you hasn't hasn't gone yet,

make a trip this year. There's so many things that

we can get involved in and with with the church,

but we we want to see you go even before that.

You know, see you do miraculous, miraculous works. Amen, however

you want to do that, come on, you want to

be involved in God's work. We don't want to miss out.

You know, after this, I'll tell you a crazy story.

But but as as I was traveling this past week

and you know, thinking about this message, that's the thing

you know, I keep just picturing the disciples, the things

that they did. I mean, Peter walking on water, the disciples,

the bonus that they had to to even preach to

the people just stand out there and and talk, and

they won't. I mean, these are fishermen, right, very not educated,

a lot of them not educated, but they were just speaking.

And many of us feel may feel that way. And

when I look at the twelve, well actually eleven, I

look at eleven disciples. You know, we know that one

betrayed him, but they are the perfect examples.

Of what discipleship should look like.

Right. They had they had faith, they followed Jesus, and

they went on to do great things.

And you read a book of Axes. You know, it's crazy.

It's just continually them working out amazing things. And I

ask myself, you know, if I'm not striving to be

like them, to follow the example, then something is missing

and I'm not catching it. When I look at the

girls that I'm discipling and journeying with as well, if

I see that they are also you know, I are

they serving their communities? Are they serving their marketplaces? Are

they getting bolder each day? You know, to step out

the comfort zone, to to weether, pray for someone to preach,

to perform miracles. And I think just even just the

basic things, whether they're in the workplace or still studying,

are they making a difference there right? And and this

sort of leads me to my next point via a

story that happened on Wednesday when I was in London.

So so I told you I flew every day except Wednesday.

Wednesday I was a full day meeting. So every quarter

our CEO will have a we call it there's a

senior Leadership meeting, so SLT, and then it's an extended

leadership meeting which's XLT. So it's if you look at

Hoddle system your pastors, right, then hawd one is your senior,

your SLT, and then Hawdle two is like XLT. So

so this meeting where I was at is the haddle

too layer okay XLT layer with the next down, next

one down under all the sea level okay sea level

or directors. So in his room, that's about maybe thirty

of us in the meeting. It used to be much larger,

but they've shrunk it down so that it's not such

a big group. Because this is where this is basically

our CEO says, you are the people who are running

the company.

Okay, so we need to get together.

We quota to just talk about where the company is at,

where we're bringing it to, et cetera, et cetera. So

we're in the room. We start off. SEEO obviously opens

with a speech. He gives us the bad news of

where the company is at, how much it would take

to get it to a good place. He likes to

end with the good news because he's very optimistic. But

he finishes off and says, you know, anyone has questions

or anything to say, And then in silence, in silence

for a while, but he said, you know, I've he said,

had been trained to when you ask a question, pause

until it gets a bit uncomfortable and someone will finally

speak up. So he's learned to not rush it, but

pause and just you know, wait And so yeah, you know,

one one, or two or three questions. But the whole time,

I tell you what, the whole time my heart was

beating so fast because the Holy Spirit was prompting me

to say something and to offer to pray for this

group of leaders. There are a few thoughts that came

to my mind because I know the company is in

a difficult position. Uh and time, but God was reminding

me what am I here for? What am I here

for if not to point them to the right direction

and to bring hope, you know. But I'm sitting in

a room full of directors and head of departments and

they're all white. I had the own Asian there basically,

and and I'm like, no way. God. My heart was

like I think coming out my throat. Really, but I

was like, you know, really starting to I think I

could have fainted. You know. At anytime, I was like,

oh God, don't as we do something that is crazy.

I see a few times, you know, he like, he paused,

he waited, and he's like, Okay, I'm going to get

it another four minutes.

And the Holy Spirit is tell me, yeah, now you've

got your chance. You got your chance. So guess what

I did? Huh? I did it. I chickened out. I

chickened out. I didn't say anything. I'm just like.

And so the program carried on. He passed it on

to the facilitator. They went through our day. I went

through our day and different things we talked about the

whole time. Obviously, you know, I'm not at peace. I'm

just like storm inside here and all.

Kinds of things.

You know, I can I can feel myself asking, you know, what,

what if the success of your company depended on this?

What if you knew that if you did this, you

stood up and you said something and you prayed, and

that turned the ship around?

Would you do it?

And and you know, questions of do you you care

more for your face than the people in this room.

Than the CEO?

You know, he's he's a he's really a great, great man.

He lost he's he's really a people person. And so

I really trust him, you know, to to bring this

company forward. But men have limitations, and so I knew,

and I knew, and I knew those of you.

Journey with God for a long time.

You know it when it's just your own idea versus

it's God telling you do something because you cannot see

it still, you know you're just not a piece.

And you know you need to do something. So anyway,

we went through the whole day and then at the

end of.

It, hallelujah, Oh God is a god or second chances.

So at the end of the whole meeting, end of

the day, and our CEEO ended. You know, he likes

to end our meetings with asking everyone to say one

word to describe how you're feeling about the day. Okay,

so we go around the whole room. Everyone says their

word and gets to me, and I say, can I

go last? Because I have a bit more to say

than one word? Anyway, he ended up. Facilitator said no,

we still need it one word. So okay, I said

my word, which actually didn't come to me until it

reached my turn. So I said believing, And I said,

but please let that just go first before I speak further.

So he did it.

You know, they went three, like two or three more

people I didn't gave their word came back to me

and I stood up.

Yeah, they're almost fainted. Scared.

I mean, I don't know why we're so scared, but

we ask it. We are scared to do these kind

of things. I mean, I've been the only maybe you

say if I wish you paid for your colleagues and not before.

Yes, I have.

But it's I the one on one you know, personal

over lunch in a meeting room with people I know

and have a relationship with. This one half the room.

You know, I don't really know them. I've seen them,

you know, said hi, I know who they are because

they're all big names and and the only time I've

prayed over a group and my workplace was during the pandemic,

but that was over a video call. So it was

on the Microsoft Teams meeting and my colleague had asked

me to pray.

So your your you know day, and it's my team.

I'm leading the.

Team, so you know, I just say down to bless

the team and pray for everyone because pandemic was tough, right,

but this is like I'm the most courtete one there.

I think I'm the smallest Friday, so I stood up.

I can't remember exactly what I said, but I know

it was along the line of, you know, it has

been a difficult time for the company, and you know, Paul,

our CEO, has of course given us the bad news

and he's you know, we have all these plans that

we talked about throughout the day to so how do

we get there?

How do we turn the ship around?

But men has limitations, right, and I may not be

the smartness or the most experienced in a room, but

I know that there's a god that enables us to succeed,

you know, And I said, I believe in in our CEO,

I believe in Paul, and I believe in this in

this God, and so if you allow me to pray

for us, can I pray? Because I see it was

very kind enough to say, yeah, please go hit. So

I stood there and I prayed, you know, for all

the leaders for the company, just surrendered it to God,

submitted it to God and ended Amen. Not so hot, right,

and that time before starting is very hot to say amen.

And a few few amens around the room. I don't

know if their believers or I mean most of them

they would have grown up in you know, they were

no Catholic background or the Church of England. So a

few amens saw them the hands and if I ended

on a high, I mean my CEO ended off just saying,

you know, not everyone in this in this room may

have the same faith, but we need something to keep

us going and take care of ourselves and things and that. Yeah. Yeah,

So anyway, and then well we had you know, snacks

and drinks after the whole event, and different ones. So

I started speaking to different ones and a few came

up to me to say that was really brave of you, Rachel,

and thank you some of saying they were very emotional,

you know when I was speaking and praying, but I

think everyone's been through a difficult time, and I said,

you know, sometimes we need faith to go there. That

extra a mon the extra step. But yeah, thank God

for giving me a second chance, even though I know.

I actually I told them, if I don't stand out

I speak, I know, I cannot sleep tonight and I

probably regret for the rest of the year before we

meet again. And I only go once a year. I

got this challenge us to step out of our comfort zone.

So I was like, yeah.

And by the time my boss so some a few

of them had left. The My boss left because she

had other things to do, and the next day she

has to be in the senior leadership one.

But I did tell her. She asked how I was

the day, so I texted her to her what I did.

She is the only other believer that I know, and

she's not even English.

She's kiwi so to her about it and she's like, oh,

bless you Rachel doing that.

She's like, I wish I was there, you know, But yeah,

I just thank god I got to do that, you know,

to just to point them to at the end of

their men is were limited. We're limited, you know, but

we can trust God man. So that leads me basically

to my next point, which is another d deficiency to dominion,

because I felt all this wild right, even being in

a company and being in these meetings. Right, I can

remember years where I'm there and I'm wondering what am

i doing there? All these people they're talking business and

talking numbers, and and they're so clever, you know, and

I'm sitting there. I don't understand half the things that

they're saying. There's a nice way beyond leak, I find it,

and I feel so inadequate. Yeah, I just feel inadequate.

I feel, you know, the smallest in the room. But

let me turn us to Okay, no, I think this

is what I put If we go to the next

night and I put it on screen. Genesis, chapter one,

verse twenty six. Then God said, let us make man

in our image according to our likeness. Let them have

dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds

of the air, over the kettle, over all the earth,

and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

From the very beginning the first chapter of the Bible,

God is saying, man, you are given dominion over all

the earth, But how many times we don't really live

like we have dominion.

We are, you know we are. We can be fearful,

we are.

We don't think we're good enough, can feel incompetent, you know,

insufficient or to use the D words, so deficient. But

we feel like we can't we can't do this. But

this is this is what God created us to be,

to have dominion over the earth. Right, we are meant

to influence. We are meant to change the atmosphere. We're

meant to command authority wherever we go, in your workplaces,

in your schools, and your colleges. We are not meant

to simply survive church, right, We're not just here to survive.

And so when we you know, we go on this

path of discipleship, we are trying to help you grow

from feeling inadequate, from feeling, oh, it's my place, you know,

what can I do in this world?

But we want you to know.

Your place and know the authority that you have to

it before right from young, I'm like the last person

to be influential. I'm always the little girl that's silent, quiet,

you see, Shane. Now, yeah, that I'm like that. When

when I was young, you know, I won't speak to anyone.

On Mother's Day, I was at my parents' church, right,

I told you, and my mom.

Shard that before.

So she she had ane off introducing me before calling

me up to speak.

So she shared, she said, when Rachel was young, she

speaks to nobody.

She won't respond to you, she won't answer you, because

she's just that shy. And so for me to be

standing on stage, you know, to her, it's a it's

a miracle already.

But yeah, far from influential, you know.

And in my career as well, so many times I felt,

you know, the good I'm always put in a position

where I'm like, I don't have all the experience needed

for this role. And like I said, sitting in that room,

it's almost a time they open their mouth and speaks like, well, okay,

I don't even know like where to get those words.

We kept not so power ah, And I said in

the beginning. Sometimes I sit there wondering one and my

what am I doing here?

I feel too out of place.

I remember last year feeling like that I think the

year before as well, like I just I couldn't even

focus because I'm like every thing just flying over my head,

you know. But this year when I was there, it

was so clear that God was saying, Yeah, everyone can

say all these things, and it's all men's wisdom. Right. Yeah,

they're they're clever in men's ways, but it's all men's wisdom.

But you have God's wisdom, your wisdom from above.

Just speak up.

And that's where I started thinking of the disciples. Now,

while they just stood up there and just share it,

even though they are, they're not eloquent, but people saw,

people saw that there was a difference in the disciples, right.

X chapter four.

Yeah, we can turn to that toin me X book

of X nice and easy to find. Right after the

Four Gospels X Chapter four of US thirteen. There amen, men,

it says, now, when they saw the bonus of Peter

and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men,

they marveled, and they realized that they.

Had been with Jesus. How powerful is that for us?

But for people to see us we're untrained, We're well, okay,

most of us are educated in this room, but we

may seem like we're not you know, we may not

be there, but when we open our mouths to speak,

there is an authority and there's a wisdom that can

only come from Heaven. And you know, the thing that

we hope and one the most is for people to

recognize this person has God right and one day we

can point them to Jesus. So even though I feel

many times incomputer and in etiquette, but I've seen my life,

you know, being discipled all these years.

In church, in access.

You know, it's pushed me to take dominion anyway, to

have the authority anyway, to exhibit not my own authority,

but authority in Christ. Right. We know it's not us

at the other day, it won't be us, but we

had the authority in Christ. And to be honest, when

I was speaking at that time, I probably did not

sound bold at all. I think my voice was shaking

and my hands were shaking. They probably saw it, but

we hear Paul as all right, pauls it, and I

think I put it on screen. Pauls it in First Corinthians,

chapter two, verse one. Maybe I didn't put it there,

but I just read it. He said, when I came

to you. I did not come with eloquence, or some

versions say I didn't come with excellence of speech or

human wisdom. And so we can be in now you know,

our workplaces, our colleges, we may not be eloquent, we

may not have excellence of speech.

But look at how many books Paul wrote.

Right, he wrote so many, all the episodes he wrote,

and he spoke to so many churches, He planted so

many churches. And it's not just from being ex learn

that our speech. Yeah, and so my encouragement, my challenge

to y'all. You know, if all at this moment, if

all you're doing is existing, and if you're not influencing

your environment, your community for Christ, then you need to

get into the discipleship relationship.

I thought that we.

Could challenge you, we can journey with you, We can,

you know, help you push the limit. Sometimes we just

need someone to tell us, come on, you can, you

can do it. Just do it, just do it, Just

get out there. And I remember, I can't remember it

was before after then actually that the verse came to

mind from James Chapter four, Verus seventeen. You can write

it down, but we don't need to turn to it.

Sin is not doing what you ought to so right,

I reminded myself if in that moment I knew God

was telling me, like just stand up, speak and pray,

and I didn't do it, that is seen.

Right, you know.

I also encouraged her when I was in London. She

didn't share with me, but a few others. The two

other ladies who shared with me that one of the

girls on the dancers, her name is Debbie. She's her

profession that she she's a musician and she dances, you know,

so she does all these shows that I think she's

involved in some of the theaters and things like that.

And and so they shared that at one of her performances,

I think she got to take the mic and share,

and she shared about her faith in front of all

these people. It's a young young lady, I mean that. Yeah,

I told all of them, you're all two decades younger

than me on in their young twenties, you know, lower twenties.

But yeah, these young girls making a difference, making an

impact in there in the community, I mean the dance community.

It's what I encourage them, like, yeah, go out there.

The dancers also see the difference in you man, So Remember,

we may feel deficient, may feel inadequate, but deficiency to

dominion that's what we want to bring you to in

this journey, so that you will take dominion.

Amen. Amen.

Now it brings me to my third points, three points

three points for you, and then we end the third one.

Let's read this verse vers X this point.

Actually, I've been thinking about it because of what Pastor

cannot share with us, those of us that huddle, you'll

know Pastor has has a fractured heel. It's been difficult,

difficult time, right, but he's he's really grateful for all

the just partners that have come around him, but it's

been difficult time. And he shared a bit about being broken,

and so I you know this, this this thought has

been coming to mind quite a bit. But let's just

read X chapter nine, verse fifteen to sixteen. Hey, you

can turn with me ECTU nine, verse fifteen to sixteen.

You're there, Yeah, Okay. But the Lord said to him,

go for he is a chosen vessel of mine to

bear my name before gentiles. And he's talking about Saul,

who will become Paul Kings and the children of Israel

for ours show him how many things he must suffer

for my name's sake. And so God is already setting

up Paul obviously for what he's going to do. But

he's already shared and given him. But this is talking

to what's his name, an Annias, that he will Paul

will suffer many things. And then we move ahead. No, sorry,

go back to Matthew chapter sixteen. Matthew chapter sixteen can

turn there as well. Verse twenty one. Now this is

Jesus talking about himself. Matthew sixteen, Verse twenty one says,

from that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that

he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things sound familiar.

Suffer many things.

From the eldest and the chief priests and scribes, and

be killed and be raised. The third day, Jesus also

talked about what he's going to suffer. Right, God spoke

about Paul suffering, Jesus spoke about his suffering. And yet

it's so powerful because we see from both these lives.

Out of that suffering came something else, came greatness. Right

from paul suffering, we see the church. The church grew

like crazy exponentially. And then with Jesus, obviously he suffered

for our salvation, for us to have life. And when

we look at our lives and we count ourselves as

disciples and maybe journey with different ones as well, we

see that sometimes God allows us to go through certain things, right,

it's we can't. We can't be living it easier. A

whole life, just even for those who don't know Jesus

is like that, but for us journey with him even

more so, we know God allows certain things to happen,

but it's our choice how we want to respond. Right,

And even in these moments, we know that the enemy

will take advantage of these I call it defining moments.

We go through these breaking moments, right, We go through

times of despair, and that's my point number three. We

go through times of despair, but God is actually preparing

us for our destiny. And when we journey with you,

we want to help you walk through the times of despair, breakthrough,

just get through it because God.

Is setting us up for something.

And if we give up too early and too fast,

then we may miss out on the destiny that God

has for us. Right, so then we may take advantage.

Will we pass the tests right? Will we choose the

easy way out?

Or where we stick to the narrow road.

We know in Job chapter two, verse nine, Job's wife, right,

you know the story of Job.

He went through he lost everything.

I mean, if we want to compare about suffering her,

he's someone he lost, his family, lost his lifestyle, lost

his his what it possessions, property, everything, and his own

wife says, right, do you still hold fast.

To your integrity?

Just cuss God and die? And do we have friends

that would say that? Or do we have people who

are cheering us on in our faith and when we

are in discipleship, we have you know, we have our

leaders around us. We have our hand the leaves or

huddle friends around us to help us get through that time,

get through the desert, gets through that wilderness.

And yet not shot change you.

I mean, I like how Pascno said, you know, don't

shot the kit and don't shot change someone. And that's

that's how we will treat every situation that.

You go through.

If you're a journey with you, we will not help

you to just get out of there, get out of

the fire, get out of the flood.

But we want a journey.

With you and make sure you go through, go through

that time of breaking, go through that time of testing.

And I know some of you are going through that season.

Some of you are going through that season now or

you've been through it, or if you're.

Not going through one, we will go into one. We will.

And sometimes we have friends around us that will try

to bail us out right, bail us out, help it,

make it easier, encourage us to quit.

You know what is could it be?

Quit serving? Stop giving your best? Just slow down, Slow

down in church, slow down in ministry, stop holding onto faith,

stop believing you know, will still leave church, give up

your calling because life is too hot and the circumstances

sometimes sometimes justifies justifies us just taking care of ourselves,

like stop stop pushing through you know, but I've seen

over the years being discipled.

My leader always encouraged me.

To hang on, even in marriage, I think before getting married.

So there are times like to try in the tower,

and I don't try in the tower yet, Thank God

didn't trow in the towel. And for those that I'm

walking with now as well, I will then strength, I

will support, but I will urge you to keep the faith.

Through the season.

Don't give up, even though you may be in dispand

our discouragement. You know, you're down in the depths. They're

more dese down in the depths. But God has a

destiny for us. He has a destiny for us, and

in discipleship, that's where we want.

That's the ultimate goal.

You know. We want to journey with you and help

you reach that destiny. We want to help you reach

your full potential in Christ. And God is setting us

up for something greater, and then he's shaping us to

fit into his plans and his purpose for us. In

the next of way sect, she I'm going to get

someone to share her story of cause she would be

in the second So sorry morning you get Oh, stay back,

stay right, But yeah, I guess I wanted to share,

you know, her breaking story and what God was setting

her up for. But I think it some of us

can relate to that. We've been through those moments, right,

We think like, oh man, this is this is so tough,

this is the end. And yet when you just hang

on and you let people come around you and support

you and pull you through, and then after that you're like, wow, God,

this is what you were you were setting me up for,

this is what you're preparing me for. And if you

think about diamonds. Another d diamonds. How are diamonds formed?

Mhmm pressure n.

Huh?

Time yeah, yes, time or so it's very it takes

very long, right years and yes, one more thing, pressure,

time and heat.

Yeah.

So it's in the core of the earth, right that

diamonds are formed. And it takes pressure and heat over

a long time. And some of us it's not just pressure,

it's extreme pressure, extreme pressure, and it basically transforms carbon

bearing materials into a beautiful diamond.

And we also want you to.

Endure the extreme pressure the heat right going through the fire.

And sometimes it takes time.

It does take time, the times of despair, you know,

the desert, the wilderness, time that you go through. But

we know that finally you will reach the destiny that

heat planned for you.

Amen.

Amen, So as I draw to a close, what's my

next light? Is it the three three points? Or no?

I think what I'm going to end with this ultimately? Right,

so I'm giving you three ds. Really we're going to

bring you from dead faith to doing good works, from

deficiency to dominion, right from despair to destiny. But ultimately,

what is our what is the destination of discipleship. It

is to bring you, bring us to a place where

we have the d n A of Jesus. And I

think my next message should be around being a son, son,

and daughter of God. But the d that is that

is the destination. We want you to have the DNA

of Jesus. We want you to look and sound and.

Feel like Jesus.

Right.

Everywhere you go, everyone that meets you will see and

hear and feel Jesus.

Right.

Anger and forgiveness doesn't look like Jesus. Living in depression

and anxiety doesn't look like Jesus. Living in film doesn't

look like him. Living in comfort and convenience definitely doesn't

look like Jesus.

Right, he chose the way of the Cross.

Prioritizing own self doesn't look like him. Glorifying ourselves doesn't

look like him. God the Father glorified him, He didn't

glorify himself. Being proud doesn't look like Jesus. Being complacent,

being mediocre as well doesn't look like him. Right, And

the list can go on and on and on. But

the main and the ultimate goal that we you know,

I'm urging you and I'm pleading with you, say yes,

Say yes to discipleship because I think alone we cannot.

It's we had to push these boundaries because we're human.

We're only human, and we are we are limited, and.

Yeah, it's hard.

God gave us a community and God got show us

the way of discipleship, and Jesus showed us the way

because he knew we need that to be able to

reach these things and to look more like him. Men,

So yes, please say yes to discipleship so that we

can become more and more like him. That that is

the automate goal. If you forget everything that I said today,

just remember we want the DNA of Jesus. We want

to be like him, and that is the destination.

Churchmen.

The band can can come up simple I think simple

message today, but it's not just about the knowledge or

knowing this and stuff. You say, yeah I know this already, but.

It's what are we going to do next?

Right, It's there's always a call to action, And so

as we close, I want to pray for us.

You know, if if you if you resonate with the word,

you know that you.

Need step out of a comfort zone. You need to

push your boundaries. You want to be doing You're going

to be doing more, doing more good works. You want

to have dominion over your environment. You want to reach

your destiny, but more than anything, you want to be

like Christ.

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

information on our church, please visit as church org. We

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

this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God bless