CHURCH OF PERGAMOS | Pr Matthew Chang

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

We hope this message will light up your day.

I'm continuing on the series on the persecuted Church. So

the last time I think I was talking about church

in Smyrna and then so now I'm going to go

through the third Church. Okay, it's the church and in

programmas or improgramam. Okay. So if you can turn with

me to Revelations chapter two, I'm gonna read here from

verse twelve to verse seventeen. Okay, verse twelve to verse seventeen. Okay, yes,

there's the picture. Actually it does look like that, of

course in drawing. But later I'll share a bit more.

Verse twelve, Revelations, chapter two, and to the Angel of

the Church in Pergamos. Right these things, he who has

the shop as these things, says he who has the sharp,

too edged sword. I know your works and where you dwell,

where Satan's throne is, And you hold fast to my

name and do not deny my faith, even in the

days in which Antipas was my faithful martyrn who was

killed among you where Satan dwells. But I have a

few things against you, because you have you have there

those who hold the doctrine of Balim, who talk baalak,

to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel,

to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of

the Nicolaitans, which things I hate, remain repent or else

I will come to you quickly and will fight against

them with the sword of my mouth. He who has

an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to

the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some

of the hidden manner to it, and I will give

him a white stone, and on the stone a new

name written which no one knows except him who receives

it best, the reading of the word the Lord. Now,

I'm not going to go to too much into some

of the okay, because the history and the details as

I used to, because there are some other things I

want to focus on. But this place, this whole letter,

at least this section was directed to the Church in Programs,

which is now in modern Turkey, Okay, a place where

a lot of pagan worship, and it's famous for a

few things are pagan worship, the worship of emperors. What

they what they mean by that is that they actually

detify human emperors to become like gods. Okay, so instead

of just worshiping the pagan gods, you're supposed to worship

the emperor himself as well. So if you go to

ancient Pergama, there will be two temples, one for the

idols and one for the emperor. You're supposed to go.

You're supposed to go for both. That supposedly. Okay, Now

it was the next line. So this is what current

the pergament. The ruins actually look like. So it's sitting

on the heel there, but the heels are reserved mainly

mainly for the important structures and buildings. The important structures

and buildings mainly are the temples. And then if you

see below, the famous theater can see about ten to

twenty thousand people. Beauty, beautiful. Imagine if you're watching a

theater and then you turn to the right and you

can see the whole the rest of the township as well,

very beautiful. So on this, yeah, on this person there,

so they will be one famous altar of Zeus, which

you will read here in the Bible. It is called

the throne of Satan. Most people, most of the writers

will refer that the throne seton is referring to this

the author of Zeus, because one of the main main

main god that actually worship was Zeus himself, which is

the king of the all the so called gods as well.

So this altar is huge if you can see it, food,

isn't it very beautiful marble? But this is a reconstruction,

beautiful and if you can see, most like typical Roman architecture,

they will have a lot of drawing of the gods

and then like Athena, all the different gods and they'll

tell a story and so on and so forth as well.

Stay on there, yeah, oh yeah, say so if you

can see, I think they're going the next one. So

these are all some of the temples, the the what

they called it, uh yeah, the officers as well. And

you will see in the middle here desk is what

they all called the altar of Zeos. Okay, And if

you see right in the middle of the court yard

there and there's like a huge Texas barbecue pit, that's kidding,

where they make bacon and beef briskered and ooh, can

we have that for lunch? Okay. So they have an

altar where they burn the meat. Okay, So it's not

like how we do it nowadays. Nowadays we go to

village grocer, we go to Jya grocer and by your chicken,

by your meat okay. That time, most of the food,

because they must understand, religious worship are very steeped into

their daily lives, get very very steep, okay. And so

what they do is that a lot of the meat

they were cut, they were bringing up to the altar

of us, and some of them they will burning or

they will sacrifice it on the spot. Then from the

top they will bring it down to the marketplace to

be sell sold in the marketplace. Okay, not like us

we go straight to grab or you know, they will

bring it there because it's steep, it's it's it's it's

really uh integrated to their their daily life. So that's

what they do again. And so some of the Christians

were having problems. You know, hey, do we are able

to get the food, you know, either food from the

altar or is there a difference between eating the food

from the altar or from the marketplace and so forth?

I did a time, I did explain it in bja.

It took a bit too long. So I'm not going

to explain it now because of time, okay. But if

you want to find out or do it another time, okay,

if you if you're curious, if you feel like your

conscience is like, oh oh as it well or how

does it reconcilt, I will do it another time because

due to time, okay. But basically there was that was

one of the things they were struggling off. Okay. So

now the problem is that I'm not talking so much

about the sacrifice, is that Jesus was commanding the church

state you do well, I know your works, okay, in

verse the ten where you dwell, and then you know

he knows your circumstances. We're not just what you do,

but where you are surrounded with is full of challenges

people who don't share your belief. You have to imagine

that if you're a Jew, every year, every Jew and

out of every place they will come down travel to

Jerusalem for the Day of Atonement to sacrifice. Once a year,

everybody will come to Jerusalem. So the Jew say, for example,

if you're Pilgrima, you come down, you travel hundreds of

miles to three hundred miles. Okay, you buy feet down. Okay,

you walk down and you come to Jerusalem, say, same time,

you hear, oh, there's this guy called Jesus who who

healed people, heal the blind, fifty five thousand people. They

went to the temple that he was doing amazing teaching.

And then after that you saw him crucified. Then you

hear news that he rose from the dead, and you

see the apostles preaching in boldness, and then the Christianity

is just growing and you believe. It's like coming to

you know, hey, maybe you're from outstation. I don't know

where you're coming from. Maybe you'll come up north Kada,

Belize or Slanga and Saraha or Sabah. It's like, oh,

I know, I'm surrounded by family members, church and all

and all family members, friends who don't believe as well,

and you come down to here, it's like, wow, I

feel so supported. Hey got XBU go homes, I got

online teaching, got everything all. But then now suddenly holiday

or you've been called back to go back to your

place and suddenly you're right now you're on your own

in your house, no support. Maybe got some text like hi,

how are you doing? You feel isolated? Okay, reality hits you.

You know, it's like, oh, what do you do? You see?

That's what the Christians actually at that time their face.

They go back to their home, they have to go

back to their to their respective and they're like, oh,

there's no apostles, there's no temple, there's no How do

I become a Christian in a place that's full of

pagan worship? Even the food I need to buy is

actually being offered up. Do I do? Ye? Do I do? No?

If I don't, my life it means that I came

to Jerusalem and I came back my life totally changed.

You know, I cannot do the same thing that I

used to do. How many you know what I'm talking about.

It's hard. You cannot do the same thing that you

used to You can't go back to the same places.

You can't go to your favorite noodle shop anymore. Maybe

maybe you can't go visit your friend. A certain ways

that because you're struggling. The whole world is changed because

of who you're encountered in Jerusalem, of the faith that

you're believing. So the Christian life is very, very difficult,

and after a while it can get tiring you all,

you know that it can get tiring one and all.

Do you really really have to be so holy? Do

you really have to not eat this thing? Do you

really not to have to associate with these things? What

you then you wrestle, Yes, and no. God probably will

forgive this. God will probably forget that your bargain with God.

And it gets very difficult.

Wow.

And this is the typical, uh, very common challenges that

the Christian face at the time. And so this is

where Jesus intervenes and says that what he says, but

I have a few things against you, because you have

those who will hold the doctrine of Baalim, who taught

Baalat to put a stumbling book before the children of Israel. Okay, Now,

so Jesus talks that in the midst of this persecution,

there is a teaching that actually went out that affected

many of the believers, believers who were struggling with this

as well. And there was a certain teaching. It's a

teaching that Jesus personally said I am against Okay, I

am against uh. You know, you know it's uh this

Jesus says, I have a few things against you say,

this is something that I'm against. And what is this

teaching called the doctrine of Baalim? And this is where

I want to focus more about. Now, how many of

you are familiar with Baylim? Hands up quickly. I need

to know you're determine how long did I describe him? No,

hardly anyone. Okay. That's why you need to bring your

own Bible. Man, you read your Bible. People, you read

your Bible. Baylim is a very very important character. Okay.

Now let's go through because because if I need to

explain this, I need to give a bill of introduction.

Then okay. Now, Baalim existed in the time of Moses. Okay,

turn't your neighbor and say Moses. Okay, I had to

pronounce it so that you wake you up a bit.

Okay Moses. Okay, Now the time of Moses, there were

also other prophets outside from the prophets named in the Bible. Okay,

it doesn't mean that you are a prophet. You can

only these are only legit prophets. There are other prophets

the Bible recognized as well, but they don't have their

own books. Okay, you don't see the book of Baylorm.

Inside there there are other prophets. Even if you go

look read the Book of X there are some so

called virgins who were prophets, are profess and so what

we recognize is that God was also working in some

of these individual lives as well. Okay, they have gift things,

they have annoying things, definitely have power, so much power

okay that even the Gentiles, the enemies of Israel, recognize

them as well. Baylorm was a prophet, okay, such a reord,

such a powerful prophet that even this king whose name

was black okay, black, okay, Ballad was a king of Moab,

he dreaded he and the people of the mob bites.

They dreaded uh the Israelites because there were so many

of them, They were so powerful, and everywhere they went.

They say this this the words to describe them. They say,

the Israelites were like cows who come into our land

and lick up all the grasses in our land. They

just you know, have you seen cows before they come?

And then they chew up everything. And then how many

of you wanted to do to a garden? I don't

know how many of you have gardens? Are sometimes you

have passa until you just a few days I've gone,

you know, your whole entire garden changes. Man, that's what

cows will do. Well, they just they don't care. They

just eat nice salad, chew cho pull chew and pull

the whole entire land gunment. So that's what they did.

Not not to say they are cows, but they really

sweep the land away. Okay. So the mobbites were dread

of them, and they do know how to defeat them.

So what they did was that they invited bail them

because they heard that Bayleem was such a powerful prophet

who's uh you know. They believe that if he blesses them,

they will be blessed. If he curses them, they will

be cursed. There's power in his prophetic gifting. So baalah

Uh sends people to go and meet Bayleem, okay, and

he said, not just one person, he sent an entire envoy. Okay.

Like you when you drive on LDP on the highway,

suddenly you drive halfway, everybody starting making way, got one motorcycle,

two motorcycles, and then suddenly like come yeah, it's like

who is this feather? You know? Or maybe they just

need to go to use the toilet, you know, maybe. Okay,

So there's a big voe and this involve was huge

putting lots of money before Bayleim. Why because I believe

they likely knew that as powerful as he is, as

anointed by God as he is, he has a weakness.

He loved wealth, love wealth. Okay, then this is already

a warning signer. You can be annoyed. It can be

very powerful in ministry, both in and outside the church, Nona.

And yet you're still very connected to the world. Oh,

it's a warning. You know, it's a very big warning.

You know that you're still as annoyed as you are.

A big part of you are still attached to the world. Okay,

so much sore that the world knew about it? So

what do you call it? So Baylim actually consulted, we've

got and then who told him? God told him? Don't go. Okay,

I'm summarizing, don't go. Don't curse the Israelites because the

Israelites are my chosen people. They don't curse them because

chosen people don't do it. So to cut the story

show and then there's also an incident with the donkey

as well. I'm not gonna cut it short. So Baylim agreed, said,

I cannot curse you tell me you give me all

the money or so I cannot curse. Four times, I

think three times four times, yet four times I go,

I can't do it. Okay. But if you read later

on in a few chapters later in number thirty one,

suddenly the Israelites started marrying the more bad women, okay,

and not just marrying, and then they're taking on their gods,

the worship of bails or the forum pagan gods, and

from their god's anger was stirred so badly that twenty

four thousand people died. Twenty four thousand people die, And

eventually when you read there, they found out it was

actually because all of this was set up by Baalem Bayleem.

Instead he couldn't. So what is the summary? So I

love It's like you imagine if I'm Baalim okay, and

there's a and there's a king who told me to

curse you. I can't curse you because if I do,

I will die. Okay, So I bless you, but I

love money. I want to help you, but I can't

do it directly. But instead of doing it directly. I'll

teach you. Instead of cursing you, I will get you,

the people of Israel, to curse yourselves. Okay, write it down.

Instead of cursing you directly, I will get you to

curse yourselves. Oh. Powerful. So today's message would be don't

curse yourselves. So you see, don't curse yourselves. Very powerful.

This is very powerful, lissen. So this is the treachery

of Bailim. He can't do it, but he to defeat you.

I just have to get you into a place where

you disobey, where you did not realize that you are

cursing yourselves. So powerful. So a lot of times the

devil don't have to scare you, do evil bad. It

doesn't work that way. What does the devil do? Get

you to curse yourselves, get you to your own trouble,

to tempt you. Get me like, he doesn't have to

push you. He just that you draw. He just put

somewhere down think and the floor somewhere below a bait.

He get me. He doesn't have to push you walk

because he knows your desire. He knows Baylam's. Both of

them are a cursing on both Bayalem and some of

the Israelized were cursed. Baylorm was cursed because he loved

the money and the people is realized they were cursed

as well because they followed their temptation to follow the

women and their pagan gods as well, both curse. Okay,

and so this is the lesson that we have to learn.

What did they do to curse themselves? Okay? So what

have you heard? This word called syncretism before syncretism? Get

ready out s Y and c R E T I

S M syncretism syncretism. I don't want to teach you

in word syncretism comes from the word synchronizing to sink. Okay. Basically,

if you're you've got iPad iPhone, you sink with your

Wi Fi on this hotel and you download. Okay, you

use their infrastructure. You sink with something else. You try

to merge, You try to amalgamate, you try to combine, okay,

to merge together. Syncretism is the idea of merging your

faith with the world. Okay. Syncretism is merging the Christian

faith with the world. But how does they do that?

Why do they do that? Because I said before, Ma,

it's hard and tiring to be a Christian sometimes, isn't it?

It's hard and hiring a lot of things can all

do After a while, I cannot eat meat. I'm sick

of eating. Uh what do you call it? Salted veggie?

And rise on it? You know I like I mean,

I love porridge. I mean personally I like porridge. But

after all, you just want back. You know, you don't

want to shoe your trust you know that's my lunch ready,

But okay, you want you want me tiring you all

after a while. It's tough enough being Christian. You know,

Oh Sunday must come to church. Oh you mentioned I

could just go and play golf with my boss. I

could have built more good will with him. Ah. Being

a family is hard enough, really hard enough to find time?

Or if if Pasta can speak faster, we can go

a bit earlier and they we mightctually make it. We

might sually have time to go to walk to one.

You have a really nice lunch idio. You know it's tiring,

you know, tiring. I just have to serving homes. That

all I have to go for training, media or tiring.

Because I believe in prayer, I have to go for

Tuesday prayer radio tiring and all. It's tiring. I know

all these things are because I have got flesh orso. People,

I'm not talking about your tongue myself as well. You

think you think this thought doesn't appear in my minor

appere in my mind. People, you've got this flesh my

you think you think I don't have God. All these

things are battling in our thoughts, our minds, every one

of us the same thing. It's just like, oh, I

only have this thought because I'm evil. No, all of

us have the same thoughts, all of us. But it's

how we fight, how we reason, how we come to

the maturity of understanding what is happening here. It's tiring.

And so now when Baleen comes instead of Hey, these

Christians are so devoted, how do I how do I

get them to curse themselves by synchronizing their belief with

the world. Let's examine some of these things that we

do to synchronize our beliefs with the world. So much

so that when Jesus comes and examine us, that he

couldn't even recognize. Yeah, so much so I cannot recognize oor, Hey,

what is actually really really going on here? Okay? Christians compromising, no,

being tired of being so different, being excluded from so

many things, missing out living differently. Now, a lot of

times we want to be so relevant to the world.

We want the world to accept us, isn't it? And

sometimes it comes to our what you're believe in? What

do you really believe in? People say, oh, I'm a Christian?

Okay Christian, Yeah, you're one of us. I believe in

many gods as well, all of them lead to God.

Some Now, if no of this you believe that Jesus

is the way, the truth and the life are people

will say that you're a bigot. Would you dare to say, now,

these people homy of you are willing to dear that

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. How

many of you were there to say that? If you

say with your friends, I mean, I'm not being disrespectful

to them. They said, I believe that Jesus is the way,

the truth in the life, and I saying, oh, oh,

you actually stoop down to want to be their friend,

and then you change it. They say, yeah, it's one

of the ways. Recently, there is a very famous person

who said that someone very very powerful, very powerful I

don't want to say who is it, very very powerful,

renowned religious figure. When it is it, this may all

things are good lead to God. We are all touching

different parts of an elephant. It's the same elephant. It

doesn't make sense, la people. I'm not arguing just about

the Bible. I just say that, I'm just saying that

it doesn't make sense. It sounds good, sounds righteous. Like

I said last week, if if sa it last week

a few weeks ago, when I talked to you about

you know, all these different things are When you just

look at your own understanding, it looks good, it looks powerful,

it looks empowering, it looks loving and inclusive. But when

you look at the Bible, it's totally different. You never

compare with the world with the world now. You never

compare yourself with the world one. You always compare the

word the world with the Bible. Always with the Bible,

nothing else. You Now, that's when you can draw the

real comparison one, not with nothing else. Okay, it's not

I'm better, I'm holy and no nothing to do with that. Okay.

Other person said that. I tell you, if you go

to the airport, that all the planes go to the

same place. You actually look at which gate isn't it?

You actually have to go to immigration, the immigration for

a level, say where are you going? You need to

show your body boarding past as well as in it.

Does it mean that you have two wings? You go

to the same place you fly, You go to the

same place. No, you'll be running from one end to

the other end of K two just to catch the

right flight. You get me, right, you have to catch

to the right flight, you know, I mean I don't

have time, but please. The Christianity and the rest of

the region are totally different. Doesn't mean that you have

good intentions and means that of right. You know, people

with the good intentions are they want to create their

own idols, the own version of God. Okay, got me

and said this is I willn't have the time to

go to it. But really you must understand that they

have a different truth claim about who God is, about

who Jesus is, about what is seen, about what is

death and what is after life home completely different. Just

because they asked you to do good doesn't mean that

you are a saint. Okay, right, it's very important. It

doesn't mean it asks you to do good doesn't mean

you are a saint, you know, seriously, Okay, I mean

I'm not gonna go through. Okay. If you want this LII,

you can go and look at it, but I'm not

going to go. He seriously totally different about who God is,

about who Jesus is, about how you're gonna get saved.

Some people do. Some people don't believe there is seen

at all. It's just karma, okay. Some people believe in

heaven and hell. Some people don't believe in evern reincarnation okay.

Some people in the Bible is the word of God.

God never spoke. Some people say God spoke. You must

understand it's completely different. Okay. Like I said, doesn't mean,

doesn't mean that you do good things means you are

a saint. There is your own desire. You trying to

be non Steve find yourself okay, but I'm not going

to go into that. Okay. If you want, you can

ask the slides from XTV. Okay. So we want to

be accepted into the world, so we amalgamate combined. But

the world will say that you are loving, inclusive and kind,

You're not offensive. But is that what God has called

us to don't be afraid. Seriously, I can't share a

testimony if you guy there. About a few years back,

actually actually last year and this year, I prayed that

God give me an opportunity to witness to somebody. I

don't want to just let me. I preach and I

give all the glory to God. If people have been

safe and minister, praise God. But also I feel like

there was a there's a desire that I want to

personally witness. I have done before, but I said that,

I feel like, wow, I think this is a journey

that God wants me to changed me as well. So

a few years back, I was playing basketball in my

near my Ta Mande. I was playing and then I

got to connect with a young man and then as

we were talking to me talking about what and I

always ask you what do you do? And I said,

I just graduated and I want to go and do audit,

go and doing textation, but I don't show what to do.

Then it's like, you know, but I've applied for different

I didn't get in you know. Yeah. Hearing upon him,

I was like, okay, if I offered to him, why

don't you h I'll tell you what I'm going to

give you my number if you want. Of course, I

used to work in the audit firms. I used to

regroup people. I can help you a bit if you

don't mind. If you want my help, send me your

resume and I will even send you as zoom Lin

and I'll give you some advice. This is not just

random somewhere. Okay, okay, So sure enough, at that night

he really appeared send me. His resume appeared on zumbing.

Of course I look at his resume. I found a

few things that they can be really roofler. Okay. Then

he really annoy here, I mean just to cush away

and gave him advice, and he took up it, decided

to go into auditing. I think about early this year.

I went back. I hardly go back because the time

when I met him was doing near to MC your time.

So I played a bit more, but now a bit

less because of timing. When I recently meant that, he

saw me, you know, say hey man, every time I

come here, I'm waiting for you to come. You know,

I was like just text me like why yeah, yeah,

but I just want to you know why, of because

I wanted to thank you. Because of what you did

for me. I got this job, I promoted so much,

and I am successful, I say. He said, I've never

wanted a better career start than I am right now,

and all because of you, because of what you did,

and you gave me a the meanlime Hey piece, I'm

not a HR guru. I'm not okay, I just I

just gave him some guidance on this. Oh okay, And

I said, oh yeah. I said, hey, I wanted to

treat you to a meal and stuff like that. I said,

you know how to get I'm just doing it because

I thought I could help, and stuff like that. So

and then two weeks ago, I got a text from him.

I got a text from him. I said, Hey, Matt,

first of all, I want thank you so much, and

so I want to meet up with you because I'm

in another stage of career that I want to advise. Okay, sure,

why not? Okay? So I met up with him last

week and uh at night, I met up with him

and then as we're talking, you know, hearing him out,

I said that, Okay, now you've done your career. The

next phase of your life, right, It's not just about

what other options, It's about what do you really want

in life? You get mean, right, it's really about what.

It's not about again the options, but it has to

align with what is important to you. Is it career?

Is it about pursuing your passion? Is it about financial freedom?

Is there a goal? Do you have people depending on you?

I think, like all everybody's goals are different. I said, yeah,

has to be what's important to you? And where do

you see yourself five ten, twenty years of your life?

Oh I never thought about that way, I was like.

Then then he asked me, how about you? I said,

and what what what did you do when you were

in my in my stage? And I say, my life

is a bit different. And then from there I share

about my life story with him and I said, you know,

I actually here because God called me, and I shared

about Christ to him, and I share about everything about

even by you know, God calling me. Some of you

if you went to came, you know about my story?

I said, However, I met my wife and now why

I am coming to full time ministry itself. So by

the end of it, and he was like, oh, I

came for career advice, now I got live advice. Man

what his girlfriend apparently is a Christian. Uh, he said, Actually,

I don't know why. I thought. I always thought that

all God's look lead to the same God. I thought,

like then, I said, if that's if all all religion

leads to the same God, then after that, after after life,

with you, after death and with you go. I so

don't know. Life is all about me and Manama. It's

like I said, Yeah, I think that's a very important

question to ask, isn't it. Then if there is no

life after death, there was the purpose of life. You know. Actually,

I don't know what's the purpose of life? You know? Now,

I said, do you believe you are a coincidence? You

are no product of evolution? But that's why we are

taught now, he said, But I said, then you know

we got cold bottle there. And I said, hey, if

I put if I just take away the court bottles

and the dismantled it, and I put it into evolution

whatever you want to take it in the universe. Okay,

put it into billions and billions of years whatever transmutation

can do it. Will he ever become a cold bottle?

I think, I think I can't know. I can't cannot

why because the code bottle is the product of intention

and creativity. There's nothing in this world, how powerful nature is,

how long liveter, it can never replace creativity and intention.

You get me right there things in life are that

can never replace a person and intentional. I told him,

if you believe this course intentional, why can't you believe

you yourself as a life more intrigger than that, to a

purpose and meaning in life. Then he's like, oh, it's

like this is what more than what I bargain for? Man?

So I but but but you know, you see, life

is full of opportunities to share, you know, to share

you know, not to not to do, to give a

witness and know and not to just settle because you

want to be accepted by the world. What you have,

the things that you believe in is what the world needs,

not what they want, but what it needs. You gotta

mean right, just because your children, Because when you have

a sick children, Now, do you just go by what

your your child wants or by what they need? Huh?

You look at them fever forty degrees. I just want

to play a game. Do you let them play a game?

Or you think they do? Doctor? They don't like you,

make sure that they take the medicine. Also, you can't matter.

There are things that you cannot replace one and all.

When you synchronize and you're water down, you remove exactly

what the world needs. Just because you want to appease,

just because you want to not offen aen, we lose

the potency of the gospel. You know, understand what I'm

saying here. Don't lose that potency of the gospel. Now.

I put a chart here basically a few things that

we want to you know, of all things, some of

the things that because you do the time, of course,

we compromise. Of all things, I want to focus on

as believers, how we've compromised and really synchronized with the world.

It's like comparing a young person who's dating to a

person who's about to be a husband and get married.

You see, Okay, look at this this chart here or

do you have the chart? Okay? I call it the

first part an entertainment and romance driven Christian, and then

the second is what the Bible portrays a discipleship focused

and spiritually grounded Christian. When you are entertainment and romance driven,

which is mostly led by the world, your worship is

about what, oh do they play Bethel song or not? Hey,

how come I never changed Songhana? Don't you know that?

In my quiet time in my car this song minister

to me so much and is so theologically correct. But yeah,

why is our service not playing this song and not

playing my favorite key? And this song is out for

five years? Ready, I can tell you I go Baru.

They sing song forty fifty years old and they cry.

So worship is not about entertaining. It's not flashy. It's

not about like a stage or a stadium. Worship actually

begins where you sit. It's about reverend worship. It's about

not you looking at your phone, sipping your lattes. It's

about reverence starts not with the stadium, but starts with

you on your chair. Do you even raise your hands?

You see? Worship begins with the small things, you know,

not with the big things. Everybody wants to worship when

you have epiphany or emotional high. Worship begins with the small.

The small is like not looking at my phone, looking

focusing on the worship with the worship starts with just

raising your hands. The small things lead, but nowadays we

always look for the big to lead the worship. No

worship starts with the small. Okay, start with the small.

It's not about you. It's centered around God. Center around God.

I can go to twenty plus homes and do worship

just by seeing a capella. Yeah, I'm sure you can

do it. Actually, we should do that once a while.

I tell you what I think. There's one time in

a j worship press service music just saying I tell

you what's so powerful. I'm not saying that there is

no place if we whatever that we have, if an instrument,

you give yourself to the best of your ability. But

there are just these are things. There are just nice

things to have, but they are not necessary. You get

mean right. It is the heart of a reverent worship

that goes about it Bible study, minimum engagement. Why I pray?

I hope Cutch a bit like I don't think his

message relevant to me. By the time I go back,

I can already listen to two sermons on YouTube. Ready,

I played two extra speed. Let's get straight to the point,

gaudyim already. I tell you you can download more, you

can hear more someone and this week alone than the

rest of the past five years. If you really want

to do it, no problem, but has your life change?

You see it? It's not about what you hear, you know,

it's what you're producing. You see a farmer keeps sewing

and sewing, so every day solving when the same grounder?

Who does that? Pause? No man had again? What you

do it? Once you prepare the land. Most of the

time it's preparing the land. And you saw once you

got I mean right, you don't keep solving? Who does that?

Who does that? Really? Nobody does that? Okay, so you

know you're hoping for inspiration, but instead Bible should be

about what, not about people speaking to me. It's about

me letting the Bible speak to me. You're always looking outside,

You're always looking for God speaking to you outside your

devotion time. Why why it's like you got my number

but you only speak to me true Facebook announcement? You

know why makes sense? A mana god? It's a private channel.

D Milla? What's that? Milla? You've got private channel? You

got my number already? But why you need to go? Why?

What doesn't make sense? Okay, it's about a deep study,

a regular scipture. Do you really believe you want so much?

And why aren't you doing your word? Don't you know,

Why aren't you Why aren't you studying that faith experienced

six field goal emotions. Oh, I feel like my faith

grows when I'm really like putting my hand up to wadshing. Oh,

when i feel like I'm coming out to seek for

a prayer, when i feel good, When yes, I've been

coming to church for four weeks in a row. That's

the gauge of my faith growth. Instead, what the Bible

says is that you gauge your faith when you are

able to persevere true trials and sufferings. It's not when

you feel good and all church make you feel good

has nothing to do with your spiritual growth, nothing zero.

It's when you go through the difficult times. You still hanging,

you don't feel like it, you still come. That's when

faith crows it all. Like I said, it's about a

young person dating versus a person getting married. When you

are young, you want to date, watch movies, go to

the nicest cafe, Instagram a bit. That's your romantic life.

When you're married, you think that's romance. Romance is when

you fight, you still come back to the house. You

know what I'm saying. All you fight, you still come

back you disagree or going back. Don't like my wife,

don't like her cooking, but she's but she's still cook

for me, and I still eat it. You got me right,

You got me right by Meggi me, not El Dante,

not Moshi. Really, I still eat it. That's love. It's

not about hoping for her. You know, I'm not looking

for her when she goes out. Oh yes, Instagram moment.

I'm not looking for that. I'm just sayingful Hey, every

time I come back, she's always there, no matter what.

I can rely her cooking. No, I'm not asking her

to cook all the time. Like you know, what I'm

saying doesn't mean I'm angry. I sleep outside the room

right there. You know what I'm saying doesn't mean I'm angry.

I stop coming up from the car. You come down.

I'm not gonna come down. No, there's not you see,

it's ironic how we treat our spiritual life and our

our own daily lives differently, you know, isn't it. But

when you start to realize, hey, it doesn't make sense,

you know, isn't it? Their faith? Actually, a strong marriage,

a storm relationship is when you go to trials when

you're rich when you're poor when you have nothing. And

how much she loved me is not how many movies

we went. How much she loved me is how much

she sacrificed for me. Wow, it's true or not how

much she sacrifices. How I know I got kids she

loved me so much? Or he loves me so much.

She let me sleep through eight hours and she gets

one hour. That's love. True. Husbands do the same as well.

Feeding all this wold love is well. Wow, people think

our meriticians in shambuno. I love my wife in a

different way. I give her all the comforts and all

the things she needs. I tell her, even though you

may go through post where they got the pregnancy, I

don't know, no depression and stuff like that. I still

love you no matter what. Even if you feel don't

feel like that way. I still believe in you and

I will continue. I will never give up on you.

That's what love is. Prayer life, you pray for personal desires.

Oh I got great need. Yes I'm not saying that

you don't have great needs. Yes you have needs. But

coming to a prayer service, remembering the message in prayer,

it's not about you It's about praying for others, It's

about seeking God's will. That's what true maturity isn't it

Because most of the time people don't come from prayer

services or why nothing for you? I can pray for

other people in my own car and my own room.

But do you you say you do? Do you you

won't keep trying? How many of you she said, yes,

I'm praying for you? How maney actually pray? How many

of you actually prayer? Seriously honestly tell me the truth.

You get on your knees and you say God, I

really Unless the person is like, oh, last stage already great,

they go, oh, yes, we need come Thatt's honey, let's pray.

How many of you actually pray? Community engagement. We've got

tea for two, we got Alpha, we got anything that

church organizes. Oh is there any what do you call it? Engagement?

You go for social enjoyment, just like how you will

do for everything else. But do you actualiza How many

of you love to go to birthday PARTIESA how many

kids birthday party can you go for? I tell you

my kids are like eleven. I tell you I've been

to I don't know hundreds many many kids party? I

tell you, do I love kids party? Do I love

kids food? Chicken nuggets and playing pasta? You think I

like it because of the food? Is it you think

I like to be swarm by kids? No? After a while,

after you attend enough birthday parties, you were like, yeah, yeah,

cannock once a few. Okay, you think I call them

for myself. I go for for children to serve them,

for the people that we are visiting. It's not about us,

I'm saying you're not. It's never about ours. You think

going to church is about you? Are? Hey, how many

welcome parties? Can you go for a church meeting? It's

the same thing? But are you going there now for yourself?

You're going to serve others. It's never about you want people.

So if you want to argue to convince you to come,

forget it. We will never win. We will never win

if your husband or your wife doesn't want to go

to above there, but you can never win. You can

never win them. But you tell that it's not about us,

it's about children, Okay, true or not? All the parents like,

but it's true, isn't it the irony? True or not?

I know? Sometimes the husband I die. They don't want

to go for bothday parties. I'm gonna go there because

you're going there expending energy. Ah you, So the husband

will go one side, and I'm just like, Okay, me

and my me and my phone, quiet time, your quiet

time with the world down loading, or your ep L,

your basketball, whatever it is. Okay, I know because I'm

a man. Okay, are you guys to go? Okay? So

should I go on some more? I'm not hitting on

any bodyla, I tell you all these things are. I've

been through with it. I've been through it. I'm still

going through it. I'm still crucifying my own flesh. But

it's true. Okay. View of love romantic focus on romantic,

feel good love. Oh, it's about what God can do

for me. But at the end of the day, it's

about sacrificial love. It's a child and it's a grown

up manner. Different as all in the very beginning when

your teenage and your campus are Daddy, I need money, Mommy,

can you help me? You know, when you grow older

and thirty and forty years old, need to be that older.

Some of you younger two years so it's still like, hey,

what can mom and dad do for me. It's about Hey,

I need to spend more time with him. What the

children are the ones serving and attending to their parents?

You know it's a completely around one and all you

need to remember that that's not them remembering for you.

You need to remember the memories, not them reminding you

true or not. How many of you want to go

to reunions your parents are to keep reminding you a

we used to do. No children's had to be the blessing. Hey,

mom and dare you remember that?

Oh?

There was fun time. That's the beauty of unions in

it the children reminding the parents, not the other way.

But we, as a Christian said, God, give me that

first love again, give me that memory again. It should

be about God. I remember those times when you did

that for me. Hey, kids, you know when we were younger,

when we partner, God did so much. You tell your

children and yourself the legacy of God what God has done.

That is a life filled with praise and thanksgiving. That's

how a healthy family works, isn't it? Do you agree

on not? Children must when you go out, you should

be reminding your parents, not your parents reminding you. Great

heartbreaking when your parents have to be the one to

remind you. That's how we redeem the senior people. You know,

we remember, thank you Dad. Today if there's simple anything

and go back takes the a Dad. Remember we used

to go go to this place for maccan Hey. Remember

it took me there. I had a fun. I tell

you that is so precious, so beautiful. Hey, remember this picture.

You said to me. Our job is to remind our parents.

You do that for your physical parents, do that for

your heaveny parents. Every day you wake up, what did

God did for you? Thank you God for this child.

Thank you. I'm not gonna stop that. I'm gonna keep reminding.

I'm gonna every day, every day, I'm gonna think about you,

and I'm gonna think about you, what you've done. And

because my life has more meaning when I think about you,

not myself. You all. You know what I'm saying. Oh No,

that's how family is supposed to work, commitment to both

always seeking experiences, but instead of experiences, you pursue spiritual maturity.

Isn't it. When you're young and you're in love, you're dating,

always new movies and stuff. But when you're growing, you

realize that what Have I learned? What? Really? Have I learned?

Have I grown? Instead of like, Hey, what is church doing?

What events are we doing? Ask yourself five years ago

until now? Have you changed as a believer? Really? Have

you changed as a believer? Or are you still the same?

You still take the same amount of time to recover

from some experience. Or have you grown a bit stronger?

Have you believed a bit more? Have you changed the

narrative in your way of thinking see things? Your challenges

will not change it now, but we have to change now.

We have to be stronger and more mature. And now

it's the same offense still stumbling you, whether it's one

home there, different person still stumbling you, or now the

person doesn't affect you as much anymore. You know what

I mean? Right? Some of you because on one believe

that you disagree with the church? Are you cannot grow

en all? Really? I tell you what in my own parenting,

I see there are things there my children don't agree

with one and all. You know that there are things

they don't agree on. They don't might not agree to

certain things. The way I RaSE, the way I raise

my children, the way I teach certain things, the way

I do I coach whatever it is. Sometimes I give up. Ah,

I can't teach my children, I said, better get someone

else to teach her. You give me right and say, ah,

maybe no, but they might not agree with everything. But

does that mean you give up? Does it mean you

stop growing? Seriously? Five years before have you changed? Have

you desired even more of the Word of God? Have

you been hungrier? Have you been stronger? Church involvement is close?

Ready looking about whether involvement, whether the church is fun,

looking whether it says something for me? Looking? Oh? Is

it more about like, you know? What I can do?

Is that you know if I have something you know,

and I only do in something that I'm comfortable with,

something that I'm ready. Yes, we want you to be ready. Yes,

we want you to you know, to do, to be confident.

But a lot of times to be ready. The path

to readiness, okay, comes through discipleship. See Ah, the disciples

of Jesus are where they're ready. No, but the path

to readiness is through discipleship. You understand what I'm saying now.

The path to readiness is through discipleship's giving. You're never

really see all the people waiting to be ready, to

be discipled completely wrong. You get disciples to be ready.

You say what I'm saying now, you think that the

disciples are at that time when they found them from

the from the fishing, are ready to do with the ministry. No,

but discipleship gets them ready. Okay. Can you tell your

neighbor and say, discipleship gets you ready? Yeah, you're right.

There's gonna be a very very important thing for us

as a church moving forward. The whole world is looking

about downloading information. But the one thing that the one

man ingredient, one man recipe that the world is going

away is discipleship. They would tell you there were every

reason not to trust men, but every reason to trust

the world. You'll be like that are You will come

a point where discipleship looks like the most corrupt, corrupting thing.

It will be like that way. It would be the

most taxing, burdensome thing in the world. But Jesus came

to make disciples. No one else, nothing else, make disciples.

It's not easy, deplesh it easy. No, it's every disciple

of great No. But make no mistake that God is

so powerful, is so sovereign, he can work through any

disciple to disciple, you make a mistake about it. You

don't have to look for the perfect discipler one. No,

not seriously, don't have to look for perfect. If there

is the case, then the Bible will be there to

look for great disciple. Wow, whole parlready, But it's not

there again. Discipleship is the key and the last one

that may draw close the view of suffering. Is your

suffering about avoiding discomfort or when you have suffering challenges

in your life. It's not about asking why. You see

when you're avoiding this comfort, you only ask one main question, why? Why? Why.

It's like if you're going to be then for the

first time, you're never driven before, how many hours? Three hours?

For four hours? The first time you drive to beIN there,

you'll be like, why sow gem On, why the EPO

road sore gems? White people drive like crazy? You wanna

why raining one? No, Now you'll be complaining all the

world and your children in the back of your cart,

how long they need? How long more? How long more?

How long more? I need Wi Fi right now, I

need milk right now, I need food right now, I

need to come out right now. Why there's a view

of life challenges. Ah, but after you, I don't know that.

Maybe passtive When you're driven to be there so many

times radio, do you think about that anymore? You'd be

like after you drive fifty times one hundred times, now

you'd be like, Okay, how do I get by this?

How is the why? How liegally? God? This time? This

and that? Still the same road? Are people? Nothing is change?

Still go past epo ha. People are still got rain

and sometimes acid then now still the same road. But

your approach is completely different, completely different. It's still app on.

Why is that I need to go PNA right now

to visit my family? I need to go there. I

need to get there, same rock. Your view of suffering

is totally changed. It's all not about avoiding, it's about

embracing it and overcoming in people. You came here totally

different your life. I will not be so miserable. You

can go to pine and be very miserable. One you know,

you can be very miserable, but yet you can be

called there. It's not nothing to you people.

Okay, we hope you've been blessed by this message. For

more information on our church, please visit as church dot org.

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that this week is going to be a good week.

I hit for you, God bless