Change (Brace for it!) - Embracing Transitions | Dr Daniel Kong

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

will light up your day. Before I begin, how many of you guys

like change, money changer getting you travel? You need to change money years

Aside from that or other ways can use the word changes, transitioned? How

many likes transition? Wow, my wife is a unique life. I can

tell you later. Yeah, but you know, just not even when we

were standing up we sat down, there also a transition by the way we

change from this position to that position. But you know I'm trying to illustrate

here is that change happens more regularly than sometimes we take for granted that it

does happen right. But of course I'm going to be talking about change and

why it needs to happen in natural sense, and also how we can tackle

it when life transitions and differences in life come your way. Now, before

I begin, I was very inspired by doctor Jill last week when I was

telling waiting. She has a lot of stories to tell, So I'm going

to try storytelling. If you guys know me, I'm not very good at

storytelling, kid. I'm usually more of a teaching kind. But here you

go. You know, you know my wife likes to travel, right,

all right, Uh, yes she does. But you know, for me,

I'm a a little bit different kind of a traveler. When I go

to a place or destination, I just go to the destination and then just

do my thing and then get out. So when I travel on business,

just to clarify, I don't usually move around too much or don't plan too

much outside those meetings or those you know, extra curricular kind of stuff.

It's just basically, I have a mission, I go there, I get

it done, and I come back most of the time, even if it's

a new place. So for my for example, my first work trip to

the UK, I literally just went there for meetings. Maybe took some time

out, but very little, very minimal, and I came back. That's

how I travel. Second trip to the UK, I brought my wife.

It was a little bit different because she traveled with me. I went for

my meetings and then she went and hired a kid and then went around.

So she's that kind. She will maximize her time, really planned a hit

and that's why sometimes when I travel with her as a family, I get

a bit more stressed out because I'm not that kind. So very very let's

just say she's more adventurous. I'm a little bit less adventurous by the same

time. It's okay, I can deal with it. But that's how I

travel. Even my recent trip, some of you may know, I've we've

been away as a family to Australia for a while. First Lake was a

holiday, Second Lake was work trip for me. My work trip. I

didn't go anywhere, by the way. Three weeks I was. I stayed

in Melbourne, went for my meetings and I came back home. She asked

me to take a car out and drive to soor rental or you know those

hype of places. I'm like, sokla, I've been. I lived in

mavemb with thirteen years, so I've been to all those places. I don't

need to travel. I just go and do my thing. And that's just

me, my style, okay. And I wanted to share this because last

last year, when did you go to the USA? November of last year's

Yeah, last year, okay, we went. We took a trip to

the US, just went there for a course. I went there to tag

along. We wrought the kids along. So there was a segment where she

went for a course and then I had to be on my own again.

So the natural me were like, he just stay stay put in you know

where. We were in San Francisco for a while, and then later we

went to the La. But I thought, Kela, take up challenge.

Accepted. She encouraged me to go out all the way, yes, twenty

hours flight. I thought, Okayla, I just see the city in cal

team La. You know, I'm not that much of adventures in that sense.

But like I said, we are very different. So so there's a

few days when I and the kids were on our own without just because she

was. She went to Stanford. Was at Stanford or at Stanford to take

a course short course. There's a little bit of a if you don't know

your geography, is a little bit of a drive. No no, no,

no, no no difference anyway, a little bit of a drive,

a little bit of a drive from from the city of San Francisco. So

I did some days in San Francisco. Now I thought, Okayler, she

actually go out a bit further. So I went to Alcatraz. Okay,

now you get show your coutress. Uh. That was the furthest I've gone

anyway, kidding, kidding, kidding and little I drove drove very much further.

But yeah, so Alcatraz. This was interesting because you know it's a

prison, right yeah, Okay, so you can show that. You can

show the photographs right now, the first one. Yeah, so it's a

prison. Now it's a tourist attraction, so I didn't go to jail,

by the way, it's tourist actress these days a national park as well.

Uh, I've got time, right, Yeah. So the funest thing I

read, right is that when you go to Alcatraz you cannot smoke wheat.

That's the thing that struck me the most. I mean of all things I

remember, right, because it's very funny. Wheat is legal in San Francisco,

but national parks they are not legal. So it's so stiat. You

can take a boat across, then you cannot take a beat anymore. Not

that, not that I take meat, by the way, by the way,

but but but that was the thing that I remember. And also they

spoke a lot about on the on the boat across to to to Alcatraz,

So yeah, touriststruction. And actually enjoyed this one for the very first time.

Maybe it's because of the movies that used to watch Showshine, Redemption,

those kind of movies, maybe The Rock, The Rock. The scene was

if you haven't watched The Rock, go and watch it. One of the

better movies out there about Lcatraz. And so so that really interesting me because

maybe I'm really into all this historical stuff a bit more. And of course

we went on a tour. They had hit sets that they gave me.

I think you can see the kids having hit sets. So we moved from

place to place different at our own pace. So you just press follow a

route and then we e went. But the one thing that I remember there

was different. Of course I enjoyed this trip alone without jazz with the kids.

But one of the photos, I think the last photo you will see

next one. So this is at the edge or one of the edges,

and you can see San Francisco. It's not too far away. It's actually

summerable. You know, for those of you to do marathons and a marathons,

triathlons and all that, this is actually something that's quite doable. It

is about one to one and a half miles, which is about you know,

two kilometers up to two kilometers away. You can see it suchally quite

close by. But of course you must understand now the time when I was

listening to the hits that right, I remember, the thing that I heard

is like they're seeing prisoners were looking at San Francisco, looking at freedom,

looking at what life could be, and they are being tortured because they see

it every day, so near yet so far. Kind of a thing.

And they got me thinking, They got me thinking, and I was just

wondering to myself at that point. I paused the recording or the thing,

and I said, how agonizing can that be? You see it? And

of course there were also some attempts recorded about people trying to swim across they

didn't quite make it. Only I think one was recorded that they actually made

it a lie, but it got caught, eventually sent back to Alcatraz.

But yeah, but it makes me think, you know, to see this

is sometimes we see things like this, and let's just use this example or

an energy, like God reveals something to you, right, you catch a

glimpse of it. That's how your future could be. Like you see the

potential, But yet sometimes we limit because of our choices. Maybe we can't

exactly reach the potentials. I'm talking about life choices here in terms of the

prisoners, and therefore they can almost tasted, can even swim across if they

if they're allowed to, we are getting shot. But at the same time,

they couldn't. They couldn't, right, And it's a bit like this.

Sometimes we are in different stages in life. We're also in transition.

This is a transition, by the way, I'm talking about like a like

a there's some travel required to get there, a transition. And often in

life we look at different milestones, but we sometimes we forget about the transitions

in life that we need to get go through to get to those milestones.

Okay, and this is exactly like that. Ever heard of God's plan?

Sometimes God reveals his plan, we get scared a little bit, maybe,

but how often do we actually pursue it or go through the different things that

you have to go through? Do they get there? Some people may also

be oblivious, they avoid the plan altogether. And of course this is in

line with the theme of this year. In case you're wondering, we're talking

about having rules this year, we're talking about the finish line, and what

is the finish line or what your finish line. I'm not talking about them

a bit sider talking about where God is leading you, right, but that's

that's fact. We need to embrace and overcome some transitions, some things that

you need to do to get there, or you can ignore it. And

then when you say ignore it, then I would say to the nextent,

the maximum or rather how God intended it, his will or Heaven's will will

not be fulfilled to the next tent. So it's it's a bit like that

photograph over there. You see it, you can do it, by the

same time you don't do it because of the different things, and then therefore

yella didn't happen. Okay, I'm going to be talking about this context a

little bit embracing change, embracing transitions, but in a very different passage.

So I was praying to God and saying, hey God, in ha ha,

how do I do this? Take a break from the heavy stuff,

and also like you know, how do I about transitions? And funny enough,

with some prayer, prayer, and then God led me to some passages

and it's the passage on baptism. Okay, Jesus Baptism. By the way,

I also picked up I picked up a book in Amazon. I've got

Kinder Unlimited for those of who you know what kindle is. UH is a

subscription service. I forgot to cancel it. So every year, every year,

every month I get a book for free and I use one of my

quota for this. And the book that I took was Jesus Jesus Transition Years

A right to this message, So you got to read three it retreat,

but they led me to the passage of some scripture as well. And it

talks a little bit about baptism and hopefully by the analyst message, you understand

what it doesn't mean by baptism and how does it relate to transitions or changes

or different season in life. Okay, now free short plug. If you

don't know what baptism is, I'm just going to put this up. We

have a baptism coming out at the end of the month, all right.

UH told him that it used to be studying Melbourne. Uh, and then

we I mean, that's not not promoting him, but promoting baptism as a

whole. Okay, Now I want to ask you something, right, have

you some of you may be baptized I think most of us may be baptized

here, or some of you may have attended a water baptism service. Right,

everybody knows baptism is right. Of course, we'll go a bit deeper

about you know, what is it all about? After service you've got no

more, can come and talk to me as well. But just to set

this up, you know, baptism is also all about transitions. As I

mentioned earlier. Why if you've seen, if you've been the baptism service,

you remember that it's also very noisy, just like a wedding, right,

even the couple of weddings recently, it's always very noisy, and baptists the

same as well. Why because there is that particular phase where, uh,

it's a big deal. It's a not energy there. Right, people come

to get baptized. People use that as a public declaration and announcement to the

others or what they're going through. It's almost like a public statement. And

that's what also similarly like what weddings are all about. Right, it's a

public statement or rather a public declaration of their faith. Amen. And as

the Lord led me to this, of course I'm going to read from scripture

a little bit because it's a service, so we need to go through scriptures

having rules, right, and we talked about eyes on the finish line.

Just in case you do not know what is eyes on the finish line and

what God's last commandment is, I'll read again Matthew twenty eight nineteen. He

says, therefore, go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Okay,

baptizing them. So you know this part of the I guess the different

stages, right. Baptizing them is definitely something that we need to do and

to go further. If you look at the Book of Mark chapter one.

I have the scripture up as well, okay, verses nine all the way

to thirteen. And we have a church that believe in this book. Write

the Bible right, the Word of God. It ships and form our life.

And then this thing starts about the baptism of Jesus. Right at that

time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee. I'm warring for the NIV version

was baptized by John in the Jordan. This is John the Baptist. Okay.

Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven

being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. I think

most of us know this story. And then there was a voice they came

out from heaven. You are my son, whom I love. I can't

use to the God voice. So who they read it as is with you,

I am well please okay. So that is the scripture, and it

sort of reminds me about how almost like a proud father up there seeing what's

happening down here, and then he even came. And you know the Bible,

there's not many times that God speaks in a voice just like here.

So it's one of those rare cases that God actually spoke up direct directly.

Right. How many of you graduated recently, recently, the last the last

ten years. Oh, okay, you know what graduations are all about,

right right. I have the privilege to attend a bit more graduations if I

don't know, like graduations, Ah, I didn't. I didn't attend.

My girl she did. She didn't attend a graduation, by the way,

I didn't. I didn't quite want to attend my graduation, but I was

sort of forced to attend my graduation because you know, graduation is not about

yourself. It's really about parents, right, right, Yeah, yeah,

but but you know, at graduations in is usually a little bit noisy as

well. There's some rules. Sometimes they will say, oh, because there's

a lot of graduates, that's coming true. They will say, okay,

hold your applause to the end. But how may you know that that rule

doesn't quite apply. Every time somebody comes up, you know, they will

usually the family, the friends will just cheer, give the loudest, you

know, in support of you know that that milestone, even for ourselves last

time, remember when when we went myself, me and my kids, have

me and my wife. Our kids are not there, by the way,

there's still just one is twelve, one is ten. But I remember the

graduation equivalent when they were growing up in kindergarten. Yeah, went the school

hall, some Chinese school hall. At the back here we were shouting the

loudest as though they graduated like like proper, the scroll and everything. Yeah

they're so cute, right, But but that's what it's all about. But

actually you think about it, right, this is a verbal expression of our

approval and to you're very honest, right, it was more celebrating our successes

as parents because if you know kids, right, especially my son Zach,

he cannot can never get up, so every morning is a battle till this

day, till twelve is still a battle to wake him up. So that

moustone is actually more for us because it shows us for the X number of

years. Still he graduated from kinder We managed to get him to school,

so it's like we did well. I mean, of course there are days

that we just threw in the roty china in the microwave nut a little bit,

those those freezer free china and sometimes pau and everything is just done on

the fly and then really rushed. So it's really sometimes a pat on the

back or reminder, well done parents. Yeah, but it's a little bit

like that, Yeah, survived it. But of course the graduation, the

actual degree graduation, it's also like this, right they celebrate their happy people

lose their minds at graduations. The parents, the parents, they're so happy,

right, because why my parents are My dad is an accountant. So

the numbers make sense, you know, after all this investment, finally graduate,

So I had to go for two graduations. By the way, I

had two degrees at least, so I actually went to two graduations. But

so I didn't want to go, but I have to go for my parents'

sake, okay, but these days I may kademic so actually at ten more

graduations also a bit differently, I say on stage to see graduation, so

I observe, I see a lot of graduations, is what I'm trying to

say. And I can see a lot of this behaviors that is very unconventional

because people are really just excited and aesthetic and happy, and you can understand.

But one thing that we sometimes do not focus on, right is actually

the kids or the graduates. Although yes they're excited, they're happy for that

moment. Sometimes you see the faces, right, they'll be like, I'm

gonna do after this? Right after all the high even weddings, right,

sometimes there is that reality not scaring you. Mention this, get merried next

Saturday. But but you know, there is that what's gonna happen after this?

And sometimes we forget to see beyond that. And that's what we talk

about transitions. And we see a lot of transitions in life, right,

a lot of transition life, you know, and if you look at transitions

or even different stages that you go through, they will tell you this not

cournal to Rob Banks, by the way, but if you were to do

check, let's say, look at a bank or a goldsmith or whatever.

They will tell you the times when transition happens is the easiest time where vulnerability

happens. I mean to say, if they move money, or they move

they change of gods, they move go bars, whatever, the transition is

always the part that's most vulnerable because that's where people get a little bit off.

Guy. Okay, so the enemy as recognized as that, and that's

why sometimes, right, there's this expression that you know, not lost in

translation, but lost in transition. I mean to say, they actually try

to attack you when your God is down. All right, But at the

same time, if you recognize all these things, it's also the most significant

time where God can speak to you. Address that fear, address that uncertainty,

and then you get to the transition. Okay, So that is the

thing I talk about. Of course, I'm not belittling in transitions. Transitions

can be in all shapes and form. You know, when you go to

a new place. When you're migrating to a new place, there is an

uncertainty, right, new cultures, to deal with, new food, new

weather, et cetera. Were just talking about weather being called now, Yeah,

switching schools, you know kids, you know when they move to new

schools, switching job, new people, to deal with different stages in life.

I mentioned a little bit about that, you know, marriage, having

kids, teens going to campus, right or undergraduates or campus students graduating,

working towards young working adults. There is the uncertainty, There is that instability

to an extent, but we all understand that this has to happen. It's

part and part of life. Even if you start a new routine, I

want to go on a diet, I want to go on a new fitness

program. There is always that transition, and that's always the hardest and the

most vulnerable, right, changing cars or man or driving outside the road,

you know, like where the buttons are, new phone, new ecosystem.

We're just talking about Apple and Android. So there's a lot of getting used

to, right. So nobody likes transitions in short in general, because why

people don't like change in short? But even though you're not fully certain or

unsure, know that sometimes it's part of God's intention. All right, you're

supposed to be there, but just don't get lost in the process. Okay,

So that's why I titled the message embracing changes, because if you embrace

it, well, it will be very fruitful. Just like how if the

prisoners, you know, did the right thing, then perhaps they can actually

you know, experience freedom in that sense. All right, So back to

Jesus baptism, okay, and how it is going to tie up if you

look at Jesus right, the reason why Jesus is baptized. So so Jesus,

of course, you know, his Lord, his savior, he came

to earth right and and he just did just that because we know that it

is part of his thing to his his his thing to decide to make sure

that disciples is encouraged. And then there's also the baptism portion of it,

right that we just read about earlier. But if you look at baptism,

it's also a transition. Now why do I say it's a transition. I

read that book writ tell you there's a transition that because if you think about

it, it's him transitioning from a quieter lifestyle to a more visible kind of

lifestyle. Okay, if you look at Jesus right, he is at the

age is about thirty years old. Nothing really too huh about it. A

very normal life. In fact, can you imagine how challenging or how uh

you know, interesting life would be in his shoes. He knows God right,

he is going to go to a transition, which he understands. But

how does he keep things in and it's not sure about it to a stain

extent or they didn't make it who ha about it? They make it too

public about it? Right, But he embraced it. Well. He came

from this period of being unknown to a being known because baptism, as we

say, it's a declaration, right, so we see that happened. And

then definitely people all across can see because God also spoke in the process,

right, so everybody knew him after the baptism. So that's a transition.

So he moved from a low key arrangement loki meaning to say, low profile,

and he went on to a more public kind of space, very under

the radar too. Yeah, something very different. And if you understand in

today's context, right, we are a very social media based right, most

people will texts or write on social media what they had yesterday, right,

or had this finest stakes in this place da da da da yesterday. Actually

I was preparentice mass in Starbucks in some way periodice now to next to this

person. This person next to me had ordered a Starbucks Reserve coffee. In

case you don't understand, start out, Reserve is the one notch highed and

the regular Star itself was already quite a tassa in a sensor, but it's

I see one much higher. And then got kicked some more. And then

the person spent quite a fabrar time to position you know, the Instagram,

Facebook, TikTok, I don't know whatever, but took some time at least

ten minutes before digging into the food. I was just sitting there and doing

my thing, you know. But think about it, right, it's it's

so natural for us to talk about things. He's gone, you know,

if you got a promotion, or you got your you're like a share,

you know, all that kind of thing. So he kept it low key

for for thirty years, and that'sially quite amazing on his own right. He

was very discreet about it, right, think about it. You are in

a world that you created. How can you not engage like how he would

engage or how we would engage. And so it's a very strange growing up

saying he's walking amongst people listening to people that he created, because he's got

a think about his household. It's a very interesting thing, you know,

if in the household right, if Zach was God right, he always thinks

he is la, but he's not. If Zach was God right, then

the brother wakes up and says, oh, you know it's not feeling well.

Right, then he will say, okay, report back to mother married

or the mother jess that are you know? I think he's lying because while

he's got my he knowsma. It would have very difficult challenging sibling kind of

a problem, right, or even if he's really sick, the brother and

Jesus brother so can be sick, right then imagine this be healed in my

name. No, but I'm just trying to say it's very interesting because he's

God Captain Lowke. He didn't proform ni miracles, by the way, until

after the baptism portion. So I'm trying to illustrate here that it is really

a transition to a new face. Okay, he's cooler, He's really cool.

But he also gets you thinking because most of us has this strange feeling

and awkwardness that we sometimes need to get acknowledgement, either in our you know,

where we are add in life or our achievements. Our kids always you

know, on the brag about the things that they achieve and in school or

sports whatever, and it's very normal. We're human. But Jesus are the

tears are didn't say anything, you know, didn't do anything, And it

makes me wonder, Right, why didn't he do anything? Why did he

announce? Why didn't he rag? Why did he do the things that we

will normally do? Right, The short answer will be probably he's very He

knows himself. He's very secure to an extent. He doesn't really care about

what the voices of the people around them, or he doesn't need the validation,

like how sometimes we humans need the validation either from our parents or from

our peers, from our bosses, from our organizations, from school, et

cetera. Right, so that's an interesting obseration, right, he is don't

really care too much. Lah, It fixed a sense in the first thy

years of his life, Okay, never felt the pressure to prove himself,

never felt that he has to because he's okay, just being in the background

for the first thirty years of his life. Okay, not thirsty, for

validation. Right, no need approval because why he got got the fatherest approval

already he knows it. But if you understand, right, why doesn't he

need approval? Ever ever seen somebody who is in pain? Right? Oh,

if you're healthy, do you ever scream in pain? Miss? My

question? No? Right, you wouldn't say that, Ah, my knee

is very healthy, I can ah. Right, you wouldn't say that.

It's not natural. But if you're in pain, if something wrong, you

can ask you. Just like I'm a very baby, and if I am

going through something somewhere in my back or whatever, she would know about it

because I will make it known. Okay, true, I'm very honest here,

I'm a man child. So she's saying, but one point say is

that if you're healthy, if you're confident, if you're secure, naturally you

don't have to, you know, say I'm in pain. Okay. So

Jesus is very healthy in a sense. On the contrary, those that are

insecure is when they tend to verbalize it a bit more. Lah okay.

So, and we talked about the whole Kingdom mindset, Heaven rules. The

Book of Daniel. We read about Daniel being heaven't focused. Heaven minded that

even whatever happens through his life and the different kings and all that, he's

still focused on what God feels because that's his validation that he needs, not

the people around him. And you know, it's it's Jesus a bit like

that as well. He is like that, Actually, look at Jesus.

I'm okay, I'm fine, But it was his moment to transition. And

I mean we laugh about it. But you know, people humans, you

know, whenever they are in a place nobody knows them, they try to

make themselves known. They drop their business cards, drop names in business dinners,

et cetera. Oh I know this person, just now, who is

it? You know? Yesterday? I can't remember that. There's the story

dropping the boss's name and all that kind of thing. But it's it's a

very natural human thing to do because why there is that it stems from insecurity

or to the next ten not knowing their true identity. Okay, So I'm

just trying to paint the picture here of this transition and Jesus is going to

their transition. It's a little bit awkward because he's going from a discreet background

person to a more public person now coming to join the Baptist There's also another

strange situation. You know, joined the Baptist story, right right, he

was what was it called to be a prophet? Actually no, you know,

he was just happily in the wilderness. The Bible says, eating honey,

probably eating bucks as well. You know, he's is happy to do

what he is. In fact, he comes from a lineage of like his

father was a priest. Okay, I think that was his where he was

heading towards law. Naturally, that's where he's hitting towards law. But his

calling was to become a prophet. So he became like a to the extent,

an overnight kind of prophet. So it's a bit awkward as well.

And then not only that he has to come and go and baptize Jesus,

you know. Or by the way, the Bible tells you that he also

dressed in camel camel camel hair, so yeah, a bit of a wilderness

kind of guila. Yeah. Anyway, then let's just read a scripture first

from from the Book of Joanna one nine. He says, yeah, the

lamb of God. The next day John saw Jesus coming to him be whole,

the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Okay,

so likely focus on the takes away the sin of the world because we're

gonna talk a little bit about his experience baptizing Jesus. Well, it's,

by the way, right before this whole thing, right, the whole concept

of sacrifice as a whole is quite counterculture if you do not bring an offering

an animal sacrifice. So he declared, right, Jesus was the animal sacrifice.

It really baptism, you know, declaring after love. That is,

so he's telling people that, hey, if you need your sins forgiven,

you don't need sacrifice anymore. Woh, counterculture the time and super counterculture,

right, because it says be whole, the lamb of God takes away the

sins of the world, and here comes Jesus to the next tent, the

ultimate sacrifice. Right, That's why he's saying the one that he's you know,

that we're looking for. But back to John the baptist, imagine if

God came to him, then God did come to him and asked him to

be baptized. Firstly, the questions in his mind will be like, you

need to be baptized man, your God. Right, he's like Pastor Kenneth

coming to I don't know Joel and not coming like, hey, can't baptize

me if he's Joel the Baptist. You know. Wait, very strange,

right, almost like a higher ranking kind of person. In this case,

of course, he's got the highest ranking came to join the Baptist, the

prophet to to baptize him. Interesting, right, so it's very awkward.

Two of them were very like what to do a kind of thing, what

to do? What to do? And if you know that, uh,

this this John the Baptist, right, he what does he do? He's

always been speaking on this whole thing about up repentance, repent for the Kingdom

of Heaven is at hand. That's his message. Imagine coming to church every

single Sunday is the same message that's joined the Baptist. For you, He's

been saying it over and over again. Uh, over and over again.

Same message is the Sunday, same message repent Christmas, same message Cultural Sunday

or you know the family Sunday, same message repent. And sometimes you wonder,

right, why does he say repent? Maybe because people haven't repented yet.

That's one, and maybe if people repent then the message may change.

Okay, but what is repent? Repentance is probably the question here? Is

it a negative word? Anybody those very power England was repent? Ah boss

say sorry? Okay, that's the usually the Oxford definition, I say sorry,

But repenting, right is more than that. It doesn't mean just saying

sorry. Of course, sorry is one thing. Otherwise, you know,

you always say repent or otherwise you go to you know, hell, the

kind of thing. But no, repent is not just a negative word.

It's actually a beautiful word because actually, if you look at repent repent,

the word repent, right, it's actually a change of mindset, a shift,

a transition. It means to change your mind or to turn. I've

got that picture up, so this one is actually a very secular picture.

I took a diagram, googled it, it came up. Okay. The

left side right signifies fixed mindset. That's why it's there's a lock there.

Okay. The second one, the right there, talks about a growth they

called growth mindset. That means people psychologists and not they are actually teaching these

as well. Okay. To unlock your maximum potential, you need to open

up a little bit, open your mindset, okay, and therefore that encourages

growth. Okay, so repenting right, So one place is that even the

world recognizes this power or this key to unlock or maximize potential by just changing

the mindset. So today, right, when we call some way to repent,

it really is just about changing that mindset and believing that when God is

calling for some way to repent, it just simply means change your mind.

To have a change mind, to have an open mindset, all right,

so then you can grow. Now you think about it, right, If

you do not have a change mindset, right, there will be no progression,

there will be no growth, there will be no advancement. Okay,

how can you advance? And it always firstly takes happens here first, right,

thinking about it allowing the advance right, and that simply means right.

That's why sometimes the human sense that we say to repent is to ask forgiveness

first. It's also sometimes we may not know it all or we may not

get it right all the time. And sometimes humans, maybe because we're arrogant,

we sometimes don't want to admit that we did it wrong. How many

of you, right, in now, right, you think, okay,

this is the right thing to do, the right call, recimply simple,

it's the right call. But five years down the road you may look back

and say it is a wrong call. Right. It's the captain hindsight kind

of a thing. Right, It's easy to see later, but now in

the now is always I think this is the right call. Right, But

sometimes we cannot admit that we may not be one hundred percent correct all the

time. And this repentance right allows us to be more accepting to even say

God, I may not really know everything, allowing God to move and admittler

not say admit wrong on me, by admit that you need God in the

picture. Okay. So that's what I'm trying to say, not just a

negative, not just anything wrong, which is the sometimes repentant it's the first

thing you think about, the sinning part or the being wrong. No,

no, no, it is allowing or saying that God, I may not

know it all, I may not know it all. I'm open to change

my mindset. Okay. And this is what it's all about, right,

just allowing Heaven's way to come in. Okay. Now back to this whole

thing about the baptism. You know he's saying, Okay, let this happen

because it is part of the design. And of course you know, eventually

he became the ultimate sacrifice. We know that. That's why today we are

still all here as Christians. Ultimate sepricists did happen. But he started off

there and then his his his life took on another level for the next three

years, for he ended up with a cross. Okay, now coming back

to this whole thing about uh, admitting that you may not be right all

the time. Sometimes also as humans, even though we know we're wrong,

we do not fully acknowledge you wrong. I use my kids an example.

Sometimes they will say things like I'm so sorry, you're so sensitive. So

it's like an apology, but not quite an apology, right, So,

so is it really repentance? I I maybe not la fully yeah, but

sometimes you do that. I use my kids. I don't know why I

full thing, but but but but you get the picture. And sometimes,

like what just saying, the man child in us can also be like that,

right, so, feeling bad but not quite yeah, even when it

hurts, sometimes you still bulldose minitrue. But transformation can only happen if you

really really repent, really really unlock allow growth. Okay, So I think

it's okay to admit that we need God because then your life will be very

different because you're not saying not going through a bulldozing your way to life,

saying that I don't do not need God, because if you do not depend

on him, you're also saying that I don't need you to an extend.

Okay, So transformation here is saying I cannot do a life without you.

So at that moment at the Jordan River, as awkward as it was,

okay, like I said, like it's like past. It cannot come in

and say can you baptize me? It's not really necessary. But Jesus still

proceeded with the act because it was meant to be an example, is to

demonstrate why is it necessary to fulfill all that is righteous? Said, this

guy is not sin at all and all why is he to say? Sorry

to say extent, but he still did it. Right to die baptism,

you know, right is to to die to your old self and then a

new life comes in and yeah, that is what it is. Right he

did it, and eventually he also died across for the sake of humanity by

they started off there, he came to live as a human and then died

for Ursla. Right. In essence I'm trying to say is that he's not

getting baptized because he's wrong. He's baptizing really just to show us what we

need to do as believers as well. Okay, how we need to transition,

how we need to go through the different changes so that we can get

to the milestone or the destinations that they are men for us. Okay,

And you know, the father was really pleased because, like I said earlier,

the audible voice was heard, this is my beloved son whom I'm well

pleased. So this is like the graduation or the father cannot hold it anymore.

He opened the window up there and just started to cheer, like there's

no tomorrow, right, he can't be quiet, that's my boy. Wow,

well done. He cannot contain it. And here's the kicker, the

crazy part, all right, Jesus had that in miracles. Say no,

by the way, he hasn't done anything. He hasn't preached yet, he

hasn't healed yet, he hasn't even come to the cross yet. And sometimes

as parents we know this, right, we we're proud of them, even

though they haven't quite done it. But human side is always like, this

is just religion, as loosely the word religion. Now your lot. You

have to accomplish a lot of things first, or a lot of check buses,

before God is pleased if you're right. So this is something that we

have to move away from this mindset and align towards Heaven's measure, which is

really whatever you need to earn is not required. You don't earn anything because

God has already given you everything what you need. He doesn't stop trying to

earn something that he's already given you. Is my friends say, Okay,

you don't do it to earn it. He's already pleased, and he simply

wants to say well done. Sometimes we think that in the human says,

we messed up, and we all messed up anyway, Like your sickness is

bigger, right, your sickness anyway. But here's God saying that I do

not judge you off of your record. In the academic sense, people that

graduate they graduate because of their merit. They are I don't know how they

did in their performances, et cetera. But in this sense right, we

are all graduates based off of Jesus his sinless life. That is the power

of redemption that we're talking about here, and we know his record is sinless,

perfect. Right, So as we look at this whole thing about transition

and what is transition really is like in the literal sense, it's like moving

from one position to another. Right, how do you walk? Even the

practical sense of practical You literally have to lift up one feet, right,

maybe have a little bit of imbalance for a while, shift your center of

gravity towards the other lake, and then stabilize again. Right, that's the

practical sense. So there is that risk, the temporary risk when you go

to transition, but it has to happen otherwise you will be static, you

will not move. And this is exactly what it is. Stop trying to

earn what God has already given you. He is most active, even though

you do not realize it's most active in the transition. You just have to

see it for yourself. And like I said earlier, it's the most vulnerable

part because, like I say, it's easy to fall. But just as

how we are so sure footed, it's because we know that that food is

going to land there is. How sure we know that God is going to

be that He's always been active. So don't focus on the milestones. It's

probably going to end this message. Focus on not the milestones or the achievements,

but focus on the journey as well. Focus on the transitions because there's

so much you can learn from the transitions. You know, Jesus miracles,

right, like the one that fed the five thousands and all that, that

was a transition moment. You know, it was not in his calendar you

or for it to happen, but the transitions where the miracle happened. But

sometimes if we complain about transition or the cheap we will fail to see the

miracle that God has been stopped for you. Okay, he wants to bless

you. And understand this, He already wants to bless you even before you

go to transition. It means, you know, to get their first struggle.

Then he comes. He's already there. He's already there, right,

But the prerequisite really is for us to align ourselves with him. And like

I said earlier, it's like the graduation. Right. His kingdom is a

little bit unorthodox. He don't follow the same model as how we go based

on merit, based on personal performances. He has done it all at his

own cost to an extent. Right, we learned about it in the Missions

month right, that God is the first missionary. He sent his own sundown

to Earth to do missions first because he left us and the kingdom is really

not like a graduation, how we understand it on Earth. Yes we cheer

and all that, but really it's not about grades. It's not how you

do. It's really about you know what God intended it to be. So

go based on Heaven's measure, or go based on Heaven's standard. Right,

because if you follow the earthly standards, we all dropouts anyway, Lucy speaking

like graduations, we all will not make it right because it's says here in

Romans all of us have sin and fallen short of the glory of God.

So it's already pre sid to an extent that we are dropouts. That means

in the earthly sense that the university or the organization can never confer that degree

to say that you've passed with flying colors and you can move on to the

next phase. But God said it's okay, it's okay, I'm here for

you, and that's the beauty of the Kingdom of God. So don't worry

about a report card. We don't really care too much about that. Really,

it's not about the diploma. We all drop out here. It's fine.

But Jesus has passed the test. That's the most important thing. He's

conquered death, he's conquered sin. He did the exams for you to sit

the next tent. He paid the price for you, even though it's got

a spotless record. And the enemy will always come. Like I said earlier,

at the time of transition, at the time of changes, because that's

when you're most vulnerable. But know that you're love, Know that your God's

child, and He's always been pleased with you. 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