Church of Laodicea | Pr Matthew

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

We hope this message will light up your team.

So today I'm gonna share on the theme of revival.

But I'm going to pick on, you know, a particular

chapter here, a particular church especially, and you can turn

with me to Revelations chapter three. I'm going to be

reading here from verse fourteen all the way to verse

twenty two, and it should be quite a very familiar

passage to most of you. Okay, Actually I did a

series on the churches here. I realized I was looking

through my notes as well. I realized that I covered

most of the churches with you, guys, but except for one.

And this one church happens to be also regarding the

same theme as well for revival. And I thought that

you'd be good to finish it up so that you know,

you don't you don't have you don't have any grudges

against me past and man, never finish a series one.

You know, it took me two years to finish this series.

Okay with you guys, but then let's do it. Okay,

Revelations chapter three, verse fourteen, and he says, you're the

title to the church in Laodica. Okay, Leo desea. Now

verse fourteen, Okay, I'm reading him from esv and to

the Angel of the church in Laodica right the words

of the Amen, the faithful and true witness the beginning

of God's creation. Now, he says, I know your words.

You are neither call or hot. Would that you were

either call or hot. So because you are a little

warm and neither heart nor call, I will speak you

out of my mouth. For you say I am rich,

I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that

you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. I counsel

you to buy from me, go refined by fire, so

you may be rich, and white garments so that you

may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may

not be seen. And solve to anoint your eyes so

that you may see those whom I love. I reprove

and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand

at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice

and opens the door, I will come in to him

and eat with him, and he with me. The one

who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me

on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down

with my father on his throne. He who has an ear,

let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.

That's the reading of God's word a man, all right.

So to help me with today's message, I prepared slides. Okay, ah, yes, oh,

how many of you have been to this place in

Laodica before? How many have you been to Turkey before

modern day Turkey?

Modern?

Okay, A lot of the churches that you read in

the Book of Revelations are in modern day Turkey. So Laodica,

if you go to Turkey right now, you can still

see the ruins.

Okay.

There's a lot of very interesting, interesting things you actually

can find out from there.

And I will have to try my best.

To give you a fair bit of context and background

so that when I share with you some of the

famous verses that we caught from descripture about being lived,

warm and different things, right, you have a better understanding

as well. You know a lot of things everything here

are actually contextual, so that we don't romanticize certain versus unnecessarily,

you get me, right, Sometimes we tend to romanticize it

unnecessarily as well. So a few contexts. So some introduction

to Laodica. Okay, it's a fairly new city founded to

one hundred and fifty BC. Okay, this's before christ Okay.

First of all, it's a very rich city, very rich.

Okay.

It's a very strategically place and it's at the junction

of many of the trade cross roads, almost like Malaysia

and Singapore. You know, it's always very strategic. And because

of that, they are very rich. They have a lot

of trade and commerce happening. There a lot of banks

that are there as well. They have a lot of

because of that, they are like kl or you know,

they have big, big buildings, they have stadiums, they have markets,

most famous for transactions, okay, and because of that they

have become one of the riches in Asia minor okay,

in the Eastern Roman Empire.

Okay. Now what are they rich for? Okay, we talk

about trading.

Now, there are three things that are very well known

for and you can look into, you know some if

you study about it.

Three very important things that they are very famous for.

First of all, they are well known for their banking

and finance and their goal.

They're very rich. They are so rich.

That you know, they actually don't need to depend on

anyone for anything. Okay, a lot of cities in the

during the Roman Empire, not all of them have this benefit.

They required so called what you call federal funding. You know,

you want to build a school, you need funding. You

want to build a marketplace, you need funding. You want

to do something, you need very federal funding. But they

are so rich they don't need funding from the government.

They were so rich that during I think seventy or

seventy five AD. Okay, it was not too far off

from this time when the letters were written okay by

the apostle John that this city actually experienced a great earthquake. Okay,

there are a great earthquake and the things wan down

and the Roman government top Typically, if you had a

natural disaster, you eligible to apply for government funding to

help rebuild the city, especially an important city. They were

so rich they didn't even have to ask. The government

offered but they said, no, thanks, we can help ourselves.

So that's how rich you are.

Like you know what I mean, right, it's like if

you're sick, you don't need to claim insurance, you know.

It's like, ah, no, that rich and I was like, whoa. Okay,

they were very very rich. They have their own minted

gold coins as well. Very well known for it.

Okay.

The second thing they were very famous for is actually

their black sheep wool. Oh turn to your neighbor and said,

black sheep wool. It's a mouthful black sheep wool. I

never thought you would say these words again, black sheep wool.

You know, it's like, you know, I look at the

color is this is like it's actually not the white cotton,

but it's a black color.

It's very luxurious and very wealth formed. It's like, you know,

look at it.

It's like, wow, looks like a very nice texture. You know,

the type that you know. You know, it's like you know,

you go to shopping more you say, you look on

it that you are as ready because you cannot afford anyone.

So it's very very they're very very well known for it, okay.

And the third thing they are very well known for, okay,

is their eye ointment of South. Okay, so they are

you know, it's called you know, I'm not gonna go

too much into it, but it's actually it's like a

South where when you put on it, it will help

you to see better.

It's called the Phurigian powder.

But they're very well known for it, and people from

all sorts of places actually come to visit them, to

actually apply this, to buy this, and to apply for

themselves as well. And so they are actually quite well

known in globally, okay, for all these things as well.

And so now as you read this right, you realize

that when you read the passage earlier, you can see

some parallels, isn't it.

It's like it's not a coincidence already.

There a lot of times, a lot of these letters

are written to the context of what is being experienced

in the city as well.

And also brings to my mind that a lot of

times when.

We walk closely with the Lord, the Lord is not

so you know, God's presence permeates everything. Okay, there are

times he can speak in a very what they call

it high level place neverage directly.

But God also speaks.

Into our positions, into our condition, our situation as well.

You can speak into your situation, into your Maybe you're

going through a great challenging time in your workplace, maybe

you're having some family challenges, financial and health.

And all these things.

The thing is are we aware whether God is speaking,

whether God is knocking, and more importantly, are you listening.

And sometimes you think that a church is church, work

is work, church is church, family is family. Whatever that

I'm experiencing in my family and my work has no

connection with the spiritual. But in natural fact, he has

so much to do with the spiritual, you know what

I mean. Right, A lot of people want to draw

a line, it's not it's not, but actually it does.

And in fact, a lot of times.

God will use your situation, your examples, your locales to

speak to you exactly what you are going through as well. Again, man,

this is a very very very good example. You know,

the apostle Journe didn't use some is israel analogy to

speak to them. He used exactly what they are going through,

what they are known for to teach. We call it

heavenly principles to earthly beings. Okay, that's what we call parables. Okay,

now it's very very interesting here. Now, Okay, now let's

move on to the next line.

Okay.

So now when we can see here in the scripture

in verse eighteen, Okay, okay, maybe we can skip this

life first, skip this right now, next life to the

map site.

Thanks. Ah Okay. Now, now the next thing I want

to cover.

About Laodicia it's its location apart from being known from

the trade and commerce.

Right, they are so wealthy, but yet there.

Is one thing they lack, the very simple thing, a

simple thing that almost every city you know in human

civilization that if you are to be built and founder,

you have to build upon.

And why is that? Fresh water?

How many of you play these game called civilizations before?

Yeah? No, no oh, I used to love that game. Man, Okay,

gig is a very old game.

It's in the nineteen ninety early early nineteen ninety is

how al It is a one froppy disc Again, that's

old school. And one of the things that you have

to do is that when you find and build civilizations

is that you must build beside fresh water sources. Not

beside the sea, but freshwater sources either a river or

something the city because it's not like we have a

s lango or anyone, you know, you can put anywhere

you can get water. The most important thing that a

city needs is fresh water sauce. And I say what

I'm saying now, we take it for granted. That is

why you know, if you go to Egypt, you know.

It's it's very well.

It's one of the early civilizations because the now river,

and then you talk about Potamia, you know the Euphrates,

you know the Tigris River. Most of the early civilizations

are always found in the river or near fresh water sources.

But Lao this year is so unique. They are strategic

in commerce. But if you ask them to survive just

as a place without anything else, they can't.

They need water.

Sauces and they get their water sauces from two places, okay,

two places, one at the north.

Then it is called the place of hero Polis. Okay.

Heropolis is a place where you might be very familiar with.

It's a place where a lot of people will have

hot springs, the famous world Famousmokala. You know, however, my

pronuncy correct, mamcaala right, if you heard before Pamacala.

You see the picture at the bottom there.

Sometimes you will see in national geography when you go travel,

you know you see this very famous Bamacala.

It's hot springs.

Now, most of the hot springs that are open for

people around thirty five to thirty six degrees just nice.

It's during summer during winter the same temperature.

Oh so nice.

And a lot of people go there, not just their time,

not just do hey, it takes selfie Okay. They go

there because people don't have a lot of bath No,

they don't bathe very often okay, and they don't have

access to clinics and stuff like that. So to them

for a hot bath is actually very therapeutic. It's actually

very healing. It like it's very very good your ski.

They feel good a lot of times. So it's a

place signifying health.

Okay.

So they get water from Balmuke or from Heerropolis, from

the north there, okay, so they will channel the water

down with Later I will show you the picture so

of like a like a human build uh clay type

of water channel all the way down. It's not that

far if you look at it, it's probably about six

to nine miles. So it's talking about like fifteen kilometer Okay,

it's that about from here to PJ like that. Okay,

So they build it along the way so not that

far okay, doable, Okay.

Then the other.

Place that they have is called coloss okay. Uh, Colosse

is a place where it's more forest Okay, but what

they are known for is fresh spring fresh water from

the mountains. So the waters are extremely cool, refreshing. Everybody

loves to go there to get their fresh water. And

it's always cool even until now as well. So it's

very nice to drink, you know, every time you know,

you drink you know, water from always people say I

long for the waters of coloss you know, maybe you

should start a new mineral water coloss s. Okay, So

that is what they are known for. Okay, they don't

have their own water source, then get it from these

two places.

Okay.

So you go to the next line, you will see

that these actually are the actual what they call it,

uh excavation evidences and remnants of the ruins of these

water channels that actually come through. Okay, so the actually

want to come down there. Now have a bit more context,

Now have a bit more content. You know where I'm going, ready, right,

you can also know that where I'm going ready, Okay,

So now let's go back to the scripture there, Okay,

and then let's we'll start to unpack what's actually happening here.

Now.

In verse fourteen, it says, here and to the Angel

of the Church of Laoticians, right. These things, says the Amen,

the faithful, the true witness the beginning of time, at

the beginning of the creation of God. And it begins

by saying, I know your works. And this is Jesus speaking.

By the way, okay, Jesus speaking, I know your works

that you are neither call nor hot. You are neither

one of them. I wish that you were called or hot.

Jesus was wishing they were called the hot. So then,

because you are lookewarm, neither care nor hot, I will

won't meet you out of my mouth. So the problem

is is so little this year they don't have their

own water saucers, but they got their water from coloss

And you have the place raised the day uh they

were from Heropolis. One of it was hot and one

of it was cool. But what actually made it look

warm when they arrive? What actually made it look warm?

What actually made it look warm?

Mixing? Maybe they mix?

What what made you do so nice? From the saucer?

But yet along the way the distance, isn't it? But

so much as the distance it's along the way, isn't it?

But in life it is seen. It's like that, isn't it.

When you become a Christian become a believer. Maybe when

you started out you were very passionate. Maybe you started

a new job, you were okay. Maybe your God got married,

you got kids. But along the way in life, things happen,

isn't it isn't it Either you became rich or you

became poorer. Things happened. Maybe people offended you, maybe pastor.

Never shut your hand.

You know, maybe someone posted something on Facebook that you

don't like. You know, maybe your wife says something, your

children said something.

Along the way.

As far you know, things from PJ and Subang from

fifteen kilometers. Along the way, your faith that was either

hard or really called.

Along the way, it becomes what.

Conditioned by the surrounding, you become a condition inside. What

I'm saying, condition means what you become affected by your surrounding.

Instead of remaining pure to the source, you become affected.

We all don't want to say that, you know, but

it's true. We all are affected and shaping conditioned by

our surroundings. One and it's very very important that you

god your surroundings. There's one thing that we can no

we can't change our past, but we can't change the

surrounding to a certain degree one. Okay, but we get

conditioned by n by things around us, by the world.

And we know that this is true because in what

Jesus says, you say in because in seventeen in verse seventeen, Jesus,

Jesus what reveals to.

Them you are a little one.

I know that you are one because you say that

I am rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing,

and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor,

blind and naked. You I'm saying now, Jesus is saying

that you look because you say this to yourself. Okay,

you are actually blinded.

You.

It's like it's like you brand yourself selling mineral water. Hey,

mineral water from Colos, mineral water from hero Polis in Laodicia.

But the water is far from the original product. You

know what I'm saying now. You know Malaysia is famous for.

You know, a man, right.

You know Malaysia is famous for Urian right. You know

Malaysia is famous for chocolate.

All right?

You go to other countries to eat the same or not? Norah,

you know what happened And I don't know, like maybe

foreign foreigner taste conditioning, you know, some people at the

matos sauce la. Some people add more sugar la, some

people at peasla. You know, some people you different mid

like the conditioning, you know, and you like you don't

put the brand Malaysia there, you know, just put it

something else.

You know.

You maybe you're Korean, you eat like kimi, not the

same like you get this kimchikimji is this? You know,

it's so different, you know, like they're so different from Malaysia.

You know why not because it's it's conditioned to the

local surrounding, you know what I'm saying. But yet we

love as humans, we love to brand it and not

originally from Malaysia, originally from Korea. You know, we like

to brand it, but it is far removed from debt okay,

so far removed from that, and we we kind of like,

you know, lie.

To ourselves phone as well.

So they say that that I am rich, I become wealthy,

had need of nothing. It also begins to tell themselves

they have this false sense of security, fourth sense of righteousness,

four sense of happiness.

You know what I'm saying. It's kind of funny.

You can have a full sense of happiness, want I

know I don't need anything. It's kind of nice feeling

I don't need anything, and you feel that you're finally happy,

you're finally arrived. But then Jesus says that you don't realize,

but that you are actually wretched or not alsoy, He

didn't say that you're poor. He said that you are wretched.

You know, wretched means you are kind of like evil.

You know you're evil, not because you lie to people.

You are evil because you lie to yourself. You know

what I mean, right, you know what I'm saying. You

know this is a very it's a very evil deception.

One thing is to lie to people. But you're a

wretched because you lie to yourself. It's very sad because

think about your life. It's not your own. But when

you lie to yourself, you when you lie to yourself,

you short change yourself and you actually are telling God

what you prefer over a line rather than the truth.

You see, it's even whether you're Christian or not Christian.

Now you can convince yourself or certain truths are if

you speak it, speak it to you yourself.

No, No, you know what I'm saying.

No, it's very very true. One I'm a victim. I'm

a victim. I'm a victim. I'm a victim. I'm a victim.

True enough, long enough, you'll believe that you are truly

a victim and you can never change things. You cat

me saying, no, I'm a victim. Yes, you are a

product of your past, but you're not a prisoner. You know.

It's that So a lot of times when we.

Counsel people or we want to try to help people,

a lot of times what we want to do is

to help them break free from the lies. You get

what I'm saying, a lot of times the lie for

themselves speaking. So to break stop saying that you can

because even though it has have but you have a choice,

and it starts by opening your eyes to see, and

then you are actually miserable. You think you are happy,

but you are actually miserable.

You're going to say, no, you're.

Just saying you think you're happy, but you're miserable. You

think you are rich, you are poor. You think you

can see, but you are blind. You think you are clothed,

but you are actually naked. Every think what Jesus is

telling them is actually the exact antithesis of what they

are feeling and what they're experiencing. And so because of

Jesus cross examination, he now proposes something to you. It's

like exchange it now. He said, Hey, your house, you

know you think you are living in a gold house.

Not that nice.

What let me come to you, Laodicea. Since you are

so good at trading, I come and battle with you.

So Jesus come battering with him and all that counsel.

I battle with you.

Now, instead of buying from the world, buy from me,

buy from me. What buy from me, go refined in

the buyer, so that you may be rich. Get from

me white comments, not the black garments. You see just

now the black sheep look like Zarah cloth, you know,

cashmir like that, you know, so that you may be cloth,

So that the truth is that the shame of your

naked knows may not be revealed. What tells you what

not Jesus want to clothe you. Jesus has no Jesus

does not light in shaming you. You know, you see

a lot of times people we think about God that God,

God is light. No God is truth. That oh, if

that is the way that God wants to shame me. No,

God has no delight in shaming people one another. God's

plan is always to cover people the right way through

a sacrifice. You know what I'm saying. When Adam and

Eve seeing what did God do? Ah, shame you put

you on the pedestal so that every animal in the

kingdom can see Adam and Adam maybe, no, what did

Jesus do and what did God do? Make the covering

cover themselves? So instead Adam if covering themselves, God said, no,

let me cover for you. But it comes at the price.

You come saying you not covering comes at the price.

Okay. So God wants to cover us. It's not to

shame like. He gives us truth so.

That we would find true and eternal covering through him.

Okay.

And God says he also says that annoying your eyes,

we saw solved not from what you may because you

see for a while, eventually you grow deem as well. Okay,

that you may truly see what is happening to yourself

and to the city as well.

Okay.

Now, now then it says, let me see, Okay, Okay,

go to the next line. Okay, now, verse nineteen and

he says, as many as I love, I rebuild and

chase them. Therefore be zealous and repent. Okay, why be

zealous and repent? When we read the scripture here and now,

I was thinking, like a lot of times when we

talk about a Christian being one right, a lot of times,

what does it mean? Some people interpret as this, you know,

I mean I was one of the interpretation and teachings

I've heard before that you know, God prefers you to

be called extra really call that, and really, hord rether

Thant in the middle, what does call actually mean? People

think that call is you don't believe in God, you know,

and you know being called is if you don't believe

in God. There is actually better than being a Christian.

That is not effective other people. You know what I'm saying,

not being lukewarm is like a Christian that is just

a branding money. Again, you're not effective, you're not on fire.

But some people think that if you're being called you

don't even know God, there is even a better situation.

Okay. And being hot is when you're on fire.

You know, you're doing your quiet time, you're serving God,

and then you're pursuing God. I don't think that's really

the proper and complete interpretation because and how I see

that it is because the key to unlocking the word

lukewarm is inside the scripture, and it's found in the

two words zealous and repent. Okay, always use scripture to

interpret scripture, that is the most faithful one. A lot

of times we use our own reasoning. Isn't it use

scripture to interpret scripture? So why did Jesus give these

two specific words being zealous and repenting in regards to

this context?

Okay? How can we apply being zealous and be repenting

in pair? Now? What does being cold.

Actually mean, actually actually mean actually being coler? You know

the I said the water actually coming from coloss? Does

it mean that people being called means you're not desirable?

No?

Actually, the cold water is the one that everybody wants

to drink from one on, isn't it? How many if

you love to drink hore water, I don't love to

drink hore water right after spots.

You want to drink hot water? Wanna how many of

you are? Some people are?

You know?

I was like these crazy people.

You know. It's like I know because I play a

lot of basketball, you know sometimes that I play with

some old uncles. You know, I really really this old

uncles are like the white T shirt, like talking you

want to know, like ready, I don't know what moves.

They come out first after that, so they play one game. Ready,

they give the sai. Oh I haven't payed for forty years.

Ready they're not beside. Then they will have one big kettle.

You know what, it's wan and not hot you want.

Oh look it's a crazy guy, you know after playing

a country hot you want and not. This is like

all school stou one and not for me. You know

what's my perfect drink? Ice one hundred plush.

Ghetto ray, no no sugar.

But all of us want cold water, so it actually

cold water is actually desirable. Cold water is actually meant

for drinking, you know what I'm saying. So it doesn't

make sense that when Jesus says that I wish you

were cold, but because I like you to become because

it's not desirable, it doesn't make much sense, you know

what I'm saying. No, cold water is actually desirable for drinking,

and hot water is not so much for drinking your boil.

Hot water you're not you, You're dropped down. Hot water

is because it's hot there you go there and you're

bathing it. It's good for your body, it's actually healing.

I'm saying, no, that's hot.

Right.

So both were desirable for their purposes. But when you

being called what which? What does it actually mean being

a core Christian? It's not really a core Christian. What

it means is that I believe that repentance refers to coldness.

Why why do you say repentance and con what does

it You know, when you say a Christian that is

on fire, does it mean that he is a he

or she is a Christian that is always repenting?

You know what I'm saying.

No, does that mean that a Christian that is on fire?

It is a Christian that is always repenting. See what's

the opposite of repenting? What is the meaning of repenting?

Repenting means what changing of mind?

Literally changing of direction? You know.

Repenting means I used to walk one way, I think

one way, and then I turn around.

You turn. This is called repenting. It literally means you turning.

Repenting means that repenting it's not just about feeling sorry,

you know.

Repenting is not about sorry, I'm sorry.

No, Repenting means I'm sorry, I'm wrong and this is wrong.

I need to turn around. It makes you turn.

So a cold Christian is not someone who's just feeling sorry.

A core Christian is someone who has a heart that

repents and keeps on repenting because our.

Life is a journey. It's not just once a lot.

That's the problem with Chris a lot of times with

more than their Christianity, isn't it. Or the problem with

a lot of Christians sometimes backsliding is that they think

they make one commitment, they repented once, and that's it.

Ready and a long way.

The world conditions you, changes you, you me emmots you,

and you start to think that this is the way.

But God says, open your eyes. You are wretched, you

are blind, you are miserable. Then the moment you see that,

then you begin to turn. You can I'm saying, or

not you can begin to turn. That's a very important

so when I say it's a core Christian. The truth

when you talk about revival, Okay, what is the mark

of a revival in in in the context of this

season of lives for you.

And I oh, pastor talks about revival, what does it mean?

Maybe it means that your life is marked by this

mark of repentance. Can I show you a personal story

of repentance. Okay, it's not a nice story, but I

would share it that Can I trust you guys with

my story? Okay, I trust you guys. I'm gonna hang

my dirty laundry here already. I love playing basketball, and

I think if some time ago I play play with

people there I don't really know too well off. Okay,

And one of the things that I when I play people,

I don't tell them who I am.

And I'm a pastor.

You know, if I do that, they don't really like

to play the normal game with me one you know, Okay,

they don't know. But recently they found out that I'm

a pastor. I was like, you're a pastor.

And look at me.

And then if they know me you're a pastor, you

don't play like a pastor.

You play so aggressively.

I was like, yeah, I sure I do, but I played,

but I let But I don't put out my name,

my brand, my my my, my, my strategy or my

start at work with them is that I try to

leave out if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. So they shouldn't

be any schism or any difference between what I am,

and when I'm on the cord as well. But because

basketball is competitive, it's competitive, and I'm not talking about

you know, sometimes when you drive or so, you get

a bit competitive and you know, you're like, aha, you

cut the guy and you find oh, there's a church member.

Sometimes we come out of the parking lot waits one.

It's Joe Eloy. You're honking the guys like this guy

forgot the page. He's touch and go? Is it a

touch and go? Oh?

I just want to honk you to bless you. You know,

May God provide for you that you have a way

out of the car. You know, yes, that was my intention.

You know. Anyway, it's compatitive.

We have we have this flesh, these bits and pieces

of sometimes temper impatience, you.

Know, sometimes be a judgmental.

Still have these debris in our lives, you know, Okay,

we still had the flesh. So when I play the

one time when I play, I was trying to be

as encouraging as as possible.

Then out of nowhere, one got made a mistake.

I was really upset and something came out of my

mouth really loudly, and when I said.

It, everyone heard it. Everyone to look at me.

I was like, oh, I tell you that moment, now,

I tell you, my regret just washed over me.

Oh. I was like, oh, I tell you. It took

me a few days just to recover.

Now I went back. I was so disappointed for myself.

I didn't talk to my children. I mean I didn't

actually I didn't talk to my wife. And I was like, oh,

what am I going to say? You know what I mean, like, oh,

you know who I confided. I confide with my.

Daughter of all people, It's like, oh no. I was like.

I was like, I'm so horrible. I'm not a good father,

I'm not a good pastor. All my friends who know

I'm abo's not gonna say.

I'm like there.

But when I said it at that moment, I regretted

it and I apologized to the guy I approaged not

one two three times and apologize and I even apologize

to the main coordinator. It was not it's nothing for actually,

in the normal game, it would be perfectly fine with

normal okay, But to my standard and what I'm living for,

it definitely fail.

Okay.

I was so harsh on myself and and that I

was so regretful because self preservation kicking in that. You know,

it's like, oh, whise people going to think about me

rather offending God?

You know.

So it's like a lot of things coming in my heart.

And and then from then on it started to cascade

into a lot of things. You know, It's like why

did I say that? How did they come out of

my mouth? And I realized that things that come up

are not just what they call it coincidences. It's also

speaking to something that in my life life that maybe

I've had.

That's why I'm telling you guys. You think it's coincidence,

but not.

Then I realized that and and Court used that to

deal with some part of my life. And I didn't

realize that incident would actually helped me in my marriage

as well. I realized that I actually had some pride

in my life that maybe the way I was frustrated

because I viewed maybe he didn't know how to play

and I knew how to play better and stuff. And

I also thing then it started to realize that what

I say affected people, and it just says that people

are not good enough for me. And I got really

sorry for that, and I begin to half a few days, right,

he started to cascade down, and I talked to my

wife and I said, yeah, I need to ask you

for forgive me. If I ever made that made you

feel that you were never good enough for me, I'm

sorry and need true enough. There were times in my

life that I did say that I did before, whether

directly or indirectly, you made your spouse.

It's not that you're a sarcastic, you know. I know

we catch it. I don't know where you carry it.

Maybe when you call it. When you were young, you

caught it from the movies, to credit from.

Your friends, innocent sarcism, but hidden deep underneath it, what

you are really seeing or implying is that sometimes people

are just not good enough for you, and God dealt

with that.

I said I, and I said, I never ever asked

for forgiveness for this particular thing, and it just came up.

I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you're

never good enough for me, and I repented from there.

You know, I'm saying, you know that, and I'm.

Using this, this this example to share with you guys

that that for me reminds me that God is still

working in my life. I'm not perfect, but I'm humble

but I'm also grateful because through his rebuke and his discipline,

I know sometimes God, I know that God is still

working in my life. Sometimes when you don't hear from

your dad or your mom or you want you've been normal,

you know, like become.

What they called it?

Uh, they called it a child and two laws and

too proud for your parents, you know. But sometimes when

God rebuilds, are just like God still loves me, you know,

thank you for specically, But I'm humble.

So I'm giving an example of that.

That a true revival, A true revival in a Christian like,

it's not just about you go into church many times

you are. You are singing a lot of Christians, so

you're hearing a lot of sermons. No, I really believe

that revival. How revival looks like is that Christians and

believers begin to repent. You begin to really see and

begin to repent. You begin to allow God to really

work in your life, and from one area You're allowed

it to cascade into other areas so that God's truth

and God's ministry in your life can spread into its

proper places. You know what I'm saying. No, that is

the amount of a true revival. I really really believe that.

I mean, if you agree with me.

And that's why God says repent. He didn't say, like

you know, or do other things. No repent, that's the

first thing, okay. And one of the things that you

know when you talk about repentance are cold water.

The problem with LOLd this year.

Is that the waters when they came, the waters are lukewarm.

How many if you like to drink lout warm water,

I'm not talking when they say luke warmer. It's not

the water bottle and there's not lut warming now they're

actually cool enough. Lukewarm is maybe you add another ten

degrees okay, in two ways okay, and then talk about

luke warmar is like how would I say? It's like

it's really unappetizing one. Now it's like vomit temperature. You know,

if you vomit out, there's a temperature that you want

to drinking, you know, premiation. And if you drink it,

you know, some people sit a but you actually don't

want to drink one. You want to split it that

one and know it tastes like body temperature one.

It's very horrible one, you know.

And and because of that when a lot of times

when they drink they split out. The second thing is

that it breeds a lot of contain contamination very quickly.

It's very easily contaminating very quickly. And at that time

people don't have refrigerators, and most of the time when

they drink of the water, they spit it out or

they get sickness from it as well. Okay, So one

of the reasons, and one of them maybe could be

one of the things that God is speaking to our lives.

You lead your life.

You have so many riches, oh the fur, the goal,

or the medicine, or the all the tapestries or the

not coverings, but yet you can't even get your water

right every night, you have the loudside, you know, have diarrhea.

You get sick so often people come and see, hey,

how are you okay? Okay, see here, see there depress

these their practice, These are what it could be signs

and symptoms. You know, hey, oh you're like yeah, okay.

Family always catting issues. I'm not saying that your family

is perfect, far from perfect, but a lot of times

in our lives it may be highlighting. Hey, something is

a bit deeper going on, you know, you get what

I'm saying. No, we don't want to, but hey, something

may be more happening a lot of times. You know, recently,

I have a very bad shoulder pain. End of here,

I thought, my pain is the problem with the shoulder,

and I try to adjust my neck. I tried to

sleep without a pillow and stuff like that.

It didn't work.

Then you realize, you know what's the problem, my hip.

The problem is with my hip. And when I started

to and then when I got the physio therapist, when

they loosen up my hip, my shoulder.

Pin corn Ami, you are physio therapist because you know

why why it's.

Telling you everything is connected, everything is It's so powerful.

It's so powerful because I realized that my hip is

so tight it's actually sticking out, sticking out, and because

it's sticking out, it's pulling my traps as well. And

my trap so I need to curve it back. And

to do that, I need to release the muscle and

strengthen It's so when I fix the hip, it's like

the main junction is the pain junction is your your

It's it's always your hip in the junction. Once you

fix that, it relieves everything else.

So much.

I'm not saying this is the only thing, but a

major problem is your hips. So sometimes you see me

sitting down like I need to release a lot of things.

So once I did that, oh, but so amazing that

it released my shoulder pain so much, and I like, oh,

it's what we call referred pain.

Okay, it's called a referred pain. Everything is connected.

And so when we when God asks us to repent,

to go deep into the problem muscles the apors of

our life. It is a continuous thing. You repent, you

continue repenting. Lord, have I done something wrong? You know,

a revived person is not I'm always right, I'm perfect.

A person is that if I leave right before God,

I am I judging this based on my own experience,

my standard. You know, I think that person won't go

offend alart.

But God says no.

You go and say sorry, it's not my standard, it's

God's standards. If I think a certain it's God telling

me to turn around and do another way as well.

That's why I say. That's why I tell people.

You repent, and you continue repenting, so that you continue

to walk not this way, but closer and closer and

closer to the lord as well.

Amen.

The second one, Okay, being hot, it's called being zealous. Okay,

what does being zealous actually mean? How many of you

are zealous? Have you any seen anyone who is zealous before?

Huh? Zealous? What is zealous for? What does zealous actually

look like? That's right?

Excited? Yeah, you know, sometimes we think about zealous. We

think about the word zealous, you know, like we think

of people who are so just like zealous, ah, you know,

or people who are very extreme. But zealous actually comes

from the the key term boiling over. You know, like

when you cook, you know, boil something you forgot to

offer it and he bought over and then you know

it's sometimes boll over and then it shuts off your fire. Ah,

that's what happens. So zealous it is not just hot.

Zalous means it's actually boiling over having an effect on

the surrounding.

It is boiling over, pouring over. It's not just.

About the liquid, it's about what's the temperature inside and

causing you to spill over continually.

You know, it's like a it's like a volcano.

You know, it doesn't just boom boom, really and it

continues to flow continues to flow. And what happens when

the volcano force it affects everything. Everything is get wiped out,

sometimes so much even a new island comes out as well.

Give me, it's continuum boiling over. So what does a

Christian who is zealous actually look like? Does it mean

that a Christian who is revived, a believer who is

revised must be zealous?

What does it mean?

Then? I really believe what it means is this, a

Christian who is elders has to be fruitful. A Christian

that is the zealous and revire has to be useful.

They cannot repenting. Yeah, I'm sorry, No, you have to

be useful. You have to be fruitful.

That is why Jesus says earlier, I see your works.

You can see I see your heart, see your works.

You know I'm saying, now, what are you doing? You

see when you when you are producing fruit, when you

are producing works, right, people actually come to you one

and all. You know what I'm saying now is so famous.

People come to them not to take photo, but because

of his healing properties, people actually gord it and feel good.

You know, people actually want to come and talk to you.

People want to attend your ministry. You when you are,

when you, when you, when you what they call it,

when you're around people, you had an encouragement. You use

your gifts. You don't just keep it to yourself. You

are actively trying to make yourself useful. You are trying

to make your life spill over because of what Christ

is done in you. You say what I'm saying, you know,

so revive Christian. So when we say that, yeah, we see.

Repel or no.

The key word is that you must be fruitful and

you must be useful.

It's not just gila and or revived Christian is crazy.

Ah, you know we want revival, so viyah it's good.

But in your life, what does revival mean? Are you

useful and are you fruitful?

Turn your neighbor right now and ask them, are you

useful and are you fruitful?

True or not? So that's what revival looks like.

You know, every one of you, you see, every one

of you are gonna be so fruitful. It's not gonna

be useful. I'm gonna be such a blessing. It's gonna

look like the Book of Accina. You're gonna be blessing

one another. You're gonna be encouraging one another. You won't

be like, pray for one another. I don't want to pray, but.

You be like, hey, brother, I want to pray for you. Hey,

I'm gonna help you. Hey, you know God, you don't

need to take care. I gonna help you.

You Conan, this is what revival looks like you I

mean I it's not just about singing songs. You want

to spill over. You want to change the committee, you

want to change lives. This is what true revival means.

But in the opposite way, the people in leod Yea,

they will just containing with themselves. You know what I'm saying.

I am rich, I have my clothes, like all the things.

But they have the branding, but not the substance, you

know I'm saying. And not so when we look at

it again. So it's a true faithful believer. It is

always what it's always repenting and I believe not or

I believe it's and zealous forgot because Jesus says what

did Jesus says?

Therefore be zealous and.

Repent he didn't say, or repent and repent. So you

are both and call at the same time, not in between.

But it's like having duo. It's like, that's what I'm saying.

You know, it's like having your left hand and your

right hand at the same time, you know, a me

the but having your left hand and right hand always working, producing,

one always repenting, and one always being zealous for God. Amen,

call this all right. Now that towards the last part,

as I close this last part, now the last cripture,

the last part is not the last last partner, at

least verse twenty, he says that behold, I stand at

the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and

opens the door, I will come into him and dine

with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes,

I will ground to sit with me on my throne

as I always as I also overcame and sat down

with my father on his throne. Now that first liner, now,

the first part verse nineteen, is the one way we

like to tell people, Hey, you know, Jesus is knocking

on the door of your life. You know, yes, there's

some context we can use that, but there's also another

context that we have to look at this.

And examines as well.

First of all, a lot of times during that time,

you know how shopping happens or not. Shopping can be

you go to the market and then you you choose

what you want. The other shopping that happens is that

when you are at home and people actually come to

your door and knock.

Hi, sir, how are you? Good morning? Wonderful gentlemen?

Would you like to buy this new pass of land

that we have just found in this place?

Oh?

Have you tried our new tree in one? That you're cleaner?

You know? But you have forgotten those seasons. I actually remember,

you know, I remember people coming to my house are

selling things?

Gone on?

Last time clang gotten huh? People knocking door to door

one and all selling cards, selling fish, vegetables. You know,

they pushed to your door. We now this, We don't

remember that because you only remember shopping.

You know what I mean?

Right?

You don't come to me, I come to you. Ah

Now it's like I don't have that. I just go

in my shopping Ah whatever all got Sometimes they got

TV someone no bargain, now twenty five dollars get you.

They've got these things. But last time people actually come

to your door, they actually knocked. Now this you people

knocking on your door? But what's going on?

Fire.

It has so rare people knock on our door. Now

it's true or not, it's so rare. But last time,

people knock on our door all the time. I don't know,

but overseas like, but I live in a place everybody

was knocking, and so much times that when you're not

you didn't even want to border opening the door.

You're like, who is it?

Then you ask you don't go, and people outside it's

not a salesperson just ignore we're not at home. You know,

you know what I mean. We just ignore we're not

at home. So sometimes they will knock, not not not,

and then after that they move on. Ready, So now

Jesus comes along, knocks again, hear my voice, Why am

I selling? You say, Oh, you don't need God, I

have go already. I didn't need clothes, I got clothes ready. No,

I don't need medicine. I got medicine ready. So many

times knocking, I wonder what's knocking in your life? You know,

there's a knocking for this city, this whole entire city level.

They have no I told you this city has no

water resources, right, but they are. But one thing that

stand on is that they're very strategy in commerce. Of

course they got the wool and stuff, but no water resources.

And you know how they actually got destroyed in the city.

You know how they got destroyed. Not because of lack

of water. Everybody you know, just vomit. Not because of that, No,

because of vomit. They did got destroyed because of multiple earthquakes.

Literally shaking. We talk about revival is shaking.

They actually have many, many, many shaking, multiple you can

go on, just multiple. There are reason why. It's probably

about seventy eighty. I told you before that they had

an earthquake. They rebuild themselves in it, but there were

so many earthquakes, you know, and they still stayed there. Eventually,

this place is inhabited and it's uninhabitable because it was

so many earthquakes. That's why I say, when you look

at it, you can say, yeah, but I tell you

a earthquakes. It's actually a lot of times are very spiritual. One,

you know, it's very very very spiritual one.

No know, shaking one.

No, No, you think that all it's just because you

are on the whatever what line you know?

That's right.

No, No, there's a jog something like the earth line.

It could come me. I can't remember what. Yeah, yeah, there's.

A line that basically if you're Malaysia, we don't we

don't see on it this line.

There's this earthquake line.

Okay, but this place was sitting on it, and there's

multiple earthquakes so much so it was so recent that

the letters when they're write actually people remember. But every

time the earthquake they rebuild it with their own money,

their own resources. Okay, until they had it, they couldn't

fix it anymore. You see as sometimes and that it's

not through a sermon, you know. Sometimes the knocking in

our life it's not just through some hay you know,

a message. Sometimes the knockings in our lives are very strong,

but you ignore.

Ah, maybe I have my health problem. It's not to

to dead.

Maybe you know, you know, your marriage, you know it

is having Like I said, no marriage is going through something.

It's not to connected at all.

But I wonder, what is God speaking to you right

now that God you hear? What is God that is

specifically trying to warn you about how is your quiet time?

And how are you interpreting things in your life before

things get too bad? You know, before you you know,

you keep leaning on yourself. You're on your own ability,

on your own resources, on your own assumptions. No, it's nothing,

nothing until it's too late. God is continually knocking and

knocking and knocking. And sometimes this knockings that gets you

out of your comfort zone. And sometimes you are in

a situation where you are there only for one reason

convenience and money. There is no clean water, it's not safe,

but you are there because you cannot let go.

It's your job. Is it a habit? Is it a person?

You know what I mean? Right? You hang on? Is

he a place?

You cling on to it because you cannot let go,

because it's provided you so much security and resources. But

yet every time what you draw the waters either from

from the two places that it's always one because you

are blinded.

And then God sends one shaking in your life.

Sometimes it takes a shaking to really change our lives,

isn't it. Sometimes the shaking is not this year. It

could be last year, it could be the year before,

but it could be like small shakings in your life

are God is shaking. That's why I really believe that

God is gonna cause a revival, because God is not

just gonna it's gonna open your eyes going it's gonna

shake things in our lives are and say, hey, I

know things.

Are gonna turn around, things are gonna change.

You know, there are things that are eternal and things

that are not eternal, and all things would change.

You find security and some things some things. Who change?

My job will change one? Not you give me my

finances will change one? No health is it? It could change?

Why not? What are you investing in?

You know? What are you really truly relying on and on?

And sometimes I go say that sometimes you really need to.

Get away, you know.

I put some of the tips here and then what

we should really do to begin to discern and to

heed what God is speaking to our licesn As we

come to a close here, okay, how is your quiet time?

How is your quiet time?

You see the problem with Lay this year is that

they get their water from other places as well. A

lot of us are our quiet time we get from

Sundays only. You rely on me, rely on other people.

You rely on your YouTube on your Apple phone to

give me the message of the day so they can

speak to me.

And you just browse brows, brows, brows, brows. You don't have.

The water source directly. It's a secondhand, thirdhand message. You

don't have a direct encounter with God. And why you

don't have a direct encounter because you're stuck in that

city to start with all the glitters and the goal

and everything. You don't want to move, and God is

saying that no, come out. Maybe you some it's time

for you to come out and take a journey and

go to the heels of colosse and you scoop up

the nice water and you drink and you realize that

there's no water in other place that can match the

true and living water of God. Sometimes it's like you,

it's like, oh, I don't know when every time I

read the Bible, I don't understand.

But then you.

Continue to do it our faith, believing every time that

you choose to exercise faith to encounter the true and

Living God, that God will meet you, that God will

meet you when you humble yourself, when you're sinking with

all your heart, he will meet you, and you will

taste and see that none can compare to our true

and Living God, that God, when God, when God will

draw near to you as you draw near to Him,

that He will release or that he will be faithful

true because he cannot deny himself.

I'm saying, no, he loves you. He loves you, and

he wants blessings.

He wants you to be happy, he wants you to

make good and godly decisions. And so when you encounter him,

you ask, wow, this is what I missed and you

realize that not the Sunday service, not your you tune,

not your podcast, not another person testimony.

But it's my direct interaction with God that satisfies.

That's the truth. That's a very very very important thing.

So stop settling. So come out of the city and

encountered God for yourself. Second thing, are you repenting? Are

you continuing? Are you stuck in your own ways? Have

you been reviewing things in your life that you know

that something is happening and then you never open your

minds like, hey, maybe God is trying to speak to

me something. Maybe my spouse is telling me something. You

I mean, maybe my pastor even says something is not nice.

But God, I'm so scared that if there is no

fear in my life, I will go hair wire. And

sometimes the fear of God, the fear of getting loosed

on my own like a boat without no anchor and

you're just floating in the ocean air. You don't want

that at all, But sometimes that thing that paints me

is a reminder. Hey, maybe I need to turn my

cell around. Maybe I need to see really re examine.

My life again.

How I speak, how I think, how I behave, and

all these things I need, all.

That I do. Maybe I need to renew as well.

The second thing is that being zealous, being useful and

being fruitful. To be useful and being fruitful, Now you

hang around people are useful and rueful.

That there's the key thing.

You know.

A lot of people say, oh, I want to go

and travel the world and figure out my purpose in

my life.

Just hang around people who are serving you.

I mean, right, why there, I'm not saying that all

no fire kitches, fire builds fire one.

You know, who are you hanging out with.

People who also don't know what they want to do

with their life? You get me, right, Most of the

time we hang around people just we hang around people

who do the things that we are just doing status

for most of the time, you know, because it's the

status core, it's the thing that you're most comfortable.

You go drinking. You just go drinking with them. Now

you payse play there everything.

But you have to ask yourself, who are the people

in my life that God has surrounded me with. They

are actually trying to be useful and trying to be

fruitful as well. So when I hang around them for

a while, I start to like, why are they doing this?

You might start with a lot of doubt.

Yeah, you might dismiss people, ministries and whatever you want.

But then you also cause you what are you doing? Then?

That it's being fruitful and useful? I'm saying you not.

It's so important.

That's why the church grew not on his own and

all the church group esst community. Stop isolating yourself. Is

that oh I don't want to hang around me. That's

exactly what the devil wants to do with you, causing

you to be not useful and fruitful, isolating yourself. But

I tell you make a difference by the people that

you hang around. People who intentionally want to serve God,

people who intentionally want to be useful and fruitful. You

start to realize you are changing. You walk long enough,

you can't help, but oh you need help or not?

You start doing You get I mean, can I say

that this apposition is you know, I do you watch?

Then after that you do what I do? You just

follow you.

Said, oh he's buying food for people or he's preparing.

Oh he's like wow, I don't understand this. But as you.

Do, like the disciples follow Jesus, they realize that the

fruitfulness of Jesus is meant to be.

Inherited by them. You know what I'm saying. Now, Then

you start to inherit it.

Then the zeal that the heat that God, that that

you see in people, the ministry serving that Jesus passed on,

it starts to boil and boil, boil, and you start

to or they.

Can it boil over in your life as well.

Amen, It's a very very important thing that we want

to do. Who are you associating with? You know? And

sometimes a revival could be that you need to plug

yourself out on one environment and from one network of people.

Some people can be toxic, could be sucking you, driving

up and you need to pluck. Some people are just

too comfortable.

For you that you need to remove yourself and plant

in a different place.

Amen.

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

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God bless