Good Christian Maturity | Elder Terence

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

We hope this message will light up your day.

Okay, this morning, I've got a message that it's a

little bit serious. That's because when we are growing up

in a Christian faith and as we are moving to maturity,

we always want ourselves to be in an atmosphere an

area where God can bless us. And sometimes we've reached

certain levels that we seem to get stuck. And you

know what's more, what's extra? What is there that we

need to you know, accomplish before we can receive more

from the Lord. Well, I want to talk to you

about good Christian maturity. And I'm continuing on the Book

of Corinthians, and this time I am doing chapter four,

Chapter four. In chapter four, when you actually read the

whole chapter, you realize that Paul is speaking to the

Corinthian Church and he's asking them this question, how do

we treat or how do you treat Christian leaders? The

thing is is, how do we treat Christian leaders? How

do we treat the ones who have been put over us?

How do we treat a CPCs, How do we treat

our pastors? How do we treat our full time workers.

How do we treat the people who bring the Word

of God? How do we treat them? And you've got

to understand Paul when he was talking, He's not asking

them neither am I asking for you to you know,

asking you for blessings? No, that's not what Paul was doing.

But he was teaching them something that was going to

open doors for them to receive much more. Because you've

got to understand something about the Corinthian Church. They were

people who already believed they had great gifts from the Lord.

They already had great spiritual gifts, they already had great blessings.

They were rich church. They were experiencing a lot of

great things and good things. And you know what, just

like I was talking about, when you're in a rich

country and a fluent country, you're thinking changes because I'm

so affluent, you can't approach me so easily. You put barriers,

you put roadblocks in front of you. And this was

exactly what was happening in the Corinthian Church. So when

Paul came to corinth he wanted to address all these things.

This whole chapter is about getting them correct, This whole

chapter is about getting them to see certain things. So

how do we treat a Christian leaders? Do you consider Okay,

this one? I think I put the language the next light.

It was too much focusing on us. No, that's not

my you know because when I was working on it,

I was just writing as the Lord was speaking to me.

So how do you treat us as the guys who

speak to you the word of God? How do you

treat those who sometimes have to come up to you

and say, hey, you got to change your life. How

do we treat those who come up to you and

say you can do better? Oh? I used to hate

that you can do better because actually I used to

do very well in school. I always used to do

very well in school, and my father would always say

you can do better. I hated that. I mean, among

my siblings are I was scoring like nobody's business. I

was always up there and he can say you can

do better. I'm thinking to myself, what's wrong with you? Men?

You know? Is this what we have for our lives today?

Can we do better? Do we consider God's people or

God's servants? Do we consider those who bring the word

to you every Sunday as God's servant? Do you consider

as faithful as faithful ministers of God's word. I tell

you this. I have been in Christian leadership now for

some time, maybe ten maybe twelve years in ex church,

but maybe a lot more while growing up, and I

can tell you that sometimes people don't like you just

because they don't like your face. And a lot of

people just didn't like my face. I mean, I cannot

understand why they didn't like me. And then when I

went to school, some of my friends told me, why, say,

what's the matter with you? You come like you know everything,

so we didn't like you. So I used to tell them,

is it my faulty if I know everything? See, that's

why they didn't like me even more because I you know,

I'd always make fun of them. But you know, so what,

so what if somebody knows more than you saw? What

if somebody maybe reads a little bit more than you saw?

What is that a reason to dislike them? And then

they all tell me this, we dislike you the moment

we saw you, but once we got to know you,

we loved you. Why can't you just love someone when

you see them? You know, Jesus was like that. Jesus

just loved them even before he met them. He just

loved them. In fact, before they gave his life, before

they even gave their lives to him, he loved them.

Can we be like him? Can we love someone just

because they're a human being? Can we love someone just because, ah,

they're alive and they're good. Hey, guys, you and I

got to realize one thing in this world today. There

are so many things we will not like. We are

not called to react to the things we like or dislike.

We actually call to love. We actually call to love

the person on the left and love the person on

the right. That's why we may not like what they do,

but we can love them with the love of Christ. Hey,

Jesus loved you even before you knew him. And today

you're seated here because he saved you. You're seated here

because you realize and recognize that He gave his life

for you. If there's any person here that does not

know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, this message is

a message that talks about spiritual maturity, Christian maturity. But

I want you to know and I want to get

this out of the way because I love to do this.

I love to share with you. Jesus died for your

sins and mine. He died for us so that we

can be saved. He died for us so that we

do not have to have that spiritual death. He died

for us because he wanted to save us. Sin causes death.

Jesus overcame death. And if you received the Lord and

ask him to forgive you, he forgives you of your sin.

The Bible says you move from death to life. So afterwards,

the CPC will make an announcement and she will say,

if there's anyone here that does not know Jesus christis

Lord and Savior, put up your hands. If you want

to know him, receive him. And when that call comes,

if you do not know Jesus, do receive him. The

world is actually heading to a very very dark place.

I'm sure none of you are unaware of the things

that have just happened over the last few days. I

had some friends in I had one particular friend in

Canada who happens to be such an influential writer that

the Canadian Parliament had him testify before them on gangsterism

and all the works that because he went under cover

and he exposed all this. So we had this guy

who writes and he says, oh, this guy that just

was assassinated, big deal. His divisive is this is that

I couldn't help myself, so I had to write so

an act of cowardice to deal with someone with violence

when they cannot argue his points of view? Is that

what we've become to. Let's not get into that, but

I want you to consider that the people who are

there over you, or who are sharing the word of you,

a word of God with you, do they have your

response as I recognize you as someone who's bringing the

word to me. That's maturity. You know. It's not about

my face. You don't have to like my face. Maybe

I look ugly, it's okay. But what's important is are

these words touching your heart? That's what's important. That's what's

You may not even like the way I address today.

I feel a little bit because I wasn't quite sure

whether all of us are supposed to dress in batty. Yeah,

I'm sorry. I addressed in butty because there was a message,

and then I came here and said, oh, I don't

know whether it's the right thing. I feel a little

bit out of place, but not my You may not

like the way I dress. But the word of God

is still true. Right, this is what Paul says. Paul admits. Okay,

if you read in chapter four, he admits that he

was a judged person. Do you know they judged Paul.

You know why they judged Paul. What is this you

telling me about Jesus? They judged Paul, and you know what,

Paul did not care what they thought of him. Paul

didn't care. You want to think better of me? So

what you know that Paul didn't even judge himself. You

read what scripture says, I do not even judge myself. Guys,

I do not need to have the propping up or

the friendship, or I would say people to come around

and tell, oh, your good, you're God. I don't need that,

you know why? Because I know who I am, believed,

I have believed, and he is able to keep that

which I've committed to him until that day. God does

for me things to encourage me so that I know

where I stand with him. And some of these things

are so great. I just I just recently received a blessing.

I don't mind telling you six figures. And how is

this possible? It's God man. I had to literally fight

or come against huge, huge corporations, international corporations, and this

little person God can still cause to win. How is that?

Because God is not a respect of people. He respects

your heart, he respects your belief in him, He respects

who you are. Guys, we gotta stop looking to things

that causes us to judge by our sight. Paul says

he does not even judge himself because he wants that

judgment comes from God. Hey, guys, we don't want to

live in a world where we are judging people. Why

judge people? You know, if Jesus judged people, he should

have just come and say death to all of you

because we are all rotten sinnus kragn You agree, But

did he come and do that? No? What did he

come to? Father? Forgive them for they know not what

they do. You know that in that prayer he wasn't

just praying for the people that put him on the cross.

He's spraying for us, spraying for everyone. Father, forgive them

for they know not what they do. You know. That's

what you can love about Jesus. He loved us so completely,

there is no doubt in his love. So he didn't

look at us as people who were bad people who

are Sinnis? And that's the sad thing. Do you realize

that this capacity to judge one another? Do you know

whose spirit that is? Do you know whose spirit it

is for us to judge one another? Is spirit the enemy?

Because what the scripture called the enemy the accuser of

the brethren. How are we gonna get on? Whose side

are we gonna get? Are we gonna get on the

side of the Lord? Are we gonna get on the

side of the enemy? You know that, Paul says, And

this is for I know that I he says in

verse four, for I know of nothing against myself. Yet

I am not justified by this. But he who judges

me is the Lord. Ah, let's not wait until the

Lord judges us. Also, let's get a life in order. Okay.

You know I I tell people this all the time.

When we see the Lord, He's not gonna ask us

how much of money we go in the bank. He's

not gonna ask us did you receive a datorship or

a dance fership. He's not gonna ask us things like

that that will mean nothing to him. He's only gonna

ask us one question, what did you do for me? Now?

Does that mean you stop doing all those other things. No,

because in the process of living your life, you have

an opportunity to reach out to the people around you.

A person who is in marketing has a better opportunity

to reach out to the marketing fraternity about Jesus. A

person who's a lawyer has a easier time speaking to

lawyers because he speaks their language. A new covenant. Hey,

Jesus gave you a contract. Okay, it's an contract that

cannot be broken. So they understand that. Because the lawyers

understand contracts, the doctors will understand be healed in the

name of Jesus. And the guy got up and walked,

the doctors will understand what gel is all about. So,

whoever you are in the vicinity of that's where God

has called you. Now. Paul then says in verse five,

I think it is therefore judge nothing before the time

until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light

the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of

the heart. Then each one's praise will come from God. Hey,

you and I, we are not called to be judges.

We're not called to look at somebody else and point

fingers and point. You know you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong. Hey,

you point someone you're wrong. Guess what I can see

three fingers pointing in me? Because what makes us so great?

The Lord actually asked me this question. You know, I

think I shared this with you one day. I was

walking the last time and he says, what's so great

about your face? He actually asked me this question. I

thought to myself, makes sense. I'm not that great. So

what when you take care of those things, then it

really doesn't matter. What matters is how somebody else is.

What matters is whether somebody else is blessed. That's what matters.

In Germany, it's so difficult to share or talk with

people because they are so close it. You'll be nice

to them. They are many suspicious of you. They're not

used to people being nice to them. But you know,

me being who I am, the mable being who she is,

we can't help it lie, you know, So we find

things to connect about. We go on the train and

there's this man with his little dog. You know, he's

so cute the dog was so I look this dog

and I smile. Then I looked at him and said,

do you mind if I pet the dog. You know

what he told me. Actually, normally I will not allow

people to but somehow I think it's okay for you.

So I petted the dog, which is quite unusual. Okay,

but we got into a nice conversation and in the

end we gave him a cart. He was given a

card invited for service connection. We found something to connect with,

so we let God make his presence fell. The Bible

says that when God judges it, when he judges, if

he judges rightly, good things happen for us. So just chill, chill.

You see something not right with the leader. You know

that somebody over you chill. It's okay, It's okay because

in due time God will reveal what if the person

you dislike God approves. You find yourself on the wrong side,

You don't want to rob yourself or blessings. Don't be

like the enemy who find you know the enemy is

always looking for the wrong in us. But you want

to know something about Jesus. He always wants to catch

us doing right. Isn't it lovely? Isn't it when you

look at your child? Don't you want to catch your

child doing something right? The moment you do? Why you celebrate. Yeah,

let's go out for ice cream. No, okay, because you

eat all ice cream? Is it? Yeah? But isn't it true?

I mean, how many of us want are children to

do wrong? Ah? You know, just waiting down there, catch

them doing something we don't. Hey, let's get on board.

Why does Paul do this? He says here, Therefore, judge

not before the time until the Lord comes. Jesus is

coming again. I believe he's coming again soon. God says,

don't judge anything until I come, He who will both

bring to light the hidden things of darkness. When Jesus comes,

all things will be exposed and reveal the counsel of

the hearts. So what you and I cannot see, what's

in the heart, the presence of Jesus will expose. Then

each one's praise will come. If you judged rightly, or rather,

if you had the right feeling in your heart or

the right attitude in your heart, the Lord will praise you.

If the person did right, the Lord will praise him.

If the person seem right in the eyes of many

but did wrong, it will be exposed. Judge nothing before

it's time. But I think the next light that word

in my mind I don't know what it was, but

they will receive praise from the Lord at the appointed time.

So you got to forget that. W A H. I

have no idea what that is. Okay, praise the Lord.

So what was transferred to Paul? Do you know that Paul,

if you read here in in verse six, now these

things brother and I have figuratively transferred to myself and

Apollos for your six that you may learn in us

not to think what is beyond what is written. Guys,

what was transferred to Paul? You know that Paul received

something that that scripture said that he says was transferred

to him. And this is why it's very important for

us to treat your Christian leaders with great respect. Remember

I'm talking about mature things. This is maturity. This is

not about you know, a kid may not just like

something for the sake of not liking it. Oh, I

one day he comes, I don't friend you. Next day

he comes, he friends me. You know, Ashley, when she

was growing up, her most powerful weapon was I don't

friend you. I don't friend you. Are angry with me,

I don't friend you. So I got to recognize that

was her most powerful weapon. But you see it. We

have to realize that we can't be like that. Because

Paul was saying, what was transferred to him was the

Gospel message. And you can admit that where Paul was concerned.

Also because remember Paul went around demon in Christians. He

went around hurting them, He went around persecuting them until God,

until Jesus appeared to him and changed his life. It

was transferred to him the gospel message. You and I

we have the Gospel message in us today. Today, I

have been entrusted with the Gospel message. I'm sharing to

you something that's difficult to share. It's difficult because anytime

you talk about things that help mature us, it's not

so easy. Cragnaut I was this guy talking, does he

want something from us? I don't need anything from anybody.

I'll be honest with you, but I want you to

know it's for your own good, it's for your own benefits,

for your own blessing. And in case you feel that

it's not the case, there's another scripture. And this scripture

is taken from Matthew ten forty one, and it says this,

whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a

prophet's reward. And whoever welcomes a righteous person as a

righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. You know

what that means? Yours is the easier task. You know.

A person who's got to share the word, he's got

to search the scripture. Am I saying the right thing?

Am I saying the wrong thing? He's got to know,

he's got to pray. I got up this morning to

pray for the message. You know, he's got to ensure

that the anointing of the Holy Spirit is on the world.

But all you got to do is be gracious to him.

And guess what, you know, the reward he gets you

also get. And let me tell you, for Asians, it's

quite easier. It's quite easy to be nice. You are

generally a nice people, very very easy to get along,

very welcoming, very you know, friendly. So it's easy for you.

I mean, you didn't have to get up early in

the morning to pray for the message. You didn't have

to search the script Am I doing the right thing?

Am I saying the right thing? I'm saying the wrong

You didn't have to do that. All you did was welcome. Hi.

How are you so good to see you. You get

the prophet's reward, you get the righteous men's reward. Have

you ever seen that description? That way? God is fair?

You know, you think to yourself, how come I don't

have the ecolage? How come you know I'm not a

big boss. How come I'm not a you know, big

Christian boss. Get up there, share talking a lot of people. Hey,

you got the easier you got the easier way. All

you need to do is welcome dema, be nice to them.

What they get you get. It's like this Islam. You know,

it's like I have to study, I have to work.

You know, it's like toiling and toiling and you know,

working hard. If you're carrying weights, it's like carrying twenty

pounds forty eight reps. Okay, okay, and then only you

get one muscle growing, right, the reward. All you need

to do is smile and say welcome, and your muscle

already grew. Which one is easier? That's what Scripture is saying.

The other thing was pausing spiritual insight and revelation. This

was transferred to him, I'm giving you something that's going

to help you go to the next level. Because a

lot of us. Maybe we don't get the opportunity to

stand up here and preach and talk like that. All right,

but it really doesn't matter because someone was given an

inside to help you, someone was given a revelation to

help you. You want to go to the next level, Well,

this is what's being shared, because none of us can

go to a higher spiritual maturity unless we live to

One Corinthians, chapter four, because it's still the word of God,

and we rarely hear of it. We rarely hear one

Corinthians for being shed spiritual inside and revelation. The apostlic

authority and responsibility. Do you know that it's a big

responsibility to share the word of God? And you know

I've shared this with you before. None of us that

share the word of God come up like we know

it all in fact, arenasy? If you can see they're

always knocking, they always because it's with fear and trembling

that we come to deliver the word of God to you.

Because if I am telling you the wrong thing, do

you think I'm going to get away with it? Do

you think the Lord who loves you will let me

get away with sharing something wrong to you? You love

your children? Do you think you will let anyone get

away being harmful to your child. You will protect your children.

And you better believe that everyone who comes here knows

this and is afraid to share the wrong thing with you,

because if they share the wrong thing with you, God's

going to take them to task. And the Bible says

it's scary to fall into the hands of the Lord.

So in verse five, Paul focuses. Paul's focuses on God's

role as the ultimate judge, not on any personal transfer

of knowledge. You see, we tend to glorify the wrong thing.

You know. The Corinthian Church glorified themselves in saying, Ah,

I've got the gift of the Holy Spirit. I've got

the gift of healing. They glorified in that they got

I got this gift and that gift. Paul was correcting them,

grow up, because it doesn't matter what gift you have,

it's the quality of your spirit. In verse seven, it says,

for who makes you differ from one another? And what

do you have that you did not receive?

Now?

If you did not, Now, if you did indeed receive it,

why do you boast as if you had not received it?

You know what this scripture is saying. This scripture is

saying that anything you have is received from God. So

why do you boast? Are you a big deal kind

of a person? Who's Who's the one who's giving the gift?

It's God. We can never boast about anything. You know,

if I deliver a word to you that I feel

satisfied with her. The only thing I can do is

when I go home, thank you Lord. You know that's

my response, Thank you Lord. I believe that the word

connected with the people. I believe that the people received it.

I believe that the people gruesome, you know, they became

more mature, they learn. That is the blessing that I get.

Can I say, Can I ever go to God and say,

you pick the right person? Man? I have to give

the I can really talk up a storm. Don't you

love the way I said it? You know if I

talk like that, that will be the last time I

come up here to share. God will handle me. Who

is the blessing coming from? You? See? These people forgot it.

Paul is essentially saying any uniqueness or distinction you have,

any difference, you have, anything that you got, whether it's talent, wisdom, leadership,

spiritual gifts. It's not you who made it, man, it's

not you and I who made it. It's received from God,

which makes a life very easy because if it comes

from all God, we realize that this comes from God,

it becomes so easy to rely on God for everything.

And that's the way God wants it to be. Boasting

is misplaced because what you're proud of you didn't earn.

How can I boast I didn't earn it. You know,

when you compare yourself against someone else, it's pointless because

all gifts come from God. Do you know that there's

no one gift that's better than another gift? Because what

does the scripture say? All a received gifts so that

you work together to edify the body of Christ. It's

not a hierarchy of gifts. It is a gift to

edify the church. If you've received the gift, praise the Lord.

What's the reason for the gift? So that you make

the church grow? You're lovely? You know there was a

direct Do you know that that Paul was telling them off,

He was rebuking them. He was rebuking the Korendian Church

because it was you know what they were doing, They

were forming cliques. They were forming groups Ah minus the

better group. I got, you know, I got this passed

on my side. I got that. You know, we're stronger. Hey,

that's so silly, because I would rather be in a

clique with God than being a click with men. So

if I were you, you want to get into any clique,

get in the click with God, and then you will

find you don't need to be in a click with you.

Just be nice to all of them. So it says

here that they were forming cliques around different leaders and

active superior based on who they followed. Paul flips the script.

You are all recipients, not originators. Nothing you have you discovered,

nothing you had you created. Who created it is God?

So why act like you're better than someone else? Isn't

it true? Guys? If you find the Lord has blessed

your lot in life and you come up, maybe financially

you've come up, Maybe commercially you come up, maybe in

your standing in the community, that's all right. Don't look

down on somebody else. Just give the glory to God always,

because God is not a respector of men. He just

respects your heart. He loved men, you should also love men.

So the Bible says in verse eight, you're already full.

Paul is telling them you're already full. Men, you are

already rich. You have rayless kings without us. In other words,

Paul is saying, even though I have not been present

with you, you're doing quite well. And indeed I wish

you did rain that we may all reign with you.

But Paul was actually saying, you're glorying on that rain.

You're thinking too highly of yourself. See, even I don't

think like that. Paul is saying, even I don't think

like that. So what did Paul say? They did? Paul say?

They like nothing. He's actually mocking their self inflated view. Guys,

the biggest way to destroy everything that God is helping

you with is for you to think more highly than yourself.

Then you should more highly of yourself than you should.

This is something you must stay away from. Do you

know who thought like that? Lucifer? Lucifer thought, Hey, I'm

up there. I see the angels worshiping God. It looks

pretty good. I look like a beautiful angel. I got

wings as I'm even over the throne. Why don't I

receive some of it? He thought more highly than he

should and what happened He was kicked out of heaven. Guys,

Paul was mocking their self inflated view. They believe they

had everything. But Paul was actually being sarcastic. You got

to you gotta admire Paul. Okay, he knows how to

be sarcastic. He was actually telling them, you know, you

don't have humility. He was telling the Corinthian Church, you

don't have humility, you don't have spiritual maturity. And he's

telling him, are you aware that you are dependent on God?

He even adds ah, I wish you really did ream.

In other words, he's saying you don't ream, you don't

have all these things and power, saying I wish it

could be true, but it's not. It was self declared. Hey,

don't be a self declared king, because if you're a

self declared king, you can end up doing the wrong things.

You know who was self declared? Who self declared himself

to be a priest? Do you know in scripture it

was Saul king? Saul? What is what? What did the

prophet tell him to do? Destroy everything, destroy the animals,

don't keep what did he say? I'm not satisfied just

being king. I want to be a priest. So what

I'm going to do is I'm going to keep all

these animals and I'm going to sacrifice it. And what

did he do? He thought he was a priest, right

he sacrificed it. And what did the prophet come and say?

What's this bleeding or sheep? I hear? Because you did

not obey me, the kingdom's taken away from you. Ah,

what a shame. Paul's word reflects how easy it is

to mistake spiritual gifts or status for spiritual depth. This

is what I'm trying to get at you, and I

must never look at the obvious. We have to look

at a maturity. Are we matured Christians? Are we matured

children of God? Or are we still babies in the

way we think? If you have this sense of pride,

I'm bettered at this person? Why should you be there?

Do you know this is what we have faced before?

All right, I'm better than you. Why should you be there?

I don't recognize how you've been lifted up because I

should be there. I'm better than you. Or you got

to look out for that. If that's you, give it

up to the Lord, because it is a blockage to

everything that's coming your way. You've got to recognize the

need to grow, because when you think too highly of yourselver,

that means there's no more room to grow. And you

got to align yourself with the suffering and services or

service of Christ's apostles. You know, when you read the scripture,

he's basically saying, all these people are so caught up

with the blessings that they forget that the real servants

of the Lord suffer to bring them the gospel, to

bring them the truth. They're the ones who face the

difficulties in the world because they have to speak up

the truth. Guys, this message today is very difficult for

me to share with you because this is not something

that is. It is words of words and maturity are

the most difficult things. It's so much easier to share.

Oh God loves you, how are you today? God wants

to heal. Those are nice things. But here we are

talking about you want to get better in life. You

have to change. I have to change. We have to

do what's right. So Paul described sarcastically the Corinthian churches.

Oh you already full. Actually they were full, you know what?

They were full of they were full of themselves. Let's

not be full of ourselves. Are we rich? What are

we rich in? Are we rich in love? If they

were rich in love, it would have been all okay.

But instead, you know what they were rich in I'm

better than you. Oh what a dangerous place to be.

Reign like kings. I rule, man, I rule. You know

how many of you have seen this v videos? These

videos on on on TikTok or Facebook. They always come door.

You don't ask for it where you know it's competition, right,

like boxing or like mma or whatever it is. You

never ask for it, but it comes and it will

be one follow it so cocky, you calm down, go

slap the guy in the face. And then the other

guy is so quiet, And then when the competition actually starts,

the follow just one guy gave whack. He's knocked down.

We don't want to be like that, all right. We

don't want to be thinking we are kings. Let God

tell us we are kings. Let God come down judges

and say, well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter

now into the joy of the Lord. That's what we

want to what we want to look for, that's what

we hope for the Corinthian Church wore already acting like

spiritual royalty. I'm coming to you, and okay, they're coming

acting like spiritual royalty, boasting in their status, wisdom, and associations.

Their ego was fed by the prime of human leaders.

Paul is saying, you think spiritual greatness looks like status

and comfort. Look again, spiritual greatness, Eh, it looks like suffering, servanthood,

and sacrifice. There can be no glory unless there's suffering, servanthood,

and sacrifice. Ego seeks recognition, comfort, and superiority, but godly service.

I like this embrace us obscurity. You know what that means.

Nobody knows who you are. Nobody knows who you are

the service of the Lord. It's a lonely ask. Sometimes

it's hardship, it's humility. But I want you to know

in all this, if you read from verse fourteen onwards,

Paul doesn't want to end with it seeming like it's

all about rebuke. But what he wants to know is

he wants them to redefine success in the light of

the Cross. It's good to be successful. Nobody's arguing about that.

It's good to have spiritual gifts. It's good to have

a standing in the Kingdom of God, but you know how,

you've got to view yourself in the light of the cross,

meaning that how does Jesus want me viewed? How does

Jesus want me to be received by the people? How

should I behave with all the spiritual things that I

have in my hands? That's what God is after. And

do you know what That's what makes the difference between

a matured Christian and someone who doesn't quite understand what

God is looking for. So, guys, you know, I just

want you to know that scripture today is a little

bit different. I don't normally share something like this, but

since the Lord spoke to me and said share from

the Book of Corinthians, I can't avoid it. It's not

the normal message that I would have loved to share.

I can't avoid it. Guys, It's not difficult to do

what's right. All we got to do is if you've

forgotten everything that I told you today, just don't look

at your service God's gift to Eartha, that's all. Look

at yourself as a servant of the Lord most High.

Look at yourself as someone who's there to help her.

Look at yourself as someone who's in a position to

bring joy to someone else. The moment you take your

face out of the equation, what's so great about your face?

The moment you take your face out of the equation,

trust me, things become a lot easier. It becomes a

lot easier to live as a Christian because it's not

about you, it's not about me. It's about somebody else.

And that's what Jesus is after, right, He's after somebody else.

He's after that person on your left to the person

in your right. He's after that person that doesn't know

him because he wants them to receive him, to know

him and to be saved.

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

information on our church, please visit aschurch dot org. We

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

this week is going to be a good week, a

hit for you. God bless