Be Strong in the Grace of God | Pr Matthew

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All right, So time with me to two Timothy. I

will start a chapter two. Okay, I apologize I won't

start with chapter one because if I do, I will

have to send you some slides which will be helpful.

But I don't think I will have to take time

to find it. But I'll start with chapter two. But

it's fine, you guys will be able to catch it. Okay,

start a chapter two. It's actually the chapter two is

actually quite long, and when I just came from EPG,

I only cover fifty percent. So I will do the

justice with you guys to cover fifty percent. Okay. If not,

you will you'll be here for a long time. Okay.

So it's second Timothy, chapter two, and so hor I

will do is that I'm gonna go through versus and

then go through line by lane with you guys. Okay.

So the Book of Timothy is a book of discipleship. Okay.

Why is the theme for this year for Extra Disciples? First? Okay,

they did a survey about what is the most common

subject what they call the theme that's been preached in

most churches in Asia. You know, what's the theme about discipleship, discipleship,

And it's not a coincidence. You know, it's not a

COVID incidence where they teach about discipleship a lot of people. Hey,

you know, we should teach a balance of things. Okay,

we teach a balance of things. We should sometimes cover

it being about end times, should cover Old Testament law.

But discipleship has been a very big mainstay of many

churches teaching about it as well, because a lot of

problems come from lack of discipleship. Docus. You can have

all the knowledge by discipleship problem that sit and if

you look into the churches the gospel, most of the

problems that happen are problems of lack of discipleship as well. Okay,

lack of discipleship. And so the theme is this year

is about discipleship and the way we want to look

into discipleship. It's not just it's from a different perspective.

Maybe we look at it apart from just Jesus and

the disciples. We look at another level, another generation of discipleship.

Relationship between Paul and Timothy. Okay, Paul and Timothy. Now

Paul is someone who is a bit more seasoned ready.

His call to apostleship is actually very unique. Okay. He's

not like the twelve Disciples who walked a and you know,

the ministry with Jesus, Paul was very unique. He never

did none of that and he just met Jesus in

the middle of the road, okay. And it's very unique

rode for him. And Timothy also quite unique. Timothy he

met the grandmother and mother first. Okay. I think it's

a lydia and unique if I'm not mistaken. And so

Timothy was actually very young. And when Paul traveled in

his second massionary trip, he couldn't stay in certain places

too long. The maximum he stayed in one place is

probably about two years maximum. Okay. And soul because he

planted so many churches, he had to appoint elders and

also pastors as well. And one of the main churches

that were set up in outside of Jerusalem was the

was the Church in Ephesus. Okay, church in Ephesus. So

Church in Efficts happened, and Timothy, in the absence of Paul,

has been asked to take charge and to lead the church,

very young church. It's like Mila, like unbunk like that.

You know, evertas in the big cities like ex bunk

like that. You can take thing about it that way, okay.

But there were many challenges that came to it. The

most important challenge was that Paul by the time when

he wrote the second Epistle, is that he was in

jail at that time. How many times have been Paul

in prison before? How many? You know? How many? Say,

one time, two times, three times? Okay, let's narrate. How

many times have you been in prison in Rome before?

In Rome? One time, two times? Okay. The first time

his imprisonment was house arrest, house arrests, Okay, house arrest.

He was in a by the read by the time

you read in the Book of X. After the ship

wreck and he started walking to Rome, he ended up

in house arrests. He was a very comfortable arrest okay,

A bit like mc all okay, just like oh no,

but nothing to do but the right letters, you know,

write letters or letters. Okay. The second imprisonment happened, okay,

was may unique. A second imprisonment happened because something happened

in the government, something happened in Rome. Okay, Sorry, I've

not been speaking to the mic. Okay, something happened in

Rome that time. There was an emperor called Emperor Nero.

How many of you know Emperor Nero? How many have

you heard of Emperor Nero before? Yes? No, he is

one of the most famou emperors the emails. Famous, famous

for what for almost for two things mainly. Okay, famous

first of all for being uh not. Let's say, some

people say he is involved or not involved in the

Great Fire in Rome. Hey, there was a great fire

in Rome. Rome is a very unique city. It's it's

very beautiful, but yet it's just one corner where it's

like a slum. It's like a slum. And the people

at that time were full of hubrit's and pride and

were saying that, and especially in Nero. He said that

this part of Rome was so beautiful and this part

is so ugly, it cannot happen in my lifetime. And

his grandplan was to rebuild Rome according to the image

and glory he wanted as well. So some people say

that the Great fire in Rome was started by him.

Some people say that it cannot because he was on

the other side of the city. He could have started

it as well. That's when when I was in Rome,

there was someone telling me about that. No, no, it's

not Nero who started you know, stuff like that as well.

But anyway, the fire started. The fire started in Rome,

burned a majority of half of the city of Rome,

especially the poor. The rich not so much affected. The

poor were really very greatly affected. And because of that,

he thought that nobody would make noise, you know, but

people were making noise from the Senate looking well, find

out who was it really? And so Nero feeling, you know,

trying to find Escapegod. Who did he blame? Christians? He blamed?

Why did he blame the Christians? And how why is

it so easy to blame the Christians at that time? Okay,

they blamed the Christians because the Christians were forthcoming at

that time, blooming, and they preached one very important message

not that just not that, just not that Jesus just

died on the cross, but Jesus rose from the death.

Remember this are the most important power in the cross. Yes,

Jesus that on the cross, but the most important important

power is that Jesus rose from the death. You know

why that Jesus rose, and that is so powerful even

to non believers, because if there's if there's a second life,

nothing in this life matters. You're're saying what I'm saying now,

doesn't matter where you're poor, your rich, your abuse not abuse,

you are sick, you are lame, whatever, your children, whatever happen,

doesn't matter because there's another life, all be brought to

life again. This life is like a temporary but there's

another life. You get what I'm saying. So when you

give someone a perspective about an eternal perspective about this life,

they've got nothing else to lose, you know, in this

world when someone when you that's why it is ever saying.

My dad used to tell me that when you fight someone,

don't fight someone who's got nothing to lose, because you

got too much to lose. Youah, you mean right. You

don't fight with someone who's got nothing to lose, or

who's got back and the corn, nothing else. They will

fight with that life, you can mean right. So there's

nothing more powerful to empower people, Okay, especially now people

around to tell them there is another life, that God

is that God, that Jesus is that, and then you

have eternal life, so they will not focus on their

present worries, but they will focus on doing what is

the right to secure the next. When you are eternally minded,

are no government, no political party can control you. No

one can control you. That is why on the other

side of the extreme you think that you have eternal reward,

but in the wrong way, you are also being manipulated

as well. So you can mean right, it's also it's

it's a double edge of so as well. So the

Christian fair of proclaiming Jesus as the Lord and Savior

but also with eternal life is extremely extremely powerful, a

very potent political power. And they were winning a lot

of the people, winning a lot of the people. Uh.

And that and and and during that time because of that, uh,

the Christian were also alienated by the Jews their own ah.

And also they were accusing Christians for a lot of

nonsense things. Say for example, they were accusing them of

what of cannibalism? Why they were saying that, hey, these

Christians are every week they go to from house to house.

Sometimes they do it in the cave or so they

take the body of Christ and they drink the blood

of Christ and partake in euchrest or communion one and

all Ah these people, and because they were persecuted, they

did it in the hidden as well. They did house

every where. You mean that every week that they're eating people.

And sometimes they think they're practicing witchcraft, you know, because

a lot of times, oh you believe in Jesus, why

these Christians are going to the river and starting taking

people are confessed, and then put them in the water

and take them out again, you know, and then they

come out different one and all, oh practicing what kind

of witchcraft are they doing? On? Nonsense and stuff like

that as well. You know. Oh, so a lot of

things that were being spread about Christianity that made them

re really really unattractive. They were. They were blaming everything

from natural disasters from poor farming to flooding and everything

to Christians. And eventually they will say that, oh, how

come you know, but Romans, Romes have every god, so

many god, Greeks have got, but you come here and

then you preach only one god. You're so unaccepted, so unlerving.

You get me, right? They say all these narrative and

because a lot of our political narrative. But yeah, the

Christians were the one They were feeding the poor, doing

house breaking, bread sharing, their meal with people as well.

They get me, like they say, but they don't demonstraight

I'm saying, you know, so they were blaming a lot

of Christians. And because of that time, and because eventually

you see, when you start the narrative, rumor and around

and napha, everybody believes, you know, without knowing what is

really happening, they start to really pay Christians as really

the cause of everything, every problem in this world. And

the world is starting to see that as well. The

Christians are the main problem in this world, okay, and

then before long they will say that we need to

carry our Christians, we need to burn their script, their words,

very very powerful, remove them. And they started with who Paul.

They started with Paul, okay, the main leader who has

been going around and and they had many friends as

all people who were selling eithers the Goddess of Diana

or the silvers media were making money from me everybody.

He had many, many opponents, many many people who hated him.

If you were appearing on the news, in the in

the social media right now, I can tell you search

for Paul, you will find all the negative things about

Paul before you find one good thing about him. If

you go on Facebook, you probably find all the negatives

in all the Instagram, all the all the influences. They

will say bad things about Paul before you find one

good thing about him. This is how it will be.

They control the narrative, everything, the feed and the field

that they will control everything. The moment you say differently,

they say that, who are you a spy? You get

me right? This is where the world. It has not

been done, it has done been done before. And what

we have but is passed down one and it's passed

down the control what you what you hear, what you

feel and everything. And so because of that, Christians became prosecuted.

You know what they did, killed hundreds and thousands of Christians.

Some of them they put them in tiding up and

led them out as like a match and torched them

in the night as well, put in the gladiator ring

eaten by lions. Is all stuff as well. So many

of them, including Apostle Peter Okay was killed as well.

That's why you had the same Peter's Basilica in Rome

right now where the pope is, right now where he

was what they called it crucified. So many martyrs were

killed because of this fear and narrative. Sometimes you think

that news and power have no power. They have extreme

power to kill a lot of people. Okay, Now I

went a tension off a bit. Okay, but but that's

the introduction to second Timothy. Now because of this, Paul

has been in prison. Right, the church in Ephesus have

a big problem, have a big problem. What's the big problem?

Their main pastor, Timothy is his direct disciple, direct disciple

Paul causing in sun And so you have a problem

you as a church, and imagine ex sometime have a problem.

You know, you have maybe your senior pastor you know

in prison like that. Everybody you know said all these

all sort of thing, and then people start to asking

are you associated with him? You'd be scared in it?

Give me the least of all your church members. I

want to know who they are. How you'd be scared

and terrifiesing it. Timothy was scared because people in the

church were telling him, disassociate with Paul. You all your

duty to love your church. So there were threats from

outside and there were threats from inside as well. Some

people say, whether you'd reach a compromise, Okay, we believe

in Jesus, but don't talk about the resurrection in which

is what is happening in chapter two here, because there

are people who are telling that the resurrection has gone ready.

Two resurrections are the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection

of the Body gone ready. So compromised, either you disassociate

with Paul with Jesus, or either you change your gospel okay,

in another country. I don't want to tell you. They

even change the gospel the Bible directly. You know they

change directly. You want to know, really, you know, so

that you wonder rate I will change it. Lord have

mercy on that people. They will change the gospel directly.

But let's read here chapter two, verse one. You, therefore,

my son, be strong in the grace that it is

in Christ Jesus. So Paul tells Timothy. He said, you

need to be strong, okay, but strong, not in any sense,

but be strong in the graze. Be strong in the grace,

not strong in your word, strong in your words. Strong

and but strong in the grace. Because Paul knows that

there's nothing you can do apart from Christ. Only God

can preserve and save the church. Only God, not the pastors,

not me, not you. No ministry. Only God can save

the church, make no mistake about it. So the thing

that we have to continue growing stronger is in the grace.

What does it mean to grow in the grades strong

and stronger in the grace. It's like we need to

understand we are not a durient tree. We are an

or kid. We are a grape vine. A duran tree

is it's on trunk. You know, Hey, come to me

and I'll give you. You're not careful, you'll drop you

on your head. Okay, you cannot grow on the strong

on your own. To be strong in the grace means

that you grow. As you grow, you clean onto the

main trunk or the support even tighter. The higher you climb,

the higher the tighter, the stronger you tighten. You know,

you know what I'm saying. And the vine has to

be It's right. You want to reach, you want to

reach the sun. Everything you have to tighten. You have

to cling onto Jesus even more so, what does that

mean in our current life? So as you grow into

more challenges in your life, are you praying more? Have

your faith grown last week and this week? Has it

grown more? Have you depended on Jesus more last year

and this year? Do you see a difference you depended

on this more? Have you even faster? More? Has fast

and even come into your mind even when you want

to fast? Have you even given more? What is in

your life that you have depended on Christ more? Or

are you the same? You know what I mean?

Right?

What have you changed? The series? I God, look into

my heart. I depend on you? But nothing changes. You

say the same thing, you sing the same song, but

nothing in your life style has changed? When you when

you parent your children, you depend on God more? Or

you just simply react? And another time we'll talk about parenting.

But it's given right? So many things? Okay, When you

want to choose a job, do you depend on God more?

Or basically whatever they throw of you, it's a nice,

shiny better pay you know, then you take it? Or

do you really really depend on God more? And then

commit to him? And in verse two it says, and

the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, Okay,

commit these to faithful men who will be able to

teach others also. So now Paul is teaching Timothy here. Okay,

you know that I'm in prison. Okay, you know that

I'm in prison. You know that I'm in prison for

the Gospel and the resurrection that I preach. Therefore, you

must be strong. And when you the reason you must

be strong is because I need you to pass on

these faithful teaching, these teachings to faithful men. Okay, he

has to pass it on and commit this to faithful

men who is able to teach others also. Okay, So

now why is it so important for uh, for Timothy

to commit these things? Okay? That is where the difference

I'm gonna draw with our modern day churches. Now this alone.

A lot of times when we have ministry and discipleship,

we take things or the teachings and the blessings as

it's a personal teaching and a personal blessing. There's nothing

wrong with that. Pass this message today is for me,

thank you, And I went back and I meditated there

and preaching on the word thank you. What Paul is

telling you is that these faithful truths, whether it's a

resurrection and everything, it's not meant to be personal. It's

meant to be generational. It has always been generational. Turn

to your neighbors, say generational. You see when you work

in a company, you start to realize there are information

that is for personal information and they are public information.

If somebody say, for example, your boss tell you get

extra fifteen day live, but not just for you, for

everyone in your department. You got the email. You only

you got the email, but you are the manager and

you are in charge of them. You hurt that, but

you never tell your colleagues and your subordinates and you

get to take edgtion of fifteen they didn't know, and

they didn't take addition of fifteen fifteen they live. Who

do they think they're gonna blame You're gonna blame the

boss or blame you. Blame you because the information that

will passed to you was not personal. It was meant

to be for the rest and public. It was generational.

So there is a blessing to hearing what we have

to hear. But at the same time, there is a responsibility.

You're getting a responsibility to it. Same thing with parents.

I'm talking parents, I'm talking every minded. The things that

we hear. You have to understand a lot of things

we hear are generational. You come here, you hear, but

then you're blessed by it. But that you don't commit

or to teach others, or to pass it down, or

to make sure that it is you know, properly disseminated

to those who need it as well, then you become

an unfaithful steward. Timothy is in the same basket here.

Paul is telling you what you hear from me for everyone.

I need to commit to you right now. But remember

this is for everyone, and so it is you're a

responsibility not just to pass it on. You need to

know how to pass it on, what to pass on,

and how to pass it on. It is your responsibility,

as someone who's more mature, to be able to identify

who are faithful men. And if God has surrounded you

with faithful men and you do not pass to them, God,

it's going to hold you accountable, like how Paul is

basically holding Timothy accountable. You get me, right, because these

letters to written to everyone. You hear me said, so

in a sense, it tells the church that we have

a responsibility to pass on, you know, forget to pass

to identify faithful people. I hope that they are faithful

men and women here, and then all the faithful men

and wo men will be faithful to pass it down

so that what is generational will have a generational blessing,

makes sense or not, what is generational will have generational blessing.

And this is emphasized throughout this whole entire chapter. It's

so important. Okay, now because now we understand what Paul

is commissioning to this, Timothy say say in verse three, okay,

you therefore mass and your hardship as a good soldier

of Jesus Christ. Oh now it's enduring because the passing

on is difficult. It's not easy. You're not just hey,

just forward what's up to somebody, and now do we

do that? And hey, you just do it, But we

have to teach, you know, just passing on okay, you

have to internalize it, share it and then simple person

tell them walk with them. Okay. To a lot of

people nowadays, say hey, you can pass down whatever to me,

and I need to mean that. Just send me the

video and stuff like that as well. No, no, no, no, no,

you can do that. Do you do that to your

own children? No, we actually sit down, make sure you eat.

I'm gonna site that and watch you eat your food.

You can, and we do these type of things, you know.

So we gotta watch what how how we say things.

Sometimes I got to be very careful. Okay, now this

is very important, he says. You therefore must and your

hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one

engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life.

Then he may please him who enlist who enlisted him

as a soldier. And also, if anyone compete competes in athletics,

he is not crowned unless he competes according to the

rules underlying that the hardworking farmer must be first to

partake of the crops. Consider what I say, and may

the Lord give you an understanding in all things. That's

that's understand what he is trying to say for a while. Now,

First thing, Paul says that you know, uh, he talks

about that associating yourself like a soldier. What is the

opposite of a soldier? Yes, civilian? Okay, the opposite of

a soldier is a civilian. What differentiates them a soldier

and a civilian? A soldier fights, civilian just goes around,

you know, finding safety. You know, on a Sunday morning,

a civilian wakes up and decides should I have lucking

coffee or should I have Zoo's coffee? Should I have

chagi or tea? Life? He still lives your life? You

know you know what I mean? Right? Should I use

grab or should use foot? Foot? Still around? Right? When

you smooth panda around? You know? Sure? Where to go

for lunch? Should I go to in the mar or

should go to Kelsey? See? Okay? A soldier is what

do you get to decide what time you wake up?

You don't get to decide what then? You wake up

five o'clck? You wake up five o'clock round five km,

seven k and ten km you run? Tell you to

march in the rain? Your much? Or so? Can you

decide how to want you to leave your room? Like mass?

Everything must be made up, isn't it. I used to

go to a boys boarding school for the army, one

in Sharra's side. Uh So they some of these you know,

it's a very good school and it's very interesting, so

some of them will see something. So this the only

I think they only do for from four and from

five they select the cream of the crops from some

of the schools. Uh now, from upcoming from four us

as they go so from four was their first year.

And when they went there, when I first saw them turning,

the first bade autelity was so miserable. They don't say

they cannot be CUsing in front of you. I can

tell the one like, it's so miserable. And any of

the suffree they got hazing, a lot hazing. Also. Now

the seniors take advantage of there. Then this thing is

that second year I went and I saw the same people,

you know, and that's a oh your life, good sir,

how like ready, good sir, You're gonna graduated. Everything is

okay fast, we're going to move forward. And I did

well for my studies total change, toll to change. First

year I saw a civilian. Second year, I saw a soldier. Soldier.

So want to start sending your kids there? They are

so disciplining or so disciplining or you know what they

the night they must have a plan, they must execute

their plan six or seven mil six to I think

half an hour for their feminar meal this time. And

then they what they do before they study. They clean

their room first, you know, clean your room, everything clearer.

Then from eight onwards ninety study nothing else, study straight studying,

no more. All the time, study homebo everything they go

there do to do ten thirty everything they might do

other things like that. By the day you're stick everything

regimented studying not like you know something. When I was young,

I started when I feel like I want to go

start backs and have a muffin and you know this,

you know, then I have a WiFi or the wife

I got, you know something, that wife, I would feed

you in your YouTube and I chiat you, and then

I want to study tree chapter. I ended up studying

tree sentences. Only you know these things you know, and

then after that you drama the day before your high

before you examine.

You know.

So they were regimented. So a soldier don't get to

decide a lot of things. First of all, you know,

civilians get to return home with warm clothes and food.

Soldiers you go to where you are called to. You

eat whatever's in your plate. Or today I feel like

kim gi, no kimchi. You eat whatever that's in there.

It looks like, you know, processed dog food, but you

still eat it. Okay, you still eat it. Now there

I don't want, you know, mammy, and then the order

and I don't want to eat crazy, But It's true.

You know, I see so many places. You know, I'm

also gonna okay, we have to, but this is true. Okay,

you know you fight and more. Okay, this is very important.

The difference between a soldier and a civilian when the

war happens. If you're seeing World War two, right, you've

seen a civilian, a civilian, and when they're caught in

the war, what do they say? What do they ask?

Why am I here? I want to go home. I

don't belong here. Why is this happening? This is what

they say. And sometimes when you go into war, when

things get really, really bad, you see a lot of

soldiers becoming civilians. It's just overwhelming. They they drop by,

I don't want to be here. I want to get away.

And know they lose their soldiers and then their soldier spirit,

and then they became a civilian. They ran away, you know,

a soldier became a civilian. They wonder why, they hear

why I think shooting? I wonder why? Why? Why?

Why?

Why?

Why?

And why they're caught up in the why. But a

soldier in war, they don't ask why they are here.

They're asking where do we go next? How do we

survive life. You mean right, total different mindset now you

mean like who you are changes your mindset. It's very different.

So what Paul is trying to tell him a dar

Now you see the game has changed, the idea persecution

is full on. You need to change your mindset. Now

you are not a civilian, you are a soldier. You

need to enjoy, you need to fight. You need to

stop wondering why you cannot get entangled in the affairs

of the world. Sometimes when you see we are not

in the sense we're comfortable, we're not in war, but

war is coming at people may not mistake it's a

spiritual what is happening is coming, may not mistake. Okay,

and we have to get ready. We cannot be looking

at hey, that fella has a nicer car and place

and everything. You know they are blessing, but it's like,

how can I don't have? And you spend a lot

of your Christian life five ten years on your how

can God can never give me more blessings? Instead of

focusing the blessings that you have, the truth that you have,

and focus on passing on everything, every word and every

blessing has become just personal me, me, me, me, me,

you forget the things that you were supposed to be

stewards of generational blessings. You get me saying no, it's

very very very very very very very important. Okay, Now

what's the second example he quoted here? Okay, he says that,

how about anyone who completes in athletics, he is not

crowned unless he competes according to the rules. So what's

the opposite of athletes fans spectators? Isn't it couch potato? Again,

someone said that you what's the opposite of athlete? I

sayd couch potato. Someone said that, why coach potato? Everybody

likes farming and vegetating. So the opposite of athletes is spectator.

Isn't it spectating? But what's the difference between in terms

of lifestyle? No, a spectator you wait four years to

go to an Olympic? Hey, what so that you just

pay touch touch, go, go grab great the enno, the

dad can go in readias and the spectator an athlete

you pay the price, isn't it You can't eat the

normal meals people eat, You can't do the normal lifestyle

they do as well. That's why I was playing basketball

I was representing my seaboo for a while. By the

end of my phone foward my dad say bye bye.

You want to player, you play someone like you cannot.

You cannot graduate. And I really you know why because

they require me to go to different places. You know,

during my exact time as well, I couldn't follow. I

cann't commit as well. You can mean right, because the

life of an athlete, you have to really commit one.

You really have to commit one. You had to be

practice a few practice a lot of times. I know,

I play basketball in some places. I know some of

the people who own basketball clubs, and they are quite

rich on their own basketball clubs. They pay out their

own pocket. So how they it's like their own hobby. Okay. So,

and they tell me the difference between good and professional players. Okay,

so the basketball play there where you pay a salary.

Some of them pay five thousand and six thousand a

month to play one. Okay. So, but you will see

the at of people like to join. And suddenly some

of them show up late, half an hour, one hour training,

got four times away, they only come up two times.

When they come they're not prepared. They forgot all the

things and everything as well. Within two weeks, person card

off ready out of the team, ready, and the person

went on social media, go and complained the fella score

things and that. But they these people are no nonsense.

One they pay you. You got to live up to

a certain standard. When they pay you your life. And

you think that, oh it's approved, it's just glory and

they know what they call it, famer. Oh no, you

have to change right now. It's a responsibility to upkeep

and to perform for your team is so high. But

then you know, and the most important thing is that

athletes don't get to make the rules. I have things together.

You have to play within the rules of the game.

When you when when when when the coach I said

you you go in? You ready or not you care

to go in? Maybe you haven't played for one year? Ready,

suddenly coach asked you to go in out of nowhere.

And it has happened before and on and you're not ready.

So the good players are the ones who always stay ready.

You know, the good ones are always so My daughter

just started playing basketball and she didn't get into the

first five light up and after that when she did

went in, she was so lost. And you say it

as an opportunity to tell her. I tell you, I

tell her, you want to crack the rotation. You want

to be the first five. I tell you you have

cannot play like the rest. You have to play above them, beyond.

You have to make you have you Maybe in three

months you only get five minutes, but you got to

make the five minutes counter that you're gonna fight with

your life. You get me right. If not, you will

never stand out. You get you had right. You cannot

wait for the ball. You have to go to the ball.

You get me and like that's the intent. That's why

I love sports. You get me right. I like to

even you say, hey, your father was so strong with

the daughter, but I love it. You get I mean,

like this is this is the world. You mean right?

You have to fight. You can know you can no, no,

no such thing as softy you wanna. It's only strong

oney in my family. Don't care why some of you

that this father, but watch too much NBA Redie. But

I love it. You know as teacher John, he played

basketball in me or so It's true. I believe in that.

I love sports because of that. You get yourself exposed

to them. You get yourself with so exposed, with so

many types of dynamic you cannot work with people. Some

people don't like you, some people better than you, some

people are There are so many intermingling or forces that

you have to constantly uh manage and survive. And now

there's no time to feel sad about it. Things you

know to only continue with when you need your friends.

But how are you gonna know what? We then communicate

with them to make things work together. Even though you

don't like each other, you can still play as a

team one and all you get me, there's a uniqueness.

And now this, oh, I don't love my boss. I

don't want to work anymore. No, the key the greatness

of CEOs is that they work with people they don't

like but are very useful. That's greatness, you know. But

now this we cannot we get personal feelings and emotions

in a way so much now, so that's a's And

then the third one, the hardworking farmers is the first

to partake off the crops. And we have farmers. What

is the opposite of a farmer consumer? Isn't it consumer?

Farmer and consumer? What's the difference? You know, there's a

I have a friend who he uh he is a

family they decide to go to. They want to solve

like have a farm, to live off the farm and

stuff like that. They're trying it out. Okay, so one

there and then they are earning a living by wearing

chickens or so. So they are about fifty to sixty

chickens chicks akay, organic chickens. One night okay, so there

are chicken. They have a fence around to ward off

all the all the foxes, monkeys, dogs and everything else

as well. One night a pack of dogs came and

that underneath the fence and killed all the chickens, kill

all of them more. It's a scene. So you wake

up while you see all your chickens die. It's a scene.

It happened just like that one. I think farming easy.

You don't get to choose who comes into your farm.

Who know they don't like, don't sometimes they are chicken.

They are snakes who come and eat all the chickens

as well, birds who come and eat as well. They

are don't get to choose who attexts you you have

to be diligion. Sometimes there are diseases. You know. My

dad used to be a chili. Chili farmer tells me

chili farmers. Chili farmers are good. But once I have

a disease, they can wipe out within a week or two,

wipe out a completely hundreds of eco wipe up palm oil.

I used to be in the palm oil industry as well,

doing audit. I used to go into the ground and

do audit. Fascinating actally. I quite like palm oil, very

very interesting. One of the biggest thread to palm oil

the beetle. When you have a cut with that tree

and the trunk, they don't clear it, and a lot

of the beatles they infest inside. I tell you what

you see sometimes when you go to like in Malaysia,

you go walk past palm oil, especially the old one.

You see certain leaves are they are like boiling, not

the tree and the leaves are like dried up, you know,

and then like beaten though those are the beetles. Are

you thing? A week or two what they can wipe

out so much of the plantation and it's so hard

to catch. They had to put a net like a

wal net across acasa so that when the beatles fly

and they catch it on the thing. Very difficult. Now

you know, like how hard it is are to manage plantation,

very verydicular. Then another one is elephants are elephants come?

You know, they like to go to the plantations, a

housing area, eat things and Trampone that's actually not tigers

are the worst biggest threat is actually elephants. Elephants are

more dangerous than anyone else already. So you don't get

to choose all of these things. You don't get to

do the diseases, you don't get to choose the seasons.

Sometimes there's the drought, sometimes there's flooding anything. So the

farmer doesn't care about their preference, cares about they're always

watching the season. They're always watching and watching and watching,

you mean, right, and their lives revolves around that. And

so the Christian life is the same as well. Now

you're not watching as a spectator. You're you're watching as

a farmer. You're watching as a farmer, as leaders, as believers.

Are you're watching or not because.

You are, You're you're just saying, oh something happened, Oh

no said No, you're watching because it affects you and

the people that you're guiding, the people, your families and.

Everyone because something generation means to be passed onward. So

you're watching and if it's not you immediately you attend

to it. You know, you attend to it. All of

us are called to be like that. We're not just

farmers spectators. So we're not just spectators. Uh, and the

civilians we are called to be soldiers, athletes and farmers

as well. Okay, these are all the qualities that God

has called us to be. Okay, now, now verse seven

it says, consider what I say, and may the Lord

give you understanding in all these things. So Paul is

saying that now that you understand that the mindset that

you have and the identity you need to have in

your life, you will start to grow immaturity. You will

start to grow in understanding. You're saying what I'm saying

that Sometimes a lot of times you see the people

who are spectators are they say the most ignorant things

about a player. This player didn't play hard enough, they

like to use hard enough, didn't they didn't want it

more more than under the persever it's super lative. You're

not very very exaggerated. You didn't want it as more

as that person. You didn't pay hard, very ignorant statements.

Oh he didn't have to hear no, no, no, no. These

are very poor narratives. But when you start to go

into what they do, you start to realize, Oh, you

don't understand. When you don't go to farms, you don't

realize how much they how much they pay, how much

cost they go into it to take care of it.

You are very ignorant, you have no maturity. You get

easily angered, you get easily offended, You go into silly

disputes with people, You ask for silly prayer points. It's true,

and you spend so much time with it. That's what

the devil does to distrac to deceive, and to drain

youw drain you. I don't have time, you know. Actually

I have a testimony, but I don't have time to

share it. But it's true. So many of our churches

were so many of you in our present church we

are so we are doing so many things of our

own strength, so many of our own strength. When they

say doing it's not just programs you now, I'm talking

about counseling people. I'm talking about trying to get people

to come to church. I'm talking about you're not trying

to make ministry. We are so much out of our

own strength, so much, and after a while, I tell you,

people will disappoint you. Even your families disappoint you. They

will disappoint you. So how do we avoid from being

drained out in this ministry, which is filled with so

many potential forces, is to cling on to the grace

of God, cling onto the grace of God and on. Okay, Now,

in the verse eight, he says, here, remember that in

Christ Jesus Christ or the Seed of David, was raised

from the dead, according to my gospel, for which I

suffered trouble as an evil doer, even to the point

of change. But the Word of God is not chained.

Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect,

that they also may obtain the salvation, salvation which is

in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. Now I'm gonna draw

so close. Stndayse says. There, he says that Paul is

being in prison. Okay, he's bring in prison for preaching

the gospel. And I said before, not just any part

of the gospel. They've got no problem with Jesus. They've

got no problem Jesus is healing. They've got a problem

with a lot of things about Jesus, but they've got

a big problem, like I said, with Jesus rising from

the dead, because it changes people's perspective of life. It

creates followers, get mean, right, It creates followers, which is

a big problem for a lot of people. But the

most important is that he was He says that, you know,

the resurrection is the one that got him suffering as

a prisoner, but not just suffering as a prisoner, but

as an evil doer. So because he has so many followers,

they started to label him, not just as somewhat influential,

but he is a person not to be trusted, a

person with ill intentions, evil intentions creating. You know, this

sect calling Jesus Lord and Savior, but there is only

one king emperor, which is Caesar. You're trying to they

create all these things bad, you know. And then and

then he says that for which I suffer travels even

to the point of chains. He's says that I can

be changed, but the word of God cannot be changed.

What Paul is saying is this, He said, there I

cannot say the word of God cannot be changed. Okay,

the Gospel cannot be changed because the Gospel is greater

than Paul. The Gospel is greater than Paul. Okay, the

Gospel is greater than Paul. The Gospel is greater than Paul.

Two things. Girsport is greater because the work of Jesus

is done already. And the second thing is the Gospel

is meant to be generational. It means that even if

I die, those whom I have committed faithful, we'll also

pass it down to the rest. That is why it's

so important to those two parts happening, the gospel and

the committing to faithful men. Two must happen together. You

get what I'm saying. You know, the Gospel and the

committing to faithful men. That is why Paul spends so

much first and a half chapter telling Timothy commit to

faithful men. Don't get drained away. You get what I'm saying. No,

it's either fear or being entangled with the world that

will stop you from committing. I will die, But it's

but the Gospel that I tell you before. Every man

is greater than me. It cannot be chained, but it

can be stopped in a way or slowed down if

you stop committing to faithful men, or if you find

unworthy men to pass it down. And so the greatest

problem with the church in Gospel is the church itself.

A lot of times the summon the gospel is powerful,

but the church is not willing to pass it on

to more people. You can. I'm saying now we as church,

we must be faithful to pass it on to faithful men.

We cannot store and we cannot be staying here and

continue to become the spectators, the civilians, uh, you all,

and the consumers that the world wants to mold. That's

continually into Okay. In verse ten, you say, therefore I

endure all things for the sake of the elect. That

is why Paul is willing to die. I'm saying now,

I rather, and I'm willing to endure all these problems.

So you know, and you endure all these problems because

it is the truth. My part in passing it down

to Timothy and the rest is done ready. Okay, So

it's worthy. If I say that what I believe is

not true, then whatever that I've taught them and they're

passing on becomes nullified. I cannot fail at this moment,

and I say what I'm saying, I cannot fail at

this moment, okay, And then verse eleven say this is

a faithful say, for if we died with him, we

shall also live with him. If we endure, we shall

also reign with him. If we deny him, he will

also deny us. Are you something you said? I was

so stronger. If we deny Jesus, Jesus will deny us.

Read Matthew chapter ten. What did Jesus say, confess Christ

before all men? Minchew Chapter ten? You said, say that

if you deny me before all men, I will deny

you before all men. But if you confess me before men,

I will confess you before all men, and before the

Father as well. They will come a time wh become

very difficult to confess Christ. I met people before who

was like finding it. You really believe that Jesus rose

from the data? You really are because you know why.

To them it sounds foolish, you know, And for a

moment when you say yeah, you might heave in your

heart it's really or not. Maybe I would just in

my Christianity, I would just stop at where that Jesus

is a good person and cares for you and loves you.

That's it. Anything more than it becomes really offensive. Ready,

we leave met God all really me, God and a lot.

I just want to do that. I don't want to

witness anything more in that Ready, but it has a

form but no power. People. We cannot be we cannot

apologize for that one. And on Jesus did rose from

the dead? And my question is to you, do you

really believe that Jesus rode from the dead? Do you

really really believe? Do you have you? Have you seen anyone?

Have you seen God? But why do you believe that? Yeah?

Some of you like, oh, I only believe because this

is what the church tells me. Oh, I don't know.

I have not seen God. Then people ask you, do

you really believe? Do you really believe? When you're in

your hospital death bed and the realist, do you really

believe Jesus rose from the dead? Do you really really

believe that Jesus rode from the death. You gotta get

it settled right in your heart and all without seeing God?

Can you really believe that Jesus was easy reasonable to

believe that Jesus rose from there? How can we actually

believe that Jesus rose from the death, is it possible

to believe and to believe that he really rose? Actually,

the right order to believe in God are is not

to see him alife, as all is to believe, then

only you will see Jesus. You know what I'm saying now,

It's not people say, if Jesus is it appears in

my life, then only our belief. The bibical way, the

right way, in God's intended way for us to believe,

is that you believe first, then you will see him.

The world wants you to prove first, then they believe.

But Jesus say, is no Why The Bible says, Mam Thomas,

you saw and you believe. Blessed are those who have

not seen but yet have believed. Why is that true?

Because on the road to Emaus right, the disciples saw Jesus,

but they couldn't recognize him. So the problem is not

whether you saw Jesus. The problem is you cannot recognize him. Yeah,

you're right. The problem is not seeing. The problem is recognizing.

Jesus has always been there, always been there. It's not

but that's why the world cannot know him, because they

cannot recognize you. I see have you seen people you

cannot recognize before you know what? They cannot recognize him.

But it was like, oh, it is you all this wild? Anyway?

Can I share with her and with her testimony?

Here?

I think, good time, Canna, And I promise you it's

a good testimony. Okay, promise you. As I call him,

I was, I was in spil retreat. It just happened

a few months back. I was sitting with Pastor Stephen

and my wife. Then we're talking about people who influenced

you very very powerful in your life, in your Christian faith.

And I said that when I was young, how I

became a Christian? Was I got scared to become a Christian.

What I mean by scared is because the first encounter

to the Gospel I was a Christian. I was in

Christian until college time. You know. I went to a

private in private English tuition, class tuition school at a

class tuition okay, private English tuition okay. Uh. And it

was a teacher. His name was mister Ting and he

was a great English teacher. Uh. And because of him,

I was the only two students in that badge who

got a first class in triple one night for the

whole seybowl. Okay, you my white don't get it. Okay,

the only one Okay, I was me and another lady,

the only one. Okay. Because of that, I got actually

got scholarship from Taylors to go to Melbourne, Melbourne Taylor's scholarship.

Don't play play Okay, I feel I keep wearing it. Okay,

sorry anyway, because of this teacher guy, and when I

remember the first year when I went and he shared

his life testimony. He used to be a banker. Uh

and uh he changed to become a tuition teacher because God.

One day he had a life and death encounter. He

saw his life, he saw a door, a big question mark,

and when he opened the door, he saw hell. And

then because from there and then he gave his life

to Christ, and then he became a teacher. You can

you cannot have even more powerful testimony like they're radio Okay,

some Christians like people are like, oh God, give me

a testimony I can share. He called it and he

was shitting. But imagine me as a young man hearing that,

you know, open door, go hell. You know you want

Jesus or not? Yes, I want Jesus. That's why I said,

I got scared to become a Christian. Now I got

scared to become You want Jesus go hell, and I

want I want there's an old school, classic style, you know.

And then after that, my brother tried to evangelize to me.

You know, my second brother say he sent me down Racis. Man,

you know that God is always calling you, you know,

the phone ringing, ringing, hoping you respond. But one day

the phone will stop ringing. You want to Jesus or not?

I was like, I mean, God, there's the shortest gospel ever,

the shortest gospel ever. Man, you want to try and

share to your friend and God calls you one day

He's gonna stop. You want Jesus or not? I think

my brother is the best text. Man. Can you know

I cannot make this up? Okay, I cannot make this up. Okay,

it's real, Okay, you and Jesus are not. Yeah, I

want Jesus. Sorry, immediately, I'm scared. You're scared to heaven? Man,

I ran to heaven, so you know. But anyway, some

some mister thing so eventually he lost his job because

they found out that he was like, you know, sharing,

And then people, some parents are complaining. But I followed

him to his tuitions, his house, tuition, uh, so on

and so forth, and he was. You know, when I

look back, I realized that God has always been with me.

I just didn't recognize. I didn't recognize his hands full person,

but I didn't recognize his hand. A lot of people see,

but God's hand has always been moving. You know, your

hand was there. Your hand was there. Your hand was there.

The day when we open our house with Jesus, you

start to see his hand everywhere, and you know he

is alive. People, you can I'm saying, that's the thing.

You know. You can't mean right, You can't thinking you

want to see him. But no, when you open up

your heart, you stay with me for a while and

you start to see God's hand everywhere. You're like, Jesus

has been alive all this was. His hand is everywhere

and so and I heard that, And then as I

was sitting before Pastor Steven, then you start to cook me.

Sharon his girlfriend father is named thing. I told you

it's a good I tell you it's a good testimony. Right,

cannot be so covicidental. I tell you Sharon's Sharon is

a passa Stiven's girlfriend. Now then father is mister ting.

She's from Cebu and his the father teaches English. I

was like my wife and I was like, I was like,

no where, no way. The word is too small, way

too small. But I had to open up my heart.

I was like maybe you know, like, I was like,

you show me the picture that the after day he

and h that's him, that's him, that's him. You all.

You know what because I used to study, I used

to go to his his house, it means that I've

seen a sharing when she was four five years old.

No boo boo boo. You get me right. It's like,

it's like, what in the world. You know what in

the world. My wife was like, oh my goodness is

it's like mind browing. I was like, oh my goodness.

I was like, whoa, I've never seen him for like

thirty years, you know, I was like, how long ready?

Then after that it's like, oh, they said, oh that

who church is to go into. You know. The sad

part is he's not even going to church anymore, but

keep it to yourself, thanks, So he's not going to

post anything on there. And then this is a this

is a story in progress. I'm just sharing because just

to encourage you all about the reality of God but

also the reality of the enemy. I heard that, you

know from Sharon's like let's pray together with him. You know,

it's like he's apparently he's he's stop going to church

because he was I don't know, like a combination. I

don't know why. It's true being her disappointed and everything

Ray said, and even when she was serving in church

and sharing, the Father was like, well you spent so

much time in church and stuff like that. Well your

boyfriend not even a pastor or seriously, you need double

double what you know? You know, you know, But then

you see the Father can say all these things are

but now you're in the church with your former student

and a preaching there. You know, they say no, they're not.

So Sharon, go and tell the Father and you know

this guy they have me deal at that time like

these guys oh yeah, yah yeah, yah yeah, okay, okay.

He didn't tell much of a response. I said attire,

when he comes down, I want to meet him personally,

and I want to let him know how much of

a difference it made to me. I want let you know, man,

and I hope that every what I do. I don't

know what you went through in the past. It must

I acknowledge. It probably must have been very painful for you,

must be very difficult for you. But I won't let

you know you made a difference. I want and I

also want to let you guys know. See, you you

can't have a life and death testimony. He know, God

coming into your life, showing up in yourself and then

such a real thing. But yet the enemy can drain

you out until you leave the church scarier, so scarier,

I tell you you can have for such a powerful

testimon you can have an encounter, but yet still leave

the church. You see, leaving the church and not forgiving someone.

It's not just more than just personal or No, it

is the grand plan of the devil. He's always been

the deam plan. He will use one person, one person,

and you think it's that about that person. No, that

person is just affront You don't see, you know, because

he focuses on the offense. But God sees moy, he

sees the light he has been touching, you know. And

then me as a student who is seeing it now,

I see it's never about that person. I don't know

who the person offended you, but you cannot leave the

church because he has such a legacy. What you have

is generational. You get the enemy is always focused not

just in your pain, but stopping the generation. That's what

I'm saying and not And so that's why you and

I we have to be very very wise. We cannot

continue getting stuck in the same problem. You gotta be

big minded, you gotta be wiser. You gotta be having

the word of knowledge, the spirit of discernment, and wisdom

to navigate your life carefully. Just like that someone says something,

someone offended you something. Maybe it's so you know, then

you then you live church and then you think it's

just about this budgect. No, it's a bigger plan, you

know what I'm saying, and not at no point talking

about one of these. It's a big plank. So that's

why I'm saying, be careful about the devil, training believers,

get me right, that's the main goal. Drain you, drain you,

drain you.

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God bless