12+1 Core Values: Christ Centered | Pr Alvin Keng

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

We hope this message will light up your day.

So the next value that we're gonna go deep into

is Christ centered. Okay, Christ centered? You're not a christ center.

There's a song recently, you know, Jesus said the center

of it all right?

We sing that you know? Uh? Uh?

And and why why must you at Christ center as value? Pselvin?

Isn't it self explanatory? We are Christian, ma, the name

Christ is in our name? Why might still put it

as a value?

You wonder? Why is it important? Actually I asked you

this question.

Why did Jesus ask us to take communion? To remember?

Why he didn't a cross? Why is it even necessary?

Actually it's very necessary. Why is it necessary? Because a church,

like any organization, can move away from his core belief

true or not?

Can right?

We can actually move away? Actually, as Christians, the reality

is that we can all move away from our core belief.

That's why we have terms like backsliding. That's why people

we have terms like coming.

Back to Jesus.

You know all these Christians you know, uh, they will

hurt many. And why we're like, oh, people have fallen away?

You know, because because we can, we can miss the mark.

We can come to the place where we miss the

point where we do things for the sake of doing things,

you know, when other things become more important than christ

you know, let's just use the church as a context,

you know. You know, last week in our homes we

talked about it a little bit and we had a

very very good conversation. I would say, because we all

have the internet, right, we all know what's happening in

Christian culture.

I don't really like that word Christian culture. It doesn't

make sense to me.

Only recently and we started having more of this kind

of like, oh, you know, Christians dress a certain way, right,

last time, Christian dress square across one. Then the Christian

rockers were addressed with like I used to have this

really nice shirt that I really like, Jesus is Jesus

is Lord, okay, when I was young. And then at

the back right, it's a fire, right, and the scripture

that's on the fire is about you know, I don't

know it as a scripture or it was a creed

where we said I will not receive the mark of

the beast. You know, I'd rather be you know, yeah,

quite quite godasa hardcore Christian youth Okay, right, you should

listen to the music that I listen to. I realized

that the young people now cannot take it on. Yeah,

you know, see culture changes right now, everything is a

little bit different, right. Uh. You know, we all have

all these things, and we all see the internet. We

all see what churches are doing.

Right.

We can all make our own judgments, and it's actually

very hard to determine whether or not what they're doing

is correct, correct or not. It is a little bit

hard to see from a sign and say, hey, what

are you doing correct? It's funny, right, And then got

all these reels about all these megachurches doing backflips for Easter. Right,

got pyro techniques, so you are like a y EXPERI

have pyrotechniques and backflip. We got no budget? Okay, we

got budget? Then maybe actually not to be honest. If

you got budget, I al rady not spare pyrotechnicus. You

got budget, I spare other things because there are many

more hungry people in the world, many more people that

need need the money. You know, we don't really need

a show. You want to go show, you go and

watch Netflix, right, just Bay sixty two. We can get

ninety cent that's the premium version, by the way, and

watch that and be entertained. Okay, but that's the truth.

Can we miss the mark as a church? We can

have people missed the mind as a church. They have, right,

there's a lot of very to me, Red said news.

A lot of.

Giants in the Christian world, you know, I won't I

won't say those names. A lot of giants in the

Christian world that that that have fallen or that have

come to a place where you know, you know, like

like King David in the Bible, he made mistakes, right,

and it's very said, you know, uh, And it's very

difficult because we are all under the microscope now with

the internet, you know, and we can miss the math.

My point is that we can miss the math and

don't realize it. This is why one of our values

in acts is Christ centered, because Jesus is the mark.

Jesus is the goal, and we cannot forget that. We

must not forget that. You know, when other things become

more important than Christ, then we will miss the math.

When the screen becomes more important than Christ, when the

instruments become more important than Christ. You can say no, no no,

but say no no, this is important because of Jesus,

we do it. Yeah, but but the day it's a

very fine line one. Now, what are we willing to

do for Christ? What are we okay with as human beings?

And the problem with human beings is that we are

creatures of comfort. The reality is that we might make

decisions out of comfort. Hah, just show earlier, don't want

to come, huh, prayer service sol later, No need to

be there.

See what's the motivation? Right?

And again I'm not knocking if you cannot make it.

I'm not knocking if that's not a habit for you.

I'm just saying that if Jesus is at the center,

you'll make different decisions. But when other things are at

the center, then you'll make different decisions. That's the way

life goes, right, And we say it's Christ centered because

it can become more important when the crowd becomes more important,

or at least the voices of the crowd become more important.

Then we come to a very dangerous place. Really, that's

the honest truth. Let me tell you, or maybe share

a little bit of my own reflection and things I've

learned in leadership and also from our you know pastor

you know, the one thing I really respect about past

the cando He said he don't really worry about what

people say. One he worry more about what Jesus say,

which is good. Think about it. Think about it now.

If you're a leader here, your home leader here, please

listen to this.

What are we worried about? Right?

Because if we worry more about people say, then we

will make different decisions than we will decide, you know.

And a lot of times when I have to deal

with leadership and deal with leaders I give you a

sneak pick of the way I think is that my

consideration with requests and my consideration with things happening is

always measured with the yardstake of God first, not people first,

because we're all following in that line, you ge know

what I mean. So I'm very careful when we want

to make decisions of comfort or we want to change

things that will help people, because I also know how

people think. I also't know, and I don't want anything

to become a crutch. Any decision we make to become

a crutch, to the point that when we have to downgrade,

you are not comfortable to come and worship God because

the main point is to worship God, not any other thing.

You know what I mean.

You're like the chest, right, the cushion chests very nice, right,

not my decision anyway, but it's it's good. It's a

good addition.

Now.

But can I encourage us to not get so used

to the chest that when we go to a place

with hard word chests that we feel like we don't

want to come chest anymore, or suddenly we start sitting

in the heart pills you'll see on pure before. No,

you're paying for no, your backs are be flat right,

If you've got no cushion at the back, then you

feel like your bone is being poked. Right, it's not

so comfortable. You want to go toilet very heart you

know you now here, want to go to all the

way heart? You know to like he sorr yeah, sorryah

sorry yeah. So the world is full of things that

the Striggers friends like, sound, crowds, celebrity speakers.

Be very careful the way we decide.

Can I Can I encourage us be very careful the

way decide when we start deciding where to go due

to how we like the preaching very dangerous It's kind

of like why extras, we don't really tell you who's

preaching on a Sunday because we don't want to build

that can't bad habit?

How about heavy man? Yes, bad habit?

Because the only voice you need to put as importance

is the voice of Christ in your life. No, not

the voice of or whatever blank creature that is powerful.

We were careful because there's human beings we subscribe to that, right, ministries, movements,

so many people. I'm not saying it's better. I think

it's good. I think a lot are really good ministries.

And I think one of the fruit of ministries is

the Lord.

So the Lord we're at.

But we also need to be careful that we don't

just look at the numbers.

Right.

The Bible very clearly teaches us to see the fruit.

What is the fruit? And the fruit now is also important.

How we identify fruit also important because a lot of

times we identify numbers as fruit. Can I tell you

that numbers not fruit? Because Jesus, the Multitudus left Christ.

So many people left Christ. Do you know that when

Jesus begin his ministry, he was.

A rock star. Everybody follow him wherever.

No he fed five thousand people friends, he fed eight

thousand people friends. But that and across he was alone. Hey,

where wasn't here? Rock Star? Didn't the crowd follow him?

We gotta be careful.

Hence, for us today, Christ centered, we can simply shift

from building on Christ to building on the crowd. Let's

start doing more things. I think I saw rhinhard Bunk

says something that we don't need jesusctually to build a

big church. We just need coffee and cakes. I think

he says something like that.

I'm like, what you do? You know?

That right hand book is like the predecessor of uh s?

His name the evangelist, the famous evangelist I can remember

see so bad Billy Graham?

Hey, Billy grahaman no right hand bon ku? Right? Okay?

Is he Billy Graham? I don't think so he is

the okay?

Someone help me do some No, not real worried? No,

no wrong wrong person? Uh right? Habok is someone's predate.

I cannot remember who I know. He's evangelists. I don't

think it's Billy Graham. Or I might be wrong. That's

another one. That's another one. No, definitely not your scene. Yeah,

someone help me type and help me, okay now I

Daniel Oh sorry, right? Hab Okay is the evangelist Daniel

Colander is is Yeah, I got it wrong. Sorry, So

the main guy is right, okay. And Daniel Landa is

the one that has taken over yalbergay has is a

major evangelist that has led many people.

To the Lord.

So, friends, why is extra saying that one of our

values is Christ centered? Because all these things can happen, right,

That is why Christ's centeredness is foundational. Yes, it is

self explanatory, but it is something we need to remember,

right because everything, friends, flows from keeping Jesus at the

center of our lives. Everything flows. If Jesus is not around,

we wouldn't be here. No, have you all talked about

it before, right? And the thing is a lot of

people have always been one thing to replace Jesus, even

since last time. Really, that's why we got so many cults.

That's why I got so many things right. The story

works right, And I mentioned to you even the crowds

life Jesus John chapter six, verse sixty six. From that time,

many of the disciples who went back and walked with him,

No more than Jesus said to the twelve.

Do you also want to go away?

But Simon Peter, thank God, he's quite smart, answered him. Lord,

to whom shall we go? We have the words of

eternal life. Also we have come to believe that we

know that you are Christ, the son of the Living God.

So it was not just the disciples with him.

There were other people with him, and some couldn't accept

what he said. Does say some familiar I cannot accept

what he said. And all he said is I'm the

brain of life. You know, you know Jesus. The thing is,

I think if you hang out with Jesus long enough,

you will know that Jesus is quite cryptic on he

talks in parables.

Right, how come they he is so offended? But they left.

They left just because he said he's gardinia bread, right, Oh,

I am braid you eat me? And then then he's like, huh,

how can you say that? Isn't eating bread cannibalism? Then

they go deep into it, right, and they left him.

This is why Christ's centeredness is important to us, friends,

because people can leave Jesus. All it takes is for

you to be offended. All it takes is for things

to not go your way. Then we forget this. It's

a value because no matter what happens, friends, can I

share this with you? Many many things have happened in

my life, many many things have happened in the life

so many many people. But I have seen, I've come

to recognize and I've come to see that no matter

how bad things get in the life of different ones

and us, when we put Jesus at the center of

our lives, it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay.

You can share. Not why do I Why do I

get an amen for that it's gonna be okay? You

don't believe me, Maybe because you haven't tried it yet,

Maybe because there are so many walls in front of

you that you don't really see this, that the problems

your face is too big, that you think Jesus cannot

help you. Today, I want to let you know that

Jesus say not just your sin, not just.

Blaff.

No, he saves friends, He saves Do you believe it?

Or is this just a storybook to you? Today?

I'm going to challenge your Is Christ really center of

your life? Why do we take communion friends? Why? Maybe

it's because we might pay attention to so many other things,

and we give glory to many other things. Or you

know I succeed in life because of this person in

my life, or you know this thing happened and is

this is this is But Jesus is saying, hold on, friends,

is me? Without me you can do nothing. But with

him we can do all things. You're catching that? Are

you catching that or not? So how have you been

operating your life? Have you been operating your life with

Jesus or without Jesus? Good to think about her. You

know what's my concern and my fear, well, my fear,

I feel the lot, but once my concern. Now, my

concern is that we do church right, and we work

really hard, you know, to set up church, serf and all.

But my concern always as a leader is that we

will have a form of godliness but no power. Second

Meiday three five people having a form of godliness no power,

And the Bible says and from such people turned away,

don't be friends with, don't hang out, turned away. God's

got the form, but no power. Say the right things,

but there's no power. There's no power coming out, there's

no life change.

Right.

We don't want to come to a place, friends, that

it looks right, It all looks good, but no power.

How many of you want that?

Yeah?

I mean it's easier, No, do you know it's easier

to just maintain and not push and not.

It's easy. Ye, just just went don't don't don't, don't

rot on the board. Chill.

Let me let me read a story to your Luke

chapter nine, verse twenty eight to thirty six.

Are yo okay okay okay okay?

Are yogay okay okay?

Right?

Oh sure, Luke? Chapter nine, Oh let me see ah Luke.

Chapter nine. Let's read verse twenty eight till thirty six.

Now it came to pass about eight days after these sayings.

H Basically, Jesus was giving a law of preaching, talking

about thinking of your cross.

He predicts his death. You know, you read the Luke

chapter nine.

Before that, you know, Peter confessed that Jesus Christ, he

fed the five thousand. A lot of things happened, okay,

And then what happened was that, you know, about eight

days after that, he took Peter, John and James the

tree close inner circle. He took three of them. He

went out to the mountain to pray, and as he prayed,

the appearance of his face altered, and his robe became

white and glistening. Sounding got transformation, right, Jesus transfigured on

the mound. That's what happened. He prayed appearance with face,

his rope became white. Listening, behold, two men talked to him,

talk with him. Moses and Elijah, the two greatest prophets

that the Jews respect. In fact, until today, they respect Moses.

They look up to Moses because he wrote the law,

and then because Abraham had the covenant with God.

Then Abraham is so important. Right.

But Moses and Elijah was there who appeared in glory

and spoke of his disease, which he was about to

accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those of him were

heavy with sleep, and when they had fully awake, they

saw his glory and the two men who still with him.

Do you realize something very interesting?

This is not the first time that the Sipos fell asleep,

you know, even at the Garden of get seventy Jesus,

like dude, so many years you made it. You see

falling asleep. They must be really tired. Okay, So they

fell asleep. They missed it, and they so happened when

they were going off, you know, ah right, sorry, Then

it happened as they were putting from him that Peter

said to Jesus, so sleeping, sleeping, didn't really hear what

they were saying. And then after that, oh woke up, well,

Jesus talking to elgend Moses right, and then after finished

head they left. And then Peter, being a smart alect,

what do you say, master, it's good that we're here.

I think he tried to cover our bloody he fell asleep.

You know how many of you like supposed to send

God and all right? And then and then don't know

what's happening, you know. And then sudden he said, oh,

so so happening. You know what happened? We don't know

then too, you know, And he said, Master, it's good

for us to be here. Let us make tayberna curls.

Houses are words right, one for you, one for Moses,

one for Elijah. Not knowing what he has said, why

does he want to do? You know what's a tabernacle?

A tabernacle is an author to pray to No God

didn't aswers to pray to Moses or Elijah. Why are

you doing this. But as Peter was saying it, a

cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were fearful as

they entered the cloud, and a voice came out of

the cloud, saying, this is my beloved son.

Hear him.

When the boid has ceased, Jesus was found alone. But

they kept quiet and told no one in those days

any of the things they had seen. Even the disciples

closest to Jesus can miss the mark. Seeah, even the

disciples closest to Jesus can miss the man. No, Jesus

is the main person. No, Suddenly you want to create

tabernacle for other people? And do you know how easily

that can? It sounds very good, It sounds very good idea. Right,

because an amazing thing happened, friends, and because the amazing

thing happened, then we should do this, right, because you're

a honor.

You see all these words that we use.

Meanwhile, be very, be very very careful, be very very careful.

Some of you might get it, somewhe you don't get it.

If you get it, you're s os me. Even Peter

missed it. So let's not stray away from Christ being

the center of our lives. Can that's say, it is

a value. It's a value to remember, It's a value

to not miss the mark? Right that Christ Christ always

the center?

You know?

So, so then the question is, friends, how do I

keep Christ at the center? How do we keep Christ

at the center of our lives? Do we wear across

every day?

Do we?

I don't know? Put Jesus poster on the wall. So

depending on what post at you either have him holding

the lamb, or you you know, have Jesus buff Jesus right,

or you have the Jesus one that points at you

like that.

Then you remember outside of Maima, do you do that? How?

How any ideas how how to keep Jesus there?

You know? Do we have a statue of Jesus at

home somewhere? Funny? Right, it's becoming weird ready the ideas? Right? Friends?

Can I give you this this thought?

Jesus Christ himself is so beautiful and amazing and awesome

he is.

And if we.

His disciples, are really really looking listen, having a relationship

with him, walking with him, if we are really really

seriously knowing and following after Jesus, it will be actually

quite difficult for us to stay away from Jesus.

Do you know that it is?

I'm very very aware close to my wife, right, we

share a lot of things together.

We're married.

Okay, the most intimate person that you ever spend your

time on Earth with is your spouse, if you're married,

that's the reality, right, closer than your mom or dad. Okay,

closer than your kids. So he's the most intimate person.

Do you know that?

Because I've got a really good relationship my wife is

very hard to stay away from her. No, No, it

is even if even if I, let's say, are we fight, We.

Argue like, oh, you know, and then we stay away.

Okay, we do the things that couple shouldn't do. One

stay okay, maybe maybe stay away. You know, I ingrate you,

then go away. Do you know that I feel it?

Do you know that I feel horrible? Do you know

I feel bad? You know, I feel that I probably

did the worst thing ever because we have relationship.

Isn't it true in the natural? Don't you think if

you really know who.

Christ is, it's actually very difficult that he's not the

center of your life. So the best way for us

to have Christ in the center of our lives are

it's not just wearing a cross.

It's not just all ready the Bible. Yeah, I read

the Bible helps you know, and.

All it's really following, listening and building that relationship with him.

That's the only way.

And once we know who he is, once you know

how amazing he is, you cannot deny him, You cannot

be away you.

You will feel like, oh man.

If you, if you, if you ever were stuck in

a situation that you can't see that side. I think

sometimes the only reason why it is so easy is

because maybe we've not really had that experience with God yet,

you know, maybe we've not had maybe it's just been

other people's stories, right, But when you experience it for yourself.

You are the You are the one that will.

Well holding cross your heart. You are the one that

will not let it. You will find ways us to

not let it go away. He's really at the center,

And we might be straying away from Jesus because we're

just not looking at him. You're looking at a lot

of other things. Come to church, look at people, look

like other things, not Jesus. Not looking at Jesus. That

could be the reason. And my encouragement friends this morning

is as simple as took to Jesus. Can we do that,

Hebrews says, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finish

of our faith, who for the joy that was set

before him, and dured the cross, despising the shame, and

has sat down at the right hand on the throne

of God.

Looking at other things. I can I share I you that. Yeah,

we all like nice things. You know. I like nice things.

Do you think I don't like nice things?

I like nice things, right, I've not set first class

on plane before, but I thinks it's going to be

very dangerous if I start doing that long, because it'd

be very difficult to sit in economy after you sit

first class. You know, that's the reality thing. I like

nice things. I like to go to nice hotels. Who

doesn't like it? Friends, come on, you will like comfort one.

But the danger is that it becomes something that we

through all the time. It becomes something that we decide.

It's like how to sayer, I like nice things, but

I like Jesus smaller. I like nice things. But you know,

I like being in the air conchurch. But I've been

in air conchurch. I've been in hot church. I've been

in a church. Right that the building has been out

of cow down and hay and we can still worship

the Lord with all the smells and sights of the village.

Doesn't change because I love Jesus more. It's giving you

that perspective.

Right.

We all like nice things, but we might need to

surrender the nice things to the Lord. Surrender it right,

and trust that Jesus would give us the abundant life

that he promises. U. John Dan says, I've come that

they may have life, and they have life more abundantly.

Right.

You know, the thing about growing older is that you

when you're younger, right, you are a bit more like, Oh,

you know, anything goes you know, you're very hopeful. You're

very starry eyed, just the way I use You're very

like you know, I can rule the world the words

my oyster.

But the thing is, the older you grow.

The more you reflect on life, the more you think

about the decision you made correct or wrong, you know

what could be better. The more you think about all

these things, the more you have more examples. You know.

That's why young people, can I give you an encouragement,

Please listen to your elders.

They really know what they're talking about one.

They might not know the method and the technology, they

might not know eie that that well, but they know

the spirit and the.

Value behind things.

Because when you because you can actually see, you know,

you can actually see whether or not the thing you're

doing is going to be good for you or not.

Can on thank you see you one by track record,

by practice, by by behavior, you can see one. When

you're all enough, you can see. When you're young, you

can't see another. Everything, But when you're old, you can

see one.

No.

Right, talk to any person here us experience, they can

see one. Right.

I'm sure doctor Jason, when he looks at his students,

he will know who's gonna fail and wh's going to

pass at the end of the semester.

He knows one.

Just look at the behavior. You're heading down a wrong path.

He knows when?

Right? What does that mean? Well?

We we you see? Okay, let me give you an example.

You know, I've got some stuff to show you guys. Okay, uh,

And I was thinking about what to show you. But

of course this is something that you may not be

able to directly connect. But I have a point to make. Okay,

Can we have the first slide. So there's this guy

called h Jake Hassan. I think m V Empty Watchers founder,

right the slide he said, Kenwelling the first the first, like,

I'll wait for it. Okay, can can? Can he be flesh?

Didn't get it? If not, then no no impact.

Coming.

Okay, are guys doing good? Sorry for the technical problem.

Yeah.

If this was a comedy show, the punchline gone ready,

but it's not a thank god okay, I guys, okay,

are you guys catching something about being like having Christ

senteredus as a value?

Yeah?

Best thing ever? Right, best thing ever? Sorry, sorry I

didn't inform earlier. The ken rolling, Yeah, cool s. Try

to tell a joke since his father's day?

Right? Actually, I have to be honest with you. My

son has a betther jokes than me.

Yeah he has. I'm like, oh boy, why don't you.

Oh and by the way, his birthday today? Yeah, I'm

just trying to buy time. Yeah, he was Calvin's birthday yesterday?

Right, right? Kevin? Right? Yeah?

He was shy by I just anyway. And then I

think two days ago is Brian news birthday?

Right? Was it two days ago?

Yeah?

Two days ago? So yes, a lot of birthdays.

Sorry, later got birthday, but I just seriously okay now mind,

let me just go to my notes.

Okay.

So anyway, this guy he actually sold his company for

one hundred million US dollars at twenty seven years old. Awesome, right, okay, um,

only to find that he think his north star of

financial freedom left him feeling empty, anxious, and depressed without

his primary entrepreneur drive means he got everything a day

and then depression. There's this other guy some you might

know him, not you're no, not all the Minecraft players?

Well no not can ah. Yeah, this guy lost purpose right,

just recently came out and shad about it.

The next page. So there's this guy.

Not. His name is actually Marcus Spearson. He's the guy

that created Minecraft, right, and he's a billionaire. He actually

sold his company for two point five billion US dollars, right,

and to celebrate that, he bought a twenty three thousand

square full home in Beverly Hills, right worth seventy million.

Small amount of number for him, la Okay.

But despite the sales and apparent boosts of his bank account,

he admitted to suffering from depression and isolation. A year later,

in a series of social media posts. I read another

story about this tech entrepreneur so very young, sold made

some money but no purpose, and he I think he

did a documentary he he actually went and search for

purpose after that he got on money, you know when

and search for purpose after that? Right, And then of

course recently I think I was watching I think that

in my feet came out Tony Robbins was talking about

Robin Williams. You know, and of course we all know

Robin Williams as the comedian and all, and unfortunately he

took his life. But I didn't know he was a

very driven person because Tony share about how I think

he knows him now, he shared about how he was

very driven. One of the things about him beyond just

talented and all, was because he worked really hard. He

wanted the number one TV show in the States, then

came out in more amenity this is then, and then

it became famous.

Then he wanted to get into movies. He got that.

He wanted to win the cameo. He won, but in

the end and he had a family, but in the end,

no purpose. Right, And of course what does he say, Okay,

I think it's a bit u This is the second page.

What's the third page? Yeah, that's my second pitch is

uh yeah, can you go up? Okay, it's not the photo. No,

it's actually a newspaper clipping.

Yeah.

Maybeah, I read the newspaper cliping for us. That picture,

uh says, let's seeah you guys. Okay, can I sorry

a bit of technical problem today. So that picture actually says,

oh I think I need it in my phone.

Yeah, okay.

Uh, the picture he says, I'm a therapist to the

super rich. They are as miserable as succession makes up.

Uh yeah, as success mix up. Right, Many billainers are

what we have trust issues like of sense of purpose,

struggle with shame, guild and fear. Why highly successful people

are prone to depression?

Why?

Why you what point are you trying to me? Are

you say that shouldn't be rich? Because if you're rich,

then you've got a lot of problems. You should just

you know, sell all you have, you know, give to

the poor and follow Jesus and not really let me

give you other examples. Right.

John D. Rockefeller, first dollar billionaire.

He is a devout Baptist who attributed his success to God,

lived abstimiously, and channeled massive wealth into philanthropy, establishing the

Rockefeller Foundation.

Until today.

You know Rockefeller foundations around funding medical research. There's another guy,

Stefan Pearson, the richest person in Sweden and primary shareholder

of H and M, whose business model aligns with his

Lutheran faith, prioritizing simple and accessible designs.

Let me read you more examples.

Prominent Christian villainis David Green and family, founder and CEO

of Oklahoma based arts and craft retailer Hobby Lobby.

We might not be familiar, but if you're in America

you might know. Okay.

He's widely known for his evangelical faith, which shapes his

company's operations, such as closing all stores on Sundays, massive

charitable donations. He transferred ownership to his multi billion dollar

empire to a trust dedicator to ministry. The Walton family

Walmart right deeply rooted in Presbyterian faith. They are among

the richest families in the world and oversee the Walton

Family Foundation, which has brought philanthropic portfolio and includes education

and environmental conservation. I read a little bit about Walmart.

Walmart is famous for keeping I mean, there are lot

of jokes about Walmart cost they are cheap. You go

there and Okay, a lot of jokes, but one of

their values is that they are big on family and

they want to make things affordable, and they have not

changed their prices in a long time. Very interesting where

these things come from when you look at the core

of their value. Right because we had to see you

one true it. Katy Family, founder of Chick Pile. Chick

fil A is very famous build one of the largest

fast food chains in the US based in US based

on his devout Southern Baptist beliefs. Company remains explicitly close

on Sundays to allow employees time for rest and family.

Rest and family know, even if they're not believers, rest

and family on Sundays. If you're doing F and B,

you will know that Sunday's is your top. Okay, Chick

fil A is really blessed by God because they may

not be in a lot of places are, but their

dollar margin is higher than McDonald's.

That's Chick fil A. Okay, I read one more design

might be interesting.

Door one Chug and Jin Soak corn Born a grain kitchen,

founders of the first fashion retailer forever twenty one.

Famous.

He placed John three sixteen on the bottom of every

shopping bag. They'll know that none of us probably bordered

to see right and regularly help dawn prayer services at

their corporate headquarters. We have a French run Vincent Bolomore,

a prominent French billionaire and devout Catholic who leads the

Bolorer Bowl.

I don't know what's a conglomer of my goodness company company?

Okay, holding significant sticks in media and advertising Europe. Okay,

of course the other examples, LA, what's the point I'm

trying to make well.

French?

What's the difference? What is the difference? Jesus just said

when you talk about people in your life, we can

all be the same. Maybe some people are doing better

than you financially, but what's the friends that gives you life?

Jesus.

That's my argument. Money is important, but Jesus is more

important because you don't put Jesus important. You have other problems.

You might not have a lot of money, and if

you've gone for missions, you will notice you will speak

to Christians who don't have a lot of money, but

because they have Jesus, they look like they have all

the money in the world. And then you've spoken to

other people with all the money in the world can

do anything in the world, but they got no Jesus,

and then you have a lot of problems. So my

argument is, this isn't Christ's centered that's important for us?

Shouldn't we keep Him at the center of our lives?

And I want to encourage you to consider constantly thinking

about this value, right, because Christ is important to us. Amen,

crisis important. I remember because I grew up in a

Christian family. I grew up in a Christian family, and

my Auntie was the first believer in my family, big family.

When my grandma passed on, we countered blood relative in

my family one hundred and ninety seven of us my

father's side one because he had like seven he got

like fourteen thirteen siblings, seven boys, seven girls. A lot

of people are okay, and my dad was one of

the youngest. So my dad was the second one that

got safe in the family. Of course, now I would

say that probably about eighty ninety percent of people in

the family are safe. Really praise the lot, okay. First

of my Auntie's work, right, the family used to be

very o a sayer. Money is very important, I mean

toy because Chinese family, la right, and they don't have

a lot, you know, came from my granddad came from nothing.

I never knew him, built an empire, decide, got so

many kids, and then he passed on when I was young.

And then the first and the second uncle uh decided

to gamble everything away. Yeah, you know that's the story,

Desid like gambling is been in my family. Okay, that's sion.

You know Chinese hear, we don't do anything on and

and and and and all the non believers and money

was a major issue, right. I always talk bomani and

always arguable money and Chinese familia.

Right. But I can tell you now is different. Now.

I still remember when my auntie passed on and we

went for her her her funeral immedied family members, Sonia,

he was a little bit bigger than this, like until

the end, la right, it was so family, no family,

not even friends are family only It was disadly right.

And I don't recognize any of them because unfortunately my

dad doesn't doesn't take effort to keep in touch because

everybody old and already well. By tell you it was

amazing because when when different ones came up to share

about how my auntie came and spend time with them.

Every time she will come back to Malaysia, she will.

She she she's actually quite a big time UH intercessor

and mini missionary in Holland.

Right.

She's attached to a church in Singapore, and the Singapore

church sends to her and to be honest, and none

of us know what she doesn't right once in when

I got here, some story la, right, like some story

about some you know, deliverance, that she do go some

story when you ask her, But she she doesn't.

Every time she comes back here into Malaysia.

Her main goal is to spend time family, to reach

out and she's very very very very detailed, like, okay,

this this season, I will go to these amiens and

stay with them and reach out to them and cruc

them to go to church. And imagine that it's in Hockena.

So it's rare and this is Clanger. We are all

rough people are my family oher Rajuana right. And I'm

very amazed at how she reached out to them, very

very amazed. When she passed on and we went for

her weak service, I was even more amazed at her

ministry and the amount of lives that she impacted the

amount people that had a lot of good things to

say about her. Of course I had good things, because

you know, I grew up with my Auntie. I remember

once when she was staying with my family and we

were just spending time.

You know, I had the privilege to do that.

I was very young, about five six years old, and

I remember her praying at the bit and she was

speaking tongues and me and being young, don't really know

what that means. I went to say, Auntie, what are

you doing? Say, oh, I'm talking to God speaking. I'm like, oh,

I still remember this, you know. Oh, okay, you're wearing tongues.

Can I have it?

I was six, No, I no idea what I was

talking about. She said sure, and then she prayed for

me and I received the gift of tongues. This before

I say the sinner spray efforts. So you ask you

whoa you know?

Uh? Not knowing? Not knowing?

And I remember clearly going to Sunday school. You were

you were not like me in Sunday School. Because I'm

the teacher's pet, I can answer all the My parents

brought me this Bible illustration Bible. I quite like the

Boola don't allow me to read any other comic, so

that's the only comic you have.

My Bible story.

Parents quite straight, aim the typical, like everything is the money,

you know, so cannot do anything Michael Jacks any morning,

spice girls the morning, everything in the morning, so you

can study Bible stuff soon. Yeah, that's why I became

naughty after that. Okay, anyway that there is not about

that point. So I remember receiving Christ as my personal

law and savior. We went for Sunday school, and normally

our Sunday school, everybody on me together. It's big, it's

big church. So I think we had about maybe fifty

sixty kids doing like so we will have like ten

minutes like like a twenty minute you know, fifty minute worship,

then like ten minute preaching and then after that we

will be separated to our classrooms.

Right, So that's what that's what we do.

And I remember the day where I really felt like, Okay, God,

I really want to know you when I was twelve,

I really want to know you. I want to receive

you as my personal and say I want you to

be the one that you know. I want you to

be God. Lah on my Lifela, I don't you to

be a distant god. Last time it felt like he

was a distant god.

And I and I.

Remember lifting up my hands three times, three weekends, three

times because not sure, ma, you know, like, hey, I

lift up hands, say like nothing, no feeling. One next

week you do again until I think after the third

time the teacher had to sit at me, actually receive one.

Enough.

You know, they're like, okay, there was no major change,

and I just continue to live flat, you know, be

active in church and true that time, friends, A lot

of things happened in my life. A lot of different

things happened. You know, I can't go into detail. Good things,

bad things, lare okay, Like I said, I was good boy,

but I was not the boilers right, okay, look good

on me? Got all the looks right, No, not handsome,

but looks la.

You know. I was a librarian, right.

The reason why I became a librarian so that I

can hang out in the library because of econ. And

when you're a librarian, right, you are not you don't

have to do duty one prefect you have to do duty,

but librarian, right, you're also seen as a uniform body

in classo. The soor the loophole is that you don't

have to do a lot of work, but you can

loiter around school and nobody's gonna ask you why you here?

You see horrible, right, And because I didn't want responsibility,

I became the vice president, not the president. So I

wrote the work. And then my president was a Catholic

guy that was king. That's like great, am I telling

you all this. A lot of things happened in my

family during those season. You know, my parents drifted apart,

my brothers, uh, you know, had challenges. I mean, I've

said this before on this stage. I started drifting apart

from my family also. And then later I came to

Exts Church. You know, I was quite active in church then,

but not close to the family. And then lit I

came to this church. And one of the things that

really impacted me in this church, of course, Jesus are

right Christ, and I really believe.

That God let me hear a lot.

I think during that time, I was very I mean thankfully,

I was working closely with God. I said, God, I

don't understand what this thing that you are giving me.

You know, I remember very clearly I was praying and

I was like in the I was very in a

very unsure state, and I really felt like, hey, I

need to look for my own church.

It was very weird, you know.

And then when I came to Ax and the other

word was like, okay, this is the place you're going

to stay, I'm like, okay, sure, not knowing the future,

not knowing how the only thing I knew, and the

only person that knew was Jesus Christ.

Is it.

I wasn't smart, I had no connections. I was this

boy from Klang. Really, if I look at my life,

it's so uneventful, and not do I did I imagine

that I will be placed in such a position of leadership.

No, but I just knew Jesus.

And what I decided when I asked my Auntie to

pray for me when I was six and when I

was twelve and received Jesus three times, That's not sure,

was the best decision that I've ever made in life.

I don't know how else is it.

It's the best decision ever because everything else flowed from there.

My life flowed from there. How I ended up in

MMU flowed from there.

You know.

Even that also a flu right, I tell you how

I ended up MMU, my mom saw an article on

a newspaper that there was this program pre you program

in a university university. Good Mam sugned me, I'm law.

But in my mom like, no, I'm going to one academy.

I could have been yeah anyway. Ever, so from MMO,

I was gonna say, I've going to be in his

He's great right now?

Uh yeah?

That ended up there. And then the Lord let the

common denominator in my life that I can give thanks to.

And I can say that no matter how disadvantage I

was in life, no matter how difficult things were, no

matter what life true at me, I can tell you

that Jesus was the one that saved me. I had

no big bank account, I had no connection. God gave

me the connection. Let me show you one more story

about powerful it is. I had a very good friend.

He was he's from the Majority faith, and his father

was his father was a diplomat from India. And what

happened was that we had the first day of UNI

where we had to sign up for our classes.

And then you know, with your friends, you really.

Plan really, you know, you plan like okay, you know

this cuss discuss let's let's uh, you know, uh, let's

have the same same schedule and all. And then what

happened was I tried to sign up for my class,

but I was rejected. The system didn't allow me to

sign up. And it was very frustrating because I ran

from the now now very high tech last time mmo,

the internet was not the thing, and everything was in

the Internet, and it was rare messy. And let's just

say that the u I u ex was horrible, okay,

uh And and we had to sign up because they

wanted to be a high tech university. This is two thousand,

no friends, It's like very long ago, twenty six years ago.

This before YouTube, before Facebook, before all these things.

Right, I signed up. I couldn't for four hours running

to and fro.

And the thing is we had to sign up in

the lab. But then if you've got a problem, you

go to the admissions, which is like half an hour away.

Right.

Let's just say that halfway through I broke down and

criedler that was how frustrating I was.

I was alone, and my friend just came out with I.

Remember, I was like so alone, and I'm like, oh lord,

I don't know how I want to sign up for

the It's such a simple thing. I want to sign

up for this, and I couldn't get it right. And

I was just there and I called my mom, right

my mom said so sorry, so I couldn't be with

you because she's working. And then she's like I should

have been with you, and I'm like, I don't know,

I don't want to sign up, like you know, frustrated.

And then my friend came in, how are you doing?

And I share everything. Then his dad was there. I

was like, oh, okay. Then he said follow me. I

don't know his dad and friends. I'm not friends and

friends with my friend. I'm not friends dead, so I'm

not half follow him. Follow him now. Then we went

to the admissions right, and then he or I learned this,

this is the best thing ever. He went there and

I saw the card that was helping me, almost like sorry,

I cannot do anything really right. The cow faced right,

I wasn't a great her la. He went there and

then he said, you know my son's friend, you know

this is this. Then she's like, oh yea last stories.

You know, we cannot do anything. The systems are there,

you know, maybe wait for tomorrow or don't know what,

don't He took out his card and he placed it

on the table and he pushed it.

To her business kinda. She looked at it.

She looked at him. Actually, that's the way. You just

need to manually sign up. And in fifteen minutes it

was also that I got everything I wanted. Friends, I'm

a nobody, but even if you're nobody and you have

Christ for you, God will connect you with kings.

That is my experience.

Frustrated, no, and got everything I wanted because by that

time you sign up, it was like five six, it's

gonna close. It's like literally, you know, like every class closed.

But because it was man no submission went through.

Lick.

I got many more stories of this about how Christ

or God helped me right. And I think if by

continua talking you no, you go home. But my point

is it's as simple as this. When we put Christ

at the center of our lives, it's going to be okay. Amen,

maybe you can get the.

Extreme to come up and to get ready to worship.

I don't know where we're all here at in our faith,

and maybe some of the things and some of the

stories I'm sharing you you might think very ludicrous, ludicrous, right,

it might seem very unreasonable and illogical. Right, it might

scene really so mystical man.

God is like that. Yes he is, Yes he is.

During my college days, I remember a few times a

day I'm going to miss dateline and got made away.

So many times.

There was once I was working on this project for

two weeks, you know, final first semester project, and then

my computer crashed and died, right, and I lost all

my files. Two weeks gone. My submission was in three days.

I didn't sleep for three days. I made the submission somehow,

I was finishing it ready after two and then the

last day, I remember this red clearer. I was going

to go and you know those days, there's no drop box, nothing,

and it's very difficult, and the fouler was big. I

literally took my computer all the way to the lab

to present right. And the saving grace was that the

dadline was supposed to be twelve pm. They extended it

and I finished it at two pm and managed to

bring my stuff there. No, I tell you, there's just

so many stories that maybe it's only applicable to me.

But my encouragement is that God is so interested in

your life. Is that he will help you with the

small things that only you notice him. That's my pitch

to you. And the only way you will ever understand

that that is true is that you experience Him for yourself.

That's the only way you think that is rare. I

thought Jesus only handles it. No, He's an expert of everything.

God is an expert of everything. He's an expert of

your relationship. He's the expert of your finances. He's the

expert of your life, your purpose. He's an expert of

your dadlines. If you will put him at the center,

and if he's at the center, he will make a

way for you.

Man, maybe he can worship God experiences rare powerful thing.

It is.

Yesterday I was talking to pass Yvonne and her family

about some stuff and it's just so amazing.

They told me a testimony.

Her dad was showing me a testimony about how he,

you know, his youngest brother was saved and now I

think a majority of his family is safe. And one

of the things that or one of the key things

that happened in his family that was amazing was one Christmas.

Yvonne and they were I don't know you remember the story.

But they were telling me about how the family is together,

and Yvonne had our first ever ex church Christmas production.

Life is hard.

And I don't know which family they were, and she said, hey,

shall we watch this? And they watched the short film.

That short field was the short film.

I was involved.

You know, I've never heard this story before. And after

the short film, maybe the lot more cousin accepted the

lot first person, then after that the rest. When I

heard that, sorry, I was just so amazed at how

God will use something that I thought was so it's okay, right,

it was our first short film in X and of

course we did so that we can reach out to people.

But I was just so.

Amazed at how powerful, right, just an act of obedience

that you did.

I mean, it's more signifant than me.

I mean, to your manahawas that it's just a cool story,

but to me it was a significant because it was

something we did a long time ago. It was something

we did for Christmas. Yes, people responded. I thought the

story was okay, it's not great, But to hear that

someone opened up their heart to Christ because of that,

to me, it's just it has to be God. Our

God is so wonderful friends, that he'll meet you where

you're at. You don't have to try to make sense

of it. Because God don't make sense. And that's the

cool thing about him. He doesn't make sense. A lot

of things happen in life. We don't understand. We don't

make sense. The only thing we can do is trust him.

The only thing we can do is follow him. The

only thing we can do is you know, rely on him,

which is what the Bible says. Why you try and

figure it out, don't figure it out. The more you

try and figure it out, the more frustrating it's going

to be. But the more you're trust in him, Wow,

He's going to open doors for you. The more you

walk with him, Wow, things are going to happen that

you will never imagine. And you, guys, are going to

be able to experience him, which is one of the

greatest things ever. Maybe in the past you have, but

I don't know true, different things happening and all that.

If you want that, if you want to experience him again, friends,

all you do, all you need to do is ask.

All you need to do is trust. If you've never

experienced him before, in such a powerful way. All you

need to do is ask. All you need to do

is surrender. All you need to do is look to

Jesus in every area. Don't try to make sense of it.

Does it make sense? Don't make sense. I've spoken to

so many.

People, so many people who are business people, people who

are in careers that just in shambles or just having challenges.

But then when they start looking to the Lord, doors

are open and all they can say is it must

be Jesus. You ask me also do not to answer you,

but they will tell you it's Jesus because they tried

every other way it doesn't work. But then they just

trust in Jesus. Any work, isn't it evidence? Isn't it evidence?

So what is it in your life that you are

seeking for? What is it in your life that you're

believing for? Put Christ at the center one of the

key values about church and see Him move for you.

Amen.

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

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for you. God bless