Unpacking the Vision of Acts Church Session 2 | Elder Peng Hoe

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

We hope this message will light up your.

TEA very quick recap. I'm sure you'all remember, don't forget

to bring your books. If you don't have your booklet,

you can request for one if you're visiting us here

for just this week. I believe there's some loose leaflets

for today's session in which you can pick up and

you can actually go to because there's going to be

a lot of information. And I know many of us

have been with the church at different times, and so

as we share sometimes the history of the church and

the church has been is around twenty five years this year,

not around eighties.

Twenty five years.

We started as we were established in two thousand and

so it's quite easy to remember every year that passes

by twenty five years. So we've been around for twenty

five years. Some of us have been. I don't think

there's anyone here who was here right from the get goal,

because there were only three three gentlemen that started off

the church and then it grew. Probably the earliest of

our leaders besides Paster Kinnet and Elder King, who were

the pioneering tree is past.

The Joy. The Joy was probably number four, number five.

Number four and number five were actually Joy and her

sister to join the church back then when we were

still meeting at the shop lot in s s fifteen.

Okay, this is.

A shoplot where the church office used to be, where

when I started, when I went in full time, we

were there there was where I sat opposite Pasta. Joel

vj is of course Shellin's brother in law and his

parents in law.

Here.

He was a good buddy of mine, and we spent

many years talking nonsense together across each other. But since

then we have moved along, and so different ones have

been with us at different stages. Some of your came

a bit later, Saoya, well here right the early days

you may have gone and Bill hiatus, but you're back.

Beny was probably one of the earlier partners, if those

of you. I've known Beny since I've been in church

two thousand and four, two thousand and five those years. Okay,

So when we tell story, maybe you'll be I wur

try I would try to share, because again the Lord

has really led us throughout this journey, and sharing this

is also helping you to identify in the vision and

the mission. Of course, it's a it's a global it's

a universal vision, a universal mission in that sense. But

yet I believe this is something that is special for

us as a church because we're part of a family

and everyone. Yes, it's called to be part of the

universal Church. Very very important. Okay, that's part of our

part of the Apostles creet. Now we always recited. If

you recite the Apostles Cree, it says I believe in

the Holy catlictures, not the Roman cat lictures, the Holy

cat lictures, which means that I believe in the universal Church,

the importance of gathering together. But every believer belongs to

a local church, and you are all part of this

local church which is part of the universal Church. So

let us always remember that, yes, there is a universal

calling and a purpose to go make disciples. And everything

that we talk about is also in line with the scriptures,

in line with the Apostles Creed.

And so I want to encourage us.

Not to think that, Okay, why we're preaching, are we

just preaching our manifesto. We are not communists. We don't

have a manifesto to preach. We really want to preach

and share and teach whatever the Lord has downloaded to

the church leadership over the years, and it is our

responsibility as well to be able to carry on this

mandate and this vision and the mission that the Lot

has placed upon our lives. You realize that I speak fast,

I hope you'll stay with me, and I speak funny

because I'm wearing a dan okay everywhere I go. Now

I have to let people know I lost my front

tooth not too long ago.

Yeah, okay, Richard last.

Because on the day it got extracted was the day

I met him for lunch and I couldn't. I told

him I I had to wear a mask. I've got

everyone say we won't laugh at you, we will laugh

at you, and then I smart than that they laugh

all liars. Yeah you laugh right, Okay, yeah, so yeah,

there's something up my palette. Until today, I still can't

get used to it. So it's yeah, So if I

say something and you doubt what I said, or you

have like did he actually say that, you can actually

clarify me, because I've had people.

Did you actually say that?

I said, no, no, no, no, it sounded off because of yeah,

I'm speaking.

I have a slightly shot the tongue.

Okay, uh so, so bear with me, bear with me,

so a quick recap. I think last week doctor Jill

Chad on the big picture the big vision, and the

big vision has always been taken from Habako chapter two,

verse fourteen, and it just says this, as the waters

fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an

awareness of the glory of the Lord. Of course, I'm

reading from the NLT. Y'all will have the version from

the n NKGB reads in a more regal way. You know,

as the waters covers the sea, very very nice. I

prefer something a little bit contemporary, as simple as this. No,

the big vision is for as far as the waters

fill the sea, and we know that this earth is

filled with seventy water as fire as you can think

of the land the sea, let it be filled when

an awareness of the glory of the Lord. That means

people should know who God is. Actually, there is no

reason why people don't know who God is, even though honestly,

sometimes some people may not know exactly or what the

gospel story is. But you think about it. No, in Romans,

if you study the Book of Romans, you will realize

that some people may.

Never be me riched.

In that sense, we'll never hear the Gospel story even

once in their life, and of course times we have

the question, how would they be judged because no one

actually told them the story. If you study the scriptures,

you will realize that for those who really have no

knowledge whatsoever, they will be judged by whatever knowledge they

have of the God of the universe. And I can

tell you this, no matter how primitive you think you

may be, if you think that the creation that means

whatever you see around you, if you're living in Timbuktu

or you're living in the middle of the jungle.

But if you study how.

Nature works, if you stand for a moment and wonder

how your body functions, which I think even the most

primitive person be able to do, that you realize that

God is a supreme being.

It's not for me.

We are all creation. We are not creators. We can

never try to imagine the wonder and the splendor of

a creator, but sometimes we always try to. It's just

sometimes I always tell people when I tell a story,

and how do I share with someone about God? The

simplest I can think of is okay. God is okay.

If you're a human and then there is an amba okay,

the lowest form of life form, and it's like God

becoming human is like us becoming the amiba. Can you

imagine yourself as an amba, no form, no structure, You're

like anything uned sell, okay, I did study by your mind.

I don't think amibas or unie ll maybe not, but

you know we are. We are complicated. We've got lots

of selves. We get millions and billions. But imagine yourself

going to the level of an a meeba. That is

what God actually did when Jesus came and he to

help with us. That's amazing. But you see, you can

never compare because I'm a creature. That means I'm a

created thing. Even if I become an ambah, it's a

created being as well.

It's a creature. But God is create.

All this is Creator taking the form of creation, which

is amazing, Which tells me a few things. Know how

amazing God is and how amazing his creation is as well.

Because all of us and only us humans are made

in God's wonderful image. You must always remember that. And okay,

that's another message on his own. But we are all

creatures created in God's form and structure. But humans are

the only one that is made in his image. If

you study Genesis, you realize that that's why we are

given dominion of all other creatures.

It's our responsibility.

That's why sometimes people ask me, do I need to

look after the environment? Yes, technically you do. Do I

need to look after animals? Well, yes, technically you do.

You're not supposed to kick them around, but you're not

supposed to glorify them until they become gone. It's an

understanding of the order of creation as well. Okay, so

I'm taking some time to explain because really this is

the big vision. And then in Genesis, chapter one, verse

twenty eight, it says, then God bless them and say

it be fruitful and multiply, feel the earth and govern it,

rain over the fish in the sea, the birds in

the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.

So what are we supposed to do well? We're supposed

to feel the earth? How are we supposed to do it? Well?

At every wedding that.

We caught dow we always say yeay, yay, Now be

fruitful and go forth and multiply. No, we tell every couple,

and then some of them look at us. Yeah, we

are ready for it. Our some they're like, oh man,

this is going to be a chore or a task,

but it's an important manday, a mandate given upon husband

and wife to do that two responsibilities of a marriage.

It's actually partnership and parenting. It's part and puzzible. And

when I do pre marriage counseling, I will talk about

things like that, it is our responsibility and why do

we need to do this well? To have dominion, to

have influence. That is the power in which we hold

in our hands as followers of Christ. That's why he

wants us to have dominion. He's chosen ones, his chosen people,

very very important.

Okay.

So this is the overauching picture and vision that we

have as a church, and it's something that we will

continue to hang on to.

Everything goes back to this.

This is the reminder, No, why do I do what

I do what I have to do well because we

have a responsibility to both make sure that there's an

awareness of the glory of God all over the world

and also to go and be fruitful and multiplying, because

that's how that's how eleven Jokers turned the world. Upside

down if you think about it. Maybe it was tough

because they had Matthias after that, But think about it.

Christianity started off when Jesus was walking along the shawes

of Galilee and he called firstly a couple of fishermen,

and then with that came some zealots, some doubtors.

Yeah, all sorts of characters.

If you study the life of the disciples, I don't

think any of you would have enjoyed partaking of the

Holy Communion at the first Holy Communion with each of them,

because Jesus is you must love each other, and they

probably look at each other. Man, I don't like this person.

This flir is like impetuous. You know, there's bitter says

whatever he wants, or this flur or bore them sons

of thunder them is they're like father, very bad, hot

timpered one.

Uh you know.

And then there's Thomas who's always asking questions is so annoying.

And then there's one who would end up betraying everyone

and he's always pilfering and taking the money from the accounts.

Know that that's Judas because he used to take money.

You have all sorts of character, but yere Jesus is

love each other, because that's how the world will know

that you belong to me. It's a very important commandment

as long as we have to remember. And so this

is why we are called to do whatever that we

are doing. The mission of the church is to make disciples,

make disciples. You know, if a church is not operating

in that manner, if we are not making disciples, we

are not creating disciples, we are not producing disciples, then

something is fundamentally wrong. And I can tell you this.

For me, my simple understanding of discipleship is parenting. It's

actually a form of parenting. I will explain why I

say this. You know, sometimes we may not be able

to fulfill this, this big vision of filling the whole earth

with the awareness of the glory of God. Sometimes you

think about it, Wah, such a big and tall order.

Wealm do it one person at the time, not asking

you to go and stand there and try to preach

to a billion people. Even though today now a lot

of people are trying to do it through the social media,

but it's still not humanly feasible for just one It's

not a one person responsibility. The truth is we have

this collective responsibility to go out and to make disciples,

and when everyone is involved in.

It, it goes a long way.

That means I will sometimes tell parents, if you take

care of your own children, it's a stunt. If you

disciple your own children, teach them the ways of the Lord,

that's a stunt. That's a start. I mean, it's it's somewhere.

And of course there is a larger responsibility, a collective

responsibility when we come together as the family of God

here in the church setting, all of us. That's why

he always says it takes a whole village to raise

a child. It actually takes a whole church to raise

our children. That means expect me to tell your children

if they're not doing something right, because I will do it.

And though even though sometimes it's at the risk of

stepping on people's toes, sometimes it may not all go

well because different people have different ways or looking at it.

But how I look at it is it's a form

of parenting. Discipleship's parenting parents. What are we supposed to

do as children? We are to make sure that we

nurture our children, and children of course have a responsibilities.

Your children have a responsibility to honor their parents, to

respect their parents. It's a two way thing if you study,

and you study in them efficients Chapter five and there's

some scriptures in there which actually helps to guide us

in terms of parenting is very very very powerful. And

we do this here in the church as well. And

that's why in the Ten Commandments, commandment number five is

honor your parents. I believe it's a very very important

for me. It's the bridge between our relationship with God

and then our relationship with men. Because if you study

the Ten Commandments, you realize the first four is in

relation with two God and the next six is technically

in relation to men. But number five, and every Jewish

kid remembers the Ten Commandments, number five is the bridge.

Really is the bridge because our parents, it's almost our

identity to God. Having a good relationship our parents will

actually help you relate better with God. How can our

children and how can I expect our kids? How can

we expect our children to know a God in whom

they cannot see if they can't even learn to trust

the parents who are given the responsibility to watch over

them and they can actually see and touch. But yeah,

our kids sometimes like Rebella. That's quite normal. Okay, I'm

not going to talk about parenting, but I want us

to understand a bit about discipleship and disciplain because it

always starts at home first. Amen, And so teach your parents,

teach your children, if your parents, that is your mandate,

your responsibility to teach. As a church, we are all

called to be disciples so that we can then also

disciple others. That is what we are doing. We raise

our children for twenty years. Then after that, Hallelujah, praised

the Lord. They're supposed to be out of our house.

I think you uncle probably can relate to that.

AA.

Not sure if there's anyone stay in the house after

twenty twenty one. But most of the time we are

given not the parental responsibility forever and ever, is actually

a responsibility of stewardship that you are given God because

every child. Know, when we do baby dedication, what do

you think it means. It means we are dedicating the

child and too God, because the child actually belongs to God.

The child is with us for a period of time

as parents. Then we have that responsibility during that window

and that gap to raise the child, and then after

that prepare them to be parents themselves. That's the whole

cycle of life. That's what eventually the scripture says you

are to leave and cleave. It's the same thing with discipleship.

Sometimes we go through a discipleship process that never ends.

Actually it's a stewardship. Every person who disciples someone is

a time that the Lord has brought someone into our lives.

As someone who is a parent, I'm supposed to take

care of the person, teach the person the ways of

the Lord, and then release. It's not supposed to be

forever and ever. I'm going to live under one roof.

And that's why today you see for us as a church,

many have gone out pass the canneth has over the

years disciple raised and released.

It's a very very important cycle.

If not, we won't have people like Passa Joel in Melbourne,

we won't have people like Passa Dave in the UK,

we won't have people like past the Lazarus in Africa.

It's just the reality of it.

Would we have loved to kept all of them under

one roof and live happily ever after? I think, honestly

it was fun and know while it seemed like a

nice thing to do and a great thing to have.

That's not God's call and purpose because ultimately, the bigger

vision is to make sure that there is an awareness

of the glory of God around the world.

Amen.

And so we are to make disciples, and how do

we do that? Well, we got to nurture them, raise

them up. We have to produce leaders. We have to

produce pioneers. I know, Eugene, God bless yours you go.

Of course I'm going to go everywhere, but you just follow.

I'll still follow the order. We have to produce leaders

because a true disciple is not just a follower of

Christ and the leaders, but also follows how Christ led

and raise others. So that's why in church we always

say we have to help a pre believer to become

a partner. That means don't just go around trying to

steal shit from other people's science.

It's so easy.

Okay, I want to populate my church. Let me go

and try to entice all the other Christians and make

it even more hip and happening here so that they

will come.

That's not our purpose again.

Ultimate vision is to make sure that there is an

awareness of the glory of God there are many, many

more people who do not know who Jesus is. Let

us be the ones that turn or help them. We

can only help them along their journey. The work of

salvation and converting is not our work. Is the work

of the Holy Spirit, a change and a contrite and

a repentant heart. It's not something we can do, but

we can initiate it. And we can be the one

that almost acts like a conduit. Because everyone starts off

in the negative, help them reach zero so that they

can eventually be a positive in Christ. Jesus very very important,

So help pre believers become partners, and then after that

help partners become pioneers. That's why as a church, we

believe in discipleship through church planting, and we say.

And we are not ashamed about it, even though I

tell you this.

When people hear us saying this, they're like, I came

so that I can attend service on a and then

leave after that. I didn't come because I want to

go and start something new and engage people. It's just

too much work. But the reality is we are a

church planting church, and I think we will always try

and always endeavor to keep going. It's not easy, I

keep you not. It's not easy to church plan to

start something. But in our journey of doing it, we

are bringing everyone along because all of you are part

of a church plan. It's that means someone paid a group.

Actually we never we never planned with just one person,

but a group. I still remember the early days of

Churus because Churas actually came out of umpannk and Umpug

was actually I was actually the one that went out

to plan Exa'mpang and Uh Gloria was with us in

Umbang for a period of time before she launched out

into probably one of the most Chinese areas, uh in

kl No. We decided to send us the Gloria.

And she's like, yeah, bring it on. She came.

She's remained faithful throughout these years and it's been amazing.

It's a journey in which you know, we used to

be in one place, but yet because we continue to

disciple our people through church planting, many pioneers came about

and we need that pioneering spirit. It's not always the

easiest thing to inculcate or build in a person, but

when you are a parent, you want your children to

be pioneers. You want them to be bold and brave

enough to start something, because eventually, when they get married,

that is a pioneering spirit because you are starting your

own family, you think about it, or when you start

off in your career, you are starting your career is

actually a pioneering step, and we need we need to

disciple everyone to be pioneers and then eventually to be

a parent because that's when they are assuming the responsibility.

So really, all I can say is this, when it

comes to our faith, it's not borrowed. You cannot say

that I'm in church, it's an awesome church. My leaders

are people who are full of faith. Let me write

on their wave of faith. We can't because it is

actually down to each and every one of us. It

is down to your own individual choices.

Then you have to make.

This is our responsibility as leaders to bring you to

a place where you are able to realize that I

need to make choices, and I need to make right

choices because God is good.

Yes, God loved the world. Yes.

But then if you read on all the scriptures, because

sometimes we paint this picture of God like as though

we owe him something or he owes us something more

like it, Actually it's always all, God's doing it for me,

no matter what, he will, just do it for me.

There's nothing on my part to play. I think that's

a very dangerous way to understand our faith. And if

you realize, whether it comes to faith, hope, and love,

it's all translated into action. Because if you don't see

action in any of these things that you talk about,

or I'm full of faith, how do you know if.

A person is full of faith?

Because if you think about it, the heroes of the

faith in Hebrews chapter eleven, all of them by faith.

They did something. Read it.

I'm not making it something. You will see that by faith.

I do something by faith. The person did something by faith.

Rehab actually took in the spies. Think about it. And

so you can't say that I'm I've got I'm full

of faith, but there's no action to be seen. Just

like love, you can't say that all I'm a loving guy.

Yeah. If I say that to my wife.

And I don't mean it and I don't won't do

anything to make her feel love, she's gonna.

Uh.

That's the truth. Because love is love in action. That

is the agape love. The agape love is the love

that compelled creator to come to the level of his creation.

Think about it. Okay, so very very important for us

to know this. When we plan a disciple, we will

produce a leader. It starts off with discipleship. That's why

this year's emphasis is discipleship first. That's how we started

off and that's how we will continue because it is

the foundation. Jesus' last commission upon the believers, upon all

Christians is go there for ye and make disciples of

every nation. And therefore his last commission must always be

our first priority. That's why it is disciple first for us.

I've come to this place where I realize many people

don't like discipleship. It's the same thing as many children

don't like discipline at home.

It's the truth.

If you are a parent today, an amount of influence

we our children have from this world, we actually prefer

children nowadays don't discipline me. I have my rights and

now I am my kids. You have no rights, Okay,

that's the truth. You have responsibilities, that's what you have.

But everyone's claiming and demanding rights nor what rights.

Again, we have to.

Be very very careful in the world in which we

live today, because all of us have an important role.

We are not made to demand rights. If you study

human creation and you study humans and the relationship with

one another, it's all about responsibilities. Whether it's between husband

and wife is responsibility. Whether is between parent and children

is responsibility. Whether it is between employer and employee, it's responsibility.

But this world, this world is always crying out for

all rights. I have a right to this. Ever, I

have a right to that. Only God has all the

rights in this world because He is the creator of

the heaven and the earth. And if you are a

Bible believing Christian, a church going, you love your parents,

and you recite the Apostles Creed, then remember I believe

in God, the Father, creator of the heaven and the earth.

Amen.

So plan a disciple produced a leader. Lesrus was not

a leader straight away. He was a student in Kneeli

and he attended ex Kneeli a zimbabwin who came to

Malaysia to study. And then for his final year he

had an un t I this you know this auntie

that we all love to have another one that if

you come to UK, I'll pay for all your expenses

and I help you study here for one year. Okay,

He had an auntie like that, and the final year

he had to leave Malaysia because his auntie wanted to

sponsor his entire education in the UK and he knew

he was going to go, but before he left, he

actually said, I have experienced something in Malaysia that I

want to carry on this experience because I believe this

is God's way of really making sure that the whole

world knows the glory of God. And so he actually

approached the leaders and told us, please prepare me, and

we put him through a class to prepare him to

be a church planter. He went to the UK with

absolutely nothing, no experience except for a group who were

praying together, went onto the ground, you know, started off.

I remember the first few weeks that he started off.

He just lacked.

Everything whatever that he needed to do church uh and

said and waited, prayed, prayed really hard. But that was

how ex London was birth. Ex London came about because

we had a faithful Lazarus h who went about and

from a disciple he was actually uh, Bastar Rohnson discipled

him and Pastor Rohnson he's in education, Okay, he's he's

uh one of the directors in Taylors and he discipled

U Leizrous well and until today uh Lazarus Uh is

still planting churches. So he's gone back to Botswana to

help us. Of course, Botswana is a different another story.

Five girls, five students from lim Googo Wing actually five

Botswana students who came to Malaysias to spend probably three

years for their degree and say that we have experienced

something that we have never experienced in our lives and

we want to bring this back and we want to

start something in harborone. And that was how expos Wana started.

Of course, we kicked Quanchin out for four years. Quanchin

is now the person who has replaced Joel in my life,

sitting opposite me. But Quancin was actually four years in

Botswana and that's how it started. In fact, I can

go on telling you stories, but I don't have time.

Melbourne.

You how you may be thinking, oh is pass Joel

went to help us take care of what has already

been started by a couple by the name of Daniel

and Jessica and they currently hit up our thirteen thirty

subank plant. Really, the stories in terms of church planting

has really help our church grow.

You think about it.

No, it used to be one place, one preacher, and

until today, I still get a lot of people who

will be like, oh, we only want Passa Kennet. If

Pasta Kennet comes and bridge, then we will be here

if no paster can. You know, sometimes for many years

it was like that, and Passa Can actually had the vision.

He knew that the church is not built on a person.

He's not built on one man on the pulpit. And

you know, it takes a lot for God's chosen to

be on the pulpit, to share his pulpit, and because

of his obedience, he has shared it with so many

of us that today as a church and every one Sunday,

there are at least fifteen sixteen seventeen of us preaching

and bearing the lord of sharing the word. In fact,

I think it's more because we have raised more over

the years. I know none of us may be like

Buster Cannon. He definitely does have the wonderful annoying thing.

But I think if we understand our responsibility and do well.

Preaching is not something or teaching I didn't want to

do it. It's not something that I do naturally I can.

I kid you not. It's I'd rather you ask me

to do anything like wash toilet, fetch students.

You know, I used to fetch.

Lazarus and emmanual all the way to kneel, I bring

them around. Anything labor intensive. I'm fine, But you asked

me to come up and speak and share. It was

something that I couldn't do. I couldn't do well. In fact,

I studied six years to be a lawyer. I became

a lawyer, and then I realized I hate litigation. I

didn't want to go to court. It was just something

that I couldn't do naturally. Because of course, back then,

I used to think, man, everything is in Basa is

going to be quite challenging. But today I chimbasa again,

not willingly, but because I have to. It's my responsibility.

It's a responsibility that has been shared by a pioneer,

and Passaca has a pioneering spirit. He has got what

we call the apostolic calling upon his life. That's why

I like the Apostles. They go out and pioneer and

start things. So it's very very powerful. We need to

make sure that we continue to disciple people, produce leaders,

plan lives, gain lives. It's always people reaching people. It's

not an event reaching people. We have come to a

stage where, unless we think to reach more people, we

need glorified events. We need something to attract them. We

need the sound and the lights. All those things are

going to be temporary. Yes, you be able to get

the messes, but you get them temporarily. Unless there is

a change in their heart, Unless you walk with them

and you encourage them, things going to happen. I kid

you not, because anyone this world is great at drawing crowds.

But are we could? We need to keep them in

the glory of the law. It's so important and the

only way to do that is to disciple.

Amen.

And so we are to raise and to release the

Daniels into the marketplaces. I will explain as I go along,

raise and release daniels. I mean we are all I

would love. I mean I'm someone who is in full time.

That means I've given my life to serve the church

on a full time and a permanent basis. People always

ask me, is there a difference? You know, are you

more holy and them?

Like? I don't feel that way.

I know some people think they like to demarket and

have boundaries and have clear lines. Okay, you are full

time ministry you secular? Hey, secular? Secular or worldly people.

I really don't believe there's a full time career and

a circular career.

For me.

It's either you are a follower of Jesus or you're

not a follower of Jesus. Do you think God cares

about your career as much as he cares about how

you do your career, how you behave, and how you act.

It doesn't matter whether you are a cashier the counter

or a countant in a top accounting firm, or an

investment capitalist, or if you are someone who is sweeping

the road. Because ultimately, I think what God wants and

what he sees of us is how we carry and

how we conduct ourselves in the things that He has

called us into. I think that's more important, and so

I never I never differentiate between circular and full time

because all of us are called to full time. Can

I can I say this? All of us are called

to full time. We are full time believers of Jesus Christ.

I mean, it's like it or not, whether you are

in the marketplace or carrying out firsthand doing the work

of the church. It is still a full time ministry,

and I honestly prefer more people in the marketplace because

that's where the loss are. And we still need people

in the church definitely to make sure that we exist,

to also take care of those who are under our discipleship.

Very very important.

The church is about both discipleship and evangelism. It's two

parts of a bird. Okay, if you can think of

a bird without discipleship is going to be lopsided. Without

evangelism is also going to be lopsided. You need them both.

That the church is probably the only organization that, like

every organization exists for their members, very very important, but

the church is definitely the only organization that exists for

its non members. You know, other societies they don't care,

like if you're not a member or whatever. Yes, you

supposed to care for our members, but the church is

probably the only organization that exists for its non members

because we have a responsibility to reach out. Very very important,

and so we need to raise and release Daniels into

the marketplace. And you know, all of you will go

through different mountains in life. All of you will go

through different challenges in life, especially in your careers, which

you spend if you think about it, we spend many

hours in our careers, a big chunk of it if

you want to compare it. Know some of the working parents.

I feel for working parents especially, you know if they

sally sit down and dawns upon them that I've got

a child or I've got children, but I spend almost

ten twelve hours a day in the office away from

my children. It's a big responsibility, a tall order, and

that's why it's there's going to be a lot of challenges.

But I want to encourage all of you your mountains,

take it one at a time in the Lord, because

the Lord reminds us that faith as small as a

master's see can move mountains, and that is a promise

in the scriptures. I know it's not easy, but we

have been in this business or raising leaders up so

that they will make the right choices, very very important.

A lot of times. No, we pray, Lord, increase our faith.

That's our prayer. It's almost like we're asking him to

do our job. God, increase our faith. It's like shifting

the responsibility to God all together, like as though faith

is his work to put and impute and impart into

our lives.

But you know, our faith actually doesn't need enlarging.

Our faith needs exercising, just like our body he needs exercising.

Jesus will always remind us that you do not need

bigger faith. What you need to do is exercise whatever

little faith you have, and that's how mountains are moved,

and that's how you keep growing. That is the truth

because every time they're like Lord and large our faith,

increase our faith. But then he says, faith as small

as a master's sick can move mountains.

What do you think he's trying to tell you.

Is he trying to tell you that, yes, indeed, you

need increase and enlarge faith to do any of these things,

or he's telling you to whatever you have, work it out.

And that is how we are to understand our Christian journey.

Because you can fill your hate with all the knowledge

of the glory of God, but if you don't walk

in the glory of God, something is going to be

fundamentally not right in your life as well. There are

a lot of verbs that is in our faith that

means it's active faith is not so much just or

our Christian religion is not just or God loves you, stamp,

steal delivered, see you in heaven.

Do whatever you want in this world. It's not like that.

A lot of times.

It balls down to the choices and the decisions that

we make in life very very important.

And so this is a reminder.

Exercise the little that God has already given you first,

and every step that you take. See how God works

in your life. You know, sometimes a simple thing for

me and for me how I exercise little favor.

I go into the parking lot and I'm like, oh, God,

I need a pucking now.

Really not because I'm selfish and I want puckings for myself,

but I need to go to the toilet also at

the same time.

Uh.

You know, sometimes for little things like this, we think

that God is not in control of things. We almost

think that God is someone who has got no control

over anything in our lives. It's like he wound the

clock and then it just it just clockwork. And so

we don't pray about anything. We don't believe for him

to be able to intervene anything. I mean, if you

really need the weather to change, pray. Sometimes I tell people,

if you need it to be dry, ask the Lord Lord,

let it be dry. Exercise that little faith and see

how the lot works in your life. Because I've come

to this place where I understand now what praying unceasingly

and what praying in the spirit really means. That means

you're not praying when you're just desperate. You're constantly seeking

the Lord and asking Lord, what is it that you

want me to pray and believe for, whether it's a

personal thing, whether it's for someone else.

Because prayer really does work. It really does work.

You know, when I was in Memma, we pray for

our church plans and every time they come, they when

they see that, they will always tell us, thank you

so much for praying for remembering us in some god

forsaken yangon. I don't know what compel you to remember

us weekly in prayer, but they're always so grateful and.

Thankful that someone praying for them.

I really believe the church in Memma is still standing

because of the prayers that we pray. And you know

that the small thing that I let the plans pray

for us as well, do you know that? And they

were so shocked actually prove so, I say, yeah, of

course they do, because they understand and they value prayer,

and as much as we are praying for them, they

are also praying for us. I believe every plant you

need you just come here from Edinburgh. I believe Edinburgh

prays the probably one of the smaller plants in our

different plants internationally, but yet they pray for others as well.

I think that's something that we need to be reminded of.

Amen.

So God wants us to focus on growing deep roots

to produce good fruit. And the root is this the

word of God. We need to keep going deeper and

deeper into the world of God. But remember this again.

All the hate, knowledge, all the belief, all the doctrine

in the world you can have in your head counts

for nothing if the belief doesn't turn into behavior, if

the doctrine doesn't turn into some sort of doing.

It's very very important for us to remember this.

All the principles or the biblical principles in the world,

you think, oh, I know, I know them, but unless

it is practiced, it also counts for nothing. God's word, Yes,

read it story in your heart and then let it

work from the inside out.

Very very important. Amen.

And so this is the overall picture, the vision is

a vision of dominion because God is the creator of

the heaven and the earth, and he has given us

all as humans, as followers of Jesus, the dominion over

the people in whom he has called into his likeness.

The mission is to disciple others each other. We need

to is a collective effort and of course the direction. Okay,

this is where I'll talk a little bit about Daniel,

because throughout the church twenty five year history, the Lord

has brought us through this beautiful journey. But it all

falls into place because God doesn't want us to just

be a brand. He doesn't just want us to be

a just a church. He wants us to be a lifestyle,

to live out ax that will reach pre believers.

That's why X Church.

I mean, if you think about it, the name actually

comes not because we are generation X or past the

candidates from Generation X is not.

It's actually X.

If you realize our name, we can also call it

the practice Church, the behavior church. It's about doing, it's

about being active, it's about caring, it's about being practical,

being living. All this is very very important for us

to remember as the church because if you think about it,

the Book of X. It's not just the Book of X.

Sometimes really thinking, hey, this one is like a play

or you know when we read the whole. Well, actually,

the longer name is actually X of the Apostles. That

means the apostles did something. But you think about it,

the longer, longer name should be X of the Apostles.

And they were guided by the Father's Son and Holy Spirit,

because everything that they did was because Father's Son.

And Holy Spirit was involved.

Every message that they preached, everything that they did had

the element of the God Hit involved in it. Because

if it wasn't for the God Hit, all of their

acts would be acts of futility. But instead it became

acts of divine power and purpose, and they carry it out.

And because of what they did, Christianity turned from eleven

no bodies into where we are today, where me and

you are actually.

Safe in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think

about it. Think about it? Okay, So what will we

become as a church.

That's why I remember there was one year we had

a tot back that says acts of I don't know

whether you remember. It's a tot back, and then it

has all the different acts of love, act or kindness,

ex feeling, feeling in whatever it is. Because ultimately, when

you go out to the marketplace, all of y'all are

going to be carrying with you the identity and the

badge of Christ.

And do your colleagues, do your love ones see that?

Do they actually see Christ in you?

Because we are no as Christians and basically it's little

Christ that is who we are. Are we actually living

out our life in accordance to how God wants us

to live our lives.

Amen.

And so I want us to be mindful that our conduct,

our behavior, our actions go a long way. If you're

in a marketplace, don't be someone who goes late to

work all the time. If you are given a responsibility,

fulfill your responsibility, well do it well, because that's what

God wants. He's again, I remember I said, he doesn't

care about your career.

He cares about how you carry out your career, how

you study, how you are as a student, how you

carry yourself as a person. Amen.

And so I'm just going to very quickly go through

some numbers and some years just to give your slightly

bigger contexts. In the coming weeks, we will talk a

lot more about this but remember remember this in Habakuk

chapter two, verse two, he says, then the Lord answered

me and said, write the vision and make it plain

on tablets that he may run who reads it.

Okay, And this is why we are actually.

Doing this, so that we have things printed, so that

we know as a church where we are hated, towards

where our direction is.

And you know the focus. When this message was.

Shared by Pastor in twenty twenty one, we were given

a ten year focus from twenty twenty to twenty thirty.

And so now we endeavor to keep reminding ourselves of

these ten years that we are currently right in the middle.

Because in Daniel he said test us for ten days,

and ten days was what Pasta Kenneth saw in the

vision to be interpreted as ten years. That means we

have until twenty t teeth to make sure we get

everyone on the same page to realize what the vision

of the church is. You know, for the first twenty

years we were like a Joseph church. We were discovering ourselves,

we were out. But really the Lord used x in

more ways than one to impact community, to do things

that a lot of actually know in our journey as

a church, I really have to say this. We have

pioneered a lot of things and done a lot of things,

and gone to places where no other churches usually think of.

But somehow the Lord let us and past someone the

way he leads the churches.

If God says, go, I go. If God says do

I do?

How it looks like, how much resistance, how much challenges,

We'll figure it out along the way.

But if it's going, we go.

And because of that, as a church, we have done

we have organized different things. Now, we've been involved in

different things, whether it's in relation to other churches or

in relation to the nation building or yeah, I don't

have time to list them all down, but you know,

if you come to the church office, we've got this

whole wall of pictures and newspaper write ups, and you know,

I really believe the Lord has used us the first

twenty years. And you know, Joseph was sort of away

twenty years from his brothers, where the Lord used him

and put him in a place and in a position

where people knew who he is, especially in the circular

in the world.

So the first twenty years was Joseph. The second.

Buster reminded us that it's time for Daniel. For the

as a church, it's time for us to live on.

Daniel. And so we started studying.

At the start of twenty twenty, during the pandemic, we

started going into the Book of Daniel. And I can't

tell you this Book of Daniel is an interesting book.

It is. It's prophetic.

That's one of the reasons why some people avoid reading

the Book of Daniel, because it's almost like reading revelations.

In fact they are.

There's some correlations there, but it's powerful because the next

twenty years we are guided by Daniel and for the

ten years. The scripture that led us to the first

ten years is this test us in Daniel chapter one.

If you read it, you realize that there was a

testing that Daniel and his buddies okay Shadrack, Meshack and

Abendango had to go through because they were sort of

forced to eat and party and do everything that the

king wanted them to do. But they say, we've got

a certain special diet, and this certain special diet we

believe in it is a good diet, So why don't

you you test us to see whether we are ready?

But God, He's not just going to test us He's

going to strengthen us as well, very very very important

because we started off at the start of this decade

with about a thousand plus people in all our church

services across and then when we studied back the history,

we realized that, wow, actually back in twenty ten, we

were in the midst of purchasing a building, a building

that we thought was probably the way forward for us

as a church where we will get everyone to come,

a building that could sit four five thousand people. We

were actually in the midst of working towards that somehow

cut the wrong story shot. It never materialized. We went

so close, but it didn't happen, and we lost a lot.

But it was actually from twenty ten onwards that you

see us as the church started to plan and to

go out because the reminder that the Lord put in

our hearts is this, don't just build me cathedrals.

He doesn't just one one.

Place that gathers everyone, because really it can be a

date empty place today. If you if you ever go

to Europe, there are many beautiful cathedrals, but they're all empty.

Either they're empty or they are converted and used for

a different purpose, not as cathedrals. Actually some of the

cathedrals in Europe. They're turning into pubs, they're turning into

master turning into galleries, they're turning into all sorts of things.

And that is the reality of it. The Lord does

not one use. Okay, this is our calling, our vision,

our purpose as a church. Don't build me one big,

giant place and gather everyone. Instead, go out and be

a movement. That was the word that was given to us.

Be a movement. Don't be a more nhuman. Don't be

something that's big and large and just contain, but be

something that is active. And it takes a lot more

work to actually do that.

But pas the can.

It reminded us all back then in twenty twenty one.

We have a thousand people right now. Everyone can be

a pioneer. Everyone of these believers can do something, and

we need to help each of them believe that they

can do it. And this is our dream that God

will use every person in extras. That means there's no

such thing as someone who comes and I'm just going

to sit back, chill and relax, even though I know

many of us are like that, me included once upon

a time. But we are all made to work that

is our God given purpose. Actually, if you study Genesis,

you realize that it's a privilege for us to work

and to serve the Lord. Privilege, not a chaw, not

a painful thing, but our privilege to serve. And so

I want to encourage all of us. You know, past

the Samuil of x Men, I'm gonna try to end

because I would go off to Strikamangan.

You know. Uh, he is from the Chin tribe.

Okay, Chin tribe, so they live in highlands and uh,

if you know how the Chin tribe operates, actually they

are one of the most evangelized groups in all of

Memos different tribal groups.

So there are a lot of Christians who are Chin.

And for most Chin youths, when they are young, they're

given two choices in terms of career.

Choice.

One you either become a resistance fighter and go and

fight the military, or two you become a preacher.

And so his father was an itinerant preacher.

Past the sam used to travel around the heels to

preach and to evangelize to all the different villages. And

he was given that choice. He made that choice to

follow his father's footsteps. But I know you think about it.

Many people in Memma one of their dreams is together

on Mehama because it's not a safe place. It's a

place that is so challenging, so difficult, so much internal

strife and struggle. But instead of leaving Menma, he made

the choice actually to reach out to the very people

who persecuted his people. And that's why he's in Yangon

because majority of Yangon is Bamis. It's basically the majority

people group of me and Ma, and so Pastor Samuel's

church that he started ex me and Ma is not

a church that is speaking Chin, which is his language.

He's actually speaking Bamis. It's a Bomise speaking church because

his goal is I want to reach this group, because

these are the largest group in me and maa a

lot of them, many of them are unreached, unsafe at

this point, you know, about two years back, and he's

got family, his own family. Many of them have resettled

as asylum seekers in different countries, whether it's in Singapore,

and many of Burmese people actually do that because they

are not just their livelihoods stack. Their lives are a

stick and so many of them have gone overseas and

resettled in countries that have accepted them, and he's got relatives,

his siblings, his wife's siblings are in the States, and

so they actually invited him two years ago. He was

in Indiana and they told him there's a great need

here in the States because we've got so many Burmese people,

so many of your own tribal people here, and we

need pastors. And they actually told him, if you stay

on in the States, you know right now, we don't

even need to go back. We will sponsor you. We

bring your whole family over. And he told me, he said,

when I remember the situation in Ha Gone, he is,

I just can't. It was so enticing, but I just

can't do it, even though there is a call and

there's a purpose there, but it is not my call

and my purpose because what I want, or what the

Lord has told me to do, is to stay on

in my war torn country and continue to reach out

to the very people who are persecuting us. And he

does it in love, and it's amazing. You go to

x Memmo and you talk to different partners, many of

that actually almost everyone has know someone who either is

a victim of the war that has been happening. There's

a lot of false conscription that is happening in Mehnman.

That means they catch young men and put them into

the army and force them to fight for the army

against their own people. They drug them and they cause

them to be dependent on drug and then they all

go a bit crazy and they just do whatever that

they're told to do. And so you know a lot

that you don't go walking around the streets, especially at night,

because they can just stop the vehicle they pull you in.

There's that fear that maybe a thousand reasons for them

to say bye bye, I should go and I actually live.

But yere, they are still there, and that is the

spirit that we are looking for. Ultimately, all of us

got to keep going. All of us got to keep

making disciples, all of us got to keep planting to

all of us got to keep producing leaders. All of

us got to keep raising daniels. It's not just the

responsibility of the leaders. This is what I'm trying to

encourage us. And so for this year, as we started

off disciple first, it is so important for us to

be reminded of what God has given us, and God

has given to us every single one of you, precious

and every single one of you. God has a plan

and a purpose. And if you think that the plan

is just for me to just come and sit down

and chill, I assure you it's not. Seek the Lord

and ask him no. If you feel no, I don't

ask pasta Gloria. Okay, don't ask past Gloria. Ask the

Lord Lord, what is it that you want? Why have

you brought me to X? I am sated here.

It has to be for a reason. I am someone

who is like that.

You know, somethings we can wallow and sorrow about where

we are born, why we are here. A lot of

times we are I mean, it's just because I choose

to come to dis church right from the very start.

And that's why when the going gets tough, I choose

to I know I can still make the choice to

stay on. Of course, many of us Siddimes know, even

the families that we cannot choose. We want to choose

to go away from the families, but we are a family. Ultimately,

we stay on and we help each other discover God's

plan and God's purpose because I know He has plan

and purpose for each and everyone of us, and so

we will always start with who we have, and this

is who we.

Have in extra us.

So you may be students and you are here for

a period of time, then I say, I pray you

are blessed these two years, this, three years, this four years,

and wherever the Lord calls you to thereafter, may you

be a blessing there as well. And so always take

stick of who you have. That is what we are

called to do. That is God's plan and God's purpose

for each and every one of us.

Amen.

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

information on our church, please visit as church Org. We

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

this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God bless