Can I Get A Witness | pr Joel Vijay

You're listening to a message to go from ex Church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

Book of Ex chapter three. We'll read it from verse

one to ten. I think it's on the slides. Yes,

it's good to be in churi Us. It's not my

first time. Okay, I've been here before. Hillion is my

sister in law, who is Delius? Yeah, you already notice.

So Shellian is my sister in law. Edmunds my brother

in law. So it's a big family, yes, family reunion

and with each and every one of you as well.

We are part of a bigger family as church as well.

And we get people coming to Melbourne as well. And

then they tell us all we're from ex Cherras, we're

from Ex Suba, and we go like wow, and that's

how tight we are. Everywhere you go, almost every continenty

you go, you can almost find someone you know, like

someone from church. So it's good to be in God's

house together. Amen. Let's read X three, verse one to ten.

It says here can y'all see that hopefully testing an

eyes set in the morning. Now, Peter and John went

up together to the temple at the hour of prayer.

The ninth hour, and a certain man lame from his

mother's womb, was carried, whom they laid daily at the

gate of the temple, which is called beautiful, to ask

for alms from those who entered the temple Verse three.

Who's seeing Peter and John about to go into the

temple ask for alms, and fixing his eyes on him

with John, Peter said, look at us, And so he

gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from him.

Then Peter said, silver and gold I do not have,

But what I have I give to you in the

name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk.

And he took him by the right hand, lifted him up,

and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And

so he, leaping up, stood up and walked and entered

the temple with them, walking, leaping and praising God. And

all the people saw him walking and praising God, and

they knew that it was he who sat begging arms

at the gate, beautiful gate of the temple. And they

were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened

to him. Amen, praise God for the reading of his word.

We are in a month of missions. You all saw

that that advertisement, just not someone said like, wow, that

was a very well edited x TV promo. But the

main focus on it is missions and what is missions about?

Anyone wants to make a guess when you think about

the word missions, what comes your mind? Sharing Tom Cruise? No?

Or going to Okay? I heard Tom Cruise, Yes, missions,

Tom Cruise, mission impossible? Right? Uh? Going to compound yes, yes,

that's right, reaching out evangelized. Okay, these guys this church

is like top Ances City, so ready to go out? Ready, right,

it's true. Like and in this verse is you see

Peter and John. Where were they going? They were going

to where the temple? The temple? In those days we

people go to the temple. It's not Buddhist temple, but

they go to the temple to what were they going

to do? Pray? And that's where they meet. It was

the ninth hour, right, ninth hour. If you do a

study on the ninth hour, you find more interesting stuff.

That's why she read your Bible, right. You find out

that in the ninth hour in the olden days is

where they make sacrifices. And in those olden days, the

sacrifice the lamb when Jesus was crucified. What hour was it?

It was also there ninth hour? And who was Jesus

referred to as well? The lamb that was slain. Isn't

it amazing? Old Testament New Testament talks about, hey, you

know what a sacrifice that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice.

And so now Peter and John were going up to

the temple at the hour of prayer. They were going

to say, Okay, I'm gonna bring my sacrifice maybe of praise,

whether sound system, I don't think they had a sound

system that time. And they praised God anyway. So like

this church, you praise God anyway, whether there's some microphone

and on. And when they went in there was a

guy who was what lame he was He couldn't he

was not in a perfect movement or he didn't have

perfect mobility, and he was laid there from his I

love how they describe it is they from his mother's

womb carried meaning from birth. He had a condition that

needed help. And maybe some of you here maybe not

from birth, but you had a problem or you have

been having a circumstance for God knows how long. God

knows right. For God knows how long you've been having

this condition, and today God wants to set you free. Today.

That beautiful gate is where you know what God is saying, Hey,

you know what, if you would trust me, I can

do that miracle. I can come in. I can come

true for you. I am the answer that you need.

And I'm here to tell you that beyond just going out,

before we even we go out, we need to go in.

Missions is about going where out? But where were these

people going there? We're going into the temple and we

need to fill our lives the Temple of God with

his with his spirit. And so today point number one

I want us to focus in just for today is

fine strength in praying? What together? Fine strength? So Peter

and John went into the temple together to pray, and

the strength in praying together. In our church, we always

have prayer time, right, we have all the time. We

have pries service, prayer, we have after worship, in between worship,

we have prayer. At the end of a service. That's prayer.

And they're thinking, wow, so much prayer time. I'm here

to tell you prayer works. We've had people come in

through our church and before even our worship, you like

we won't say like, oh, people like we're not planet shakers.

We're in Melbourne. We're in Melbourne. We had the land

of planet if you know, planet shakers, if you know,

he'll songs those who are like great in worship music.

But we will tell them like, sorry, guys, we are

not planet Shakers, We're not hell song. But we hear

the worship gone. And then when people come in and

they come up bit of testimony. We've had so many

people dealing know this as well. They come up to

us and say, like, actually have a testimony during prayer time.

Someone at the back there when I was praying, they

prayed for me and my family, and this is the testimony.

We found a house, got provided for a house, and

they said, I don't even know what's the person's name,

the person who pray me. So I'm here to tell

you that your prayers are significant. They might be small,

but they are significant, and you don't discount like sometimes

prayer time is where you can actually speak the word

of God. And that's where two or three I get

it in my name there I am in the midst

of you, and I command a blessing, that blessing will

go forth if you say, Jesus, just me alone, I

can't do it. But I'm standing with this person, and

let's pray and believe together and then God will move.

Peter and John were not best friends. If you read

the Bible, you know that John is this guy who's

always calling himself the disciple that Jesus love. And then

when Jesus got crucified and he was buried and he

was getting raised from the dead. Ready, guess the two

people were running to the tomb, right, and then it

says the disciple that Jesus love outran Peter. Right. There's

serious competition in this two people. So I'm thinking, Wow,

the miracle happened even before this by man or this layman. Sorry,

is the miracle of Jesus putting these two people together.

People who you never expect in this church. The people

don't look at your name now, the people next to

you who never in your lifetime you think like I

will get along with this person. But God has put

you together because He is that common denominator. He is

the one that unites us and true this he brings

a blessing. So when we can put aside our differences,

God is the answer we'll find out that God is

the answer most of us. You think like, oh, I

need to find someone who connects with me intellectually. Then

we pray the prayers, intellectual prayers and God comes true. No,

ask God Lord in this time of prayer. Lord, is

there a person that can pray with? And then when

you pray, don't pray out of your own wisdom? Ask

God for that word. Amen. To find strength in praying together,

but not just with each other. I want to go

beyond fellowship because if we just get her and we

just talk to each other, were just friends without Jesus

in the picture. We're just friends. With Jesus. He provides

a supernatural ability. He provides the spirit. So I'm here

to tell us that as we meet, if you meet

in your homes, your small groups, the own discount prayer.

I told this to our church before, that when we

hang out with people, they say like, hey, let's go

hang out with this person. Then they come back and

then they say, you know what, I hung out with

this person and stuff. I said, did you at least

pray for somebody? Because what makes us different from someone

who doesn't know Jesus? Can I pray with you? And

that gives them the power, that gives them the authority

that gives them that healing. Because if I go in

my name, let's say, me and Dyla, we go and

hang out with somebody and then we walk away, they

just go away with, oh yeah, funny story. But when

I go and I say, hey, can I pray with you,

what I'm giving them is I'm giving them Jesus. I'm

going like, hey, you know what. I don't understand what

he went through, but I know a God who does,

and I can pray with you. And that's that's what

we can do for each other. Amen. Let's read some

scripture here, Acts twelve, verse eleven to twelve. He says,

when Peter had come to himself, he says, now I

know for certain that the Lord has said an angel

and has delivered me from the hand of Herod from

all the expectation of the Jewish people. And so when

he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary.

The matter of jo On whose surname is Mark a

lot of information for many of them who were getted

together were praying. I'll give you a context of this, Peter.

There was persecution happening. People were killing James had just died.

This guy named James had just died. And then they

were coming after Peter. And then they put Peter in prison.

Guess what happened. The church was praying together and through

this God send an angel to break Peter out of prison.

And then Peter realized that where am I? Who is this?

I tell you, the Bible is amazing, the best Netflix

drama ever. Okay, you read the Bible and realize that, wow,

Peter came out and then he's like, okay, where am I?

Who is this? And then he goes to this house

and he finds a group of people praying for him.

So I'm here to tell you that your prayers can

make a difference. That sometimes you don't know that you're

sitting here as a miracle of someone else's prayer. That's

where I say like, hey, you know what, come together,

let's pray for people. At midnight, Paul and Silas were

praying and singing Hymn to God and the prisoners were

listening to them. So some people, when you're praying, other

people who are caught in different sins are actually listening.

They're watching, they're witnessing. So our prayers can be a

tool of witness to those around us. Ecclessses four, verse twelve.

It says the one may be overpowered by another, two

can withstand him, and a tree full chord is not

easily broken. That just means that if you put three

people together, me, you and Jesus, you know what, it's

not going to be broken. God, You're going to make

it stronger. Jesus himself understood this when he says in

Mark chapter twelve is at fourteen, he says he took Peter,

James and John with him, and he began to be

troubled and deeply distressed. So Jesus, before he was crucified,

he took two or three people that he felt close,

and he was vulnerable. He says, guys, can you not

sit with me and watch end pray. I'm here to

tell you that how many of you have problems? Put

up your hands. How many of you know that your

problems can be shared and the person that's sitting sometimes

next to you and they can lift that burden up

with you as well. It will feel a little lighter.

You might think, like, how can I go another week

with this problem? When you share it with someone you can,

you can. It gets slider. I've I've had an encounter

many years back. I'll tell you a joke on this,

but on prayer, and we were at this I think

we was in we were in Cibu, Okay, we were

there ministering and it was all to call and so

many people were up in prayer. I think we went.

I was on a worship team. I was like, oh no,

there's so many people coming up for prayer. What do

we do? So I looked at the band. I said,

everybody's gonna pray. Everybody get on the ground, go pray

for people. I don't care what song were singing. We

left the Keyboardies. Thank you Keybodies, right, I said, sorry, Keybodies,

you gotta play h And the Keyboardies is there, and

I told this guy, this guy's name is Joe Neil

is a big part of our early church. Then and

so I said, Jonio, there's that person there, like he's

standing there and it looks like he needs help, go

and pray with him. And so Johnny goes like and

he goes and he says and then before that, I

see Johnio. He's like he's looking back at me, and

I said yeah, that guy. And he goes this guy

and then the person whispers to him and then it's

like points this. I'm like, wow, that guy, there's a

one prayer. And then he comes back to him and say,

but I have to tell you this. I said, what

is he not one prayer or anything? I said, that's fine,

move on the next time. No, no, no, he I

just don't get it. He said, I am a prayer.

And then I was like, wow, that's deep. So Jonio

was like standing there and then he's like, okay, I'm

a prayer. And then I said, you know what, Johnio,

leave him. He's are, okay, go with someone else. All right,

go and pray for someone else. He says, praying and

all this, and then we're done with a prayer. So

many people where again they they sought the Lord, they

gave your lives, aid the altar, glory to God. And

then the chairperson comes up, like your Nick who is

a stand up comedian and kin't thinking, he says. He

comes up and then he says, all right, guys, thank

God for all the salvations, every decision made, and praise

God for that. Okay, now we're gonna get different people

here Uh, they will be leading you in your next

journey and they'll call our prayers. People who pray for

you are called prayers. So I was like, oh, if

you get it, if you get it. When this guy

said when Johnnie went up to him and he said,

can I pray with you? This guy said, I am

a prayer, So I'm a person who prays for someone else. Okay,

you'll get the joke. Till next time someone comes up

to you, you either pray for them or you be

the prayer. Okay, you pray. What do you call a

person who kicks the ball? Is a kicker, right, So

what do you call a person who prays? A prayer? Right?

It's a joke. Long way to get to there. But

internally we laughed because we were like, oh my gosh.

We thought he was vaccident. They want prayer and stuff,

but he was a prayer. But today, today I wanted

to know, is there anyone who you can partner with?

Is there someone that can joli your burden, carry that

burden with you? It could be someone you never expect.

Sophie when she was two years old, we sent her

to to her daycare when she was one, and all

the times that she falls down or she scrapes a knee,

I think it goes wrong, and then I'll tell her.

Our first resolve is I'm like, come, Sophie, we'll pray

with you. She loves band aids. You put a band aid, right,

I'm like, no, let's pray, let's pray and we put

a band aid. Okay. Jesus he be calm and take

away every pain and discomfort. And she's let me pray. Amen.

So when we send her to daycare, we don't know

what we send her into, right, and guess what. She

falls down in her daycare and she goes to a

teacher and then she said and then her teacher says, oh,

we can we put some band aid. And it's like, no,

pray for me. She told a teacher. And this is

a Hindu lady, okay, and we love her. We love her.

Her name is Rashmi. We love her so much. She said, no,

you gotta pray. Then she's like, okay, pray and then

this is she just like you pray to Jesus. Oh wow.

And then she got a Hindu teacher to pray to

Jesus because of his great knee. And then I was

like I didn't know all this happened. When I went

to school to pick up that's when the teacher told me.

So Rashmi came to me. She said, you know, your

daughter is very cute. But she asked me to pray

to Jesus to hear her. And I said, but I'm

a Hindu And I said, that's okay, that's okay. You

can pray and yes, we believe in Jesus. You can

ask Jesus to help comfort her and hear her. Is

that okay? He said, what's that okay with you? She said, yeah,

I'm okay, that's okay. I want you to know that

God can use the little children to minister and to

reach out to people who never expected that. He can

love you as well. So he asked yourself, as ask

yourself the next time you're going through Hey, you know what, Lord,

I'm going through this problem, who can I partner with

in prayer? Lord? I am going to a temple. The

first thing you know, you have to know that is

I have to go to Jesus and Lord if I

do need extra help, who can I partner with? Is

that okay? To find strength in prayer. Number two is

to set your eyes on Jesus, it says here. Let's

read X three again. Two to five a layman from

his mother's room was carried whom they laid daily at

the gate of the temple, called beautiful, and that layman

was there, and verse tree he says, who's seeing Peter

and John was about to go into the temple ask

for alms, and fixing his eyes on him with John,

Peter said, look at us, and he gave them his attention,

expecting to receive something from him. A lot of times,

when we are suck in a certain condition, we expect

God to come true in a certain way. When we're praying,

we pray, like, Lord, can you please provide for me finances?

And we almost feel like you need to go to

my ATM and make sure that this ATM account has

one more zero at the back right and of course

in front digits. Well, you feel like, Lord, you should

come in this way. But I'm here to tell you

that God, the way he provides his ways you never expect.

Don't put God in that box, because God can move

beyond our circumstance. That's where he says here. Some of

you might be relating to this. You think like, Okay, God,

I've been in this situation a long time. I've been lame.

I can't move. Lord help me. And then you stick

out your hand and say, Lord, I need this. But God,

in his mercy and grace, provide different ways. He might

bring you encouragement to a friend. He might give you, hey,

you know what an idea you're like, Hey, instead of

just giving you money, I'll get you out of poverty.

I'll give you wisdom to make wealth. Because in his

word it says he gives us power to make wealth.

What's that power? The Holy Spirit? Not just hey, you

know what, I can make a bank account. No, he

gives us power in a way that, you know what,

we never expect. So don't limit yourself when God says, hey,

you know what, turn to me. Fix your eyes on me.

I wrote here, don't let settle for lose change when

what God can give you can be life changing. Most

of us were God is saying, like, you know what

what are you're asking his voice small change? Like this

this man he was just asking, can you give me

some coins? Arms? Is just you know what, what's your

little the little coins? And you know what Peter and

John gave him they said silver and goal I don't have.

What do they have? In the name of Jesus Christ.

What did they give him? They didn't give him coins.

They gave him his feedback. And it's not just his

feet back. They gave him the ability to stand up,

to leap, to praise God, something that he could never

do in his entire life because he was laying from birth.

God can give you you something that you never thought

about us. Well, I'm here to tell you that it

does happen for us as well. Some of us. You

get carried away by the rapper. How many of you

have seen children when they open a gift, right, they

opened a Christmas present. That's that's Sophie for you, one

two years right. We were like, why not even water

buying a gift? Right, She's like when she was one

year old she opened a Christmas present, She's like whoa,

and well, like wherever some toy. But then she's like,

thank you mommy. She's like so happy with the rapper

and she went away because he looked nice. You look colorful.

She's like, yay the rapper And we laugh at it,

but it happens to us. We thank God. God provide

for me a job, and God gives us a job,

and you go like yeay, and we walk away forgetting

that He is a life giver. The Lord is my provider.

He's my shepherd that leads this truly goodness and messy

shall follow me. So we forget that. We were like, oh,

we're following the finances. We forget that God is our provider.

God is our healer. I'm here to tell you that

God is our healer. Personally, some of y'all when running

this morning, right, all the people are like, oh God right,

they love running. I love running. I like running. Dealing

with she says, I love running, Okay, I like running

running from responsibilities. Not kidding but now just joking. But

I never used to like running. Okay, I never used

to like running. I'm here just tell you that how

did I end up running? Is? I used to play

soccer a lot. I used to play football. I used

to any time of the day. As a campus student.

I will play morning afternoon, night any group. Dalan we

knew each other since we were campus students and in

a famous college called Inti College in Neili uh yay

i go. I would play morning after the night in

between my studies. I will play and play and play

until a point where I was playing for the campus

and the teams, and then I came to Kal. I

was like, yeah, I love what'sall until I got injured.

So as the time I got injured, I tore my

a cl ligament. Oh, and then I was I was like, oh,

this is hurd this is bad. And then I went

to the doctors and when we did a scan, the

scan came up and of course I know a toilet

and it looks swollen ready. And then the doctor said, hey, Joe,

you're this leg, your right leg. Yeah, it's pretty bad.

You've got a full tear there. You will need a

surgery and it's going to cause this much. And then

I'm like okay. And then he says but I was like,

I said, oh no, how long is it going to take.

He's like, that's going to take about six months for recovery.

I was like okay. And then he says, but before

you go, I want to ask you about your left leg.

I was like, he said, we did two scans because

started you anyway, your left leg, You've got on a

pcl tair And I was like, posterior taar so one

is a front taer. Your left leg has a pcl

tair and that looks like it could be caused by

a trauma or a car accident. Wait involved in a

car accident. I was like no, I said, And then

the doctor said, I actually don't know how you're standing

because you've got one posteer tear, one in tear tear.

And he says, all together it will set you on

a whole year of recovery. At that point, I just

want to do right. When you hear this news, I

went like, oh, my word, and as said so and

he says, and you can actually take up ping pong,

stop playing soccer. At that point, I was like this doctor,

you can't get another doctor. So I heard the worst news.

Like to me, it's like my wo came crashing. At

that point, it is like, God, you can't. This can't

be the end. And that's where I was reminded back

into looking into the Bible, and I was reminded of

this sermon. I think that Passa can have appreached it

many man many years ago, and it's it's on the

story of Pharaoh and the Red Sea and the disciples

and the Israelites were being chased by the Egyptians. Right,

the Egyptians are chasing the Israelites, and they reached the

Red Sea, and then they realize that, oh better you're

better off dead. Why did we come here? And then

Buzsa kind of share this and he says, sometimes you

reach a place where you turn to the left and

there's Pharaoh's army chasing you, and you turn to the

right and what you have the Red Sea, and you

have nowhere else to look but where up right? And

at that time I was in the hospital beds. All

I could look is at the top. And then I

said this prayer. I said, God, if you will heal me,

if you will help me recover, Lord, I would run

for you. Oh my days. I did not know what

that prayer man. Okay, I did not know what prayer man.

And I came off of that surgery. I did one surgery.

I did one leg, only on my right leg, and

that's another story altogether. Came out surgery and then became

that recovery. I was like, Okay, let's get a use

of my legs again. And then by the third month

I just felt like, oh no, I'm scheduled for another

surgery in two months. At that point, I was thinking, God,

this can't be happening. And God challenge me. I'm here

to tell you that God speaks if you would listen,

if you were quiet in our hearts. And so he said,

why don't you start walking? Why don't you start walking?

And I was like okay. And then as I walked,

as I prayed, as I read the Bible day by day,

I wanted you to know that he says here that He

was laid daily at the temple, so your miracle can

take daily steps as well. So each and every day

I walked, and then one day the only spirit put

it in my heart, why don't you start running. I'm like, no,

I'm not gonna end up tearing that again. He says, no,

you just gotta cry running. I'm with you. And so

I begin. I'm like, not knowing how to do this,

I begin to run just around one loop I came back.

If you've had an injury before and you run, and

when you come back, the first fear you have is

it's gonna be worse. It's gonna be swallen. It's gonna

take the whole day to recover. You're gonna have put

eyes on it. So I had this fear. I'm like God,

I'm like and it often happens when you're asleep that

you wake up the next day and you can't feel

your legs. That's how bad the injury was. And so

I was bringing like, God, give me that miracle. And

the next day when I woke up, guess what. Nothing?

And so I thank God. I'm like God, I am

that lame man. I make lame jokes, I am this

lay man to me. This lame man started making sense

to me, and I said, Lord, give me Jesus. Lord,

you are that spirit that will enable me. And so

God began to challenge me to the point of like

I started running. I started picking it up. And I'll

give you just fast forward all that too recently. I

think it was three weeks back. My last Sunday with

Ex Melbourne, I signed myself up for half marathon. What

a silly boy, right, And at that point I said, God,

I have this goal and I want to make it

within this timeframe because I have to make it to church.

I am serving, right, So I said, God, you've been

with me seven to ten years ago when I had

the injury. Lord, you're with me again and Lord, you

will help me. And guess what. On that day I

told Dada, I was prepped like nobody's business right, like yay,

I got this, I got that this. And on that

day everything went wrong because number one, my watch. I

thought I had charged it. You in the time yourself.

I looked at battery, damn right, I'm I looked at

the plug. It's not on. The whole night was on.

I'm not thinking, who am I going to how am

I going to run? I don't know what's the time.

And then I told Daila, I said, you know what.

At that point, I just prayed God give me some

way to finish this race, not knowing where I'm running.

And then the idea came, why don't you follow this

person that's in front of you? And I was like, okay,

whoever this person's name is, I don't know. I'm just

going to follow this guy run all the way. And

that's exactly what I did. I just followed this random

guy who's in front of me. I think he's probably

I thinking, who's this stalker? Right? Running twenty one k

stalking me and just following me. I'm like, my watch

is not working. Just following you. I was running until

the end, and then when I reached the ending, I

just cut that long serie short. I looked at the

time and I went like, whoa, God, you definitely got

me to a finish line. I told her, and she said,

oh my gosh, that's your best time. I said no,

I said, on my own, I'll be too worried about

too many things. Sometimes we get too worried about, like

our finances, your bank account, your family. Even Lord, I'm

planning here, planning there. And sometimes when you put aside

all things, God wants you to fixate your eyes upward.

And I'm sure you share you with you that story

because people began to come up to me after that

and they asked me like, how do you do it?

Why do you run? Someone asked me, why do you run?

I said, because I reached a point I couldn't run

when you are at your lowerst and you know that

no way I can come out of this unless God

you come true for me. I'm here to tell you

that the only reason I'm running is not what I

want to get ten thousand medals. Is I'm like, I couldn't,

but God enabled me. God, God can do that for you.

He can take you further if you would not settle

for the little things that distract this Hebrews twelve, first

one to two. He says, since we are so surrounded

by a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside

what every weight. Some of you have, your burdens, you

have discouragement, they're caring. God is saying, lay aside and

the sin. Sometimes sin can be anger as well. The

Bible speaks about, hey, you know what in your anger,

do not sin. So you might start angry like, oh

I don't like this person, but don't sin. Don't take offense, forgive,

let it go. And it says you let us run

with what endurance? Endurance? The race they set before us

is the important, most important part. Looking unto who. Jesus

the author and finisher. He's the one who got me started. Lord,

you knew me before the day I was born. Lord,

you will get me to the finish line. Who for

the joy that was set before him? And you are

the cross despising the shame and has sat down at

the right hand of the trond of Gourd. So God

is to tell you that he and know what I've

been there. I've walked this earth. I know what you're

going through. How can we put our focus back. I've

got two samples of prayers just in case you don't

know how to pray. I'm here to just share with

you some practical prayers and you can make it your

own as well as one prayers. Lord, help me not

to be distracted, but to wait on you with eager expectation,

meaning let me just put aside and Lord, help me

wait wait on you, and help me to expect from you,

not from anything else. Second prayer, God fixed my eyes

on you and what matters most to you. Lord, help

me to align my focus. Help me not to be distracted.

Someone here God wants you to do. God has got

that race, He's taken n you further. But you're distracted.

God has given me that picture of like the people here,

the great runners. But you're getting distracted. You're in life.

Things are coming in your way, and God is saying,

realign your focus and look at me. Start with prayer.

Ask God to change your perspective. The poor man. I'm

going to go into this layman or the poor man

who was asking for alms. I want you to know

that even poor people or people who feel they kind afford,

they've got something to give. Anyone wants to take a

guess of what he did, let me read it to you.

Verse three x three. Verse three he says, who's seeing

Peter and John? What did he do? Verse four he says,

fixing his eyes on him with John and Peter, he said,

look at us. And verse five read that he gave

them what his attention? If you think, like Lord, I

don't have this, I don't have that, I don't have

a talent, I can't do this, what can you give

to God? Give God your attention, give got your focus.

That's the best thing you can do. Actually, in that

story of Mary and Martha, remember his two sisters, Martha

was Martha was like a champion. People think that Martha's bad. Actually,

you know, she's just busy. He's busy about a lot

of things. She's cooking for Jesus. Jesus brought along a crew.

So how maybe I cook for people before? Yes, and

then when you hear that Jesus is bringing like ten

people to your house, how do you feel? And you

were to cook? I think I'll be stressed, right, And

so I can understand when Martha felt like oh my gosh,

I have to cook not seeing them up for all

these people? Do I even have enough? You can do this?

Where's the samba gonna go? Who's going to cut the

cook numbers? And then she looks at the sister? And

what's Mary doing?

Right?

You go and read the book the Bible? Right? I

think in the ten it says that Mary was sitting

at Jesus' feet and listening to his word. Right, and

I could understand where Martha's going, like, oh my word,

this sister. And then you know what Martha says. She

goes up to Jesus, Jesus, don't you care about what

your what I'm going through? Don't you see how much?

Like don't you care? Won't you tell Mary to do something?

And you know what Jesus says Martha, Matha, you were

worried about many things. It's true. They can be this,

the cucumber, the nazima, many things. But Mary has chosen

the better part. Meaning Jesus didn't say that what you're

worried about is is wrong. He's just pointing you to

what's better. This is the better thing to focus in

ask God in your own circumstances, in your own story,

in your own life, Lord, what can I focus in?

And the main thing that he would lead you is

to him because most of us love the verse Jeremiah

twenty nine, verse eleven, It says, for I know the

plans that I have for you, says the Lord plans

to you love the word prosper and not to harm you.

Plans for a future anna hope. They sound all good, prosper, good, hope, future.

But it starts with for I know God knows, and

God has a different plan for each and every one

of us. But who knows the plan God? So I

have to come to him and say, like, Lord, help

me to see it the better way. We love that

Forest Frank song. I don't know where that you know,

Forest Frank, but it says you always are better, right,

and we do to dance. But Lord, is your way

really better? In raising children? Is your way better? In

making a decision? Is your way better? Lord? Help me

to choose your way? Amen. So number two is set

your eyes on him, don't settle for quick fixes. Lastly,

last point here is let's read Xtreevius sixty ten. It

says silver and gold. Peter says, I do not have

but what I have I give to you in the

name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk,

And he took him by the right hand, lift him

to him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones

received strength. And so he leaping up, stood up and

walked and entered the temple with them walking, leaping and

praising God. And then everyone knew. It says here, I'll

just read the ending, and says they will all filled

in wonder and amazement at what had happened. What I

learned from this scripture is that we're there, his feet

and ankle bones receive strength. Let's do a little Bible

studies today before we end the word's strength here, Let's

go into that. The word strength here means sir or

it's a cliff. And then if you look into that again,

it says a rock or a boulder, refuge, and also

an edge. And then it goes into more meaning. It says,

mighty God, rock, sharp, a stone, a strength, strong. He

just speaks about something which is concrete. It says, when

the layman received, he received that strength, he received a refuge,

he received that rock, He received that cliff that you

can hang on to in troubled times, received that strength

that stone. Hey man, how many of you know what

Jesus is referred to as well? The Rock of Ages.

He's referred to as a Rock of Ages. Some of

us are well advanced in age to know us song

called Rock of Ages. Don't put up your hand. We

will know how old you are. But let me look

into Isaiah twenty six vers. Three to four. It says

you will keep him in perfect peace? Whose mind is

what stayed on you? So sometimes you're thinking, like, hey,

you know what, Lord, I'm worried about so many things?

God does Jesus tell Mary, Hey, you know what? Stay right?

That was Martha? Look, Mary is chosen good God, stay

at my feet. What does this verse? Stay on you?

And you will receive what? Perfect peace? So passes all understanding. Amen,

because he trust you. Trust in the Lord forever for Yeah,

the Lord is everlasting? What strength? So I'm sixty two vers.

Five to eight. It says, my soul waits silently for

God alone. My expectation is from him. He only is

my rock and my salvation. He's my defense. I shall

not be moved in God, in my salvation and my glory,

the rock of my strength, my refuge. Do you read

the word strength, And now you see he's a refuge.

I can go to him when I'm in trouble in God,

trust him in all times too. People pour out your

heart before him. God is a refuge for us Psalms forty,

verse two. He says, He brought me out out of

the horrible pit, out of the myra clay and set

my feet on a rock. And this is where I

took on. He established my steps from someone who had

two legs. So the broken guess who established my steps? Jesus,

He gives me strength. I'm here to tell you that

this man did not just receive lose change some and

God sees. God sees you've been in that condition. I

was saying Tilier that sometimes people were afraid to share

it during prayer time because what if someone judges me?

What if someone thinks like, oh I think less of

that person? What if I share it in prayer time.

I'm here to say, hey, you know what, share it

with Jesus first, but ask God to lead you to

that person. And in this word says in chapter two

in Acts, says that God has given us also the

Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit as our helper. It was

a couple in our church. And I'll end this in

with this story that we've been going to the west

in Melbourne. There's a couple there there are the Catholic

So whether they know Jesus, I think they know Jesus

as the Jesus baby, Jesus who was born to Joseph

and Mary, and then they know that the whole story

of that president in Jesus, but they don't know Jesus

as God, as the our Lord. And so when we

go to their homes, it's on the west side of Melbourne.

For us to get there is an hour and twenty

minutes from our house, so we're living in the east.

For us to travel there is the west and we're

just going. And when we started homestand then the couple

and our friends invited this couple and they came in

and then doing we were sharing the Word, and you'll

have homes. How many of you are attending homes there?

Hear me tell you that homes is a great place

where God can move as well. And so at that

point this couple came in and said, Okay, we learned

about Jesus. Great, we learn about worship the Word great,

and then came prayer time and he says, can pray

with us, and they said, we are going through this.

We need a visa. We need a visa. If not,

this is not going to happen, we don't know where

to go. And so me and Dealer we just it's

just four people there. We just pray. We just blessed them,

and they said, like you no, we just really need

a miracle. And at that point they looked at each

other and they go in like should we tell them?

Should we tell them what we're going through? I said,

I looked at it glance and I said like, hey,

know what, don't worry about what I think. I'm here

to tell you that God works on our behalf. So

it's not about me praying for you called once you

come true. So I said, is there anything I can

pray and stand with you? And they said, can you

pray for our visa? I don't know how it's going

to happen, and where do we need to move? And

we have a child, now what's going to happen? I say,

let's pray and we pray. Homes ended. We heard nothing

from them, And that was twenty twenty four, twenty five,

we had our getaway. We had a small getaway at

a camp and this couple came for the camp and

they said. The first thing they said is I think

they told dearly as well. It came to us. They said, bass,

And she said, you know what, we still remember the

prayer that you pray with us, and I forgot to

tell you that. One week later we had a response

and we knew it was God. One week later after

that that happened and they said, and we knew that

it was God, and I just want you to know that.

Can you pray with us again? And we went like wow,

and they begin to share it and they shared with

us how the child has been going us. Well, I

mean to tell you that God sees beyond just a

visa because he knows what they're going through. And when

the husband opened up, his says, God provided for me

in terms of finances. God showed up this way. And

we go like, hey, you know what, it's not my prayer,

it's not Tliu's prayer. It's God. It's Jesus. And as

we stand up right now, I'm here to tell you

that it's not me coming to you to give you

this word. But it's God. God wants to give you

that word that will set your free. With every eye,

clothes and every hit bout, God wants you to give

you a testimony that when people look at your life,

they go like, wasn't this guy that lay men? How

is he walking weeping and praising God? There are people,

even your own family, they might look at you and

go like, Wow, how is this even possible? How is

it even possible that you could come out of this situation?

How can this prayer and smile knowing that they're going

through this? And then you can only point them to

go like, you know what, it's Jesus, Jesus, Jesus is

my savior. Jesus is my Lord. Jesus. He saw me,

He pulled me up of that married clay, He set

my feet on that rock. In him, I should take

refuge in him? Do I have strength? I'm here to

tell you that the many days, I'll be honest with

you that every week that we go for homes one hour,

one hour and twenty minutes, we think is it worth

it traveling that far? And God spoke to me, is

that it's worth it? It's worth because I love people. I

love these lives and I have a plan and purpose

for them, and God is saying that to you right here.

You're asking God, Lord, is it worth doing church here

in churrus? Lord putting on a suit and a tie,

is it worth coming at this time? And I don't

know who you are, but God is saying, it's worth it.

It's worth even for one person. I would do this all,

just even for one person. And the Bible says that

he would leave the ninety nine just for that one.

And if it's you in this place, maybe you've known Jesus,

but you have not been walking towards him. Maybe you've

been sharing your problems with other people. And it's great,

but God is saying, turn to me, call upon me.

Thank you Jesus. We have they eye close and every

hit bound. We're just going to worship him. And I

want you to make it an altar, make it a surrender,

Say Lord, I surrender to you, Lord, I give my

all to you. Lord. I fix my eyes on you Jesus.

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

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

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this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God bless