Kingdom Metrics 3

We have a pair of booties for Ariel. So if you can come up.

Joan made this, and so we just wanted to‒ Joan didn't make it, but Joan got it. But

we just wanted to give it for Ariel, and it will keep her warm during winter.

All righty, let's go. So we've been talking about kingdom metrics, and so we continue

with that. So it's Kingdom Metrics 3, and we'll start by recapping what we did last week.

Oh, by the way, it's Shiloh's birthday today. He's not here. But Shiloh, if you're watching,

happy birthday. I think he's turning nine, I think. So this is the recap of what we did

last week. We said that the in-breaking of kingdom is on one hand, and on the other hand,

it's not covert. It's revolutionary, and it's disruptive. So these are some of the things

we said last week. That the in-breaking of the kingdom is covert. You don't see it happening,

but it still keeps happening. It's revolutionary, as in it changes things, but it changes things

often by disrupting things. It's not how it has always been. So the kingdom of God, as

in the reign of God, or the rule of God, or the life of God, continuously active. And

it's initiated by God, and it's worked out by the Spirit. We participate in it. We open

the door for it, because we went to Matthew 16, 18, 19. We said Christ builds a church,

but he gives the keys to us to open the doors so that whatever is bound in heaven is bound

on earth, whatever is loosed in heaven is loosed on earth. And so we have the ability

to open doors through our lives, and through being distributed all across the earth, but

it's worked out by the Spirit. It's initiated by God. The next thing we said was that there

is really nowhere, nowhere, there is nowhere, no village, no town, that the Spirit of God

isn't actively working in. Like, I'm not talking about passive working, as in hanging out there

saying, well, if you want me, I'm there for you. Not that kind of thing. Actively working.

Like surgical kind of working. Like a gardener ploughing up the garden kind of working. Continuously.

In every home, every village, every town, across the earth. This is the enormity of

the Spirit of God. It's just massive. And he's working towards what? Towards judgment?

No, towards mercy. Someone who is judged so that we can be shown mercy. And so he's

actively working towards that, eh? You know, it's odd. Someone who is judged so that we

may be shown mercy, and then at the end of time, because we reject mercy, we get judged.

Not because we, not because of any other reason. Next one.

How, this, this ain't moving. Brandon, can you make it move?

There we go. Next one. Is there any one life across the earth? Eight billion people on

earth. Is there any one life that the Holy Spirit isn't hovering over? Just one life.

Is there any life that he's not needing like one needs clay? Intervening, wooing, redeeming,

disrupting, toppling, restoring, or working towards making new. Is there a life on the

face of the earth that he isn't doing it right now? That's the crazy thing. Right now. He's

working on every one of the eight billion lives that exist. And what's he doing? He's

either hovering or needing or intervening or wooing or redeeming or disrupting or toppling

or restoring or working towards making new. Because it's one of God's favorite things.

Behold, I have made all things new. He's continuously working towards making things new. When we

talk about is there one life, it also includes your life. It includes your life. Just because

you and I have become citizens of the kingdom doesn't mean that it stops. If anything, we

now accrue the benefits of the kingdom even more easily than the world outside. They don't

know. We know. It's like knowing how much you have in the bank versus knowing that you've

got an inheritance and you don't know how to access it. There's not one life right now.

At this very moment, the strange thing is in every one of our lives, if we were able

to for a moment recognize it, who are you looking for, Anthony? Oh, for your bag. Okay.

I don't have it. So there's not a person in this room over whose life the spirit of God

is not working right now. Not one person. So what do I have to do to engage? I have

to just look to see. Just become aware that he's doing it. Just an awareness, a simple

awareness of the spirit of God working in my life even while I'm teaching you right

now. He's working in my life to make things new. That's crazy. Even as I'm teaching you

right now, he is working in my life to make things new. To make me more like Christ right

now. He's not giving me a break saying, oh, you're teaching. I'll leave you alone. Thank

God, eh? Otherwise you'll get really bad stuff. That's how he is right now. And if we can

become aware, you'll be surprised at the peace, the comfort, the correction, the conviction,

the promise, the hope, the laughter, the expectation that begins to rise in your heart. Because

we are not aware of him. We are left fighting it with our minds and with our sanctified

flesh. Change happening. You look across and you see someone you were offended with last

week and change begins to happen. I was reading a story. Just comes to mind suddenly. Guy

called Bob and guy called Frank. And both of them have been at loggerheads for years.

Their families don't talk to each other. Go to the same church. One sits on the left side,

one on the right. They never talk. And then one day communion happens and the pastor

calls up the two people who are supposed to be the ones who step up for communion. One

is Bob and the other one was Gilda. Gilda or Hilda didn't turn up that day. So the pastor

forgot and he said, well, Frank, why don't you come up? And now Bob and Frank are standing

in front. And the spirit of God is working in their lives. They don't even look at each

other. It's been 20 years since they spoke and they're standing there in front. And the

words that are being spoken during communion are, we thank you for the bread that is broken,

your body broken so that we may be put together, that we may be forgiven and that we may forgive

each other. And these guys don't know what to do. That's a visible example of the invisible

at work. But if we were conscious or aware, forget the word conscious, aware, you would

go home with baskets full of hope and promise and peace. Every Sunday, every time you meet,

you would go home that way. That's with regard to us, but he's doing this to people all around

the world. Then we said that when our small, often hidden and weak churches, they are not

ministries and efforts. When our small and often hidden and weak churches, ministries

and efforts discern what God is already doing and join in that work where he directs, we

become part of God's tsunami in Richmond. So it's a pathetic, clumsy, half-baked work

that God takes because when I'm weak but passionate, he is strong. And when our small,

often hidden and weak churches, ministries and efforts discern what God is already doing,

I mean, it wouldn't be great if I, while I'm teaching, can discern what's happening in

Aaron's life or in Mike's life or in Mira's life. And during the teaching, I begin to

just say two or three words that completely changed Aaron's life or Mira's life. What

if that could be something that, this is without being prophetic, just being aware of the work

that at present God is doing in Aaron's life. Just being aware. It's not a prophetic word.

And it slips in, saying, son, I'm not discouraged. I am not disappointed. I'm encouraged by

you. So keep pressing on. Mistakes happen. Put them behind you. Get up. Start walking

again because what I gave you when you came in is what you still have and I'm adding to

you. Nothing has been subtracted. And that wasn't even an example. That was real. But

what if I was aware? Then I get to join in the work he's doing where he directs and we

become part of God's tsunami in his life and in Richmond. Then we said, like the parable

of the mustard seed and the leaven, we are planted in the world. We're not planted in

the church. We grow in the church. We're not planted in the church. This is like one of

those nurseries where you begin to grow and then you're taken and put in someone else's

garden. We are planted in the world like the parable of mustard, the mustard seed and leaven.

We are planted to corrupt the corruption of the world. We are supposed to corrupt the

corruption of the world. What a cool, like it's all spy stuff, man. You go in like they

used to call them the fifth columnists. They would send them ahead of an army coming to

just begin to infiltrate a town and begin to propagate a new way of thinking so that

when the army comes in, the place would be ready. Can we corrupt the corruption of the

world and become God's counter story? God's counter story. God's counter story. God's

counter story. Okay, it stopped moving again, Brandon. Maybe if you get up, it'll start

moving. No, not yet. Say something. Threaten it. You're not going to get up. You're not

going to get up. Okay, cool. Remember what RJSE is, right? We seed RJSE. What is RJSE?

Right Living Through Right Relationship. Justice, Shalom, Equity. Dilna, you seem to have forgotten.

Okay, so remember these are the external kingdom metrics. What do we seed in the world? We

seed right relationship and right living. We seed the world with what does it look like

to have God's justice begin to flow through our lives? How does God's justice flow? Very

simple. Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as you love yourself. Third, Shalom.

Wholeness to the city we are in. And then the last one, equity or fairness. How do we

bring about fairness? Those are some of the things. And the last one is we should be the

kindest people in our city. Seeing our no strings attached kindness will open doors

to discovering how kind and loving God is. Seeing our no strings attached kindness will

open doors to discovering how kind and loving he is. I heard this story yesterday from a

church in Richmond. So this lady returns home. She's got two kids. She returns home and finds

her husband in bed with some other woman and she has to leave. She leaves. She's a new

immigrant not from a very well to do country. And now she's got two kids and the husband

decides he's not going to do anything to help. So she goes to this particular church and

in that particular church the daycare begins to take care of her children at a super reduced

rate and then realize that she doesn't even have food to eat to feed her children and

the husband has turned his back on them and isn't doing anything to help them. So they

register her with a food bank. And so food hampers begin arriving to help them survive.

Different churches, there are two or three different churches that begin to help. And

food hampers arrive. They begin to help the kids survive and for her to eat. It's her

birthday one day and she knows she's got nothing to celebrate the birthday with. So she knows

it will be a birthday that she spends with her children with nothing to do and she goes

gets a hamper for the week to cook meals and it just so happens that our local save

on here in Richmond that day had a cake that was partly smashed because the cardboard box

shook and the icing on the cake was smashed. So they decide they'll take the cake and put

it in the hamper. So they put it in the hamper. She takes it home. She has no idea. She knows

what's usually in the hamper for a week. She opens it. It's her birthday. She opens it

and there's a cake in there. This is a true story happening here in Richmond. Not too

long ago. She opens it and she can't believe it. Her kids are like thrilled saying this

God because they're not Christians. They're from a country that is it's not India. It's

another country where it's not it's not the Christian God. Two days later she turns up

at the place that registered her for the food bank and she says could I know your God because

there's no one else who could have known and done this for me than your God and the person

there was able to lead her to the Lord and she and her two kids now serve the Lord. Such

a simple story that I heard yesterday. I'm thinking to myself gosh man what does it take

to be a little kind. Remember how we define kindness. Kindness is the expression of the

goodness of God. We say the glory of God is the goodness of God. The goodness of God is

expressed through kindness. Kindness is the expression of the goodness of God. The goodness

of God is his glory. And so when I am kind it is surprising how I open the door for the

glory of God to enter a situation. What does it take man. Remember Desmond Tutu story right.

A smile changes a nation. That is just nuts man. Would you differentiate between the two

words. From. Yeah. Would I differentiate kindness from niceness. Good question. The

difference between kindness and niceness is niceness costs me nothing. Kindness costs

me something. Because when I'm kind my heart is involved. When I'm kind as we will see

today my feet are involved. My money is involved. My heart and mind. It's more niceness. Niceness

Canadians are like Aston. Yeah. Niceness we are really good at it. Yeah. Kindness is when

so much of me is involved. Yeah. So let's look at three parables today to figure out

some more principles of the kingdom that we can apply and sow to the world around us.

Remember everything about the kingdom now that you are citizens everything about the

kingdom is how you get sown into the world. It is nothing else but you being scattered.

Yeah. And remember scattering is not a strategic scattering is put your hand in the sack and

go kshhh. I don't know whether that's a sound but it's something like that. Yeah. And so

it goes all over the place. Where you fall know that God in his brilliance has the ability

to locate you at the right place. But scattering is not something that I have to pray a lot

over before I get scattered. Yeah. That's another mistake we make when it comes to things

of the kingdom being sown into the world. My God we start praying because in praying

we can take up another two months. Don't have to do anything. But we are good seed already.

You can't pray the seed into anything better. At least that's what Jesus said. Okay so the

first parable we look at is Luke 16 1-13. Luke 16 1-13. Luke 16 1-13. The parables were

actually some of them were cryptic but most of them were supposed to be understood by

simple people and so you are simple people. Luke 16 1-13 or 1-13 yeah. Here goes. Jesus

told his disciples there was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.

So he called him in and asked him what is this I hear about you. Give an account of

your management because you cannot be my manager any longer. The manager said to himself what

shall I do now my master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig and I'm

ashamed to beg. I know what I'll do so that when I lose my job here people will welcome

me into their houses. So he called in each one of his masters debtors. He asked the first

how much do you owe my master. Eight hundred gallons of olive oil he said. The manager

told him take your bill sit down quickly and make it four hundred. Then he asked the second

how much do you owe. A thousand bushels of wheat he replied. He told him take your bill

make it eight hundred. The next verse is quite something. The master commended the dishonest

manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in

dealing with their own kind than other people of light. I tell you use worldly wealth to

gain friends for yourself so that when it is gone you will be welcomed into eternal

dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much. Whoever is

dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy

in handling worldly wealth who will trust you with true riches. And if you have not

been trustworthy with someone else's property who will give you property of your own. No

servant can serve two masters either he will hate one and love the other or he will be

devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. So the goal

here the goal here is kingdom oriented shrewdness. Kingdom oriented shrewdness. So the people

of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than other people of light.

And so what are we dealing with? We are dealing with unrighteous mammon or money or another

way of saying the same thing is money of this unrighteous age. That's the meaning of the

medium here. And what are we using it for? We are using it to create kingdom friendships.

Question is how? Ok so the goal here is hey can I teach you how to be ones who can practice

kingdom oriented shrewdness. You know Christians are some of the most gullible people on the

face of the earth. We believe anything. Anything. One of the things that really blew my mind

is when during the 2000 anniversary of David's reign the Israeli tourism board built a cement

platform six inches under the Jordan river under the Sea of Galilee like off the shore

so that Christians could have the experience of walking on water. And then they began charging

for it and thousands of Christian tourists went to have that experience of walking on

water and I'm thinking to myself how gullible do we get? And so I think that's the point

I'm thinking to myself how gullible do we get? Or eight million pounds raised in India

so that we can plant olive trees on Mount Olive so that when Jesus returns he will find

it green and not barren. Eight million pounds you know how much that is in Indian rupees?

It's very gullible and he wants us to be shrewd but kingdom oriented shrewdness where you

use money of this unrighteous age or unrighteous money however you want to call it and you

use it to create kingdom friendships. How? Luke 14, 13, and then the second chapter of

the book says, but when you give a banquet invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the

blind and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the

resurrection of the righteous. So one of the first things we do is we use the money, we

use the money of this world to make kingdom friends by making friends with the poor. So

we are inviting, giving to those that cannot reciprocate in this world but like the woman

who got the cake can one day because of what you did. So we invite you to give a banquet

be part of a new community in this world and the banquet in the next. So here's a challenge,

I know it's a little late for some of us to do this but here's a challenge. Tomorrow

at your Thanksgiving meal will there be someone like this or will it all be friends who are

already part of the kingdom? I'm just praying that one of the guys I want to invite tomorrow

for lunch because we are making this amazing turkey called Spatch Cook or Snapchat or Scotch

Mac, I don't remember the name but it's a turkey like that and so we're making it and

I'm hoping that I can go down and ask a guy that works at A&W to come and join us and

it will be awkward. I'd rather have just my friends but it will be awkward. Do you realize

how quiet we've suddenly gone? It's going to get worse eh? This is just the beginning.

I realize for some of us it won't be possible to pull it off by tomorrow plus if you've

got other family that need to be told then it would be impossible. What if some of us

could attempt it? What if you're not doing lunch but you're doing lunch alone and you

decide to do it differently? Small steps eh? Any questions? Gosh this is deadly still.

Okay. I'll let you know how it goes. Second, the shrewd thing is to use it now for something

lasting so when it's gone what you get in return is eternal. The shrewd thing is to

use money right now for something lasting so that when it's gone what remains is eternal.

When you look at Luke 16 and we read it just now and you read 10 to 12 you realize that

how I treat money. How I treat money. I'm deliberately not using the word steward. I'm

not using the word steward because stewardship is sometimes just careful unbelief disguised

as good stewardship. I hate the word stewardship when it comes to Christian circles because

it just means you know we got to save for our children and for our future. It is so

blooming self-centered so why not just take that word away for now and just use the word

treat. How I treat money. How I treat money. I have a desire to be a good steward. I have

this present moment. How I treat money that I have at this present moment is indicative

of what we will be trusted with tomorrow. Now nobody is exempt. You don't have to have

much or little. Any questions? Okay. So I'm going to go ahead and ask you a question.

Shoot, Brandon can you do your thing? Wow, this is like Daniel Daniel. Tekel tekel mene

upar scene. You must have freaked the guy out as the finger begins to write on the wall.

Okay. Well it's not done. Yeah. Any questions on this guys? How I treat money I have at

this present moment is indicative of what we will be trusted with tomorrow. How do you

treat money? Not how do you steward money. How do you treat money? What's your relationship

with money? And there are different ways of defining it. I'm a tither. I'm a giver.

I'm generous. I'm a saver. I steward. All these words may apply. I'm not asking you

to say which one you are but we need to understand that how I treat money today is indicative

of how I will be trusted with more tomorrow. Any questions? Okay. So I'm going to ask you

questions. Trustworthiness, trustworthiness with unrighteous wealth, trustworthiness with

unrighteous wealth has a direct correlation with being trusted with more tomorrow.

Trustworthiness with true riches. So my trustworthiness with unrighteous wealth has a direct correlation

with being trusted with true riches. What are the true riches that we can get in the

process? Cities and the souls of men. This church has a ridiculous amount of money that

we can get in the process. Cities and the souls of men. This church has a ridiculous

relationship with money. We treat money as just an amoral thing that must be spent. And

so in return this church will get cities, will get the souls of men. But what if my

attitude is the same? What if I'm not going to get the souls of men? What if I'm not going

to get the souls of men? If I'm not going to get the souls of men, then I get cities.

I get the souls of men. These are true riches. Any questions? Do we have no questions because

we totally get it or totally believe it? Go ahead. The correct way to view stewardship,

if I tell you, it'll really make every accountant here highly uncomfortable. So let me go ahead

and use Jesus' words. Look at the birds of the air. They're neither so nor really. They're

so small. They're so small. They're so small. They're so small. They're so small. They're

so small. Look at the flowers of the fields. They neither spin nor do any kind of work,

yet they are decked out more beautifully than Solomon. Why is it that you worry about tomorrow?

About what you wear, where you will stay, what you will eat? Your father in heaven knows

how to take care of the sparrows. Won't he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't

he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't he? Won't

he? Take much more care of you because your word's so much more than sparrows. I know.

So the immediate response, I wasn't taking a shot at Dilna or Aaron. They're both decent

accountants and godly men who have a kingdom perspective. Now that I've said that, they

won't say a word. So how about proverbs where it says, the ant... Yeah, let me say your

question and answer it. How about the ant? How about the ant? The ant is the favorite

proverb of every accountant, yeah? Except Heidi. Heidi never went to accounting school,

so she didn't get the memo. So look at the ant you sluggered. So what's the point there?

Look at the ant you sluggered, you lazy fellow. You spend the whole summer with your feet

up watching reruns of Seinfeld and then come winter, you want the Lord to take care of

you and you don't know what to do. It's talking about the man who is lazy, the sluggard. But

otherwise, Jesus' advice is very unsound. Because everything in us cries out, Oslo

Chambers puts it this way, that your soul begins to cry out saying, surely Jesus, you

can be more responsible than that and give us better advice than that because you're

screaming saying that's not how the world works. And then Oslo Chambers says, what we

live, the way we live with money is called careful unbelief. Careful unbelief. It's not

careless nor is it belief. It's careful unbelief. This kind of living will get you cities and

the souls of men. That's what they did. They took what they had. They were not lazy. They

traded it. Five minutes became ten minutes. So it was not a lack of effort. It was trading.

But what they got in return was much more. They were not afraid of money. They got much

more back. They got cities. So what they did was they took what they had. They were not

afraid of money. This is where we're going, guys. It starts with one city, then we'll

get more. Or they, you will never hear anyone teach that cities are taken by giving money

away. You'll hear spiritual warfare, but you'll never hear cities being taken because

the people have suddenly gotten a different relationship with money. If you notice, what

did the king of Sodom want? And what was he willing to give? Give me the souls of men.

Take the money. It's exactly anti-kingdom. The kingdom wants the souls of men and doesn't

care about money because it knows where everything comes from. But the king of Sodom offers to

Abraham, give me the souls of men. You take the money. And Abraham says no. And instead,

what does he do? He takes a tenth of whatever he has from the spoils of war and gives it

to Melchizedek. And then what does God say? Brilliant. Abraham, I will be your exceeding

great reward and shield. Timeless principles, eh? So here's the thing, guys. People are

either, not people, you and I are either managers of money who serve the world or managers of

money who serve the world. And the king of Sodom is the king of the

world. And he's the king of the world. And he's the king of the world. And he's the

king of the world. The world that God is bringing in. Hallelujah. You can't do both.

Scylla, you and I are either managers of money who serve the world or we are managers of

money who serve the world that God is bringing in. Meaning serve the kingdom that God is

bringing in. You're manager of money one way or the other. All of us, eh? If you get pocket

money, you're already there. So what are we to do with the money we have? Spend with abandoned

to make kingdom friends. No regrets. You'll see them in eternity. Every invitation to

your home, every time you went out of your way to get someone something that you knew

they couldn't afford, every time you went out of your way to get someone something that

you knew they couldn't afford, every time you will buy something for a person that doesn't

have the ability to. I mean, every time you go on a trip, spending your money on some

airline to go a long ways, not even seeing results but knowing that something will transpire

and souls will come to the kingdom. Every time you go to pick up somebody and bring

them to church and you don't even have enough money to pay for another tank of gas but you

do. They matter and you will see the results. Please don't wait for a windfall because

waiting for the windfall just makes you die hopeless. The windfall will come when it comes

and the windfall will take care of everything that needs to be taken care of. And don't

worry about the windfall. It's not a big deal. It's a big deal. It's a big deal. It's a big

deal. Don't worry. You'll not miss out on an opportunity. Jesus said the poor will always

be with us. He's taken care of that. So it's not like, Chuck, I wish I had an opportunity.

It's not a problem there. Any questions? Sorry? Yeah, yeah. Spend with abandoned to make kingdom

friends. Please pray that I meet the guy this afternoon when I go back and I'm going to

invite him. It's going to be super awkward. All super good. Hey, Raj. Good to see you.

Any questions? I can't hear you. I'm just asking the Lord, Father, who do you want?

And then I have my second choice and my third choice so that if one fails, the other fails,

the other fails. At least I'll get into the practice of doing this, right? Let's assume

after doing all this, nobody turns up. That's fine. You don't need to wait for a Thanksgiving

thing to invite people, right? It's just that you may not make the hopscotch turkey. The

name keeps changing. Yeah, I know. What is it? Spatchcock turkey. Yeah. Next parable is Luke 10, 25 to 37. Luke 10, 25 to 37. Luke 10, 25 to 37.

On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Peter, he asked, what must

I do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the law? He replied, how do you read it?

He answered, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all

your strength and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. You have answered

correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself,

so he asked Jesus, and who is my neighbor? In reply, Jesus said, a man was going down

from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of

his clothes, beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going

down the same road and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too a Levite

when he came to the place and saw him passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan as he

traveled came where the man was. And when he saw him, it took pity on him. He went to

him and bandaged his wounds, pouring in oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey,

took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and

gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said. When I return, I'll reimburse you

for any extra expense you may have. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor

to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? The expert in the law replied, the

man who had mercy on him. Jesus told him, go and do likewise. I know this is such a

common story that we've heard right from when we were kids. But please let's look at the

background. The background is Jesus is rejoicing because he sent out 72 and they came back.

And Jesus is rejoicing that God has revealed things to children. And he started to say,

we're talking about the 72. But has hidden it from the wise and the intelligent. That's

a back story. So Jesus is rejoicing in this and while he's talking about it and rejoicing

in it, that's when a lawyer who was trying to be wise, I mean when you look at the scriptures,

he literally interrupts. He literally says there, Luke 10, right? Where is it? Yeah.

The actual sense of the word is just then a lawyer begins to speak up and he says, wanting

to test Jesus. So remember what's happening here. Jesus is rejoicing at the 72 and he

who went out and cast out demons, he begins to say, oh God, you have revealed things to

the children but you've hidden it from the wise and the intelligent. The lawyer then

begins to test Jesus and his question is, who is my neighbor? Who is my neighbor is

the polite way of saying, what are the limits? These are things we say guys. So let's just

face up to it. When it comes to doing what we are suggesting the church should do, we

should ask these questions too. Who is your neighbor is the same as saying, what are the

limits? It is the same as saying, who is not deserving? It is the same as saying, can I

rule out a neighbor till later? There may be reasons why these are valid questions but

we need to face up to the fact that these are some of the questions we do ask. When

it comes to hospitality, when it comes to doing things for the world, what are the limits?

Who is not deserving? Can I rule out a neighbor till later? Till my heart is more prepared?

And you might have valid reasons. This is a question that needs to be considered because

that's exactly what this man is asking. He's asking who is my neighbor? And then Jesus

begins his story. Now in most stories you would go from priest to Levite and the story

would usually end saying and then an Israelite but Jesus doesn't go that way. He goes priest,

Levite and instead of going Israelite he says Samaritan. Rabbis in those days used

to say that there are three nations that I despise and they would name Mount Seir and

the Philistines and then the third thing would be the nation of the Samaritans but they are

not even a people. Breaking bread with a Samaritan is like eating pig. That's what rabbis used

to say. And so Jesus deliberately sets up the story where you go priest, where you

go Levite and they are so sure that the next thing he'll say is Israelite but instead of

saying Israelite he says a Samaritan. He's doing everything possible to break these three

questions we ask. We are talking about being planted in this city and the ones that we

associate with, these parables that I've chosen are deliberate. Many of the things we are

being asked to do is impossible. We are protective of our homes and we should be, of our wives

and we should be, of our daughters and we should be, of our sons we should be, of being

robbed we should be and yet we should not be because these limits have always stopped

the church from going anywhere that has risk in it. Guys I don't want to teach this yeah.

I prefer faith and stuff like that, walking on water. Just remember this, in your life

tomorrow coincidences are opportunities but if I cross the line of faith and faith is

over to the other side of the street the opportunity is lost. It will come again but

an opportunity is lost. If you are not in faith and faith is lost, you are not in faith

and it's impossible what we are being asked to do because there's this world that is dangerous,

corrupt, exploitative, cruel, betrayal, false and then there is the world of the dead. And

another world that's supposed to be full of mercy, willing to be taken advantage of, reviled

while trusting God. Guys do you see the enormity of what Lot was doing? Lot was doing the same

thing where Lot's house is surrounded and he's got the ones that had come to the square

and he's taken them into their home, into his home. There's something that God does

called protective hospitality. Protective hospitality is once someone comes into your

home they are your, they are yours to be responsible for and it doesn't matter what happens even

if you lose your life you will do everything in your power to keep them. Can you imagine

if one or two of us had that attitude about Richmond what would happen? I don't. The ask

is so ridiculous that it is God and only God can make this happen because it's another

world that is bringing in Agape from another place into a place that does not have it.

This is why kingdom is so much better if you can just keep it within the church. It's a

pleasant place to live. But at no point did Jesus say that the kingdom was to stay within

the church. The intent in every parable was the world is the field. You are seed. You

are good seed. You are planted in the world and you are planted with tears, with bad fish,

with things that are evil and you will not go destroying them because the time will come

when the angels will be involved in the harvest and the separation of wheat and tears, sheep

and goat, bad fish and good fish. But till then you will be planted in the midst of evil

and yet where you are you begin to turn one life after the other, one life after the other

which is how your life and my life was turned. I was a guy who would call believers, make

them sit and question them about Christ drilling holes into their theology till they would

cry because they would not be able to answer me. That was the evil generation that I was

pretending to be but people would keep coming back, keep coming back, keep coming back.

Remember this guy called Paul Daniel? I mean the stuff I've done to him but he'd keep following

me. I mean at one point he started calling me the son of the devil but he did. He said,

son of the devil, you won't even get the bread that falls off the table. Repent. So that

didn't help much but I remember the first guy I went looking for once I gave my life

to the Lord was him because my God he persisted for years.

It is the arrival of you with a bit of agape that changes a person's life over the course

two months, two days or two years because your mercy overcomes disparity, alienation,

ancient barriers, demonic, evil, and evil. I remember the first guy I met was Paul Daniel

who was the son of the devil. He had deep bondages, incongruency, all this ends.

The person that I'm hoping to invite today is someone who is from a different religion,

is perhaps gender fluid and comes from a very distraught background.

And part of the reason I'm saying this to you is so that I have the boldness to go through

with it.

Because I would rather avoid it.

But in doing so, I might get to a place where, full of mercy, I don't know where this came

from.

This is something else.

The prodigal's father was moved with compassion, he runs to his son.

Jesus was moved with compassion with the widow of Nain.

He goes running to her, tells her not to weep, and begins to restore her.

This idea of showing compassion, agape from another world, it will cause you to inhale

risk and it will cause you to exhale time and resources, but in the process people's

lives are changed.

The in-breaking of agape from another world makes you inhale risk and exhale time and

resources.

The in-breaking of agape from another world makes you inhale risk and exhale time and

resources.

Someone wrote this, eh?

The theme of look and act, the theme of look and act is to look and act.

The theme of look and act is to look and act.

We'll keep at this theme again and again and again.

We'll just continuously keep pounding away.

One of the things that we've learned in this church is you pound away at something for

six months, we get it.

Look and act, look and act, be aware, look and act, see where he's working, see that

he's working every day in eight billion lives in every home, in every village, in every

town, in every street in Richmond, he's already working.

Discern it, enter into it, enter into it, look and act, look to see.

The last parable is Matthew 24, Matthew 24, 45 onwards, Matthew 24, 45 onwards.

Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom the master has put in charge of the servants

in his household to give them their food at the proper time?

It'll be good for the servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, my master is staying away a long

time and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.

The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him.

At an hour he's not aware.

He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites where they'll be

weeping and gnashing of teeth.

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like this.

Ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were foolish, five were wise.

The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.

The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

The bridegroom was a long time in coming and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out, here's the bridegroom, come out to meet him.

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

The foolish ones said to the wise, give us some of your oil.

Our lamps are going out.

No, they replied, there may not be enough for both of us.

Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.

But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived.

The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet and the door was shut.

Later the others also came, sir, sir, they said, open the door for us.

But he replied, I tell you the truth, I don't know you.

Therefore keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour.

Guys, it's easy for circumstances to push the urgency of the kingdom to the edges.

Our circumstances and our sometimes resources,

sometimes our lack of time pushes the kingdom to the edge.

And you know it is true for you and me.

Where our circumstances, our resources and our time begin to push the kingdom to the edge.

The kingdom is an afterthought after everything is taken care of.

I know that sounds reasonable.

I know that we have valid reason for that.

But I'm saying to you that it is not the kingdom view.

That's one thing.

The second thing we found the parable is you must have an expectation

that the king is going to turn up and do what he said he will.

When a church does not have active expectation,

the church is just functioning like an atheist.

You function without believing.

So my question is this, and you can ask this of me and you will find

that one of the things that you can be sure of in my life is that

when I know that God has said something and he will do it,

it doesn't matter how long it takes, he will do it.

And I've seen it over the last 20 years and I'll see it over the next 12, 13 years too.

And if he says he will do it, then it does not matter how long you have to stay and wait

because Jesus' schedule will not match yours, will not match yours.

It's not even, it may match yours.

I can assure you that because of reasons that only his wisdom knows

and that he doesn't share with you, even when he says I will do this,

sometimes it takes longer and it is okay.

You know what this parable is saying?

That the bridegroom will come, but he got delayed.

And when he got delayed, you suddenly had two groups of people,

five that would not flag in their zeal

and five that decided it was okay.

But he will turn up, eh?

He will give us Richmond.

This city was given to us more than one and a half years ago.

The work that has been put in here, the money that has been spent

have been at his demand and he will give us a city.

There will be young people across the earth.

That will be ones that experience Hebrides 2.0,

where city after city or nation after nation, something will be ignited.

I remember standing here and Derek was explaining what it means.

Announce God's intent, ignite the fire, proclaim what then happens.

That we will see.

But here's the question.

Across this room, and you've heard both these statements made in this church

for the last three and a half or four years.

Across this room, my question is this.

Are you among the five wise or the five foolish?

Straight question, eh?

Have you flagged in your zeal when you don't see results?

Or do you still have your wicks trimmed ready because you know?

Rich Mullins wrote a song,

My Deliverer is Coming, My Deliverer is Standing By.

When he makes a promise, he knows how to keep it.

Where are you at?

This is a confrontational question I'm asking you.

My intent is to cause offense and create a front, AFF, R-O-N-T.

Where are you at with the promises given to this church?

Where are you at?

Five foolish virgins or five foolish bridesmaids?

Or five wise bridesmaids?

When we no longer expect God to act, we cease to watch for the in-breaking of God.

We cease to discern where he is at work.

We get cautious.

We end up in drowsy faithfulness or predictable maintenance.

Let me read that again.

When we no longer expect God to act,

we cease to watch for the in-breaking of God.

We cease discerning where he is working.

We get cautious and we end up in drowsy faithfulness or predictable maintenance.

That's what will happen.

And the number of times I will go and visit the promises of God given to this church,

given to some of you, given to me, is so constant because I cannot afford to flag

in the zeal that God gives us because let me tell you something.

The only thing that accomplishes what God wants is the zeal of the Lord.

And he is willing to clothe you in it.

You read it throughout, Isaiah 37, 32.

The zeal of the Lord will accomplish it.

Isaiah 9, 7.

The zeal of the Lord will accomplish it.

Anything you want to finish on earth can only be finished with the zeal of God.

Anything this church has been given that must be finished can only be finished by the zeal of God.

And the zeal and the passion of God is brought to a people by the Spirit

who is super passionate and super zealous.

And the question is, now do I allow him to cloak me?

Can I wear the cloak that he flings around himself in Isaiah 57?

And when you do that, then he gives you two other things that are necessary to finish things.

You know what those two things are?

Patience and faith, endurance and faith.

Hebrews 10, 35 and 36.

Do not cast away your confidence.

For it is only a matter of time where with patience and with faith, you will both get the promised outcome and the reward.

That's how this works.

James chapter 5, look at Job.

James 5 · chapter mention

He was patient, but he did get his reward.

But to get to patience and faith, you have to get to the zeal of the Lord will accomplish this.

It's strange, but zeal comes with faith and patience.

One is immediacy.

The other one is eventuality.

But they both plow together so that you have what you asked for, even as you wait to see it realized.

Mark 11, 20 to 23.

Doesn't matter what it is, it's not a matter of time.

Doesn't matter what it is, whether it's finishing your healing, whether it's finishing your expectations with regard to a promise given, this must work together.

Because very often a church can be divided into five wise and five foolish guys.

Jesus doesn't arrive on schedule.

Hebrews 6, 12, faith and patience must work together in tandem.

Jesus doesn't arrive on schedule.

The one job of the bridesmaids was to wait for the coming of the groom.

And when he comes to meet him and to light the way to the wedding banquet, the foolish bridesmaids sit in the middle of the room.

To meet him and to light the way to the wedding banquet.

The foolish bridesmaids slacked off unprepared for the groom's delay.

You know how many people have paid the price?

You know, one guy who paid big time for this, for slacking off, Saul, first king chosen by God, handpicked, head and shoulders above the rest, did not have the ability to wait.

He was slacked off.

Got scared.

When you slack off, the pressure from man becomes tremendous.

You begin to slack off in terms of your zeal with God.

You will come under the tyranny of man.

The fear of man will begin to cripple you.

Because when zeal is absent, other things can begin to crowd in.

What is oil in this story?

Oil is the works of righteousness.

We are lamps filled with the oil of good works.

Matthew 5 16.

Let them see your good works.

Let your light so shine before men.

Let them see your good works and glorify the father.

We are lamps filled with the oil of good works.

Formed in faith, shining bright.

In in season, out of season.

Lighting up the pathway to the royal banquet.

So let me end with this.

Oh, by the way, the oil of good works cannot be shared.

It can be poured out.

It cannot be shared.

I can do good works and you can receive it because I pour it out.

But you cannot share it because the good works are good works that I did.

They could not share it.

Brandon, does that thing work?

OK, so I'll say this slowly.

Here's what we need to do in the weeks ahead.

Look to see.

Look to see.

Yeah, look to see.

Look around.

Look to see.

First, people look to see people.

Second, see him at work.

See him.

Look to see.

Next, see him at work.

Know where he's working.

Be aware.

See him at work.

It helps you save time, use time and not waste time.

See him at work.

Next one.

Work with wealth to make neighbors.

Work with wealth to make neighbors.

Look to see.

Look to see.

See him at work.

Work with the wealth you have to make neighbors.

Next one.

Neighbors need kindness.

Neighbors need kindness.

Neighbors need kindness.

Kindness is relentless in good works.

Kindness is relentless.

It doesn't get rejected.

It doesn't take offense.

Kindness is relentless in good works.

He lets the sun shine on the good and the evil.

He's kind to everybody.

He's kind to animals.

He's kind to people.

He's kind to those that reject him.

Can you imagine how he treated Judas?

Kindness is relentless in good works.

Good works reveal the goodness of the father.

Good works reveal the goodness of the father.

Let's go through that again.

First one.

Look to see.

Look to see.

What are we looking for?

People.

The world around us.

Look to see.

Proverbs talks about even looking to see how you treat animals.

Look to see.

So don't focus on animals.

They're nice but they're not...

Yeah, let's not go there.

Look to see.

I'm scared because sometimes if we say animals, we may just focus on animals.

And we don't want to do that.

Yeah.

So look to see.

See him at work.

Work with the wealth you have to make neighbors.

Neighbors need kindness.

Kindness must be relentless in good works.

Good works reveal the goodness of the father.

Come on, man.

This is doable.

Okay, one last time.

Look to see.

We're looking at people in the world around us.

Look to see.

See him at work.

In those lives, eh?

You'll see it, guys.

You'll be walking and you'll see.

And you'll realize that perhaps all that person needs is...

I know this sounds so...

Like all a person may need is a smile.

At other times it might be money.

At other times it might be, hey.

It just changes.

It's so much more than just a smile.

It's so much more than just a smile.

It just changes.

It's so much fun to know what is happening.

They even don't know it, but you know what is happening.

And that in a matter of eight seconds you have to do something.

And you'll get better at it.

Look to see.

See him work.

Work with your wealth to make neighbors.

Neighbors need kindness.

Kindness has to be relentless in good works.

Good works reveal the father.

Because this time I'm not saying it.

You can't look at your notes.

Let's give it a go.

Can't look at your notes.

I can't hear you.

Aha.

Look to see after that.

James, you got it wrong.

You're mumbling something else.

Oh, you're adding people.

Okay, if I catch someone getting it wrong, we have to go all over again.

So starting again on three.

One, two, three.

Look to see.

See him work.

Work with your wealth to make neighbors.

Together, together.

We've got to start again.

Come on, guys.

Okay, last time.

One, two, three.

Look to see.

See him work.

Kindness is relentless in good works.

Okay, we are done.

Tunny, do you have anything that has all these lines in your song?

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

The only song that I can think of is Touched by a Fire, but are there any songs that talk

about all these things?

Holly Parton had a few songs about friends and stuff like that, but I can't think of anything.