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Okay, Hebrews chapter 10 if you'd like to stand for the reading of the word.

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I'm going to start in verse 19.

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Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

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by a new and living way which he consecrated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh,

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and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,

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having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water,

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let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful, amen.

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And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

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not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,

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but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.

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You can be seated. I just want to mention a couple of things before I begin.

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Next week we have our Healing and Miracles night here, next Friday 7pm,

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and Good Friday the 7th, at 10.30 we are meeting at the entrance for our annual crosswalk,

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and if you want more information on that, outside in the foyer there's a little A4 piece of paper

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with all the information you need.

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Now, this passage, or that short passage rather that I read out,

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speaks about the not forsaking the gathering of the people,

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and that's something I've been considering a lot lately, not for any particular reason,

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I've just been sort of meditating on it every now and again,

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and if I gave that scripture to you today and said,

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what people group would you give it to, what would you say?

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Some of you, I'll answer for you, would say,

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well I would go to those Christians who are not in church that have forsaken the gathering,

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and say, look, it says do not forsake, come back to church.

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That's true, but there would be some of you that would say,

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well that's for the people who are already in the church, and you're right as well.

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And so this message today, because we're not sure exactly who wrote Hebrews,

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but the author is writing to the church, and he's speaking to the church,

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and telling us not to forsake the gathering of the brethren.

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And that is really important because it's something that we may not necessarily need to know,

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right here and right now, because you are all in the church.

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So it's a bit of a unique message.

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It's a message of caution, because I meet so many people,

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well that's a bit of an exaggeration, I meet a lot of people,

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or I hear of Christians who are not in fellowship, that they're just not in church anymore.

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I often have a conversation with a Christian,

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and I almost hesitate to ask what church do you go to,

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because more likely than not they're going to say, I don't actually go to church,

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which is a sad, really sad reality for us.

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And I thought, well we need to actually hear a message so that we don't forsake the gathering,

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because today it seems like it's optional to come to church, to gather in fellowship,

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it seems like the attitude is it's just optional, whether I do or whether I don't, it doesn't really matter.

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So I want to share a message on that particularly today,

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because the enemy has a weapon, one of them is division,

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and you can see through COVID what's happened.

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A lot of people haven't returned to church.

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And that's really dangerous for a number of reasons, which I'll explain as I go on.

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But you know Jesus is coming not for the individual, although that is true,

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He's coming for the church, He's coming for you and I, the church, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ as we are known.

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And so this is a message I want us to heed as a caution,

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because we are as a church, we are like a living organism,

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and we all rely on one another, we ought to rely on one another.

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And there's a word for a living organism that you and I fall under, like an animal does, it's called a heterotroph,

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and it's an organism that consumes other organisms to sustain life,

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like we eat food, breaks down, it sustains us, etc. etc.

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But in the spiritual that's the same, because the Bible says that iron sharpens iron,

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and as we gather together that is what's happening in the spirit,

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we are building one another, we are encouraging one another, we are strengthening one another, and so forth and so forth.

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And so it's so important that we actually grasp and understand more than,

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I've just got to go to church, because if it's just, I've got to go to church, and that's all it's sort of said and done,

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that won't hold you when things get tough, that won't hold you at all,

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if you don't know why it is that we are actually gathering together.

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You know, the Lord's Prayer we're all very familiar with,

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but the very first word I think it says, our Father in heaven in Matthew 6, 9.

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It doesn't say my Father, it says our Father.

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So the approach to God is relative to family, that's the orientation of that prayer, it's our Father.

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It's collectively, it's the body.

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And I spoke about Luke 15, about the protocol a number of weeks ago,

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and when the protocol son comes back and the older son's not too happy about it,

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he rebukes the father and says, as soon as this son of yours came back,

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who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.

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And in verse 32 he says,

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it was right that we should make Mary and be glad, for your brother has died and is alive again and was lost and is found.

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So this brother refers to him and says, this son of yours.

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And then the father comes and says, this brother of yours.

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So we need a right attitude toward our brother first if we're going to have a right attitude towards God.

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Because it doesn't work otherwise.

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We are fooling ourselves if we live individualistic lives unto God and believe we are in right standing

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because the horizontal relationship between us together is just as important as the vertical.

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It's ineffective otherwise.

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And so I ask, maybe today you are, possibly you might be in church,

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but there might be relationally speaking people who you've got offence towards.

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Maybe it's something like unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment.

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Something that you're holding against another brother.

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Could be another pastor from another church that you've left.

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Could be something you're holding against someone in another church and that's the reason why you're here.

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But there might be something, and I want to challenge you today, that something that's holding you,

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something that's holding you against that brother or sister, that's not been made right.

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We are to pursue peace with all people as far as it is possible.

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Romans 12, 18 says, as far as it is possible that we pursue peace with one another.

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So maybe that's something that you need to identify and fix because if that horizontal is not right,

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then the vertical is not right either.

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Now, in Hebrews it says in verse 23 there,

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

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That confession of our hope is Jesus Christ.

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That's the confidence of the greatness of Jesus Christ and that is what the author is telling us to hold fast to.

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That's the confession of our hope.

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Well, that's the thing that we affirm as Christians and we do that, yes, individually,

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but we do that in the context of church, in fellowship, because we're all coming together to join.

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That's what fellowship is. It's the same. It's oneness. It's communion with one another.

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And he says, let us do this.

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He says, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

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Because there will be a temptation to give up and let go.

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And there's no shortage of Christians outside the church who are sitting at home.

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I heard someone say that the biggest church is those not in church.

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Now, it could be true, I don't know, but it's a profound statement that the biggest church is outside.

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You think about that. And it's such a dangerous place to be.

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So I want to really affirm to everyone here today this message so that you don't end up being those people out there.

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Because it's too late. I can't preach on your doorstep when you're out there in the world.

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I don't know where you live. You know, this word is for today.

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It's those in the church that need to hear it.

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Just, of course, as much as those outside the church.

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But each of us need to hear this.

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Now, Paul said at the end of, to Timothy when he was before the courts, he made this statement.

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He said, all forsook me. All forsook me.

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So there's going to be times and challenges that we are faced with.

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Again, these things will maybe pull us away.

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But you know, the thing with Paul's life, everything he suffered, he endured.

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The one thing that he had going for him, he just kept enduring.

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Everything that he suffered, persecution, tribulation, the shipwrecks, whatever it was, the stoning, the beating,

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everything that came against him, rather, he endured.

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And that included people as well.

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And we too are going to have people and they may forsake us.

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But there's not a reason to move out of the church.

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And in verse 24, he says, let us consider one another to stir up love and good works.

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Now, you can't consider, we can't consider one another if we can't see one another.

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Is that true?

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I can't see you and you can't see me if we're not in fellowship together.

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So we are to consider one another in order to stir up love.

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Now, love is a gift. It's a verb, rather. Love is a verb.

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So when we're in the body, it's more than just meeting together and worshipping God, although that's part of it.

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We want to actually stir up love.

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We want to do something because it's a verb.

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We want to see the need.

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We don't want to just see the need, but we want to act on that need.

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Pastor Michel spoke about the Good Samaritan, how many saw the need but simply walked on the other side.

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We want to be one who sees what each of us are going through.

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And we want to be there because that's what the church is.

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It's not just simply coming in here and singing songs.

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It's fellowship.

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It's deeply relational, like God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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They're all different, but they're interconnected.

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That's like the body of Christ.

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We are all a living organism.

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And so I want to ask you, how are you going, seeing the needs of others?

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Because we can still come in here and have an individualistic attitude.

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I'm just coming in here to get my blessing.

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It's just about me.

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And then I'll leave.

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But what about seeing the person next to you?

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What about meeting their need?

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And I'll tell you why this is really important to, number one, be in the church, but number two, to stir up love.

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Because in the end of times, before Jesus comes back in Matthew 24,

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He speaks about the times and the signs of the end of the age.

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And He says in verse 9 of Matthew 24,

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Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

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And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

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Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

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And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

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But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

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And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

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So if we know, if Jesus is telling us that love's going to grow cold, that is true.

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We can't pray against that. That's what He's prophesied. That's what will come to pass.

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But there's a level that we can maintain, because not everyone's love's going to grow cold.

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It says many.

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So we are to remain in the body when things get more and more challenging, more difficult.

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We are to stay in the body because the stirring up of love is in the context of remaining in fellowship.

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No fellowship, no stirring up love.

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So we ought to be a people who maintain that love, who stir up that love.

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How do you do that?

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Like I said, stirring one another up is encouraging one another.

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It's doing something for someone. It's meeting that need.

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Making that meal.

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Spending time with a person who's suffering.

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Praying for that person.

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You know, fruits of righteousness.

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Maybe they need money.

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Give them some money. They might be struggling.

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Spend time with them. Pray with them.

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All things to stir up our love.

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It's so important at the end of days, and if we don't get a handle on this now,

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then there's a potential for us to be one whose love grows cold.

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And if you've read the book of Revelation, the first chapters of 2 and 3,

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all talk about seven churches.

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It's a prophetic book.

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And those seven churches refer to,

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they have come to pass everything that did happen in what is written,

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but there's also a prophetic picture of that to come.

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And many believe different parts of that, but by and large,

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there were seven churches and there were seven letters to the churches.

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And if you weren't in the church, you didn't get the message.

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So it's so important that we are in the church,

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because in the church is where you have the prophetic.

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In the church is where God's speaking the now word.

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In the church is when you are having and you're receiving that word in season

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that you need now.

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Like in COVID.

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During COVID, people are fearful.

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I don't want to learn about serving, although serving is important,

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but I want to know the now word.

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It comes down from heaven, it comes through the pulpit.

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And he says in one of the churches, the last one,

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the one that he had no commendations for,

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the church of Laodicea, the Luke Warm Church,

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Jesus said, he who has an ear, let him hear.

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So we actually have to have our ear open to what God is saying.

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Now, in 1 John, if you want to turn there, 1 John chapter 1,

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that's not the Gospel of John, it's the Epistle of John.

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So just past Peter at the end of the book.

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1 John 1, verse 5 to 7.

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This is the message which you have heard from him and declare to you that God is light

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and in him is no darkness at all.

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If we say that we have fellowship with him, that's God,

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and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

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But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another

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and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

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So he's saying at the beginning there in verse 5 that we can be living,

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if we are living in sin, we're deceived to believe that we are walking in the light before God.

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There's a deception there.

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But he goes on to say, in verse 7,

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but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, that talks about walking in obedience,

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if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another

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and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

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So fellowship is an acid test of where you are in your spiritual life.

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Christians who walk in the light have fellowship with one another.

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Is that true?

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This is what it says.

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If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another

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and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

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He has cleansed us once and for all, we know that, through the cross, the forgiveness of sin,

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but there's almost like a stain of sin.

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If we fall, we do something, we say something, and we fall, we sin,

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there's the sin that the blood of Jesus is cleansing us in.

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But where does he do it?

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He does it when we're walking in the light, and where's the light when we're walking in fellowship?

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Where's fellowship?

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It's in the church.

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Out of fellowship, out of light.

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Jesus' blood doesn't cleanse in the dark, it cleanses in the light.

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So I want to remind you again how important it is that we actually are in fellowship.

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And I'm not talking about small home groups, you know, two, five, ten at home,

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I'm talking about in the context, this is church, God's governmental church,

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where government is established, the five-fold ministry is established,

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the church, where the prophetic is, where the apostolic is, where the pastoring is,

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where the eldership is, where the teaching is.

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Okay, that's the context I'm speaking of in the church.

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And if we are not in that fellowship, well the blood of Jesus, it says here, is contrary.

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It doesn't cleanse us because it says that when we are walking in the light,

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the blood of Jesus Christ, this Son, cleanses us from all sin.

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That's why it's so important, church, that we remain steadfast,

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that we remain committed to the church, whether it's here, whether it's somewhere else,

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wherever it is, that you actually remain completely and totally committed.

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Now, what are some of the things that stops us from going and fellowshiping with one another?

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What stops us going to church?

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I think one of them is, I mentioned it earlier, is the wound of offence.

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You've been offended, many people have been offended here and left.

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Now, you might have come from another church and you've landed up here and you're offended.

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I want to highly suggest that that's dealt with because if that offence is not dealt with here,

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you'll soon get offended and you'll leave here and you go to the next church and the next church.

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But that wound of offence, more often than not, that's the reason people leave church,

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of come to experience, this person said this, the pastor didn't do that, whatever, whatever.

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The expectation on the church, expectation on the pastor, the expectation on leadership,

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whatever it is, and people just simply get offended and leave.

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Another one is disappointment, which is sort of in line with offence,

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that people so easily disappointed today because, you know, like I said, those expectations of the church are unmet.

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And sometimes those expectations are real, but sometimes they can't be met.

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They're an unrealistic expectation.

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So there are two of the things that we, and I'm telling you this because we have to guard our hearts

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against those two things because more than anything, offence and disappointment

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will see you walk out those doors and you'll go to the next church and so forth and so forth.

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So there are dangerous things to have. Another one is pride.

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Pride always opens up the doors for deception.

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Obadiah, it doesn't have a chapter, it's just one book, but verse 3, it says,

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talking to the people of Odom, Edom, it says,

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the pride of your heart, the pride of your heart has deceived you.

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So pride opens up that door, that gateway to deception.

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And the thing with deception is when you're deceived, you don't know you're deceived.

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That's the danger of it.

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And that's the danger of coming into a church and then leaving maybe because, you know,

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you've got the truth and you've got it, you don't need anyone else to tell you what to do.

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You're a church in and of yourself and you don't need anyone because you've got it all,

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you know the truth better than anyone else.

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I tell you, that is a dangerous place and that is a place full of pride.

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It's a place full of self-will and in Proverbs 18 verse 1, it says,

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a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire.

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He rages against all wise judgment.

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You could come to someone, a Christian who's not in the church,

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and I could quote all these scriptures to them, some of them probably would listen,

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but some of them would be so almost deceived that they wouldn't be able to hear what I'm saying.

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Because that scripture says, a man who isolates himself seeks his own desire.

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He rages against all wise judgment.

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It's almost pointless saying anything because he rages, he or she rages against that wise judgment,

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the wise judgment of God's Word.

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And the cutting of oneself off, isolating oneself, it's always, it's just a selfish desire.

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It's all about me.

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Some people, the enemy wants to isolate.

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The enemy wants to isolate, the enemy wants to divide.

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And part of that, it's so dangerous to just to go off on your own.

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And you know, praise God that we have the resources here and the people in ministry

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to look where we can and we don't do it perfectly,

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but just to, when those people aren't in church,

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we haven't seen them for a couple of weeks to actually follow up.

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And if that is you, by the way, it's not at all why aren't you at church.

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It's not that at all.

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It's checking in on you.

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It's not being a busybody.

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There's enough work to do, trust me.

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It's not being a busybody.

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It's seeing how are you going.

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Okay, so if anyone ever, if that is ever you, please don't feel like we're, someone's intruding.

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It's simply looking out for your best interest.

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Now, when we do, when we do come into church, when we do gather as a family,

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as the family of God, because that's who we are, we are the family of God,

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it is a place of encouragement.

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Like I said, iron strengthens iron.

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It's a place of encouragement.

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It's a place where we are fed through the Word.

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It's the anointed Word that is, I pray God always anoints my Word,

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but it's the anointing through the power of the Holy Spirit that touches your life.

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That is where you're fed.

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It's where the job of a shepherd, one of the jobs is to feed the sheep.

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And you get that in the church.

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It's a place where you're going to flourish.

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Psalm 92 verse 13 says,

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He who is planted in the house of the Lord,

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so when you're in a church, but more specifically when you're planted,

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you'll flourish.

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Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

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So this is a place where you're going to flourish when you remain and when you are planted.

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Now, this is a great illustration.

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It's not my own and you've probably heard it, but it's so good that I'll continue to use it.

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It's like when you, the church is like a whole heap of coal in a fire.

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All those coals individually are us.

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They all stay warm for a very long time, for good really, almost.

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You take one of those coals out and what happens to it over here?

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It goes cold. It goes out.

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It's a beautiful illustration of us.

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You take yourself away.

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You take that coal out of the heap of coals and you're going to go cold.

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No ifs, no buts.

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You'll be deceived to think that you won't, but you will.

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Because the Word of God cannot lie.

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I mean, that's not a scripture I'm quoting,

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but the scriptures I've let you know refer to staying warm in the fellowship.

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Now, when you are in church, you are under, and I spoke about this before,

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regarding the fivefold ministry, the apostle, pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets.

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When you come into a church, you are under authority.

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And that's really important that you are under authority and you are under the church.

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I'll tell you why.

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Because in Hebrews 13, verse 17,

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No, it's three.

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No, 13?

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It is.

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Verse 17, verse 17,

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So there is an accountability here in church leadership, particularly the elders.

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There is an accountability for every single one of you.

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Now, it says there that we are to watch out for your souls.

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Now, if you're not in the church, we can't see you.

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We need to see each and every one of you, because we have, I don't like the word obligation,

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we have a responsibility over every one of you.

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But if you choose to take yourself out, you're not under authority, there's no eyes on you.

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And that's, again, that's a dangerous place to be when there's no eyes on you.

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Because what happens to sheep without a shepherd?

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They scatter, they get lost, they get deceived, they fall in ditches.

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All that's true.

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You know, either become a shepherd or put yourself under a shepherd, one of the two.

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You need one or the other.

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It's so important because without a shepherd, that flock goes astray.

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And leading to deception and ditches and all sorts, they become a prey for the enemy.

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Now, there's a covering in prayer when the church comes together, when the elders pray individually.

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Not all the time it's for the church, but some of the time it's for the church.

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So there's a covering in prayer, particularly when we come in and we're corporately gathered.

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The prayer is over the church.

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You might not be here on the Wednesday night, for instance, or the Sunday morning,

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but the prayer is offered as a covering for the church, for you, even though you may not be here.

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So it's really important that we do pray.

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It's a covering for the church.

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It's a protection against enemy.

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I want to tell you furthermore about that protection.

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In Acts 27, this was when Paul was on one of his shipwrecks, the one that's noted at least in Acts 27.

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The storm hit the ship and he's on his way to get in trouble.

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And in verse 22, he says, I urge you, he's talking to the sailors now.

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He had, what, 276 people on board with him.

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And here's this Christian man.

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He's the leader.

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He's the apostle and he's saying, I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you,

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but only of the ship.

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For there stood by me this night an angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying,

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do not be afraid, Paul, you must be brought before Caesar.

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And indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you.

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Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told to me.

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However, we must run aground on a certain island.

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So there was a covering there from Paul that was offered over 276 people, all the people on board,

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and they were saved.

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They all believed they were going to die.

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It was a tremendous storm they were in.

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There was a covering that Paul was giving them because he was a man to God.

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And that's the same as true for the church.

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That covering, there's a covering of prayer.

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There's an anointing, a corporate anointing when you're in the church.

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The corporate anointing is so important because it's the anointing that breaks the yoke.

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It's the anointing of the Holy Spirit that breaks off bondage, breaks shackles,

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breaks off everything of your life that cannot only be broken by the Holy Spirit, by the power of God.

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It comes under the corporate church, corporate anointing.

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So as we get closer to the time, now I read that Scripture out in Matthew 24 about the end of times.

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Lawlessness would abound.

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Now lawlessness has never abounded as such as we see today.

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Never has God's laws, we may have been lawless, that's been forever since day one,

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but it's never abounded in such a way where God's rules or God's decree has been reversed and changed.

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That's never happened.

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That's when lawlessness really abounds.

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So we are really living in those end times.

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We're getting closer and closer.

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Now what I read out in the beginning in Hebrews, it said,

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do not forsake the gathering of the brethren, but it also goes on to say one more thing.

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Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, that's the same thing, together, as is a matter of some,

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but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day.

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That's the day that Jesus is coming back.

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So much more you see the day approaching.

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Are you seeing the day approaching? I believe we are.

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In light of what Matthew 24 says, what Jesus said about the end of times, lawlessness abounding.

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Now we are together so much the more as you see the day approaching.

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There's an increased importance of gathering the closer that Jesus comes.

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There's an increased importance.

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That means we want to, as a church, we meet regularly, whether it be a life group,

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which I want to encourage you to be and if you're not.

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Corporate prayer, we gather in corporate prayer.

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Jesus said my house should be called a house of prayer for all nations.

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We do that. We gather together.

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What we're doing is we're gathering together.

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And of course church. Church is not an option.

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It's not whether I feel like it or not.

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It's gathering because you have something to give.

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We are all, one's an ear, one's a leg.

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We all have something to give.

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We are all part of that one organism and it's a living organism.

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We all part, take a part to play in that.

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So think about today as you go, how much am I fellowshipping?

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Am I coming in and out?

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Am I just coming into church and I'm getting straight out?

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Or am I doing what I can?

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Am I fellowshipping?

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Am I looking where I could be of use?

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Where I can help someone, where I can stir up my love,

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where I can do something for someone to help them, maybe to encourage them, to strengthen them.

446
00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:30,000
Am I meeting regularly with Christians?

447
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:31,000
Am I meeting with them regularly?

448
00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:32,000
Am I doing something?

449
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,000
Maybe am I doing a life group?

450
00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:36,000
That's why it's called a life group.

451
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:37,000
We changed the name from Bible study.

452
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:39,000
I think it used to be called Bible study.

453
00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,000
We call it a life group because this is the place with life.

454
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,000
This is the type, this is the fellowship that we want to be in,

455
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:50,000
the communion that we want to be in amongst our believers.

456
00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:55,000
Because it's so important church as, and I'll close with this,

457
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:57,000
as the day comes nearer and nearer,

458
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:03,000
we cannot afford just to come in here on a Sunday and nothing else.

459
00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:06,000
We have to.

460
00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:09,000
We have to be more vigilant.

461
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:14,000
We have to be more aware of our relationship, where we are relationally.

462
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:17,000
And that of course not only means gathering,

463
00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:22,000
but it also means connecting and having relationships healed and restored

464
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,000
where there is offence, where there's unforgiveness.

465
00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:31,000
That too is just as important because that vertical,

466
00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:36,000
you might be doing really well, but we want to have the horizontal.

467
00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:38,000
It's just as important.

468
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:43,000
So Lord, I want to thank you Lord that you've given.

469
00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:47,000
Lord, through Hebrews, we see Lord, there's a caution for us.

470
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:51,000
And Father, I lift up every person here.

471
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:55,000
Look, I pray right now that all the days of their lives, Lord,

472
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,000
they would be planted in your house,

473
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:01,000
whether it's at Elam, whether it's somewhere else that you've called them.

474
00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:07,000
Father God, I ask right now, Lord, that you would preserve every life here going forward.

475
00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,000
You would preserve their life from all offence.

476
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:13,000
Lord, even if they do come, I'm asking right now, Lord,

477
00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:14,000
they would be quick to forgive.

478
00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,000
There would be mercy over judgment.

479
00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:22,000
Lord, you would keep us at all times with a sweet heart towards our brothers, our sisters,

480
00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:25,000
Lord, those in the workplace, Lord, those in the family.

481
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:30,000
I'm asking Lord that you would keep our fellowship so sweet between Lord,

482
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,000
those outside the church, but Lord, more so in the church, Lord,

483
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,000
that there would be a great unity.

484
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:38,000
I'm asking right now, Lord, that you would build unity in this church.

485
00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,000
You would strengthen unity in this church.

486
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:42,000
You would strengthen fellowship in this church.

487
00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:45,000
I'm asking Lord that you would do something, Lord, in us.

488
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:52,000
Lord, we don't simply just want the vertical as amazing and beautiful as that is, Lord.

489
00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,000
We want the horizontal, Lord.

490
00:37:54,000 --> 00:38:00,000
We want our relationships to be, Lord, just as you've called them to be,

491
00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:04,000
just as you've meant them to be because, Lord Jesus, we are your body

492
00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:05,000
and you're coming back for the body.

493
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,000
You're coming for a spotless bride.

494
00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:11,000
So, Lord, I'm asking Lord, you would gather us as one.

495
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:13,000
Lord, we would become more one.

496
00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:17,000
Lord, I come against right now, Lord, whether it is division between people in your church,

497
00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:22,000
whether it is discord, Father God, whether it is offences and unforgiveness,

498
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:28,000
I'm asking right now, Lord, that by your power you would move in every one of those relationships,

499
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:31,000
Lord, that you may bring healing and restoration.

500
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:35,000
Lord, I'm asking right now, Lord, you would build and you would strengthen that unity in us, Lord.

501
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:40,000
And, Lord, we would be a people, Lord, according to your Word, Lord, we would not waver.

502
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:48,000
We would continue to affirm the faith and the hope of the Lord Jesus Christ in and through our lives.

503
00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:55,000
Father, may we be a people never to forsake the gathering, Lord, as the day approaches.

504
00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,000
Father, let it not be so.

505
00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:02,000
May we remain all the days of our lives in Jesus' mighty name.

506
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:10,000
Amen. Amen.