WEBVTT 00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:14.320 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:16.600 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:19.820 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:23.000 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.219 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.219 --> 00:00:31.039 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:38.310 by this week's sermon. about who God is and who 00:00:38.310 --> 00:00:42.909 we are in him, everything becomes clearer once 00:00:42.909 --> 00:00:46.090 we're in that place. We are in this month of 00:00:46.090 --> 00:00:48.770 September, what we call our vision month, spending 00:00:48.770 --> 00:00:51.049 time learning about our ministry, learning about 00:00:51.049 --> 00:00:53.909 who we are, what we're doing, why we're doing 00:00:53.909 --> 00:00:57.130 it this way. And the goal is to create clarity, 00:00:57.250 --> 00:01:01.170 create alignment, more integration in the ministries. 00:01:02.590 --> 00:01:05.170 hoping that the Lord will bless us with a season 00:01:05.170 --> 00:01:09.189 of greater impact for his glory. But before we 00:01:09.189 --> 00:01:10.790 do this study this morning, would you please 00:01:10.790 --> 00:01:17.750 join me as I pray? Lord, the phrase that resonates 00:01:17.750 --> 00:01:25.450 in my mind right now is, you overcame. You overcame. 00:01:29.310 --> 00:01:34.730 Thank you. Because it is for that truth that 00:01:34.730 --> 00:01:38.209 we can be here in your presence today. Forgiven, 00:01:38.209 --> 00:01:42.750 transformed, but there's a new calling. And there's 00:01:42.750 --> 00:01:46.129 a power that goes before us into the future that 00:01:46.129 --> 00:01:49.069 is unknown to us but not to you because you have 00:01:49.069 --> 00:01:55.189 overcome. And Lord, as we reflect on the calling 00:01:55.189 --> 00:01:59.209 that you have given us, we know that as long 00:01:59.209 --> 00:02:04.579 as you are in it, It's something that we'll be 00:02:04.579 --> 00:02:09.699 able to build by your grace, by your power. So 00:02:09.699 --> 00:02:12.180 guide us. And even today as we open your word, 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:17.319 I'm asking you, Lord, would you use me in your 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:23.240 power, in your strength, in your grace. In Jesus' 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:28.229 name, amen. Since the beginning of September, 00:02:28.389 --> 00:02:30.870 we started this series called Making Disciples 00:02:30.870 --> 00:02:34.949 for Global Impact because this is the mission 00:02:34.949 --> 00:02:38.050 that we have as a church. This is what we are 00:02:38.050 --> 00:02:41.270 here for. We say to make disciples for global 00:02:41.270 --> 00:02:44.069 impact because Jesus called us to make disciples 00:02:44.069 --> 00:02:46.870 of all nations. But what is unique about ECB 00:02:46.870 --> 00:02:50.270 is that the nations come here and therefore we 00:02:50.270 --> 00:02:52.310 are impacting the nations by being here. But 00:02:52.310 --> 00:02:55.930 then God sends us. Back to other places and therefore 00:02:55.930 --> 00:02:59.210 there's that influx of coming and going where 00:02:59.210 --> 00:03:02.129 God is using us to make disciples for global 00:03:02.129 --> 00:03:05.250 impact. And that is a beautiful opportunity that 00:03:05.250 --> 00:03:09.250 we have. We learned last week from Pastor Phil 00:03:09.250 --> 00:03:12.050 about the community life aspect of our ministry. 00:03:13.409 --> 00:03:15.969 But did you know that when the Bible talks about 00:03:15.969 --> 00:03:20.610 being called to grow, is that the calling to 00:03:20.610 --> 00:03:24.520 follow Jesus or being a disciple of Jesus, is 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:29.379 a calling to follow Jesus in this journey of 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:33.780 transformation that is marked by seasons of growth 00:03:33.780 --> 00:03:38.860 constantly, constantly, constantly until the 00:03:38.860 --> 00:03:41.759 end of our lives. It's a journey that never ends. 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:45.919 And that's why when we think of discipleship, 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:49.020 we think of discipleship as a lifelong journey. 00:03:49.710 --> 00:03:53.650 A call to follow Jesus and be transformed in 00:03:53.650 --> 00:03:57.289 this way. And we learned the first Sunday of 00:03:57.289 --> 00:03:59.770 September that when the Bible describes this 00:03:59.770 --> 00:04:03.210 calling, it's almost like a seed that is planted 00:04:03.210 --> 00:04:05.969 and then it grows and then it becomes fruitful. 00:04:07.710 --> 00:04:11.030 That's why today we're going to be reflecting 00:04:11.030 --> 00:04:15.830 on this aspect of following Jesus that is this 00:04:15.830 --> 00:04:21.170 call to grow. Before I tell you anything else, 00:04:21.250 --> 00:04:26.629 I want to tell you a story. A while ago I was 00:04:26.629 --> 00:04:31.509 eating an avocado and I liked it and as I cut 00:04:31.509 --> 00:04:33.750 it and I opened it and I saw this seed I was 00:04:33.750 --> 00:04:36.629 going to throw it away and I thought, I should 00:04:36.629 --> 00:04:40.110 plant this seed. See what happens. So I did. 00:04:40.189 --> 00:04:43.540 I planted it. Put it in the pot, started watering 00:04:43.540 --> 00:04:46.420 it, excited about the potential of something 00:04:46.420 --> 00:04:49.160 happening. And a month later, nothing happened. 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:53.920 And then that poor seed was as dead as it could 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:57.720 be. And I realized, oh, I guess it's more complex 00:04:57.720 --> 00:05:00.439 than just putting the thing in the ground and 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:04.300 watering it as much as you want. So I stopped 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:07.199 for a while. I didn't think about it until one 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:10.920 day I had a very deep encounter with Chad GPT. 00:05:13.649 --> 00:05:18.189 And I thought, let me ask Chad GPT, how do I 00:05:18.189 --> 00:05:21.470 do this? I said, I want to grow an avocado seed. 00:05:21.529 --> 00:05:24.750 What do I do? So he told me. He said, you need 00:05:24.750 --> 00:05:28.310 to take it, wash it very well. Then you're going 00:05:28.310 --> 00:05:31.170 to put these toothpicks on the sides. So you're 00:05:31.170 --> 00:05:34.120 going to... You know, in a glass of water or 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:36.019 something. Make sure there's enough water just 00:05:36.019 --> 00:05:39.079 to touch the bottom. Put it close to enough light, 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:41.860 not too direct light. And just wait for a month 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:44.079 or so until you see a root start coming down. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:46.980 And then you will see the sprouting and all the 00:05:46.980 --> 00:05:51.480 things. And it's like, okay, you know, Chachipitica 00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:55.220 has spoken. So you follow the wisdom of it. And 00:05:55.220 --> 00:05:59.459 I took that little thing and I put it in there. 00:06:00.250 --> 00:06:06.689 And I have something to show you today. So I'm 00:06:06.689 --> 00:06:16.449 holding in my hand an avocado tree. And it was 00:06:16.449 --> 00:06:20.470 so exciting after the first experience that it 00:06:20.470 --> 00:06:23.750 was like, okay, this is the way to do it. Wow, 00:06:23.810 --> 00:06:26.009 look, a little root started coming down from 00:06:26.009 --> 00:06:28.129 the bottom. That was the first thing that I noticed. 00:06:28.370 --> 00:06:30.790 And it was just a little white thing, but I was 00:06:30.790 --> 00:06:33.290 so excited you would think I was having a baby, 00:06:33.449 --> 00:06:37.730 you know? It's like, and then, a few days later, 00:06:37.750 --> 00:06:40.550 a little sprout coming from the top. And it was 00:06:40.550 --> 00:06:45.649 like, wow, this thing is alive. And then the 00:06:45.649 --> 00:06:48.209 roots started growing more and more. And now 00:06:48.209 --> 00:06:51.329 it's like it's filling the space. Really exciting. 00:06:52.269 --> 00:06:54.509 The only thing that Chachi Petit says is that 00:06:54.509 --> 00:06:56.850 after it grows so many inches, about this much, 00:06:57.110 --> 00:07:01.269 you need to cut it so that the roots will grow 00:07:01.269 --> 00:07:03.730 stronger and it will grow again. But it's like, 00:07:03.730 --> 00:07:06.009 it's like my baby, you know, I don't want to 00:07:06.009 --> 00:07:11.089 hurt it. Not sure I want to like grow, you know. 00:07:11.750 --> 00:07:19.009 But this is what it came up. And you may say, 00:07:19.089 --> 00:07:21.129 well, Pastor Pablo, you are not really holding. 00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:25.139 An avocado tree is just a seed that sprouted. 00:07:26.620 --> 00:07:30.120 But isn't it right that this is no longer just 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:33.920 a seed, but this is an avocado tree in the making? 00:07:34.180 --> 00:07:39.350 Yeah. It is going that direction. It was designed 00:07:39.350 --> 00:07:42.389 for that. As long as the conditions for life 00:07:42.389 --> 00:07:45.470 happen, then it will take off. Yeah, the concern 00:07:45.470 --> 00:07:47.709 now that this thing is growing is how long is 00:07:47.709 --> 00:07:50.149 it going to grow and how big it becomes. What 00:07:50.149 --> 00:07:52.269 am I going to do when it becomes bigger? I haven't 00:07:52.269 --> 00:07:54.730 thought that far yet. Chagipiti will be another 00:07:54.730 --> 00:07:58.170 question. But I know that you want to see it. 00:07:58.350 --> 00:08:00.810 You want to take a picture of it, I know. So 00:08:00.810 --> 00:08:04.160 I'm going to put it here in front. So you can 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:09.839 see it later, my little avocado baby. Okay. But 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:12.319 the Bible says that we are like that avocado 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:16.019 tree. It describes our following Jesus as a journey 00:08:16.019 --> 00:08:20.779 of being planted and then watered and then growing. 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:26.439 That is the direction that God has for us. That's 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:30.879 what discipleship is about. And the problem is 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:35.759 that if we have wrong ideas, you might just become 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:38.940 like the seed. It's seed and it's planted, but 00:08:38.940 --> 00:08:43.120 there's nothing happening with it. And there 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:45.720 are three misconceptions that keep people from 00:08:45.720 --> 00:08:48.360 growing into this journey of becoming a mature, 00:08:48.519 --> 00:08:51.220 fruitful tree. The first thing is that people 00:08:51.220 --> 00:08:54.059 have their own perspective. They think, oh, following 00:08:54.059 --> 00:08:57.139 Jesus is, I believe in Jesus, so I'll die and 00:08:57.139 --> 00:09:00.080 go to heaven. So I'm waiting. for the rest of 00:09:00.080 --> 00:09:03.279 my life to die so I can go to heaven. And they 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:05.740 don't realize, no, no, no. Going to heaven is 00:09:05.740 --> 00:09:07.740 a destination. It's part of the journey. But 00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:10.879 salvation is not a destination. Salvation is 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:13.980 a journey that leads you there. But it's the 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:16.799 here and now, this relationship with Jesus and 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:19.019 the Holy Spirit that he has given us that is 00:09:19.019 --> 00:09:20.919 calling us to experience this transformation. 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:25.200 So the wrong perspective can hold you back from 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:29.940 engaging. The other wrong perspective is the 00:09:29.940 --> 00:09:32.740 wrong attitude that people have, thinking that 00:09:32.740 --> 00:09:37.120 this growth will happen by default. No, it is 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:40.879 very intentional. You don't become mature one 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:42.379 day when you wake up and it's like, I'm more 00:09:42.379 --> 00:09:46.480 mature today. No, this spiritual growth happens 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:49.259 intentionally, the right conditions, the right 00:09:49.259 --> 00:09:53.320 investment of your time and your effort in growing. 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:58.879 So the wrong attitude about it can hold you back. 00:09:59.220 --> 00:10:02.399 And some people also have the wrong focus. They 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:05.360 make growth all about self -improvement. And 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:08.100 they don't realize that, no, this growth that 00:10:08.100 --> 00:10:11.100 is happening in me is for actually to become 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:14.480 a fruitful tree that can give fruit so that it 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:19.370 can impact. This little tree becomes a tree and 00:10:19.370 --> 00:10:21.629 a fruitful tree that will give more avocados 00:10:21.629 --> 00:10:23.909 that will have seeds in them that can plant more 00:10:23.909 --> 00:10:26.990 avocados and become more trees. And so the cycle 00:10:26.990 --> 00:10:30.529 continues. Discipleship and this call to growth 00:10:30.529 --> 00:10:33.950 is not really about me. It's about creating the 00:10:33.950 --> 00:10:37.389 space for God's grace and power to flow through 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:43.490 me for fruitful impact. That's why when we talk 00:10:43.490 --> 00:10:46.419 about this journey, It's a journey towards spiritual 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:49.139 maturity. The Apostle Paul put it very clearly. 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:53.139 He said to the people, look, guys, imitate me 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:57.179 like I'm imitating Jesus. So it's like, oh, you're 00:10:57.179 --> 00:11:00.799 becoming more Christ -like, and therefore, if 00:11:00.799 --> 00:11:03.100 you're more Christ -like, I can imitate you because 00:11:03.100 --> 00:11:06.620 you, imitating you is imitating Jesus. It's the 00:11:06.620 --> 00:11:09.659 same thing. We're growing in that Christ -likeness. 00:11:10.860 --> 00:11:13.779 And that's why we can simply say that spiritual 00:11:13.779 --> 00:11:18.019 maturity is basically learning to think, knowledge, 00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:23.879 understanding, and live, act like Jesus. The 00:11:23.879 --> 00:11:26.460 more I think and act like Jesus, the more mature 00:11:26.460 --> 00:11:29.639 I am. I'm no longer just a little plant. Now 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:31.700 I'm growing. And before you know it, you're a 00:11:31.700 --> 00:11:37.179 fruitful tree. That is that journey. And therefore 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:39.740 when we say that God has called us to make disciples 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:42.919 for global impact. We are saying that God has 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:45.899 called our community, all of us, to engage in 00:11:45.899 --> 00:11:48.360 a personal relationship with Jesus and the Holy 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:52.120 Spirit to pursue this calling for growth so that 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:55.600 we can engage in that calling and experience 00:11:55.600 --> 00:11:58.679 it. Therefore, we have to create the systems 00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:01.200 in place to make sure that we have the right 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:05.259 conditions for this life to happen. And for that, 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:08.019 we do not need Chad GPT. For that, we need the 00:12:08.019 --> 00:12:11.370 Bible. Because the Bible tells us what the right 00:12:11.370 --> 00:12:15.970 conditions are for all of this. I would like 00:12:15.970 --> 00:12:21.409 to take a look at what the Bible says about this 00:12:21.409 --> 00:12:24.330 growth. What does it look like? What are those 00:12:24.330 --> 00:12:28.370 traits that are in mind when we are talking about 00:12:28.370 --> 00:12:33.370 growing in spiritual maturity? And for that we 00:12:33.370 --> 00:12:35.029 have to understand a couple of things. First, 00:12:35.190 --> 00:12:37.450 remember that the Apostle Paul during his second 00:12:37.450 --> 00:12:40.779 missionary journey. He went all the way to Greece 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:43.940 in Corinth, and he planted a church there, and 00:12:43.940 --> 00:12:47.179 he wrote two letters to them later, 1 and 2 Corinthians. 00:12:47.580 --> 00:12:50.639 And in fact, today you can still go and visit 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:52.820 the city of Corinth, and you can go and visit 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:56.480 the ruins of the ancient Corinth where the Apostle 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:00.039 Paul was. And even when you go to Athens, you 00:13:00.039 --> 00:13:03.000 can see some areas where the Apostle Paul went. 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:08.580 And there's even a big sign in Greek and in English 00:13:08.580 --> 00:13:10.820 there that has a quotation from the book of Acts 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:13.919 of the speech that the Apostle Paul gave during 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:16.899 that trip. So what is exciting about all of those 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:19.600 things is that they are historical. They really 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:23.000 happened. So as we are reading this text, we 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:27.370 are engaging with history. How the apostles engaged 00:13:27.370 --> 00:13:30.309 with the first Christians to remind them about 00:13:30.309 --> 00:13:33.909 this journey. I want to know what that is. But 00:13:33.909 --> 00:13:36.590 then the second thing is that the Christians 00:13:36.590 --> 00:13:38.870 that were in Jerusalem, that first generation 00:13:38.870 --> 00:13:42.029 of Christians ever, they were there in Jerusalem, 00:13:42.110 --> 00:13:44.710 but their persecution started happening, so they 00:13:44.710 --> 00:13:47.690 had to flee Jerusalem, and they spread out all 00:13:47.690 --> 00:13:50.620 throughout the Roman Empire. So you have... Two 00:13:50.620 --> 00:13:53.279 types of Christians now in the first generation 00:13:53.279 --> 00:13:56.220 of the first century. The Christians that heard 00:13:56.220 --> 00:13:58.860 the message through the Apostle Paul and the 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:01.200 churches that were planted. And the Christians 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:03.879 from Jerusalem that were primarily Jew Christians, 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:07.440 Messianic Christians, Messianic Jews, who left 00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:09.860 there and they started joining some of these 00:14:09.860 --> 00:14:12.000 other churches throughout the empire. So therefore, 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:15.399 both the Apostle Paul and people like the Apostle 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:18.899 Peter, they write these letters to all of them. 00:14:19.389 --> 00:14:22.450 About this journey. So we are going to look at 00:14:22.450 --> 00:14:27.509 some of them. But before reading it. I remember 00:14:27.509 --> 00:14:31.870 something. You know when you have a baby now. 00:14:32.049 --> 00:14:36.309 And you are in the era of Wi -Fi technology. 00:14:36.990 --> 00:14:40.070 You know one of the things that people do. They 00:14:40.070 --> 00:14:43.929 want to have a baby monitor. Because they want 00:14:43.929 --> 00:14:47.629 to see and they want to hear that baby. By the 00:14:47.629 --> 00:14:50.090 way, you don't need to. Enjoy the quietness while 00:14:50.090 --> 00:14:54.049 you have it. But, yeah, no, no. We want to see, 00:14:54.070 --> 00:14:56.529 we want to hear, and we can put that thing there, 00:14:56.629 --> 00:14:59.690 and I can get my phone, I can look at the app, 00:14:59.850 --> 00:15:03.710 I can be in another country and see my baby through 00:15:03.710 --> 00:15:07.929 it. But a side effect of that is that anybody 00:15:07.929 --> 00:15:09.830 that walks into the room and starts talking, 00:15:10.070 --> 00:15:13.990 I can eardrop. I can hear all these conversations 00:15:13.990 --> 00:15:16.759 that are happening. Without them even knowing. 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:20.139 And sometimes they're interesting conversations 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:22.899 and sometimes you don't want to know anything. 00:15:25.500 --> 00:15:27.740 Wouldn't it be cool if we can give the Apostle 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:29.860 Paul a baby monitor, the Apostle Peter a baby 00:15:29.860 --> 00:15:32.639 monitor to help us see what's happening in their 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:35.740 journeys and their conversations? Well, that's 00:15:35.740 --> 00:15:37.740 what we're going to do today. We're going to 00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:41.259 give them one because I want to listen to some 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:43.960 of those conversations. See what is going on. 00:15:44.409 --> 00:15:47.190 And what do we learn from it? The first conversation, 00:15:47.450 --> 00:15:49.970 the Apostle Paul with the Christians in Corinth, 00:15:50.190 --> 00:15:54.250 is very personal and actually a little bit kind 00:15:54.250 --> 00:15:59.669 of direct. And this is what I start hearing when 00:15:59.669 --> 00:16:03.289 I listen to that conversation. Brothers and sisters, 00:16:03.610 --> 00:16:08.110 I could not address you as people who live by 00:16:08.110 --> 00:16:12.549 the Spirit, but as people who are still worldly. 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:20.419 Just infants in Christ. Little babies. Childish. 00:16:21.940 --> 00:16:27.159 I gave you milk, not solid food. Oh, no. You 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:29.820 couldn't handle it because you were not ready 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:32.919 for it yet. You were still these immature little 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:37.580 babies. Indeed, even until now, you're still 00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:44.590 not ready because you are still worldly. For 00:16:44.590 --> 00:16:47.009 since there is jealousy and quarreling among 00:16:47.009 --> 00:16:51.149 you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting 00:16:51.149 --> 00:16:55.210 like mere humans? It's like, now he really got 00:16:55.210 --> 00:16:57.649 my attention. What is he talking about? What's 00:16:57.649 --> 00:17:01.389 going on? I want to know more. Well, for one 00:17:01.389 --> 00:17:04.650 says, I follow Paul. And another says, well, 00:17:04.849 --> 00:17:08.369 I follow Apollos. Are you not acting like mere 00:17:08.369 --> 00:17:10.630 human beings when you are just talking like that? 00:17:10.930 --> 00:17:14.579 Are you really that childish? And it's like, 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:16.599 okay, now I'm a little bit uncomfortable. I shouldn't 00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:18.400 be listening to this conversation because it's 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:23.400 too personal, so I'll stop there. But now I'm 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:30.119 thinking, wow, am I an infant? Am I childish? 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:38.160 Am I worldly? He gave us these categories. On 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:40.980 the one hand, he says, look. You're either an 00:17:40.980 --> 00:17:44.000 infant, worldly, you can only manage milk, or 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:47.640 you are a mature follower of Jesus who is led 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:50.799 by the Holy Spirit, who can manage solid food. 00:17:51.059 --> 00:17:55.779 Which one are you? Ah. In other words, are you 00:17:55.779 --> 00:17:59.200 just a little seed? Just need a little bit of 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:01.700 light, a little bit, because otherwise you cannot 00:18:01.700 --> 00:18:04.319 handle it. Or are you now a mature tree? What 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:10.779 are you? And one of the things that he mentions 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:16.400 about a sign of immaturity is that you smell, 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:20.500 you think, you act like the world. It's hard 00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:22.640 to tell you apart. I didn't realize you were 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:25.200 a Christian because I couldn't tell. The way 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:29.730 you sound, you sound like the world. And therefore, 00:18:29.829 --> 00:18:32.730 if I want to engage with you and tell you more 00:18:32.730 --> 00:18:36.230 about the word of God and living with eternal 00:18:36.230 --> 00:18:38.549 perspective and all of that, that's too much. 00:18:38.990 --> 00:18:41.410 I'm just happy to go on Sunday morning and that's 00:18:41.410 --> 00:18:47.369 it. Because you cannot handle more. But that 00:18:47.369 --> 00:18:50.289 is not where we are supposed to stay. We are 00:18:50.289 --> 00:18:53.319 supposed to move from there into growth. And 00:18:53.319 --> 00:18:55.579 I remember as a parent the experience of seeing 00:18:55.579 --> 00:18:58.279 our children grow. We still have videos from 00:18:58.279 --> 00:19:00.599 them when they were little. And we always loved 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:04.059 those. I remember my oldest son couldn't say 00:19:04.059 --> 00:19:08.619 the word music. He would say mjukik. It was so 00:19:08.619 --> 00:19:12.940 cute. And whenever it's cute, you want to say 00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:15.660 it many times. So say it again. Mjukik. Oh, so 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:18.359 cute. What is it again? Mjukik. Oh, that's so 00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:26.730 nice. But then they grow. And then 13, 15. And 00:19:26.730 --> 00:19:29.170 if we are eating at the table and they say, you 00:19:29.170 --> 00:19:31.650 know, I like to listen to mukek. You're not going 00:19:31.650 --> 00:19:33.250 to go and say, oh, that's so cute. Can you say 00:19:33.250 --> 00:19:36.789 it again? No, at 15 you're going to say, that's 00:19:36.789 --> 00:19:39.269 not how you pronounce it. It's music. Say it 00:19:39.269 --> 00:19:43.450 again. Music, you know. Because there are certain 00:19:43.450 --> 00:19:47.490 things that you expect at a certain age. There's 00:19:47.490 --> 00:19:51.650 a certain level of maturity that we expect. It's 00:19:51.650 --> 00:19:54.690 okay to be wrestling with this here, but really 00:19:54.690 --> 00:20:00.089 now here? Are you still a baby? Really? You are 00:20:00.089 --> 00:20:04.470 not laid by the Holy Spirit yet? You do not know 00:20:04.470 --> 00:20:07.970 your Bible yet? That's what the Apostle Paul 00:20:07.970 --> 00:20:12.089 is telling. So there is this spectrum of growth 00:20:12.089 --> 00:20:16.410 that we need to start realizing that as God is 00:20:16.410 --> 00:20:19.190 calling us to follow him, we need to become mature. 00:20:19.650 --> 00:20:24.369 We know God. And we love God. Simple as that. 00:20:25.529 --> 00:20:28.269 I'm being led by the Holy Spirit now. That matters 00:20:28.269 --> 00:20:32.230 to me. And that is my priority. And I start thinking 00:20:32.230 --> 00:20:35.750 and acting less and less and less like the world. 00:20:35.910 --> 00:20:42.589 And more and more and more like Jesus. Wow. I 00:20:42.589 --> 00:20:45.750 already feel convicted. And there's two more 00:20:45.750 --> 00:20:48.710 conversations we want to listen to? Yes. Let's 00:20:48.710 --> 00:20:51.539 go to the second one. The second conversation 00:20:51.539 --> 00:20:54.519 now is the Apostle Peter writing to these Christians 00:20:54.519 --> 00:20:57.500 that left Jerusalem and now are joining the churches 00:20:57.500 --> 00:21:00.119 that the Apostle Paul had planted. And he tells 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:02.660 them, look, I know that now you are reading the 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:05.920 letters that the Apostle Paul sent. But I have 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:09.720 to remind you that his letters contain some things 00:21:09.720 --> 00:21:14.079 that are hard to understand. Did you ever read 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:15.859 some of the New Testament letters to the Apostle 00:21:15.859 --> 00:21:18.099 Paul and you go like, what? What is that supposed 00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:20.640 to mean? Well, that's not just your experience. 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:23.200 That was from the very beginning. There are things 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:26.380 that are hard to understand, which ignorant and 00:21:26.380 --> 00:21:29.900 unstable people distort as they do the other 00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:33.180 scriptures to their own destruction. Therefore, 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:37.039 dear friends, you who are not just a little seed 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:39.539 anymore, you are maturing. You are becoming a 00:21:39.539 --> 00:21:44.019 tree. Since you have been forewarned, be on your 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:47.759 guard so that you may not be carried away by 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:50.920 the error of the lawless and fall from your secure 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:58.960 position. Stay solid in your little pot. Don't 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:03.660 fall from that. Don't let deception move you 00:22:03.660 --> 00:22:10.369 in the wrong direction. Instead, grow In what? 00:22:10.589 --> 00:22:14.250 Will you read it aloud with me? By grow in the 00:22:14.250 --> 00:22:18.369 grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus 00:22:18.369 --> 00:22:22.750 Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. 00:22:23.009 --> 00:22:27.410 Amen. And now, as the Apostle Paul is talking 00:22:27.410 --> 00:22:29.849 to these Christians, I mean the Apostle Peter 00:22:29.849 --> 00:22:32.349 talking to these Christians, he also puts them 00:22:32.349 --> 00:22:35.390 on the spectrum. And he says, look, on the one 00:22:35.390 --> 00:22:38.920 hand, You can be someone who is ignorant and 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:43.319 stable, or you can grow in knowledge and the 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:48.039 grace of Jesus. Where are you? Because a person 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:51.299 who is ignorant and stable, you know where they 00:22:51.299 --> 00:22:55.339 develop their theology from? YouTube. That's 00:22:55.339 --> 00:22:58.839 it. And Facebook posts. And maybe a podcast somewhere. 00:22:59.779 --> 00:23:02.940 They don't know their Bible. They're not studying 00:23:02.940 --> 00:23:06.140 it. They do not engage with it. But if it's in 00:23:06.140 --> 00:23:09.839 YouTube, you know, it must be true. And all of 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:12.579 these different distortions that the person starts 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:16.500 believing go unfiltered. And therefore, this 00:23:16.500 --> 00:23:19.440 person can get deceived so easily. And the Apostle 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:22.779 Peter says, don't fall for that. You'll be different. 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:26.940 You need to grow in knowledge and also in experiencing 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:30.500 God's grace. You remember the book of Colossians 00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:33.960 that we just finished last month. Growing grace. 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:36.640 Let the grace of God and the peace of God flow 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:40.500 through you. And move in that direction. Head. 00:23:41.180 --> 00:23:46.339 Heart. I remember that during the time of COVID. 00:23:47.900 --> 00:23:51.059 I got a friend that sent me a video. And I'm 00:23:51.059 --> 00:23:53.160 not sure we were that close friends. But the 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:56.680 video was about this guy that was. preaching 00:23:56.680 --> 00:23:59.319 and talking about how this is really the end 00:23:59.319 --> 00:24:02.140 of times. And we know that if you get the vaccine, 00:24:02.299 --> 00:24:05.400 it's going to be the mark of the beast. So whatever 00:24:05.400 --> 00:24:07.400 you thought of the vaccine is your own opinion. 00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:11.720 But in his case, it was like solid. This is the 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:13.900 mark of the beast and this is the end of times. 00:24:14.180 --> 00:24:17.480 He didn't say who the Antichrist was then. But 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:20.700 anyway, he says, how do we know? It's because 00:24:20.700 --> 00:24:24.619 if you take the word COVID, And you assign them 00:24:24.619 --> 00:24:27.900 the Hebrew letters. And then every Hebrew letter 00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:30.380 has a number. And then you add the number to 00:24:30.380 --> 00:24:32.700 each letter. And then you sum up the whole thing. 00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:41.119 It's going to give you 666. That's called exegetical 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:45.740 gymnastics. If you do this, if you do that, if 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:49.019 you do that, then it's like, really? Is that 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:53.579 true? No, it doesn't work that way. But how many 00:24:53.579 --> 00:24:56.559 people believe it and they were preparing for 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:58.720 the end of the world and here we are in 2025 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:04.500 and COVID was not the end. Growing the knowledge 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:08.480 and the grace of Jesus, Peter says, so that you 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:13.140 will not be so easily deceived by a video that 00:25:13.140 --> 00:25:19.049 a friend sends you. Wow, I can see now. Therefore, 00:25:19.150 --> 00:25:22.730 this call to grow is also a grow to become solid. 00:25:22.869 --> 00:25:28.549 I know the word, I live the word. Do I know the 00:25:28.549 --> 00:25:33.190 word? Do I live the word? Or I am someone that 00:25:33.190 --> 00:25:37.970 is more, instead of being word D, I'm world E. 00:25:42.009 --> 00:25:45.970 Wow. Is there one more conversation to listen 00:25:45.970 --> 00:25:48.109 to? Because this will be a great time to end 00:25:48.109 --> 00:25:51.609 because I'm already very convicted. But there's 00:25:51.609 --> 00:25:55.250 one more. And Peter, as he's talking to these 00:25:55.250 --> 00:26:00.230 Christians, he tells them, look, you already 00:26:00.230 --> 00:26:02.549 received the Holy Spirit. You're already following 00:26:02.549 --> 00:26:06.089 Jesus. You already have the word. You have everything 00:26:06.089 --> 00:26:08.529 you need to now grow into that fruitful tree. 00:26:09.609 --> 00:26:16.130 Everything. So keep growing into that tree. His 00:26:16.130 --> 00:26:19.309 divine power has given us everything we need 00:26:19.309 --> 00:26:21.829 for a godly life through our knowledge of him 00:26:21.829 --> 00:26:25.430 who called us by his own glory and goodness. 00:26:26.549 --> 00:26:30.069 Through this, he has given us his very great 00:26:30.069 --> 00:26:33.130 and precious promises so that through them, you 00:26:33.130 --> 00:26:36.250 may participate in the divine nature, the Holy 00:26:36.250 --> 00:26:39.829 Spirit we have in us now. Having escaped the 00:26:39.829 --> 00:26:42.400 corruption in the world. caused by evil desires, 00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:45.000 right? Because we're growing on Christlikeness. 00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:50.839 We're not as worldly anymore. For this very reason, 00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:54.619 because we're in this journey towards this mature 00:26:54.619 --> 00:26:59.119 tree, fruitful tree, for this very reason, make 00:26:59.119 --> 00:27:05.680 every effort to add to your faith goodness. And 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:11.609 to goodness, what else? Knowledge. Yeah. It's 00:27:11.609 --> 00:27:16.250 like, look, it's okay that now you have a very 00:27:16.250 --> 00:27:18.589 genuine faith in Jesus and you are following 00:27:18.589 --> 00:27:20.549 him. And now you are seeing the transformation 00:27:20.549 --> 00:27:24.269 in your life. That's great. But you have to add 00:27:24.269 --> 00:27:29.529 to that knowledge. Keep growing in the knowledge 00:27:29.529 --> 00:27:33.809 of God and the word. But add to that knowledge 00:27:33.809 --> 00:27:37.589 self -control. And to self -control, perseverance. 00:27:37.829 --> 00:27:41.150 And to perseverance, Godliness. And to godliness, 00:27:41.329 --> 00:27:44.650 mutual affection. And to mutual affection, love. 00:27:46.049 --> 00:27:49.250 He's giving us the path of what that maturity 00:27:49.250 --> 00:27:53.710 looks like. And he says at the end, for guys, 00:27:53.869 --> 00:27:57.450 if you possess these qualities in increasing 00:27:57.450 --> 00:28:00.730 measure, it's not complete, but it's increasing 00:28:00.730 --> 00:28:06.230 by the day, they will keep you from being ineffective 00:28:06.230 --> 00:28:11.099 and unproductive. In your knowledge of our Lord 00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:16.579 Jesus Christ. What? Peter, you are sounding like 00:28:16.579 --> 00:28:20.900 a CEO of my company. You're talking about ineffective 00:28:20.900 --> 00:28:23.940 and unproductive. It's like this is a performance 00:28:23.940 --> 00:28:28.640 meeting with our production team here. It's like, 00:28:28.660 --> 00:28:33.480 why are you using these words for spiritual topics 00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:37.339 of following Jesus? Being unproductive? Being 00:28:37.339 --> 00:28:39.859 ineffective? What does that have to do with anything? 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:46.380 Everything. Because, again, the call to follow 00:28:46.380 --> 00:28:50.900 Jesus is the call to grow from a seed all the 00:28:50.900 --> 00:28:55.579 way into a fruitful tree that is giving fruit. 00:28:56.720 --> 00:29:00.960 And therefore, what he tells them here is the 00:29:00.960 --> 00:29:05.220 spectrum. You're either going to be an ineffective 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:09.750 and unproductive follower of Jesus, That your 00:29:09.750 --> 00:29:12.009 life is irrelevant. You are not impacting anybody. 00:29:12.589 --> 00:29:16.210 You are disengaged. The idea of being ineffective 00:29:16.210 --> 00:29:19.769 means being lazy, being disengaged. I don't do 00:29:19.769 --> 00:29:24.990 anything. And therefore, I'm productive. Or, 00:29:25.009 --> 00:29:31.589 if you make every effort to grow in your relationship 00:29:31.589 --> 00:29:34.509 with Christ, you will become helpful and fruitful. 00:29:35.369 --> 00:29:39.569 So which one are you? ineffective, unproductive, 00:29:39.589 --> 00:29:46.009 helpful, or fruitful. Now I really feel convicted. 00:29:47.769 --> 00:29:51.289 I thought that following Jesus was all about 00:29:51.289 --> 00:29:53.609 dying and going to heaven. I was very happy. 00:29:53.829 --> 00:29:59.190 Now I feel responsible. I feel like I need to 00:29:59.190 --> 00:30:01.410 be more disciplined in my relationship with God 00:30:01.410 --> 00:30:04.150 and I need to start pursuing my calling and to 00:30:04.150 --> 00:30:07.920 start serving God with my life. Great! That's 00:30:07.920 --> 00:30:10.480 exactly why the apostles wrote these things. 00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:13.259 So that I would start feeling that and start 00:30:13.259 --> 00:30:18.099 moving into that space of fruitfulness. I know 00:30:18.099 --> 00:30:22.440 my calling and now I'm living my calling. Because 00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:26.359 it's in that place now, complete alignment with 00:30:26.359 --> 00:30:30.599 the Lord, that this thing starts flowing. I remember 00:30:30.599 --> 00:30:34.720 that a few years ago, we were able to... meet 00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:38.200 a dear couple here from Brazil, here in ECB, 00:30:38.339 --> 00:30:42.180 and we happened to be walking outside here one 00:30:42.180 --> 00:30:45.519 Saturday, and my wife and kids were in Texas 00:30:45.519 --> 00:30:48.680 that time, and they were going out for lunch, 00:30:48.759 --> 00:30:51.900 and I said to them, are you going, where are 00:30:51.900 --> 00:30:53.180 you going? So we're going for lunch, you want 00:30:53.180 --> 00:30:55.779 to join us? And I thought, sure, I don't. Have 00:30:55.779 --> 00:30:57.960 anybody at home now? I have no lunch plans. So 00:30:57.960 --> 00:31:01.019 that's how we met and we spent the whole afternoon. 00:31:01.019 --> 00:31:03.579 It was like maybe five hours that we spent there 00:31:03.579 --> 00:31:05.819 at the restaurant eating and talking, catching 00:31:05.819 --> 00:31:09.160 up. And from that opportunity, the opportunity 00:31:09.160 --> 00:31:13.460 came up to start mentoring them in their discipleship. 00:31:13.660 --> 00:31:17.759 And we'll meet every week in an evening in their 00:31:17.759 --> 00:31:20.740 home and train them. And we went through that 00:31:20.740 --> 00:31:25.460 discipleship mentorship process. And it was so 00:31:25.460 --> 00:31:28.940 beautiful to see that little plant grow. More 00:31:28.940 --> 00:31:32.720 exciting than seeing my avocado plant. It was 00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:35.359 like every time I left, I was so encouraged. 00:31:35.740 --> 00:31:40.160 But then God called them back to Brazil. But 00:31:40.160 --> 00:31:41.920 what was beautiful is that before they left, 00:31:42.039 --> 00:31:45.079 they said, Pastor Pablo, we arrived here to Thailand 00:31:45.079 --> 00:31:48.400 one way, and we're leaving completely different 00:31:48.400 --> 00:31:52.940 people. We're not the same. Right, because when 00:31:52.940 --> 00:31:54.880 they came, they were like a little avocado seed. 00:31:55.460 --> 00:32:00.480 But now they're already becoming a tree. And 00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:05.019 that is what we desire. That is what we mean. 00:32:05.240 --> 00:32:08.200 That we are serious about making disciples for 00:32:08.200 --> 00:32:12.579 global impact. So that you will grow in intimacy 00:32:12.579 --> 00:32:16.920 with God. You will start understanding your calling 00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:19.579 more and more and pursue your calling more and 00:32:19.579 --> 00:32:23.220 more because God has planted you here for global 00:32:23.220 --> 00:32:27.420 impact. For that reason, if we were to have all 00:32:27.420 --> 00:32:29.900 these three things that we are becoming mature, 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.940 solid, and fruitful, wow, this will be an amazing 00:32:34.940 --> 00:32:41.019 opportunity for increased global impact. And 00:32:41.019 --> 00:32:45.079 that excites me. That's why we are here. It's 00:32:45.079 --> 00:32:48.180 because of the potential of what God can do through 00:32:48.180 --> 00:32:51.920 us. Because the mission that Jesus gave us at 00:32:51.920 --> 00:32:55.119 the very beginning has not yet been completed. 00:32:56.279 --> 00:32:58.680 And we will continue investing our lives until 00:32:58.680 --> 00:33:04.480 the very end. Let's pray before the Lord. Father, 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:09.980 as we come in your presence, we know what it 00:33:09.980 --> 00:33:14.619 is like to be a little seed. Nothing happening 00:33:14.619 --> 00:33:19.400 until something starts sprouting. And before 00:33:19.400 --> 00:33:22.099 we know it, something is happening within us 00:33:22.099 --> 00:33:25.319 and it's your Holy Spirit transforming us and 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:28.519 leading us into this future that we never imagined. 00:33:30.799 --> 00:33:33.359 That it will be part of our community serving 00:33:33.359 --> 00:33:40.039 you for greater purposes than just us. Lord, 00:33:40.809 --> 00:33:45.410 We acknowledge what you have already said, that 00:33:45.410 --> 00:33:49.089 we are these trees in the making. And thank you 00:33:49.089 --> 00:33:51.750 for the fruit and the impact that you have envisioned 00:33:51.750 --> 00:33:55.869 for us. Everything that you have in mind, Lord, 00:33:56.009 --> 00:34:00.069 we want to be part of. Provide everything that 00:34:00.069 --> 00:34:03.650 we need so that we can be faithful to your calling. 00:34:04.329 --> 00:34:08.789 And every fruit that is ever produced is because 00:34:08.789 --> 00:34:12.460 of you. And all the glory be to you and to you 00:34:12.460 --> 00:34:16.460 alone, now and forever. And Lord, I pray for 00:34:16.460 --> 00:34:20.400 our people in Jesus' name. That anything that 00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:24.059 is holding back the pursuit of your calling. 00:34:25.340 --> 00:34:29.340 That anything that has been implemented by the 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:34.440 enemy to distract, to distort, to hold back. 00:34:34.940 --> 00:34:40.010 Lord, in Jesus' name, let that be broken. And 00:34:40.010 --> 00:34:47.010 let that power be broken by your presence. Let 00:34:47.010 --> 00:34:50.769 your calling become clear. Let your provision 00:34:50.769 --> 00:34:53.690 flow so that everything that you have called 00:34:53.690 --> 00:34:57.329 your people to be and do will be accomplished 00:34:57.329 --> 00:35:05.849 because of your doing. Lord, I sense a broken 00:35:05.849 --> 00:35:11.840 calling. And I'm asking you for restoration. 00:35:18.059 --> 00:35:23.860 There is someone here that has been clearly called 00:35:23.860 --> 00:35:33.199 by you. But disobedience hurts. There's brokenness 00:35:33.199 --> 00:35:37.079 that has happened. But the calling has not changed. 00:35:41.449 --> 00:35:49.349 Let your grace restore. That which was broken. 00:35:53.449 --> 00:36:01.550 Let your grace restore. And Lord, let the calling 00:36:01.550 --> 00:36:13.349 be like a new sprout, fresh and new. Even if 00:36:13.349 --> 00:36:16.449 the previous one died, this is a new sprout. 00:36:18.170 --> 00:36:23.369 And let it become the tree you envision. Thank 00:36:23.369 --> 00:36:27.289 you for the restoration you bring. And thank 00:36:27.289 --> 00:36:29.309 you for inviting us to grow in your knowledge 00:36:29.309 --> 00:36:34.409 of you and the experience of your grace. We love 00:36:34.409 --> 00:36:39.280 you and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. I would 00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:41.599 love to leave you with the encouraging words 00:36:41.599 --> 00:36:44.380 of the Apostle Peter, which were the very last 00:36:44.380 --> 00:36:47.500 words that we read today in the end of his letter. 00:36:49.159 --> 00:36:55.219 Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and 00:36:55.219 --> 00:37:02.420 Savior, Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and 00:37:02.420 --> 00:37:06.699 forever. Amen. May the Lord bless you, empower 00:37:06.699 --> 00:37:10.079 you. Become the tree that the Lord has called 00:37:10.079 --> 00:37:19.059 you to be. Thank you for tuning in to the ECB 00:37:19.059 --> 00:37:23.099 sermon podcast. Whether near or far, if you are 00:37:23.099 --> 00:37:26.159 looking for community or are in need of prayer, 00:37:26.420 --> 00:37:29.699 we welcome you to engage by sending us an email 00:37:29.699 --> 00:37:35.059 to office at ecb .asia. If God is calling you 00:37:35.059 --> 00:37:37.789 to support our ministries, You will find giving 00:37:37.789 --> 00:37:41.610 options on our website. And remember to join 00:37:41.610 --> 00:37:43.670 us next week. God bless you.