WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:06.639 Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.660 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.939 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:17.879 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:23.460 right in. The accurate measure of our growth 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:29.879 in the things of God is actually seen in our 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:35.539 work life. in our love walk, how we love one 00:00:35.539 --> 00:00:39.600 another, how we allow the love of God to flow 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:46.659 through us. And I really want to see a new wave 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:51.579 in our midst as a church, as a community, that 00:00:51.579 --> 00:01:00.219 the love of God is not just on the pulpit. or 00:01:00.219 --> 00:01:02.619 in our words, but we see it manifested in our 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:11.359 daily living towards one another. That is how 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:20.459 we see, you know, the power of God at work. Matthew 00:01:20.459 --> 00:01:39.439 chapter 18. Matthew 18 from verse 15. Matthew 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:49.500 18, verse 15 to verse 19. Moreover, if your brother 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:56.159 sins against you, go and tell him his fault between 00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:01.340 you and him alone. And if he hears you, you have 00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:04.939 gained your brother. But if he will not hear, 00:02:05.140 --> 00:02:10.930 take with you one or two more, that by the mouth 00:02:10.930 --> 00:02:15.530 of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 00:02:16.550 --> 00:02:19.710 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the 00:02:19.710 --> 00:02:23.569 church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, 00:02:23.930 --> 00:02:28.810 let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. 00:02:29.849 --> 00:02:32.669 Surely I say to you that whatever you bind on 00:02:32.669 --> 00:02:37.020 earth will be bound in heaven. and whatever you 00:02:37.020 --> 00:02:40.840 loosed on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again 00:02:40.840 --> 00:02:45.960 I say to you, if two or three, two of you rather 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:49.199 agree on earth concerning anything that they 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:53.699 ask, it will be done for them by my Father in 00:02:53.699 --> 00:02:57.539 heaven. For where two or three are gathered together 00:02:57.539 --> 00:03:01.280 in my name, I am there in the midst of them. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:06.810 Hallelujah. Now it is important to note that, 00:03:06.909 --> 00:03:18.990 you know, that in our family cycle, in the church, 00:03:19.169 --> 00:03:24.550 we must be ready to forgive one another. It's 00:03:24.550 --> 00:03:28.050 an emphasis. We must always be prepared because 00:03:28.050 --> 00:03:31.469 most times, because of the expectation that we 00:03:31.469 --> 00:03:36.500 build towards one another, It becomes a shocker 00:03:36.500 --> 00:03:44.319 when you are offended by somebody. So it is quite 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:47.800 very important that as family members, as a church, 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:52.979 as a family of God, we must be ready, prepared 00:03:52.979 --> 00:03:58.340 at all times. Let it not be that until someone 00:03:58.340 --> 00:04:00.659 offends you, then you look for what to do. No. 00:04:02.310 --> 00:04:04.370 Before the offense will come, because you are 00:04:04.370 --> 00:04:09.150 sure that offenses will do what? Will arise as 00:04:09.150 --> 00:04:12.069 a result of your relationship with people. So 00:04:12.069 --> 00:04:15.550 long as you interact with people, so long as 00:04:15.550 --> 00:04:22.870 we interact with one another, conflict is mandatory. 00:04:24.850 --> 00:04:27.970 Hallelujah. If it didn't happen with you, it 00:04:27.970 --> 00:04:29.389 simply means that you are not participating in 00:04:29.389 --> 00:04:32.509 fellowship with people. It simply means that 00:04:32.509 --> 00:04:35.110 you are not, number one, it means that you're 00:04:35.110 --> 00:04:37.410 not being a blessing to people and you're not 00:04:37.410 --> 00:04:40.649 allowing people to be a blessing to you. It means 00:04:40.649 --> 00:04:42.970 that the pastors have no influence in your life. 00:04:43.610 --> 00:04:46.689 It means that you don't even belong to a team 00:04:46.689 --> 00:04:49.649 in this church. It means that you don't belong 00:04:49.649 --> 00:04:52.990 to a cell or you don't have a circle of people 00:04:52.990 --> 00:04:54.550 around that are close to you in this church. 00:04:55.370 --> 00:04:58.829 But so long as we are together, we are people 00:04:58.829 --> 00:05:02.139 and we are interacting together, in the course 00:05:02.139 --> 00:05:07.420 of our interaction, all right, there will be 00:05:07.420 --> 00:05:11.720 friction. Now, the problem is not the friction. 00:05:12.740 --> 00:05:16.519 Hallelujah. The problem is our response to what? 00:05:16.620 --> 00:05:18.759 To the friction that will happen in the course 00:05:18.759 --> 00:05:23.000 of our relationship. And what God will want us 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:26.079 to do is to create room in our hearts. Now, as 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:30.579 we plan to enter into the new year, Let there 00:05:30.579 --> 00:05:34.800 be open -mindedness. Let us be prepared in our 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:39.019 hearts, all right, that my brother, my sister 00:05:39.019 --> 00:05:44.860 can offend me. Once we have this preconceived 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:48.000 thought in our mind that my brother can offend 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:52.899 me, then I think up to 50 % of our problems are 00:05:52.899 --> 00:05:54.600 solved, our relationship problems are solved. 00:05:57.300 --> 00:06:00.899 Secondly, What is my disposition towards my brother's 00:06:00.899 --> 00:06:03.759 offense, my sister's offense? My disposition 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:07.360 is that I have forgiven even before she offends 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:12.639 me. Do you understand? That you have already 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:15.420 what? You have already forgiven the brother. 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:18.199 You have already forgiven the sister even before 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:24.100 the offense. With this mindset, it is impossible 00:06:24.100 --> 00:06:28.120 for the enemy. It is impossible for Satan. to 00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:33.360 have a foothold. It is impossible for Satan to 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:38.139 influence our guarding our relationship because 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:40.319 we are living in love. We are allowed in love 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:45.060 to find expression through us, one another. So 00:06:45.060 --> 00:06:48.500 we must get ready to forgive. Forgive our pastors. 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:54.660 Amen? Because our pastors, they will offend us. 00:06:58.779 --> 00:07:01.220 Come on, every day, every week, there are people 00:07:01.220 --> 00:07:02.800 that we keep offending every day, every week. 00:07:03.860 --> 00:07:05.920 In the course of serving you, we offend you. 00:07:07.079 --> 00:07:08.740 We'll correct you sometimes and we'll correct 00:07:08.740 --> 00:07:12.579 you. Even we feel the impact of our correction 00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:14.660 towards you. We have no choice. We just have 00:07:14.660 --> 00:07:21.899 to correct you. We have to be bold. See, let 00:07:21.899 --> 00:07:24.800 me tell you, it takes boldness, right? It takes 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:31.069 courage. It takes courage to give correction 00:07:31.069 --> 00:07:37.470 to people. It takes courage to be firm and to 00:07:37.470 --> 00:07:39.569 insist and say, you must do it this way, you 00:07:39.569 --> 00:07:42.589 must do it that way. It takes courage to discipline. 00:07:42.629 --> 00:07:46.430 There are some people that they can easily just 00:07:46.430 --> 00:07:48.350 accommodate everything that happens, even if 00:07:48.350 --> 00:07:51.310 you are wrong. Oh, everything is all right. It 00:07:51.310 --> 00:07:55.670 takes courage to really be diligent in giving 00:07:55.670 --> 00:08:00.069 instruction. In leading people and in guiding 00:08:00.069 --> 00:08:04.810 people. So, in your relationship with your pastors, 00:08:05.089 --> 00:08:08.730 you must be ready. You know, sometimes when you 00:08:08.730 --> 00:08:13.610 correct people, people choose to respond any 00:08:13.610 --> 00:08:19.110 way they want to respond. But we must be ready 00:08:19.110 --> 00:08:21.149 that no matter how, no matter what will happen 00:08:21.149 --> 00:08:25.860 in the course of this new season, that I... will 00:08:25.860 --> 00:08:28.480 be open -minded and let the love of God flow 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:32.820 through my heart. So, in the course of our relationship, 00:08:32.980 --> 00:08:41.200 pastors, church leaders, we must be ready to 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:43.419 do or to accommodate one another and to let forgiveness 00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:50.940 reign. Now, sometimes people think that when 00:08:50.940 --> 00:08:53.340 you talk about forgiveness, you know, many times 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:55.639 when I hear people talk about The issue of forgiveness 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:57.379 is that you should forgive so that you will prosper. 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:01.460 You know, if you don't forgive, your life, your 00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:04.559 life will not be what? Your life will not be 00:09:04.559 --> 00:09:08.100 prosperous. It's partially true. It's not true. 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:11.179 Because some of the most prosperous people, based 00:09:11.179 --> 00:09:13.059 on the prosperity that we look at in the world, 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:15.360 some of the most prosperous people we see in 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.940 this world are the most unforgiving, are the 00:09:18.940 --> 00:09:23.679 most vicious people we can meet. You think in 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:25.759 the business and the political cycle they forgive? 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:33.399 They don't forgive. Alright? So the motivation 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:37.639 for forgiveness and reconciliation is not necessarily 00:09:37.639 --> 00:09:39.740 so that your life will be prosperous in the physical. 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:41.580 That's not the reason. If that's your motivation, 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:43.840 just know that Donald Trump says it appropriately. 00:09:44.139 --> 00:09:53.340 He does not forgive. He does not forgive. He 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:57.440 deals with his enemies. And he's prosperous. 00:09:57.759 --> 00:10:04.019 Isn't he prosperous? Hallelujah. So the reason 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:07.080 why you forgive is because, number one, so that 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:09.259 you enjoy the blessings of your brothers and 00:10:09.259 --> 00:10:12.419 your sisters. Because if you have offense towards 00:10:12.419 --> 00:10:15.440 me, the moment I clam this people to even bless 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:18.779 you, you will not be blessed. Because automatically 00:10:18.779 --> 00:10:21.240 one will stand between you and myself. It's an 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:24.879 offense. Are we together? In our interaction 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:27.039 as a family, we will not be a blessing one to 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:32.919 another. Secondly, we will not be able to truly 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:37.840 demonstrate the love of God. Because the gospel 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:40.220 must be seen in our interaction with one another. 00:10:40.460 --> 00:10:42.360 So what we do when we don't forgive is that we 00:10:42.360 --> 00:10:45.720 limit the expression of God's love through our 00:10:45.720 --> 00:10:54.289 lives. So it is for our benefit. And the benefit 00:10:54.289 --> 00:10:57.009 is that so that we will be blessed and we can 00:10:57.009 --> 00:11:01.129 grow. We must be ready to forgive and reconcile. 00:11:02.590 --> 00:11:07.370 Team members, I've had some teams. There's quite 00:11:07.370 --> 00:11:11.490 a few teams. You can't work together if there's 00:11:11.490 --> 00:11:15.370 no forgiveness and reconciliation. Hallelujah. 00:11:16.190 --> 00:11:18.350 So you must make up your mind that in this new 00:11:18.350 --> 00:11:21.220 year, In a prayer time, even if Takunda will 00:11:21.220 --> 00:11:28.940 say one thing I don't like, we'll be there. Are 00:11:28.940 --> 00:11:31.620 we together? See, relationships don't just break 00:11:31.620 --> 00:11:34.220 because they break on their own. Relationships 00:11:34.220 --> 00:11:39.639 are not individuals on their own. It's two individuals 00:11:39.639 --> 00:11:42.940 or people that choose to uphold a relationship. 00:11:43.720 --> 00:11:46.139 And when one doesn't take responsibility, what 00:11:46.139 --> 00:11:47.799 will happen? The relationship will be deteriorated. 00:11:49.620 --> 00:11:52.480 Hallelujah. So we must be determined to take 00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:55.940 responsibility for what? For ensuring that what? 00:11:56.379 --> 00:12:02.860 We keep the love. Be ready to forgive and reconcile 00:12:02.860 --> 00:12:07.519 with one another. Even at family level, there 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:10.379 are some of you here that you're not in good 00:12:10.379 --> 00:12:16.480 times with your parents. Right? Your father and 00:12:16.480 --> 00:12:18.580 your mother have not been speaking, they've not 00:12:18.580 --> 00:12:22.039 been talking. So you've sided with one part. 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:25.960 You've joined one of the parents against the 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:31.179 other. And oftentimes it's the children ganging 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:32.879 up with the mom against the father. Oftentimes 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:37.840 that's how it happens. Some of us have inherited 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:42.399 our parents' enemies. And what do you call it? 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:49.379 You're like in a family. Your father is not in 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:52.700 good terms with maybe one of his cousins. Who 00:12:52.700 --> 00:12:56.240 happened to be your uncles? Automatically, you've 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:57.899 sided with your dad and then you are against 00:12:57.899 --> 00:13:07.860 them. So we must be ready to ensure that in our 00:13:07.860 --> 00:13:12.179 relationships, there's no obstacle. In the family, 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:15.279 be ready to forgive and reconcile with your wife 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:21.299 if you are married. With your husband? With your 00:13:21.299 --> 00:13:23.080 siblings? Some of you, you don't even talk with 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:28.899 your siblings. How is the love of God flowing 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:33.700 through your life? You and your siblings are 00:13:33.700 --> 00:13:41.639 like cat and rat. We cannot be doing love in 00:13:41.639 --> 00:13:43.379 this church and then you are living in grudge 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:46.000 with your... your siblings, they're living in 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:47.399 God with your parents, they're living in God 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:49.379 with your cousins, your aunties, your uncles. 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:56.679 Even in your work, God work, even with unbelievers, 00:13:56.840 --> 00:14:02.960 towards unbelievers. So it is very important 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:04.919 that we examine our relationship. That's what 00:14:04.919 --> 00:14:07.460 I want to bring to our notice. It is important 00:14:07.460 --> 00:14:12.200 that we examine every... Of our relationships. 00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:15.659 But in the family. In the church. In the society. 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:21.120 To ensure that what. We are. Living in love. 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:24.679 Hallelujah. The believer must be relationship 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:29.399 conscious. The believer. Must be relationship 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:34.000 conscious. At all times. Because that is our 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:39.120 identity. You must be poor reconciliation. At 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:50.110 all times. Let it not be that when there's a 00:14:50.110 --> 00:14:51.850 division in a place and they come and they find 00:14:51.850 --> 00:14:53.429 you, ooh, they believe that you're the one that 00:14:53.429 --> 00:14:56.330 is orchestrator of that division. You are the 00:14:56.330 --> 00:15:00.230 one that is the main engineer of that separation 00:15:00.230 --> 00:15:04.990 relationship. But you must be pro -reconciliation 00:15:04.990 --> 00:15:11.690 because we are born, our nature is to build relationships. 00:15:12.029 --> 00:15:17.360 Hallelujah. So we must be prepared and ready 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:23.240 to forgive in all situations. Colossians 3, verse 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:43.669 12. Colossians 3, verse 12 to 13. So therefore, 00:15:43.830 --> 00:15:50.110 as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on 00:15:50.110 --> 00:15:57.049 tender mercies, right? Kindness, humility, meekness, 00:15:57.269 --> 00:16:00.269 long -suffering, verse 13, the key verse, verse 00:16:00.269 --> 00:16:05.769 13. Bearing with one another, and what? And forgiving 00:16:05.769 --> 00:16:09.669 one another. If anyone has a complaint against 00:16:09.669 --> 00:16:15.990 another, Even as Christ forgave you, what will 00:16:15.990 --> 00:16:21.210 happen? You also must do what? Must forgive. 00:16:24.110 --> 00:16:30.330 So our forgiveness is a response to what Christ 00:16:30.330 --> 00:16:37.210 has done for us. So therefore, it becomes necessary 00:16:37.210 --> 00:16:42.690 that at all times we are ready. To do what? To 00:16:42.690 --> 00:16:46.370 forgive. To bear with one another. We are bearing 00:16:46.370 --> 00:16:51.889 with one another because we are humans. We are 00:16:51.889 --> 00:16:58.509 humans. So pastors, bear with us. We are humans. 00:16:58.649 --> 00:17:01.649 We are growing. Leaders, bear with us. We are 00:17:01.649 --> 00:17:06.650 humans. Correct us. And as we are corrected, 00:17:06.730 --> 00:17:14.180 we receive correction in love. Hallelujah. Ready 00:17:14.180 --> 00:17:18.440 to forgive when we feel offended? Ready to forgive 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:22.640 when we have a complaint against another? Ready 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:34.859 to forgive? Now in Matthew 17, Matthew 18 verse 00:17:34.859 --> 00:17:37.940 17, I just want to discuss some certain issues 00:17:37.940 --> 00:17:40.400 that we're... I didn't emphasize in the previous 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:46.180 teachings. Verse 17 particularly emphasizes the 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:53.420 importance of the church. He says, and if, now 00:17:53.420 --> 00:18:01.119 first of all, an individual offended you, alright, 00:18:01.380 --> 00:18:05.660 you've gone to him to seek reconciliation and 00:18:05.660 --> 00:18:10.160 then there was no reconciliation. you've communicated 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:12.579 to your brother or two, and then you've gone 00:18:12.579 --> 00:18:15.299 to the person to seek for reconciliation, and 00:18:15.299 --> 00:18:19.660 this was not possible. All right? Now, the next 00:18:19.660 --> 00:18:27.019 step is to tell it to the church. But if he refuses 00:18:27.019 --> 00:18:31.279 even to hear the church, let him beat you like 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:35.180 a hittin', like a tax collector. All right? So, 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:39.500 the church... is very, very important in our 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:43.460 relationship. We must not always, you know, silence 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:48.359 ourselves from the body. Are we together? Acts 00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:50.259 chapter 15, verse 10. There's an issue that happened 00:18:50.259 --> 00:18:52.480 in the church in Acts chapter 10, chapter 15, 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:58.259 verse 1, where the brethren had an issue concerning 00:18:58.259 --> 00:19:02.180 doctrine. I just want us to see an example in 00:19:02.180 --> 00:19:06.769 the life of the apostles and we move on. Acts 00:19:06.769 --> 00:19:22.970 chapter 15, from verse 1. And certain men came 00:19:22.970 --> 00:19:26.589 down from Judea and taught the brethren. What 00:19:26.589 --> 00:19:30.589 was their doctrine? Unless you are circumcised 00:19:30.589 --> 00:19:35.779 according to the custom of Moses. You cannot 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:38.880 be saved. So these folks came around and they 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:43.200 began to preach works to the brethren. Therefore, 00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:47.240 when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension, 00:19:47.299 --> 00:19:51.140 that is, when they disagreed with them thoroughly 00:19:51.140 --> 00:19:55.279 and disputed with them, they were determined 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:58.140 that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of 00:19:58.140 --> 00:20:01.119 them should do what? Should separate and divide 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:04.119 the church into two? Should cause division in 00:20:04.119 --> 00:20:08.859 the church? What should they do? Certain orders 00:20:08.859 --> 00:20:12.019 of them should go up to Jerusalem. Okay, where 00:20:12.019 --> 00:20:13.500 the elders are, where the leaders of the church 00:20:13.500 --> 00:20:21.079 are. To the apostles and the elders about this 00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:24.819 question. What question? The question of the 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:27.759 customs of Moses. Is it necessary for someone 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:34.009 to obey this to be saved? Hallelujah. I mean, 00:20:34.029 --> 00:20:36.930 for us, we know at our time and our season right 00:20:36.930 --> 00:20:40.109 now, we know that salvation is by what? It's 00:20:40.109 --> 00:20:43.390 by faith alone. All right? But for them, it was 00:20:43.390 --> 00:20:47.910 a contention. Now, what we want you to learn, 00:20:48.049 --> 00:20:51.970 brethren, as you are growing, as you've not seen 00:20:51.970 --> 00:20:54.730 us, your leaders do, please, I want to encourage 00:20:54.730 --> 00:21:00.150 you, don't try it. All right? I've seen instances 00:21:00.150 --> 00:21:05.160 where brethren will disagree on doctrine and 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:09.299 then the pulpit become an opportunity. Pulpit 00:21:09.299 --> 00:21:12.900 and media become an opportunity to castigate 00:21:12.900 --> 00:21:15.839 and to attack. For example, now Pastor Carson 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:19.400 preached something. Alright? And then I'll go 00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:22.700 and listen to what Pastor Carson preached. And 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:25.980 he said for us to reason together on what he 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:29.900 preached. Alright? And reach a place of what? 00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:33.500 Conclusion. Together, reasoning together. Then 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:38.440 I come online and I begin to castigate whatever 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:44.220 he said. That is not working in love. Hallelujah. 00:21:44.900 --> 00:21:47.039 And sometimes we have warned some of you that, 00:21:47.119 --> 00:21:49.000 you know, when you go online and you see things, 00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:52.180 you don't have the liberty to make comments or 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:55.220 to contribute to attacks of people because you 00:21:55.220 --> 00:21:59.640 don't see us do it. Are we together? So you must 00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:02.140 be able to Walk in love. And one of the ways 00:22:02.140 --> 00:22:03.920 of walking in love is knowing that the body of 00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:09.259 Christ is actually the body of Christ. All right? 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:14.839 Now, in this situation, verse 3, so being sent 00:22:14.839 --> 00:22:17.480 on their way by the church, they passed through 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:20.599 Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion 00:22:20.599 --> 00:22:25.940 of the Gentiles, and they caused great... Great 00:22:25.940 --> 00:22:28.319 joy to all the brethren. So as they were going, 00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:30.400 they were telling the churches around how the 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:32.740 Gentiles have repented, have received the gospel. 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:36.339 Verse 4. And when they had come to Jerusalem, 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:39.539 they were received by the church and the apostles 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:42.960 and the elders, and they reported all the things 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:45.980 that God had done with them. But some of the 00:22:45.980 --> 00:22:50.859 sect of the Pharisee who believed not, who believed, 00:22:51.480 --> 00:22:54.059 rose up saying it is necessary. Now, these are 00:22:54.059 --> 00:22:56.359 the people that were adding the things of Moses, 00:22:56.599 --> 00:23:00.299 the laws of Moses as a foundation or as a prerequisite 00:23:00.299 --> 00:23:03.380 for faith. Some of the sect of the Pharisees 00:23:03.380 --> 00:23:05.539 who believe rose up saying it is necessary to 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:08.900 circumcise them and to command them to keep the 00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:13.599 law of Moses. Now, the apostles and the elders 00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:16.039 came together. The apostles and the elders, what 00:23:16.039 --> 00:23:18.660 did they do? They came together, all right? on 00:23:18.660 --> 00:23:20.779 that matter, on this matter. And when there has 00:23:20.779 --> 00:23:25.019 been much dispute, dispute here is not that I 00:23:25.019 --> 00:23:27.779 agree, I disagree, I agree, I disagree. Oh, they 00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:31.279 were removing their clothes and crossing punches. 00:23:31.880 --> 00:23:34.460 No, no, no. Dispute here has to do with what? 00:23:35.380 --> 00:23:37.319 Conversation of scripture. They were analyzing 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:40.180 scripture. They were dispersing scripture upon 00:23:40.180 --> 00:23:42.640 scripture, discussing scripture. When they have 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:46.119 what? There have been much dispute. Peter rose 00:23:46.119 --> 00:23:48.980 up and said to them, men and brethren, You know 00:23:48.980 --> 00:23:52.180 that a good while ago, God chose among us that 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:55.619 by my mouth, the Gentiles should hear the word 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:59.519 of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:06.400 the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the 00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:10.180 spirit, just as he did to us, and made no distinction 00:24:10.180 --> 00:24:12.740 between us and them, purifying their hearts by 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:17.019 faith. Now, therefore, why do you test God? By 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:21.599 putting a yoke on the neck of his disciples, 00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:24.960 which neither our fathers nor we are able to 00:24:24.960 --> 00:24:35.440 bear. And then to verse 22. Verse 22. Then it 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:37.960 pleased the apostles and the elders with the 00:24:37.960 --> 00:24:40.700 whole church to do what? After they've discussed 00:24:40.700 --> 00:24:44.529 the matter, alright? They did please the apostles 00:24:44.529 --> 00:24:46.410 and the elders with the whole church to send 00:24:46.410 --> 00:24:50.710 choosing men of their own company to Antioch 00:24:50.710 --> 00:24:53.970 with Paul and Barnabas, namely Judas, who was 00:24:53.970 --> 00:24:57.509 also named Barabbas, and Silas, leading them 00:24:57.509 --> 00:25:00.849 among the brethren. They wrote this letter by 00:25:00.849 --> 00:25:04.609 them. The apostles, the elders, and the brethren, 00:25:04.789 --> 00:25:08.349 to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, 00:25:08.349 --> 00:25:12.359 Syria, and Cilicia, greetings. that some who 00:25:12.359 --> 00:25:16.160 went out from us have troubled you with words 00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:19.140 unsettling your soul, saying you must be circumcised 00:25:19.140 --> 00:25:23.000 and keep the law to whom we gave no such commandment. 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:27.059 It seems good to us, being assembled with one 00:25:27.059 --> 00:25:29.940 accord, to send choosing men to you with our 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:33.319 beloved Barabbas and Paul, men who have reached 00:25:33.319 --> 00:25:35.720 their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:39.210 We have before them. Therefore send... Judas 00:25:39.210 --> 00:25:42.130 and Silas, who will also report the same things 00:25:42.130 --> 00:25:45.589 by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy 00:25:45.589 --> 00:25:49.490 Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden 00:25:49.490 --> 00:25:53.150 than these necessary things, that you abstain 00:25:53.150 --> 00:25:55.650 from things of idols, from blood, from things 00:25:55.650 --> 00:25:57.829 strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you 00:25:57.829 --> 00:26:01.190 keep yourself from these, you will do well. Farewell. 00:26:02.609 --> 00:26:07.329 Concluded. Matter closed. Hallelujah. So you 00:26:07.329 --> 00:26:11.480 see, how this conflict, this issue, even when 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:15.539 it comes to doctrinal matters, they were able 00:26:15.539 --> 00:26:20.619 to seek the counsel of the church, the leadership 00:26:20.619 --> 00:26:23.619 of the church. And we can see how this matter 00:26:23.619 --> 00:26:31.700 was amicably resolved. Hallelujah. So it is important 00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:34.799 to know that there is no private matter in church 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:36.599 when it comes to conflict between believers. 00:26:38.450 --> 00:26:42.069 Okay? What I'm saying is when the two of you 00:26:42.069 --> 00:26:45.829 have an issue, it means that the body has an 00:26:45.829 --> 00:26:50.349 issue. Hallelujah. So when you are able to try 00:26:50.349 --> 00:26:53.289 to resolve it between the two of you, it becomes 00:26:53.289 --> 00:26:56.589 important that you bring in the brothers in it. 00:26:56.630 --> 00:26:59.410 The church should know about it in order to resolve 00:26:59.410 --> 00:27:05.819 it. So believers must be involved. You cannot 00:27:05.819 --> 00:27:09.640 be the sole judge of issues alone. You must. 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:13.259 You must involve others, especially in the church. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:16.559 The verse goes on to say, but if he refuses even 00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:19.299 to hear the church, let him be to you like a 00:27:19.299 --> 00:27:21.079 heathen and a tax collector. Now, what does it 00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:23.640 mean? Let him be to you a heathen and a publican. 00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:28.039 I started explaining this on Sunday. Now, the 00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:30.059 word heathen is someone who does not know God. 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:33.880 Someone who is a pagan, someone that is not a 00:27:33.880 --> 00:27:38.069 believer. All right? And a publican or a tax 00:27:38.069 --> 00:27:44.269 collector or a publican is someone who is a corrupt 00:27:44.269 --> 00:27:49.809 individual, especially a tax collector to the 00:27:49.809 --> 00:27:57.509 Roman authority. All right? Who, you know, inflate 00:27:57.509 --> 00:28:00.750 taxes. They are known as very corrupt individuals. 00:28:00.990 --> 00:28:08.130 They cheat with records, for example. So these 00:28:08.130 --> 00:28:10.690 are those we will regard as sinners, the tax 00:28:10.690 --> 00:28:12.829 collector and Republicans. And the Bible is saying 00:28:12.829 --> 00:28:15.410 that we should consider such an individual. The 00:28:15.410 --> 00:28:17.789 person refused to listen to the church. Even 00:28:17.789 --> 00:28:20.069 the church tried to come into the matter, but 00:28:20.069 --> 00:28:23.130 then the church could not reconcile such an individual. 00:28:23.750 --> 00:28:25.869 We should treat such an individual like a tax 00:28:25.869 --> 00:28:28.309 collector. Now, the context of the conversation 00:28:28.309 --> 00:28:33.569 here, as we read from verse 15, is that this 00:28:33.569 --> 00:28:37.480 person is a brother. The context of the conversation 00:28:37.480 --> 00:28:40.359 is that a brother is a brother who sins. The 00:28:40.359 --> 00:28:45.339 brother is not a sinner. Are we together? The 00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:48.039 brother is not a heathen, is not a tax collector, 00:28:48.200 --> 00:28:53.000 but should be treated as a heathen or as a publican. 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:56.799 Now, how should we treat such a brother? We began 00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:59.220 to see how Jesus treated such an individual. 00:28:59.480 --> 00:29:03.420 Matthew 5, verse 44. Matthew 5, verse 44, quickly. 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:16.619 Matthew 5, verse 44. Yes. But I say to you, love 00:29:16.619 --> 00:29:19.839 your enemies, right? Bless those who curse you. 00:29:20.119 --> 00:29:23.519 Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:29.440 who spitefully use you and persecute you. The 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:34.759 next verse. That you may be the sons of your 00:29:34.759 --> 00:29:37.299 Father in heaven. For he makes his son to rise 00:29:37.299 --> 00:29:40.720 on the evil and on the good and send rain on 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:44.440 the just and on the unjust. For if you love those 00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:47.559 who love you, what reward have you? Do not even 00:29:47.559 --> 00:29:50.240 the tax collectors, that is the sinners, people 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:52.460 we regard as the sinners, do the same. Don't 00:29:52.460 --> 00:29:56.480 they do the same? Verse 47. And if you grieve 00:29:56.480 --> 00:29:58.700 your brethren only, what do you do more than 00:29:58.700 --> 00:30:01.759 others? Do not even the tax collectors do so. 00:30:01.819 --> 00:30:06.009 Verse 48. Therefore you shall be perfect. just 00:30:06.009 --> 00:30:08.289 as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 9, 00:30:08.410 --> 00:30:14.609 verse 10. Matthew 9, verse 10 and 12. Now it 00:30:14.609 --> 00:30:17.369 happened as Jesus sat at the table in the house, 00:30:17.410 --> 00:30:20.869 that behold, many tax collectors and sinners 00:30:20.869 --> 00:30:25.589 came and sat down with him and his disciples. 00:30:29.150 --> 00:30:31.609 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his 00:30:31.609 --> 00:30:34.930 disciples, why does your teacher eat with sinners, 00:30:35.029 --> 00:30:39.609 with tax collectors and sinners. When Jesus heard 00:30:39.609 --> 00:30:43.650 it and he said to them, those who are well have 00:30:43.650 --> 00:30:49.750 no need of a physician. Amen. But those who are 00:30:49.750 --> 00:30:51.990 what? Those who are sick. Chapter 10, verse 3. 00:30:53.329 --> 00:31:02.519 Matthew 10, verse 3. Philip and Bartholomew Thomas 00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:04.559 and Matthew, the tax collector, were part of 00:31:04.559 --> 00:31:08.599 his disciples. James, the son of Alphaeus and 00:31:08.599 --> 00:31:12.839 Labius, whose son was Thaddeus. We see that a 00:31:12.839 --> 00:31:16.779 tax collector was part of his selection of men 00:31:16.779 --> 00:31:19.259 that were served as his disciples. Chapter 11, 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:28.559 verse 19. Chapter 11, verse 19. The son of man 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:30.819 came eating and drinking and they said, look. 00:31:31.230 --> 00:31:35.369 a gluten and a wine biver, a friend of tax collectors 00:31:35.369 --> 00:31:39.509 and sinners. But wisdom is justified by her children. 00:31:40.529 --> 00:31:45.130 Matthew 21, verse 31. Matthew 21, verse 31 and 00:31:45.130 --> 00:31:55.049 32. Which of the two did the will? Which of the 00:31:55.049 --> 00:31:57.130 two did the will of his father? They said to... 00:31:57.309 --> 00:31:59.710 The first, Jesus said to them, I surely have 00:31:59.710 --> 00:32:02.630 said to you that tax collectors and harlots entered 00:32:02.630 --> 00:32:08.049 the kingdom of God before you. Verse 32. For 00:32:08.049 --> 00:32:10.490 John came to you in the way of righteousness 00:32:10.490 --> 00:32:12.869 and you did not believe him, but tax collectors 00:32:12.869 --> 00:32:16.150 and harlots believed him. And when you saw it, 00:32:16.309 --> 00:32:19.769 you did not afterward relent and believe in him. 00:32:19.829 --> 00:32:23.029 Hallelujah. So from these verses, we'll see Jesus' 00:32:23.170 --> 00:32:25.789 disposition towards the people that are called 00:32:25.789 --> 00:32:30.000 the tax collectors. So from Jesus' relationship 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.660 with these people, we see that he did what? He 00:32:34.660 --> 00:32:37.859 didn't hurt them or condemn them and treated 00:32:37.859 --> 00:32:43.519 them as sinners or as people to be avoided. Rather, 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:48.200 he became a friend to them. Hallelujah. Jesus 00:32:48.200 --> 00:32:53.779 welcomed them. He welcomes them. He accepted 00:32:53.779 --> 00:32:59.819 them. So it becomes important that we understand 00:32:59.819 --> 00:33:02.240 what the scripture is not saying. The scripture 00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:04.740 is not saying that when the person refuses to 00:33:04.740 --> 00:33:10.700 reconcile, then we should sever our relationship 00:33:10.700 --> 00:33:12.759 with him. Now, there's a difference. Now, there 00:33:12.759 --> 00:33:15.019 are two things in scripture. There's a place 00:33:15.019 --> 00:33:19.019 where, in Corinthians, of course, where the apostle 00:33:19.019 --> 00:33:25.740 taught to leave a brother, all right, is involved 00:33:25.740 --> 00:33:30.940 in an open sin. Okay? And then he is corrected 00:33:30.940 --> 00:33:35.640 and refuses and continues in that. We should 00:33:35.640 --> 00:33:37.559 avoid him and not even eat with him. And what 00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:40.539 is the reason? So that he will come to realization 00:33:40.539 --> 00:33:44.180 of his wrong and do what? And repent. Now, these 00:33:44.180 --> 00:33:47.160 are two different things. The context of this 00:33:47.160 --> 00:33:52.079 is in our individual relationship. When it comes 00:33:52.079 --> 00:33:54.759 to offenses, when someone offends you, when someone 00:33:54.759 --> 00:33:57.329 does something wrong towards you. Hallelujah. 00:33:58.410 --> 00:34:01.289 So whether the brother accepts or acknowledges 00:34:01.289 --> 00:34:04.349 is wrong or not, we have a disposition and our 00:34:04.349 --> 00:34:07.869 disposition is to do what? Is to welcome such 00:34:07.869 --> 00:34:14.750 an individual. Matthew 5, 44 that we read earlier 00:34:14.750 --> 00:34:18.269 on. It says, but I say unto you, love your enemies. 00:34:19.329 --> 00:34:21.409 Those who are in opposition to us, love your 00:34:21.409 --> 00:34:27.219 enemies. Bless them. Bless them that curse you. 00:34:27.559 --> 00:34:31.099 Do good to them that hate you. And pray for them 00:34:31.099 --> 00:34:35.179 which despitefully use you and persecute you. 00:34:35.579 --> 00:34:40.300 So what we do is that we love them. Okay? We 00:34:40.300 --> 00:34:42.480 allow the love of God in our hearts to do what? 00:34:42.699 --> 00:34:46.079 To be expressed towards such individuals. How 00:34:46.079 --> 00:34:48.840 do we love them? We love them by blessing them. 00:34:49.940 --> 00:34:52.679 How do we bless them? We bless them by saying 00:34:52.679 --> 00:34:56.559 good things concerning them. And our utterance 00:34:56.559 --> 00:35:02.199 is concerning them. We don't say negative and 00:35:02.199 --> 00:35:06.159 evil things concerning them. We say good things 00:35:06.159 --> 00:35:09.940 concerning those who do us evil. I know this 00:35:09.940 --> 00:35:12.659 may sound difficult. Sometimes someone done something 00:35:12.659 --> 00:35:15.760 evil to you and then you are expected to say 00:35:15.760 --> 00:35:18.360 something good about the person. Sometimes we 00:35:18.360 --> 00:35:20.559 can scramble and look around for anything good 00:35:20.559 --> 00:35:23.460 we can say. But our eyes will fail us to say 00:35:23.460 --> 00:35:27.099 anything good. But by the help of the Spirit 00:35:27.099 --> 00:35:31.260 of God, hallelujah, we can always say good things 00:35:31.260 --> 00:35:33.800 about people, even the people that wrong us and 00:35:33.800 --> 00:35:38.019 do evil against us. So we say good things concerning 00:35:38.019 --> 00:35:40.440 those who do us evil, not saying evil things 00:35:40.440 --> 00:35:43.980 concerning them to destroy their image, to destroy 00:35:43.980 --> 00:35:47.260 their character. Even when we hear people saying 00:35:47.260 --> 00:35:49.159 evil things about them, we say good things about 00:35:49.159 --> 00:35:51.559 them because that is what God will expect of 00:35:51.559 --> 00:35:57.110 us. We do them good. We help them while in need. 00:35:58.429 --> 00:36:05.690 Amen. That's how we love those who despisefully 00:36:05.690 --> 00:36:09.090 use us. We help them. We do them good. And we 00:36:09.090 --> 00:36:14.929 pray for them. What do we pray for them? What 00:36:14.929 --> 00:36:16.769 do we pray for them? We pray for them that it 00:36:16.769 --> 00:36:21.849 will be well with them. Hallelujah. That it will 00:36:21.849 --> 00:36:24.670 be well with them. Not that they will die. or 00:36:24.670 --> 00:36:28.210 that something evil will happen to them, okay, 00:36:28.369 --> 00:36:33.449 that person that has offended you, that person 00:36:33.449 --> 00:36:37.369 that has done you wrong, your response towards 00:36:37.369 --> 00:36:40.670 such an individual, even in the most unwelcoming 00:36:40.670 --> 00:36:42.690 version of the person that he has refused to 00:36:42.690 --> 00:36:44.929 reconcile, he has refused to even admit that 00:36:44.929 --> 00:36:47.230 he is wrong, he has refused to even accept that 00:36:47.230 --> 00:36:50.230 he has done, he has offended you, pray for him. 00:36:50.389 --> 00:36:52.289 You're not praying that you have an accident 00:36:52.289 --> 00:36:55.420 and die. Because that wouldn't be the love of 00:36:55.420 --> 00:36:57.860 God. But you are praying that it will be well 00:36:57.860 --> 00:36:59.960 with such an individual. You are praying that 00:36:59.960 --> 00:37:02.460 he will be prosperous in his ways. You are praying 00:37:02.460 --> 00:37:04.739 that he will enjoy the love of God. You are praying 00:37:04.739 --> 00:37:11.800 that he will continue to grow and be great. Hallelujah. 00:37:13.260 --> 00:37:16.780 So as we run out this year, I just want us to 00:37:16.780 --> 00:37:20.340 stop there and continue another time. But I really 00:37:20.340 --> 00:37:22.400 want it to be intentional about your relationship 00:37:22.400 --> 00:37:26.389 in this coming year. I really want you to be 00:37:26.389 --> 00:37:28.849 very intentional about your relationship this 00:37:28.849 --> 00:37:33.389 year. We prayed, we keep praying. Listen, it's 00:37:33.389 --> 00:37:36.210 good to pray, but as we pray, God will be staring 00:37:36.210 --> 00:37:39.809 us in our hearts. God will be staring us in our 00:37:39.809 --> 00:37:43.710 hearts. And then we will be led with the right 00:37:43.710 --> 00:37:46.210 thing to do at all times, right responses at 00:37:46.210 --> 00:37:50.769 all times. And the response we always do is the 00:37:50.769 --> 00:37:54.090 response of love towards one another. Hallelujah. 00:37:55.159 --> 00:37:59.619 So, I really want us to be encouraged, right? 00:38:00.039 --> 00:38:02.360 Be intentional that this year that we are entering, 00:38:02.500 --> 00:38:05.980 that I will be a better person. Being a better 00:38:05.980 --> 00:38:08.059 person simply means that you allow the Spirit 00:38:08.059 --> 00:38:11.659 of God to walk through you. That the love of 00:38:11.659 --> 00:38:14.139 God that is already in you is not coming from 00:38:14.139 --> 00:38:16.340 anywhere. The love of God that has been shed 00:38:16.340 --> 00:38:18.079 that brought your heart by the Spirit of God 00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:21.420 that lives in you will be given room to express, 00:38:21.699 --> 00:38:25.380 to be expressed. We appreciate you being here 00:38:25.380 --> 00:38:28.460 today. We hope you carry this word with you throughout 00:38:28.460 --> 00:38:31.340 your week. Don't forget to check the show notes 00:38:31.340 --> 00:38:34.079 for additional insights. Stay connected with 00:38:34.079 --> 00:38:36.780 us through our website or follow us on social 00:38:36.780 --> 00:38:40.460 media. If you are encouraged, share this message 00:38:40.460 --> 00:38:43.460 with someone you care about. Until next time, 00:38:43.500 --> 00:38:44.480 stay blessed.