Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is
designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
right in. I'll just briefly introduce what we're
going to be going on for to Wednesday. Please
just continue with that sound. Please I want
you to posture your heart to receive. I very
much sensed and I'm sensing very strongly the
things that's going to be happening in this meeting.
You are just enjoying what we have been enjoying
all week. And I know, I know, I know it like
I know my name. That there are people that showed
up in this service with one thing or the other
especially especially for those that believe
in God for healing for themselves and healing
for family members I want you if not for anything
but for the sake of that loved one that needs
to experience what God has in store for them
please don't let them miss out on this please
don't let them miss out on this Micah 4 1 to
5 Micah 4 1 to 5 Micah 4 1 to 5 if you're writing
the topic is what comes next after the believers
conference What comes next after the believers
conference and our focus for today will be why
we gather We're gonna be pointing out the important
things and this is for this part This part and
then subsequently on the Wednesday service will
build up on it build up much more So I don't
have much time. We'll just establish ground We're
going to be praying for people. We're going to
spend more time doing this service. Please give
me King James. He says, now it shall come to
pass. I want someone to say, now is that time.
Now it has come to pass. In the latter days,
in these days, that the mountain of the Lord
that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be
established. The mountain of the Lord's house
is established on the top of the mountains. It
says, and shall be exalted, and is exalted above
the hills. It said, and people shall flow to
it. Say, people are flowing to it. People are
flowing to it. Many nations are coming to it.
say many nations shall come and say Come and
let us go up to the mountain of the Lord says
to the house of the God of Jacob He will teach
us his ways Emphasis teach us his ways and we
shall walk in his parts see for out of Zion the
law shall go forth out of Zion the law shall
go forth and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall
judge between many peoples and rebuke strong
nations afar off. They shall beat their swords
into plowshares and their stares into pruning
hooks. Nations shall not lift up swords against
nations. Neither shall they lend more anymore.
Four, it says, but every one shall sit upon his
vine and under his fig tree and no one shall
take them no one shall make them afraid they
say for the mountain of the lord of hosts for
the mount of the lord of hosts has spoken five
and the last say for all people walk each you
say for all people walk each in the name of his
gods see but we shall walk in the name of the
lord our god forever and ever i want us to pay
attention to this this part you see for all people
that like the way the the nlt words that part
of the verse the verse five it says he says that
five though the nations around us follow their
idols though the nations around us follow their
idols so we will follow the lord our god forever
and ever say though the nations around follow
their idols but will follow the lord forever
and ever and i want us to go back this is a key
scripture for the church i think pastor fred
has being walking. This is scripture that the
church of NECF is very much founded. This is
one thing that inspires and motivates us. And
the key thing is in the verse two. The key thing
is the verse two. It says, he will teach us his
ways. He will teach us his ways. He will teach
us his ways and we shall walk in his paths. He
will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his
path. I want us to notice that going up a mountain
is not the easiest thing to do. Going up a mountain
requires sacrifice. Going up a mountain requires
commitment. Going up a mountain requires effort.
Going up a mountain requires a lot of will to
do so. Praise God. And we know that Jerusalem
is on a mountain. Jerusalem is on a mountain.
Jerusalem is on a mountain and one thing that
keeps us or one thing that will motivate them
to go to that mountain is because of what they
will learn, right? The teaching, what they're
going to receive. is what will motivate you if
something is painful you are less likely to continue
in it because the pain itself will make you quick
but when something there's a goal i'm going up
that mountain to learn i'm going up that mountain
to learn and and it's literal for the people
of jerusalem because they have to walk up the
mountain we learned it in the week that there's
the geographical the geographical context of
these people is that they were placed on the
mountain top They were placed on the mountaintop
and in Psalms. In the book of Psalms, from Psalms
120 to Psalms 134. For Psalms 120 to 134, those
are the Psalms of ascent. Those are the Psalms,
the songs that they sing when they are going
up to that mountain. When they are going up to
the mountain, they will sing. They will sing,
I look up to the hills. It makes more sense when
you think about it. But they are looking up,
they are going up, they are going up, they are
going up. They're not going down. And there's
a spiritual context to it. There's a supernatural
context to it. The supernatural context to it
is that people go to mountains to meet with God.
People go to mountains to meet with God. Because
that was a place that symbolizes even the temple
is on, the Jerusalem temple is still on the mountain.
It's on the mountaintop. So there's a supernatural
side to it. There's a thing that keeps them going.
It's not just the literal place. Because anything
can be located in a place. But what? That thing,
what that thing is, is what is going to motivate
people to come up there. If you're not going
to end something, and by the way, I was thinking
about it, there was a time, or there had been
times, someone of us has gone to St. Hilarion's
and all of those places. When you're going up,
it's painful, but the joy of looking at the beautiful
array is what keeps you going. Just looking at
the scenery, just from the top, because the view
is better from the top. Praise God. The view
is better from the top. We see the theme of mountains
scattered around Scripture. This has been shared
a couple of times. Mountains are very special
places because of the things that happen on mountains.
And even Jesus Christ himself gathered the people
to the mountaintop. And yes, there's the practicality
of it, where it is a lot easier for you to communicate
to people when you are at an elevated ground
than for you when you are at a... Even the way
we design our... because it's a lot easier for
you to see me because I'm elevated, praise God,
because I'm on somewhat higher plane. So there's
a practicality, but there's a symbolism. There's
a symbolic side to it. The symbolic side to it
is that, that this, when they hear of mountains,
you know of Mount Sinai, we know of the different
mountains, those people go there, remember he
told us that people go there to see God, people
go there to learn, people go there to be taught,
praise God. And that is a symbolism and that
makes this Passage carry a lot more weights and
we're gonna see more. We're gonna see more and
God wants to do more Even in this season for
many of us during the week the believers conference
We're learning a lot of things. We're learning
a lot of things. We took a lot of notes We were
praying we prayed we spent hours and I want us
to understand what it is for some of us that
didn't attend What is the believers conference?
What is the Believer's Conference? It's good
that we established that. What is the Believer's
Conference? And what happens in it, in case you
are not... How many of us were there in the meeting?
Let's wave so that we can see. Were there in
the meeting? There are some persons that were
not there in the meeting. I want us to know what
that is. For every week, we have our Sunday services,
midweek services, and then we have the cell meetings.
So this is us breaking out from the norm, our
weekly normal activities to something special.
and this happens once every year this happens
once everywhere and there's a special annual
meeting where we gather praise god where we gather
and when we gather in this meeting god does things
some things he does unusual things in a meeting
he does unusual things in this meetings and we
have long hours of teaching we have long hours
of teaching long hours of prayer and we have
long hours of practice we have we take time to
practice There's teaching, there's time for teaching,
there's a time for prayer, there's a time for
practice. Praise God. There's a time for teaching,
time for prayer, time for practice. All of these
things are aimed at teaching, training, building,
and equipping us. All this is at teaching, training,
and equipping us. And when we learn, we are creating,
we are learning all these things, building up
expectations, we're putting our hearts, positioning
ourselves, creating an expectation, and maximizing
the opportunity that God has given us to grow.
God has given us to grow. And what happens is
that we see great and greater expressions of
God's power in and through us. Great and greater
expression of God's power in and through us.
And we see the purpose of this meeting is to
reinforce what the Word of God says, enforce
the Word of God. The Word of God hits us more.
Some of us have not spent the long hours listening
to teachings by ourselves. But when we gather
like this, we spend that hour together and we're
committed together. And there's time for practice.
Praise God. There's time for practice. Please,
I want you to be praying, to be praying. Don't
be distracted. Don't be distracted. There are
times of prayer. And then many people get directions.
Many people get directions. Many of us in the
meeting got direction. In fact, it's not just
directions. People confirming the things that
people have said. That you didn't even, you were
not there. Some persons I see sadistic you said
might somebody has given me this exact word confirming.
It's not a coincidence It's not a coincident
and this to this even makes the whole and by
the way the passage we read in Micah Let me just
say this well while it came to mind the passage
we read in Micah is also in Isaiah 2 And I want
you to understand that Isaiah the prophet came
before Micah But both of them are saying the
same exact thing of what God is going to do Meaning
that God will confirm his word God confirms his
word. I think I give a word to someone and it
was when I give the word and I realized that
this was the word that had given to them previously.
Same and I mean, I did not even realize. It took
me, I had to, I said, wait, wait, wait, wait,
wait. It seems like because you don't plan these
things. The Holy Spirit will bring and many of
us got words that are so accurate that you know
that it can only be God. Praise God. And I want
you to understand that meetings like this are
not coincidental you did not show up in this
meeting i shared a testimony yesterday and we
shared again just to encourage someone someone
here just to stir you up to pray last sunday
service someone because i met the guy in the
week he normally comes to service i don't know
whether he's here today he said he was going
to be here he comes he comes to service he and
another friend of his that happens to be my student
from way back and then they came together on
a sunday and the moment he showed up while we
were praying during the time of prayer as Pastor
Emmanuel said was encouraging us during that
time of prayer I got a word about his mom getting
a word about he just showed up in fact he he
wasn't the one I was talking to the friend of
his but he followed his friend along for the
meeting got a word for his mom that the mom was
sick and I was like okay which I went to him
I asked him when was the last time you heard
from your mom is your mom okay he said oh the
last time he heard from his mom the mom The last
time was a Saturday before the Sunday. And then
the mom was sick. They had stomach issue and
leg issue. And then we prayed with him. We prayed
with him. I prayed with so much intensity like
it was my mom. Only for me to contact my mom
in the week. And she said that same Sunday she
was rushed to the hospital. And then when I checked
up on him in the week, this other person that
came to the service, I called them up. and then
I asked he said the mom is okay praise god the
mom is okay glory to god the god had intervened
he showed up in a meeting randomly he even lives
in magusa that was why he couldn't they couldn't
he couldn't attend the meeting praise god and
then what we'll see is that you showed up in
a meeting unknown to you there is a circumstance
so i was praying for his mom not knowing that
my mom was in a situation and the situation my
mom was in is a situation where I prayed long
time and we had gotten confirmation and the word
had come and she just simply took the drug and
then went back to the situation and I know I
know with every fiber of my being she chatted
me up in the morning I said you are it's done
I move around knowing that it's done because
it's done she had done tests months back and
they didn't see anything praise God You want
to hold on to the word, and this is to every
one of us that have gotten a word. We have prayed
for your family member. We have prayed for your
dad, your mom, for healing. Hold on to the word
of the Lord. Stand fast. Hold on to the word
of the Lord. Praise God. And I want us to see
that in this meeting, people will get direction.
And this year's meeting has ended. It was powerful.
We saw supernatural things, part of the things
people on, and not just people in the meeting.
people online. People online too. People online
too got word. There was word. There was a lady.
There was several persons got word for several
illnesses and God had addressed those issues.
And hands were laid on individuals. A lot of
words had come, confirmations and testimonies.
We had testimonies yesterday. And I want you
to know the magnitude of the event. It spans.
It's people tuned in globally. People tuned in
from all around. for this meeting. And if you
are not part of it, I pray and I plead with you
that the next that is coming in 2027 should not
pass you by if you're going to be around for
it. And even if you're not going to be here,
we have a means by which you can follow. And
you can follow because you don't have the means
to be here. But if you are here and you can make
it, and for some people, work and all of that
did not allow you, you can still be committed
and tune into it. There's nothing, there's no...
limitation to what God is able to do once you
commit to the things that you are believing him
for and when we gather like this prayer happens
we hear from God for ourselves we hear from God
for others and this is a break in the usual rhythm
this is a break in the usual rhythm what is important
and it requires sacrifice it requires sacrifice
I will keep using the word sacrifice there was
a time when we came to the island there was no
means of transport as we have these days and
then we needed to go to church for some of us
it will be you you you will have money but you
say oh we can't afford to go to pay for a taxi
to take us to the place for for us that time
we didn't have the luxury of the fact you didn't
have a taxi to call we will trek to service not
minding out we'll trek to service we'll find
a place we'll ensure that because once you something
is important to you make room for it You make
room for it you make room for it you make room
for it and if I'm saying this so that will resound
to you that if Healing is important to you. You
will posture yourself to receive To receive to
receive to receive and I want to just drop this
Looking at the time. I want to just drop this
very quickly and I want us to see something it
says They will hammer their swords into plowshares
their spares into pruning hooks. Their spares
into pruning hooks. I want you to see that they
are changing the tool for warfare into implement
or tool for farming. Tool for warfare into implement
or tool for farming. I want you to see that that
happened that we see we're seeing that in the
same Isaiah. The Isaiah 2 verse 4. Isaiah 2 verse
4 and then in Micah we're looking at that in
Micah 4 verse 3 Micah 4 verse 3 Micah 4 verse
3 and Isaiah 2 verse 4 Micah 4 verse 3 and this
same incident happened in 1st Samuel 1st Samuel
13 1st Samuel 13 19 to 22 the new King James
He says, now there was no blacksmith to be found
throughout all the land of Israel. For the Philistines
said, this the Hebrews will make swords or spears.
But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines
to sharpen each man's plowshare, his macaque,
his axe, and his sickle. And the charge for his
sharpening was AEP, man, this is like eight grams
of silver, for the plowshare and the mattock,
the forks, and the axes, and to set the points
for the gods. I want us to look at that word,
we'll come back to it in 22. So it came about
that on the day of the battle, there was neither
sword nor spear. found in the hand of any of
the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. It
says, but they were found with Saul and Jonathan,
his son. I want you to picture this. You're going
to battle. What you have is famine implements
as just sharpened. And this, I don't know whether
you understand the magnitude of this. This is
a whole nation fighting against Philistines.
They are very much equipped than they are. Only
the king Hanesun has the right tools for battle.
Has the right tools for battle. And I want you
to look at that gird. Just go back to, yeah.
And the sharpen, and I don't know whether you
are able to picture. The plowshare is, it's very
funny when you think about it. The plowshare
is that thing that you put on the back of a ox
to plow the ground, to till the ground. That's
a plowshare. and then you have forks, smart forks,
that one is like it has a pick and then all of
those things are farming, they are farming implements.
They are farming implements. And this is what
they are going to use, just sharpen and use to
fight. The god there is another tool that they
use to guard the ox. If they use that, it has
a pointing head and then it's like this. And
then it's just attached, it's an eight meter
stick with that metal attached at the top. And
this is what they use to ensure that the ox stays
in line. This is what they use to ensure that
the ox stays in line. I want us to see something,
let me go a bit off to take us to Apostle Paul.
In Acts 26 verse 14. Acts 26 verse 14. And I
want us to see this metaphor was used by Jesus
speaking to him in Acts 9, but he's recounting
this too. to King Agrippa. He says, and when
we all had fallen to the ground, that's recounting
what happened in Acts 9, I heard a voice saying
to me, and saying in the Hebrew language, so
-so, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for
you to kick against the gods. And I want you
to think, because this is a metaphor, I want
you to think about this. The ox is trying to
go off and then, yeah, and then just imagine
the ox is kicking against an object that is sharp.
What do you think is gonna happen to the ox?
What is gonna happen to the ox? It's gonna be
injured, right? It's gonna be injured. And this
is a metaphor, it's not saying that, it's not
to be taken literally, right? I want you to put
it up in NLT, NLT explains it. NLT explains it,
put it up, the same person NLT says, and when
it fell to the ground, I heard a voice saying,
to me in Aramaic. So Saul, why are you persecuting
me? It is useless for you to fight against my
will. It is useless for you to fight against
my will. And I want you to picture this. Note
that this man, at this point in time, is now
converted. Praise God. At that point in time,
what he was doing is that he was warring against
the people of God. He was warring against the
people of God. And that was him fighting against
God's will. God's will is for his people to go
and, the Great Commission, right, to go and make
disciples of all nations. And this was him disrupting
that, killing some of them. We have in Act 7,
killing these people. And then we see him in
this place making a defense. We learned this
during the course of the week, Pastor Emmanuel
taught us during the course of the week. It was
him making a defense for why he believes what
he believes. And brothers and sisters, you have
to make a defense for why you believe what you
believe. No matter what we say is an apology.
You're not apologetic. We say it's not to give
an apology for why you believe what you believe.
You are making a defense for that. And he was
defending himself in front of King Agrippa and
then the governor of Festos. I want us to see
25, 16. Let's go back 25 verse 16. 25 verse 16.
So 25 or 16 it says I say I pointed to you that
the Roman law does not conduct Does not does
not does not convict people without a trial says
they must be given an opportunity to confront
the accusers and defend themselves and defend
themselves in the King James you see that the
defense go to go to the King James Say defend
themselves go to the King James says and the
King James he says I said an answer to them,
the accuser that the word there is, he says to
put a charge, he says to deliver to any man for
destruction before his accuser meets face to
face and has the opportunity to answer for himself
concerning the charge against him. Answer for
himself concerning the charge against him. And
he says he has the opportunity, him having the
opportunity to make that difference. He says
having the opportunity to make that difference
is him taking the opportunity, is him making
that stand, because he says had, right? He uses
the word had. He uses the word had, meaning that
the apostle Paul seizes the opportunity to make
the defense for God and the gospel. Seizes the
opportunity to make the defense for God and the
gospel. And look at this, look at what happened.
I want us to note that in what had happened in
first Samuel, with the tools that the children
of Israel had to fight. I want you to know, in
this next chapter, you see that they still won
that battle. They still won that battle. And
you can be here and you feel that you don't have
the right tools to fight. I want you to be reminded
that the tools or the weapons of our warfare,
as Crypto says, they are not carnal, right? They
are not carnal. But there's something about the
tools that we use to fight that beats any other
tool. Because the person that is with us is greater
than the people or the persons that are against
us. And we say that this battle is not a physical
battle. This battle is spiritual and that is
what we explain why they had the victory that
they had. Praise God. And even when you take
your mind back to the case of Saul, Saul for
himself, not the shift, he was fighting the people
of God. Now what he is doing is making the defense.
And Apostle Paul we know and we have seen through
scripture is a co -laborer. Praise God. It's
only God that can change, and by the way, this
whole idea of plowshare, beating your swords
to plowshare, makes very perfect sense when you
superimpose it on the actions of Apostle Paul.
Apostle Paul was a man that was fighting the
church. Now we see him defending the church.
Now we see him planting churches. We see him
laboring in the lives of people. We see him raising
men. See him raising men. See him raising disciples.
See him raising, all of this was a function of
him God intervening or coming into the situation,
praise God. And there is nothing that is impossible
with God. There is nothing that is impossible
with God. And I want us to see this, just to
stare us up, in Matthew. Let's go to Mark, because
there's Matthew 9, 1 to 8. There's Mark 2, 1
to 12. Matthew 9, 1 to 8. Mark 2, 1 to 12. And
there's Luke. 5 17 to 26 just write that down
is all the same account Let's look at let's look
at look let's just look at looks account Let's
look at looks at looks account Look 5 17 to 26
very quickly he says okay we're familiar with
the story the story is this man needed healing
he was lame and was paralyzed note that his friends
took the effort to go and ensure that this man
meets with the solution for to his problem and
this is the posture this is the mindset that
when you come into a meeting by the way there
were a group of people that were criticizing
what was happening but there's a group of people
that needed their friend to get healing needed
their friend to be healed of because they know
that there's solution when they arrive praise
god and i want you to know that there's solution
in this house and the solution is going to come
to you when you post yourself to receive not
when you post yourself to criticize or pursue
yourself to say i don't know i don't know i don't
know but you know because you have heard what
are you hearing What are you seeing? What are
you believing God for? There's a posture and
these friends did not see any limitation He opened
up the roof and they knew that once he landed
in front of Jesus it would change because there
was no sickness that came across the Lord that
there was no that it didn't turn around and Because
we have that same God is the same God yesterday
today and forever He's the same God today. Praise
God is the same God today is the same God even
right now and it will come and that situation
will pass in the name of Jesus that situation
will pass in the name of Jesus. I want us to
be praying because when you entertain entertain
any form of critical mind any form of thinking
contrary to what God wants you to do you are
the one that is putting yourself putting the
barrier you're the one that's putting the barrier
because for God is done already for God it is
done already and for many of us we know this
We know this to be true because we have seen
family members get healed. We have seen people's
situation turn around in a split. We have seen
circumstances and situations turn. Praise God.
I want us to rise to our feet. We appreciate
you being here today. We hope you carried this
word with you throughout your week. Don't forget
to check the show notes for additional insights.
Stay connected with us through our website or
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Until next time, stay blessed.