WEBVTT

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Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is

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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your

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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until

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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive

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right in. We're praying. I perceive that someone

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has a difficulty hearing on their right ear.

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has a difficulty hearing in their right ear,

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right now I speak to that ear. I said, every

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blockage is open right now in the name of Jesus.

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Every difficulty in hearing, we see that every

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pain is gone. Every pain is gone in that ear

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right now in the name of Jesus. Father, we thank

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you. Father, we thank you for healing. Thank

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you for healing. Thank you for healing. Thank

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you for your healing power will continue to find

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expression. Every time we're met with a difficult

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situation or any form of sicknesses, we'll continue

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to be bold to open our mouth and speak in the

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power and the authority that you have given unto

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us to cast out devils, to heal the sick. Father,

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we thank you because we'll continue to press

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on. We'll continue to insist. We'll continue

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to seek more of your power, find expression in

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and through us in the name of Jesus. In the mighty

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name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Let's have a seat.

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I want to thank God for this opportunity and

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thank the pastorate, our lead pastor and the

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ostrich pastors for the opportunity to continue

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on the teaching, to teach. I think I listened

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to the Sunday service and I discovered I was

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probably a lot, it seemed like I was very fast

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in the last Sunday. I think I was probably wanting

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to get to the part where we pray. And I will

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pick it a bit, I'll be a lot slower so that we

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can be able to. at least make the most of it

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and take proper notes on the teaching. So a topic

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is still what comes next after the Believers

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Conference, what comes next after the Believers

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Conference. And what I want to start to do is

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to make us see the reasons why we gather and

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then the reasons why we must continue. That's

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basically the two things we're going to focus

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on, why we gather and why we must continue to

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engage, continue to persist in the things and

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continue to... absorb and let the things that

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we learn always find expression because practice

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is important. Practice is very important. If

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you're learning and you're not putting into practice

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what you're learning, you will not make progress.

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There is nowhere that you, there's in fact even

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skills that you learn that requires hand, that

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requires you using your brain, using your hands,

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they will always encourage that you practice

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because It's in practice that you realize that

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there's more. It's when we practice that we see

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the need to improve. We practice that we see

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the need to go back and check our notes. Praise

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God. And this is just right after the Believers

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Conference. And what this is meant to do is to

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help us to be reminded that if we forget the

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things that we have learned or the things that

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we have received, we will lose it. We will lose

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the things that we learned. And we looked at

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Micah 4, 1 -5. Micah 4, 1 -5. And I read it to

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us because it reads like a head, but we're reading

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it in the now. Praise God. We're reading it in

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the now. And in the New King James, Micah 4,

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1 -5, it says, It has come to pass that on the

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mountain of the Lord's house that we are established

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on the top of the mountains. and is exalted above

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the hills. People shall flow to it and people

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are flowing to it. The house of Venice here,

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people are coming to the house of Venice here.

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And in this season, we'll see the increase as

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the teaching of God's word. We'll see that in

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scripture, we'll see that the teaching as people

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spread and the teaching of God's word continues,

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there's an increase. Two now says many nations,

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many nations, many nations, many nations shall

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come and say, come. and let us go up to the mountain

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of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.

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I said the emphasis is on this part. He said

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he will teach us his ways and we shall walk in

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his paths. So the teaching of his ways and the

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walking in his paths happens when we gather.

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Praise God. The teaching of his ways and the

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walking in his paths happens when we gather.

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Practice teaching and learning of God's word.

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majorly. We'll see it all through scripture.

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We're going to look at some passages. It happens

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when we gather. It happens when we gather. It

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says, For out of Zion the law shall go forth,

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and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Praise

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God. It says, He shall judge between many peoples,

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and rebuke strong nations afar off. They shall

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beat their swords into plowshares, and their

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spears into proning hooks. Nation shall not lift

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up sword against nation, neither shall they learn

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war anymore. But everyone shall sit under his

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vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall

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make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord has

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spoken. For all people will walk each in the

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name of his God, and he will walk. in the name

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of the Lord our God forever and ever. And I emphasize

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the fact that going up a mountain is not easy.

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Going up a mountain is difficult. It requires

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sacrifice. It requires commitment. And we say

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that the whole process of teaching and learning

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is also the same. On Sunday service, you have

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a lot more people. On a weekday, you have people

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because I saw our sister coming. You're coming

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from somewhere. You had a long day. but you still

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were able to say this place is important and

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you made it here and it requires sacrifice. Anything

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that requires sacrifice would require, would

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demand more than the usual. Anything, any form

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of sacrifice demands more than the usual. And

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these people made it, they went to the mountain

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to, as I said, there's a going up the mountain

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and there's the, what are we going to do, right?

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And we know that anytime we gather in church

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like this, we gather to learn, we gather to grow.

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And we know that it's important to us. That's

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why we always make it a habit to show up or between

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to show up. And even in the Believer's Conference,

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when we gather, and that's the thing, when we

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gather and we're stretched for that long period

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of time, coming in in a week seems like, because

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how many hours do we spend in a week and how

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many hours are we able to put into that time?

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Because if you compare and contrast, you see

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the square, this one requires us to be stretched.

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The Believer's Conference requires us to be stretched.

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And then we... In that stretch, we're able to

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see that there is more. Then when we now come

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back to the routine, we have that sustained coming,

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sustained meetings, and we have the times, our

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personal times, where we learn and we grow, and

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then we continue, and the process keeps building

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us more and more. And they go up. We say that

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there's a literal side to it where it's a mountain,

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it's a location, and there's a spiritual side

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to it because people go to make with God. Praise

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God. And we say that there are times where even...

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Because there's the practicality of the mountains,

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there's the safety and security, even with regards

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to war. The whole idea communicates a bit of

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war. And if you're on an elevated platform, it's

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easier for you to see the enemies that are coming

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at you. So there's a practical side to it. And

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even with regards to teaching, when you're on

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an elevated level, it's easier for you to be

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able to communicate. People see you and people...

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hear you a lot easier there's if you've been

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to and when you shout it says the waves take

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your voice a lot farther and we talked about

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that so i will just go into and i took us to

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this situation in acts in acts 26 verse 14 where

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i i took us there to help us see the apostle

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paul's account of or recounting what happened

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in acts and And we see that in that conversation,

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we see that he was, at that point in time, making

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efforts against the will of God. And the change

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happens. And that change happened because God

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had met with the individual, God had met with

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him. And even when he met with him, which is

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the point we're going to spend time and look

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at, because we'll see the importance of the gathering,

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we'll see the importance of people, because people

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are who make up the gathering. And in Apostle

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Paul's meeting with God, he had to meet with

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an individual. It was our brother Ananias. He

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had to meet with an individual. And you see the

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importance and how it connects and how it kick

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-started and jump -started his whole growth process

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and his learning process because all of that

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is in keeping with the fact that gatherings are

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important. People that make up the gatherings

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are important. If we undermine the gathering,

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undermine people who will not make growth, will

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not learn and will not progress. That's why we

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encourage ourselves regularly as a church that

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we should prioritize the people that God has

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placed around you. Don't take for granted relationships.

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Don't take for granted the moments when you have

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people because you will not always have those

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types of people. You will not even know the value

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of those persons until when they are no longer.

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They are prioritizing and making the most of

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the meetings, ensure meetings and people, ensures

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that we don't live after our regrets. We live

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after our regrets. So I said we'll start to,

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we'll go to how God uses, how God walks through

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gatherings, how God walks through gatherings.

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We said this is central to how God meets or walks

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through his people. It's very important that

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we see all true scriptures. So if... God is going

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to do anything. He will do it in meetings and

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he will do it through people. So first focus

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on gathering because gathering is where we're

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taught. When they said, let us go up to the mountain,

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they're going to gather, praise God. And when

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they gather, what happens in the gathering is

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important or is valuable to what is necessary

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for the growth of the people. And I mentioned

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that the experience, you know, when I told us

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of the Psalms of Ascent, which is the Psalms,

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1 Corinthians to the Psalms. 1, 34. Those are

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15. There are 15 of them. Those are the sounds

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they sing on their way up. Meaning that the experience

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or the excitement to go up is not, they are excited

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to go up. You know, when David said, I was glad

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when they said to me, let's go to the house.

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It's an excitement, right? And that excitement

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is what fuels the whole process of learning,

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the whole process of the experience or the whole

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process of going up because it makes the whole

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journey worthwhile. I mean, I think that I remember

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those times when we are going as a church, we're

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going to either salamis or going to places, when

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in the vehicle we'll sing, we'll sing, we'll

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just join and sing songs and all of that. It

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makes the whole process or the whole journey

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exciting. Praise God. Just looking forward to

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going to that place. And we say that faithfulness

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is required for every meeting. Faithfulness to

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every meeting is required for growth. Faithfulness

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to every meeting and every word is required for

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growth. Because we don't see growth without commitment.

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We see growth with consistency. We see growth

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with just being fervent. We see growth with just

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putting more, just being committed, because that's

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how we go on. And every of Jesus' disciples,

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every of the disciples as well, and even the

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disciples that were made afterwards, we see that

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they were committed. We see that they were gathered.

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They're always that team of gathering together,

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that team of learning. that team of studying,

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and that is what guaranteed that they grew. Praise

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God. That's what guaranteed that they grew. So

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I want us to look at Mark 3. Let's start off

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from 13. We'll see the team of mountain, and

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then we'll go down to 14. Mark 3, 13. Mark 3,

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13, it says, And they went up on the mountain,

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and he called him to those, and he called to

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him those who himself wanted. And they came to

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him, right? So he went up to the mountain and

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he called them. And this is when he appointed

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the twelve. So then he appointed the twelve that

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they might be with him, right? And that he might

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send them out to preach. So note that the very

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key thing is that they had to first come to him.

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He was on the mountain, come to him. They were

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with him. They were taught before they were sent.

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So it emphasizes the importance of meeting together

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to be taught. And after we are taught, then we

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are sent. Praise God. Meaning that after we have

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learned all that we have learned in the course

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of the week, we have learned it. So we are going

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now. Praise God. There's a going that happens

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afterward because we have done all the teaching

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and the training. There's also the opportunity

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to practice. Praise God. So meetings are important

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because that is where we are taught. Right? And

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then what we do after we are taught is that we

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go and do. Praise God. We go and we do. So we

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don't just come and learn to have head knowledge.

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We don't just go and learn or we don't just come

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and learn and say, oh, I know contextual, I know

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canonical context, I know supernatural context,

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I know immediate context. All of those things

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are beautiful because the whole learning process

00:14:10.370 --> 00:14:12.850
should translate into process, translate into

00:14:12.850 --> 00:14:17.269
actions. It has to go beyond words. It has to

00:14:17.269 --> 00:14:19.950
go beyond words. All that we've learned means

00:14:19.950 --> 00:14:23.500
that When you see someone and an opportunity

00:14:23.500 --> 00:14:27.740
presents itself, as we saw in Acts 24, 25, sorry,

00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:31.360
Acts 25, 26, as we saw that Sunday, the opportunity,

00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:33.559
he took hold of the opportunity. That word there

00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:36.980
is, he has there is the laban, where he is not

00:14:36.980 --> 00:14:40.100
just, he has the opportunity. He sees the opportunity.

00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:43.080
He took hold of the opportunity to recount what

00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:46.480
had happened to him in Acts, in Acts 9. He took

00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:48.480
hold of the opportunity. It means that once you

00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:50.690
have learned, you are always looking for an opportunity

00:14:50.690 --> 00:14:54.269
to present that which you have learned. Praise

00:14:54.269 --> 00:14:55.929
God. You're always looking for an opportunity

00:14:55.929 --> 00:14:59.210
to present. So there is no breaks when it comes

00:14:59.210 --> 00:15:01.950
to practicing what you have been taught. There

00:15:01.950 --> 00:15:03.970
is no breaks. You don't go on holidays. You're

00:15:03.970 --> 00:15:06.409
looking for an opportunity and then you'll do.

00:15:06.570 --> 00:15:08.629
You're looking for an opportunity and then you

00:15:08.629 --> 00:15:13.990
do. 2 Timothy 3 verse 14. 2 Timothy 3 verse 14.

00:15:14.230 --> 00:15:17.440
And remember we said that Discipleship is a continue.

00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:20.019
You continue in discipleship. You continue in

00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:22.759
discipleship. Jesus' disciples, they continued.

00:15:22.899 --> 00:15:25.480
They learned. He sent them out to practice. So

00:15:25.480 --> 00:15:28.500
he says, but you must continue in the things

00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:33.019
which you have learned and being assured of,

00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:36.460
knowing from whom you have learned them. So he

00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:40.279
says you must continue. You must continue. You

00:15:40.279 --> 00:15:42.320
must continue. He didn't say you should take

00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:44.850
breaks. He didn't say you should stop. He didn't

00:15:44.850 --> 00:15:48.210
say you should just relax. He didn't say any

00:15:48.210 --> 00:15:50.350
of those. He says you must continue in the things

00:15:50.350 --> 00:15:53.190
that you have learned. Meaning that the persuasion

00:15:53.190 --> 00:15:56.049
that you got must be sustained. And how do we

00:15:56.049 --> 00:15:59.309
sustain the persuasion? It's by going back and

00:15:59.309 --> 00:16:02.009
looking at it again. Going back and ruminating

00:16:02.009 --> 00:16:05.309
on it again and again. Going back. And I know

00:16:05.309 --> 00:16:07.190
for some of us, you know what would have happened

00:16:07.190 --> 00:16:09.309
is that during the course of the teaching, there

00:16:09.309 --> 00:16:12.470
are certain sessions that you missed. Praise

00:16:12.470 --> 00:16:15.220
God. And your note has those spaces. You know,

00:16:15.259 --> 00:16:16.720
I was looking at somebody's note. I was saying,

00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:19.779
you have gap here, gap here, gap there. You want

00:16:19.779 --> 00:16:23.860
to go back and commit to filling in those gaps.

00:16:23.980 --> 00:16:26.299
Praise God. Because you want to have a flow,

00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:29.879
not breaks. Praise God. Don't have break in it.

00:16:29.940 --> 00:16:32.200
Because once you leave those gaps, you are likely

00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:34.159
not going to get back to it. You want to go back

00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:36.820
to it and use it as an opportunity to refresh

00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:38.639
your memory and the things that you've learned.

00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:40.799
Because that's how we're able to solidify and

00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:43.960
take in what we are. learning or what we have

00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:46.159
learned praise god because we have to be persuaded

00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:49.899
right we have to be persuaded if you're not persuaded

00:16:49.899 --> 00:16:54.220
about the things that you are saying you can't

00:16:54.220 --> 00:16:56.879
convince anybody about it praise god so and the

00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:59.139
more we get back to it the more we ruminate on

00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:01.940
it the more we this in fact discuss because what

00:17:01.940 --> 00:17:05.480
you can do it is what i will get around to is

00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:10.240
creating like having a discussion like ask the

00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:13.529
other person oh What part of the teaching excited

00:17:13.529 --> 00:17:18.650
you? What part of it? Most of it, all of the

00:17:18.650 --> 00:17:20.430
teachings are practical. And you can sit down

00:17:20.430 --> 00:17:22.650
and have discussions around it. And that makes

00:17:22.650 --> 00:17:25.589
it more exciting. Remember, I think we'll get

00:17:25.589 --> 00:17:29.390
to it shortly. Remember that there is the beauty

00:17:29.390 --> 00:17:32.470
of communities that we're together. And if you

00:17:32.470 --> 00:17:34.910
want to learn or if you cannot remember stuff,

00:17:35.230 --> 00:17:38.630
if you want to learn and be able to remember

00:17:38.630 --> 00:17:41.670
stuff, you want to rely on... Brethren, because

00:17:41.670 --> 00:17:44.869
when you discuss or study or gather around God's

00:17:44.869 --> 00:17:48.089
word, there's a likelihood that there's no way

00:17:48.089 --> 00:17:53.450
you will discuss about something again and again

00:17:53.450 --> 00:17:56.289
or ruminate on it that you will forget. And once

00:17:56.289 --> 00:17:58.670
you do that, you hold yourselves accountable

00:17:58.670 --> 00:18:01.150
to practice. Praise God. You hold yourself accountable

00:18:01.150 --> 00:18:04.609
to practice. And then the other point is continuing

00:18:04.609 --> 00:18:07.769
in prayer. Continuing in prayer. That is in Colossians

00:18:07.769 --> 00:18:12.279
4, 2 -4. continue, we must continue earnestly

00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:16.319
in prayer. Colossians 4, 2 -4. We must continue

00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:19.099
earnestly in prayer. For a good amount of us,

00:18:19.220 --> 00:18:22.559
that's stretch. You know what happens with stretches

00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:25.960
like that is that you are seeing yourself pulled

00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:30.480
to a limit where you can never do that by yourself

00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:34.859
in your house. You are able to do that effectively

00:18:34.859 --> 00:18:38.299
because you are in a gathering. Praise God. You

00:18:38.299 --> 00:18:40.500
are able to do that. effectively because you're

00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:43.920
in a garden. And when you have had that experience,

00:18:44.220 --> 00:18:48.039
you want to continue, right? You want to continue.

00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:51.539
So if you have done, if you, those of us that

00:18:51.539 --> 00:18:53.900
are around on Saturday, if you have prayed for

00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:58.059
that long, one hour will not be too long for

00:18:58.059 --> 00:19:01.079
you afterwards. Praise God. And it means that

00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:02.700
you are going to continue. And note that you

00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:05.660
are doing all of that to, as it says in the passage,

00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:08.190
it says, continue endlessly in prayer. Being

00:19:08.190 --> 00:19:11.589
vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Praise God.

00:19:11.789 --> 00:19:14.450
Being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Meanwhile,

00:19:14.569 --> 00:19:18.750
praying also for us, that God will open to us

00:19:18.750 --> 00:19:23.250
a door for the Word. Meaning that in your praying,

00:19:23.509 --> 00:19:26.450
you're not just praying and you're vigilant,

00:19:26.569 --> 00:19:28.910
you're praying for others. Praise God. You're

00:19:28.910 --> 00:19:31.410
praying for others because it says, praying also

00:19:31.410 --> 00:19:38.380
for us, that God will open to us a door. of for

00:19:38.380 --> 00:19:40.680
the word, meaning that you're praying for opportunities.

00:19:40.940 --> 00:19:42.720
Remember what we said about opportunities? You're

00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:44.799
praying for an opportunity to preach the word.

00:19:44.839 --> 00:19:47.980
You're praying for your pastors. Different opportunities

00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:50.220
and the chances we get to preach the word. You're

00:19:50.220 --> 00:19:52.539
praying for your family. You're praying for your

00:19:52.539 --> 00:19:54.940
siblings. Praying for an opportunity to preach

00:19:54.940 --> 00:19:56.319
the word to them. Praying for an opportunity

00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:58.539
to preach the word for their classmate. And that

00:19:58.539 --> 00:20:00.759
is the way we will see. And because if you're

00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:04.539
taking your time to pray for an individual, I

00:20:04.539 --> 00:20:06.599
guarantee you that when the opportunity presents

00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:08.710
itself, for you to minister to that individual,

00:20:08.890 --> 00:20:12.769
you will not shrink back. Praise God. You will

00:20:12.769 --> 00:20:14.470
not shrink back because you have been praying

00:20:14.470 --> 00:20:17.029
and you're going to seize the opportunity and

00:20:17.029 --> 00:20:20.349
minister to that individual who says, to speak

00:20:20.349 --> 00:20:24.130
the mystery of Christ for which I am also in

00:20:24.130 --> 00:20:28.269
chains, that I may make it manifest as I ought

00:20:28.269 --> 00:20:31.309
to speak. Praise God. That the words that you

00:20:31.309 --> 00:20:34.210
have all trans, that you are able to... Continue

00:20:34.210 --> 00:20:37.910
to minister. And you're doing it, as the passage

00:20:37.910 --> 00:20:41.109
earlier says, you're praying and praying with

00:20:41.109 --> 00:20:44.789
thanksgiving. Praying for opportunities to evangelize.

00:20:45.109 --> 00:20:47.950
Praying for an opportunity to minister. And we

00:20:47.950 --> 00:20:51.950
don't want to take breaks. Praise God. We don't

00:20:51.950 --> 00:20:54.509
want to take breaks because once you take breaks,

00:20:54.569 --> 00:20:58.549
you're slowing the momentum. You're dragging

00:20:58.549 --> 00:21:01.609
your feet back and you get back to status quo.

00:21:01.710 --> 00:21:04.569
Praise God. You get back to status quo. And for

00:21:04.569 --> 00:21:09.789
many of us, you want to fight the desire to go

00:21:09.789 --> 00:21:12.869
back to normal. You want to fight the desire

00:21:12.869 --> 00:21:17.109
to go back to normal. Because normal is easy.

00:21:17.470 --> 00:21:20.730
Praise God. Normal is easy. But what is difficult

00:21:20.730 --> 00:21:25.950
is switching to what is important for your growth,

00:21:25.990 --> 00:21:29.730
what is important for change to happen. And we've

00:21:29.730 --> 00:21:35.980
seen... Matthew 28, 16, 17, we see that the great

00:21:35.980 --> 00:21:39.519
commission or the instruction to go and make

00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:43.480
disciples was given in a gathering. It was given

00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:45.539
where the people were gathered under instructions,

00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:49.059
meaning that instructions will come for people

00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:52.460
to go and do in the gathering. We'll come to

00:21:52.460 --> 00:21:55.700
Acts 13, 1, but know that it's in the gathering

00:21:55.700 --> 00:21:58.579
that we get instructions. And when we get those

00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:01.660
instructions, we're able to go and follow through

00:22:01.660 --> 00:22:04.799
with instructions. When Jesus Christ appointed,

00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:08.440
when Jesus Christ instructed his disciples, he

00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:10.920
instructed them to go and make disciples. He

00:22:10.920 --> 00:22:13.119
instructed them to go and do all that he has

00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:15.460
commanded them. He instructed them to go. And

00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:19.220
we are actively instructed to go, right? And

00:22:19.220 --> 00:22:21.599
seize every opportunity that we have to make

00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:24.140
disciples, to bring others into and disciple

00:22:24.140 --> 00:22:27.509
others. Disciple others is very key. And in your

00:22:27.509 --> 00:22:30.069
discipling orders, you're taking your time to

00:22:30.069 --> 00:22:32.789
teach what you have been taught. Praise God.

00:22:33.230 --> 00:22:35.009
You're teaching what you have been taught. You

00:22:35.009 --> 00:22:37.410
don't go elsewhere. You are teaching what you

00:22:37.410 --> 00:22:39.690
have been taught. That's why if your notes are

00:22:39.690 --> 00:22:41.430
not proper, if your notes are not, you don't

00:22:41.430 --> 00:22:44.430
properly document the notes, your notes are like

00:22:44.430 --> 00:22:47.470
a map. If your notes are not properly crafted

00:22:47.470 --> 00:22:49.230
in such a way that you can be able to take them

00:22:49.230 --> 00:22:51.190
of when a customer was saying, can you be able

00:22:51.190 --> 00:22:53.210
to teach this thing that you're being taught?

00:22:53.329 --> 00:22:55.769
If your notes are not documented properly, that's

00:22:55.769 --> 00:22:58.119
why you want to. Pay attention to how you document

00:22:58.119 --> 00:23:00.339
the things that you're learning. Pay attention

00:23:00.339 --> 00:23:01.980
to how you're documenting the things that you're

00:23:01.980 --> 00:23:03.519
learning because you are going to go and make

00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:06.079
disciples and you make disciples by what you

00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:08.180
have learned is what you're going to be teaching.

00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:11.019
Praise God. And we said in Acts, which is what

00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:15.980
I alluded to, in Acts 13, verse 1. Acts 13, verse

00:23:15.980 --> 00:23:19.119
1. It's in gatherings where we get instructions

00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:21.519
and we don't want to neglect or forsake gatherings.

00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:26.319
So now in the church, that was at Antioch. There

00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:28.480
were certain prophets and teachers, Barnabas,

00:23:28.539 --> 00:23:33.539
Simeon, who was called, neither, Lucius of Cyrene,

00:23:33.740 --> 00:23:41.740
Manian, who had been brought up with Herod, the

00:23:41.740 --> 00:23:45.539
Tetrarch, and Saul. It says, As they ministered

00:23:45.539 --> 00:23:48.880
to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said,

00:23:49.180 --> 00:23:51.960
Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the

00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:54.720
work which I have called them. Meaning that it's...

00:23:54.890 --> 00:23:57.130
In meetings like this, when we gather, we get

00:23:57.130 --> 00:23:59.109
instructions. And for many of us, we got instructions.

00:23:59.809 --> 00:24:02.490
Praise God. We got instructions. For many of

00:24:02.490 --> 00:24:06.230
us, the instructions we got is a repeat of the

00:24:06.230 --> 00:24:09.410
instructions we have gotten before. And it means

00:24:09.410 --> 00:24:10.970
that if you are getting the same instruction,

00:24:11.289 --> 00:24:15.509
you don't need any sign. Praise God. You don't

00:24:15.509 --> 00:24:17.769
need any sign to do something about it. Praise

00:24:17.769 --> 00:24:19.410
God. You don't need any sign to do something

00:24:19.410 --> 00:24:21.430
about it. And in meetings like this, the Holy

00:24:21.430 --> 00:24:26.690
Spirit will minister through. and people will

00:24:26.690 --> 00:24:29.410
be commissioned, people will be sent out. So

00:24:29.410 --> 00:24:32.650
we want to continue in the things that we have

00:24:32.650 --> 00:24:35.650
been instructed to do, right? Instructions. Just

00:24:35.650 --> 00:24:40.289
imagine Barnabas and Saul were given the word

00:24:40.289 --> 00:24:43.089
and then they still hanged in. They still decided

00:24:43.089 --> 00:24:46.829
to just chill a couple of weeks. They didn't

00:24:46.829 --> 00:24:50.349
do that. They want to be able to get on with

00:24:50.349 --> 00:24:53.400
it. Praise God. Get on with it. You don't know

00:24:53.400 --> 00:24:55.539
how it's going to go. You just start. Praise

00:24:55.539 --> 00:25:00.339
God. You start. You start. You start putting

00:25:00.339 --> 00:25:02.819
things together and get to work. Praise God.

00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:06.400
And then it's also in gatherings where we are

00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:09.480
being disciplined. Right? It's also in gatherings

00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:11.240
where we are being disciplined. It's also in

00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:14.240
gatherings that we learn not to take offense.

00:25:14.980 --> 00:25:17.000
It's in gatherings that we are disciplined. It's

00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:19.190
in gatherings that we learn not to. take offense,

00:25:19.309 --> 00:25:21.869
and we do a lot of learning and gatherings. You

00:25:21.869 --> 00:25:23.990
know, for people that do things by themselves,

00:25:24.309 --> 00:25:27.349
you can't understand how to work with people

00:25:27.349 --> 00:25:30.910
if you just work all by yourself. And that's

00:25:30.910 --> 00:25:33.170
why God has made it important for us to gather

00:25:33.170 --> 00:25:36.170
like this, to learn from one another, to be taught

00:25:36.170 --> 00:25:39.289
by one another, to have your brother offend you,

00:25:39.329 --> 00:25:43.269
and then you deal with that offense. Right? To

00:25:43.269 --> 00:25:44.890
have your brother offend you and deal with that

00:25:44.890 --> 00:25:49.599
offense. We see in Matthew 18. 15 to 20. Let's

00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:52.960
just read it quickly. It gives us a protocol

00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:57.900
for how to match you. 18, 15 to 20. It says,

00:25:58.019 --> 00:26:01.200
Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go

00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:04.220
and tell him his faults between you and him alone.

00:26:04.400 --> 00:26:06.440
So it means that you'll have to meet the person

00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:10.299
one -on -one and try to go about resolving it.

00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:14.720
And it says that if he hears you, you have gained

00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:18.539
your brother. 16. But if... He will not hear.

00:26:18.599 --> 00:26:24.680
Take with you one or two more, that by the amount

00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:28.240
of two or three witnesses, every word may be

00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:30.660
established. Meaning that you tried one person,

00:26:30.819 --> 00:26:35.140
you go, it doesn't work, you bring two. He says,

00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:38.619
and if he refuses to hear them, take it to the

00:26:38.619 --> 00:26:42.140
church. Or if he refuses even to hear the church,

00:26:42.279 --> 00:26:46.039
he says, let him be. to you like a hidden or

00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:48.940
a tax collector. Remember we said that when you're

00:26:48.940 --> 00:26:52.259
18, just going back to the 70s, it doesn't have

00:26:52.259 --> 00:26:53.180
to be to you like a hidden tax collector. We've

00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:54.759
been taught in the house that if it's to you

00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:56.240
like a hidden tax collector, it doesn't mean

00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:00.220
that you cast him out. You say, that one, no,

00:27:00.359 --> 00:27:02.160
you're a non -believer. It's not that you cast

00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:04.099
him out. And you want to ask yourself, how did

00:27:04.099 --> 00:27:07.200
Jesus treat the tax collectors, right? How did

00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:10.400
Jesus treat the hidden? How do you treat people

00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:12.220
that do not believe? How do you treat the tax

00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:13.859
collector, people that are... that people see

00:27:13.859 --> 00:27:16.059
as corrupt. How do you treat them? If you didn't

00:27:16.059 --> 00:27:18.640
treat them that way, then you should. He is the

00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:21.519
example. Praise God. Then in 18, it says, Surely

00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:24.380
I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will

00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:27.480
be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on

00:27:27.480 --> 00:27:30.440
earth will be loosed in heaven. 19, it says,

00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:35.079
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth

00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:38.660
concerning anything that they ask, it will be

00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:42.140
done for them by my Father in heaven. Then 20,

00:27:42.910 --> 00:27:45.849
He says, where two or three are gathered together

00:27:45.849 --> 00:27:49.690
in my name, I am there in the midst of them.

00:27:49.829 --> 00:27:52.490
So we see that all of this comes down to agreement.

00:27:52.609 --> 00:27:54.930
There's a protocol, there's the agreement, and

00:27:54.930 --> 00:27:57.690
this just points to the fact that there's a protocol

00:27:57.690 --> 00:28:02.289
for, there's a, just here presented, it's talking

00:28:02.289 --> 00:28:04.190
about, in fact, you're trying to reconcile with

00:28:04.190 --> 00:28:06.289
your brother. And in reconciling with the brother,

00:28:06.349 --> 00:28:09.700
you are able to. employ different means because

00:28:09.700 --> 00:28:11.920
that relationship is important to you. Hence,

00:28:11.980 --> 00:28:16.420
you employ the tool of reconciliation because

00:28:16.420 --> 00:28:19.180
it's important to you. So you have to prioritize

00:28:19.180 --> 00:28:22.119
the relationship enough to be able to say, I

00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:24.240
really don't want to lose my relationship with

00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:28.059
this brother or sister. And it might not be,

00:28:28.140 --> 00:28:29.720
it's not the easiest thing to do, especially

00:28:29.720 --> 00:28:31.779
when you know that the person offends you. And

00:28:31.779 --> 00:28:34.980
when you see the passage here, it's encouraging

00:28:34.980 --> 00:28:37.779
us that Whoever you, the offender or the offendee,

00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:41.200
you are supposed to, that is the posture, employ

00:28:41.200 --> 00:28:43.720
everything. So we learn all of this when we gather.

00:28:44.059 --> 00:28:47.279
You have people offend you, you learn, you go

00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:50.359
by, you don't like it, but you still have to

00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:53.220
because that person is your brother and you want

00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:56.039
to prioritize gathering. So we don't, going forward,

00:28:56.180 --> 00:28:59.119
have our offenses. We don't do that because it's

00:28:59.119 --> 00:29:00.839
not going to help the work, it's not going to

00:29:00.839 --> 00:29:02.799
help the fellowship, it's not going to help your

00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:05.259
commitment to the things, to that brother. You

00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:07.759
know, even sometimes, you know, the way God does

00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:09.480
these things is that you are offended by the

00:29:09.480 --> 00:29:13.019
brother and then you don't plan it, but you end

00:29:13.019 --> 00:29:15.519
up sitting together. And during the time of prayer,

00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:17.119
they'll say, hold the person next to you and

00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:19.079
pray for that person. You'll just find out that

00:29:19.079 --> 00:29:21.900
now you have been set up because you can't be

00:29:21.900 --> 00:29:25.019
praying, you can't be praying evil for the person,

00:29:25.140 --> 00:29:27.680
even if you are praying evil on your own. Praise

00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:31.319
God. So, but you will have to be able to reconcile

00:29:31.319 --> 00:29:33.180
or you have to see the need or see the importance

00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:37.170
too. to continue in it. And gatherings are what

00:29:37.170 --> 00:29:39.549
happens. You don't, you don't, gatherings, you

00:29:39.549 --> 00:29:41.990
don't, you don't do, it doesn't happen in isolation.

00:29:42.430 --> 00:29:45.630
We group, we gather together as a group. Praise

00:29:45.630 --> 00:29:48.289
God. We gather together as a group because God

00:29:48.289 --> 00:29:51.670
has created us for relationships to relate with

00:29:51.670 --> 00:29:54.410
one another. And you don't, you don't need too

00:29:54.410 --> 00:29:57.410
much to find that all two as a team in scripture.

00:29:57.869 --> 00:30:00.630
As a team, we see that as a team in scripture.

00:30:01.150 --> 00:30:04.250
That God himself wants relationship with us and

00:30:04.250 --> 00:30:06.329
he wants us to have relationship with the people,

00:30:06.390 --> 00:30:08.529
with the church, with our fellow brothers and

00:30:08.529 --> 00:30:11.670
sisters in Christ. And we all are products of

00:30:11.670 --> 00:30:15.309
relationships, right? From the time of our birth

00:30:15.309 --> 00:30:19.430
to even the time of our, even to our spiritual

00:30:19.430 --> 00:30:21.750
relationships, right? Our spiritual relationships,

00:30:21.910 --> 00:30:25.470
we are a product of spiritual relationship with

00:30:25.470 --> 00:30:28.450
God and also his people. Because you're first.

00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:31.720
You come from a family, right? And in fact, that

00:30:31.720 --> 00:30:35.619
family is, or family, as we see family, it models

00:30:35.619 --> 00:30:40.599
that relationship that we have with God. Because

00:30:40.599 --> 00:30:43.200
that's why we call God our father, right? And

00:30:43.200 --> 00:30:45.240
the first, our introduction to fatherhood is

00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:47.839
our earthly parents, right? And then we now come

00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:50.680
to that point where we are able to have God as

00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:53.319
our father. So by design, we're not designed

00:30:53.319 --> 00:30:56.359
to live. Nobody's born in a test tube. Okay,

00:30:56.480 --> 00:30:59.170
people are born, they actually do that. But nobody's

00:30:59.170 --> 00:31:01.390
born in isolation. That's what I mean to say.

00:31:01.910 --> 00:31:04.210
Nobody's born in isolation. During Pastor Victor's

00:31:04.210 --> 00:31:07.170
teaching, when he was teaching us, he emphasized,

00:31:07.349 --> 00:31:10.170
because he talked about it when he went to Ephesians

00:31:10.170 --> 00:31:13.950
5, where he was explaining. We see that there

00:31:13.950 --> 00:31:16.809
are different strata of relationships, right?

00:31:17.150 --> 00:31:20.049
There's the relationship, there's a different

00:31:20.049 --> 00:31:22.710
strata of relationship. There's the husband,

00:31:22.910 --> 00:31:24.609
the relationship between husband and wife, there's

00:31:24.609 --> 00:31:27.670
a child. The father's relationship, there's the

00:31:27.670 --> 00:31:30.109
brother and the sister's relationship. There's

00:31:30.109 --> 00:31:32.670
a relationship, the different status of relationship.

00:31:32.890 --> 00:31:35.289
And we see that scattered through scripture.

00:31:35.430 --> 00:31:39.670
And it's a we thing, right? Not an I thing. It's

00:31:39.670 --> 00:31:43.349
like, it's a we together. And there's protection

00:31:43.349 --> 00:31:47.890
in we than I, right? There's a protection in

00:31:47.890 --> 00:31:51.569
we than I. And we are called to we, right? When

00:31:51.569 --> 00:31:53.329
I say we're called to, we're called to this.

00:31:53.609 --> 00:31:55.880
I think that was very interesting. We're called

00:31:55.880 --> 00:32:00.359
to a communal lifestyle. We're not called to

00:32:00.359 --> 00:32:03.619
an individual lifestyle. We're called to a communal

00:32:03.619 --> 00:32:05.819
lifestyle, not an individual lifestyle. And that

00:32:05.819 --> 00:32:09.039
is what sustains growth. That's what sustains

00:32:09.039 --> 00:32:12.119
growth. That's what sustains increase. And even

00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:16.440
as a church, the way we are to grow, or the way

00:32:16.440 --> 00:32:21.039
we are to grow numerically is the same way. We

00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:25.339
grow numerically on the premise of... You relating

00:32:25.339 --> 00:32:28.539
with someone and bringing them to church. Right?

00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:31.539
And if you are living your life, and you know

00:32:31.539 --> 00:32:33.279
there are people that say, I'm an introvert.

00:32:33.400 --> 00:32:36.359
I just talk to myself, I'm by myself, I go into

00:32:36.359 --> 00:32:40.460
the class. And what I've learned in this short

00:32:40.460 --> 00:32:45.640
time is that anybody can be anything. You decide

00:32:45.640 --> 00:32:48.559
what you want to. Because you have lived your

00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:51.039
life as an introvert, if you need a job, you

00:32:51.039 --> 00:32:54.650
will speak. Right? You know, there's the hardship

00:32:54.650 --> 00:32:57.470
and difficulty that will hit you, that will make

00:32:57.470 --> 00:33:01.150
you open your mouth and scream. Praise God. That

00:33:01.150 --> 00:33:02.589
will make you open your mouth and scream because

00:33:02.589 --> 00:33:05.430
you cannot need help and see help, but people

00:33:05.430 --> 00:33:07.710
do. You cannot need help and see help and you

00:33:07.710 --> 00:33:09.930
desperately need that help and see help. You

00:33:09.930 --> 00:33:13.869
will always get to that point where you do what

00:33:13.869 --> 00:33:17.549
you have never done before. Praise God. So, that

00:33:17.549 --> 00:33:24.079
desire for even... Being part of. Because naturally,

00:33:24.180 --> 00:33:26.619
even when you come here, you are always, even

00:33:26.619 --> 00:33:29.099
when you arrive at the island, by default, you

00:33:29.099 --> 00:33:30.859
just want to be lit with your fellow people.

00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:33.380
You want to hang around. You want to ask them,

00:33:33.440 --> 00:33:37.319
so what's going on here? By default, you don't

00:33:37.319 --> 00:33:38.940
come and then you don't know anything. You know,

00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:41.240
people have missed their flights because they

00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:46.140
are very, like, I know my way around. Like, you

00:33:46.140 --> 00:33:47.900
have to relate with someone to get direction.

00:33:48.519 --> 00:33:51.000
You have to be lit with people and that's...

00:33:51.200 --> 00:33:54.119
the team. So, and in God's word, we see that

00:33:54.119 --> 00:33:57.420
scattered around. We see it from Genesis. Genesis

00:33:57.420 --> 00:34:00.640
127, we see that he created male, female. He

00:34:00.640 --> 00:34:04.160
had already put that there in us, that union,

00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:08.139
that partnership, that family. So, humanity,

00:34:08.400 --> 00:34:11.679
making humanity in pairs is a pointer. It's not

00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:15.679
a coincidence. He didn't just fit one person

00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:18.760
with everything. There's a reason why he had

00:34:18.760 --> 00:34:21.750
designed that so that It creates that sense of

00:34:21.750 --> 00:34:25.750
interdependency, right? That you don't come and

00:34:25.750 --> 00:34:28.510
wake up and say, I can do it by myself. It brings

00:34:28.510 --> 00:34:30.610
us to that place where we are very dependent

00:34:30.610 --> 00:34:34.269
on one another. And it's beautiful when you don't

00:34:34.269 --> 00:34:36.650
rely on yourself for everything. It's very beautiful.

00:34:36.869 --> 00:34:40.869
And that's what God wants to, God had started

00:34:40.869 --> 00:34:44.650
to model for us so that we can be able to appreciate

00:34:44.650 --> 00:34:48.070
it when appreciating in despair or in the realm

00:34:48.070 --> 00:34:50.460
of... of the relationship that we have in God.

00:34:50.579 --> 00:34:56.900
Praise God. So we see in Genesis, Genesis 23,

00:34:57.360 --> 00:35:04.139
Genesis 2, 23. Genesis 2, 23 says, and Adam said,

00:35:04.380 --> 00:35:10.440
this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my

00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:15.420
flesh. She shall be called woman because she

00:35:15.420 --> 00:35:21.309
was taken out. She was taken out of man. So he

00:35:21.309 --> 00:35:24.570
says, this is now bone of my bone. That's Adam

00:35:24.570 --> 00:35:27.650
speaking. This is now bone of my bone and flesh

00:35:27.650 --> 00:35:31.170
of my flesh. And we see that most of the times

00:35:31.170 --> 00:35:33.610
when we see that phrase, that phrase is used

00:35:33.610 --> 00:35:37.110
exclusively, most people use it exclusively for

00:35:37.110 --> 00:35:39.570
marriage. Anytime somebody says bone of my bone

00:35:39.570 --> 00:35:43.630
and flesh of my flesh, what comes to mind is

00:35:43.630 --> 00:35:45.929
marriage because that's basically where it is

00:35:45.929 --> 00:35:49.760
used. more often but i want us to see that that

00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:53.239
is used in this sphere of relationship right

00:35:53.239 --> 00:35:56.900
because remember we said relationships are different

00:35:56.900 --> 00:36:01.400
relations but of different kinds you have you

00:36:01.400 --> 00:36:03.679
have and and i was i think before the service

00:36:03.679 --> 00:36:06.380
started i was talking to some people that sometimes

00:36:06.380 --> 00:36:10.340
we as people in our daily dealings with people

00:36:10.340 --> 00:36:13.710
we We fail to understand that you can have one

00:36:13.710 --> 00:36:16.210
person, you can have different levels of relationship

00:36:16.210 --> 00:36:19.230
with one person, right? Meaning that you can,

00:36:19.489 --> 00:36:22.309
like some people here, I taught them, in the

00:36:22.309 --> 00:36:24.769
class I'm their teacher. When I come to church,

00:36:24.849 --> 00:36:29.349
they're pastor. When, like, outside of church

00:36:29.349 --> 00:36:31.269
or just without, I can be their elder brother,

00:36:31.409 --> 00:36:33.369
right? You can have all of those relations. And

00:36:33.369 --> 00:36:35.670
sometimes you can, you know, you can be so used

00:36:35.670 --> 00:36:37.730
to a person and you forget that that person...

00:36:38.030 --> 00:36:40.250
The way you have access to that person, not everybody

00:36:40.250 --> 00:36:45.710
has that kind of access. And you can do overlap,

00:36:46.070 --> 00:36:48.809
right? When you should be relating with that

00:36:48.809 --> 00:36:51.590
person in this space, because that's why you

00:36:51.590 --> 00:36:57.210
meet somebody in the class environment. And then

00:36:57.210 --> 00:36:59.150
I've had that thing happen several times because

00:36:59.150 --> 00:37:02.230
when I walk into a class and then the person

00:37:02.230 --> 00:37:05.070
sees me like a first year student, right? And

00:37:05.070 --> 00:37:08.849
then... because I just walked in and the person

00:37:08.849 --> 00:37:12.590
will assume I am at the same level as them until

00:37:12.590 --> 00:37:15.670
when they see me or I come and then I set my

00:37:15.670 --> 00:37:17.989
things up and then I'm starting to teach. And

00:37:17.989 --> 00:37:20.090
then I think a lady one time, she almost wanted

00:37:20.090 --> 00:37:22.670
to, I could tell she was very embarrassed. She

00:37:22.670 --> 00:37:25.269
was just doing like this, like she was seriously

00:37:25.269 --> 00:37:27.230
pleading. But it's like I said, it's totally

00:37:27.230 --> 00:37:30.050
fine. It's not, you assume that the relationship

00:37:30.050 --> 00:37:32.710
is to your fellow student. And it wasn't that

00:37:32.710 --> 00:37:34.289
she was even rude. She just asked me, are you

00:37:34.289 --> 00:37:35.789
here for the class? I said, yes, I'm here for

00:37:35.789 --> 00:37:40.849
the class. Until she found out. I said, yes,

00:37:40.849 --> 00:37:43.090
because I actually told her the truth. I'm here

00:37:43.090 --> 00:37:47.050
for the class, but as what? Praise God. So relationships

00:37:47.050 --> 00:37:49.730
are very, and especially in the church, where

00:37:49.730 --> 00:37:52.530
you can be so cozy with somebody and then all

00:37:52.530 --> 00:37:54.829
of a sudden, because you have to be able to tell

00:37:54.829 --> 00:37:56.949
what the dynamics of relationship, because they

00:37:56.949 --> 00:37:58.869
are different, right? The same way you are with

00:37:58.869 --> 00:38:00.929
your father. You can't come and say, hey, what's

00:38:00.929 --> 00:38:06.860
up? You know, you do that way. In Africa, at

00:38:06.860 --> 00:38:10.420
least most of us here, if that's not the way

00:38:10.420 --> 00:38:13.460
you roll with your dad, you will remember something

00:38:13.460 --> 00:38:16.719
that you will never forget. You will get something

00:38:16.719 --> 00:38:18.519
that you will never forget because they are different

00:38:18.519 --> 00:38:21.260
classes or different strata of relationships

00:38:21.260 --> 00:38:22.980
and you want to be able to understand that. And

00:38:22.980 --> 00:38:25.780
we said that bone of my bone and flesh of my

00:38:25.780 --> 00:38:28.940
flesh is used at different, we'll see that, that

00:38:28.940 --> 00:38:32.429
will show us in. We saw, I think the first bit

00:38:32.429 --> 00:38:36.329
is in 2 .23. We'll see 29 .14. Let's go to 29

00:38:36.329 --> 00:38:41.389
.14. And this is Laban to Jacob. 29 .14, Genesis

00:38:41.389 --> 00:38:45.650
29 .14. And I want us to see that again. So,

00:38:45.690 --> 00:38:49.670
and Laban said to him, that's Jacob, you are

00:38:49.670 --> 00:38:54.630
my bone and my flesh. And he stayed with him

00:38:54.630 --> 00:38:58.219
for a month. Praise God. And if that... To you,

00:38:58.219 --> 00:39:00.340
it was marriage. You can just imagine a man telling

00:39:00.340 --> 00:39:04.980
another man, you are my bone and my flesh. But

00:39:04.980 --> 00:39:08.119
we understand that, what's the relationship between

00:39:08.119 --> 00:39:12.159
Laban and Jacob? So his uncle and nephew. So

00:39:12.159 --> 00:39:15.539
the relationship is that of family, right? It's

00:39:15.539 --> 00:39:17.719
that of family because that and that place will

00:39:17.719 --> 00:39:20.780
be communicating a relationship of like a blood,

00:39:21.019 --> 00:39:23.659
relationship by blood because it was his mom's

00:39:23.659 --> 00:39:27.360
brother, right? His mom's... So in that case,

00:39:27.360 --> 00:39:30.679
we see that this is clearly not just marriage.

00:39:30.880 --> 00:39:32.820
It's not just any way you see it. It's not blanket

00:39:32.820 --> 00:39:36.099
marriage. And we also see it in Judges. Judges

00:39:36.099 --> 00:39:40.019
9 verse 2. Let's look at Judges 9 verse 2. We'll

00:39:40.019 --> 00:39:44.519
see Abimelech. Judges 9 verse 2 says, Please,

00:39:44.760 --> 00:39:49.880
speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem.

00:39:50.019 --> 00:39:53.019
This is Abimelech speaking now to all the men

00:39:53.019 --> 00:39:55.760
of Shechem. He says, which is better for you,

00:39:55.820 --> 00:40:02.320
that all 70 of the sons of Jeroboam reign over

00:40:02.320 --> 00:40:09.780
all, or that one reign over you? Remember that

00:40:09.780 --> 00:40:16.000
I am your own flesh and blood. So, him here is

00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:18.159
saying, remember that we are part of the same

00:40:18.159 --> 00:40:21.780
tribe, right? The same family, the same tribe,

00:40:21.840 --> 00:40:25.119
so it's not. saying that, oh, we are married

00:40:25.119 --> 00:40:29.139
together. Praise God. So he is just pleading,

00:40:29.139 --> 00:40:31.980
he's making an appeal to the leaders of Shechem.

00:40:32.059 --> 00:40:34.139
And we'll see it even in the case of David. We'll

00:40:34.139 --> 00:40:38.139
see 1 Chronicles 11 verse 1, and this is between

00:40:38.139 --> 00:40:42.260
the tribes of Israel and David. So all of this

00:40:42.260 --> 00:40:44.139
is just to establish to us that when you see

00:40:44.139 --> 00:40:48.260
a word, so 1 Chronicles 11 verse 1, let's go

00:40:48.260 --> 00:40:50.940
there quickly, and you can see it. Similar thing

00:40:50.940 --> 00:40:54.340
in 2 Samuel 5 verse 1. The exact same thing in

00:40:54.340 --> 00:40:56.639
2 Samuel 5 verse 1. You can write that down in

00:40:56.639 --> 00:40:58.619
your note. We don't have to read that one. So

00:40:58.619 --> 00:41:02.480
in 1 Chronicles 11 verse 1 and then 2 Samuel

00:41:02.480 --> 00:41:06.159
5 verse 1, it says, Then all Israel came together

00:41:06.159 --> 00:41:10.639
to David at Hebron, saying, Indeed, we are your

00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:14.019
bone and your flesh. Indeed, we are your bone

00:41:14.019 --> 00:41:15.579
and your flesh. And we say, what relationship

00:41:15.579 --> 00:41:18.380
would that be? What relationship would that be?

00:41:19.139 --> 00:41:22.639
You see? Family. So they're the same because

00:41:22.639 --> 00:41:25.599
they're the same tribe, right? They're the same.

00:41:25.679 --> 00:41:28.280
So we're all out of, you see, where you're born

00:41:28.280 --> 00:41:31.780
and you're flesh. So that's the tribes of Israel.

00:41:31.900 --> 00:41:33.739
And we say the different tribes of Israel. So

00:41:33.739 --> 00:41:36.380
we're related in that. So because you know that

00:41:36.380 --> 00:41:38.800
the children of Israel, that was Jacob, Israel,

00:41:38.920 --> 00:41:41.440
that are all the children. And David is one.

00:41:41.800 --> 00:41:44.219
He's from the tribe of Judah, right? So we say

00:41:44.219 --> 00:41:46.670
that that is. the relationship. So we see even

00:41:46.670 --> 00:41:48.610
another incident. You can write it down. David

00:41:48.610 --> 00:41:51.110
also appeals to the elders of his own tribe,

00:41:51.170 --> 00:41:55.070
right? The elders of his own tribe. In 2 Samuel

00:41:55.070 --> 00:42:01.230
19, 12 to 13. 2 Samuel 19, 12 to 13, it says,

00:42:01.489 --> 00:42:05.429
it says, you are my brethren, right? You are

00:42:05.429 --> 00:42:09.170
my bone and my flesh. You are my brethren. You

00:42:09.170 --> 00:42:13.000
are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the

00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:17.440
last to bring back the king? That is David 13.

00:42:18.739 --> 00:42:26.340
And say to Amasa, Are you not my bone and my

00:42:26.340 --> 00:42:31.340
flesh? God did so to me and more also if you

00:42:31.340 --> 00:42:35.199
are not commander of the army before me continually

00:42:35.199 --> 00:42:40.190
in the place of Joab. So he is... still stating

00:42:40.190 --> 00:42:43.010
the appeals to Judah and also to Amasa. And then

00:42:43.010 --> 00:42:46.949
he tells them that you are my bone and my flesh.

00:42:47.010 --> 00:42:50.389
And then we've seen all that in the, let's see

00:42:50.389 --> 00:42:55.429
it in Ephesians 5 verse 13. So this is Apostle

00:42:55.429 --> 00:42:59.590
Paul using it in a relationship to, in the relationship

00:42:59.590 --> 00:43:04.869
to Christ and the church. So 30, 30, 3 -0. So

00:43:04.869 --> 00:43:08.429
he says that for we are members of his body.

00:43:09.099 --> 00:43:13.579
and his flesh and his bones. We are members of

00:43:13.579 --> 00:43:16.840
his body, his flesh, and his bones. So when we

00:43:16.840 --> 00:43:20.760
see the word flesh and bone, or when we see the

00:43:20.760 --> 00:43:23.239
word, because it's an idiomatic, when we say

00:43:23.239 --> 00:43:25.440
flesh and bone, because you know that that's

00:43:25.440 --> 00:43:27.599
not, it wouldn't make sense. Remember when we

00:43:27.599 --> 00:43:33.280
said to kick against God, not gold or gold, it's

00:43:33.280 --> 00:43:37.099
gold, toad, road. To kick against the gold. He

00:43:37.099 --> 00:43:39.659
is saying to, it's useless for you to fight against

00:43:39.659 --> 00:43:41.579
my will. So it means that it's an expression

00:43:41.579 --> 00:43:44.199
that means something, right? So when we say we

00:43:44.199 --> 00:43:47.139
are, when you say you are my bone and my flesh,

00:43:47.179 --> 00:43:49.840
it means that we are close families or we belong

00:43:49.840 --> 00:43:53.219
to, related in that sense, or we're from the

00:43:53.219 --> 00:43:55.960
same tribe. So it's a difficult, and in this

00:43:55.960 --> 00:43:58.360
passage, we know that it's communicating shared

00:43:58.360 --> 00:44:01.199
spiritual identity, that they say we are, it

00:44:01.199 --> 00:44:03.880
says we are members, right? It's a shared spiritual

00:44:03.880 --> 00:44:07.000
identity that is anchored in Christ, right? shared

00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:09.460
spiritual identity. And we know that it's not,

00:44:09.460 --> 00:44:12.719
it's not by blood. Like it's not by physical

00:44:12.719 --> 00:44:15.980
blood. It's supernatural. Praise God. It's supernatural

00:44:15.980 --> 00:44:21.320
relationship. And that is, that is, that requires

00:44:21.320 --> 00:44:24.579
a, like, you know, when, when you know this person

00:44:24.579 --> 00:44:26.440
is your brother, your blood brother, you know

00:44:26.440 --> 00:44:30.960
that there's a lot, but you need to know to be

00:44:30.960 --> 00:44:33.719
able to hold on to a relationship that is not

00:44:33.719 --> 00:44:36.699
like, you can't see the physical type. Right?

00:44:36.820 --> 00:44:39.039
Because you understand what Christ has done.

00:44:39.059 --> 00:44:40.940
You understand that this person is your brother

00:44:40.940 --> 00:44:43.639
and sister in Christ. You will defend and fight

00:44:43.639 --> 00:44:46.900
and pray for that person. You will be serious

00:44:46.900 --> 00:44:49.099
with regards to that relationship because you

00:44:49.099 --> 00:44:53.980
know what it costs or what brings you together.

00:44:54.159 --> 00:44:58.539
Praise God. That makes the gathering so important.

00:44:58.800 --> 00:45:01.559
When we come together, we come together as...

00:45:01.820 --> 00:45:04.440
brothers and sisters in Christ, to worship, to

00:45:04.440 --> 00:45:07.619
fellowship, and we're serving the same God. And

00:45:07.619 --> 00:45:14.920
he says, God places in others what we ourselves

00:45:14.920 --> 00:45:18.460
need. Meaning that it's very important to know

00:45:18.460 --> 00:45:21.380
that there's a reason why we have a family. There's

00:45:21.380 --> 00:45:23.619
a reason why we have different people, different,

00:45:23.739 --> 00:45:26.139
and this church is functional. We have different

00:45:26.139 --> 00:45:28.320
nationalities, and we're not self -sufficient

00:45:28.320 --> 00:45:31.409
by ourselves, but we are. dependent and reliant

00:45:31.409 --> 00:45:34.710
on, it's not a private work. Our work with God

00:45:34.710 --> 00:45:37.150
is not private. And in fact, there's no passage

00:45:37.150 --> 00:45:40.190
of scripture that will confirm the concept or

00:45:40.190 --> 00:45:43.369
the idea or confirm the whole idea or concept

00:45:43.369 --> 00:45:47.449
of working alone. Praise God. The work is in

00:45:47.449 --> 00:45:50.369
a gathering. The work is together. And by design,

00:45:50.610 --> 00:45:54.170
God did not, he places us in the family. And

00:45:54.170 --> 00:45:57.110
that's why you see that team of family going

00:45:57.110 --> 00:45:59.449
on and on. So we function and we live together.

00:45:59.960 --> 00:46:03.139
And we move on now, walk on the basis of our

00:46:03.139 --> 00:46:05.139
relationship with him, on the basis of our relationship

00:46:05.139 --> 00:46:08.480
with his people, God's people, every one of us.

00:46:08.579 --> 00:46:11.699
Praise God. So it is through people that we are

00:46:11.699 --> 00:46:14.840
blessed, right? It's through people that we are

00:46:14.840 --> 00:46:18.519
blessed. It's through men that we are able to

00:46:18.519 --> 00:46:20.500
hear the word. It's through men that we are able

00:46:20.500 --> 00:46:22.699
to be taught the word. It's through men. And

00:46:22.699 --> 00:46:27.579
if you say, oh, take for example, the example

00:46:27.579 --> 00:46:31.719
of Apostle Paul that went on Saul. If Brian and

00:46:31.719 --> 00:46:35.940
I decided that I don't want to be persecuted,

00:46:36.119 --> 00:46:38.940
and decided that he was not going to go and minister

00:46:38.940 --> 00:46:45.480
to Paul, or if Paul himself decided to help with

00:46:45.480 --> 00:46:50.639
anybody, I don't care. If God cannot come directly

00:46:50.639 --> 00:46:53.460
and minister to me, it will be to his own detriment,

00:46:53.599 --> 00:46:56.449
right? It will be to his own detriment. There's

00:46:56.449 --> 00:46:58.829
an importance that we have to place on the people

00:46:58.829 --> 00:47:02.989
that God has given to us. And no matter how small

00:47:02.989 --> 00:47:06.730
they are, right? He did not say Apostle Ananias.

00:47:07.210 --> 00:47:09.789
He says brother, right? No matter how small they

00:47:09.789 --> 00:47:12.949
are, right? We don't want to undermine God's

00:47:12.949 --> 00:47:15.190
ability to walk in and through that person. Same

00:47:15.190 --> 00:47:18.070
applies to ourselves. No matter how small we

00:47:18.070 --> 00:47:20.170
may think that we are, we don't want to undermine

00:47:20.170 --> 00:47:22.909
God's ability to walk in and through us. Because

00:47:22.909 --> 00:47:25.110
many times we can look at ourselves and fail

00:47:25.110 --> 00:47:27.010
to look at ourselves through the lenses of our

00:47:27.010 --> 00:47:30.050
identity in Christ. Our identity in Christ should

00:47:30.050 --> 00:47:33.250
be the way we see and carry ourselves. Right?

00:47:33.309 --> 00:47:35.789
Because God sees us that way. The way we see

00:47:35.789 --> 00:47:38.489
and carry ourselves is the way we see because

00:47:38.489 --> 00:47:40.489
God sees us that way and that should be what

00:47:40.489 --> 00:47:43.809
is at the forefront of our minds. And there's

00:47:43.809 --> 00:47:47.469
also the importance of being available. The importance

00:47:47.469 --> 00:47:51.849
of being available. Meetings. requires that we're

00:47:51.849 --> 00:47:54.110
there because there are several things because

00:47:54.110 --> 00:47:55.710
you are there to be a blessing to the other person

00:47:55.710 --> 00:47:57.510
the other person to be a blessing to you because

00:47:57.510 --> 00:48:01.630
if you're not available there is no like you

00:48:01.630 --> 00:48:03.730
will not be you will not have you will not have

00:48:03.730 --> 00:48:05.989
the opportunity praise God if you're not available

00:48:05.989 --> 00:48:07.989
you will not have the opportunity if you're not

00:48:07.989 --> 00:48:09.489
available you will not be able to make the most

00:48:09.489 --> 00:48:11.949
of the opportunity right and I think we're talking

00:48:11.949 --> 00:48:14.429
who are we talking with I was saying I said you

00:48:14.429 --> 00:48:18.050
see the most committed set of people or set of

00:48:18.050 --> 00:48:21.019
objects let me use objects in This place are

00:48:21.019 --> 00:48:25.460
the chairs because we leave them every time we

00:48:25.460 --> 00:48:28.619
go, right? The chairs are always here for the

00:48:28.619 --> 00:48:31.420
meeting because they can't be anywhere else but

00:48:31.420 --> 00:48:34.300
in the meeting. But note that the chairs don't

00:48:34.300 --> 00:48:37.460
necessarily participate in the activities that

00:48:37.460 --> 00:48:39.880
we do. You know, when we're laying hands on each

00:48:39.880 --> 00:48:41.519
other, the chairs don't lay hands. Why do we

00:48:41.519 --> 00:48:45.260
lay our bags on each other? The chairs are...

00:48:45.260 --> 00:48:48.159
So it means that... Availability goes beyond

00:48:48.159 --> 00:48:52.000
your being there. Praise God. Availability goes

00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:54.659
beyond your being present. Your availability

00:48:54.659 --> 00:48:58.440
should translate into actions, into participation.

00:48:59.139 --> 00:49:02.179
Praise God. Your availability to translate to

00:49:02.179 --> 00:49:04.320
the participation. And you don't even have any

00:49:04.320 --> 00:49:07.760
excuse. We don't have any excuse of not participating,

00:49:08.000 --> 00:49:11.159
of not being present in every meeting, or being

00:49:11.159 --> 00:49:14.019
present in every gathering, or being present

00:49:14.019 --> 00:49:16.599
to. minister to one another. We don't have any

00:49:16.599 --> 00:49:20.659
excuse. Because even Jesus Christ as a boy was

00:49:20.659 --> 00:49:23.539
available for meetings. But at a very young age,

00:49:23.679 --> 00:49:25.800
he was available for meetings. Let's see Luke

00:49:25.800 --> 00:49:30.239
2, verse 46. We see him in the temple. We see

00:49:30.239 --> 00:49:33.619
him in the temple being taught. Luke 2, verse

00:49:33.619 --> 00:49:37.800
46. So now, so it was that after three days,

00:49:38.039 --> 00:49:41.460
they found him in the temple, sitting in the

00:49:41.460 --> 00:49:44.769
midst of teachers, both listening to them, and

00:49:44.769 --> 00:49:48.489
asking them questions praise god so he was in

00:49:48.489 --> 00:49:52.369
a temple listening to teachers speak and also

00:49:52.369 --> 00:49:56.630
asking questions right so he himself prioritizes

00:49:56.630 --> 00:50:00.869
or was and look he says so it was that after

00:50:00.869 --> 00:50:06.670
three days praise god after three days it's good

00:50:06.670 --> 00:50:12.250
so so it tells you a lot about the It goes beyond

00:50:12.250 --> 00:50:14.769
just being available. It goes beyond that. This

00:50:14.769 --> 00:50:18.090
person was curious to learn. He was curious to

00:50:18.090 --> 00:50:20.710
learn. He was curious to take steps. And even

00:50:20.710 --> 00:50:24.429
when it was time for him to start ministry, right?

00:50:24.530 --> 00:50:26.489
Even when it was time for him to start ministry,

00:50:26.849 --> 00:50:30.889
he also still did not say, oh, he attended meetings.

00:50:31.250 --> 00:50:34.949
It was in probably, John the Baptist probably

00:50:34.949 --> 00:50:38.650
had thrown a conference, right? Probably had

00:50:38.650 --> 00:50:41.570
thrown a conference. because he was, and then

00:50:41.570 --> 00:50:43.690
he showed up in the conference and you, you can,

00:50:43.750 --> 00:50:45.550
and you know, you know the thing about relationship

00:50:45.550 --> 00:50:48.469
where I said, he could have said, it's a cause.

00:50:49.190 --> 00:50:51.389
It's a cause. You know, you know, it's funny.

00:50:52.070 --> 00:50:56.090
It's not that boy. It's not my cousin. It's not

00:50:56.090 --> 00:50:59.090
my cousin. You just, just talk down on the person

00:50:59.090 --> 00:51:04.550
while it's, and you can tell that John the Baptist

00:51:04.550 --> 00:51:07.619
did not have that. John the Baptist, even in

00:51:07.619 --> 00:51:12.500
John 3 .30, he was like, no, right? He saw him

00:51:12.500 --> 00:51:15.219
for who he is. John looked at him and said, behold,

00:51:15.420 --> 00:51:17.760
the Lamb of God takes over. He did not look at

00:51:17.760 --> 00:51:22.400
him as, behold, my cousin. Praise God. He saw

00:51:22.400 --> 00:51:25.760
him and he was, and I just tied that in there,

00:51:25.820 --> 00:51:27.980
but the point is this, that Jesus Christ was

00:51:27.980 --> 00:51:31.780
very much there. He didn't ignore John the Baptist.

00:51:32.059 --> 00:51:35.480
He didn't ignore him. who was there, who was

00:51:35.480 --> 00:51:37.519
available, and that should communicate something

00:51:37.519 --> 00:51:40.820
to us. That every meeting should be important

00:51:40.820 --> 00:51:43.199
to us because something happens in every meeting.

00:51:43.860 --> 00:51:46.059
And when you decide to, I said it on Sunday,

00:51:46.219 --> 00:51:48.900
because the meeting is important to you, you

00:51:48.900 --> 00:51:52.400
will show up even when you eat. You know, how

00:51:52.400 --> 00:51:54.340
you know that something is important to you is

00:51:54.340 --> 00:51:57.440
when there is no means to come, you will make

00:51:57.440 --> 00:51:59.179
a way. Because they say when there's a will,

00:51:59.260 --> 00:52:01.840
there's a way, right? You know that there's no

00:52:01.840 --> 00:52:04.019
bosses. You know that there's, oh, you see, because

00:52:04.019 --> 00:52:06.219
I don't want to meet, not because you are going

00:52:06.219 --> 00:52:09.420
to function in that meeting or because there's

00:52:09.420 --> 00:52:11.659
something that happens in that meeting that you

00:52:11.659 --> 00:52:17.099
don't want to miss out on. And that is the, that's

00:52:17.099 --> 00:52:19.179
how you know that there's growth. That's how

00:52:19.179 --> 00:52:21.440
you know that you're learning because you know

00:52:21.440 --> 00:52:24.739
that this meeting will not, you're not, you're

00:52:24.739 --> 00:52:27.280
not, you don't cop out. You don't say, oh, we

00:52:27.280 --> 00:52:29.849
can do something else and leave it at that. So

00:52:29.849 --> 00:52:32.909
we see that, and we see that even when it was

00:52:32.909 --> 00:52:37.510
time to select a replacement for Judas, it was

00:52:37.510 --> 00:52:41.650
someone that was not just available for the meeting,

00:52:41.690 --> 00:52:44.510
but was part and parcel of the different things

00:52:44.510 --> 00:52:47.289
that we're doing. We see that in Acts 1, Acts

00:52:47.289 --> 00:52:53.889
1, 15 to 26. Acts 1, 15 to 26. So it says, in

00:52:53.889 --> 00:52:57.449
those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the

00:52:57.449 --> 00:53:01.519
disciples. altogether the number of names that

00:53:01.519 --> 00:53:06.179
was a hundred and twenty, and said, Men and brethren,

00:53:06.380 --> 00:53:11.179
the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the

00:53:11.179 --> 00:53:15.039
Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David

00:53:15.039 --> 00:53:18.860
concerning Judas, who became a guide to those

00:53:18.860 --> 00:53:24.920
who arrested Jesus. And for he was numbered with

00:53:24.920 --> 00:53:29.980
us and obtained a part of this. He says, Now

00:53:29.980 --> 00:53:32.579
this man purchased a field with the wages of

00:53:32.579 --> 00:53:36.320
iniquity, and falling headlong, he busted open

00:53:36.320 --> 00:53:40.159
in the middle, and all his entries gushed out.

00:53:40.780 --> 00:53:45.380
19. He says, And he became known to all those

00:53:45.380 --> 00:53:48.280
dwelling in Jerusalem, so that a field is called

00:53:48.280 --> 00:53:55.320
in their own language, Akeldema, that is, a field

00:53:55.320 --> 00:53:59.159
of blood. For it was written in the book of Psalms,

00:53:59.300 --> 00:54:01.780
Let the dwelling place be desolate, and let no

00:54:01.780 --> 00:54:05.300
one live in it, and let another take his office.

00:54:06.079 --> 00:54:10.760
Therefore, of those men who have accompanied

00:54:10.760 --> 00:54:16.179
us all the time, that the Lord Jesus went in

00:54:16.179 --> 00:54:19.940
and out among us, beginning from the baptism

00:54:19.940 --> 00:54:24.920
of John to that day when he was taken up from

00:54:24.920 --> 00:54:29.760
us. One of those must become a witness with us

00:54:29.760 --> 00:54:32.800
of his resurrection. I want you to notice the

00:54:32.800 --> 00:54:37.880
fact that this is from the time of John, this

00:54:37.880 --> 00:54:40.880
time, and the person must be there, not with

00:54:40.880 --> 00:54:43.619
some time. A person shows up there and there's

00:54:43.619 --> 00:54:46.940
no boss, there's no income, and there's no food

00:54:46.940 --> 00:54:49.159
that morning, or there was no water, there's

00:54:49.159 --> 00:54:53.480
no income. It says they proposed to, like Stephen

00:54:53.480 --> 00:54:57.090
called. Basavas and the sign name Justus and

00:54:57.090 --> 00:54:59.269
then Matthias and we know that it goes on and

00:54:59.269 --> 00:55:00.750
on and then Matthias was the person that was

00:55:00.750 --> 00:55:03.130
selected. Notice that all these persons were

00:55:03.130 --> 00:55:05.789
not, they were committed to the meeting. They

00:55:05.789 --> 00:55:08.070
were consistent in the gatherings. They were

00:55:08.070 --> 00:55:10.750
there and then they said, okay, this too. They

00:55:10.750 --> 00:55:14.130
had two persons that was there and then they

00:55:14.130 --> 00:55:17.550
picked one of the two persons. So it means that

00:55:17.550 --> 00:55:21.690
you, for any form of growth increase, for you

00:55:21.690 --> 00:55:24.150
to be patterned, you have to be committed, not

00:55:24.150 --> 00:55:27.989
just And it's not just you are close, you see,

00:55:28.050 --> 00:55:30.889
you are close to the person and then that closeness

00:55:30.889 --> 00:55:33.010
will translate to you being picked. That's not

00:55:33.010 --> 00:55:35.289
how it works, right? Because, you know, sometimes

00:55:35.289 --> 00:55:39.230
it's like, that's a corrupt practice, right?

00:55:39.570 --> 00:55:41.829
Where on the basis of closeness, you are now

00:55:41.829 --> 00:55:44.369
being selected. Most of the time, it's the person

00:55:44.369 --> 00:55:46.130
that is selected on that premise will not even

00:55:46.130 --> 00:55:48.829
get the job done. Praise God. The person will

00:55:48.829 --> 00:55:50.449
not be able to get the job done because it takes

00:55:50.449 --> 00:55:55.090
more than that. It takes more than. And we say

00:55:55.090 --> 00:55:58.369
that availability is essential and very important.

00:55:59.090 --> 00:56:01.369
Being available, and when I say being available,

00:56:01.429 --> 00:56:05.309
it's 360. It's not just you being physical. I've

00:56:05.309 --> 00:56:07.130
said this a couple of times. You can be physically

00:56:07.130 --> 00:56:09.769
present, but your mind is somewhere else. I said

00:56:09.769 --> 00:56:12.389
like the chair. It is present in every, like

00:56:12.389 --> 00:56:14.829
we will leave the chairs, go out, we'll come

00:56:14.829 --> 00:56:16.449
back, we'll see the chair. The chairs are the

00:56:16.449 --> 00:56:18.329
first thing we see when we come in, and they're

00:56:18.329 --> 00:56:20.130
the last thing we see when we're leaving. But

00:56:20.130 --> 00:56:21.889
it doesn't mean that they're committed to the

00:56:21.889 --> 00:56:24.599
work. Praise God. And the first thing we say,

00:56:24.639 --> 00:56:26.579
the last thing we say, so you want to challenge

00:56:26.579 --> 00:56:28.719
yourself to not be a chair. Always there, but

00:56:28.719 --> 00:56:32.539
you do nothing. Oh, you just function as where

00:56:32.539 --> 00:56:36.320
people sit on. Praise God. So God does not call

00:56:36.320 --> 00:56:42.420
and equip people in isolation. Praise God. He

00:56:42.420 --> 00:56:44.619
doesn't call and equip people in isolation. There's

00:56:44.619 --> 00:56:47.179
always a network of our family. He has placed

00:56:47.179 --> 00:56:49.900
us. In fact, when we come, we come into a family,

00:56:50.000 --> 00:56:53.639
right? We come into a family from different nationalities,

00:56:53.699 --> 00:56:57.400
but we are one in Christ. Praise God. And he

00:56:57.400 --> 00:56:59.980
does that through our gathering consistently.

00:57:00.320 --> 00:57:02.920
Our gathering consistently. And it's in our gatherings

00:57:02.920 --> 00:57:05.400
that we are a tool of blessing to people. I remember

00:57:05.400 --> 00:57:08.300
what I told us on Sunday as we closed. Remember

00:57:08.300 --> 00:57:10.820
what I told us on Sunday? That these friends

00:57:10.820 --> 00:57:15.860
that wanted to get their friend healed, know

00:57:15.860 --> 00:57:19.820
that that friend was... For you to, you know,

00:57:19.840 --> 00:57:22.599
when you are able to go out of your way and say,

00:57:22.639 --> 00:57:25.719
see, this is our friend. We don't like his situation.

00:57:26.519 --> 00:57:30.559
We want to see our friend get well. And then

00:57:30.559 --> 00:57:32.719
go out of your way to the point that you had

00:57:32.719 --> 00:57:35.019
several, you know, you can come and then you

00:57:35.019 --> 00:57:37.639
see a crowd and you say, let's just go back.

00:57:37.780 --> 00:57:40.000
Maybe we'll try some other day. But because you

00:57:40.000 --> 00:57:42.300
want to see your friend, you will push everything

00:57:42.300 --> 00:57:46.119
and anything on the path to get that person healed.

00:57:46.590 --> 00:57:49.469
And I think I heard the testimony of someone

00:57:49.469 --> 00:57:52.170
that wanted to get healed of a particular condition.

00:57:52.329 --> 00:57:54.610
And they showed up in a meeting and they were

00:57:54.610 --> 00:57:57.150
like, how will we have this? But they just stayed

00:57:57.150 --> 00:57:59.690
there. And Holy Spirit just ministered to them

00:57:59.690 --> 00:58:02.010
to just stay at the point. And they are staying

00:58:02.010 --> 00:58:04.090
there because they insisted that something was

00:58:04.090 --> 00:58:06.289
going to happen. All of a sudden, someone just

00:58:06.289 --> 00:58:07.969
opened the door from the side and told them they

00:58:07.969 --> 00:58:10.010
should come in. And that was how they were able

00:58:10.010 --> 00:58:12.030
to. Because they knew that just waiting around,

00:58:12.090 --> 00:58:14.170
by the Spirit of God, they knew that waiting

00:58:14.170 --> 00:58:16.699
around there will... Somehow, they didn't know

00:58:16.699 --> 00:58:18.639
how it was going to happen. These friends, they

00:58:18.639 --> 00:58:21.300
pulled out the roof and ensured that he landed

00:58:21.300 --> 00:58:24.440
where he would meet with Cillian. And you want

00:58:24.440 --> 00:58:27.820
to be that faithful friend to someone. And you

00:58:27.820 --> 00:58:30.260
yourself want to be that person that is postured

00:58:30.260 --> 00:58:31.980
to know. You want to be that faithful friend

00:58:31.980 --> 00:58:33.579
to someone. And you want to be that faithful

00:58:33.579 --> 00:58:35.780
friend to your family member, to that friend.

00:58:35.900 --> 00:58:37.780
Because that's basically what we're called. Because

00:58:37.780 --> 00:58:40.480
we know what the solution is, right? And we're

00:58:40.480 --> 00:58:42.320
able to communicate that effectively to anyone,

00:58:42.579 --> 00:58:45.769
right? Because we say, when an opportunity presents

00:58:45.769 --> 00:58:49.690
itself, it should demand that we go all in because

00:58:49.690 --> 00:58:52.909
we know that the result is there, right? We know

00:58:52.909 --> 00:58:54.989
we have been taught, right? And we know that

00:58:54.989 --> 00:58:56.610
the gospel is this, this, this, and this. We

00:58:56.610 --> 00:58:58.510
should be able to open our mouth and say, this

00:58:58.510 --> 00:59:00.730
is the gospel. Opportunity presents itself. This

00:59:00.730 --> 00:59:03.090
is what it is. Praise God. We should never be

00:59:03.090 --> 00:59:06.769
scared to proclaim that which we have received.

00:59:07.110 --> 00:59:09.130
We should not be scared to proclaim that we have

00:59:09.130 --> 00:59:11.690
received because it is going to mean that someone

00:59:11.690 --> 00:59:15.460
will miss out on. something that God has an abundance

00:59:15.460 --> 00:59:19.139
of. Praise God. God has an abundance. God does

00:59:19.139 --> 00:59:21.840
not delight in holding back healing that is going

00:59:21.840 --> 00:59:24.940
to turn the situation of a family member, a friend,

00:59:25.019 --> 00:59:28.159
right? But he requires that we are able to stand

00:59:28.159 --> 00:59:30.539
our ground and say, okay, this thing has to change

00:59:30.539 --> 00:59:34.199
and this is he who can change it. Praise God.

00:59:34.380 --> 00:59:36.880
So I want us to open our mouths and just give

00:59:36.880 --> 00:59:40.000
God thanks because we are not people that will

00:59:40.000 --> 00:59:43.019
relent. We're not people that will hold back.

00:59:43.179 --> 00:59:47.659
We are like those faithful friends. We appreciate

00:59:47.659 --> 00:59:50.400
you being here today. We hope you carry this

00:59:50.400 --> 00:59:53.460
word with you throughout your week. Don't forget

00:59:53.460 --> 00:59:55.460
to check the show notes for additional insights.

00:59:55.980 --> 00:59:58.820
Stay connected with us through our website or

00:59:58.820 --> 01:00:02.300
follow us on social media. If you are encouraged,

01:00:02.519 --> 01:00:04.699
share this message with someone you care about.

01:00:05.400 --> 01:00:07.559
Until next time, stay blessed.