Latest / Chatting with The Experts with Paula Okonneh / Wisdom for Our Time: Discipleship and Spiritual Growth
Transcript
- 0:04Hello everyone and welcome to yet another episode of Chatting with the Experts
- 0:10where I, Paula Okonneh, the host, speak mainly with women from Africa, from
- 0:16the Caribbean, and in the diaspora.
- 0:19On some occasions I make exceptions, and today is one of those days.
- 0:26My guest today is a man.
- 0:28I'll tell you a bit about him.
- 0:33Reverend Emmanuel is a married man who is a pastor.
- 0:37He's a teacher, and he's also an entrepreneur.
- 0:41He is a teacher by the grace and the spirit of understanding
- 0:45that rests upon him.
- 0:47He heads a church in Ghana of about a hundred people, and he also runs
- 0:53a residential discipleship school that's not just a Bible school.
- 0:59But a Bible school and more because there's practical life
- 1:04training that goes on there.
- 1:07Our title of this show is Wisdom for Our Times, and he says The Great Omission
- 1:15in the Great Commission is Discipleship.
- 1:20And so with that, I welcome Reverend Emmanuel Anatsui to
- 1:25Chatting with the Experts.
- 1:30Hi Paula.
- 1:32Hello.
- 1:33I'm always so blessed when I have a man come on the show because that adds variety
- 1:40and makes things a bit different and...
- 1:43Mm-hmm.
- 1:43What is even blessing me even more is the title for the show Wisdom for Our Time.
- 1:51Yes.
- 1:52So let's talk a little bit about that, because I love this.
- 1:55The Great Omission in the Great Commission is Discipleship.
- 2:00What do you mean by that?
- 2:02Well, yes.
- 2:03Today, as we all would admit, we are surrounded with so many problems,
- 2:10both socially and spiritually.
- 2:12Yeah.
- 2:13And I believe that I think I'll quote, is it Mike Murdock who says that?
- 2:18All the world's problem is a wisdom problem.
- 2:22And so once you get the wisdom about it, the problem gets solved.
- 2:26And so I believe that with all the problems that we are seeing around us, it
- 2:31is all because we lack a wisdom and so I believe what we are going to be talking
- 2:37and receiving today is setting keys that will help us so we stone for the times we
- 2:45leaving so that we can actually be able to address some of the things that seemingly
- 2:52we are not finding our way around.
- 2:55So that is what the title is all about.
- 2:58Wisdom For Our Times.
- 3:00I love it.
- 3:01I love it.
- 3:01So now we talk about wisdom for our times, but people,
- 3:04'cause we are all human beings.
- 3:07We are dealing with social problems and as Christians we know we wrestle
- 3:13not against flesh and blood, so we are also dealing with spiritual problems.
- 3:17How does wisdom, godly wisdom come into that?
- 3:21How do you go about that?
- 3:25Well, Paula clearly we know that we are not accidents, that we didn't
- 3:31bring ourselves on this earth.
- 3:33There is a designer, God, who created us and send us all
- 3:37individually here for a purpose.
- 3:40And God is so good that he didn't just send it as here like any
- 3:44manufacturer, he accompanied or added also the manual, the operation manual.
- 3:51So what God did for us is that He gave us His word, which is the
- 3:56Bible, which contains the wisdom for how to live the life we live here.
- 4:03However, unfortunately we have set that aside and we are using worldly wisdom.
- 4:11Yeah.
- 4:11Actually, scripture makes us to understand that there are two kinds of wisdom.
- 4:15There's a wisdom from above and there's a wisdom that is earthly.
- 4:19Yeah.
- 4:19So what is really happening is that we have leaned more on the worldly
- 4:24wisdom and not use God's wisdom.
- 4:28And that is why we find ourselves where we are.
- 4:33Yeah, that's throwing some light onto it.
- 4:36So with that in mind, from what I'm hearing is that there's a poor
- 4:40understanding of the times we live in.
- 4:43I mean, we can be aware of the time, but if you don't even understand
- 4:46the times you're living in, then you sometimes you're not prepared.
- 4:50Right?
- 4:52Yes.
- 4:52I mean, there's a scripture in the word of God.
- 4:55I think it's in 1 Chronicles chapter 12 verse 32.
- 5:00He talks about the tribe of Issachar who understood the times
- 5:05and also what Israel ought to do.
- 5:07And because of this ability that they have, all the other
- 5:11tribes were subject to them.
- 5:13And so really I believe that, I mean we, we all agree that times comes and times
- 5:19go that the various seasons and times.
- 5:22So we've been able to rightly interpret the times we are in,
- 5:28helps us to know what to do.
- 5:30So, from where you are, you have four seasons and every season requires
- 5:37certain things you do and even the clothing you wear and all that.
- 5:41And so being able to truly understand the season or the time
- 5:47you can now do and be prepared for what is going on in that season.
- 5:53And so sadly, I mean, all around us, it is clear that we are,
- 5:58we don't understand the times.
- 6:02And so we are like doing the wrong things at the wrong time.
- 6:06Mm-hmm.
- 6:07And the season has changed, but we are still using the old methods for the
- 6:11new, and that has also contributed to the myriad of problems that we see,
- 6:18whether it be social or spiritual.
- 6:22And I can go further.
- 6:23I mean, to talk about today we have, for example, the Gen Z generation.
- 6:29Mm-hmm.
- 6:30I mean, that has been coined because they are different from us.
- 6:33Mm-hmm.
- 6:34But really we made them so, if I could put it that way.
- 6:38Reason being that, this generation and our generation are no different.
- 6:44The only difference is the exposure.
- 6:47They have had a different set of exposure from us, and that is
- 6:51what is making them different.
- 6:54But really this exposure also had come about because we... I want
- 7:00to lay squarely at the feet of parents because we produce them.
- 7:05We got too busy with work and career and certain demands such that what
- 7:11needed to be put inside them in that formative years, we did a poor job.
- 7:18And that is why, because now we are leaning more in secular knowledge,
- 7:23academic knowledge versus family knowledge, social knowledge,
- 7:28religious knowledge that should be passing on from us to them.
- 7:33We failed.
- 7:34If you remember after Joshua, we are told that a generation arose after Joshua.
- 7:40Mm-hmm.
- 7:41Who Bible says they did not know God.
- 7:45But even Joshua, could boldly declare that, "As for me and my
- 7:49house, we'll serve the Lord."
- 7:51Yes.
- 7:52Though, he spoke that but however we found out that we didn't have his, any
- 7:58of his children take over from him.
- 8:00That is to say that he got so busy with the assignment God gave him that he
- 8:06was not available for these children to be trained to take over from them.
- 8:11So what we are actually going through is that they have gotten to a stage where we
- 8:16have children who are different from us.
- 8:19We have children who, if today we should leave everything behind, they might run
- 8:25everything down because their wisdom, we had to have built whatever we had,
- 8:29whether it be business, whatever it be ministry, or they lack the wisdom and
- 8:35it's all because we didn't understand a success without a successor is failure.
- 8:43Say that again?
- 8:44Success
- 8:46without a successor.
- 8:49It's failure.
- 8:49That's true.
- 8:50'cause it means that the person who is gonna take over is
- 8:53gonna bring everything down.
- 8:55Why?
- 8:55Because the wisdom, the knowledge, the understanding, you have to have
- 8:59raised whatever it is, the person is not equipped enough to handle
- 9:04what you have been able to build up.
- 9:08Mm-hmm.
- 9:08And I'm quoting Solomon who says, "it's all vanity Who knows who
- 9:13the child, who is gonna take over from whether he have the wisdom to
- 9:16handle." But no, there is a wisdom.
- 9:19The wisdom is that if you only would make time and raise, it's part of the
- 9:25success plan that whatever I'm doing, I need to make sure that I pass it on.
- 9:31And this wisdom is actually found in creation.
- 9:34I remember homeschooling my children.
- 9:37And I used to do some of the lessons with them and I remember we're doing the
- 9:41respiratory system in the human body.
- 9:46And so we were looking at blood circulation and all that.
- 9:50And it was interesting for me sitting behind because what we're watching
- 9:55was a video and it was all animated.
- 9:57Mm-hmm.
- 9:58And it just hit me that in part of the lesson, it taught that this
- 10:04white blood cells are our defense and that they are able to actually
- 10:12arrest these viruses and all that.
- 10:14But in the lesson it taught us that their lives one was so short that
- 10:18they die off and new ones come.
- 10:20But we know that in immunization you introduce a weak virus in there.
- 10:28The white blood cells learn how to kill it.
- 10:31Then next time you are able to overcome it.
- 10:35But my question now, which I got from there is that how come that the next
- 10:40generation that came after those who died were able to kill new ones who came?
- 10:46That is to say that right in your blood system, God has put
- 10:50in, the knowledge was passed on from one generation to the other.
- 10:54That is why we can stay alive and healthy because the wisdom,
- 10:59the knowledge is passed on.
- 11:01Unfortunately, we go through certain situations like, I mean,
- 11:07life has a lot of challenges and we fall, we get up and all that.
- 11:11However, we are supposed to make sure that our hindsight becomes
- 11:16the next generation's foresight.
- 11:17Mm-hmm.
- 11:18By passing this knowledge over and the wisdom and that is where we feel we have
- 11:23failed because we got too busy doing and building and forgetting that part of the
- 11:30equation should have been we trained the next generation to take over from us.
- 11:35Because really, life is a race.
- 11:37And I've come to understand it's a baton race that we pick up from
- 11:42somewhere from others and we also will leave the scene and we have to
- 11:46pass the bat to the next generation.
- 11:50So how well we pick the baton and also make sure we rightly pass it on to the
- 11:56next generation, we would have fulfilled what God is looking for from us.
- 12:03So what I'm hearing from you, thank you so much.
- 12:06That's so well said.
- 12:08What I'm hearing though is that
- 12:14Gen Zs, except something is done very soon, which can be Gen Zs,
- 12:20may live different lives than we are living if the Lord tarries.
- 12:23Right.
- 12:26But as a woman of faith, I always say our wisdom comes from the
- 12:30Lord, from the Holy Spirit.
- 12:31It comes down from above.
- 12:33And so when you recognize a problem, it's half-solved, isn't it?
- 12:40Right?
- 12:41So now we have identified the problem, and we are Christians.
- 12:44We are in the faith of Jesus Christ.
- 12:48How do we think we can go about solving it because a problem that is identified,
- 12:54recognized, we know what it is, we can now start looking for the solutions.
- 13:00And we as Christians have the solution.
- 13:03Yes, yes, absolutely.
- 13:05The solution is prescribed in the word of God.
- 13:09So, the solution let me give it to us.
- 13:13And, that is the blurp that I gave, that the Great Omission in the
- 13:17Great Commission is Discipleship.
- 13:20Jesus was sent to us here as an audio-visual of the Bible.
- 13:26Meaning that the Bible, you remember it says in the beginning was the
- 13:29Word and the Word was with God.
- 13:31And the word was God.
- 13:32Yes.
- 13:32And the Word became flesh and dwell among us.
- 13:35So Jesus is actually the audio-visual of the Bible.
- 13:39So he came and really lived out what the wisdom, what God
- 13:44is really looking for from us.
- 13:47Mm-hmm.
- 13:47And actually for all of us, we are actually supposed to become like Him.
- 13:53Mm-hmm.
- 13:54In Romans 8:29, for whom He forknew He predestined that we should all
- 14:00conform to the image of his Son.
- 14:02Now if that is true, which we know is true.
- 14:06Then the question is, how do we, I mean, become that?
- 14:10And it's all through training.
- 14:12Actually, what God has helped to do for us is that He created everything
- 14:18He created has a purpose, and the purpose was to bring us back to Him.
- 14:24Mm-hmm.
- 14:25So, Romans 1 says, His invisible attributes are clearly seen.
- 14:30We know them by the things that were created so that no one can have excuse.
- 14:35I didn't know that there was a God.
- 14:38So, creation speaks to us.
- 14:41The systems we have all points to the fact that, listen, this is God's
- 14:46handiwork, God's signature is on this, and He's communicating to us.
- 14:52Sadly, some of us are not able to understand.
- 14:56So let me put it this way.
- 14:59I'm a teacher by grace and I will throw this question out that, I mean, education
- 15:04is quite expensive for all of us.
- 15:06I mean, paying school fees, but would, did you think that it would've been very
- 15:10cheaper for us if we have bought the textbooks and given to our children for
- 15:16them to read and understand and we save ourselves the school fees we ought to pay.
- 15:21However, because when you give the books to the children, they'll read
- 15:25it, even if they can and read it.
- 15:27They don't understand what they are reading.
- 15:29They need a teacher to teach them, and that is what God has done
- 15:34that actually He didn't just send us here and give us a manual.
- 15:39But actually discipleship is the primary prescribed training
- 15:46program that God has given to us.
- 15:49That helps us to actually be equipped to have the wisdom He has so that
- 15:55we can live successful lives.
- 15:58Sadly just like our own regular family, family, like we
- 16:04identifying, we have been busy.
- 16:06We have not been parenting well.
- 16:09And that same thing has happened in the church because parenting is work.
- 16:15You have to be intentional in your parenting.
- 16:17Well, sadly we pastors too, have not been intentional because it's a lot of work.
- 16:23We just get people saved.
- 16:25And when people get saved, it's just being born.
- 16:28They are babies.
- 16:29But for babies to grow up, they need the nurturing, they need the teaching.
- 16:34They need the training to grow.
- 16:37And so this is where we have failed where we have kept them wearing pampers and
- 16:43drinking from the bottle, drinking only milk when they ought to go through this
- 16:49training program that would've helped them to now be responsible and take initiative.
- 16:56Mm-hmm.
- 16:57Now, we know that when you send a little child, I mean, I can see this
- 17:01from this side of our world that, I mean, he can be stopped on the way, and
- 17:08that stranger can tell him that mommy says, or daddy says, give me the money.
- 17:12I'll bring the item back home and the child will believe the stranger
- 17:17and just turn around and go.
- 17:19And so you can find out that what I'm trying to get across
- 17:22is that analogy I gave is that children are not deep thinkers.
- 17:26They can easily be deceived.
- 17:28And so if we haven't done the training, we have just become
- 17:31big babies sitting in church.
- 17:3330-year-old babies, 50-year-old babies.
- 17:37Because we I would like to quote one scripture in the Word of God,
- 17:41which is in Ephesians chapter four.
- 17:43It brings what I'm trying to say across it brings it home.
- 17:48Ephesians chapter four, we are told that Jesus, before he left, He gave
- 17:53gifts to men and gives some apostles, prophets, prophets, evangelists,
- 17:58pastors, and teachers for what purpose?
- 18:01It says for the equipping of the saints.
- 18:04Another word for equipping means for training.
- 18:08And says also the edifying of the body of Christ till we all
- 18:13come to the unity of the faith.
- 18:15Amen.
- 18:16And the knowledge of the Son of God.
- 18:17So you see, you can become something that you don't know.
- 18:22Our goal is to become like the Son of God or Jesus Christ.
- 18:26So one of the major syllabus or the syllabus is for all that we
- 18:31do in church should be Christ.
- 18:34That is the syllabus because that's the end product.
- 18:37Unfortunately, we teach on so many different things, which when I was
- 18:42in school we call that Non-sylla.
- 18:45Non-sylla means that which is not in the syllabus.
- 18:48So you go when you are not ready to write exams, you're sitting in
- 18:52the exams room, the questions are put before you and you can't answer
- 18:56because the teacher didn't teach you what was required in the syllabus?
- 19:00Mm-hmm.
- 19:01So what has really happened to us both at home and at church, is that children have
- 19:07been born to us, whether it be home or children being born again in the church,
- 19:14but we have failed to do this one and all important duty, which is parenting.
- 19:21Now, so discipleship is simply spiritual parenting.
- 19:25That when they are born or souls are won which is rightly
- 19:29described as new babes in the Lord.
- 19:32They are supposed to be trained the Lord's way.. And then so then it goes
- 19:36further in that Ephesians chapter four, it says, till we all come to the sorry.
- 19:44Let me, okay.
- 19:45Verse 13 says Till we all come to the unity of the faith and the
- 19:49knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, to the measure of the
- 19:54stature of the fullness of Christ.
- 19:56Amen.
- 19:57That we no longer become children tossed to and fro, carried about
- 20:02with every wind of doctrine and by the trickery of men and the cunning
- 20:06craftiness with deceitful plotting.
- 20:10If we have done our work well, children who have been properly trained or
- 20:16right foundation laid, when they get on social media, they are able to
- 20:22filter because you have armed them.
- 20:25But what we are talking, children will be tossed to and fro meaning,
- 20:28that whatever the winds blow, it takes them every wind of doctrine.
- 20:34So our lack of parenting that, so sometimes this is what happen
- 20:41because we fail instead of our children becoming arrows who
- 20:48speak to the enemies at the gates.
- 20:51If we are not careful, our children will be a tool rather in the
- 20:54hands of our enemy against us.
- 20:59And it seems like this direction is where we are heading to.
- 21:02So, I'm so happy that you read from Ephesians, 'cause I'm reading Ephesians
- 21:07too and I'm I wanted to say, and I seem to just keep being in Ephesians
- 21:11and it's just so edifying to me.
- 21:14But one thing that stood out for me is Ephesians 1, where it says that, you know,
- 21:19we should ask for the spirit of wisdom and the revelation of the knowledge of Him.
- 21:27Right.
- 21:28And that has been like my anchor for everything I do.
- 21:31I'm like, if we know God through the wisdom and the
- 21:37revelation that He gives us.
- 21:40Right.
- 21:40That trickles down to so much more.
- 21:42Right.
- 21:43So as I hear from you that, you know, parents and parents in the church
- 21:50and even the like the pastors in the church, like you're saying, even the
- 21:54leadership in the church has failed.
- 21:58I'm hearing, am I, is that, am I summarising it?
- 22:02Mm-hmm.
- 22:02Yes, we have.
- 22:03I mean.
- 22:04The state of the church reflects the society.
- 22:07Mm-hmm.
- 22:07So, I mean, everything starts from we.
- 22:11We are the agents and the vehicle that God is using.
- 22:16We are the light of the world.
- 22:17We are the salt of the earth.
- 22:19And so when we see darkness covering the earth, it's not because
- 22:23darkness is stronger than light.
- 22:26Really what has happened is that the light stops shining, and
- 22:29that is why darkness takes over.
- 22:32So we have night season because the sun went away, the light went
- 22:35away and the darkness takes over.
- 22:38So really what is happening is that we, the believers have failed and the failure
- 22:43has come from this five-fold ministry who did not understand that I'm not a prophet
- 22:50for prophet sake, evangelist, apostle.
- 22:53My one goal assignment is to equip people and make them become like Christ.
- 22:59Yes.
- 23:00So anything we are doing outside Christ is a Non-sylla, out of the syllabus.
- 23:07So we can talk, you name it, inspirational messages or teach
- 23:13morals, but that is not the gospel.
- 23:15Right.
- 23:16The gospel is Christ.
- 23:18Yes, the gospel is Christ.
- 23:19It's Christ.
- 23:20Christ and Christ alone.
- 23:22The one who came, died, resurrected and is now seated at the right hand side of God.
- 23:28And we are seated besides Him and understanding that we
- 23:33can't do this by ourselves.
- 23:34I think, I mean, I've heard everything that you've said and I agree, but
- 23:38then I guess we kind of touched on that, is that now we've recognized
- 23:42the problem, how do we solve it and how does the church solve it?
- 23:48We are talking about it, but in my opinion, and correct me if I'm wrong, is
- 23:54that now we have to go back to the origin.
- 23:57God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
- 24:00Repent and ask for the wisdom on how to go about changing this.
- 24:05Because the only way it can be changed is wisdom, which
- 24:09is what you're talking about.
- 24:10Yes.
- 24:10Understanding times we are in, but we need supernatural wisdom.
- 24:15The one that comes down from above.
- 24:17Okay.
- 24:18So I mean the, the key I think is what the Bible has rightly described.
- 24:25God says that my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
- 24:28Mm-hmm.
- 24:29Because remember, we have an enemy.
- 24:32Let's not forget that there is an enemy who has chosen to adulterate.
- 24:38If he's not able to stop you, he will slow you down.
- 24:41If it's not able to slow you down I mean destroy or get you off track.
- 24:47Now what has happened?
- 24:48And you could see clearly several times from Paul who was big on doctrine, meaning
- 24:55that the right things has to be taught.
- 24:58Mm-hmm.
- 24:58Because like I'm saying, if we understand the times, we'll know that Jesus first
- 25:03of all warned us that in the last days, there'll be a lot of deception.
- 25:07Mm-hmm.
- 25:08Now the deception is not like clearly something that is opposite.
- 25:12No, it is.
- 25:13So, it's a counterfeit.
- 25:15What the enemy has given us, and many of us, what we are doing is
- 25:19counterfeit, because listen, Christianity is a life, it's not a religion.
- 25:24It's supposed to be woven into everything that we do.
- 25:28Yes.
- 25:28Plus our time, our resources, why we do what we do.
- 25:33And it is all focused to eternity.
- 25:37Yes.
- 25:37But sadly, we are only living and building things here.
- 25:41And so what is now happening is that we are become shortsighted.
- 25:46We are living only for the now.
- 25:48Forgetting that one day we are going to stand before him and guess what?
- 25:54One of the questions he's going to us, did you do what I sent you?
- 25:58Sent you to do.
- 26:00And one of it, all of us He's going to ask us if you are really born again, He's
- 26:04going to ask you where are the disciples?
- 26:06But the Great Commission says Go and make disciples.
- 26:11But so now when you hear that.
- 26:13And you say, how do I do it?
- 26:14Then you, then other answers come, which is that you first have to be a
- 26:19disciple before you can disciple another.
- 26:23You see, Jesus says something, which I feel we all sometimes needs
- 26:27to be reminded about and say, what shall it profit a man if he gains
- 26:31the whole world and loses his soul.
- 26:34What God is looking, I mean, so wisdom for our times is living
- 26:39life with eternity in mind.
- 26:42It informs us what to do.
- 26:44I have one little story of I heard about.
- 26:47A guy who went to the hospital had an issue and someway, somehow the hospital
- 26:55personnel swapped his file or test.
- 26:58And so the diagnosis, the report that came pointed to whatever illness
- 27:03it was, and the doctor had to tell him, as per this report, it looks as
- 27:08if you have just one month to live.
- 27:10Hmm.
- 27:11And so this guy leaves the hospital and sad though, but
- 27:17suddenly everything changes.
- 27:19He's no longer short-fused.
- 27:22He was kind, I mean, everything about him changed.
- 27:26Now.
- 27:26Why?
- 27:27Because he now saw that I only have one month to live.
- 27:30He was helpful to people and all that.
- 27:34Well, two weeks later he was called in.
- 27:37And the records were set right.
- 27:39And apology was given, sorry your file got swapped with somebody's.
- 27:45But what he told the doctor was that, no, you don't have to apologize.
- 27:49You have helped me.
- 27:50Why?
- 27:51Because for a long time I finally found the way to live.
- 27:55Mm.
- 27:56Because until this rude awakening that came to me that I have
- 28:00somewhere to go and I need to be ready to stand before my Maker.
- 28:06I was living life as if I have all the time.
- 28:09So he continued that way.
- 28:11And I think for many of us, we get so busy with life that
- 28:15we don't even understand that.
- 28:17Listen, even the children He gives us, we are going to give an account.
- 28:21Did you teach them the way to go?
- 28:24Because remember, Jesus gave us a parable that the talents I gave you, I'm
- 28:29expecting you to have gone to do business or traded so that you have made profit.
- 28:35So what I mean, whether it be the time we have, the education we have,
- 28:39the opportunities that have given to us, all these things, one day we
- 28:44are going to stand before our Master and our Father and give an account.
- 28:49And I feel that we need to have that at the forefront of everything
- 28:53that we do, and that is wisdom.
- 28:55Yes.
- 28:56So, scripture says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
- 29:01And I think so because we are put him on the back burner and
- 29:05we are busy running His time.
- 29:08I mean, we're on His time, but we are using the employer's time
- 29:12to do our own side business.
- 29:14Yes.
- 29:15That is unwise.
- 29:17Yep.
- 29:18So what advice, as we are rounding up here, what advice would you give to us,
- 29:22those of us who are believers and parents.
- 29:25Some may be grandparents, but people who are viewing this or listening to
- 29:29this and are hearing what you're saying.
- 29:33You know, and they're like, okay, so how do we solve this?
- 29:37Well, I'll point us straight back to the blueprint of which is the Bible.
- 29:43The Bible.
- 29:45Yes, the Bible where God has laid out how to live this life.
- 29:50And His first prescription is that we all need to sign up to discipleship.
- 29:56So let me give you one clear example.
- 29:59A rich ruler goes to Jesus and say, Jesus, what must I do to have eternal life?
- 30:05And He says, you have to... He gave them, do not kill, do
- 30:08not steal, honor your parents.
- 30:10He said, I've been doing all these things since my youthful days.
- 30:14Bible says, Jesus laughed and said, but there's one thing that you lack.
- 30:18Yeah.
- 30:18Go and sell all, give to the poor and have your treasures in heaven.
- 30:24Then come and follow me.
- 30:26People hear that and they don't understand exactly what Jesus is talking about.
- 30:31Jesus says, you see, people interpret it to think that Jesus
- 30:35is against wealth and riches.
- 30:39No.
- 30:39Far from it.
- 30:40I've heard a lot.
- 30:40Yeah.
- 30:41What the Lord is trying to teach us there is that you need to come
- 30:44and sign up into discipleship.
- 30:47Mm-hmm.
- 30:47So that you'll be trained.
- 30:49So these things that you are giving out, the issue is that once you sign up on
- 30:53discipleship, you are actually going to be even more wealthy because the way God
- 31:00system is when you give it up, more comes.
- 31:02When you give, more counts.
- 31:04So temporally, let go, put it in a safe place, come into discipleship,
- 31:11and then you'll be able to now handle the wealth and use it profitably.
- 31:17Or use it for the Master's... because all the resources, like, Jesus also
- 31:23gave a parable about the rich fool.
- 31:26The rich fool, why was he a fool?
- 31:29Because Bible say he was not rich towards God.
- 31:31Meaning that he was living a selfish life, but the wealth that he had was
- 31:37supposed to be used to help others.
- 31:40Yes.
- 31:40But life is about giving.
- 31:42And one analogy or advice I'm giving us all, and I want to leave us to my hearers
- 31:47here is this, one of the best ways to understand life is how the tree is.
- 31:54Remember we equated to a tree.
- 31:56We are even referred to as tree of righteousness.
- 31:59My question is this, when the tree bear fruits, does it bear fruit for itself?
- 32:05And the answer is no.
- 32:07This is all that he does, he actually is living to serve others.
- 32:13But the beauty about it is that because the tree is fruitful, he has
- 32:18a gardener, or a husbandman, or a farmer who ensures that its nutrients,
- 32:24pruning its care is given to it.
- 32:28And that's what God is looking from us.
- 32:30We don't have to worry about the nutrients we need to have, the
- 32:33water we need to have and all that.
- 32:36Let's just understand that we are here to serve our generation, and so
- 32:42we should take our eyes off ourselves where we first put ourselves on what I
- 32:47can get, what I can have and all that, and switch it the other way where we
- 32:52seek the kingdoms agenda first, then all the other things will be added.
- 32:58Then we can be saved.
- 33:01And not stand before Him with regrets.
- 33:04So true.
- 33:05Yes.
- 33:06Those are your parting words.
- 33:07As somebody used to say to me, I dunno who.
- 33:11As Christians, we have to realize that this world is not our home.
- 33:14It's temporary, and God's kingdom is like opposite to this world.
- 33:20So you said give.
- 33:20180 degrees.
- 33:23Yeah.
- 33:24Mm-hmm.
- 33:26Actually, we don't own anything because when you own something, then if you are
- 33:32leaving, you could have taken it away.
- 33:34Mm-hmm.
- 33:34But the proof that you don't own it is that when you die all that, you possess
- 33:38whether even you had a title deed on a property, you leave that behind.
- 33:42You leave it behind.
- 33:43That tells
- 33:44you that it was just a lease.
- 33:46Yes.
- 33:47Uh-huh.
- 33:48Yes.
- 33:48So...
- 33:49Yes.
- 33:50But there is something that is waiting us in eternity.
- 33:53That is what we need to labor towards.
- 33:55Yes.
- 33:56And make sure that we enter in a grand way and we are to be
- 34:01intentional about living our lives.
- 34:04Intentional about living our lives.
- 34:06So that we have the last laugh.
- 34:09And you can be said, told...
- 34:10He who laughs last, laughs best.
- 34:12That's so true.
- 34:13And also that we can be told, well done, my good and faithful servant.
- 34:19Absolutely.
- 34:20Absolutely.
- 34:21Amen.
- 34:22Reverend Emmanuel, this has been really thought-provoking.
- 34:27I've had so many guests on and I say, I have to do a second episode.
- 34:31You have been put in that category.
- 34:33We have to do another episode.
- 34:34Gladly.
- 34:35I gladly you'll make time for it.
- 34:37I appreciate the opportunity giving to me and may the Lord bless
- 34:41this program you have and you are doing something very wonderful.
- 34:46Setting the stage and the forum for people to hear truth,
- 34:50wisdom and guidance for life.
- 34:53So may the Lord reward you.
- 34:55You're serving a need.
- 34:56This is part of you being that tree that is bearing fruits.
- 35:00Amen.
- 35:01Amen.
- 35:01God bless you.
- 35:02Amen.
- 35:03Amen.
- 35:03But one last thing is that, two last things people haven't heard this
- 35:09would like to get in touch with you.
- 35:11Where can they find you?
- 35:14Okay.
- 35:14So, I don't have a solid social presence, but you can reach me on whatsApp.
- 35:21Okay.
- 35:21I'll make the numbers available to you to share.
- 35:25Okay.
- 35:25I'm also on Telegram.
- 35:28Okay.
- 35:28I'll just drop it.
- 35:29I'll drop it in the chat.
- 35:31Thank you.
- 35:32Thank you.
- 35:33And for those of you who have listened to this and being blessed, who wouldn't be?
- 35:39I want you to know that to be a guest on Chatting with the Experts,
- 35:43just reach out to me on my website, which is chattingwiththeexperts.com.
- 35:48I speak to the best.
- 35:50You can also reach out to me on LinkedIn or on Instagram.
- 35:55My handle on Instagram is at chat_experts_ podcast, and I'm also on YouTube.
- 36:04YouTube, just search for Chatting with the Experts on YouTube.
- 36:08You'll see all our previous episodes, and of course you'll see this one.
- 36:13So thank you again.
- 36:16Thank you too.
- 36:17And now we'll open up the floor to everybody who joined us who
- 36:21may ask you questions that I haven't had the chance to ask you.
- 36:25Thank you.
- 36:26Thank you.
- 36:27Alright.