Latest / Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons / MInisters of God pt 2

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MInisters of God pt 2 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF. We're thrilled you're here.
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Make sure to stay with us till the end, where
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we'll share some great resources to deepen your
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faith. Now, let's dive into this week's sermon.
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So, very quickly, we'll continue from where we
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stopped on Sunday, and I'll just do a bit of
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a big hack. I don't know whether we're hearing
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me clearly. If we're hearing me clearly, then...
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I think just a thumbs up or something. Thank
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you for hearing me clearly. Okay, good. So we're
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going to continue where we stopped and we said
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the topic is still ministers of God. It's still
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ministers of God. I want to remind us that it's
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plural. It's not singular. It's ministers, meaning
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that we're doing it together and we're doing
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it as a team. And that's how we can be effective.
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And our text is from 2 Corinthians 6. And I want
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to read it from the Amplified. Because the Amplified
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adds something to it that I want us to see and
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pay attention to. It says, to no purpose. Do
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not receive it to no purpose. What this last
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line points to us is that there is a purpose
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for what we have received. There is a purpose
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for what we have received. And that purpose is
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the work of ministry. And on Sunday, we say,
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who is the minister? We ask ourselves that question,
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who is the minister? And it says, the minister,
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the word there is from the Greek word, which
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is diakonos. And we say that that word implies
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a servant, someone who serves or to serve with
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another. We said it implies someone who serves
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or to serve with another. It means that is when
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you refer to as a minister, you are someone who
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serves and you're not just serving yourself.
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You're not serving your own purposes. You're
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serving God because you are his minister. You
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are his minister. And we said, we saw that as
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a minister, we have an identity and our identity
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is tied to the one who sent us. The one who has
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called us, the one who has given us the mandate
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as a way to do the work of ministry. And we say
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that that identity is tied to a responsibility,
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means that we're responsible during the course
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of the prayers. And we see that we're called
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to that ministry of reconciliation. What has
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been done to us, we also... do to others. We
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are trained to train others. We are trained to
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bring others in to call others out of darkness
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because when we are proclaiming that which we
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have seen or that which Christ has done to others
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for them to come into that reality. And we see
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that the ministry that we are called into is
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a natural consequence of salvation. The ministry
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that we have is a natural consequence of salvation,
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meaning that an individual is saved and trained
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for the work of service. And it's very important
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that we prioritize that work of ministry as believers.
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And we can get, I think on Sunday I painted a
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picture for us how we can be distracted, we can
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be sidelined from little things. Our everyday
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life, you want to do this one thing and then
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you just get sidelined. And we have to come to
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a place where we realign ourselves to what we
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are called to. Reorient ourselves to what we
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are called to because we can be doing a lot of
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things, which is what we're going to take time
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to focus on in this meeting. how we want to have
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singleness of mind. We want to be doing that
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thing that he has called us. And every other
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thing that we're doing is tied to that one singular
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thing. And we say that the local church is the
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training ground for believers to do the work
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of ministry. The local church is the training
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ground for it. We cannot train ourselves. You
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can't be trained outside of the local church.
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And we'll see in this teaching why it's important
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for us to be part of the local church. We'll
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further expand it on. And we also discussed,
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we talked about the grace of God. We looked at
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a couple of passages and I want to just remind
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us of what the grace of God is. You see, the
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grace of God is all that is freely given to us
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from God to man for salvation and for the work
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of ministry. And that is the definition in North
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Shore because we look at several passages of
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scripture. And I want us to come to that place
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where we bring everything together. Know that
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it's from something that is freely given to us
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from God. It's not something that we can walk
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to have. And that gift of God is what brings
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us into heaven. That gift of God is everything
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that we need for the work of ministry. It's everything
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that we have been given for the work of ministry.
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Praise God. So the gift of God is all that is
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freely given from God to man for salvation and
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the work of ministry. All that has been given,
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freely given from God. to man for salvation and
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the work of ministry. And what I want us to take
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time to discuss in this teaching, and we're going
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to look at examples of different characters,
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different individuals that had this singleness
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of mind, that had one thing at their focus, and
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how that one thing they had in their focus helped
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them drive... was the drive or the motivation
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and was what led to the result and what led to
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the life or the character of the individuals
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that we are going to be looking at. And we're
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going to look at a couple and we're going to
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do this. We're going to do this with the help
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of God and we're going to see how we go. So we
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are going to look at David. We're going to look
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at the life of David and we're going to see it
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from Psalms, Psalms 27. I want us to open our
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Bibles to Psalms 27 verse 4. Psalms 27 verse
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4. And we know that David is one, is a king.
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And David, when David shows up, we see him serving,
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we see him tending sheep. The father heard. Psalms
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27 verse 4. Psalms 27 verse 4. So, Psalms 27
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verse 4. So it reads, it says, One thing I ask,
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one thing I ask of the Lord, the thing I seek
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most is to live in the house of the Lord all
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the days of my life, delighting in God's perfection
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and meditating in his temple. Delighting in his
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perfection and perfections and meditating in
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his. I will read it again from the New King James.
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It says, One thing I have desired of the Lord,
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that I will seek that I may dwell in the house
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of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold
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the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his
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temple. And one thing I want to see from the
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life of David, because he starts that psalms,
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he starts, he starts, he's the one that wrote
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the psalms, he starts the psalms from verse 1.
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He says, The Lord is my light and my salvation.
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So why should I be afraid? Why should I be afraid?
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He says, the Lord is my fortress, protecting
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me from danger. So why should I tremble? He says,
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when evil people come to devour me, when my enemies
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and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
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Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart...
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will not be afraid. Even if I'm attacked, I will
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remain confident. I like the last part. It says,
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even if I'm attacked, I will remain confident.
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And this is a man of war. David is a man that
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went to battle. David is a man. And he's telling
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you, and know that all of this, one, two, three,
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I think there was a point in time, I think when
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I had a ringtone where this was, this was the
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verse that was actually beside, I think the ringtone
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had the verse. And that was one part, like the
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ringtone was just, you know, it gives you the
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stats of the Lord is my light and my salvation.
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You don't hear that and it doesn't exude confidence
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that this person is sure what they're talking
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about. This person is confident, not in himself,
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but in the Lord. The person is confident, not
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in himself, but in the Lord. And David speaking
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is a man of war. He went into battle knowing
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one thing, that his strength, his abilities,
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every of those things. and nothing except for
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God. Except for God. And David was one person
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that you knew through the way he did his things,
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knowing that what was very important to him was
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his relationship with God. And that's why he
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says that one thing. And his one thing, his own
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one thing is right. And that one thing motivated
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every of his actions. And I want to remind us
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as believers, there should be one thing that
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motivates every of our decision making. It should
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be one thing that is our digital making is anchored
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on. And every other thing should flow from it.
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And that is our relationship with God. Meaning
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that our faith in God is what should drive our
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motivation, not the other way around, where several
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things are the things that drive our motivation.
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And we'll see it exemplified in the life of David.
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David is telling us very clearly, he is his light,
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he is his salvation. And that is where he...
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He anchors his faith on God. And then that is
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what makes him not to be afraid of anything.
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And I know that you, which is what we'll come
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to, as a believer, as someone who knows the God
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that they serve, as someone who has a relationship,
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as someone who is taught, as someone who is learning,
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you want to come to that place where you are
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very, very, very confident. in the God that you
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serve. And that is what gives you the boldness
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to boldly declare. That's what gives you the
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boldness to proclaim. That's what gives you,
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that's what takes away every form of fear. Because
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fear is inconsistent with our identity. Because
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we serve a God, because we know the God that
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we serve, we are bold, we declare. And this is
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one thing that David exemplifies in his whole
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life, where he, because of the relationship he
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has, he determines and detects how He lives and
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the way the things he appreciates and the things
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he wants to do. He says, one thing I've desired.
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And what is important to him is that constant
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fellowship and communion with God. And we see
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it in how he says it. He says his confidence,
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his faith, all of that is anchored on the priority
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of the relationship he has with God. That prioritizing
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the relationship we have with God. And there's
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something I think I read. which book was that?
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It very clearly states that the believer never
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lacks faith. A believer never lacks faith, no
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matter the situation. Because a believer believes
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in the one who has saved him, the one who has
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called him to the work of ministry. So even with
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regards to the work of ministry, you have faith.
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for the person that you're speaking to. You have
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faith for the walk that he has called you to
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because he's the one that has called you to the
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walk and he's the one responsible. So you are
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putting your trust in him who has called you
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because he's the one, he who has called you,
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he's faithful. He who has called you is the one
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who placed our confidence in. And we have a tendency
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to place our confidence in things that we are
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not 100 % on. I was here, I think I was talking
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last week with someone or on the weekend with
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someone. I was like, we sit down on chair, we
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take a seat on the chair. We don't know who made
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the chair. We don't know who was the manufacturer.
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We're not confident. We just put our full weight
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on the chair and we just move on like it's normal.
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We don't know who the pilot is, but we're confident
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that we're going to arrive at this. We don't
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know who, we don't, there's certain things we
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don't know about, but we have confidence in those
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things. But we know this God and we know that
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this God has done so much already. He has given
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us a son. He has brought us to that place where
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we know that he has promised. He has given us
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his promise and he has kept his promise over
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and over again. So it doesn't bring us, we never
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come to a place where we are in doubt of God's
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faithfulness when we know, when we are learning,
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when we have a revelation of this God. And Apostle
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Paul very much exemplifies this in the passage
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where we were reading where he goes down and
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states a lot of things that he has, a lot of
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things that has happened. You see him in verse
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4, starting in verse 4. He says, but in all things
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we commend ourselves as ministers. That is 2
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Corinthians 6 verse 4. He says, but in all things,
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2 Corinthians 6 verse 4, but in all things we
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commend ourselves as ministers of God in much
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patience. In tribulations, in needs, in distress,
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in stripes, in imprisonment. Apostle Paul knows
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a lot about imprisonment and he still doesn't
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look, he doesn't change his identity as a minister
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of God, doesn't change it. He doesn't stop him
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from carrying out his responsibility. He still
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carries out his responsibility in imprisonment.
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And as he's in tumult, in labors, in sleeplessness.
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In fastings, by purity, by knowledge, by long
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-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit,
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by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the
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power of God, by the armor of righteousness on
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the right hand and on the left hand, by the armor
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of righteousness on the right hand and on the
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left hand. By honor and dishonor, by evil report
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and good report, as deceivers and yet true, as
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unknown and yet well -known, as dying and behold
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we live, as chastened and yet not killed, as
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sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making
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many rich. as having nothing, yet possessing
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all things. And we see that he contrasts all
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these things, and he's trying to establish to
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us that in all these things, he still stands
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in his identity, his solid and confident identity,
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because his identity is not based off of himself.
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It's based on the one who called him, on the
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one who called him. And in the same Corinthians,
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I think that's verse 4. 2 Corinthians 4 verses
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1. 2 Corinthians 4 verses 1. He said, therefore,
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since we have this ministry, we have this ministry
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as we have received mercy. We do not lose heart.
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We do not lose heart. We do not lose heart. In
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the NLT, he says, we never give up. We never
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give up. Meaning that as ministers, we know what
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we have. We never give up. We are consistent
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in it. We are consistent in it. We are consistent
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in it. And we know that it's a responsibility
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of everyone. It's not the pastor's responsibility
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to never give up for each and every one of us.
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It's we, individually, never give up. Because
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know that David is speaking of that one thing.
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Apostle Paul is telling his own. He's speaking
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about how we. Call it today as believers. He
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says, since we have this ministry, we never give
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up. We never lose heart. We never give up. We
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never lose heart. And I want us to see another
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one thing again. And in this particular one thing,
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I want us to pay attention because we come to
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this passage and we are looking at it from this
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direction. But I want us to see what God is going
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to be ministering to us strongly on. And look.
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In Luke 10, in Luke 10, in Luke 10, verse 40
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to 42, in Luke 10, verse 40 to 42, it says, But
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Martha was distracted with many servants, and
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she approached him and said, Lord, Do you not
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care that my sister has left me to serve alone?
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Therefore tell her to help me. 41 now says, And
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Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha,
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you are worried and troubled about many things.
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But one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that
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good part, which will not be taken away from
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her. And we can look at this passage and we're
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like, oh, Martha is just doing. She's just more
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concerned about, oh, you want to look at what
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was going on while she was doing the many things.
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She was doing, it says, she was worried and troubled
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about many things. She was worried and troubled
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about many things. And 42 now says, but one thing
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is needed. And it says, and Mary has chosen that
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good part. Mary has chosen that good part. And
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what was the good part? Note that prior to the
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verses, my previous verses in 39, it says, and
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she had a sister, Mary, that's verse 39 of Luke
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10. She had a sister, Mary, who also sat at Jesus'
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feet and heard his word. She sat at Jesus' feet
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and heard his word. And I want you to understand
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that as a minister, What should be more important
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to you? Service is important. But what should
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be more important to you or what should be more
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important to us is learning at Jesus' feet. The
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training that happens when teaching of God's
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word is happening. Because that is what is most
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important. In the Church of NACF, we have said
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this so many times. What is important to us is
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that people are not just serving. That people
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are learning and they are growing. People are
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learning and they are growing. Not just seven,
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because you can be seven and you're not growing.
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You can be seven, but you're not growing. What
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is more important is that you are learning and
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you are growing. That is why we prioritize and
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we say, okay, leaders, members, every one of
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us should be part of the midweek service. Every
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one of us should be part of the cell meetings.
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Every one of us should be paying attention and
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be taking notes in the Sunday services. All of
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this is to the end that everyone is learning
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and is growing. And that is a hallmark. That
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is what a minister, and that's what ministry,
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that's what a minister of God should hold as
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priority. That is the one thing, which is the
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good part, that should be a priority to us. Because
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you can be doing many things. You can be doing
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many things, troubled. You can be doing many
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things and be troubled about those things. But
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know that there's something about when you're
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focused on one thing and you're focused on the
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thing that is good, the most important. You will
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see growth. And your service will be more effective.
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Praise God. Your service will be more effective.
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See, those who are trained serve effectively.
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Most of the people who struggle to sit under
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the training and teaching, they are the ones
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that you will have a hard time with in service.
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And this is very important, that as ministers
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of God, that we ensure that we devote ourselves
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to the trainings that are happening in the church.
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The trainings that are happening in the church
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are what is most important to us. The trainings
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that are happening in the church is what is most
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important to us. And we also see another example.
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And I love this example because it is not just
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what is needed, it is also what we can lack.
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It's not just what is needed, it's also what
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we can lack. And we see this in, we can look
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at it from Luke's account. Since we're in Luke,
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let's look at Luke 18. Luke 18, verses 18 to
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23. Luke 18, 18 to 23. This is an account of
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the young ruler, the rich young ruler. It says,
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Now a certain ruler asked him, saying, good teacher,
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what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus
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said to him, what do you call, and why do you
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call me good? Why question, why do you call me
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good? No one is good but one. That is God. You
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know the commandments. Do you commit adultery?
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Do you murder? Sorry, you know the commandments.
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Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not
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steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your
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father and your mother. And he said, all these
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things I have kept from my youth. So when Jesus
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heard these things, he said to him, you still
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lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute
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to the poor and you will have treasures in heaven
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and come and follow me. 23 now says, but when
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he heard this, he became very soulful. for he
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was very rich. And when we read this passage,
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we just look and then we say, oh, he's the wealth,
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he's tied to his wealth. But beyond this, we
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see a man that comes and he presents to Jesus
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Christ a flawless CV. He says, my CV. He says,
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this is my CV. He says, my CV is, I have kept
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all, you see, in verse 21, he says, all these
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things I have kept from my youth. As a minister,
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you want to be very careful when you, during
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the course of service, our pride is not, there's
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nothing of us. Remember we said the gift that
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we have received, we didn't pay any price for
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it. It was freely given. And it's all that we
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have is what we have. We have those things in
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Christ Jesus. Yes, there's the effort, the responsibility
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that we. we put into the work that gets us. We
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know that there's no basis for you to come and
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then you look at the person you're talking to
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and you're saying, yeah, see, I've kept all of
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these things. We can present. And we know that
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our flawless series, if you want to always get
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a job, you want to go with, you want to have
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a series, you know, not this, this, that. You
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want to have a series that ensures that you are,
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you... You want to have a good CV. You want to
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know how to write the CV. You want to know how
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to package even the things that you have done.
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You want to know how to package and put. But
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in this work of ministry, our CV is, Apostle
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Paul says it very beautifully, that it's not
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all these things. He has even the things to brag
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about. He has all of those things. But he knows
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that it's not anchored on things. It's on what
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Christ has done. He's able to brag and make his
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boast on. And he comes and then he's out. saying,
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okay, look at me, flawless. But know that the
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only flawlessly we have is the one we have is
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on what Christ has done. So if we want to go,
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we present that. So the minister of God is not
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taking pride in the things that they can do or
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the things that they have done. They are taking
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pride in the things that Christ has done and
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the things that Christ is enabling them to do.
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So what we are not doing, when we are doing God's
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work, We're doing God's work in his own terms.
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We're doing God's work with the CV or with the
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ability that he supplies. So this man now is
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presented with the one thing he lacks because
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the person he's talking to is not a man that
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will not see past the flaws or the errors in
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his presentation or the motive behind it. And
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he comes now and he presents that and then he's...
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brought his attention is brought to the one thing
25:25
he lacks and i want you to notice that what he
25:28
lacks in this in a sense is that passion for
25:34
like because he's instructed here now to sell
25:37
all he has and give to the poor meaning that
25:40
his heart and which is very key once our our
25:44
desire and our heart our relationship well we
25:49
have a relationship with god our Every of our
25:52
desire is anchored. Remember what we said earlier.
25:55
We said that our motivation, once our motivation,
25:58
once our faith is what drives our motivation.
26:01
So if we have faith in God, we believe in God,
26:06
we know that what he has called us into is greater
26:08
than what it is that we can call ourselves into.
26:10
You mean that no matter what exactly it is that
26:12
we're doing, what he has called us into is more
26:15
important than what it is that we are doing,
26:17
like our careers. all those responsibilities
26:20
that we have, because that is what is most important.
26:22
We are able to say, okay, this is what is important.
26:26
I think someone says this, because you have a
26:30
relationship with someone, the person has your
26:32
heart. Your resources will easily flow because
26:36
you know that this person is important to you.
26:40
This person is a priority to you. So when an
26:42
instruction is given, because God is your Lord,
26:46
His resources are yours. Your resources are his.
26:50
You are able to respond easily. And the fact
26:54
that you love God, you will love the people that
26:56
are his. You will love the people. You will love
26:59
people. You will have relations. You know, some
27:02
people say, I'm not a people person. You know
27:04
that the ministry you have been called into is
27:08
a ministry where you deal with people. You don't
27:10
deal with chairs. Yes, if you are doing ushering,
27:14
you will be cleaning them and all of that. But
27:16
know that the end goal is that you're going to
27:18
be interacting with people. Even the reason why
27:19
you're cleaning things, the reason why you're
27:21
arranging, the reason is for people. You're ministering
27:24
to God and you're also ministering to people.
27:26
And the point here is that this individual comes
27:29
in and then he's wanting to do it in his own
27:32
terms. He's wanting to present his own thing
27:35
and then believing that that is how he's going
27:37
to get through. But we know that... The instruction
27:41
is the same and it has not changed. That the
27:44
moment we come into him, we are no longer ours
27:47
but his. And our activity, every activity is
27:51
anchored on that. The fact that we have a relationship
27:53
with him, he tells us how we do our things. And
27:56
this is very true for our personal relationships.
28:00
Once you have a friend that is dear to your heart,
28:03
you will go out of your way to ensure that if
28:06
they have a need, that their need is met. Once
28:09
you have a relationship, there's nothing that
28:13
is too big for you to give because you have a
28:15
relationship. And that is basically at the core
28:18
of it. As ministers, our responsibility is beyond
28:22
just the casual, the everyday run -ins. We understand
28:27
that we're called to something. We're called
28:29
to minister to people. People are the... the
28:36
agency by which people are important in the work
28:39
of ministry. So it means that we shouldn't have
28:41
a hard time serving. We shouldn't have a hard
28:45
time serving. We shouldn't have a hard time serving.
28:47
And I love how Mark's account, Mark's account
28:50
actually says he looks at him with compassion.
28:54
He looks at him with compassion. He looks at
28:57
the young rich one, he looks at him 21. He says
29:01
on Jesus Christ, Mark 10 verse 21. Mark 10 verse
29:06
21. It says, then Jesus looking at him, loves
29:09
him, looking at him with compassion. He says
29:11
to him that one thing you lack. Mark 10 verse
29:14
21. He says, one thing you lack. He says, go
29:18
away, sell whatever you have and give to the
29:22
poor. Go away, sell whatever you have and give
29:25
to the poor. But in 22 he says, but he was sad
29:28
at his word. He was sad at his word. He went
29:31
away sorrowful. for he had great possessions.
29:36
So this person at the instruction to give away
29:39
what he has is sorrowful. He was saddened by
29:43
that. It was sorrowful. So it means that as believers
29:47
or as ministers, we shouldn't have a point in
29:49
time where we come and then we are feeling sorrowful
29:53
because we are asked to serve others. We are
29:56
feeling saddened because we are asked to do the
29:58
work that we are called into. Remember we said
30:00
that this work of ministry is a natural consequence
30:03
for our salvation, meaning that that is what
30:07
will flow naturally from us. And there's a training.
30:10
We shouldn't run away from training. So he says,
30:14
so I want us to ask ourselves this one question.
30:17
What is the one thing that we lack that stops
30:21
us from genuine and wholehearted service to God?
30:25
What is that one thing? What is that one thing?
30:29
That is holding you back. What is that wanting.
30:32
That is limiting your desire. Or not allowing
30:36
you to. Because in the passage. Apostle Paul.
30:40
Let's go to 2 Corinthians 6. 2 Corinthians 6.
30:46
In verse 11. Verse 11. Apostle Paul says. All
30:52
Corinthians. We have spoken openly to you. Our
30:57
heart. is wide open. Our heart is wide open.
31:02
The NLT says, the New King James says, it's spoken
31:08
openly to you. He says, our heart is wide open.
31:12
Our heart is wide open. Verse 12 now says, you
31:16
are not restricted by us, but you are restricted
31:24
by your own affections. You're restricted by
31:28
your own affections, meaning that the problem
31:31
is not from his own end. The problem is from
31:34
their own end. It means that something is now
31:37
more important. That is one thing that is different
31:41
from the main thing that is restricting them.
31:46
Praise God, that is restricting them. Verse 13
31:50
now says, now I turn from. It says, now in turn.
31:56
For the same, I speak as to children. I speak
32:01
as to children that you also be open. That you
32:05
also be open. In Daniel, he says, open your hearts
32:09
to us. Open your hearts to us. Meaning that he
32:14
says, so he's like, something else has your affection.
32:18
Something else has your attention. He's saying,
32:21
open your hearts. He's speaking to them as children.
32:24
He says, open. your heart out to us. Because
32:27
there's a need to recalibrate and realign ourselves
32:33
to what is important. And what Apostle Paul is
32:37
pleading, Apostle Paul is pleading to them that
32:40
they should respond to his plea and set their
32:43
affection on God and his people. Set their affection
32:45
on God and his people because their gaze is away
32:49
from what is most important. Their gaze is away
32:52
from the call and the responsibility that they
32:54
have. to do that which is the work of ministry.
32:57
And he's pleading to them. He's saying, what
33:01
exactly it is? What's more important? And another
33:03
question to us is, what or who have we set our
33:08
affection on? What and who have we set our affection
33:12
on? Like King David. It is his desire. One thing
33:16
as he desired. And his desire is for God. His
33:20
desire is for the things of God. Is our desire
33:23
for God, is our desire for the things of God?
33:26
If so, our response to the work that he has called
33:30
us as ministers will be seamless. It will be
33:33
seamless. Our response will not be arguing, will
33:36
not be having any, will just flow with things
33:39
that he instructs us to do. It will not be difficult
33:43
for us to follow through with his will. It will
33:47
not be difficult for us to follow through with
33:49
his will because what is important to us is the
33:50
work of ministry. And it's his work that he has
33:54
called us to. So we do it. And Apostle Paul,
33:58
again in Philippians, in Philippians 3, verses
34:02
13, he also screams, he says, I do not count
34:05
myself to have apprehended. He says, one thing
34:09
I do, one thing he does. Even Apostle Paul, he's
34:13
saying this loudly. Remember, we're talking about
34:15
the focus, that singleness. And every believer
34:19
should have the fact that we are. We're doing
34:21
this, we're pursuing careers, we're pursuing
34:24
this and that. There's something that we should
34:26
prioritize. We have to have our priorities set
34:30
on the work that we are called to. And as I said
34:34
on Sunday, sometimes things can happen, we can
34:38
shift, but we have to come back to the things
34:42
that are most important. We have to come back
34:44
to it. We have to come back to it. And I suppose
34:47
it's forget one thing it does. He's forgetting
34:51
those things that are behind. Meaning that there
34:54
is a tendency for us to allow the things that
34:57
we have done in the past to cloud us from the
34:59
things that he's wanting to do in the future.
35:02
And as human beings, we have this tendency to
35:04
do things habitually. We want to do things like
35:08
creature of habits. We want to do it like this
35:11
all the time. Sometimes we need to make... to
35:15
be able to help us to be able to do the things
35:18
that God has called us to even more effectively.
35:20
We need to make changes to do even the things
35:22
that God has called us to more effectively. And
35:25
I want us to see also that even the purpose that
35:30
God has called us to affect the way we will structure
35:34
ourselves as a church, there are a lot of things
35:36
that are changing, there are a lot of things
35:38
we are arranging so that we can be more effective,
35:40
so that people will grow, people will be trained.
35:44
And people will be sent out for ministry because
35:48
how it happens is that we are called, we are
35:51
equipped, and we are sent out. We're trained,
35:54
we're equipped, and we're equipped, and the equipment
35:56
is for the work of service. It's for the work
35:58
of ministry. Praise God. So in Acts 6, I want
36:01
us to see a situation that happened, and we want
36:04
to see the growth. We want to see the expansion.
36:07
I want to see the reasons for it. All the things
36:09
that are happening in Acts 6, verse 1 to 7. Acts
36:12
6, 1 to 7. Acts of Apostles 6, 1 to 7. It says,
36:19
now in those days, when the number of the disciples
36:22
were multiplying, there arose a complaint against
36:28
the Hebrews by the Hellenists. The Hellenists
36:32
are the Greek -speaking... The Hellenists are
36:35
the Greek -speaking believers, and it's against
36:38
the Hebrew -speaking believers. He says, because
36:40
their widows were neglected, meaning that there
36:43
was some form of discrimination that was happening
36:45
as a result, that was happening during the distribution
36:48
of food to the widows. He said, then the twelve
36:51
summoned the multitude of the disciples and said,
36:54
it is not desirable that we should leave the
36:58
work of God and sell tables, meaning that the
37:02
apostles, prioritize the work of God, the ministry
37:09
that we're called into over this thing that could
37:12
be some form of distraction. Therefore, brethren,
37:16
seek out among you seven men of good reputation,
37:22
full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may
37:26
appoint over this business. But we will give,
37:31
we say, but we will give. ourselves continually
37:35
to prayer and the ministry of the word. And the
37:40
saying pleased the whole multitude, and they
37:44
chose Stephen, a man full of faith, and the Holy
37:48
Spirit, and Philip, Procrius, Nicanor, Timon,
37:53
Hermanus, and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch,
37:58
whom they set before the apostles, and when they
38:02
had prayed, they laid hands on them. Seven, then
38:07
the word of God spread, and then the number of
38:10
disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and
38:14
a great many of the priests were obedient to
38:17
the faith. And I want us to see something here,
38:20
that we understand that the decision of the apostles
38:26
to select this individual on the basis of a challenge,
38:30
because in... it's short -setting, you can have
38:33
conflicts. And the way they chose to address,
38:38
to resolve this conflict is by not giving all
38:42
of their attention to this, but creating a system
38:44
of leadership around that particular area to
38:51
be able to checkmate what was going on. And know
38:54
that they decide to have a set of criteria because
38:57
know that the purpose... that whatever purpose
39:01
it is of what you're doing will determine how
39:04
you structure it, how you create structure. Whatever
39:08
purpose you want to, if this is important to
39:10
you, there's a structure around that. If that
39:12
is not important to you, you leave it because
39:14
it's not important. But it very much tells us
39:17
how you structure things and knew that there
39:19
was a reason for it. They said they want to give
39:21
themselves to, to give themselves continually
39:23
to prayer and the work of ministry and that will
39:25
be destruction. And hence, you now decided to...
39:28
They now ask that they should find people. And
39:31
note that the choices, like the men of good reputation,
39:36
seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy
39:41
Spirit and wisdom, whom they have appointed over
39:46
the business. Note that all of these criteria
39:48
are the criteria that are lacking in a believer.
39:53
Are the criteria that should be lacking in a
39:55
believer. All of these criteria should not be
39:59
a criteria lacking in a believer. So it means
40:01
that everyone, like if they were, because the
40:05
instruction was to have seven men. So it means
40:10
that every other person will have, but know that
40:12
these individuals are to be leaders. They are
40:17
to be leaders. So it means that these persons
40:19
stood out and were selected. These persons stood
40:25
out for the position and they were matured individuals
40:28
because just imagine if you now carry it and
40:30
give it to some group of persons where people
40:32
don't even respect people because they are individuals
40:36
that are matured, they are individuals that have
40:39
these criterias and they were able to do the
40:41
work. What I want us to see is that the apostles
40:45
delegated this for focus, so that they will be
40:50
able to focus on what is important, which is
40:52
prayer. and the work of men and the prayer and
40:55
the word. So they are able to do that. And we
40:58
see that after that is done, the result of it
41:01
is that people are effectively trained and there's
41:07
an expansion. People are effectively trained
41:09
and there's an expansion. And let us know that
41:11
the spread of the word is the result of disciples
41:14
that were trained. The spread of the word is
41:18
the result of disciples that were trained because
41:20
if the disciples... Because it's not the apostles
41:22
that are just doing the work all by themselves.
41:25
You know that in the Church of Hennessy, it should
41:27
be every one of us doing the work of ministry,
41:31
serving. Not just the pastors, not delegated
41:34
to us solely. Yes, we're doing different things.
41:37
And it goes beyond Sunday to Sundays. An everyday
41:42
thing. It's an everyday thing. We have this time,
41:46
but we have more time outside of here than now.
41:50
The walk of ministry is a lifestyle for the believer,
41:53
meaning that anywhere we find ourselves, we should
41:55
be positioned to do the work. We should be positioned
41:57
to do the work. And we see that this spread,
42:01
the increase, we saw that in verse 7. It says,
42:03
then the word of God spread. And the spread,
42:08
as I repeat myself again, is as a result of the
42:11
disciples that were going out and doing the work.
42:16
The disciples... And the number of disciples
42:18
multiplied greatly, meaning that it's one person
42:22
giving rise to another. There is a multiplication
42:24
that happened as a result. So it means for tremendous
42:27
growth, everyone has to be involved in the training.
42:31
If we want to see growth, everybody has to participate.
42:38
One person can do several things, but if several
42:43
people are doing one thing, it's going to be
42:46
more effective. it's going to be a lot effective.
42:48
One person can do several things, but if several
42:52
people are doing one particular thing in particular,
42:54
there's going to be effectiveness in that particular
42:56
thing. And that's why we all are called to this
43:00
program. We are ministers of God and we are all
43:02
to that responsibility of doing that. And for
43:05
a long time, most of us have just negated ourselves
43:09
to just the normal routine. And that's basically
43:12
what church has done to where we just show up
43:14
and then once it's over, We go back home. We
43:17
come back and your month is over. It's now a
43:20
routine. It's now a routine. And I want you to
43:24
see something similar in Exodus. Exodus 18 verse
43:27
21. With Moses. Exodus 18 verse 21. Exodus 18
43:35
verse 21. Moreover, you shall select from all
43:43
the people able men. Such as fear God, men of
43:49
truth, hating covetousness, and place such over
43:55
them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds,
44:01
rulers of fifties, rulers of tens. Rulers of
44:07
thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties,
44:10
rulers of tens. there's still a criteria. We
44:16
see that in the Old Testament. We just saw that
44:19
in the New Honor. We're seeing this in the Old,
44:21
where a selection is done based on a criteria.
44:24
People who are able men and they feared God and
44:29
they are men of truth, hating covetousness, and
44:32
place such men. Such men who have place over.
44:35
We see the disciples, a structure where Moses
44:43
is going to be more effective. And that was the
44:45
advice that his father -in -law, Jethro, had
44:47
given. Because it's beautiful when you can come
44:50
and do everything. And most of the times, we
44:53
do that because we trust ourselves to get it
44:57
done. But what will happen over time is that
44:59
we'll be doing a lot, and then people will not
45:01
be trained. And people themselves, and when you
45:04
have a church with a lot of people that are capable,
45:07
and sometimes we used to say this, we say, those
45:09
of us that are... and are just looking at those
45:11
that are struggling with it. We need to check
45:15
you again. I want you to understand why you are
45:18
in a place where there's a need and then you
45:21
are not wanting to see how you can meet that
45:23
need. I really want to understand what is sponsoring
45:27
the attitude of just watching and waiting until
45:31
when it's, you know, there's a people that the
45:34
car is broken or you see that the car is about
45:36
to break or the car is about to get damaged.
45:40
And then you are just waiting for you to be the
45:42
Messiah when it does happen. And then you now
45:44
show up and then you will now be saying, all
45:46
this while you have been looking at us. So you
45:49
knew that this thing needs fixing and then you
45:51
were just waiting. That is not godly. Praise
45:54
God. That is not godly. We are called to the
45:57
work of ministry and we want to see, we have
46:01
to put our hearts to it and ensure that we are
46:04
all in it and we are working towards it and having
46:06
everybody. participate and does their own quarter
46:10
to the effectiveness of the work itself. So I
46:13
want us to look at Acts 2. Acts 2. Acts 2. 42
46:22
-47. Acts 2. 42 -47. Where I looked at it briefly
46:32
at the church on Sunday. It is... And with many
46:37
other words, he testified and exalted them. That's
46:41
Peter now. And exalted them, be saved from this
46:45
perverse generation. Then those who gladly received
46:50
his word were baptized. And that day, about 3
46:54
,000 souls were added, seeing that multiplication
46:58
happening as a result of the preaching of God's
47:01
word. No, that is the preaching of God's word
47:03
that causes the multiplication. not just inviting
47:06
people to church, is the preaching of God's word
47:08
that causes the multiplication. Preaching and
47:11
having people saved causes the multiplication.
47:13
It says, and they continue to stay sparsely in
47:16
the apostle's doctrine and fellowship in the
47:20
breaking of breads and prayers. And not that
47:22
they continue to stay sparsely, meaning that
47:24
the teaching of the word, remember what we said
47:26
on Sunday, that is, when people are saved, trained,
47:30
what will naturally happen is that they will
47:33
be They are trained for the work of ministry
47:35
and will have expansion. And what we are believing
47:39
God for and what we know that God is doing in
47:43
this season is that he's given men a desire to
47:46
not sit down and just be receiving training and
47:52
not doing anything about it. Or rather, men are
47:56
getting that sense of desire to go out. And for
48:00
most of us, we feel that, okay, going out will
48:03
mean that you have to go out. I said it, I think
48:06
I said it now. So some of us have friends, housemates.
48:10
We have people around us that we have had so
48:14
many opportunities to present, and we don't.
48:17
We don't. And we are holding back. I think the
48:21
word that Abura Takunda came and gave to us during
48:24
the course of the prayers, we want to... go out.
48:28
We want to speak and it has to be consistent.
48:31
It has to be consistent. And we want to be able
48:34
to ensure that we are not just saying these words.
48:37
We are also believing God for the gifts to be
48:42
manifest. As you are speaking to the person,
48:44
you are praying and you are receiving a word.
48:47
You are asking them, okay, what do you need prayer
48:49
for? Or what are the practical needs that you
48:53
feel that you have? And then you are believing
48:55
the ones you can meet, the ones you You can pray
48:57
for, you'll see that I can be a tool for God
49:02
to be able to minister. And you want to be able
49:04
to make sure that you are going out of your way.
49:07
I think something happened last week where I
49:08
was really concerned for a particular individual.
49:12
I was praying for the individual. And then all
49:15
of a sudden I was like, I got a word that this
49:18
person is not saved. And all the while this person
49:20
is telling me all the things and just talking.
49:23
And when I asked him about it, he said, yes,
49:26
he was. And then only for me to ask them, okay,
49:28
what is then the gospel that got you saved? And
49:31
then the person is just stammering. And then
49:33
I now realize that, okay, that word I got was
49:36
very valid, that this individual wasn't saved.
49:39
And we want to be able to really believe because
49:42
there are people that show up in church and they
49:44
are moving around and they are not. And you want
49:46
to believe God to be able to address certain
49:49
things. And it's all by believing that God is
49:53
able to. do these things and is able to work
49:56
it and we're able to ensure that we get people
49:58
not just showing up in church because that in
50:00
itself will change that person from the state
50:02
of just a church attendee to someone who is equipped
50:07
for service. So in 43 it says, Then fear came
50:11
upon every soul and many wonders and signs were
50:16
done through the apostles. Now all who believed
50:21
were together. and had all things in common and
50:25
sold their possessions and goods and divided
50:28
them among all as many had need. So individuals
50:34
were just very, were just open because once God
50:38
has happened, you have people just very willing
50:40
to serve others with what they have. Remember
50:42
when we talked about the rich young ruler, not
50:45
be saddened by just the singular fact that he
50:49
was asked to give what he had to the poor. Once
50:53
people are saved, they are trained, it's very
50:57
easy for them to just commit to the needs of
51:01
others, commit to helping others in need. So
51:03
they continued daily in one accord in the temple,
51:07
breaking bread from house to house, meaning that
51:09
they were moving. There was that priority, moving
51:12
from house to house. They were moving to where
51:14
people were and ensuring that they were preaching
51:17
as well. They ate their food in gladness and
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singleness of heart, praising the Lord. and having
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favor with all the people. And the Lord added
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to the church daily those who were being saved.
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Meaning that there is also the positioning that
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happens as a result of the expansion. There's
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a position in that. I thank God for the Church
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of NECF where we have cell meetings in house
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environments, in people's houses, where we want
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to really believe God for just how we're going
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to position ourselves in such a way that there
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are people around. that we can be able to minister
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to and we can be able to bring to the knowledge
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of the truth and then train. Because as I said
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on Sunday, I said, you can get someone to work,
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the main work is ensuring that they grow, that
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they are trained for the work of ministry. And
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that requires patience, that requires consistency,
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that requires the great help that God is able
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to supply to us. And in Timothy, 2 Timothy 2
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verse 2, 2 Timothy 2 verse 2. 2 Timothy 2 verse
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2. It says, And these things that you have heard
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from me, among many weaknesses, commit this to
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faithful men who will be able to teach others.
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Meaning that you want to, you're not just, the
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goal is that it is committed to faithful men
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that are able to teach others. The goal is to
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commit the things to the... teaching to faithful
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men. This is Apostle Paul commending Timothy,
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that he commends it to faithful men that are
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able to teach others. And we see Apostle Paul
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having, I think, he had a lot of individuals
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around him that ministered, that were ministers,
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right? That ministered to him that were ministers.
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I want us to see it in this passage in Acts 20.
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Acts 20. Acts 20, 4 -12. Tychicus and Trophimus
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of Asia. It says, these men had, going ahead,
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waited for us at Troas. But we sailed away from
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Philippi after the days of unleavened bread and
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in five days joined them at Troas where we stayed
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seven days. And I want us to see how the work
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of ministry brought people around him and then
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also he moved. And then you have people ministering.
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And we see him coming to Troas and then also
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ministering in Troas. Now, there's verse 7. Now
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on the seventh day of the week when the disciples
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came together to break bread. Remember we said
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that was a routine. They would come around, break
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bread, ready to depart the next day. Paul ready
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to depart the next day to spoke to them. and
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continued his message until midnight. You can
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imagine the time he started and he continued
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until midnight. There were many lamps in the
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upper room where they were gathered together.
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And in a window sat a certain young man. That
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is in verse 9. The window sat a certain young
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man. Take your course. He says, Who was sinking
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into a deep sleep? And I'm hoping somebody is
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not sinking into it deeply. He was overcome by
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sleep. And as Paul continued speaking, he fell
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down from the told story and was taken up dead.
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He said, I was taken up dead. But Paul went down,
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fell on him, and embraced him. And embracing
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him said, do not trouble yourselves, for his
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life is in him. Now when he had come up, had
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broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while,
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even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought
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the young man in alive, and they were not a little
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comforted. They were not a little comforted.
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Now that Paul had... thought and thought and
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thought to tell you how what was important going
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back to what we said about what was most important
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to him. The man that slept and fell from the
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dust did not distract him from the work he was
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doing. He had gone prayed for the man and thanked
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God for the healing. The man did not die. The
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man did not die. But you want to see that even
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in the life of Paul, Paul prioritizes the teaching
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of the word and he comes in and he's an example
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for us where he's moving from one point to another.
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He spent this much time teaching and teaching
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and wanting to see that the disciples or the
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persons, the believers were equipped. And once
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he even goes, he takes his time to send them
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letters, to minister to them. They are certain
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individuals that he was moving around with, which
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one of them is Tiki Kos. I want us to see in
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Ephesians where he, how he refers, Ephesians
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6 .21, Ephesians 6 .21, Ephesians 6 .21, we see
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him saying, he says, but you also, that you also
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may know my affairs and how I am doing. Tiki
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Kos, a beloved... brother and faithful minister
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in the Lord will make all things known to you.
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So we have an individual that is a faithful minister
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that is going to help, that was helping him and
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ensuring that the word is spread. And in also
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Colossians 4, Colossians 4, verse 7, which is
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what we, I think we're very familiar with that
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passage down to 12. I'll just read it very quickly
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to us. We see that Tychicus was a beloved brother.
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faithful minister and a fellow servant with all,
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he said, will tell you all the news about me.
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And I want us to go down to 9, where he says,
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and Onesimus, this is another individual again,
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Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who
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is one of you. He will make known to you all
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the things which are happening. So these individuals
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are ministers and they are enabled and they are
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helping in the work of ministry. And then we
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have... 12, 12, verse 12 of that same Colossians
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4, Epaphras, which is, we pray this a lot in
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church, said, who is one of you? Same as Onesimus,
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who is one of you? I think during the course
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of the prayer, we had looked at Philemon, where
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he was commending Philemon, he was asking Philemon,
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you should show love to this person, Onesimus.
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He says, in 12, he said, Epaphras, who is one
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of you? A born servant greets you, always laboring
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favorably for you in prayers. that you may stand
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perfect and complete in all the will of God.
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Praise God. So we see that all these individuals
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are ministers. All these individuals are ministers.
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And in closing, I want us to look at 1 Corinthians.
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1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 58.
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1 Corinthians 15, verse 58. It says, Therefore,
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my beloved brother, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
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immovable, always abounding in the work of the
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Lord. Knowing that your labor is not in vain
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in the Lord. Knowing that your labor is not in
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vain in the Lord. Knowing that your labor is
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not in vain in the Lord. Every minister's labor
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is not in vain in the Lord. Our ministry to God
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and to his people is what will last. Our ministry
59:32
to God and his people is what will last. And
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we're not doing something that others before
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us have not done. We're not doing something that
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others before us have not done. We want to stay
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steadfast. We want to not allow distractions
59:44
to stop us from doing the work. We want to stay
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focused. I want to believe God for strength to
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even do more than we're doing. I want us to just
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close by saying, I'm a minister of God. We're
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