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Ambassadors for Christ (Part 1) · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. Thank you so much, choir. I think this...
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There's a line that is worth mentioning or worth
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repeating. I know someone needs to hear this.
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The line of the song that's stuck says, But no
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evil can stand the power of God. No evil can
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stand the power of God. No evil can stand the
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power of God. There is no mountain too high.
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There's no challenge too difficult. Sickness
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can be evil. And the power of God is able to
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bring about healing, bring about restoration.
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The power of God is available to do. The power
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of God is available to restore. The power of
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God is available to heal. I know that someone
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needs to hear this. Someone needs to be reminded
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of this singular fact. That no one can stand
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against the power. No evil can stand against
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the power of God. Father, we thank you. We thank
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you for your power. We thank you for your power
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to save. We thank you for your power to heal.
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We thank you for your power to deliver. We thank
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you for your power to restore. We thank you for
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your power to result in fruitfulness and increase
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and growth. Your power that is able to cause
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us to understand your word. We thank you for
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your power that is able to transform our lives.
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transform our lives, transform our lives, that
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people will behold the glory. People will behold
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the lifter of our head. People will behold the
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one who was and who is to come, made manifest
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in our lives. People will see the manifestation.
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People will see the greater. People will see
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the greater. People will see the greater. People
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will see the greater. Father, we thank you. In
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the mighty name of Jesus, amen and amen. So we're
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going to be looking at something. We're going
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to be starting off something new today and then
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we'll pause on Wednesday. So we're going to be
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looking at ambassadors for Christ, ambassadors
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for Christ or Christ ambassadors, ambassadors
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for Christ. And one very key thing that we want
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to... What this will be bringing to our attention
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is our identity. And many a times God's word
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communicates to us our identity as believers.
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And because we have other things that seems to
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be louder, we tend to get distracted or tend
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to lose sight of our identity. And what this
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will be doing to us will be reminding us so that
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we go through life. Anywhere we find ourselves,
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we are reminded of who we are in Christ, what
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we carry, what we have. And we have a lot to
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give. We have a lot to give. We have a lot to
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give. And what this is going to bring into our
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attention is just a reminder and to help us.
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And we're going to go to the place where we will
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see our responsibility. Because with every identity,
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there is a responsibility. Because every one
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of us here is identified by something. And that
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communicates the function, that communicates
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the responsibility that we have. So I want us
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to just look at Corinthians. Let's just start
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with Corinthians, where we take this from. 2
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Corinthians 5 .20. I want to first read it to
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us from the NLT. 2 Corinthians 5 .20. It says,
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so we are Christ's ambassadors. God is making
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his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when
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we plead, come back to God. I want us to read
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it also in the New King James. It says, now then,
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we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God
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were pleading through us. We implore you, on
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Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. Be reconciled
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to God. And Apostle Paul writes in this, and
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I want us to note in starting that that word,
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ambassador, appears twice. Apostle Paul uses
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it here, and also uses it in his letter to the
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church in Ephesus, that is in Ephesians 6 .20.
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And he says in Ephesians 6 .24, which I am an
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ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak
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boldly as I ought to speak, that I may speak
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boldly as I ought to speak. And just very recently,
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our lead pastor had taught us on the words of
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faith. And the takeaway, if you can't remember
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anything, is the encouragement to speak, to speak.
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to speak to circumstances, to speak to situations,
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and to speak your identity as well. Praise God.
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Speak your identity because sometimes we forget.
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So we need to be reminded and speak our identity.
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And we see Apostle Paul here saying, I am an
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ambassador. I am an ambassador. Yes, in change,
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but I'm still an ambassador. This is why I was
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saying, you see, there are chains, right? There
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are curses. But no evil can stand the power of
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God. He knows that the power of God that saved
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him is the power of God that has made him what
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he is that cannot be taken away from him. He
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reminds or he proclaims this. He speaks it. He
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doesn't keep it in his mind. He opens his mouth
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and speaks and he says he wants to always be
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bold about that which he's called to proclaim.
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Praise God. And we want to look at the privilege
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because notice that when Apostle Paul is writing
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in Corinthians, right? In Corinthians 5 .20.
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He's using that word ambassador, which is a position.
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And it's a position that we know to be earthly.
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Right? He uses that to illustrate something.
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He uses it to illustrate the importance, the
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privilege. Because it's an immense privilege
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to be an ambassador of your country in another
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country. Praise God. It's a privilege. I don't
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know whether there is anyone that is a government
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ambassador in the house, but I know that it's
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also a divine privilege for us to be ambassadors
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for Christ. Praise God. And I want you to imagine,
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you know, most of the times when we imagine ourselves
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in situation, it paints a better picture. I want
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us to imagine yourself being appointed because...
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The position of an ambassador is an appointment,
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right? The government, you're representing the
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president of the country, you're representing
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the country in a different country, praise God.
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And it's an appointment that is given to you,
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and it's an appointment that you know that it's
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of high importance, praise God. It's of high
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importance because what you're doing there is
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that you're not representing yourself, you're
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representing the country in... the foreign country.
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You represent your country in a foreign country.
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And you want to understand that there's a unique
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tax. It comes with a responsibility. It comes
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with a great responsibility because you're not
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standing in for yourself. You have every wonderful
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ideas. You have all the thoughts. All the different
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things can run to your mind. But you know that
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the one thing before you is the country that
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you represent. The nation that you are representing
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in that country. And we have other... Forms of
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ambassadors, like a brand ambassador, someone
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that will say, okay, I'm representing this brand.
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And we know that it's not a small, it's not something
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that everybody has. It's something that is select.
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You get recognized because of some things you
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have done, and then you are appointed to represent
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in that sense, represent companies, represent
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a nation. So there are different forms, but we
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understand that this position, to repeat myself
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again, comes with a lot of responsibility. You
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don't appoint a lazy person as an ambassador
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to represent the country. What you are going
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to have is someone that is not functional. Someone
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that's not functional, someone that's not carrying
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out their responsibilities effectively. And as
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I said earlier, we said an ambassador is a political
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appointment by the government. And the president,
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and he can represent the king as well, if it
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depends on the nation. And this representation
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happens in a foreign land. This representation
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happens in a foreign land. And the ambassador
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is referred to as a minister of a highest rank.
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Because in that particular country, that foreign
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country where he's representing, he owns the
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highest rank amongst the people from that nation.
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He's like a president. He has that level of,
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because it's no small feat to be an ambassador.
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And as I said earlier, Apostle Paul uses this
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very important position or this well -known or
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well -respected position to communicate something.
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And in this case, he's communicating the calling
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from God. He's communicating our calling from
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God. He says, we are, praise God. He didn't,
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like in Ephesians, he didn't say, I am. Right?
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He's talking to people. He says, we are. I want
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you to say this. Say, I am an ambassador. I can't
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hear us. I am an ambassador for Christ. Say it
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again. I am an ambassador for Christ. And the
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ambassador, the word ambassador is translated,
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it has a root word. In the Greek, it's called
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presbyter. That's P -E -S -B -Y -T -E -R. That's
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not the word for ambassador. The word for ambassador
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is P -E -S -B -E -U -O. Presbyter. And then the
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presbyter. And the root word... itself is used
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to describe church leaders and elder church leader
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is used to describe an elder church leader but
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we know that it's actually whether it represents
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or it recognizes a leadership role in a church
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or not but one very key thing that we see from
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the original word itself is the fact that every
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one of us here might not be a church leader but
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we are ambassadors for christ Praise God. We
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might not be a church leader yet, but we are
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ambassadors for Christ, and it's an extraordinary
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privilege. It's an extraordinary privilege that
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comes with the responsibility of representing
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Christ, of representing God, and we're doing
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it to the world. We're doing it to the earth
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that we are part of. Praise God. We're doing
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it to the earth that we belong. Jesus communicates
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that the way the world runs their own ambassadorship
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is different from the way the kingdom of God
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runs its own ambassadorship. And Jesus Christ
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does this very beautifully in something we're
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going to look at in Matthew 20. I want us to
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look at Matthew 20, and we might dwell here for
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a while, because I want us to see the principles
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that Jesus Christ communicates in a way to explain
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to his disciples how... The worldly system is
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different from the system of the kingdom. Praise
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God. We're going to look at 25. Matthew 20, 25.
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I'll just read it to us. And I will use, I love
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the NLT. It says, but Jesus called them together
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and said, and let me just give us a background
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to what has happened so that we can better flow
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with our understanding of what is happening here.
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The context of this conversation or the context
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of what he's about to say to his disciples was
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in the light of a mother coming to make a request
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for two of her sons that happens to be the disciples
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of Jesus Christ. And the mother's plea is that
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her children be granted a position, a great position,
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a position better than the rest of the other
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disciples. In other words, to be placed in a
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position of greater power and authority. And
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if you were to look at it in a school setting,
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I don't know what it would be like. You're coming
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and saying, telling the principal of the school,
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can my child be the head boy and my other child
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be the labor prefect? You know, labor prefect
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is, you know, you exercise a little bit more
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when you're a labor prefect, if you're from where
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I'm from. Labor prefect commands and controls
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certain things. He has more, I don't know, but
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they are boys, so head boy and then labor prefect.
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Or, in a sense, if it was a political position,
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if one can be the vice president, the other person
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be the senate president, it would be a good thing
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because it's a position and it's a position that
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every... parent will want their children to attain.
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Every parent wants the best for their children.
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And in a bid to want the best for their children,
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they'll go out of their way, regardless of what
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it will cost them, to show up and make a plea.
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If it will help advance their children in a bid.
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So, and this did not sit well with the ten others.
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Because I can imagine that they heard about it
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and they were concerned. So these boys want to
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go, they went behind our back. And then they
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went and invited their mother to come and make
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a plea on their behalf. They couldn't say it
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themselves or they wanted it to carry some weight
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coming from their mom. And it didn't sit well.
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And I want us to see something because this situation
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was about to or was going to cause a bit of division
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amongst the disciples. And it's a very important
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situation that needs addressing. the light of
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all of this, I want us to see certain things.
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We're going to look at the motivation, right?
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The motivation, we're going to look at the message
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that Jesus communicates, and we're going to look
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at the means by which he communicates that message.
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I want you to remember or write down these three
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things. The motivation, which is, we all know
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the selfish ambition of the two of them wanting
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to be ahead. So we're going to look at the motivation,
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and we're going to see. Why? What is the motivation?
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The motivation basically is the why around it.
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We're going to now look at the second thing,
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which is what? Huh? The message, right? We're
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going to look at the message, which is the what?
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Because what is being communicated? What is the
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message? What is the message? And then the last
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one, which is the what? Are we following? It
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looks like the people that are following me are
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here. The people in the middle are somewhere.
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Are we sleeping? Praise God. What is it? The
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means, right? The means. And the means is the
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how. Means is the how. And Jesus did not just
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leave them with the means. He models that means.
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I'm just giving us a bit of a taste to see what
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Jesus Christ actually is doing here. It says
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in 25, it says, but Jesus called them together
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and said, you know that the rulers in this world
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lorded over their people. How many of us can
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see the way the world does this? The way the
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world does their own is that they lord it over.
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They lord it over. They use the position, the
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privilege, the responsibility that they have
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to lead the people, but they take advantage of
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it and lord it over the people. And officials
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flaunt their authority over those under them.
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So they show. because they have attained the
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high that other people are not privileged to
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attain, rather than use it for the good of the
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people, they use it to show, they use it to oppress
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other people. And he says, this is what the world
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does. This is why some people might be motivated
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to get certain position. You know, if you've
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been in, if you finished, I think college, secondary
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school, you know, The preferred position or the
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position of authority makes some people show
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themselves in ways that you never knew. The boy
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was quiet, but all of a sudden, he wants to be
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screaming and commanding everybody to come. You
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know, in our, I think people from around, do
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you understand what I mean? Say, one boy, then
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you just see like everybody's running, running
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to come because you know, if you're the last
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person, you'll get some whippings. And it's almost
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like an individual that was very calm, like you're
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getting, all of a sudden changes. Because power
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position has a way of revealing the true nature
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or character of people. Praise God. So Jesus
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Christ is saying this is very different. The
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way the kingdom of God runs is very different
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from the kingdom of this world. 26 now says,
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he says, but among you, it will be different.
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Say, amongst us, it's different. Amongst us,
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it is different. So Jesus says, but, and but
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is a contrast. We saw that in the song. Say,
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there are chains, there are curses, but no evil
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can stand the power of God. When you say but,
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it's contrasting word, the worldly system, and
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the system of the kingdom. He now says something
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very important. Please, let's pay close attention
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to what he says after the difference. He says,
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whoever wants to be a leader, NLT uses a leader.
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New King James uses great. Praise God. Great.
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So remember, the mother is looking for a great
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position, a position that is above. the rest
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for her children. It says, whoever wants to be
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a leader or wants to be great among you must
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be a servant. Must be a servant. And that should
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be like, you know, if you are thinking that this
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is going to, this is what is in it for me. You're
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already calculating your benefits and then all
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of a sudden you realize that, ah, servant. The
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new King James uses the word, not the new King
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James, now the King James. uses the word for
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servant, minister. Use the word minister. I think
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we can put it here. Thank you. Use the word minister.
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Use the word minister. Use the word minister
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at the end. Like where it uses servants, they
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use the word minister. Whoever wants to be a
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minister among you. So it says, and whoever,
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go back to the NLT, it says, and whoever wants
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to be first among you must become. Your slave.
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Must become your slave. 28 now says, For even
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the Son of Man came not to be served, but to
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serve others and to give his life as a ransom
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for many. Very important. Even the Son of Man,
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that is the one speaking, says, came not to be
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served, but to serve others and give his life
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as a ransom for many. So I want us to look at
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this even further. Watch how Jesus diffuses the
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situation. He shifts their mind from what it
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entails. to be what it is in the world and brings
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the attention to what it entails in the kingdom
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of God. And for many of us, there are many things
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that you think, or there are many positions that
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we're aspiring to. But when it comes, when you
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bring that thing in the light of what God's word
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says, which is what I was communicating when
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I said, your identity in the light of God's word
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causes a shift in perspective. You see things
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very differently when you look at it through
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the lens of God's word. Because if you have been
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paying attention to what is going around the
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world, you will know that the word of God is
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very much anti the ideas, ideologies, and systems
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that the world has around us. So he tells them
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that in this kingdom, the way it works is very
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different from the way it works. When you decide
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to take a position there, praise God. And it's
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humbling because you're expecting to be a leader,
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but also you're reminded that you're a servant,
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that you're going to be a servant. I actually,
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preparing this, I actually read this in Pidgin
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English. I think there's a Nigerian Pidgin Bible.
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How many of us have... have seen or read the
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Nigerian Pigeon Bible. None. You can go read
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this passage in the Nigerian Pigeon Bible. And
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it's, it's, it, it was, it's, it, you know, if
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you know pigeon, it gives, it hits differently.
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Even though when I was growing up, I think I
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was sharing, I think very recently, I said, when
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I was growing up, my, we grew up in like a setting
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where you have kids in a compound and growing
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up, you know, kids just speak everything everybody
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speaks. So one time my father got back home and
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then we spoke pidgin. We just said to ourselves,
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daddy don't come, daddy don't come, may we go
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welcome him. My dad heard and came and said,
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what was that? We don't know the difference between
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clear English and pidgin. We repeated ourselves
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a lot slower. Daddy don't come, daddy don't come,
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may we go welcome him. And then he says, none
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of you should speak pidgin in this house. So
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after that day, we said, what? why are we then
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going to speak Pidgin? So now I want to say words
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because it contains English and then you have
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to say it. So you have to say it in such a way.
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Instead of I day, you have to say I am. You have
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to correct yourself so that you don't sound Pidgin
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to the hearing of your dad. So it was very funny
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because I didn't speak Pidgin growing up. And
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then when I went to the university, it was very
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different because now in university, people will
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be speaking Pidgin and then you come and be speaking
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English. They'll say, who are you? We're in a
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university for crying out loud. We understand
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English. Can you please not ruin this conversation
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that is going on now by returning back to the
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language that we're trying to communicate in?
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So in Pidgin, I rephrase it, not exactly as it
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is in the Nigerian Pidgin Bible. I rephrase it
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that that statement Jesus made of, if you want
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to be a leader, if you want to be a leader amongst
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you, you must, You must be a servant, right?
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You must be a servant. I rephrase it in something
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that goes like this in Pigeon. If you want to
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lead people, you want to lead people, you guys
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walk. Means that you have to walk. You have to
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put in mind that there's going to be work if
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you really want to lead. If that is what is at
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the back of your mind, there will not be any
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issues. There will not be any problem. There
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will not be any misplacement of priorities. Everything
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is going to be in order. Because everyone that
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is leading is leading with this mentality that
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I'm a leader, but I'm a leader that is, I'm a
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servant, servant leader. I'm someone that understands
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that first and foremost, my service is to the
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people, right? My service is to God first and
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foremost, because you're in the kingdom of God.
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Your ultimate goal is to please God and then
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his people. Praise God. And then his people.
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And your actions. or the way you go about it
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will reflect who you truly are serving. Because
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some of us will say, yeah, I'm serving the Lord,
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but your actions betray you. Your actions are
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not consistent, or as that Pasadena, the word
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that the Pasadena Corinthians will use is, your
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actions don't reconcile with your words. Your
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actions don't reconcile with your words. So most
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people will fight for that position. And I can
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imagine that the fight will lessen when you understand
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that it's going to be work all the way. And when
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someone is fighting for something, that they
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know that the responsibility that comes with
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it is a lot. It changes everything. Praise God.
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And I want to bring our attention to the importance
26:37
of this responsibility. And that's what Jesus
26:39
does. And as I said earlier, you want to pay
26:43
attention to... The motivation. As I said, the
26:45
motivation for them will have come from a place
26:48
of selfish ambition. Wanting to have something
26:51
for themselves. Wanting to make a name for themselves.
26:54
Wanting to be the ones that look at us. We are
26:56
the brothers and we are the top. And that will
27:00
be the motivation. And then we see how Jesus
27:04
uses the message of the fact that a leader will
27:08
have to be a servant. If he wants to lead, He
27:12
knows that he has to serve. He knows that it's
27:15
the responsibility that comes with the leadership.
27:18
And in the kingdom, with every ability, with
27:23
every power, all of those things that were given,
27:26
every God -given ability, every ability scattered
27:29
all through scripture, every ability God gives
27:32
you is for service. Every ability that God gives
27:35
you is for service. Spiritual gifts is for all
27:36
the benefit of all. When he says, oh, you have
27:39
the power, you receive power, you are weaknesses,
27:42
you are receiving anything you're receiving is
27:45
for service to others. It's for service to others.
27:48
And that is humbling. That keeps you at a place
27:51
that reminds you, that brings your attention
27:55
to the fact that it's not about the title. It's
27:58
not about the position. It's about the function.
28:01
It's about the responsibility that you have in
28:04
God to do the work. And we do the work with joy.
28:07
We do the work with joy. And Jesus doesn't tell
28:10
them about it. He shows them. He models to them.
28:13
He shows them the means by which this happens.
28:16
He showed them the means by which. He looks at
28:18
them and he tells them, say, for even the Son
28:20
of Man, speaking to them, came not to be served,
28:25
but to serve others and to give his life as a
28:28
ransom for many. We see a sacrificial service.
28:33
He models sacrifice to them. He models sacrifice
28:37
to them. The reason for this is for many. We
28:42
say that service is for others. The service is
28:45
for the benefits of others. And in this season,
28:48
where we're looking at greater works, greater
28:51
works will happen when every one of us takes
28:56
on the mindset of selfless service. Not selfish
29:01
service. Selfless service. When everyone of us
29:05
is conscious that our service is for the betterment
29:08
of the next person. Our service is for the betterment
29:12
of my brother. The service is for the betterment
29:15
of my sister. The service is for the betterment
29:18
of the church. The service is for the betterment
29:21
of anyone or anywhere I find myself. So even
29:24
the service, as we're going to see later on as
29:27
we go, when we are preaching the gospel, because
29:30
basically that is what is... Where's the word
29:33
of service? When we're preaching the gospel,
29:35
you're preaching the gospel so that the other
29:37
person will be saved, right? For their betterment.
29:40
For their betterment. And Jesus Christ in this
29:43
passage presents to us a master class in diffusing
29:49
a situation that can be or that can result in
29:53
some form of division, right? Because now everybody
29:57
knows that this thing that you're fighting is
30:01
work you're going to end up doing. And then now
30:04
if you're not interested, you're not interested.
30:06
But if you're interested, you have your motivation
30:09
in check. Your motivation will be in the right
30:12
place. Your motivation will not be selfish. Your
30:14
motivation now will be selfless. Praise God.
30:16
You will see a shift. And I want us to please
30:19
not forget the three things I mentioned because
30:21
we'll see them again as regards to 2 Corinthians
30:26
5. We'll see them again as regards to 2 Corinthians
30:28
5. And notice something. We said, We'll see that
30:31
the word minister, and that is scattered through
30:33
scripture. The word minister, which appears there
30:36
as well. The word minister is the Greek word
30:39
diakonos. The word minister is the Greek word
30:43
diakonos, which implies a servant or someone
30:47
who serves or to serve with another. It implies
30:53
a servant or someone, diakonos, let me spell
30:57
it to us, is D -I -A. K -O -N -O -S. D -I -A
31:04
-K -O -N -O -S. So, it implies a servant or someone
31:10
who serves or to serve with another. So, and
31:16
this word is also used for deacon. It's also
31:19
the word used for the word deacon. When you look
31:23
at your, I think for some of us, if you're not
31:26
familiar with the Blue Letter Bible. The Blue
31:28
Letter Bible is an application that helps you
31:31
to be able to have access to the interlinear
31:34
and see the words in either Hebrew or Greek.
31:38
So, and it's an app. When we say Blue Letter
31:41
Bible, it's not a hard to copy Bible. It's mostly
31:44
soft and it's online. It's an online application
31:47
that helps you do that. And you have other applications
31:49
such as the Bible Hub and even the paid version,
31:53
which is Logos. So, why? does this? Or the second
32:00
piece we're going to be looking at is, why do
32:01
we have an important, why is this an important
32:05
job? Why is the job of an ambassador an important
32:12
job? We're going to be looking at that for the
32:16
rest of the time. Why is it an important job?
32:19
Remember, we have first established that it's
32:22
not as the world does it. It's as it is in the
32:26
Word of God. And it is exemplified and communicated
32:30
practically by the life Christ himself, that
32:35
is the subject or the main character of it all,
32:39
or the word, has presented it to us. Just to
32:44
remind us of the passage again in 2 Corinthians
32:47
5 .20. Please, let's go there. Thank you. It
32:52
says, So we are Christ's ambassadors. God is
32:56
making his appeal through us. Praise God. He's
33:00
making his appeal through us. It's as though
33:04
you are here and through you, God is making an
33:09
appeal. That uses the word making an appeal.
33:12
Other translators would say it's pleading. Making
33:15
a plea. Through us. They say we speak for Christ
33:20
when we plead, come back to God. So we are...
33:24
We're representing him. We're representing him.
33:28
We're representing him and we want to carry that
33:31
consciousness. Every time we stand in front of
33:35
people, we're not representing ourselves. You
33:37
know, that takes a bit of weight. You know, it
33:40
takes a bit of weight off you when you know that
33:42
you're not standing by yourself because you know
33:44
that you don't carry any weight yourself, right?
33:48
The same way the individual knows that they don't
33:50
carry any weight. until when they say, I am representing
33:53
so -so -so country. The moment that comes in,
33:57
every weight of responsibility of having to,
33:59
they just need to do everything in keeping with
34:02
the country that has sent them. So we are saying,
34:06
we have a very important job and we carry an
34:10
urgent message. This is a very important job
34:14
that comes with an urgent message. Very important
34:17
job that comes with an urgent message. And we
34:20
say, we're ambassadors and this ambassadorship
34:24
is that of Christ. We're Christ's ambassadors.
34:27
And we seek now to persuade people. We seek to
34:33
persuade people and we're persuading them about
34:35
what? What are we persuading them about? We're
34:38
persuading them about the truth of the gospel.
34:40
We're persuading them about the truth of the
34:42
gospel. One time, we're ministering to someone
34:48
and... I think we just ask the question, what
34:51
is the gospel? And I think I've never heard that
34:56
before, but it's understandably so because it's
34:58
true, but it's not true to what we're communicating.
35:01
So when we say, okay, what do you think of the
35:03
gospel? Let's say, oh, gospel music. I say gospel
35:07
music. Gospel music is a class or genre of music,
35:13
but that is not the gospel. It's just a music
35:17
that carries that, and it's not even a book,
35:21
right? Because the book contains that, but it's
35:25
not it. But we know that it's about the truth
35:29
of the gospel, right? That's what has been communicated.
35:32
And it's a big responsibility when you think
35:35
about it. The same way the responsibility of
35:37
representing a country is a big one, but it doesn't
35:40
rest entirely upon you. Praise God. It doesn't
35:43
rest entirely upon you. It rests on God who has
35:48
instructed you to do it. But you have the responsibility
35:50
to do your own part, right? To do your own bidding.
35:52
And we all have the responsibility of taking
35:55
it seriously, right? Because if something has
35:59
been given to you and you're not doing your part,
36:01
it means that there's going to be some form of
36:03
ineffectiveness. And I'm going somewhere. Because
36:06
everyone of us seated here, whether we like it
36:09
or not, we carry that title. of being an ambassador
36:12
for Christ. But as it is, if you think of yourself
36:18
and think of the responsibility it entails, you'll
36:20
find that you're falling short. Right? You'll
36:23
find that you're falling short. But what the
36:26
Word comes to do is to remind you and help you
36:29
to take action. To take action. If there's anything,
36:32
it will bring to your attention the seriousness
36:34
of this tax and make you... as this semester,
36:38
because what is going to be happening is that
36:40
in this semester, we're believing God for more,
36:44
right? We're believing God for numerical. We're
36:48
believing God for spiritual growth. We're believing
36:49
God for numerical growth. And how that can happen
36:52
is when every one of us here in our various quarters
36:56
are truly representing him. And we say that you're
36:59
not representing him just by a badge on your
37:01
forehead. You're presenting him by opening your
37:03
mouth and speaking. Open your mouth and declaring.
37:07
Because that's how we know you're an ambassador.
37:10
Right? By your speaking. What are you communicating?
37:13
And of what kingdom is your ambassadorship? And
37:18
it has to be. There has to be commitment, right?
37:21
There has to be commitment. There has to be commitment.
37:24
And there's a reason for the commitment. The
37:26
reason for the commitment is because you, at
37:30
some point in time, received it the same way.
37:34
You are giving it to the person that you are
37:36
speaking to. Praise God. You received it the
37:39
same way. And in 2 Corinthians 5, 17 -19. 2 Corinthians
37:47
5, 17 -19. I want to see something. It says,
37:51
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ. And this is
37:56
not a maybe. Says, therefore, if anyone is in
38:00
Christ, he is a new creation. All things have
38:05
passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
38:08
18 now says, now all things are of God, who has
38:14
reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ
38:17
and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
38:21
19 now says, that is, that God... was in Christ
38:26
reconciling the world to himself, not imputing
38:30
their trespasses to them, and has committed to
38:35
us the word of reconciliation. Has committed
38:39
to us the word of reconciliation because he has
38:43
done it and he has committed to us that we have
38:45
been reconciled to God. Now we are carrying out
38:48
the urgent task with the urgent message of reconciliation
38:52
to people around us. who have not been reconciled
38:56
to God. Praise God. Who have not been reconciled
38:58
to God. And this message is very straight to
39:02
the point. It speaks that the gospel is a message
39:05
of reconciliation. The gospel is a message of
39:08
reconciliation. In NLT, he says, you're beating
39:11
the people to come back to God. You're beating
39:13
the people to come back to God. And this is God
39:16
doing it through us, right? Because God is the
39:22
one that makes it possible. God is the one that
39:25
makes it possible. See, God comes to man. God
39:30
is the one that is doing it through his son,
39:33
has done it through his son. And now he has offered
39:36
us that help and offered us a relationship that
39:39
now he wants us to extend to the very people
39:43
that don't have that relationship. And he is
39:47
seeking us to do that so that others, so that
39:51
the family can be bigger. So that the family
39:54
can be bigger. So that the family can be bigger.
39:56
And that is basically why this message is core
39:59
to the church. Because the church is not meant
40:03
to just be there. We're okay with whatever we
40:08
have. The Lord will lead who he will lead. That's
40:11
not how it works. The Lord will lead you to lead
40:15
others to him. Praise God. The Lord is able to
40:18
do that. And that is the very heartbeat of the
40:21
gospel. The gospel is such that... People come
40:24
to reconcile to God, and they reconcile to God
40:28
on the basis of what Christ has done. We'll see
40:31
that in the passage. Because Christ had died,
40:34
Christ had died to bear the sins of the world,
40:41
and he didn't stay dead, he resurrected. And
40:45
on the basis of his resurrection, we are able
40:47
to have that reconciliation made available to
40:50
all. He says in the passage that we looked at,
40:54
he says he gave his life as a ransom for many.
40:58
He gave his life as a ransom for many. Meaning
41:02
that if you see the word many, does many communicate
41:07
to you few? Does many communicate few? No, many
41:12
communicates many. When we say there are many
41:15
people in this place, you know that the number
41:17
is not something you can count easily. Yes, you
41:20
can count, but it's not something you can count
41:22
easily. And when we use other words like multitude,
41:26
we use other words like a lot. We use other words
41:30
to quantify that. And I don't know. Just to give
41:33
us something practical to do. If you look around
41:35
the church, are there many people? And I ask
41:38
this trick question. Are there many people? Are
41:42
there many people? Not that if you say yes, it's
41:44
perspective. Because to you, you see many. To
41:49
us, we see few. When you see empty chairs, it
41:54
means that there is what? There is room for?
41:57
Praise God. When we see empty chairs, it means
42:00
that there is room for something that Pastor
42:02
Ephraim said when he was teaching. And I paraphrased
42:06
and adopted it to mean that a chair beside you
42:10
means that it has a potential to be filled by
42:14
someone, right? Not something, someone. because
42:19
some of us, our chairs are occupied by something
42:21
that is inanimate, which is our bags in some
42:26
cases, right? But the chair is meant to be occupied
42:29
by a human being. And we see and we perceive
42:33
as a church, as a pastorate, we perceive that
42:36
there is going to be an increase, right? That
42:39
God is going to do something in the church of
42:43
NACF and it will result... in many coming here,
42:47
right? And that many coming here will happen,
42:51
will be enabled, or will be fast -tracked by
42:55
us taking the responsibilities of ambassadors
42:57
to do the work that He has called us to do. Praise
43:00
God. And I want us to see something in a different
43:02
translation. In a different translation. That's
43:06
just that verse 19. Just that verse 19. I will
43:13
just read. from the Amplified Classic. It says,
43:17
it is God personally present in Christ, reconciling
43:23
and restoring the world to favor with himself,
43:26
not counting up or holding against men their
43:32
trespasses, but canceling them. I want you to
43:35
say canceling them. Canceling them and committing
43:39
to us the message of reconciliation. Of restoration
43:45
to favor. Of restoration to favor. The common
43:49
English also says, in other words, God is reconciling
43:53
the world to himself through Christ by not counting
43:56
people's sins against them. He has trusted us.
44:02
Say, trusted me. I want you to say, trusted me.
44:07
Has entrusted to me the message of reconciliation.
44:13
And he says he will not keep the record of our
44:16
sins against us. And the easy to read says, I
44:18
mean that God was in Christ. And I want you to
44:23
note how it was said, that God was in Christ,
44:26
making peace between the world and himself. In
44:30
Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their
44:34
sins. He gave us this message of peace to tell
44:39
people. Praise God. Note that the urgency. means
44:43
that it requires speaking. Because people have
44:47
been reconciled or people need to be reconciled
44:50
and the means by which that will happen is by
44:53
the message being proclaimed to others. Praise
44:56
God. And it's a beautiful message, isn't it?
44:58
It's a beautiful message. Scripture tells us
45:01
beautiful are the feats of those that bear this
45:03
message. And it says we are not meant to hold
45:07
back. We are meant to intensify, be committed.
45:10
We are meant to not give up. And I was thinking
45:13
about it. I said, if you speak to 10 people,
45:16
speak to 10 people and only two respond, is that
45:20
something worth celebrating? Is that something
45:24
worth rejoicing? You speak to 10 people and only
45:26
two respond. At least you now have a number to
45:29
walk around. So if you add more 10 people, you
45:31
know that at least two more will come on. So
45:34
you keep doing that because it's something that
45:36
is important. It's something that is a beautiful
45:39
thing for people to be saved, for people to be
45:42
reconciled to God. And people need to hear that
45:46
God is not counting their sins to them. And even
45:52
some believers need to be reminded that God is
45:54
not counting their sins to them. Praise God.
45:57
God is not counting. He is not counting that.
46:00
And that is the crux of the message. That is
46:02
the main theme. That's the important part of
46:05
the message because God makes his appeal through
46:09
you. He makes his appeal through me. See, God
46:13
would have made the appeal himself. Praise God.
46:17
I leave pastors and call it just that. He would
46:19
have made the appeal through angels. But because
46:22
we are his ambassadors. How else? What better
46:28
way can he make this appeal except through us?
46:31
Praise God. And he makes this appeal. And he
46:34
says, instead he chose you and I to make this
46:37
appeal. God has given us this tax of telling
46:40
people what he has done. Telling people what
46:45
he is doing. Right? Because he's still doing.
46:48
He's still doing it. And he employs us on Christ's
46:52
behalf. employing them on Christ's behalf to
46:56
be reconciled to God. Very important, employing
46:59
them on Christ's behalf to be reconciled to God.
47:02
Very quickly, I want us to look at what was the
47:06
first thing? The motivation, right? The motivation.
47:10
And the motivation is the reason why. Because
47:13
if you don't have a motivation, you are less
47:15
likely to do. The tax. If there's no form of
47:18
motivation. You know, some people's motivation
47:20
to brush their teeth in the morning is that they
47:23
don't want their mouth to smell when they open
47:25
their mouth to speak. Praise God. So that is
47:28
the motivation. And it's not a bad motivation.
47:30
It's a good motivation because at least you are
47:32
thinking of others. You are thinking of others
47:34
while you are trying to do that. So I want us
47:38
to know that our motivation to do it is love.
47:43
Praise God. Our motivation to do it. is love.
47:47
And you can see that you have love for that person.
47:53
You can see that you have love for that person
47:56
and it cannot compel you to tell them of what
48:03
Christ has done for them. Praise God. You can
48:06
see you have love for that person and you're
48:10
stopped in your tracks to tell them about what
48:14
God has done for them. You know, some people
48:17
don't know what God has done for them in Christ.
48:20
Many people don't know what God has done for
48:22
them in Christ. And you have a wonderful opportunity
48:25
to be the first to present it to them. Even if
48:28
they say no, at least you have presented it to
48:32
them. Praise God. And you keep at it. You keep
48:35
at it. In verse 14 of that particular passage,
48:44
Verse 14. Yeah, it says, for the love of Christ
48:52
compels us. The love of Christ compels us. His
48:59
love has the first word and the last word in
49:06
everything we do. His love compels us. You're
49:11
called to live a life of love. We're called to
49:16
live a life that doesn't talk love, but express
49:19
love. And how we express love to that individual
49:24
is by communicating what Christ has done. Right?
49:28
Right now, how you express love to your neighbor
49:31
is by tapping them if they are sleeping. Praise
49:34
God. By tapping them if they are sleeping. Say
49:39
for Christ, love for us. It's seen in a practical
49:46
way that he expressed it by dying for us, by
49:52
laying his life for us to have life in him. Praise
49:56
God. So it's very practical. So we are no longer
50:01
living for ourselves. We're no longer living
50:03
for ourselves because that same love compels
50:07
us to even follow. That same love compels us
50:11
to carry out the task. that instructs us to do
50:13
in love and in humility. Because the love that
50:16
we express is not a love of the world. It's not
50:19
a love that is strange. This is his kind of love,
50:23
this selfless kind of love. And we express that
50:27
love because we're convinced of his love. We're
50:30
convinced of his love, so we express and we communicate
50:33
that love to others. Because you can't be confident
50:37
about something you're not sure of. You can't
50:39
be confident about something you're not sure
50:41
of. And Christ died so that many will come to
50:46
him. And then the second, which is what? The
50:50
message, right? The message. We said even the
50:53
message is the message of love, right? Even the
50:56
message that we preach. The message that is what
51:00
we preach, right? Because the first one is why
51:04
we do it. What's the reason why we do it? And
51:08
then what we preach is the message. And what
51:13
in essence you're telling the person is that
51:16
they are loved by God. And you know, in this
51:20
day and age, the word love is used, and when
51:25
you say it, it just sounds very cliche. Because
51:28
even when I say I love you, you're wondering
51:30
how now. So, but we see that the love that we're
51:36
communicating is a very practical and... Because
51:41
what you're doing is, because you know the end
51:43
without God. You know the end of that person
51:47
without God. And that is your motivation. And
51:50
that in itself is the message that you bring
51:52
to the person. So because Christ died for us,
51:58
we are part of a family. And that love is what
52:02
will motivate you to want to bring that person
52:05
into that family. Right? It will be what will
52:08
cause you to want them to be reconciled. And
52:10
in fact, that love will cause you to be bold
52:13
about it. It will cause you to be confident about
52:16
it. It will cause you to choose to speak and
52:24
choose not to be silent. Praise God. And note
52:29
that we say this message of reconciliation is
52:32
for everybody, meaning that this message is for
52:35
everyone. So the message itself is not selective.
52:39
It doesn't go over a person. And the message
52:43
is you making a plea for them to come into a
52:49
love relationship with God. Praise God. You're
52:52
making a plea for them to come into a love relationship
52:55
with God. And this is all seen in the text. This
52:58
is all seen in the text. That we're coming into
53:01
a relationship with God. We're reconciled to
53:02
him in love. And he carries this. Love is what
53:08
is able to restore relationship. And note that
53:10
going back to the example I gave in Matthew,
53:13
Matthew, the example that we see of Jesus Christ
53:15
wanting to bring the disciples' attention. Because
53:20
service, when we serve others, if you're looking
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at the individual serving them, you know, some
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people make it difficult for you to serve them,
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right? But when love is your motivation, regardless
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of the person's attitude, you will serve anyways.
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You will serve anyways because you love the person
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in spite of how they might treat you. In fact,
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when you're preaching to the person, the person
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is talking or even blowing at you. Your love,
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the love of God is what keeps you still talking
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or keeps you following up with the person. Praise
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God. Keeps you following up with the person.
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And it's very important that we see. And you
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know, sometimes we... Even look at it and somebody
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will tell you, how can? Because when you're looking
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at the message, you know, and you're trying to
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communicate the message, somebody will tell you,
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like, why would God kill his son? How is that
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a message that communicates love? How will he
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do that? It will make a caricature of it, like,
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how can you say that he's doing that? But we
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see that the passage that we read, that is God
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in Christ. God in Christ. God in Christ made
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that possible. He didn't abandon His Son to it.
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Rather, He gave the go -ahead and He was there
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in Christ ensuring that that happens. And the
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result is what we see in the life that we have
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and the relationship that we have with this God
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and the relationship that we have with this God.
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And that is what ensures that there's an extension
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of that invitation to others. Then thirdly is,
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The means, right? The means. So love is a means.
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And that is how we go about our responsibility.
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I've communicated it in several ways, but I'm
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just repeating it. Because the way we go about
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our responsibility is we are persuading them.
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We're not pressurizing them. You know, when you're
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trying to convince someone, it's different from
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when you are saying you don't have any choice.
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There's a bit of pressure that you are mounting
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on the individual. That even makes them say yes.
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When they don't really mean it. Praise God. They
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say yes when they don't really mean it. But when
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somebody is persuaded about something. They can
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go on to persuade others. Because they are convinced.
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From the words that you said. By the Spirit of
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God. They are convinced about it. And then we
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see that. That is where the responsibility is.
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Because you understand your responsibility. And
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you are carrying that out. In the means. which
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is love. The agency by which we execute our responsibility
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is love. And love is what empowers us. Love is
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what strengthens us. Love is what compels us.
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Love is what controls and motivates us to do
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the things that we do for God. And it's very
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important that we always keep love at the center
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of our actions, keep love at the center of our
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motivations, keep love at the center of the message.
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You know, when you are speaking to someone, with
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some form of violence, and you're telling them
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that it is love. People can discern when something
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is not, because you cannot say one thing and
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do another thing and tell us that what you are
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saying is what you are doing when we can spot
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it. Praise God. I want us to understand that
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the walk itself is a sacred walk, is something
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that we are entrusted with. We are entrusted
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with this message. In 1 Thessalonians 2 verse
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4, it says, But we have been approved by God
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to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak,
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not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.
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So we speak, not pleasing men. We are entrusted
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with the gospel, so we speak, not pleasing men.
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You know, left to some people. They want you
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to keep quiet. But what you are saying is good
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for them. Right? It's good for them to listen.
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It might not look like they are good to you,
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but it's good for them. And you speak it regardless.
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You speak it anyways. You speak it anyways. It
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means that that thing you are entrusted with
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will lead to the salvation of that individual.
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And it means that you have to go out of your
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way to speak to. Because the only way... We can
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have people come to the Lord of the truth if
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they have been communicated the truth. So we
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are entrusted with the truth and we take the
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step of opening our mouth. We take charge of
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it. We're in charge of it and we do it. And I
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want to leave us with this. Because we're entrusted
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with something, we have to take responsibility
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and take charge of it and do the work. And don't
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think of yourself as not being because you're
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a minister. Of the gospel. You are a minister.
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Of Christ. You are a minister. That ministers
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and administers Christ. And administers the truth.
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To people. And you might not have it figured
58:37
out. Like the woman. In John 4. The woman didn't
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have. A lot of. Training. But with the little
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she had. She was able to communicate. And bring
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people. To hear. Or to meet. The one who is the
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way, the truth, and the life. Praise God. And
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we are settled with this little text. And I want
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to charge us that when we go out today, or when
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we leave this place, let's live with a consciousness
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of identity. Let's see what God's word says we
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are in him. And move around knowing that I represent
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Christ on this campus. I represent Christ on
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this island. I represent Christ in my house,
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in my apartment. And I will speak him that I
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represent. to everyone around me. I want us to
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open our mouths and just give thanks to God for
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this unique privilege of being his ambassadors.
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We appreciate you being here today. We hope you
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carry this word with you throughout your week.
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Don't forget to check the show notes for additional
59:43
insights. Stay connected with us through our
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website or follow us on social media. If you
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are encouraged, share this message with someone
59:52
you care about. Until next time, stay blessed.