The 7 Churches | Pr Matthew Chang

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to a message to go from acts church.
We hope this message will light up your day.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Then I'm gonna share a bit of things dealing with
our Christian lives. Uh. And there's there's there's a few
things mainly about worship and prayer and about our hearts.
But I'm gonna turn to Revelations chapter three. I'm gonna
speak through an example from a church, Okay, from a church,

(00:29):
and then I'm gonna and then I'm gonna minister from there.
So let's start with a world prayer. Okay, Come, let's pray.
Thank you, Lord, Father. We thank you that you are
a good, good God. And Lord that we are here
with our breath, some of us with our families here
as well. Lord. All these are held by your goodness
and your grace. And so Lord, we ask Father today

(00:51):
even in your house, that Lord, that you will speak
to us, that you will guide us, that you will
grant us your wisdom, your discernment, a world of knowledge, Father,
the Lord, that our hearts Faloga will be equipped with
every truth and every tool that we need. Father, goa
to live righteously and in fear before you. That all

(01:12):
the things that we do will prosper Father, and that Lord,
everywhere we go we will be met with favor. So
that we asked that you will be with us today
in Jesus my name, we pray, Amen, Amen, come turn
with me to Revelations. Revelations Chapter three from reading here,
from verse fourteen to verse twenty two. Okay, Now the

(01:36):
title here reads to the Church in Laodica. Because I
don't come as often normally are places that I go
a bit more often. I will do a series on
the churches, but today I will just do one particular
church with you guys. Okay. Then last time when I
came here, I did one of the churches. But today
we're going to focus on this last church, called the
Church in Laodica. Okay, Now, pay attention verse fourteen. It says,

(02:02):
here and to the Angel of the Church in Laodicia,
right the words of the Amen, the faithful and true
witness the beginning of God's creation. Okay, Now this verse
is very important to start with. Okay, when you study
the Bible, one you you've got to understand that every

(02:24):
sentence is very intentional. Now, this first sentence here is
an introduction of the author. Okay, So Jesus is in
this first three chapters here is writing seven letters to
seven churches, and in every letter you're supposed to introduce yourself. Now,
it's very interesting that Jesus didn't introduce himself as Jesus Christ,

(02:46):
you know, the fisherman, the carpenter, the teacher. But he
introduces himself as the words of the Amen, the faithful
and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. How many
of you like to write emails and letters introducing yourself
like that one? You know, I'm not Joseph. I am
the guy who met you at the Copitia. I mean
this time. You know, I'm the one who is always

(03:07):
staring at you from the third row of the church there.
You know, you introduce yourself like that one, the guy
who sleeps at two o'clock at night. You know, it's
kind of a weird way to introduce yourself, isn't it.
But Jesus uses quite a lot of adjectives and superlatives
to explain to introduce himself to a particular church. And
you if you go through the other earlier churches, whether

(03:29):
it's Saudi's efversuts in the Philadelphia. As you read it,
you realize that Jesus introduces himself with a different title
on a different description to every church. Okay, is in
a coincidence? No, it is intentional, Okay. Jesus introduces himself
with these specific things to what to either always two

(03:52):
things to either to give a warning or to give
a hope, okay, Or to give a warning or to
give a hope. And sometimes in a certain way as well.
You can apply this into your own life as well.
How many of you have a lot of dreams. How
many of you remember or you have a gift of

(04:13):
remembering your dreams? Hands up? Like me, I remember my dreams,
not all my dreams. I remember my dreams quite well. Okay.
When you want to remember dreams, you want to learn
is that you put a book and a pen beside you.
The first two minutes of your dreams when you wake
up are the most important. Every detail when you can remember,

(04:34):
you write it down, the color of the door, the place,
the temperature, the person you see in or the write down.
I'm not teaching you how to interpret dreams, but I'm
teaching you to write to journal. Okay. If you want
to remember, God speaks in dreams as well. Actually, God
speaks a lot in dreams. Okay. Nowadays if you go

(04:54):
to the Middle East, so many of our brothers are
seeing Christ in dreams. God is speaking in dreams. Okay.
It's very, very, very powerful. Even in the other faith,
they actually have a dictionary of dreams, you know, to
interpret what dreams are about as well. You know, did
you know that the other faith they have because they
believe that God speaks to dreams to them as well,

(05:15):
they actually have a dictionary, so they take dreams very seriously. Okay,
So now what are you're talking about. You can talk
about dreams, right, So it's important to understand that dreams
are very power. I'm not saying every dream is from God, Okay,
not every dreams from God. Dreams can come from your
own desire. Dreams can be spiritual and spirit realm can
come from God or come from from very dark places

(05:37):
as well. If you watch a very dark movie, you
open spiritual doors into your life that you're not supposed
to Okay, you realize that that they're very nice. You
dream things that you're not supposed to be dreaming into
as well. You get mean, right, spiritual doors that you
open as well, things that you're not supposed to open.
You open as well. But dreams are very, very, very powerful,

(05:58):
and so sometimes when you go into dreams, sometimes God
may speak to you. And sometimes when you see God
introducing us himself may not appear as God, he may
appear something else, maybe like a father figure, may become
like a lion, and things like that as well. So
you take all these signs and you have to pray.
You don't simply ask God online and check the horrors.
Goo ey, what does this mean? You know? Or ask

(06:20):
GPT how can you interpret my dream? Oh it's about
blessing you with a job. Oh, thank you. I'm going
to leave my job right now already. No, there's not
how you do it. Okay, that's not how you open
up your heart to and sell your dreams and your
desires to the world. Thet's know how you do it.
Every dreams and everything it belongs to the Lord. You
got to really pray, say God, is this why it's
speaking or is it coming from another spirit? Or is

(06:41):
it coming from myself? You gotta take your dreams with
a lot of seriousness and the fear of God. You
get me in right. And so in the same way,
when we see Jesus. When you see Jesus introducing himself here,
it's very specific, okay, that either God is giving a
warning or he's giving a blessing. And in all these things,

(07:02):
when he gives a warning and he gives a blessing,
one thing we know for sure is that God examines
our hearts. God examines our hearts and he knows our condition.
That is why he's like a doctor. If he can
examine your heart and your condition, he will only give
you two things. Maun. You had to say, oh yourt
your health is perfect like you're not. You may be

(07:24):
seventy year old by you know your age is like
your health is like a twenty year old. A good blessing,
but you may be a twenty year old by your
health is like a seventy year old. Now that's a warning,
isn't it. A person can only give you a blessing
and a warning where he knows you and examines you.
So when Jesus comes and gives either a blessing or

(07:44):
a wanting to a church, he's telling them something. I
know your words, I know your heart, I know every
single thing. That is why I'm equipped to tell you
to give you either a blessing or a warning, and
so the type of warning and blessing are very specific
to what the church is going through, very very specific.

(08:06):
Now we say, heyah, you say the way that Jesus
introduces himself. He says, the words of the amen. What
does amen mean? Huh? What does amen mean? Anyone want
to try? You always pray? Amen? Amen? Right? Amen? Huh? Agree? Okay?

(08:26):
What else? What? Let your will be done? Who else
is it? Amen? Amen? Amen? Amen? Okay, we'll real on later, Okay.
He says that the Amen the faithful and true witness
and the beginning of God. Amen means God everlasting in

(08:47):
the name of God, everlasting, always true. Okay, there's a
few weeks ago. Okay. Now, Jesus introduces himself as the Amen,
the one that is faithful, the one that is true,
and the beginning of God's creation. What it means in
the summary of all is that God, God asks, God
is can God will always be of all things that

(09:09):
happens in life, whether you go through trial, whether you
go to tribulation, whether you have you have much, you
have poor, God will always be there. He will be,
He was always there, He is there, and you will
always be there. Okay now verse fifteen, that's right here,
he says, yeah, I know your words. You are neither
cold nor hot. I told you ready. God sees everything. Again.

(09:31):
That's always the way. The God examines whether you're coming
to church, how you feel, what you're going through, everything
that you're there is happening in your heart. God sees everything.
And then God immediately says, what you are neither cold
nor hot. Wow. Again, let's read on would that you
were either cold or hot? Since I wish that you

(09:53):
were either hold or either heard or cold. So because
you are littwarm and neither hot nor cold, I will
spit you out of my mouth. For you say I
am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not
realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I counsel you to buy from me, go refined by fire,

(10:15):
so that you may be rich, and white garments so
that you may be clothed. You may clothe yourselves and
the shame of your nakedness may not be seen. And
salve to your to anoint your eyes, so that you
may see those whom I love. I reprove and discipline,
so be zealous and repent behold, I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens

(10:37):
the door, I will come to him and eat with him,
and he with me. The one who conquers, I will
grant him to sit with me on my throne, as
I also conquered and sat down with my father on
this throne. He who has an ear, let him hear
what the spirit says to the churches. Okay, how many
if you have read the scripture before, quite familiar with it, right,
can now let me explain some of these mysteries what

(11:00):
these are? Okay? Now, first of all, Jesus says you
are neither hot nor cold. Now I learn't my slights here,
but I'm going to explain a bit about this city
called Leo this year a bit more, okay, of context
you need to understand. Then, once you understand the context
of the city, you begin to understand how to appropriately

(11:21):
apply the situation of the city to yourself or to
the life of a believer as well. Okay. Or in
this case, Loldicia is a you know, imagine like I
am lol this here okay, I mean the middle here,
and Loldica is a very wealthy city. They are mainly
wealthy because they have a lot of trading. People come

(11:42):
and trade with them. They are passing by, okay, And
they are known for one more thing apart from trading.
They are known to be able to find to be
able to generate a special kind of medicine or self.
They're annoying their eyes one so later when you see that,
I ask you to annoy your eyes yourself, okay, But
they are known for it. You can actually go online

(12:04):
and you can type lil Dica and you will see
one of their coin. It's actually a coin of an
image of a person putting their hand on the eye
as well. So people from all over Asia, from you,
from even all the way to different places. Whence you
come to Loo Dca to buy this special ointment for them.
They are known to be able to heal and so
people love to come there because once when they are healed,

(12:24):
they can see the beauty. Oh Lildica, so beautiful, so rich.
Everyone everywhere comes to see you as well. So the
people in Leodica are very rich. Yeah, you know in
Malaysia called like maybe like Bangsawan, you know bangs you know.
So they are very well, quite wealthy. And because they

(12:44):
are wealthy people from everywhere. They come to trade buy
things from them as well. Now, although they are very
wealthy city, they have a problem. And what's their problem.
The problem is they don't have their own water source. Ah,
they don't have their own water sauce. Most it's not
like we suddenly have India water suddenly called water come

(13:06):
our eyes lung or hey it just open god water. No, no, no,
no such case.

Speaker 1 (13:10):
Man.

Speaker 2 (13:10):
A lot of cities depend on natural water sources or
in Roman times, if you don't have they will take
the water from the ecuaducts you know now as equeducts.
If you haven't been to Rome, you know all the aribons,
you will see tall like you know, not drainage coming
down from the heels or either that or pipes okay,
pipes made from accurately or sometimes lead Okay, from underground.

(13:32):
If we go to archaeology can see as well. Okay,
all these underground lads so well. But Leo said, don't
have their own water sauce. So I'm Diodicia, I'm stuck
in the middle here. And there are two water sources
that actually come to me with pipes, two types of pipes.
One pipe comes from the hot springs. Okay, it's a
hot from the area from the hot spring, and the

(13:53):
hot spring is very very hot, and the hot spring
is like the water could be like anywhere from seventy
eighteen ninety degrees okay, hot springs there will you flow
from the pipes all the way to Leodicia. And these waters,
you know, sometimes in Rome ws go as well, and
if you can preserve it well, they can go straight
into the Roman baths, which are very very famous in

(14:13):
Rome as well. By Leoticia. They got one pipe coming
in and another pipe. They come from the mountain springs
not very far. We're probably about five to six km away.
They have a pipe coming down and this one is
coming from the hill and are icy cool waters like
mountain dew, really like mountain dew. Okay, So they will
come down from the pipes coming down as well, okay

(14:35):
to Laodicia. So Leolicia is very dependent on water sources
from both sides. Okay. But the problem is the water
when they come along the way is change. The water
comes it's neither cold, and it's neither cold as well
to the people who are very rich, you know, they

(14:56):
don't have control over the temperature of the water. Okay,
it's kind of funny, isn't it. In control? You know
what is little warm water? How many have you got water?
Right now? What you okay, don't do it after mena? Okay,
imagine that you open the water, you put entire hand,
you put it inside your hand. There Google Google, gole
go Google. For like five minutes, you take off your hand.

(15:16):
You drink that water. That's look warm water. I mean
I would like to drink that water. You're like, it's
not just the idea of a hand, but the temperature.
You can imagine like it's like you know that it
does very It's like did somebody put their hand inside
their water? You know what I mean? Right, it's I
don't like it, you know. But that's the temperature for

(15:36):
a litke warm water. Okay, that's the temperature for a
lit warm water. Now, now you when you when you
hear all these things, right, let's go back to the
scripture again. Okay, give you the context right now. Okay,
Now it says here you will neither I wish that
you would that I would that you were either cold

(15:56):
or hot. So because you are lit warm, neither hot
nor care I will speak you out of my mouth. Now,
Jesus is not talking about the city physically. He's saying
that what the city is experiencing is exactly what you're
experiencing inside your heart, I mean inside your heart. Okay,

(16:19):
for you say that I am rich, I have prospered,
I need nothing, not realizing that you are a rechipediable,
poor plant and naked. Okay, I told you they are
very rich. Okay. So now, how is it possible that
water can become lit warm on the way? Hot spring,

(16:42):
mountain dew when you come along the way. What causes
is to become the warm? Think about it? What causes
water from all these places to be lit warm? Not?
They had to think about it, know, they had to imagine,
you bring water from Afar? Is it? It won't because
of one? Is it because of the pipe? Because the

(17:08):
surrounding begins to change the water? Isn't it? What is hot?
As you pass by the pipes one k m, two km,
three km, the different temperatures changes the water, and then
when it arrives it's different ready as cold as you

(17:28):
are as well. Sometimes you can pass through to certain
places you are warmer and comes down when you arrive,
you change. The thing is in life. As you pass
by in life, have you changed? That's the theft thing?
You know? As you pass by? And sometimes when you
are very hot you get things very cold, things begin

(17:53):
to change you. And when you're very cold and things
that are very hot changes you. When you're very rich
and become poor, has it changed you? When you are
poor and suddenly you receive riches? Can you handle prosperity?
Did they change you? You know what I'm saying. You know,
good things and bad things? Did they changed you? So?

(18:14):
If over the people and the believers, you know in
the church and level this year, they were not that
rich to begin with. They only when they when they
believe in God, they only had the Gospel. But suddenly
prosperity comes. Have they change? And Jesus says why they
have changed? Because they begin to say in their hearts
what Jesus knows. They begin to say that because they say,

(18:38):
I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.
You will never say it, but in your heart you
believe it. Scarier, scarier. This is how exactly you become
your own when where as life passes by, as you

(18:59):
expe and the different things. I don't need anything. Sometimes
it could be the opposite thing as well. But when
things are good, you believe God. When things are bad,
you say there is no God. God doesn't care. God
would no, no, no, will never do that. You know
you lost faith, and you know, you know, and that

(19:20):
is why it's happening. But in this case, you know,
for the Laodicians, it is the inability to handle prosperity
that has affected them. They you know, they say that
they will rich, they prosper they need nothing, but in
fact they were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked. In fact,

(19:42):
we say the water, it's like, you know, maybe like
if you go to my right here to the hot spring,
everybody wants the water. What is so nice? You know
I can bathe in it. When you go to the mountainside,
the water is so cooling, everybody wants to drink on it.
But at the same water, by the time it arives
in the middle, nobody who wants to touch it. The
point of the people in the old year, they really

(20:03):
dreaded the water. They hated the water. People from everywhere.
The rich people say, oh, you've got so many riches.
You know, your eyes aw your medicine was so good.
But why your water is so bad? You haven't been
to a city that's water is really really bad before.
I know when I go to other places, sometimes I do.
The water feels very heavy because it tastes a bit different.

(20:25):
Some people come to Malaysia from Europe. They're like, oh,
I know, I only want to drink Evian water. Only
you notice or not because it tastes different. When you know,
you don't believe me going by Evian water. No, I'm
just kidding. Okay, even water tastes different. It tastes a
bit heavier because of the difference in alkaline and SCDD
as well. But by the time when all these good waters,
when they arrive in the middle, nobody wants to drink it.

(20:47):
In the same thing as well, with believers, you may
start off gold, start off hot and redical. By the
time when you arrive where you are right now, you
are not recognizable and all God. When God save you
where you are right now, you say you are you
a Christian? You don't look like a Christian, you don't
sound like a Christian, you don't live like a Christian.
Oh is it possible? Can I share a testimony? If

(21:10):
you guys are and I share a story, how to
exemplify this what it means? How many of you know
Pastor Stevenson? You know pass I had a dinner with
him or I think you read the last Spio retreat.
I was sitting with him and with my wife and
then we're talking and sudden we were talking about our upbringing.

(21:32):
And you want to know more about me? Right? You
get to know me now? So I grew up in Cebu.
How many of you from Sarawak, sib Sib, Sibul? Anyone
from Cebu? No? I see the hand just gave up
byes Okay? Which part of Sarawak? Oh? Very nice? Who else?
Who else? Brunei? You can minor represent? Some represent Okay?

(21:57):
I come from Sebu. You know why? Sebu known for
call on me courate? What do? What else did you say?
Comp Some of you have no idea what we're talking
about here. You have no idea. That's where you gotta
don't get out of the city and travel a bit.
Okay has quite a lot unique food Okay that you

(22:21):
will never find here. Okay. I loved Okay, but Sebul
is known for comp on me. But we're also known
for gangsters. Okay, Unfortunately, we're known for having a law
of churches. We have one of the most we have
the high one of the highest density of churches because
you sall have a revival that you go to every
corner that there's a church, that's church. Everywhere got church.
But we also have the most gangsters. I don't know why.

(22:43):
You know, it's time together. It's kind of sad. But anyway,
we were talking about our upbringing and then mine said, oh,
how did you grow up? And I said, yeah, I
grew up in Cybul. I don't really speak English at all.
And I was like, oh really, yeah, I'm I don't
really speak englishman and most of the time, but from
a very young age, my dad's and my family sent

(23:05):
me to English tuition school. It's called International School. In
International English School. Yeah, come out, come out with a
better name. Come with international you know, athas Lie, you know,
they call themselves International English School. So I learned from them.
So in that class, there was a particular teacher and
his name that I remember until now. It's a guy.

(23:26):
His name is mister Thing k T I n G okay,
and it's the thing. It's a very unique teacher. When
he teach his style is like, you know, I not
go through the textbook, just like give everybody a book.
You can read book, and then it's quite difficult. I
want you to write down all the book keeps you
learn and when you show me and then you write
an essay about it, very interesting. Okay, But but I

(23:49):
I But because of his teaching, I was one of
the two students in the whole of Sebul who got
first class in Triplet one nine, one of the two
only okay, how many have you got first class? Inch?
And because of that, I got a scholarship in Melbourne,
Australia for tailors, you know, for my triple one night.

(24:11):
But I didn't go because okay, anyway, there's another time.
So he was my English teacher. He was very funny.
But what I remember the most about him is that
he actually shared about his conversion in intuition class. Nowadays
you do that and you get fired ready most of
the time. Ready, Okay, these people would say it's very
unprofessional and stuff like that. But we were young, we

(24:34):
were like primary students. He went there. He was a
banker and he had a light changing experience. God showed
him and God knowing he had a dream that he no,
he was very sick and he was dying, and God
gave him an image and he saw a door with
a big question mark, and we opened the door. He
saw hell and then off the day. You know, he
he do believe God. You know, how vivid can you be?
You know, I mean one tyle of vision to your

(24:57):
life and you see hell, then you say, okay, I
give up everything. There fo Jesus. You know. Then you
read that you had the comfort in the church. You know,
listen to a nice song. Yes, I want Jesus. Okay.
But he had a different path. So when he shared
that with me, right, I tell you, when I was young,
the way I come to know Jesus, it's either people
scare me to death. One. You know, I got scared
to Jesus one a lot of time. My teacher was
scaring me to Jesus. My brother was scaring me to Jesus.

(25:20):
My brother when I was young, when he asked me
to believe in Jesus. You know what you say, you're
coming mad. No, you don't come in mad. He call
me a okay, Juan, come here, come here, come here.
Why is it my brother used to bully me a lot. Okay,
so I scared, like I know he can hit me again.
Then he's like, you know, Jesus is God, you know.
I say, Okay, Jesus is always calling one. You know.

(25:43):
I said, okay, you know he's calling you right now?
I said, oh is it? Yeah? You calling all But
one day he'll stopped calling one. You know. Do you
want Jesus? That's it? You know, that's it. You know me,
it's a young word. It's like, I mean, God is
calling and one day's going to stop calling. I better
hands a lot, you know. So I quickly answered, I
I got scared. You know what you got and call

(26:03):
me again? That's it. I missed the boat ready, you know,
so I got scared. Yes, I want Jesus. So that's
my conversion early conversion story. So everybody tried to scare me.
And you know when your Chinese are and your young
eye everything and how you convince someone is scaredetic scare you,
scare you, scare you, you know. Okay, So my brother
tried scaring me, but I mean I responded by I
didn't believe in my heart heart and my teacher came

(26:24):
along as well, Hey, you see my life stories. That's
why I'm a teacher. Right now, you want Jesus on
I want Jesus or so I'm scared because of that,
you know, I said, Okay, I began to grow closers
as a group, you know, get to know him, uh,
and then from him I got to learn a bit
about things about about Christianity. Although I was still skeptical.

(26:47):
I didn't really understand. But he made a big difference
in my Christian life. And as I explained to Pastor
Stephen right, he looked at me and he he was
like brave, shocked, You're not. Pastor Stephen right now has
a girlfriend and the girlfriend's name is Sharon. He said.

(27:08):
Sharon is from Cebu and Sharon's name is Thing. Sharon's
father is an English teacher. Are you all like you
don't know how I feel? Right now? Right, I'm not
looking at him like no way, no way, no way.

(27:28):
Then this just happened this year, I said, no, that's like,
you know, it's like you just dismissed up. Then the
like maybe, right, I said, uh, can you show me
his picture? Then he quiet call Sharon, you know, send
the father picture, and looking oh, that's him. That's definitely him.
And I said, and I saw Sharon's picture. I think

(27:50):
I've seen Sharon when she was three years old before.
Oh my goodness, what a small world, you know, Oh
my goodness. You know, when you think you're like, everything
just comes. I can't believe I saw you when I
was so she was so young ago, I saw you
worrying around in that pemples before. I think that that's you.

(28:11):
Was like, oh my goodness. You know, sometimes you are
just in disbelieve, you know, like, oh my goodness, I
want to go into the Hey, you know that you
student become a pastor, and but you know all these things,
you know, you can't believe it, you know. Then after that,
you know. But the sad thing is, but he told me,
he said, but you know that the father is no
longer going to church, no longer go into church. Oh.

(28:37):
I was like, oh my heart sank. You know. I
was like, wow, I was going to tell him, hey,
you know, hey, whatever you did for me made different.
But now he's not even going to church. I said,
what happened? He said, it's a combination of things that
you know, could be like a herd offense in church, disappointment,
and then with God with people, and now he's like,

(28:58):
you know, he's even questioning why Sharon even goes to church,
even hangs you all like your boyfriend with a pastor
some more and or irony? Right, So what did you
learn from this? Let me ask you, what did you
learn from all this? What do you think God is
trying to tell you? And I you see her. You

(29:20):
can't have an amazing life changing testimony and encounter with God,
but you can still halfway through lose it on you
say what I'm saying, how many you can? How many
of you have a vision now of hell that can
so vivid that you leave your job as a banker

(29:41):
one an and become a teacher? No, it's it's it's
life changing one. You know, you're so real to you.
But along the way, along the way, life happens like
a hit really really hard one. Know, either you become rich,
you become poor, become sick, you lose someone in your

(30:04):
life can hit you really hard on No, No, and the
devil does use these things more than happy. He doesn't
need to affect you immediately. Now he knows he's got
all the time to wait for you. To trap you,
to to to to put all these things into your mind?
Do you really want to serve God? You really? Now?
How about weeks? How about months? You want to come

(30:26):
to Excheris again? Next year, the year after twenty years,
forty years, fifty years? Do you really want to serve? Why?
One day you start to question your own purpose and identity?
You know what I mean? Right? That's how the devil
hits you hard. No no, no, starts to get you to
project the future where you have no controlling and make
you start to have fear, start to be angry, start

(30:50):
to you know, hey, think like the world, I got
to take charge on my destiny. You know, maybe I
got to move out some people we know in church,
you know, the moment day Overseesar, they disassociate with us.
Want to know, it's quite sad, you know, you know,
I don't know, you know, I know the different person.
I'm not talking about anyone here, Sorry, I don't know.

(31:10):
But I know people who are friends in militia their well, no,
but the moment they are Overseesar, they my greater. They
don't even want to meet us, you know, completely cut off,
you know, completely corl And I wonder like, is it us?
But the person is not even attending church or no?
And I was like, is it us? Or is everything

(31:30):
you're the faith real? I'm not talking about whether you serve,
whether you're a leader or not, but it's the faith real.
Is God's journey and touch of your life real or not?
You can't mean right? And sometimes you think you are.
It is real for a moment you experience it, but
when life happens, you start to being I never had victory.

(31:51):
Maybe my conversion wasn't even real. You see how the
devil does. You see all of us, we are all
called to be spiritual beings. You know, we were meant
to be spirit. God, our father, God is spiritual. Bible
says God is spirit and we're all called for a
spiritual worship. Okay, call for a spiritual worship. Okay, I
tell you what. We'll all spiritual worship. The devil has

(32:15):
no problem for you coming to church. The devil has
no problem with you having prayer, coming to sing songs,
no problem. He has no problem because you know why
all these things he has. He has a very practical
tool to attack you. And I how many of you
struggle to pray long and had two minutes, three minutes,

(32:36):
five minutes. Beyond that, you struggle. Your mind is always everywhere.
The devil doesn't attack your spirituality and my spirituality with
another spirituality, you know, he doesn't attack that. He doesn't
attack you. No, no, no. The main weapon, the weapon
of choice the devil attacks your spirituality and my spirituality

(32:57):
is with what practically tea How many of you have
read Have you heard this guy called C. S. Lewis before?
Have you read? Okay? Very famous author. He wrote this
book called the Screw Type Letters. Okay, and he said
that there's this guy in the in the in the garden,
in the in the park. He was sitting there and

(33:17):
he's thinking about life and God's calling and a meaning
of life. And he was thinking of going to church
or meeting a pastor. And he was like, oh, and
then there's little devil assigned to you know, to to
to to watch over him and to learn him, to
make sure that he never goes to the enemy's camp.
The enemy is godlive, Okay, it's little devils. Now they
talk from the from from the side, and they say, oh, no, no,

(33:39):
you don't, you don't learn him with spiritual with spiritual lives. No, No,
you're attacking one. No, a man sitting in the park.
What you're attacking with. You're attacking with lunch. You're attacking
with late busses. You're attacking with the long walk. You're
attacking with all the inconvenience he has to go to

(34:00):
make it there to the church. And when he does,
and when he started realizing that it's too high a
price to pay, you want gamana, the greatest tool that
you see. The devil will never let you know that
he's the devil. He will always seem as the most
reasonable person. Trust me. That is why you all are

(34:23):
very reasonable people. And you wonder, oh I think so smart,
so good, so reasonable, But you have no idea. It
is the disguise of the devil, some of you. You see,
I'm saying that the devil. Remember this, you want to
write down. The devil always attack our spirituality with practicality, always, always,

(34:45):
even right now, I can tell you what's your mind
thinking about lunch? How long this pastor is going to
go on and talk right now? He speaks in English
that I don't understand, and maybe he jumps here and
there I don't understand. Also, you probably critic me more
than anything else, because I'm saying, you know, ah, I
prefer pastor Gloria. She's so much nicer and pleasant. You know,

(35:07):
at least she dress not the same theme, not not
like me and white and black. No, she dressed one
one seamless theme. You know, I'm like, Oh, it's this
guy man, you know, he cat you criticized get and
then when you come out to your criticism more than
anything else. Why these guys speak so long? And I
don't hungry. I got children, and oh you get me
in right, always attacks us with practicality. There is why

(35:29):
most of the time that reasons people believe the church
are almost always to say, always the same attack, true
or not? It makes sense. And now I'm spelling all
these things because this is how along the way we
become warm. When you have prosperity, you think that, oh God,
bless my business. When my best my business, I will

(35:51):
give tides. Oh Lord, this is this, I will help
this all. You assume all this, but you don't realize
it's your pride talking, your pride talking speaking, boasting and
boasting and boasting, and before you know it, you start
to tell to your wife you tell it to your children,
you tell it to your home, you tail it to
your everyone. Every day. I'm not saying anyone, I'll tell
you these things are in my mind. Also happens when now, okay,

(36:13):
it's not the pride we lie to ourselves. You know,
it's very deceiving you realize where these thoughts come from.
The enemy is we call it very intrusive. Stock Once
sometimes you look at a sister, okay, but intusive. Last
full thought comes to, Oh no, I'm married, really, but
I don't know why I'm asking for her phone number.

(36:38):
Very quiet, now, y quiet, requiet, nobody. We're not asking
for number, just for mini streaming. When you realize how
you grow older, if you are really spiritually honest, you'll
realize that at our base levels, we are animals. We
cannot have confidence in our flash. We cannot I don't

(37:00):
have I cannot have confidence in my plass. The day
that I do is the harmed I'm done for. I
am done for the thing. Very thing that I tell
myself not to do I will do. It's very scary.
That's what happened to my You know, I'm assuming I
don't know what was a story with mister thing did you.
I feel very sad. The daughter feels very sad. You
never imagine this guy did so much great he impacted

(37:22):
me like twenty plus years ago, such an amazing testimony,
but yet can leave the faith. But I'm hoping that
we can pull him back. I'm really really hoping that
we can pull him back. You know. It's like you
all my heart goes out, you know, And I hope
that doesn't happen to any of you guys, whether you're
offended by me, anyone or someone. Maybe somebody owe you money,

(37:42):
maybe someone you know, maybe they didn't treat you the
way that they should. Maybe someone said something to you.
You cannot see eye to eye, but never allow these
things to separate you, or to pull you away, or
to start losing faith. You know, life, this Christian life
is a lot of endurance, true, honestly, is a lot
of ab parents. You can know something so much nonsense
about someone and can still have to love them and

(38:05):
bear them. That's loving all. I can know someone about
someone so much, but go you have to love him.
I was like, oh so hot, But that is the
Christian life, you know what I'm saying. This guy this picture,
Oh I know that he goes so the pride I
got to. But it's like, but I would choose, I
choose to see the best of him. I choose, I

(38:27):
choose to give the benefit of the doubt. You get mean,
I choose, I choose, I choose? Do you get men?
Because anything else of this? I know if I say, Lord,
you place a fear in my heart that it is
not right and godly? Before you talk about prayer, how
many have you struggle with prayer? And I mentioned before,
how may you struggle with prayer? You pray when you sleep?

(38:49):
How many if you pray when you sleep? Lying on
the bear? Lord? So the long day, my caddle, my
new pillow, you know, my new egonomy pillow. You know
I just got egonomy piller. Okay, thank you for today,
thank you? Oh it's oh it was yeah. I pray,

(39:12):
you know ray spiritual moment. You know, I rested in
the peace of God. You know we lie ourselves. This thing,
you know, is it? Should you pray like that? Just
pray a spiritual what's the enemy of spirituality? Practicality? Bibles

(39:34):
say say you're supposed to love the love with all
your heart, with all yourself, all your mind, with all
your strength? You know, do you pray just in your bed?
Sometimes people are I'm doing my business, I pray there
and people do that as well. You love people do
that too? Many people do that, you know, people, many
people are by the way I scrow, oh, by the
way whatever? Right know, I s grow I see something spiritual. Okay,

(39:56):
I pray that when you're doing business. Well, that's my worship. Ready,
think you get thank you the Lord, Lord is my strength.
You cannot do that, people, I recommend it start if
you really are into prayer that really blesses Okay, you

(40:19):
should start reading prayer books, especially written by famous people
like some of these like George Muller, the old classics.
You read their prayer books and you start to realize
that a lot of them struggle with prayer. You think
that prayer is easy. Prayer is simple. It's not easy.
Prayer is very simple a lot of people, which is confusing.

(40:42):
You know a lot of the times of people things
that prayer is very very complicated. Not prayer is very simple,
but very difficult. Simple but difficult. Why is it simple
and difficult? Because prayer ninety percent of prayer is emptying
your self. Prayer ninety percent is about you being empty,

(41:06):
And so when you come to pray, you realize how
it's very hard to pray because you have not emptied yourself.
You cannot hear God. You because before you pray to God,
you wrestle. Will God hear my prayer? If I pray?
That is it pleasing before God? Am I being selfish?
Am I being prideful? Am I preaching the right way?
Why God answers me the wrong way? Why don't like me?
You get me?

Speaker 1 (41:26):
Right?

Speaker 2 (41:26):
You see a thousand and one thoughts? You know? Should
I pray? Standing out Praillier? There are a thousand and
one thoughts that they are conflicting you and all. What
if I pray and God gives me, it shows me
a path that I don't want to even think about.
You know, you know, I never imagine I have to
give up everything. I'm not ready. So there are thousand
and one things that you cannot solw You are so scared,

(41:47):
You're so scared to even pray. That's why prayer. Ninety
person of prayer is actually emptying of yourself. That's why
George Miller, you know, you know George Miller, Jeorge Miller,
he started off an age in Bristol. If you go
to Okay, you know this called Bristol. People see balloons
and stuff like that. It's not known for balloonsa it's
known for George Miller, who started one of the greatest
orphanages in uk Okay. He say, he said, I realized

(42:13):
that ninety percent of my prayer is realizing sorry to
hear God's voice. Ninety percent is about emptying yourself. So
if you spend three hours, you will realize two hours
and forty five minutes is spent on emptying yourself. If
you spend fifteen minutes to pray, you will realize fourteen
minutes is about emptying yourself. When you come before God pray,

(42:37):
it's very simple one and he's like, oh, Heavenly Father
in Heaven, hallow be don you can pray like that.
Or it's like, oh, on the prayer that pastor can
have for someone, and oh like pray for Malaysia like that.
You know, very deep, very bold. You don't need Thank God.
I'm sorry. Yeah, help me help me, simple just like that.

(42:58):
You know I pray like that? Why now help me?
This is to help me sometimes just two words on
you help me and then repeating God help me. And
then when you sto that it's your emptying is God.
I'm weak. I know I can't. I can't. You just
say I don't know. There's nothing else, not nothing but
on all God. And when you pray, when you pray,
I get I courage you to have a place you
don't have. If you don't have a prayer, that's fine.

(43:19):
Just go out to your living room just by yourself.
Don't lie down, put your hands together. I'm not asking
you to be a monk or anything. Okay. You know
why do people do that last time? And then they
have their prayer beats? You know why, so that their
body begins to focus to one single point or prayer.
You see, your mind is everywhere, but when you leave

(43:40):
with your body, your mind will slowly follow as well
the beat. And when they pray is to focus into
one point. That's what they understood. Devotion. You understood. Your
hands is not doing something else, not divided, whether there
is a plane flying by, whether you're where you forgot
your you know your your washing machine already needing time?

(44:01):
Ready you get me. There's one thousand and one things
all go a new Netflix movie you want to watch.
Your hand is focused on one thing. So when you
put your hands together, you focus on one thing, your mind,
your heart, your mind. I don't you don't have the neil.
It's fine, but sit properly and focus your mind and
your heart to want to God. That is how you pray.

(44:27):
Never you never, guys, never learned before you understand what
I'm saying. You know that is how you ought to pray.
It's not because I know the way you pray. Do
you look like Jesus in the portrait? Okay, there is
a reason behind it, one and all, because you point
to a single point and it'say God. And most of
the time when you pray like that is when you're desperate,

(44:47):
when you need keep it simple. But your whole body
has to begin leading. You lead with your body, because
that's why I said. Then the devil will attack you impractical.
You look like some holy religious men. Are you really
praying or not? Like I said, the will always attacked
with practicality. Where can you find a place people look
for you? Funny? Hey, if you kneel down, what's so painful?

(45:09):
You got so much time there? Tomorrow you cannot wake
up early? You know all this is what you want
all the thousand and one and there is when you
start to practically they hit that. You know you are
in a spiritual battle. Spiritual better is not you suddenly
see a dark figure. You know. The spirituality is when
the practical, the flesh attexts the spiritual at the at
the very at the very early level that at least Now, okay,

(45:30):
this is a way, so it's set a time. Don't
seem a thing of any time. Okay, you want to
pray in the car find I think high is fine
when you right anywhere else? Off everything sit there. Lord,
I'm going to keep it simple. Law. Today, I need you.
I just want to do a lot today that or
whatever that I do, whatever that I say, Lord, help

(45:52):
me not to say it. I don't want to say
and then regret it. Lord. Today, even if I go,
I pray that you will give a smile in mind heart,
even though it's been very challenging, perst mind my heart,
that I will remember if I'm not living for myself,
I'm living for you. Help me God, that you know
when I go out it will not just be about
myself and me and myself, But Lord, help me to

(46:13):
think about other people help me to be more kind.
You start to pray like that, simple simple prayers, simple prayer,
and you verbalize it. It's very important that you verbalize it.
A lot of people put in your heart, not verbalize it.
There's power as you point to a single focus in
your hand. Your mouth is the focal point of your confession.

(46:36):
When you when you confess, you realize, Oh, very hard
to pray. You know, you realize because you are you
are summarizing and agreeing with your with your mouth what
you agree in your heart. It's the next level. You
know what I'm saying. You demonstrate what you believe in
your inner heart. It's very very important that you verbalize it.

(46:56):
While you start that why you why are you verbal?
And then again the where you're practical, where you're verbalizing, God,
no says you. But then you're like, no, no, no.
If you with your heart you believe, the Bible said,
with your heart you believe, and with your mouth you confess. Say,
now the Bible comes out. With your heart you believe,

(47:16):
and with your mouth you confess. Is that how many
you feel? Like? Everybody touch your hand, We don't want no,
but we confess, We lay up and we confess, we
realize that this is the opportunity and the medium of
spiritual transfer spiritual power as well. You are saying what
I'm saying. No, so everybody, can we up our prayer level? Huh?

(47:39):
You see? You know we don't want to be live warm.
We don't want to be live warm. We don't want
along the way that life changes us. But we don't
want to be on fire. Yes, things will affect our
lives and stuff like that, but that is why we
need to pray more. We need to fast a bit
more when we worship our hearts and realize that worship

(48:01):
has never been about songs. Worship is only one about
one thing and one thing only. What is it about? Yeah? God?
But what does God want from you? Surrender? Okay? Why
is it surrender? You know? The third temptation of Jesus?

(48:23):
What did what was that? What was the third temptation?
The devil took Jesus up to a high place in
me and see the whole kingdom. Look at all this glory.
I will give it to you if you will bow
down and worship me. What did the devil wanted? Song?

(48:45):
Did he wanted a song? I need a treatment? Song? Okay,
behind you Jesus, I mean just start stinging right now,
here's my heart lay. No, he doesn't need that. I
just want you to bow down and worship me. I
want your surrender, you know, I mean right, that is
what the devil wanted. What do you think God wants? You?
See me? Your heart? How surrender? It's the emptying of yourself.

(49:11):
So when you come to worship, it's not just about
this song. You know. Sometimes I don't judge people when
you're quiet, But most importantly, your hands are off the
handphones and everything. Your mind's something worship. Raise your hands,
not because like, oh you look great, No, because you're
saying God, even my hands see that empty is for you.

(49:33):
This empty longs for you, Lord. I'm here. When I
come to church, I come early. Why early? I can
spend another five minutes catching out on my Netflix. You
know why early? I know. But if I come early,
I miss my favorite tam someplace. Ready. You know, if
I wake up early means the night before I to
sleep earlier already. You know all these things you have

(49:54):
to pay, But these are all worship. Worship begins last night,
not now. No worship begins last night, last night, was
your priest have his prayer you at night when you
before you sleep, when you choose to sleep early, that's
your worship. Ready, people, did you realize that that's your worship? You? All?
Worship of Abraham was not on the next morning? Worship

(50:17):
was when God told him bring your son. And the
night before was the worship already began? Should I wake
up and what the Bible sayd he woke up early
in the morning, gathered everyone, and what that was the
worship of Abraham? I'm saying, you know that's the worship.
You worship is dressing your best. You know you think
dressing makes no difference. Again, I tell you the devil

(50:39):
of practicality. Why are you dressed like that? God honors
everything you dress my you west like that? Also? Also okay,
But when Jesus appears, why did Jesus appear you? Oh,
white and golden rope, you know clean, and he asked
for the priest to dress in specific things. You know
you're dressing is not because for anyone you're dressing is worship.

(51:00):
If you go to Indonesia right now to missions, you
cannot enter some of the churches if you wear non
proper shoes on, you know, the holy Their esteem got
so high that even the poorest people when I come
to speak, when I come to speak, they put my
picture there. I feels that's all wrong. You know, what
is the picture doing there? If it feels like a

(51:22):
running for election that you know that you know, I
don't be any election. And know, like the why am
I face? I love? You know, put extra line not
for my face, but they are and oh, you know
it's like they never heard of me. I don't know
this guy can speak broken bahasa, you know, like you know,
I look like, you know, like tw twenties. You know,
I got They say, I got a young face and

(51:44):
I got there. And then you know, but then the
ladies they come and they're dressing their personal really beautiful.
They wear their embroidery, jewelry. Of course not they look
like they're going for a wedding. You know, some of
us we come here with dress less than the wedding.
You know. Yeah, it just woke up and all you
wear your shirt and a v car can see the hair,

(52:07):
and ah, it's like, no, that's my mandliness. You know,
I'm like nobody, you know, you're dressing. It has never
been about you never ever been about you. You dress
for God because that's the worship. That's the gathering of
the fire sticks, that's putting your son on the thing.
That's when you climb the mountain, you know, Mount Moriah,

(52:29):
and then offer your eyesec You know everything, you everything
about wash It is about dying to yourself. Everything. It's
never about the church. It's all about God. It's dying
to everything, and you're coming to church. You think I
like to wear jackets? Are people? I hate wearing jackets
people every chance I get, I don't want to wear jackets,
but I wear it because every day, even if I

(52:50):
don't feel like it. Some days I fight with my wife.
Sometimes my children annoys me the crap out of it.
But I still say God, I will still worship. You
know what I'm saying. You know, you know what I'm saying.
Some times I had a lousy breakfast, I still have
to wear like that. So you get what I mean, right?
If you like it? I know sometimes people say, hey,
you're dressing ay, your jacket doesn't match. Still I still

(53:10):
I still wear. Don't care. You know what I mean? Right?
You still wear because it's not about me anymore, never
about me. It's always about God.

Speaker 1 (53:20):
We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more
information on our church, please visit as church dot org.
We are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing
that this week is going to be a good week.
I hit for you. God bless