0:07 That >> [clears throat] >> memory verse was something the Lord gave me many years ago. Saying that even to my old age and graying hairs he would be the same. >> [snorts] >> And 0:25 I can testify to that. I came to know Jesus personally when I was 19 and a half. >> [snorts] >> I mean, I was born in a Christian family. I never went to a dead church. I was always going to a church that preached the gospel, the pure gospel. 0:43 But it took time for me to >> [snorts] >> yield myself to him. And it's very interesting that the Lord held of laid hold of me in the very year >> [snorts] 1:00 >> in which I had begun a new profession as a military officer. That was in the middle of 1959. The same month in which I was commissioned as an officer I received Christ as my savior. I got 1:17 two commissions. And when I joined the military I my ambition was to go right up to the top. >> [snorts] >> And I worked towards it and right from my days as a cadet. But somehow that changed suddenly when Christ came into my life. 1:36 >> [snorts] >> It was a complete turnaround. I had no more desire to go and become an admiral in the Navy. It just disappeared. And I had a tremendous desire to live for God. 1:55 That's why I know my conversion was genuine. I hope you've had a conversion like that where your ambition and focus has changed. Many people accept Christ because they want their sins forgiven 2:13 or they want to go to heaven. I'll tell you that's not why I accepted Christ. I needed my sins forgiven and I certainly wanted to go to heaven. But that's not why I accepted Christ. That could be a very selfish reason. Because if I accept Christ on that basis 2:30 >> [snorts] >> my attitude will be, "What's the minimum I have to do in order to go to heaven?" But that was not the way I felt. Uh my being drawn to Christ was because I saw the wonder of his love for me on 2:50 the cross. And I hope all of you are gripped by that. That is the thing that's held me. I've been a believer now 67 years and it still amazes me the wonder of his love for me on the cross. >> [snorts] 3:08 >> I mentioned once before a time in my life where I was seeking the Lord to understand his prayer in Gethsemane. >> [snorts] >> I'll repeat it for the benefit of those who were didn't know or didn't hear me say it then. 3:28 And I pictured, you know, many I used to meditate a lot on Calvary, Jesus hanging on the cross for me to deepen my love for him. But I didn't meditate much on Gethsemane. So, there was a time in my life when I began to meditate on Gethsemane. 3:45 What was it, Lord, that you were struggling with because on the cross he He struggling. He seemed to be at rest. Father, except when the last 3 hours when it was he was facing hell. But in Gethsemane, >> [snorts] >> he was struggling for more than an hour. 4:05 And and you know, it says his sweat was like blood. I've never heard of anybody sweating blood. I mean, the sweat comes out of our body as salty water. How does it become blood? It must be such a tremendous pressure. 4:25 >> [snorts] >> Amazing. And the way it came to me was I >> [clears throat] >> felt I was imagining, you know, I use in my imagination a lot when I read the Bible >> [snorts] >> because it helps me understand better. When it says meditate, 4:43 meditate, I've got to use my mind and my imagination. See, how how was it there? I put myself in that place. And that's the way to read the Bible. Don't read just quickly >> [snorts] >> verses without thinking what is written 4:56 there. So, I was meditating on this and I felt I could imagine the Father telling Jesus, "You can come straight up to heaven from where you are. You've never sinned in 33 and 1/2 years. You've lived a perfect life of obedience. 5:12 And you can come straight up back to heaven. But Zach will go to hell. And >> [snorts] 5:36 >> I can never forget what that did to me. That Jesus said, "Father, okay. Then I'll go to the cross. That was many years ago. And it still moves me. I can never stop serving him. I can 5:58 never stop living for him. I can never commit sin because of what he did and because what he said. Okay, Father. Then I'll go. So, for me Jesus going from Gethsemane to the cross 6:16 was a very personal thing. The Bible became living to me. And it changed my life. >> [snorts] >> It was not a theory. It was real. And that's how I've always longed for the Holy Spirit to 6:35 make scripture real to me. A living [snorts] thing. This is a living book. This It's not like any other story book. And if you [snorts] can read this like a story book, I feel sorry for you. I'll tell you I'll tell you honestly. 6:50 If it doesn't change your life, you're reading the Bible like a story book. >> [snorts] >> If you're reading particularly the Gospels and all about Jesus and if it doesn't make you draw you closer to him >> [snorts] >> and have a tremendous longing to be 7:07 near him and with him all the time, >> [snorts] >> you're not reading the Bible properly. I want to see Jesus in so many parts of scripture. And it's it's it's like, you know, to use a very worldly illustration. >> [snorts] 7:25 >> It's like a a girl who's madly in love with a wonderful boy. I'm [snorts] the girl. I'm the bride of Christ. Madly in love with someone who I adore and respect and >> [snorts] >> want desperately to married to. So, it must be like that, my brothers 7:46 and sisters, >> [snorts] >> when you read the scripture. Don't let this ever be a dead book to you. >> [snorts] >> And when you love the Lord like that, everything will be easy. I've been in full-time Christian work now for 8:05 >> [snorts] >> 60 years. And I'll tell you today it's not a burden. Not at all a burden. I'd be glad to go another 60 years if the Lord gives me life. I'll I'll never get tired of serving the Lord. There are days when I 8:20 preach from morning, afternoon, evening, and I'm never tired because not because I can I'm physically strong, but because the [snorts] love of Christ, like Paul says, the love of Christ constrains me. And that is what I long for every one of 8:35 you. >> [snorts] >> If you're coming to church is just a routine matter, you come here on Sunday because we meet here at 10:30 or whatever in the morning, and you come [snorts] as a routine matter, and it's not with a great longing 8:50 to see Jesus here. >> [snorts] >> I want to come to church to see Jesus who's come who said I where two or three are gathered, I'm there in the midst. I want [snorts] to meet with him. It's It's like the longing of you know, like I said, a girl who's 9:05 madly in love with a boy, and he she gets an opportunity to go and meet with him alone. Wow, she looks forward to it. That's That's the way I look forward to meet Jesus when by myself, when I get up in the morning on my bed, 9:21 and [snorts] when I come in the midst of God's people, because he said where two or three are gathered in my name, [snorts] there I am in the midst. So, there's a greater sense of his presence where there are other believers who love 9:32 him coming together than when I'm meeting with him alone on my bed. There is a greater sense. Definitely. [snorts] And that's why I love the fellowship of the saints. Even if it's just one other brother or [snorts] two or three 9:47 or a larger congregation of people who love the Lord. >> [snorts] >> The Lord desires to build a body. >> [snorts] >> And that's the thing that came to me when I said, "Lord, what can I do to serve you?" >> [snorts] >> Not just to gather the people who go to 10:05 heaven. So many people say, "People are lost and going to hell. Let's save [snorts] them. Let's witness to them." That was it how it was in the beginning because that's what I heard. I didn't know much about the Bible and I heard other people say, 10:19 "We must save souls. We must save souls." And I >> [snorts] >> heard that and even as a young Christian, I would stand out in the streets in in India. I finished my work and go and stand out in the streets and preach the gospel. 10:32 Sometimes just two of us. And people would mock us and make fun of us and say, "Fine." I learned to be bold there. I learned to preach not in pulpits. I [snorts] was too young. And the church I went to, the elders would not 10:47 let me preach because I was a kid. 23 years old. But I could go out in the streets. I didn't need any permission to preach Christ on the streets. So I would go to another brother twice a week >> [snorts] >> and stand on the streets after the work 11:02 after I finished my work in the evening and preach the gospel. Man, that would be I can't say that I saved souls there. I don't remember anybody in that of the people who heard me who came to Christ. But I did preach the gospel. I hope some 11:18 of them sometime later thought about it. But it changed my life even if it didn't change other people's lives. I learned to preach there. On the streets to be bold and especially not to be ashamed of Christ anywhere. Of course, people would make 11:34 fun of us and call me the devil and all that, but that was okay. I there I learned to stand up for Christ and not be ashamed to be known as his disciple. And I praise the Lord for that. >> [snorts] >> And I felt, you know, when it says here 11:54 in Acts 1:8, "You shall be my witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth." It's not just by speaking. >> [snorts] >> There's a difference between bearing witness 12:11 and being a witness. Acts 1:8. >> [snorts] >> "You shall bear witness to me." That is to get up and speak for Christ. Yeah, that's what I did on the streets. Preach Christ as the sole savior of the world. But be, you shall be my witness 12:29 is referring to our life. That I manifest Christ in my life. And I am a witness by the way I live, >> [snorts] >> the way I live with my wife at home, the way I bring up my children, the way I handle money, 12:47 the way I relate to people, the way if I have neighbors, the way I treat them, >> [clears throat] >> the way I deal with my enemies, the way I respond to people who speak evil of me, the way I respond to people who criticize me 13:02 and who tell false stories about me. How do I respond? There I am to be a witness. And in every situation, I'm supposed to be a witness 24 hours a day. In [snorts] every type of situation, when somebody's cheated me or somebody's 13:17 taken advantage of me, I got to be a witness for Christ. >> [snorts] >> In my place of work, I had to be a witness for Christ. In the midst of the In when I was in the Navy, I had to be a witness for Christ in the midst of 13:28 people who are thoroughly worldly. You know how sailors are. And there to be a witness for Christ. To be by my life to be considerate and compassionate to the people around me. And yet without compromising the truth of the gospel. 13:47 And the Lord allowed me to go like that for some time. >> [snorts] >> And I was lonely. I didn't have fellowship. I didn't [snorts] have people who around me who had the same passion. I found a churches where we were people 14:01 come together and sing. And but I I knew that ultimately God wanted to build a church in every place. And so I didn't feel I was worthy to build a church, but I said, "Lord, I'm available. If you want to do anything through me, 14:19 I'm glad to do it." >> [snorts] >> But I ultimate I always had this burden in my heart. Jesus said, "I will build my church." Not I will take people to heaven. And I saw so much of Christianity was those people are lost, bring them to 14:36 Christ. Lost people lost people. I believe in that. And I preached like that for years. But I saw that Jesus said he wanted to build his church. >> [snorts] >> And that burden came to me after a number of years. I had the burden in 14:51 my heart, but I didn't know how to do it. I didn't know how in the world I could build a church that would please the Lord. But finally, I'll tell you what happened to me. >> [snorts] >> 51 years ago all of a sudden 15:08 the Lord baptized me in the Holy Spirit. That was a unique experience. >> [snorts] >> I suddenly found myself anointed, filled, and with a new passion. Which I have to work up or produce. 15:27 And then I saw the reality of what Jesus said in Acts 1:8, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." I'd already been a Christian for 16 years. I knew Jesus my savior. I knew I was going to heaven. 15:44 I was going to church and I wasn't living in gross sin or anything. But my inner life, I didn't have power. I could not control my thoughts. And I would get angry now and then. And I said, "Lord, this is not the way it should be. 16:00 I [snorts] want a part to live a godly life and I want a part to be your witness." And so for a number of months, way back in 1974, >> [snorts] >> uh I began to pray and fast occasionally for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 16:17 >> [snorts] >> And I prayed with other brothers who were seeking that. And quite unexpectedly, one day the Lord met with me. And I look back just like I look back to the day way back in July 1959 16:37 when I I read one verse in the Bible. Let me turn to that first. I I had the habit of reading one chapter every day and I was never sure that I accepted Christ, that that I was saved. Many times in many meetings, I had asked 16:52 the Lord to come into my heart. But I was never sure that I was saved. Till one day I read in my daily reading John 6:37, "The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out." And I don't know how it is, but it just hit my heart that the Lord 17:10 said, "I have not cast you out." I I "Lord, I've come to you a hundred times." And he he said, "I never rejected you." I dropped an anchor that day >> [snorts] >> to use a naval expression, and my ship has never drifted 17:27 for 67 years. I believed that he did not cast me out. Now, I say that for the benefit of maybe some young person sitting here. You ask Jesus to come into your heart, and you're not sure whether he saved you. You're not sure 17:46 whether you belong to him. I was like that, struggling for at least 6 years, from the age of 13 to 19, going to many meetings, but never sure, has Jesus really accepted me? Am I child of God? >> [clears throat] >> To such people sitting here, I say to 18:02 you, read John 6:37. Jesus said, "The one who comes to me, I will never cast out." Believe it. It'll change your life. It changed mine. >> [snorts] >> That was the first step. 18:20 And then as I began then I read in Acts 1:8, that to really be his witness, and certainly if you want to build his church, he said in Acts 1:8, "You'll receive power." 18:38 We first need forgiveness. Then we need power. We need the assurance that God has accepted us. And then we need power to be his witness. That's important, not to bear witness. I was bearing witness, but to be his witness by my life, 18:57 to be a bold, unashamed witness for Christ everywhere. And he says, "For that, you the Holy Spirit has to come upon you." >> [snorts] >> Now, you know there's a lot of confusion concerning the Holy Spirit in many many 19:15 Christian churches and I used to be in the Brethren Assembly in the early days. Good people. >> [snorts] >> They emphasized being born again and studying the Bible and I'm very thankful. But they never told me about the power 19:30 of the Holy Spirit. They were almost afraid to speak about it. So as I studied the scripture, I learned something. This is a question many people don't know the right answer to. >> [snorts] >> Do you know Do you know the answer to 19:47 this? If you've heard me, you probably know the answer. When did the disciples receive the Holy Spirit? Most Christians will say on the day of Pentecost. I say no. 20:04 On the day Jesus rose from the dead. >> [snorts] >> John chapter 20 20 we read about the day Jesus rose from the dead. John's Gospel chapter 20. >> [clears throat] [snorts] >> It speaks about how Mary Magdalene Jesus 20:24 came to Mary in John 20:16 in the garden and said Mary. And she said Rabboni. He said stop clinging to me. But go and tell my brethren I'm ascending to my father. That was his resurrection and Mary Magdalene was the 20:40 first person who saw Jesus. I love that. That Jesus didn't choose Simon Peter to be the first person to see him. He chose a woman who was a known sinner. >> [snorts] >> Who had probably lived in sexual sin with men 20:59 for many years. Imagine Jesus choosing a woman like that to be the first person to see the resurrected Christ. You know, it's like have you thought about how it would be wonderful if it would be 21:17 if I could see God creating Adam. You know, when I studied science and geography I I read that >> [clears throat] >> the light that you see in the stars is not actually what's coming now from there. 21:35 You've heard the expression light-year. A light-year is the distance that light travels in 1 year. It's a fantastic 186,000 miles in a second or something like that. And the amount that that's in a second [clears throat] that in a year it's 21:51 millions and millions of miles that the light travels. >> [clears throat] >> So, that just like you talk about 1 mile and 10 miles light-year [clears throat] is the distance that light travels in 1 year and that's many many many millions of miles. 22:09 And the stars are many light-years away. What that means is that >> [clears throat] >> it takes 1 year for light from that place to come here. That's a light-year distance. So, something that happened there 1 year ago I'm seeing now. 22:25 A light that came from that star that started from that star 4 years ago, I'm seeing it now. So, that star is four light-years away. So, what I'm seeing there I think it's Alpha Centauri or something, one of those stars 22:39 four light-years away and it's not that star as it is today. That star may have disappeared, may have broken up and >> [clears throat] >> disappeared, but for the next 4 years I'll still see it. Because the light is still traveling 22:53 from what came from there long ago. >> [clears throat] >> I [snorts] hope you understand that. I'm not teaching geography here. I'm coming to a very important point. And there are stars which are hundreds of light years away. 23:07 So, in other words, I can see a star as it was 4 years ago. I can see another star, if I could, 10 years ago, 100 years ago, 2,000 years ago. And I said, "Boy, if I could stand in a star and look at the Earth as it was 100 years ago, 23:23 as it was 1,000 years ago, if I could stand on some star in 6,000 light years away, I could see God creating Adam." Imagine that. Wow. It's not possible, but that is uh that is scientifically, that's it. 23:43 That if you're 6,000 light years away from from the Earth today, you could see God creating Adam. So, I thought, "How wonderful it is. God's made this Earth such a beautiful place." And that [snorts] was the creation of Adam. 24:02 That was a wonderful thing. I couldn't be there. But then the next is a new creation. And who's the first person who sees Jesus, the resurrected Jesus? Mary Magdalene. He came to save sinners. That's why he chose Mary Magdalene to be 24:19 the first. You sisters, don't think you're inferior. God valued not just a sister, but a a sinful sister who had badly, but who had come to the Lord in repentance. That's the first one Jesus chose 24:38 to be the one to see him in his resurrection. And then, after that, it says in the evening of the same week, John 20:19, the disciples were gathered together >> [snorts] >> and Jesus came into the midst. Now, read carefully 24:57 because this is similar to Genesis chapter 1. That was the first creation. This is the new creation. On the resurrection This is resurrection day is very important. It's almost like Genesis 1. The new creation which we are a part of. 25:11 I'm not a part of the race of Adam now. I'm part of the new creation. And on the first day of the week, Jesus came into the midst and peace be with you. And he laid his hands on them. I'm sorry, he showed his hands and side 25:23 to them. And he said, "Peace be with you." verse 21. Now listen to this. When he said this, he breathed on them. That's exactly what happened in Genesis 1. There Jesus breathed on Adam. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus was 25:39 there breathing on Adam. The first creation. And Adam became a living soul. And now he breathes on these people, these 12 disciples. Or 11, I think. Or 10. 25:56 And he said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." That is the new covenant breath. >> [snorts] >> There Adam became a living soul. Here these people were born again. So my question is when Jesus breathed on Adam he became a living soul. Did it Did 26:17 something happen? When Jesus breathed on these people and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." my question is did they receive the Holy Spirit or not? So my question is when did the disciples receive the Holy Spirit? Not as many people say on the day of 26:33 Pentecost. On the day of the resurrection. He breathed on them. He breathed on me when I was 19 and a half. And I was born again. I received the Holy Spirit. 26:51 Then he was with them for 40 days. And then he told them, "Now, you must wait. John Acts chapter 1 verse 5, to be immersed in the Holy Spirit." He already received the Holy Spirit 40 days ago. Please translate the word of baptism as 27:13 immersed. Baptism is just a Greek word. Baptizo, it means immerse. If people put their hand in a bucket of a Greek person put their hand in a bucket of water, you'd say, "I baptized my hand in the water." It's It's what it means. I 27:25 immersed my hand in water. It just means immersion. Translate it as immersion. So, >> [clears throat] >> there are two ways to be immersed. One is you put your hand in a bucket of water, the other is if you stand under a 27:37 flood, you're immersed. So, that is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, where the Spirit of God When you're baptized in water, you're immersed this way. When you're baptized in the Holy Spirit, it's a flood coming down from heaven and 27:47 you're immersed under that flood. And he said, "You will be baptized, immersed in the Holy Spirit, in a few days." Now, they could argue saying, "Lord, we've already received the Holy Spirit. What are you talking about?" 27:59 That's exactly what many Christians today argue with us when we say that. When we talk to them about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they say, "Oh, no, no, we accepted Christ. The Spirit has come." Well, you can keep arguing like that and 28:10 remain without power for years and waste your life. Most Christians are living a second-rate, second-class Christian life because they never sought for the baptism and immersion of the Holy Spirit. >> [snorts] >> And then Jesus said, "When the Holy 28:25 Spirit has come upon you like that, like a flood, and you're immersed, verse 8, you will receive power. And then you will be an effective witness for me." There's a difference between bearing witness and being witness. I want to urge you to read the Bible 28:42 carefully. If you had read the Bible carefully, you would have discovered before today that the disciples received the Holy Spirit on the day of resurrection. And then they were only immersed in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. 28:56 And if you receive if you read the Bible carefully, you'll discover there's a difference between bearing witness, which is with our mouths, and being a witness, which is by my life. And Jesus said when the Holy Spirit has 29:08 come upon you, you will be my witness. They already had borne witness. This They had disciples that had gone out bearing witness for Christ even when he was on earth. But now he said it's going to be different. You're going to be my 29:21 witness. Your life is going to be my witness. Do you want that life? That's what I wanted desperately. In the beginning, I wanted forgiveness of sins desperately. I wanted to go to heaven. I wanted to be saved from hell. 29:37 And he did that for me. Then I wanted to be a witness. I wanted to reflect Christ to my wife and children in my home. I wanted to reflect Christ in to everybody I met being a witness. That means to live a life where you 29:53 never get irritated or angry with anybody. Being a witness. If I get irritated and angry with somebody and then I say, "I'm sorry, please forgive me." That's good that you ask forgiveness, but you've not been a very good witness 30:04 for Christ there. To be a witness for Christ and manifest the life of Christ is is a tremendous calling. And I'm sorry to say that most believers are not interested in that. They just want [clears throat] to go to heaven 30:18 when they die. Are you ready to go to heaven? Are you ready to die? That's what a lot of people ask. Well, I say, "Lord, I want to ask people, are you ready to live for the Lord right now? Not are you ready to die? Are you ready to live to be a witness 30:32 for Christ? What if he was dying? I I don't I don't want to die without having been a witness for Christ on earth effectively and powerfully. I don't want to die before finishing the work God gave me to do on this earth. 30:44 I've been tremendously challenged by the fact that >> [snorts] >> Jesus said at the end of his life, this is what it means to be a witness. To be a witness means I want to reflect the life of Christ in me. Every day, anytime, 31:01 you wake me up in the middle of the night, I want to reflect the life of Christ. Catch me unawares in some situation, I want to reflect the life of Christ. Walk into my home um unannounced, and you should see me reflecting the 31:16 life of Christ in the way I live with my wife, or the way I go and examine my bank account and the way I handle money, you should be seeing me reflecting the life of Christ. Every aspect of my life, if you come and suddenly, without any warning, come and 31:30 check up on me, you should see me reflecting the life of Christ. This is what it means to be to be a witness. I hope you have that passion. And when you have that passion, the next step will be to join with others like 31:46 that to build the body of Christ. So, as I said, that began for me with the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Where suddenly I found a power to overcome sins. You know, when I got married, I was rock bottom poor 32:05 cuz I was very wealthy as a naval officer, but the Lord told me to quit my job and not only quit my job, but to take my entire life savings as a naval officer, and we earned a good salary those days, and to give it away for God's work. So, 32:19 I left the Navy in 1966 on the 6th of May, uh sorry, the 4th of May, with zero in my bank account, and no money. And I said, "Lord, I'm going to trust you." And since then, I've trusted the Lord. And when I I married, I told my wife, "I got zero in my bank 32:38 account. I got nothing. We're just going to trust the Lord. And my wife and I I couldn't afford house rent. We had my dad had a room to spare in his house and that's where we stayed for a number of years. It was not easy. 32:53 Particularly not easy for a wife and a when a woman gets married, she longs to have a home of her own. All of you who are married know that. What do you look forward to when you marry your husband? To have a home of your own. 33:09 My wife could not have it because she married me. The servant of the Lord who had given away all his money for God's work. And but we didn't starve. We lived with my dad and mom for three four years, but it was tough for her. We had 33:26 a child there. Our first son Sanjay was born there. And it was very discouraging. My wife was such a fiery witness for Christ as a medical college student. And here she was cooped up without knowing what the future laid ahead of 33:40 for us. Rejected by many people. And in that discouragement of her life with this baby she had to take care of, one sister whom we didn't didn't even know, came to our house 33:57 and said to her, she was visiting house to house and came to our house and said, "Can you come to my house for prayer?" And she went with her for prayer. With the baby. Fortunately, the baby was asleep and so she kept the baby down and 34:13 she was praying with the sister. That sister [snorts] prayed and then Annie began to pray. She is from a Brethren Assembly background and the Brethren Assembly believe that speaking in tongues is from the devil. It's not from God. 34:30 That's what they teach. And lo and behold, while she was praying, without any preparation, she suddenly found herself speaking in unknown tongues. Not one who was looking for it, but one who believed it is of the devil. 34:47 >> [clears throat] >> Suddenly, she found herself speaking in words that the Holy Spirit gave, and it changed her life. She was baptized in the Holy Spirit. That was the way God met her need at that time when she was living in this difficult 35:04 circumstance with me with financial struggles, because we had given away everything for God's work. And that's what prepared her to be my wife in the ministry I had. And I'm glad that the Lord met with her before he met with me. 35:21 I think I was more stubborn. So, the Lord had take a longer time with me. But, 6 months after I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, the first CFC church was born in our house. Started with only two families. And the Lord was with us, and from there 35:43 he we spoke about discipleship, and the Sermon on the Mount, and following Jesus. And from there, the Lord began to build churches in different parts of India, and now in many countries in the world, and many, many churches and 36:01 all with the same principle of trying to be be a witness for Jesus. Jesus never asked anybody for money. We never ask anybody for money. You know, we have a 100 churches now with been going for 50 years, many of them. And in not a single one of those 36:17 churches do we take an offering. Have you heard of churches where they never pass a bag to collect an offering? We just keep a box in the back. Those who want to give. It's because we saw Jesus sitting near the offering box once when a widow came 36:30 and put money in so we said that's the pattern for us. We always try to find a pattern from scripture. And especially in the area of money, we have 300 workers, not one of them is paid 1 cent. That's another unique thing in 36:46 Christendom. We want to be a be a witness for Jesus, not just talk about Jesus, not about talk about his salvation, but be the way Jesus lived. Jesus never took a salary when he lived in those 3 and 1/2 years. He trusted his father 37:03 and [snorts] he got somebody like Paul to follow him who did exactly the same thing. And he wants many others to follow him in that way to be a living witness to the fact and I'll tell you it's in the area of money that most Christians are tested. 37:20 Jesus never borrowed money. The Bible says owe nothing to anyone. And that's another thing I decided and we decided even when we had nothing, we said we'll never borrow. If you have little, we live with little. But [snorts] we'll never borrow. 37:36 And in all our 58 years of married life, we've never borrowed a cent from anybody. When we had nothing, we just lived with what little there was. And what is the result? We haven't starved. None of our children starved. 37:49 None of our children remained uneducated. Do [snorts] you think our heavenly father watches one of his children sincerely trying to follow him and will let him down? Impossible. If that is case, then we have to say there's no God in heaven at all. 38:05 If you believe there's a God in heaven and that the Bible is God's word, is it possible for almighty God to see some sincere child of his really seeking to obey scripture 100% and and God will let him down, make him starve, 38:22 or make him run short of money. It has never happened to us in our married life for 58 and 1/2 years. I'll tell you that too for your encouragement. You honor God, I tell you he'll honor you. That's God's will. And as I said, my great longing was 38:40 finally to see a church being built. And I was very happy with one and then God got built many others. One day, I was invited to Loveland >> [snorts] >> to speak at a conference 38:57 conducted by some others. And there I met some brothers. There was no CFC church, no RLCF in those days. There was a conference here being conducted somewhere and >> [snorts] 39:15 >> there was this case of this person who was leading it, uh came to me and said, "There's a lady here who needs some counseling. I can't help her. Can you go and help her?" And I said, "Sure." And when I spoke to her, I found she was 39:31 demon-possessed. She was dressed in pajamas, young 25-year-old lady dressed in pajamas. And can you believe it? She belonged to some type of cult. And she could not speak the name of Jesus. I spoke to her, "You're a sinner, accept 39:48 all that." And she said, I said, "Can you say Lord Jesus come to my heart?" She said, "I can't say that word." I knew who cannot say the word name Lord Jesus. It's only the devil who can't say the name Lord Jesus. So, I knew it was a demon. 40:03 And and I told that demon to get out of her right now, and it left immediately. And I told her, "Now you can say call her." She prayed and said, "Lord Jesus, come into my heart." And the next day, I see the smartly dressed young lady. I 40:20 could hardly believe the same person completely transformed. Christ had come into her heart and she was born again. And after that there was this church meeting here in this Loveland. It all happened in Loveland. And the brother who was leading this church 40:36 said, "Brother Zac, can you please come and oversee this church?" I said, "Sure." And I came here and I said, "Let me see." That [snorts] is uh 2004. And I came here every year after that. 40:56 For 14 years he had conferences, conferences and different people came from different places and decided to settle settle down here to be a part of this church. In those 10 14 years and Santosh 41:17 visited once here from California and said, "I want to be a part of this church." And he came and joined this church too in I think 2007 or 2008, I don't remember. And some years after that or sometime after that the brother who was the elder here told 41:32 me "We want to make Santosh also an elder." That was his choice. I said, "Okay." So we had a meeting where we prayed for him and appointed him as an elder. So there were two elders. And then a time came 41:49 I mean we had conferences every year. When he told me one day, "We want to remove Santosh from being an elder." I said, "Really? What happened?" He said, "He speaks too strong." 42:07 I said, "I speak too strong, too. Then I'll have to get out, too. And that's not a crime. Jesus spoke strongest of all. None of us speak as strong as Jesus did. You never read in the Bible anybody who preached about hell as much as 42:24 Jesus. Did you know that? Nobody preached about hell like Jesus did. Nobody took a whip and turned people out who were making money in the name of religion. Only Jesus did it. I've often said to people, some of you gentle Christians would have gone and 42:42 tapped Jesus on the back and said, "Lord, Lord, don't get excited. Just calm down. Calm down." I'm sure there are Christians who would have tapped Jesus on the back and said, "Calm down, Lord." And when he turned the tables and made 42:54 all the money fly away, they'd have tapped him and said, "Don't Just tell them gently to take it away. Why do you have to get so upset and turn the tables and and opening the cages and letting all the birds fly. Lord, you're getting too 43:07 excited. Just calm down." >> [snorts] >> There are many Christians who would have said that if they saw Jesus that day. These These gentle Christians, you know, humbugs. Jesus saw that you cannot make money in the name of religion. 43:24 God and money are two masters, and another master is coming into the temple. And that master is coming into the Christian church. The master called money. And we have fought tooth and nail against it for 50 years in our CFC 43:37 churches. And we will continue to fight that till Jesus comes again. What I'm trying to say is that the Christ that many people are worshipping and following today in much of Christianity is not the real Christ. They'd get upset if Jesus came with a 43:54 whip into some church today and said, "You guys You pastors are running after money. Get out of here. You people are always emphasizing money money money in your church. Get out of here." Yeah, he would. They wouldn't allow anybody to come with 44:07 that message. We got to be gentle. We got to be kind. The meek and gentle Jesus. And when he turned around and said to the Pharisees, "You You generation of vipers, how will you escape the damnation of hell?" Somebody would have counselled Jesus 44:28 after that. Lord, you can say the same thing in a better way. Today's Christians are the type of Christians who will teach Jesus how to speak. That's why we have this third-rate Christianity in so many parts of the world. 44:46 I decided I will not be part of that. And I've been misunderstood, criticized, and taken to court as well for standing up for certain things. I say, "Well, fine. The Lord delivered me in every place. He's delivered me." 44:59 And he'll [snorts] continue to deliver me. And I say, "Lord, please give me the power of the Holy Spirit to be true and faithful to the real Christ, to the real Jesus, to present the real Jesus, not one side of it. The real Jesus is The glory of 45:16 God was seen in Jesus. John 1:14, full of grace and truth." >> [snorts] >> That's why John The Lord told chose Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas was the man whose name was Joseph. That was not his original name. But we read in Acts chapter 4, he would 45:33 go around encouraging people so much so much so much. That was his his burden. And the Lord The apostles said, "We got to change your name." And they changed his name to Bar. Bar means son of Nabas in the Hebrew language, son of 45:47 encouragement. He was always encouraging people. >> [snorts] >> And the Lord needs some people like that. But the Lord needed also a fiery man like Paul to manifest truth. Grace and truth are the two legs on which the church stands. 46:06 And that's why he chose Paul and Barnabas. And even today he chooses people who emphasize truth and people who emphasize grace and both are needed. They work together. One is not needed more than the other. But I fear that in Christendom today 46:22 grace is being proclaimed much more than truth. Because you preach grace, you'll be popular. You [snorts] preach truth and you'll be unpopular. And I remember when the Lord called me to serve him 46:40 on the 6th of May, 1964. I was reading my Bible and that's how the Lord spoke to me. And I did not understand it then. At that time you know, I used to have had my habit of daily Bible reading. And that particular day I was in Isaiah 46:56 49. >> [snorts] >> And when I read it it was a clear call for me from heaven. I was sitting there in a train traveling in India. I was on leave, on vacation. And I was reading >> [snorts] 47:14 >> the middle of verse one, Isaiah 49 verse one. The Lord has called me from the womb. From the body of my mother he named me. He has made my mouth like a sharp sword and said to me in verse three, "You are my servant in whom I will show my 47:33 glory." And verse five, "I formed you from the womb to be my servant. And it is a small thing, verse six, that you'll be my servant to the tribes of Jacob, but you'll be my servant to those to the to the nations as well." 47:51 And a number of things there the Lord spoke to me heart to my heart. It It hit my heart that I had to quit my job in the military and serve the Lord. And I was 24 years old. And I had just taken baptism 3 years earlier. 48:08 But I'd really studied the Bible and I knew the Bible well by then and I was preaching. And when I heard that call, I said, "Yes, Lord." And a servant of God, whom I respected very highly in India, met me a half an hour after that 48:24 and said to me, quite not knowing what the Lord was speaking to me, "Zac, when are you leaving the Navy?" That was the confirmation I needed. That God was calling me. That's when I quit, decided to quit. But years later, when I look back, 48:43 I saw many things more in that chapter that I did not see when I first read it. There I saw that the Lord was showing me what my ministry would be, which I did not know then. He told me, "You are my servant." And 49:01 then it says in verse two, "He has made my mouth like a sharp sword." Now, there are many preachers that needed in the church whose words are words of comfort. But to me, the Lord said, 49:19 "Your mouth is to be like a sharp sword. That's your calling." Not everybody's, it's yours. "And I have made you like a selected arrow." The latter latter part of verse two. So, when I look here back now, I see 49:38 that even my ministry was revealed to me then. I didn't understand it then. But as I look back now, I see that God needs those who emphasize, those who use the sword in the church to keep the church pure. And those God needs those who will put 49:56 their arms around people and comfort them with grace. Both are needed and we work together. So, each of us must fulfill our calling. And I want to say to you, my dear brothers and sisters, that in the body of Christ, every single 50:13 one of you has a calling. Some members are visible. Some are not, but we must work together. God I I look at the churches like different parts. For example, if you're a member of the right hand, say your little finger in the right 50:33 hand, whether you like it or not, if the right hand moves in a certain direction, you have to move because you're a part of this church. Now, somebody who's a member of another church, who's a part of the body of Christ, left hand, he doesn't have to 50:46 move when this church is moving. He's member of the body of Christ, but he's the other hand. So, I see in the body of Christ, there are different functions. So, I can't be independent if I'm part of this particular church. 51:02 There's no independent little finger. If If the leadership, say the shoulder, says we got to lift up now, this little finger can't say, "No, I like to hang around here." No, if you're a part of this body, you have to move along with the 51:16 body. That is submission to the authority of the elders. And like the leg, the leg's different. The toes can do what they like when this church I look at these different parts of the body as different churches, all part of the body of Christ. 51:31 And they are put in groups. And we have to move together with those who belong to the church which we are a part of. There's a commitment to a local church. That's why I strongly believe in local churches. That's why in the Acts of the 51:46 Apostles, you see Paul was always planting local churches. And so, I want to say to you, my brothers, you can be a member of the body of Christ and say, "I only want to go to heaven. I belong to the Lord. I don't commit 51:59 myself to any church." Well, I feel sorry for you. That's all I can say. Because I don't see any such believer in the New Testament. Every believer in the New Testament that I read of was a member of some church, local church. 52:13 But unfortunately, there are a lot of these independent members today who are born again. I don't question that. They come sit in a church with no sense of commitment. They don't say to the elders, "I am committed 100% to this church." See, 52:28 this finger has said to this part of this arm, "I am committed to you. When you move, I move. When you put your hand down, I come down. When you put your hand up, I come up." This little finger says, "I am committed to this part of the body." 52:45 I'm not a part of the other part of the body. It's got nothing to do with the right left hand. But I'm committed. Now, I want to ask you, even if you're a nail, are you committed to that part of the body which God has placed you? 52:59 Or are you one of those lone floating members who goes wherever you like? Because there's responsibility when you're committed. And if you've not grown spiritually, I want to tell you in Jesus' name, the reason is your commitment is incomplete 53:13 or shallow. May God bless you and lead you. I want the best for you, and that's why I say all this. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, help us to take seriously everything that we hear 53:33 in your word. And whatever is has application to anybody here, we pray that they will take it, Lord, including me. I'm also just a member of the body. Help us all, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. >> [music]
