0:00 I thank God for the health and strength God has given me, and to Annie. 0:24 We don't take these things for granted. Every day is a gift from God. And we take it like that, but if God gives us anything, it is meant to be used for Him. If He gives us money, it's to be used for Him. 0:45 He gives us health, it is to be used for Him. And anyone who gives anything to God, God will never be in debt to anyone. He will give you much more than you give. You know, one boy had five loaves and two fish, and it was so good of him. 1:11 That was his lunch. And he voluntarily gave it up. And the result was 10,000 people, 5,000 men and women and children, 10,000 people were fed. It's amazing what God could do through one little boy who gave his lunch to Jesus. 1:32 And these examples are written in Scripture to show us what He can do with us today. Because God is the same yesterday, today and forever. And when I think of how CFC started, I was at rock bottom in my life, but the Lord baptized me in the Holy Spirit, and that's how everything started. 1:57 Way back in the end of 1974, I had become so frustrated with the defeated life. I was trying to be a Christian, and I mean, I was born again, and I trusted the Lord. I was not committing any gross sins on the outside. But I didn't have that walk with the Lord in my private life that I wanted. 2:23 You know, freedom from anger and perfect purity of thought. My external life was perfect, and like many Christians are, but I was not happy with that. I was preaching, I was not happy with that. I said, Lord, I want to have a thought life like Jesus had. 2:41 I want to be able to speak like Jesus spoke every time. And I was so defeated that I prayed and fasted and sought God. And then finally, God met with me quite remarkably when I was least expecting it in the 12th of January, 1975. 3:03 He baptized me in the Holy Spirit. I had been seeking it for a long time. But there, God met with me and assured me. And six months later, in August 17th, 1975, we started CFC in my home. 3:28 Ian Robson, who many of you know, was going to be with the Lord now. He was also in a desperate state seeking the Lord. And the Lord gave him also an assurance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And both of us had been thrown out of the Baptist church because we preached the baptism of the Holy Spirit over there. 3:48 And they didn't want that. And so I told Ian what to do. We've been, we are, only two of us are out. Let's meet in my house. That's how we met on that first Sunday evening, 17th of August, 1975. It's exactly 51 years ago. 4:11 And we were two families. But we were completely united. And the most important thing is not the number of people. We read in the Gospels that sometimes thousands of people were there. In fact, John chapter 6 is a great example. 4:28 At the beginning of John chapter 6, there are 10,000 people, 5,000 men and women and children. And they're all fed with the loaves and fishes. But by the end of the same chapter, John chapter 6, there are only 11 people left. 4:40 How did 10,000 people become 11? And if you read John chapter 6, it's because Jesus told them, you must eat my flesh and drink my blood. Turn with me to John's Gospel chapter 6 for a moment in your Bible. John's Gospel chapter 6, he told them, you know, the beginning is where they fed the 5,000 men, many women and children. 5:10 And then he went on to say to them, in verse 51, I am the living bread. All of you have just eaten loaves and fishes. And then he said in 54, this is the central verse, John 6, 54. 5:33 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. And the Jews had asked a question in verse 52, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? Now, Jesus was speaking about that death to self. 5:56 That's what he was talking about when he said, eats my flesh and drinks my blood. Verse 55, my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. And he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood. Verse 56, abides in him and I in him. 6:15 And the living father will also be with you. And the people were offended. They said in verse 60, many of his disciples said, this is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it? And then, Jesus said, does this cause you to stumble? 6:40 61. Then he's explained in one sentence. I'm not talking about this literal flesh and blood. Verse 63, it is the Holy Spirit who gives life. And the words that I've spoken to you are not, I'm talking, not talking about the physical flesh and physical blood. 7:04 The words I've spoken to you are spirit. There's a spiritual meaning of my flesh and my blood. He was talking about death to self. That's what he was talking about. If you're willing to die to yourself. You can be a part of me. 7:25 You will live. What is the result of that? Listen to this, verse 66. As a result, not many people, but many disciples of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with them anymore. Now, if the Jewish people went away, I can understand. 7:47 But these were people who had accepted Jesus and they had become his disciples and they withdrew. Why? Because till then, he was only talking about God is a loving father and we can, if you receive me, you'll have eternal life. 8:05 But now he was talking about taking up the cross, dying to self. That is what he meant by eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Then those who were disciples withdrew. They said, we can't go that far. We want to go to heaven when we die. 8:20 So this is what happened with us also. There are many Christians who are ready to hear a gospel about how to go to heaven when you die. But I see that's not the gospel we are preaching. We are preaching about how we can live the way Jesus lived on this earth as a witness to God, as a witness to Christ. 8:44 Not just going to heaven when we die, you know. In the early part of my Christian life, way back in 1959 when I was first converted, my gospel was how to go to heaven when you die. Confess your sin, believe in the Lord Jesus who died and rose again for us. 9:02 But I discovered as I read the Bible that Jesus did not come to take us to heaven when we die. That's a wrong understanding. And those of you who are listening to me today, if you have come to the Lord only to go to heaven when you die, you're going to be terribly disappointed. 9:20 That's not the gospel we preach. In the beginning when I was ignorant, I preached that. And I'll tell you honestly, I have no interest in going to heaven. That is the honest truth. I can stand before God today. There was a time when I was interested in going to heaven. 9:36 Today I'm not interested in going to heaven at all. You say, then what are you interested in, Brother Zach? I'm interested in being with Jesus. When a girl gets married, you see, we are the bride of Christ. A picture of marriage between a young girl and a young man. 9:54 I picture myself as a bride. Christ is the bridegroom. If a girl is interested in marrying a man only because he's got a big hundred thousand rupee house in which they live, house costs one lakh or ten lakhs, oh, I'm going to live in this wonderful house. 10:16 Do you think she's interested in the man? No, she's interested in the house. And that's how many believers are. I'm going to heaven. Heaven is the house. I want to go to heaven when I die. I want to live in my bridegroom's wonderful palace. 10:30 What does a real bride say? I don't care where my bridegroom lives. I want to be with him. If he's living in a hut, I'll live with him in a hut. That is a true marriage. Where a girl really loves the man she's marrying. 10:46 And that is the type of relationship I have come to with Christ now. I say, Lord, I don't care where you are. I don't care. I'm not interested in heaven. I want to be with you. You are my bridegroom. And I want to be with you. 10:58 And I'll tell you this. As a result of that, my Christian life has been extremely satisfying. Completely free from fear, anxiety, tension. And even my health has improved. Because I'm not taken up with going to heaven when I die. 11:15 I'm taken up with Jesus now. I live with Jesus now. And I'm going to be with him in future. And that is my Christianity. My Christianity is not how to go to heaven when I die. That's a very selfish type of Christianity. 11:31 What will I get by coming to the Lord? And I want to say to all of you sitting here. If you have that attitude, what can I get by coming to the Lord? Will I get some healing? Will the Lord give me a job? Will the Lord solve my problems? 11:43 That is not the type of Christianity Jesus came to give. Jesus came here saying, I don't want to do my will. I want to do my father's will. And as a bride of Christ, we must have the same spirit. And I pray that every one of you all in CFC will have this spirit. 12:04 Not I want to go to heaven when I die. I hope all of you will be delivered from that gospel. That's a gospel, but it's a very shallow gospel. It's like children, you know, I take an example. Supposing your father has gone away on some business. 12:20 He's a businessman and he's gone to get contracts for his business. When he comes back, his little six-year-old boy will say, Daddy, have you brought any chocolates for me? Did you get a new dress for me? Shirt for me? That's what the six-year-old says. 12:36 But his 20-year-old son will say, Dad, how did the business go? Did we get some business for our business to prosper? There's a difference between the language of the six-year-old and the 25-year-old son. And, okay, a six-year-old is like that in the beginning. 12:52 Our life may be like that. I want to go to heaven when I die. But don't live there like that. There are some people who have been believers for 25 years. And you ask them, what are you looking forward to? They say, I'm looking forward to go to heaven when I die. 13:04 They have no interest in the father's business. No interest in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are downright selfish people who have never been delivered from self at the center of our life. My dear brothers and sisters, please listen to me. 13:20 I speak very strongly because I'm passionate about this because this is because you all are missing the higher Christian life. You know, Jesus said, turn with me for a moment to John's Gospel, chapter 10. John's Gospel, chapter 10. 13:41 Have you read this verse? Have you read what Jesus said? The thief, that is Satan. John 10, verse 10. John 10, verse 10. The thief has come to steal, kill, destroy. What has he come to steal? He has not come to steal your money. 14:01 The devil will give you plenty of money and make you love money and go away. Go to hell. He has not come to steal your money. He has not come to steal your health. You can live healthy and go to hell. He has come to steal the riches which God wants to give you. 14:21 Spiritual riches. He wants to steal that life where, the life which is the life of Jesus Christ. And he wants to replace it with, I want to go to heaven when I die. That type of language. The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy you. 14:39 I have come. Listen to this. I say, Lord Jesus, why have you come to this earth? Verse 10. I came not to take you to heaven. No. Jesus never once said in his entire life that he came to take anybody to heaven. I came that you might have my life and have it abundantly. 15:03 He spoke of it like rivers of living water flowing out from us. Abundant life. That's what he came to give. And the question is, is that what you want? Or do you want to go to heaven when you die? Do you want your husband's house or do you want the husband himself? 15:25 That's the question. Don't you think it will be a very selfish woman who only wants the husband's wealth and to live in the husband's house and to travel in the husband's car but has no interest in the husband himself? What type of marriage is that? 15:40 And yet that is the type of Christianity that many Christians have. What can the Lord do for me? Will he answer my prayer? Will he heal my sickness? Will he give me a job? Supposing the Lord doesn't give you a job. Supposing the Lord does not heal your sickness. 15:56 Will you still love him and follow him? Like if a girl gets married to her husband and the husband becomes poor and he loses his job, will she still be faithful to him? That is a true bride. And I feel that many Christians are not true brides. 16:12 They come to Jesus for what benefit they can get. Salvation. Please listen to me. Salvation, many people think, is not going to hell but going to heaven. That is not salvation. Salvation means we are saved from something. 16:28 What are you saved from? Jesus came to save us from our selfish, self-centered life where I think of what can I get? What can I get? What can I get? Christendom in the world is full of people who think of what can I get? 16:44 What can I get? If I join this church, what can I get? There are people who come to CFC because they say the children here have got a good Sunday school to go to. Oh, our children will grow up well because there's a good Sunday school. 16:57 What a selfish, self-centered way you're coming. Don't you want to live for God? Jesus came to deliver us from the self-centered life where I think of what I can get. Dear brothers, that is why your life is so miserable because there are two centers. 17:17 One is self is the center or Christ is the center. And I have a choice. The whole world lives a self-centered life. Self is the center of their life. What benefit will I get if I go here? What benefit will I get? Everything is self-centered. 17:39 You choose a job because you get a good pay. You choose a house because it's a good house. All that is okay. But when you come to Christianity and you choose Christ also because if you think what you can get, then you have not understood Christianity at all. 17:55 Jesus came to say, you seek God's kingdom first. Then these other things will be added to you. You won't even have to seek for them. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6 and verse 33. Seek first God's kingdom and God's righteousness. 18:19 God's righteousness means purity of thought, purity in our speech, and purity in the way we live. That is the righteousness that we have to seek for. Seek first his righteousness and his kingdom. 18:41 His kingdom means to establish God's kingdom. The church is supposed to be God's kingdom. To establish God's kingdom on this earth. Seek that first. Now that's not what human beings seek first. Human beings are seeking for money first. 19:00 Young people are seeking for sex first. So many other things first. Me first. Me first. This thing for me. And Jesus said that is the way to live a very unhappy life. You know when Eve reached out in the Garden of Eden and took that forbidden tree. 19:20 She was thinking of herself. She wasn't thinking of God. And Jesus came to deliver us from that. So my brothers and sisters. The devil fools us that if you try to put God first in the kingdom of God first. Your life will be miserable. 19:37 That's the lie of the devil. I've been a Christian for 67 years. And especially the last 51 years. After I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. I would not exchange it for anything in the world. If they promised that you can make me a billionaire. 19:56 I said that's rubbish. Compared to knowing Jesus as my savior and friend and Lord. I'm not selling something. I'm not selling Jesus here to get you to buy it. I'm telling you my testimony. This is what has changed my life. 20:12 It's made our family life as husband and wife a foretaste of heaven on earth. I say I've already begun to taste heaven on this in this life. And I'm in my home. Heaven. The real heaven will be just a bigger picture of what I'm already experiencing. 20:29 Peace and joy. And purity. And not with a lot of money. We live. Today we live. Even though we are in the United States. My wife and I live just as simply as we live in India. I don't have a car. I never had a car in India. 20:50 I don't have one here. But we live very simply. We eat very simple food. We don't find our joy in we live in a small apartment and we are supremely happy. Happy with the Lord and happy with each other. And the tremendous opportunity we have to preach the gospel to people here who need to know about the way to a life in God. 21:20 Not how to go to heaven when I die. So that's what I want to say dear brothers, sisters. I hope all of you will be so gripped by this. And your life will be so changed. Your family life will be so changed. That you will be able to, that you'll long to invite other people to this wonderful life. 21:37 This is God's desire. Let me tell you something more about how we started. When we started, we thought of a verse in 2 Chronicles. Please turn with me to 2 Chronicles. And you know where that is in the Old Testament? 21:59 2 Chronicles chapter 3 and in verse 1. Have you got it? 2 Chronicles chapter 3 verse 1. Why is this an important verse? Because everything in the Old Testament was a picture of what will be spiritually fulfilled in the New Testament. 22:21 Like they sacrificed a lamb and killed it for their sins. That is a picture of Jesus who is called the Lamb of God. They had a temple in the Old Testament. Physical temple. That is a picture of the church. We are the church. 22:39 The church is not a building. The church is people. And the Old Testament temple was a picture of us. Members of Christ's body. Which is the real church. The real house of God. But before Jesus came, they did not have that understanding. 22:55 So they built a building and called it the house of God. So here we read in 2 Chronicles 3 verse 1. Solomon began to build the house of the Lord. That is a picture for us in the New Testament of building the church. And so why is it mentioned here that the house of the Lord was built on Mount Moriah? 23:20 That is one way of identifying the place. And the second it says it was also in the place where David had prepared the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. So there are two indications here as to where the house of God was built. 23:37 Everything in the Old Testament has got a spiritual message for us. So I am talking about how we began. And this is one of the things we considered at that time. What is significant about Mount Moriah? Okay. Turn to Genesis and Chapter 22. 23:58 In Genesis Chapter 22, you read about Mount Moriah. One day when Abraham was fast asleep, God woke him up early in the morning. Very early, probably 2 o'clock in the middle of the night. 24:19 And said, Abraham, he said, here I am, Lord. Genesis 22 verse 1. And he said, take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac. Because he had another son called Ishmael, whom he had sent away. He had only one son. And that was, Abraham was probably about 120 years old now. 24:42 Isaac must have been about 20 years old. Take your son and go to Moriah. You see there, what we read earlier, the temple was built on Mount Moriah. And this is where we read about Mount Moriah. What happened there? Something happened here on Mount Moriah. 24:59 It was so precious to God that he said, that's why you must build the temple. So what is it that happened on Mount Moriah? He said, go and take your son, your only son, whom you love, and offer him to me as a burnt offering. 25:14 Normally, people take a lamb and kill it. He said, you take your son and kill him. And what did Abraham do? He didn't question God. Lord, you gave me the son as a gift. You're taking him? No question. He rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, took some young men, and traveled all the way. 25:35 And on the third day, verse 4, he reached the place, Mount Moriah. And listen to this, very interesting. Abraham told the young men who came with him, you stay here with the donkey. I and my son will go up to the mountain, and we will worship there. 25:54 Worship? I thought God called you to kill Isaac there. What are you talking about worship? Killing his own son in obedience to God was for Abraham an act of worship. And that is the first place in the Bible where the word worship occurs. 26:18 Teaching us what worship really is. What is it? Offering to God that which is most precious to us. That's the lesson we learn here. If you ask Abraham, what is the most precious thing in your life? He just said, my son, that's more to me than anything. 26:38 10,000 sheep or multitudes of my money, nothing. My son is most precious. God wants that which is most precious. That is where the church was built. In other words, where a person is willing to take that which is most precious to him 26:59 and offer it up to God as an act of worship. There, the church is built even today. So, if there are folks sitting in this building, you only want to go to heaven when you die, my brother, I don't have any message for you. 27:20 That is your goal. I have a message here for those who want to build the house of God, the spiritual church. In CFC, we don't want to take people to heaven when they die. Right now, we want to build a fellowship of, you know, you look at this building, for example, in which you're sitting. 27:40 Brick upon brick upon brick, cemented together, joined together. So, we look at all of you as brick, brick, brick, joined together. Not just a pile of bricks. When this building was being constructed, the same building you're sitting in, 27:56 way back in more than 20 years ago. I remember, because I used to come here every day to see the construction. And it was a pile of bricks that people brought here. And there was a pile of cement. And the mason would take one brick upon another, 28:11 put the cement and join it. And then take another brick upon another and put cement and join it. That's how this building came up. So, we see all of us now as bricks. But not just loose bricks. If that pile of bricks was just remained as a pile of bricks, 28:27 there would be no building here. And you know how it is in India. People come and steal the bricks. Within two, three months, there'll be no bricks left. And that's what happens. When people are not joined together in a fellowship, 28:39 they gradually, I'm talking about individual brothers and sisters, they are not joined to the others. They gradually fall away. The devil comes and steals them, like people steal the bricks. But how can you steal a brick which is in the building? 28:51 You look around at the building here. You think anybody can come and steal a brick which is in this building? No, they are joined together. And if you are joined together with the other brothers and sisters in this church, 29:02 cemented together by the Holy Spirit, then you will never fall away. And that is the purpose. We don't want to just be a gathering of 700 people, 700 bricks lying here. No. We want bricks that are joined together with the cement, 29:21 the Holy Spirit joining us together as one body. That's the first thing we see. So Abraham went up to the top. And as he laid Isaac on the altar. And when Isaac said in verse 7, Genesis 22, 7, 29:45 he said, Dad, we're going up. Where's the wood and where's the lamb? For the one offering. Abraham said, God will provide the lamb. That's another thing we have learned in the church. Whatever we need, our word is, God will provide. 30:06 God will provide. Right from the beginning of CFC, 51 years ago, we didn't have money. Both Ian Robson and I were very, very poor. But we believe that simple word, God will provide. And step by step by step, God provided. 30:28 And we had one building that became too small. God gave us this building. Man, he's given us a parking lot and he's given us another place now. It's amazing. God will provide is a wonderful phrase. Remember this, all you brothers and sisters. 30:46 Mount Moriah is a place where Abraham said, God will provide. And everything. So finally, they go to the top and Abraham puts Isaac on the altar. And then as soon as he takes the knife to kill him, God says, don't kill him. 31:05 I was only testing you to see whether you love me more than you love your precious son. Now you have proved it. Now I know. Look at this wonderful verse. Verse 12. Don't stretch your hand on the sand. I know now that you fear God. 31:27 Because you have not withheld the most precious thing in your life from me. You know, that's what God kept asking me. Whatever is most precious in your life, will you offer it up to me? I joined the Navy with the aim of going right up to the top of the Navy. 31:47 And one day God said, give it up. It was precious to me. I said, Lord, take it. And then I came into Christian work. And I was disappointed with so much that I saw in Christian work. From 1966 to 1975. 32:07 Nine years. I did Christian work all over India and other places. And I was disappointed. Because everybody was living for themselves. They were living for money. They had come to a church. And I said, Lord, I'm not happy with this. 32:22 I'm not happy with this. Where people are seeking their own. And I'll go to heaven when I die. The whole life is centered around themselves. I want genuine Christianity. That's when the Lord baptized me in the Holy Spirit. 32:39 And then we began to see. It's not a question of grabbing for yourself. Giving it all up to God. I said, Lord, that's the day I gave up my ministry. And I said, I don't want any more of this traveling ministry. Because I was traveling around the world as a preacher. 32:52 And I said, Lord, I don't want it. I remember my father, who was a fine believer. He asked me, son, why have you given up your worldwide ministry? You were such a famous preacher. And now you're sitting here with a few families in this house. 33:10 I said, dad, I told my father, dad, God's called me to build a church, not to be a famous preacher. That's what I told him way back in 1975. And I thank God that I changed the direction of my life from becoming a world traveling preacher to just build a church in Bangalore. 33:32 That's what God is after. And I gave up, like Abraham offered up Isaac on the altar. I gave up my ministry and said, Lord, I don't want it. And then the Lord said, see what the Lord says. Because you have given up your son. 33:52 Because, verse 16, middle. Because you have done this thing. And you're not withholding your son. I'm going to bless you so greatly, verse 17. I'm going to multiply your seed like the stars of heaven. And your seed will possess the gate of their enemies. 34:08 And verse 18, all the nations of the earth will be blessed just because you obeyed my voice. And I felt the Lord saying something like that to me. You've given up something precious to you. You gave up the navy first. And then you gave up your worldwide ministry. 34:30 I will bless you. And I've really seen that. He has given me brothers and sisters in so many countries in the world. CFC started in our home and it gradually grew up and became big. And then He gave us many other churches. 34:48 And today there are more than 100 CFC churches in 16 countries of the world. Who did that? I can't do that. God did it. God raised up people in every one of those churches. There are, God has raised up leaders. 35:08 These churches are led by 300 elders and deacons. And not one of them is paid. I've never been paid in my life. I've never taken a salary. And none of these elders in any of these churches get a salary. That is where we are special. 35:29 Compared to other churches. Because money is not our God. We don't serve God for money. We serve God because Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us. We want to love Him and give Him back. And I want to say to every one of you. 35:47 Please listen to me. If you want to love Jesus and live for Him. You'll find the Lord takes care of everything else for you. Because in Matthew 6.33, it says, seek the kingdom of God first. All the other things will be added to you. 36:02 I can prove that in my life. That I have sincerely sought God's kingdom and His righteousness. God has taken care of all my needs. He's taken care of all my children's needs. He's healed us when we were sick. When we didn't have food, He's provided us food. 36:18 When we needed healing, He gave us healing. When we needed education for our children, He gave education for our children. There is nothing that God will not withhold from you. But we don't live for these things. The main thing is that He gave my children salvation. 36:32 They were born again. And they wanted to live for God. That's the greatest gift God gave me. Not their education. That every one of my children wanted to live for Jesus Christ. And that is the greatest thing that you should look forward in your children. 36:48 Don't be satisfied that they just got a college education and got a good job. Ask yourself, are they living for Jesus Christ? If not, your children are wasting their life. And you've not brought them up properly. I'm not saying they should be full-time workers or preachers. 37:02 No. But their goal in life must be, I must live for Christ. So that is Mount Moriah. The second thing we read in 2 Chronicles 3.1. If you turn back to 2 Chronicles 3.1. The place where the house of God is built. 2 Chronicles 3.1. 37:27 The house of God is built in Mount Moriah. And where David offered an offering in the threshing floor of Arna. So let's look at that thing. The second definition of that place. And that is, you've got to go to 2 Samuel. 37:45 2 Samuel. Book of Samuel. And chapter 24. And that is where in the threshing floor of Arna the Jebusite. David went according to the word of God. And to the threshing floor, verse 18. 2 Chronicles. 38:06 2 Samuel, sorry. 2 Samuel 24.18. He went, he was told to go to the threshing floor of Arna the Jebusite. Remember, this is the place where the temple is being built. It's a picture of the church. And when Arna, who was his, somebody in the kingdom of David, saw the king coming. 38:27 He said, oh king, what do you want? And he said, the Lord has told me to buy your threshing floor, verse 21. Build an altar and offer a sacrifice. And Arna said, oh, you're my king. You don't have to buy anything from me. 38:41 I don't want any money from you. I'll give you this property free. I'll give you the oxen free and the wood for the burnt offering. You can take the yokes of the oxen and burn it. Everything free. Now tell me, how many people are there in the world who will say no when something is offered free? 39:03 The world is full of people. You offer them something free, they'll take it. Even if they don't want it, they'll take it. Oh, it's free. Wonderful. Except David. David said no. I won't take it free. Verse 24. I will buy it for a price. 39:23 Because if I get it free and I offer it to God, what does it cost me? Nothing. And these are the words he said. I will not offer to God. 2 Samuel 24, 24. Please remember that verse all your life. 2 Samuel 24, 24. I will not offer any offering to God. 39:44 That costs me nothing. God spoke that word to me when I was about 22 years old. I remember so vividly. I was in the Navy and I read that passage and the Lord said to me when I was 22 years old. Don't ever offer to me that which costs you nothing. 40:09 Sacrifice means it has to cost us something. It may not be money. But it must cost us something. It must, if you pray and you pray only when it's convenient, that's not costing you anything. Do you ever fast? Jesus said we must fast and pray. 40:27 Fasting and praying will cost you something. People don't do that because they don't offer to God that which costs them something. They're always thinking, what is the minimum I have to give to God? I've said many times there are two types of Christians. 40:40 Those who say, God has done so much for me. What is the minimum I have to give? And there's another group of Christians who say, what is the maximum I can give to God? Sitting right here among you, you ask yourself, which category are you? 40:55 Are you the minimum type of Christian or the maximum type of Christian? What is the minimum I have to give to God? What is the minimum I have to do to be considered a good member of CFC? I have no message for you. Repent. 41:09 That's all I say. I pray you will become in that category of people who say, what is the maximum I can give for God? I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing. And the Lord said to Solomon, that is the place where you must build my church, my temple. 41:31 What is the message from that? Abraham offered to God that which cost him everything. David said, I will not offer to God that which cost me nothing. Even today, the church is built by such people. So now turn with me to Malachi chapter 1. 41:50 I'm telling you the messages that we preached when we started CFC. I'm reminding you, these are the messages we preached when we started 50 years ago. Looking back with thanksgiving and looking forward with hope. As you have, there's the motto for this meeting. 42:11 Malachi chapter 1. We read in Malachi chapter 1. That people were offering, what were they offering to God? You know, they had to give sacrifices to God. Some lamb or a bullock, sheep. So it says in Malachi chapter 1 verse 8. 42:35 They were presenting blind, and the lame, and the sick. And the Lord said, you come to my temple, those days there was a temple, and you pick out one blind sheep in your flock, which is a bit of a nuisance for you in any case. 42:55 Say, let's offer it to God. Or there's a lame bullock you have. Lame bullock. It's a nuisance for you in any case. Let's offer this lame bullock to God. So you offer the blind and the lame, and here is a sick goat. It's about to die. 43:15 Before it dies, let me offer it as a sacrifice. That's what the Lord is saying. You come to my house, and you offer the blind and the lame and the sick as an offering to me. What does it cost you? Nothing. You know, it says about Abel, when he offered a sacrifice right at the beginning in Genesis 4. 43:32 He offered the best. His brother Cain did not offer the best. The fire fell on Abel's offering. It did not fall on Cain's offering. Right at the beginning of time. Teaching us that right from the beginning, God wanted those people who would offer him the best. 43:53 And so the Lord said to the priests, verse 10, You priests, I wish at least one of you priests would close the gates and say, No, we are not going to accept all these type of third-rate, good-for-nothing offerings you're bringing. 44:13 This is not costing you anything. We don't want such people bringing offerings here. And I say, that's what we say in CFC also. We don't want people coming to CFC who want to go to heaven when they die. No, I don't want any such person. 44:31 I say, go, there are many other churches. Go and sit there and go to heaven when you die. I have no message for you. We want people in CFC who will give everything to God and say, Lord, if I give you a sacrifice, it must be that which cost me something. 44:49 And I'm not talking about money. In most churches, they talk about money. In CFC, we never talk about money. We never take an offering. Have you ever heard of any church which has run for 50 years without taking an offering? 45:03 Or any group of churches, there are 100 churches which has run for 50 years, never take an offering. We are the ones. Because money is the alternative master to God. Jesus once said in Luke chapter 16, there are two masters in the world, God and money. 45:20 And every church in the world majors on money. Give me your offering. Give me your offering. Give me your offering. Accept CFC. We never ask anybody. You can come here for 50 years and we'll never ask you for one cent. And you say, brother, then how do you maintain this building and take care of it? 45:37 I'll tell you. Because there are people in our midst who have decided, I will not offer to God that which costs us nothing. Those are the people who run this church. And those are the people whom God is blessing immensely in their life. 45:52 That is how we started and that's how we want to continue for the next 50 years of the Lord tarries. I hope it won't be 50 years. I hope the Lord will come within the next 10 years. I'm praying that the Lord will come in my lifetime. 46:07 We all look forward to Jesus. You know one of the last prayers in the Bible? You read the last chapter of the last book of the Bible. The last prayer of the, the last prayer in the Bible is come Lord Jesus. Come, please come soon. 46:21 Do you pray that prayer? That is the last prayer in the Bible. And when I look around at the world with all the corruption, the poor young people being spoiled, little children being kidnapped, so much of sexual evil, murder, 46:37 wars, it is a cry in my heart. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. And when I see the corruption in Christianity, preachers who make millions for themselves and rob the poor believers, I say, come soon, Lord Jesus. Judge these people. 46:52 That is my prayer. And the Lord says here, listen to this. He tells the priests, I wish, verse 10, Malachi 1.10, I wish at least one of you priests will shut the door and say, 47:13 we don't want these lame, blind, useless offerings you bring to God. If you don't bring the best, we are not taking it. But there was not even one priest who was closing the gate. What a sad testimony. But, and this is the word that I said that day, 47:31 I remember, in August 1975, I said, this is the word the Lord has given us. Christendom is full of people who are just like those people in Malachi, offering to God that which cost them nothing. They only wanted to go to heaven when they die. 47:47 But the Lord said, a new day is coming. In August 1975, he said this, a new day is coming, where from the east to the west, that's the meaning of verse 11, from the rising to the setting of the sun, from the east to the west, 48:05 in many countries, the Lord gave us a prophecy, verse 11, my name will be great among the nations. and a grain offering will be offered that is pure. Pure means that which cost them something. And my name will be great among many nations in the world. 48:27 And we have seen a little bit of that. Our messages through YouTube has gone to 186 countries in the world. I think in the whole world, there are altogether about 215 countries. And through YouTube, 48:48 we have reached 186 of those countries with some message of the gospel. That's not our ability. When we started, we were a small group meeting with a few people in my house. But the Lord had a plan that this message must go around the world. 49:06 And what were we, a few feeble flock with no ability, no money, but the Lord did an amazing work. He gave us favor with so many people. We have never been in debt for any building that we have built. We have never asked anybody for money. 49:23 God has provided everything. And he's taken the message to, you know, I remember in Acts 1.8, when the Holy Spirit's come upon you, you will be witnesses to me. Acts 1.8 says in Jerusalem, if you're not familiar with that verse, 49:38 please turn to Acts of the Apostles. In chapter 1, we preach the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And Jesus said, you'll be baptized in the Holy Spirit in verse 5. And then, when you receive the baptism, the power of the Holy Spirit, 49:59 Acts 1.8, CFC started through the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The first church, Acts chapter 2, started with the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And 1900 and more years later, CFC started with the baptism in the Holy Spirit. 50:18 And the Lord said, Acts 1.8, when the Holy Spirit has come, you'll be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest parts of the earth. Acts 1.8. And the Lord said to us, you are now filled with the Holy Spirit. 50:37 You'll be my witnesses in Bangalore, in India and to the remotest parts of the world. And it has happened. Those days, we were only in Bangalore. For many, for six years, we were only in Bangalore. Then the Lord opened up 50:57 Tamil Nadu and Kerala churches. And then the Lord opened up Andhra, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and now Gujarat, Punjab, West Bengal, like that all over India. And then he's opened up Dubai, 51:17 Saudi Arabia, England, Switzerland, Sweden, America, Canada, France. God is gradually taking, and those are all churches, and through the YouTube, 186 countries, all over the world. 51:37 Exactly like it is written in Acts 1.8. What happened 2,000 years ago is happening in our day too. Who did it? Not me. Not at all. Almighty God, through the Holy Spirit, done it by gathering together people who came to Jesus 51:56 and said, Lord, we want to offer you that which costs us something. So as we look forward to the future, we have a burden for our children and grandchildren, second generation, third generation, fourth generation. 52:17 We are the first generation. We have a burden for the second, third, fourth generation. Turn with me to 2 Timothy. Please turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy and chapter 2 and verse 2. this is the last letter this is the last letter 52:37 that Paul wrote to his spiritual disciple Timothy. And look what he tells him. Timothy was his closest and finest co-worker and he tells him, Timothy, Paul was the first generation. 52:59 Timothy was the second generation. And he tells Timothy, Timothy, 2 Timothy 2 verse 2, whatever you heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, you must entrust these to faithful men. That is third generation. Timothy, 53:15 you must entrust these to the third generation of faithful men and they must teach others the fourth generation. In that one verse, he thinks of four generations. I have taught you. Timothy, you're the second generation. 53:31 You teach it to faithful men who are the third generation and teach those faithful men to teach it to others in the fourth generation. Now here in CFC, we are reaching the third generation. Some of our, Ian and I were the first generation. 53:48 Ian has gone to be with the Lord. And we have many leaders who are in their 60s who are second generation and there's another third generation coming up who are in their 40s and late 40s. And we pray that they will be faithful 54:09 that we will see a fourth generation of people who will offer to the Lord that which costs them something. We want this gospel of sacrifice. Then there's one more thing I want to say. Please turn with me 54:29 to Luke chapter 4. This is the other thing we saw. Luke chapter 4 when Jesus preached his first message in Nazareth. In Nazareth, Jesus preached his first message here. We read in Luke 4.16. 54:50 He came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he took the prophet Isaiah scroll of the prophet Isaiah and he read this. Listen to this carefully. He read in verse 18. The spirit of the Lord 55:07 is upon me because he's anointed me to preach the gospel to whom? To whom was Jesus anointed to preach the gospel to? not to everybody to the poor. That's the thing that struck me. Jesus was anointed to preach the gospel 55:27 to the poor. Okay. Turn to Matthew chapter 11. In Matthew chapter 11 we read about John the Baptist who was imprisoned and he was wondering why he was not released because he didn't understand 55:48 that suffering is a part of the gospel. So he sent messengers to Jesus saying are you really the Messiah? If you're really the Messiah why am I still in prison? And so he sent a message Matthew 11.3 Are you the expected one 56:03 or should we wait for another Messiah? So then Jesus said go and tell John what you see and see. Now read carefully. Matthew 11.5 The blind receive sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised 56:18 and what's the last thing? Verse 5 The gospel is preached to the poor. The poor have the gospel preached to them. Have you noticed in both places that Jesus emphasized that the gospel is to be preached to the poor people? 56:34 And then I looked around India all the great American evangelists come where do they have their so-called crusades? There is a gospel crusade public meeting they'll have it in Bombay Delhi Calcutta Bangalore Chennai all the big 56:56 big cities Hyderabad those are not the places where the poor are the poor those are all rich people the gospel is being preached to rich Christians you know where God sent us in 1980 onwards to the poor villages of Tamil Nadu 57:14 to the poorest villages of Tamil Nadu and that's where we preached the gospel for 40 years from 1982 onwards every year I would take a bus 57:36 in the early days it was a bus 16 hours sitting in the bus in the bumpy roads from Bangalore to Tutukurin I would travel have three days conference there and get into the bus and travel on the bumpy roads back to Bangalore 57:54 next year same thing next year same thing after some time God had mercy on me and they started the train to Tutukurin then it became easier I was also getting older and traveling in a bumpy bus was not so easy as long as I could travel 58:11 in a bumpy bus I traveled then God himself arranged a train service and then I could travel by train and then as I got still older God arranged a plane service aircraft to go to Tutukurin so God took care of us in that way 58:30 as we grew older he made things easier for us and 40 years we went every single year to preach the gospel there and for many of those years Annie my wife could not come because we had children at home but once all the children 58:47 went to school then she also came with me for 25 years she came with me to those poor villages and she set up a medical clinic for the poor people Annie also has never earned any money she's a doctor who has never earned 59:01 one rupee in her life only helped poor people thousands of poor people so she could help so many of the poor people with medical not only medical help but we had to give them the medicines because in those villages there are no pharmacies 59:16 so God has given us the grace to help those poor people in spirit and in body we don't take credit for it God has done it and we give him the glory and today we see thousands of people who love the Lord in many many parts 59:36 of India in different parts of the world we give God all the glory for it and all I say is my brothers it is not our work do you think think of those early disciples just think for a moment Peter and James and John were fishermen 59:52 they did not know ABC of the Old Testament or anything they loved God and they were catching fish and the Lord said come here and like that 11 of them left their jobs Matthew was a tax collector he left his job and with those 1:00:12 11 people 2000 years ago Jesus started a work uneducated people who had never gone to college maybe Judas Iscariot was the only one who had gone to college but he fell away all the others 1:00:33 were ordinary school final people some of them did not even finish school I don't think Peter and John even went up to 10 standard they were fishermen and he took them baptized them in the Holy Spirit and fire and started a work 1:00:49 called Christianity which has lasted for 2000 years and God is carrying on that work even now he's baptizing holy people in the Holy Spirit now around the world in generation after generation there are people sitting here 1:01:09 in your midst who are baptized in the Holy Spirit and God is giving them his word and in many other countries we praise the Lord as we look into the future we believe what the Lord has said out of our inner most being rivers of 1:01:30 living water will flow not for us for other people okay in conclusion let me show you three passages in John's Gospel John chapter 3 John's Gospel 1:01:51 chapter 3 where Jesus said about being born born again he called it being born of water and the Spirit verse 5 unless you are born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God he's picturing 1:02:12 the Holy Spirit to water but being born of water means a cup of water to be born again is like drinking a cup of water then you go to John chapter 4 and then this cup of water becomes a well of water 1:02:32 see Jesus told the woman of Samaria verse 14 John 4 14 the middle the water I give him will become a well of water so the cup has grown and become a well and then you go to John chapter 7 and there 1:02:53 you read that the Lord said if you thirst if you come to me and thirst out of your innermost being John 7 37 and 38 John 7 38 rivers of living water will flow out so did you see the progression starts with a cup of water 1:03:13 that's when we are born again and then we go to a well of water well of water means well means it satisfies everybody's need in your house that's all but then it goes to rivers of water where it satisfies people all around 1:03:27 you that is how the gospel progresses first yourself cup of water then your family a well of water then rivers that bless everybody else and it is all free you can take water from the river freely you don't have you go to some river 1:03:45 and take the water from it you don't have to pay any money for it that is how we preach the gospel and we pray that that river will now spread everywhere that's what we need to pray that God's name will be glorified and I believe 1:03:59 it will be let us now bow our heads in prayer please bow your heads and close your eyes and pray with me my dear brothers and sisters if you have been challenged by what you heard today will you pray one thing will you tell 1:04:21 him Lord I'm a weak person I'm a weak sister I'm a weak brother but you took weak uneducated fishermen and turned the world upside down why can't you do it today also Lord Jesus please fill me with the Holy Spirit and make me 1:04:41 your witness help me to let your light shine through me that people will come to your faith and make me a blessing to others and make me a blessing in this church first of all and then to many other people thank you heavenly father 1:04:59 help me to build a family wife and children that will glorify you help me to bring up my children to be disciples of Jesus Christ thank you heavenly father you're such a good God loving father and you've done a great work through 1:05:17 CFC we praise the Lord we don't take any credit for it we could never have done it in a million years but you loved us and you've let the rivers flow out to other people it came from you and the glory must come to you alone 1:05:33 no human being has the right to touch that glory it's all yours Lord thank you for the wonderful fellowship you've brought us together into we praise you we pray the future will be more glorious than the past help us all to be 1:05:49 ready for your coming we pray in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen my dear brothers and sisters I've often said that I have a wife who is like the heart that pumps the blood so that the tongue can 1:06:08 speak you don't see the heart but it does a great deal of work and God has used her to bless many sisters also so she will come and share a brief word with you dear brothers and sisters it's such a joy to see you all praise the 1:06:28 Lord praise the Lord all that he has done for us I can't believe it's 51 years since we started since the Lord started a work and look at what God has done we want to give all the glory to God I thank God for the 1:06:48 shepherds he's given the elders he's given shepherds after his own heart in CFC and all our churches I praise and thank God for those who are taking care of the property the finances praise and thank God for all the sisters 1:07:08 the wives of the elders and those in responsibility who are supporting their husbands thank God for those who are doing the internet and sending the messages all over the world what a wonderful God we have that he picked 1:07:25 us up such insignificant creatures like us he has picked us up and made us citizens of his heavenly kingdom praise and thank God we don't have we look back at past 51 years it's like a short time we won't 1:07:46 have another 51 years I believe the Lord I trust the Lord will come before that may we be ready may our children be ready God has done so many mighty things mighty things for us taken care of us wonderfully taken care of our 1:08:04 children taken care of us from done miracles for us my only sorrow is that I'm not sitting in one of those chairs there otherwise everything God has done so wonderfully for us God bless our CFC 1:08:24 God bless all of you dear brothers and sisters God bless God bless
