0:00 Dear CFC family and members of the Robson's family, friends, welcome to this meeting this 0:24 morning. We thank God for this day, for the life and service of our dear brother Ian Robson who served the Lord for about 55 years and CFC in particular along with brother Zach for 50 years faithfully. 1:01 He has served the church sacrificially, joyfully in an unbroken fellowship together with our brother Zach Poonan. And it is very difficult to see anywhere in Christendom two people of 1:26 the same age, more or less, working together in harmony and sticking together for 50 years. It's very unique. I haven't seen anywhere else so far. If there is anyone like that anywhere, I would like to read about that or hear or meet such people. And we have a very rich legacy 1:59 left behind by our dear brother Ian Robson. He has shown us the way to follow Jesus as he followed his Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot but give thanks to the Lord for freeing him from all pain and sickness 2:26 and calling home to himself two days back. That is on the 8th September, Sunday. As we begin this service, shall we all bow our heads in prayer. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for your mercy and goodness and faithfulness towards us, 2:54 especially, we are thankful to you for the life and example of our dear brother Ian Robson whom you called to be with you. Our loss is heaven's gain and we praise you here for he is rejoicing in your presence there with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 3:19 We pray at this time Lord for his children and dear and dear and dear ones, especially that you will give them special grace at this time and comfort and strengthen their hearts at this time of grief. 3:42 We commit this meeting into your hands, take control of this meeting and glorify your name for we ask this in Jesus' precious name. Now we will sing our song, song number one, these songs are selected by the Robson's family and the first song is, 4:08 Great is Thy Faithfulness. We will sing this song. I call upon the choir. Brothers and sisters, let's give thanks to the Lord for his great faithfulness. Let's remember, as brother Ian has often told us, his mercies are new, even today. 4:31 Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father. 4:54 There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be. 5:19 Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed, Thy hand has provided. 5:45 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above. 6:11 Join with all nature in man in full witness. To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness. 6:37 Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed, Thy hand has provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. 7:02 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth. Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. 7:29 Blessings on mine with ten thousand misty. Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness. Great is Thy faithfulness. Morning by morning new mercies I see. 7:54 Morning by morning new mercies I see. Morning by morning new mercies I see. Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed, Thy hand has provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. 8:05 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. Thank you. These are some of Brother Ian's favorite songs. 8:28 And we will be singing those during this meeting. Now we have a short video clip highlighting Brother Ian's life, which we have made it as a tribute to our dear brother. Brother Ian gave his life to God at a young age of 27 and has served the Lord for more than 53 years. 9:04 He has lived a fruitful life. God has done a fantastic work in his life and made him a glorious brother. Three life changing encounters. Brother Ian was born in 1940 and he joined the Indian Railways in 1958. 9:24 In 1967 he heard the gospel in a public meeting. He repented of his sins and surrendered his life to Jesus. His life took a new direction. One day, when he was reading Isaiah 44, he sensed the call of God on his life to serve him. 9:44 As he prayed concerning his call, pondering its impact on his future, he saw a sparrow at the window of his room. He remembered the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:29-31. The Lord told him that he would take care of him just as he takes care of even the sparrows. 10:04 In response, he surrendered his life to God and resigned his job in the Indian Railways to serve the Lord. He took a bold step of faith. During 1975, he came to a crisis in his spiritual life. It was at this time that he experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 10:23 He made a significant decision to leave the church he was pastoring. In August 1975, he began to meet with Brother Zach in his house for prayer and this later led to the birth of Christian Fellowship Church. These three encounters with the Lord transformed his life. 10:43 A Wonderful Marriage Brother Ian and Sister Vicki met each other during a Bible study and were drawn to each other. They waited patiently on the Lord and sought the will of God in prayer. The Lord brought them together in a sovereign plan and they were married in December of 1970. 11:03 The Lord blessed their wedding with his presence. Truly, they are made for each other. Brother Ian began his married life with simplicity, joy and contentment in a small home. But the Lord was with them and provided for them and added to their family. 11:20 Brother Ian is blessed with a happy family of six children, their spouses and ten grandchildren. A Man of Humility One outstanding characteristic of Brother Ian is his genuine humility. He is submitted to the spiritual authority of Brother Zach for 45 years, recognizing the grace of God on his life gladly, voluntarily and with deep respect and humility. 11:49 When there was a difference of opinion, he would disagree graciously. If he was misunderstood, he would remain silent. The grace of God has empowered him to manifest a meek and a quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. 12:05 He heard Jesus' invitation. If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last and servant of all, and that we all should be brothers in Christ. Ian sought to be just a brother among brothers and a follower of Jesus without any title or honor or special position. 12:25 It is very easy to have fellowship with him. He is very friendly and pleasant to get along with. It is safe to confide in him. He has extraordinary grace to work in harmony with others. A Barnabas and a good Samaritan. God has made him an encourager to bless hundreds of people. 12:46 In the book of Acts, Barnabas is described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. Brother Ian is a Barnabas of our times. He has the gift of encouragement to lift people from their gloom. He can see the nature of Jesus in Brother Ian. 13:03 A battered reed he will not break off and a smoldering wick he will not put out. Brother Ian quickly recognizes and appreciates the grace of God in the lives of others. Brother Ian's availability to the Lord has made him the good Samaritan. 13:20 Availability is more important than ability. He was willing, ready and enthusiastic to do any job for others in the church. He has the distinction of never saying no to undertake any task. He has been like Jesus who went around doing good, as we read in Acts 10 verse 38. 13:42 He would visit the sick and those in need. A shepherd after God's own heart. Brother Ian led the flock with spiritual food and nourishment. He led the flock to green pastures and quiet waters. He cared for the flock, comforted the weak and protected the flock. 14:01 He served the flock sacrificially. He is an example to the people of God in faith, speech, conduct, purity and love. He listens patiently and offers godly counsel, hope, courage and praise with them, lifting their burdens. 14:19 Often, after the Sunday meeting, he would speak at length to the people waiting to meet him. And he would be the last person to go home. God molded Brother Ian to be a good shepherd after his own heart. A Sunday school and youth minister. 14:38 Brother Ian had a wonderful gift of working with the children. He loved to teach them songs. He would tell the children many beautiful stories, organize extremely interesting Sunday school programs and take them on enjoyable picnics. 14:55 He practiced his ministry in the Sunday school as many students grew up to be Sunday school teachers. Brother Ian took care of the youth ministry and youth conferences. He motivated many young people to take up the responsibility of serving the youth and thereby serving the purpose of God in their generation. 15:15 A tent maker. Brother Ian was gripped by the example of Apostle Paul who worked with his own hands and supported himself financially. He took up the challenge of working to support himself while caring for the flock. He did this in faith, trusting the Lord. 15:34 He went around on his bicycle doing odd jobs to earn his own living, which was rather humbling. He then set up a garage from where he operated his interior decoration and furniture business. Gradually, the news about his workmanship spread and the number of clients increased. 15:53 It is a miracle how the Lord enabled all the needs of the family to be met through his business. He entreated the Lord saying, Lord, I will take care of your house. I trust you to take care of mine. The Lord answered his prayer. 16:11 A man of intercession. Brother Ian is a man of prayer. God gave him a spirit of grace and supplication. He would pray without giving up. Often people would come to him with diverse problems. After listening to them patiently, he would say, 16:31 Let us pray. He prayed for the leaders of our country, sick people, young people, the backslidden people in the church, and hundreds of people in distress, both in person and over the phone. He faithfully prayed for the ministry of Brother Zach during his travels. 16:50 Thank you. Many have witnessed this, that God has answered many of his prayers. A marvel, two becoming one. Brother Ian and Brother Zach had unique gifts and personalities. Though their temperaments were different from each other. 17:07 The Lord brought them together and gave them a spirit of oneness and unity. They sought to be humble disciples of Jesus. They sought to honor the Lord, his word, and his church. They did not take money from the church for their financial needs. 17:25 But Christ is all and in all. They recognized the grace that God has given to the other. They brought an atmosphere of heaven into the church. They had unity and oneness in the spirit. The unbroken fellowship between Brother Ian and Brother Zach brought the Lord's blessing on the church. 17:44 As we read in Psalm 133. Brother Ian and Brother Zach are rare and shining examples of two leaders who have worked together for 45 years in peace, harmony, and fellowship. A Builder In 1980, CFC purchased a plot of land. 18:06 Brother Ian undertook the responsibility for the construction of this building. He would work long hours, often missing his meals. He chose the best materials for construction. CFC is indebted to him for saving huge amounts of money 18:22 because of his diligence and faithfulness. In 2009, Brother Ian undertook a major renovation work of the church building. He changed the flooring, the sound system, and transformed the old building to give it a fresh new look. 18:38 Between 2012 and 2014, he was involved in the purchase of a new site at Paradise Enclave, in the construction of a big meeting hall on the ground floor, in the construction of a hall in the first floor where conferences could seat up to 1,000 people. 18:55 His contribution to design and detail resulted in a beautiful, first-class modern building on the site at Paradise Enclave. The Lord has given Brother Ian much grace to conduct several weddings in CFC during the last four decades. 19:19 He has many hours of counseling and prayer with many couples before marriage. Many young couples have been delighted to have Brother Ian conduct their wedding. He makes sure that he has a rehearsal before the wedding with both the couple and their families. 19:36 He has counseled many couples after their marriage and encouraged them to endure many trials without giving up. A great motto. A great motto. John 3 verse 30 says, He must increase, I must decrease. This has been a great motto of Brother Ian. 19:55 He wanted Jesus to be glorified and exalted. While he sought to push other people up, he himself would seek to decrease. Isaiah 45 verse 15 says, Thou art a God who hides himself. Brother Ian was an expert at hiding himself after taking huge responsibility for many jobs during many conferences. 20:19 He has excelled in encouraging others to go forward, take responsibility, grow and mature and shine while he himself would remain hidden, avoiding the limelight. He has given this hope to shy introverts that they have the ability to perform many jobs well. 20:38 To hide himself has been his lifestyle for 45 years. He followed in the footsteps of Jesus who would not project himself. A spiritually wealthy man. Psalm 66 verses 10 to 12 says, Thou has tried us O God. Thou has refined us as silver is refined. 20:59 Thou has brought us into the net. Thou laid an oppressive burden upon our loins. Thou has made men ride over our heads. We went through fire and water. Yet Thou has brought us out into a place of abundance. This is the secret of Brother Ian's effective ministry. 21:19 God took him through many trials in his family life, in his business and in the church. In every trial, he remained faithful to God and endured the trials. He would never lose heart. He was faithful in all his trials and became spiritually wealthy, rich in faith and able to help others. 21:41 The Bible says in Proverbs 15 verse 13, A merry heart makes a cheerful face. And in Proverbs 15 verse 15, A cheerful heart has a continual feast. Brother Ian is blessed with a million dollar smile that has cheered many people. 22:02 He is full of joy of the Lord as we read in Nehemiah 8 verse 10. His joy is reflected on his face. He is anointed with the oil of gladness, as we read in Hebrews 1:9. His smile gives people an assurance that he accepts them just as they are. 22:21 He loved the church and gave himself for it. Ephesians 5 verse 25 says, "Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Following his Savior's example, Brother Ian loved the church and gave himself for it. He always found time to do something for the church in a practical way to bless the brothers and sisters. 22:43 He was never calculated, but he dedicated his life to build up the body of Christ, the church. Brother Mary who anointed Jesus with the alabaster box of pure ointment. Brother Ian anointed the body of Christ with beautiful fragrance. 22:59 Consistently, he spoke prophetic words to the people of God. Many have testified that they have been edified, comforted, strengthened and blessed by his words. He took care of the spiritual responsibility of the church in Bangalore. 23:14 Brother Zach was traveling to minister to other churches in India and around the world. Brother Ian has served the church with untiring zeal and enthusiasm. On behalf of the brothers and sisters in CFC, we thank God for Brother Ian. 23:31 There can be only one Ian Robson and no one like him. May we be challenged by his life and follow in his footsteps. Let's turn our eyes to our Lord and Savior. Give him all the glory at this time. 23:57 All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. Forever you will be the lamb upon the throne and I gladly bow my knee and worship you alone. Forever you will be the lamb upon the throne and I gladly bow my knee and worship you alone. 24:41 All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. Who can compare the glory of the risen Lord? Who can compare with the beauty of the Lord? 25:10 All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. 25:17 All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. All heavens declare the glory of the risen Lord. 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And now the ministry, God has approved and he has blessed it. Not only here in India, many churches, hundreds of churches here. 30:42 And also abroad. So that the word of God is presented to the Christian community. Unadulterated, clear as it is from scripture. And now I have the pleasure of calling upon brother Zach. 31:04 Would you please come and share the word at this moment? Praise the Lord, brothers and sisters. I consider it a great honor to be here at the funeral of my beloved brother, Ian Robson. 31:24 And what you heard in that video, some of you may think, well, it's normal at a funeral to say nice things about the person who's gone. But it's not like that. I have known him for 50 years. 31:45 And I want to testify that everything you heard in that video is 100% true. You may think, how can that be true of a man? Well, I'll tell you one reason. He was a very humble man. And I've noticed that for 50 years. There are very few people I have met in the world with the spirit of humility that my dear brother Ian had. 32:16 And I know that better than anybody else. So I endorsed completely everything that was said about all the different aspects of his personality. All of you who know me know that I'm not the type of person who exaggerates or unnecessarily praises people. 32:38 And I would be guilty in the house of God if I were to say something which is untrue. But here was a man of God, without a doubt. And it was just day before yesterday, I mean less than 48 hours ago, that the Lord took him to himself. 33:02 And we heard about it. And immediately I decided to come. I'm going back tomorrow. That is a total of 30,000 kilometers. Why would I travel 30,000 kilometers in two days? 33:25 It's because of what this man was. I wouldn't do it for ordinary people. He was a man of God who God himself endorsed. And he was not the type of person who tried to project himself. 33:46 He was not one who wanted to advertise himself. He preferred to be in the background. But yet I know different people who have sent emails from different parts of the world who have said that they have been blessed by listening to his messages preached here. 34:06 Not just in Bangalore. Not just in India. Not just in India. But from other countries. So, if he says, follow me as I follow Christ, I would encourage you to listen to it. Observe his life. And see how he followed the Lord. 34:27 You know, our human nature, especially in India, we are very reluctant to appreciate people. We are masters at finding fault and criticizing. But even when somebody appreciates, others will say, ah, but he was this. 34:47 And some other thing they want to point out. Some defect. That is the corrupt nature of Adam. I want to show you a verse in 1 Thessalonians, in chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 12. Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says: 35:15 We beseech you, brethren, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and to admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. 35:41 I want to ask all of you, do you obey that command? You who carry a Bible with you, you don't read the Old Testament perhaps, but you certainly read the New Testament. Ask yourself, how many of you have obeyed that command in relation to this brother? 36:05 I have done it a number of times. I have expressed my appreciation to him personally. And that is not, I don't believe in flattery. Nobody has ever in my life accused me of flattery. I speak the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts, but I have obeyed that command to esteem him, verse 13, very highly in love. 36:30 And that is why I traveled 30,000 kilometers to speak about him. I remember when I first met him way back in the early 1970s in Hyderabad when I went there for a conference and I visited his home. I didn't know that we would work together. 36:52 But later on he came to Bangalore as an assistant to a Canadian pastor in the Baptist church here. And when the Canadian pastor was going away back to Canada, that Canadian pastor was very well known to me and I knew him well. 37:11 He said, "Zach, can you please take over from me as become the pastor of this Baptist church. Ian is the assistant pastor." So I said, "See, I have some principles in my life that I never take a title of pastor. I don't take any title. 37:29 All my life I'll be known as a brother. That's all. And secondly, I have another principle that I'll never take a salary for doing God's work. The Lord has done so much for me that I cannot even imagine being paid to show my love for him." 37:44 So I said, "I'll do the job. I'll preach every Sunday and I won't take a salary and let Ian continue to be the assistant pastor." And like that we labored together, he and I, for six months. And during those six months, we came to such desperate need in our life. 38:09 We saw great need in our life. We saw once when we went to a young people's camp. And instead of helping them, we found some of them were smoking some things which are forbidden. And I said, "What have we accomplished?" 38:27 That drove him and me, Ian and me, to need and we began to seek the Lord. It was just one incident, but of course both of us were... We had a very good testimony on the outside when we were in that Baptist church. But inwardly, we were defeated. 38:45 He and I, I don't know about him. I know about myself. Later on, I discovered that he also felt that way. So we decided that we would pray together. This is 1974. Between July and December, 1974. So he and I used to pray together. 39:08 Often we used to fast and pray. And we said, "Lord, we read in the scripture about something called the baptism in the Holy Spirit. About being filled with the Holy Spirit. I think that's what we need." So we used to pray and pray and pray and pray and nothing happened. 39:28 For months on end. But we continued. And finally, in January 1975, there was a charismatic preacher from England who came to Bangalore. I had read some of his books. 39:50 I felt he was a very balanced teacher of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, unlike some others who go to extremes. So when he preached in an Anglican church here, I met him and I said, "Can you please come and preach in our Baptist church?" 40:04 And I knew he would preach on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So he came. The other thing is, he would always give an invitation at the end of the meeting, saying, "Those who want the baptism of the Holy Spirit, come forward." 40:20 And the Lord had told me, "When he gives that invitation, you must go forward." And not only go forward, but tell these people in this Baptist church what a hypocrite you have been. That your inner life does not correspond with your outer life. 40:40 Your private life and thought life. I said, "Lord, I'll say it. I will stand up in this church where I preached for six months and tell them that I'm a hypocrite." And then I was waiting for this brother to give his invitation. 40:57 And that's the first time in my life that I heard, at the end of the meeting, he didn't give an invitation. I was puzzled. I said, "What shall I do now?" Many years later, the Lord said, "You had laid your Isaac on the altar. 41:17 I didn't want you to kill him. The people in the church were bigger hypocrites than you. Why should you confess to them?" Anyway, so I was disappointed actually. So I called that preacher home. And we had lunch together and I said, "Brother, can we go?" 41:38 We went upstairs in my house and I said, "Can we just pray together?" I said, "I've been seeking for the baptism of the Holy Spirit for so many months and nothing has happened." And he did two things. He first of all said, "Zach, it is unthinkable that God will call you to serve him and refuse to give you his power." 42:01 I said, "Okay." Faith was born in my heart. And I prayed and I knelt down and I said, "Lord, I don't want any sign." I have prayed. You said, "Believe that you have received." And right now, without any evidence, without any sign, I believe, as I prayed, that you have baptized me in the Holy Spirit. 42:23 And He laid His hands on me. And I suddenly began to speak in some strange language, some syllables. I didn't want to. It's just some utterance like you read on the day of Pentecost, they began to speak. And I stopped and I came back to English. 42:42 And again, I found myself speaking in another language. And anyway, I prayed, my whole prayer was about two, three minutes, that's all. And then I asked this brother, I said, "Did you hear anything?" He said, "Yeah, you were speaking in tongues." 42:56 I said, "Really?" So that's where we began. And then the next, that was Sunday. On Monday, we had invited Him to another meeting. For the same purpose in the church. And in the evening, He gave an invitation on Monday, which He didn't give on Sunday. 43:20 And Monday He said, "Those who want the baptism of the Holy Spirit, no, I did not tell Ian that I had received it on Sunday after." What we had prayed for, I said he'd be discouraged if I tell him. So Monday we went for the meeting and I was sitting at the back and he was sitting in the little front of me. 43:39 In the other side of the hall. And after the meeting, this brother invited people to come forward for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And Ian was waiting for me to go forward. Because we'd been praying six months together for this. 43:52 And he saw I didn't go forward at all. So he began to think, he told me later, he began to think, "Does Brother Zach disagree with this man on something?" And he said, "I don't care what Brother Zach thinks, I'm going forward because I'm in need." 44:10 God allowed it to be like that so he could break free of an attachment to me that was necessary. So he would have an individual connection with the Lord, not through me. But very thankful for that. That is what God did right at the beginning. 44:27 And that continued throughout the 50 years. His connection to the Lord was not through me. It was independent. He never preached like me. He never preached like me. He never tried to imitate me. And I was very thankful. 44:43 We respected each other. And when I traveled to many places, he was the one who held the fort at the back. I remember, you know, when you travel a lot here and there, a lot of people esteem you. 45:07 And they esteem me. The esteem for Ian Robson came years later when people understood his value. I esteemed him from day one. And many people esteem the brother who is up there in front and very prominent and well-known. 45:27 But they don't appreciate the man behind the scenes. It's like a husband and wife. I often say that about my wife. My wife is hardly ever in the front. And I say she's like the heart that pumps the blood, like the tongue speaks. 45:44 Now Ian was something like that too in the church. And God gives equal honor. And I'll tell you one verse that the Lord showed me in relation to Brother Ian. And that is in the story of, in 1 Samuel when, in chapter 30, 46:06 when David and his, he had not yet become king. Some people came and took away his wife and children and so many of his goods while they had gone to fight in a battle. And those men were taking care of the stuff at the back. 46:28 And David went forward to battle. And when David came back, he was thankful that these people had taken care of the home base, like we can say, while David and his army had gone out to battle. And then the question came, should we, the wealth that we have got from the enemy, should we divide it equally? 46:55 And some people said, David, no, we can't divide it equally. These guys were just lazily staying at home. We are the ones who went out and fought the battle and won. And David said, no. The one who stays at home and supports the work is equal to the one who goes out to battle. 47:13 And it says in 1 Samuel chapter 30, from that day, verse 25, there was a law made in Israel, verse 24, the last part, that the one who goes to the battle will have the same equal share with the one who stays behind. 47:34 And that's what the Lord showed me about Ian Robson and myself. Now, people who don't understand that spiritually, they think it's the one out there in front who's well known and all is doing the job. But the Lord showed me it was not true, that he and I were equal in it. 47:51 And I'm very thankful that I understood that. Now, we are not similar. We are totally different. First of all, if you go all over India, you'll never find an Anglo-Indian and a Malayali working together. Anywhere. If you hear one tell me, I have never heard of anything till today. 48:15 If they work together, they fight. No, you go and ask all the Malayalis whether they'll work with an Anglo-Indian. Even Malayali believers. And go and ask the Anglo-Indians whether they'll work with a Malayali. Even believers. 48:30 Exactly like Jews and Gentiles. And when God wanted to demonstrate his body, that there's no difference between Jew and Gentile. In India, he selected an Anglo-Indian and a Malayali to work together. Not for one or two years, but for 50 years. 48:50 And never fight with each other. God is my witness that Ian and Robson and I never had a fight. And some may think, "Oh, he just submitted to you. Rubbish." There were many times he would say, "Brother Zach, I disagree with you." 49:06 It was a healthy disagreement. I said, "Okay Ian, we'll do it your way then." There were other times when I said, "I disagree with you, Ian." We learn to give and take. That's the way it should be in a marriage. That's the way it should be in any eldership. 49:23 If one man makes other people just obey him, he's a dictator. There'll never be a body there in a thousand years. And we've seen that in so many so-called megachurches and also an outstanding man of God up there. He's famous and he preaches and all that and makes a lot of money. 49:41 And then when he dies, that's the end of that church. But I stepped down from eldership of CFC after 23 years in 1998. I was an elder and I stepped down. That is 27 years ago. CFC has flourished more after I resigned. 50:08 How's that? Because we learn to value one another. It depends on the Lord, not on a gifted person. And as I said, his temperament was very different from mine. But both of us recognized that we needed each other. Like we heard in that video, he was like Barnabas. 50:34 Many of you have read of Barnabas, but do you know that was not his name? His name was Joseph. He's the only person in the Bible, in the New Testament anyway. I mean, Jacob's name was changed to Israel in the Old Testament. 50:50 But in the New Testament, nobody's name was changed except Barnabas. His name was Joseph. But we read in Acts chapter 4, this Joseph came from a place called Cyprus. And the apostles saw him always, always, always encouraging people. 51:05 And they said, we've got to change his name. We've got to change his name to Son of Encouragement. And in the Hebrew, Bar means son, Nabas means of encouragement. Bar, Nabas, Son of Encouragement. That's exactly what Ian was. 51:21 I've seen him here sitting after a Sunday meeting, talking to people. He spent so much time individually talking to people. He was a tremendous encourager. He was a man who fulfilled this command in Hebrews 3:13. Encourage one another every day, lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 51:48 There's a man who obeyed it. And Paul, Paul was exact opposite of Barnabas. But when God wanted to do his work and build the body of Christ, he called Paul and Barnabas together. Complete opposites. 52:12 Paul was a hard... took a hard line on everything. There was no compromise with him. It was like a lion and a lamb and they worked together. It's absolutely amazing. And that's what the Lord said in Acts 13 to the church. 52:32 I want you to separate Acts 13 and verse 4. Sorry, verse 2. I want you to separate Saul and Barnabas for my work. Now, most people wouldn't... You'd think they'd fight with each other. No, they went out together. And look at their very first ministry. 52:54 They went to Cyprus, which is their hometown of Barnabas. And there, they found, it says, one sorcerer in verse 8, who was trying to prevent the governor from getting converted. So Saul and Barnabas both watched this. And Barnabas was the senior person because he was older than Paul 53:17 and he's the one who brought Paul into the church. But it is Saul is the one who looks at this fellow, this sorcerer, and look how he speaks to him. Oh, verse 10, one full of subtlety and mischief, you child of the devil, you enemy of righteousness. 53:34 The hand of the Lord will be upon you, verse 11, Acts 13, 11, and you'll be blind. And he became blind. Barnabas would never have spoken like that. Barnabas would have put his arm around him and say, "Hey, let's have a little chat, let him come along with me. 53:53 You know, we shouldn't talk like this. He shouldn't be doing black magic and all." Nothing would have happened. But Paul was ruthless. And when Paul said, "You're going to be blind," he became blind. God bore witness to him. 54:09 But if everybody was like Paul, there would have been no church. People would have run away. And that's why Barnabas needed to be there to encourage them. This is how a church is built, with one person who is ruthless and strong 54:24 and the other who encourages, and they work together. Now the sad thing is, after two years, Barnabas and Saul separated. They had a fight. Barnabas couldn't stand this ruthless, strong action. But Ian and I did not separate for 50 years. 54:50 For the glory of God we can say that, because we learned that we needed each other. The glory of God to be seen in a church. The church is the body of Christ. And in the first body of Christ we read in John 1 and 14. That the glory of God was seen in Jesus Christ, full of two things. 55:17 Grace, that's Barnabas, and truth, that's Paul. Jesus would put his arm around people and comfort them. He would go out of the way to help blind people, lepers. A woman caught in adultery would forgive her. 55:41 That's grace and compassion. But the same hand with which he healed the sick, the same hand once took a whip and chased all the people out of the temple who made money there. Which is the real Jesus? 56:02 Both. The glory of God, John 1:14, was seen in Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth. And that perfect balance is what's needed in the church. And that's why God raised up Barnabas and Saul. Unfortunately, they did not endure. 56:23 After two years they fell apart. And that's why God raised up Ian and myself. But we did not fall apart. We endured to the end. I don't weep today at his departure. A lot of people weep when, at a funeral. 56:48 I'll tell you honestly, I rejoice. I was in regular touch with him, very often. Praying with him, talking to him, the days before he went to be with the Lord. And we had wonderful times together. Not every day, but almost every day. 57:11 And then, of course he was in great pain. And I really wept. Those are the days I wept. But when I heard that the Lord had taken him, I tell you honestly, I did not weep. Weeping was over. I rejoiced. I said, he's gone to be with Jesus. 57:30 He's got a promotion. Who weeps when you have a promotion? If your child comes and says, Dad, I got a promotion. I came first in the class. Do you weep? I didn't weep. Because I saw what the Lord had done. He was a man of God who had been faithful for 50 years. 57:51 And God had decided to promote him to glory. And there's no place for weeping. Because if you could see what happened in that moment. At 3:47 p.m. Last Sunday, two days ago. What happened at that moment? 58:16 Ian Robson met his Savior. Now I knew that was going to happen. So, a few days earlier, I told him, more than once I told him, Ian, you're going to meet Jesus soon. And when you meet him, please tell him, Brother Zach says, he's very thankful that you allowed Ian to be my co-worker for 50 years. 58:40 And that's why I was very happy that when he went up, that's the first thing he told Jesus, I'm sure. This is very real. And so, do I weep over that? No. There's a little hymn, which some of you know. 59:02 It says, "When my life work is ended, and I cross the swelling tide, the bright and glorious morning I shall see. I shall know my Redeemer. When I reach the other side. 59:26 And his smile will be the first to welcome me." So, when you see Jesus welcoming Ian Robson with a smile, what are you going to do? Weep? Not me. I smile and rejoice. I say, "Jesus is welcoming him, and he's told Jesus what I told him to tell him." 59:43 And there it says, this is what Ian says, "I shall know him, I shall know him. When redeemed by his side, I shall stand. I shall know him, I shall know him, by the print of the nails." And he says, "How will, how did Ian recognize Jesus?" 1:00:02 By the print of the nails in his hand. I rejoice that this wonderful man of God is with Jesus, and rejoicing there with him, and with his wife, Vicky. We praise the Lord. Thank you. Thank you, Brother Zach, for being here, for blessing and challenging our hearts. 1:00:30 Brothers, to strengthen our faith, and as a tribute to Brother Ian, we want to play a song. The song is called, "Well Done." We encourage you to pay attention to the words. It asks a question that Brother Ian knows the answer to now. 1:00:50 What will it be like when my pain is gone? The worries of this world fade away. You call my name the moment I see you face to face. And I've been waiting my whole life to hear you say, "Well done." My good and faithful one, my beloved son, you've run the race, now you're home. 1:01:16 Let's listen to the song. What will it be like when my pain is gone? And all the worries of this world just fade away. 1:01:38 What will it be like when you call my name? In that moment when I see you face to face. I'm waiting my whole life to hear you say, "Well done." 1:02:01 Well done, well done, well done, my good and faithful one, welcome to the place where you belong. Well done, well done, my beloved child, you've run the race, now you're home. 1:02:26 Welcome to the place where you belong. What will it be like when tears are washed away and every broken thing will finally be made whole? What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? 1:02:44 Standing in the presence of a love so beautiful? What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? Standing in the presence of a love so beautiful? What will it be like when I come into your glory? 1:02:49 Standing in the presence of a love so beautiful? What will it be like when I come into your glory? 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What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? 1:05:41 What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? 1:05:46 What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? What will it be like when I come into your glory? 1:05:52 What will it be like when I come into your glory? Yeah, brothers and sisters, we can say amen to that in our spirits. We will now have tributes to Brother Ian by the Robson family. It will be a mix of recorded messages and them speaking. 1:06:11 First, we'll have the children in order. So starting with Sister Deborah, Sister Debbie, who's the oldest. Then Brother David, Sister Betty, Sister Rachel, Sister Anna, Sister Susie. After that, we want to hear from Brother Jim Robson, who's Brother Ian's younger brother. 1:06:33 And lastly, from the husbands of some of the children. So Brother Quentin, Brother Clive, Brother Keith, Brother Vinay. We'll have those tributes from the Robson family now. To many of you, he was Mr. Ian Robson, interior decorator of Robson's interior design. 1:07:01 To some of you, he was Brother Ian, elder and brother at Christian Fellowship Church. But to us, his six children and ten grandchildren, he was darling dad and beloved grandpa. What can I say about my wonderful father, who had so many great qualities? 1:07:19 Here are a few of them that have had an impact on me personally. To persevere, to not give up, never quit or leave a task half done. I remember when I was young and was learning to ride a bike. After a bad fall while trying to navigate a corner, I told my dad that I would never want to ride a bike again. 1:07:40 Dad encouraged me to get back on and even helped me practice, so I finally learned to ride a bike. I am glad I did so because I now live in the Netherlands, where biking is the most common means of transport. Secondly, humility to ask for forgiveness. 1:07:57 Dad had the humility to ask forgiveness if he had done something wrong. When we were young and he disciplined us, he would always pray with us after that. He would ask God to forgive him if he had done so in anger. Devotion to Jesus and love for the family of God. 1:08:16 Dad was sold out for God. He had decided to follow Jesus and there was no turning back. He served the body of Christ not only spiritually, but practically, especially at conference times at Christian Fellowship Church, where he would ensure that all practical arrangements were in place during the conferences, that the toilets were spick and span. 1:08:38 His handiwork can be seen even today in paradise enclave. Grace was something that also characterized Dad's life, especially during Mom's cancer diagnosis and her eventual passing on. Dad was heartbroken without Mom, but by God's grace, he picked himself up and busied himself with various tasks at home and in the church. 1:09:03 Grace also characterized his own journey with cancer. Dad was often in excruciating pain, but never once did we hear him complain or be angry with God. He held on in faith knowing who he had believed and that God was able to carry him through even this most difficult time in his life. 1:09:25 For someone who could not stand pain and needed an anesthetic when he had to have his tooth drilled at the dentist, it was amazing how my dad bore his pain with fortitude and courage. When we were leaving, I said, "Quentin, Abigail, Aidan and I are not with you today, but we had the joy of visiting Dad in July and spending time with him in Bangalore. 1:09:49 "When we were leaving, he came to the door to wave goodbye to us, leaning on a stick. "As we drove away, I realized that this was the last time I would see my dad on this earth. "Like I told him when we were leaving, I said, "Dad, it's not goodbye. 1:10:06 "It's tot ziens, like we say in Dutch. "See you again, because I know I will see you again when Jesus comes back." "Dad fought the good fight, he ran his race well, and most importantly, he kept the faith. "May we also run our race well and finish like he did." 1:10:32 "It's an honor to stand here today, like my dad stood at this very podium many times. "As I heard Brother Zach and Brother Charles speak about him and watch that video, "there's a thought that came to me which I didn't put in my notes, but it's a thought that I realized, 1:10:57 "for the life he lived, strong in Christ, steadfast." "I am honored to be called his son. "It's a privilege. "And more than that, it made me realize one thing. "That each one of us, being called sons of Christ, 1:11:18 "we don't need to do anything. "For me to have been called the son of Ian Robson that walked in a faithful way, "I didn't need to do anything. "I was born as his son. "And that's how we can be born, know that we're born again in Christ. 1:11:35 "So that was a revelation for me this morning. "How would I describe my dad? "It is an honor to stand here and pay tribute to my dad. "Words will not be enough to describe who you were and how you lived your life, "your values, beliefs, impacted me and our family in a greater way, 1:11:54 "and the family of our church. "Your clients and your suppliers. "You never looked for accolades or commendation, "and you would always give your all, "sometimes at the cost of your own welfare and our family, "but we knew that that was who you were and respected your commitment. 1:12:15 "In my early years, my dad was my hero. "I went everywhere with him and would go out to the building sites "as it gave me the opportunity to get away and go about with him, "to see different places. "Now, when I walk in anywhere where I smell paint or wood being cut, 1:12:33 "the first thought I have is those early days with him, "which were good memories. "Dad, you were a disciplinarian in the home, "and sometimes you took the role too seriously, "which made us negotiate with my mum before you came back 1:12:50 "so that we didn't get into trouble. "Some of the words that describe you are steadfast, thoughtful, "encourager, protector, with broad shoulders, "definitely someone who was a foodie. "You had great work ethic and worked hard, 1:13:06 "and time did not matter if someone needed help. "You would spend your whole day counselling them. "One of the values we inherited was, "If you do a job, you do it properly. "If not, you don't do it at all. "And quality was important to you in everything you did. 1:13:22 "You were definitely a praying father. "Prayed every morning before we went to school from a young age, "and this was continued and would be the first thing you would say "when we had a problem. "You believed in relationships and would humble yourself 1:13:37 "and say sorry to mum or us and others "without hesitating to ask for forgiveness or humble yourself "even if it was not your fault. "One of the most important things to you "which I've learned from you is relationships. 1:13:50 "You never ever wanted to breach a relationship "even if you had to humble yourself "and take the blame for what went wrong. "Some of you may know my relationship with my dad "was turbulent through my late teens "and into my early twenties. 1:14:22 "But we drew closer later "and he became a true father and friend. "I was able to talk to him openly about anything "without being judged. "You always reminded me of a father's goodness. 1:14:47 "And he reminded me to call on help from above whenever we needed it. "One of the real tests of faith and strength for my dad "was looking after my mum when she became ill. "I believe God gave him the opportunity "to recover the lost time and give her undivided attention, 1:15:08 "caring for her and making up for all the lost time with her. "Those memories are edged in my mind. "He was a true husband and a true father. "I had the privilege in the last few days when my dad was ill, "while he lay in bed battling the pain and trying to sleep. 1:15:29 "He shared things with me that I've never heard before. "Till he fell asleep. "We spoke about many things in pain and struggles. "But one thing I would say that God allowed it 1:15:52 "because he made me prouder than I've ever been of my father. "Because I saw resilience, courage, strength and a faith "that could never be shaken like jobs. "It's a memory I will cherish. "You truly were a father in every way. 1:16:11 "And I and my sisters are proud of you "and your legacy will live on. "My special thanks goes to Brother Zach and Santosh "for coming all the way. "It means the world to us. "I also want to thank the CFC elders, Brother Charles, Brother John, Brother Dinesh 1:16:29 "and Suresh for all your help during this time. "Thank Betty and Jones for your steadfast love for my dad. "Looking after them tirelessly through the times. "Susie for the times you've been here. "And all my siblings and brother-in-laws for being there. 1:16:48 "Uncle Jim and Auntie Pat. "I want to thank Riju who looked after my dad tirelessly. "Basically being there for him night and day. "And then also for the others who've committed their lives "to being there for him. "The brothers in the church who prayed for him, 1:17:06 "who came and visited him. "Thank you very much. "And for anybody else that I've forgotten, "thank you for being there for him." "Jones and myself had the honour and the privilege "of caring for dad over these last couple of months. 1:17:24 "What we saw, minus the pain, the challenges, the sufferings, "we saw in my dad something eternal burning brighter and brighter. "Though there was only one end and that was physical death. 1:17:49 "Dad knew in his heart that physical death "was nothing in comparison to spiritual death. "And through all the sufferings he, his love for the Lord, 1:18:11 "his faith in Jesus grew brighter and brighter. "Every day I would see that in the things he said "or the things he did. "As all of you know, we lost both our parents to cancer. "One of the most deadliest diseases that many people in the world think it is. 1:18:37 "And one day I was just talking with the Lord "and I didn't question him, but I was wondering why this journey, "similar journey from both my parents. "And the answer was so clear in my mind. 1:18:57 "It was so clear from the Lord. "That dad and mum, God chose to go through this path of suffering "because he knew their faith will not fail. "That they will fight the good fight of faith right up till the end. "I'm so thankful to have parents like them. 1:19:18 "I'm so thankful for a father like my dad. "And many a times I would tell him, "Dad, it's an honour serving you, not just you being my dad, "but being a servant of the Lord. "I consider it a great honour and a great privilege. 1:19:36 "And I would always remind him that I would be there for him "just like Ruth was there for Naomi. "I will miss him and we will miss him. "I miss the times I would go to him sometimes so tired and exhausted. "And he would always have an encouraging word for me. 1:19:59 "He would give me the most enduring look "that would refreshen my weary spirit. "I love you dad and I know that you are with your saviour, "the saviour that you served for so many years. "You've seen him face to face. "What a wonderful privilege that is. 1:20:17 "And you're reunited with mum." "Hi, this is Rachel. "It feels weird not to be able to WhatsApp Dad like I normally do "and hear him call me Rachie. 1:20:38 "I would like to thank God for my dad, "for the compassionate person he was, "for being there throughout my life "and guiding me and listening whenever I did seldom speak "when I was growing up, "for looking after us and giving us the best through his tireless work. 1:20:57 "My dad always made time for us when we were growing up "and even after we were married and moved out, "regardless of his busy work at CFC and managing his business. "I will miss spending time with Dad in the summers "and his absence will be felt greatly. 1:21:19 "His passing has left a second void in my life. "Bangaloo will never be the same without him. "But I look forward to the day when I get to see Dad and Mum again. "I love you Dad. "You and Mum are forever in my heart." "I stand here today, 1:21:42 "grieving the loss of someone so special. "My darling Dad. "Life will never be the same. "I will miss seeing that exuberant smile when I visit "or hearing him call me affectionately 'Anna Girl.' 1:22:06 "My dad was so much fun to have around. "He was always ready to go out and have a good time. "Our three children, Amy, David and Josiah, "are going to miss having Grandpa around. "There are three things that stand out to me about Dad. 1:22:27 "He displayed our Father God's extravagant love "by loving in the face of adversity. "He would say to me many a time, "My heart is the residence of love and I have no place for anything else. 1:22:47 "Dad and Mum always taught us as kids to forgive, "not to hold grudges and to be reconciled to one another. "We're not a perfect family, even as we've gotten bigger in size with spouses and children. "But I can say by God's grace that the six of us children love one another, differences and all. 1:23:10 "He was not afraid to show his vulnerable side. "He never gave me the impression that he had it all together. "I loved him for this as it displayed how God my Father was so patient with me. "Lastly, I want to be like him when it comes to living life to the fullest. 1:23:33 "He knew how to enjoy a good laugh, "a good meal, "a good cup of coffee, "a good clean movie, "and so much more. "He loved more than anything else. "He loved with all of his heart. "He loved. "My dad, 1:23:53 "he ran his race, "he endured suffering, "and he went into heaven victorious. "Now, "he's rejoicing with all the saints. "All glory be to God. "The story is not just about Ian, "but it's about our Savior, "Jesus Christ." 1:24:13 Praise the Lord. I counted a privilege that God the Father chose me to have a dad like mine, and to be born to parents like my mom and dad. Glory to God. A dad who trained me well, both in the spiritual and in the practical world. 1:24:33 As a young kid, I used to help my dad out by passing him tools, lifting stuff, holding the torch light, while he fixed different things around the house. To my dad, nothing is broken. Everything can be fixed. This was both applied in the appliance world, 1:24:53 as well as in our spiritual life. I'm reminded of a verse from Matthew 12:20. "He will not crush a weakest reed, "or put out a fickering candle." That was my dad's life that he always shared with us. Number two, the prayers and Godly practical counsel of my dad saved me from many snares and wrong decisions in my life. 1:25:16 I am so thankful that he guided me to marry the right person. I am grateful to the Lord that I had the opportunity and the honor to serve my dad during this time. What an honor to care for him, to feed him his meals, and to just pour love into his life. 1:25:37 The Lord Jesus journeyed with my dad through his illness and made him a brave man. He never liked hospitals, needles, and his pain tolerance was low. It was not easy for him to go through this, but Jesus gave him grace to endure suffering and pain, 1:25:56 and he overcame with the Lord's help. Before my dad went to be with the Lord, I whispered in his ear and I told him, "Dad, you're an overcomer." Today, he's with Jesus, relieved of all suffering and pain. I thank the Lord that he heard all our cries and our anguished prayers and groans, 1:26:17 and he took my dad home to be with him. I thank the Lord. Good morning to everybody over here. It's a glorious day, and I've come here on behalf of the Robson family. I am the immediate younger brother of Ian, and we have a great bond together. 1:26:46 living and serving, having us little skirmishes with each other, but we never took it to heart. And I would first like to thank Pastor, Brother Zach and Santosh for taking the trouble to come all the way here for my dear brother and your dear brother. 1:27:11 And we have shared so many moments of laughter and exchanging our visits to Chennai where I live with my wife Patricia, and we coming and staying over here in his home. Coming to his home is to have a little fun, to cheer him up and exchange all the memories of our school days and the days when we met. 1:27:46 One memory I have in mind is I came here to brother Ian's place and I came only for a week, but I ended up staying three months. What for those three months was helping brother Ian to fix his house, his cameras, and mind you, I've retired. 1:28:13 I was climbing the stairs, I think halfway to heaven, because every time he wanted anything, he'd say, "Jim, it's down there." And mind you, living that three months, I knew everything, where it was, and what he wanted. 1:28:28 And I enjoyed it. And fortunately, at this end time, we came here last month thinking that my brother would pass away, but he didn't. So we went to Yurkod and went back home, and then we got an SO, it was at 10 o'clock in the night that Ian was fading away. 1:28:55 We left by car, came over here, and unfortunately, I was not, he was not able to communicate with me, neither could he see me. That was the saddest part, but to see the agony and the pain that he was going through, it brought tears to my eyes. 1:29:27 And mind you, at the time when we were all sitting there watching him breathe his last, my eyes went to the clock. 3:47, and immediately his eyes were opened, I closed it. And the first words that I uttered from my mouth, "Praise God." 1:29:49 It's not that he has gone away, he was, the pain, everything had gone. And I knew for certain that he's gone to a better home, where there is no pain, no suffering, nothing of that. And I am very happy to be here present to see such a mammoth gathering over here of brothers and sisters, relatives and friends to bid farewell to my brother. 1:30:23 And all that brother Zach spoke, I knew half of it, because Ian shared his testimony with me, so it was nothing new. And I thank brother Zach for bringing a wonderful support for him and guiding him in his life. I also thank the CFC members who organized this beautiful get-together, and I would like to thank anybody else, but it's been a fantastic day. 1:30:57 We enjoyed staying over here, and I told Ian's children, "You have a heavenly father, but if you want an earthly father, I am there." So, it was good of you all to meet together, and I had the opportunity of meeting the family also, and God bless all of you. 1:31:21 Take care, and praise God for everything that has happened. God bless you all. Thank you. I've been asked just to speak on behalf of Dad's brother Jeffrey, who's just below Uncle Jim. He's been quite emotional to speak, so one of the things he's asked me to share, and it's something Dad as well mentioned, was God is a restorer of relationships. 1:31:51 And in families with differences, one of the most amazing things that I've seen, because I've spent time with Dad recently, was how God restored the unity with his brother Jeffrey that he was very close to. And the interesting thing was, Jeffrey was the last one to speak to my Dad when he was passing. 1:32:17 He was actually praying for him when my Dad was passing. So, he's just very grateful and thankful to the Lord God for giving him that opportunity, that in the last couple of years leading up, their bond and their unity, and Dad's testimony to him, 1:32:38 to strengthen him as he strengthened Dad, is what God strengthened and brought that, restored that unity between them. Thank you. Brother Ian has been a father to me, a brother, a friend, a counselor, and a mentor. I've written this song, which can be sung to the tune of Standing on the Promises of God, 1:32:58 but I'll read it now as a poem to honor his memory. Working in a steady job in youthful days, when he heard the call of God to leave the railways, "Come into my service, and now work for my praise. Yes, Lord, here I am," is what he prays. 1:33:16 With all determination, he obeyed God's call, forsaking all for Jesus, who was all in all. Bringing good news to the poor in all the land, little did he know what God had planned. He loved the Bible very much. To gain insight, he comes to Bangalore, joins the study, gains much light. 1:33:35 Sees a lady there, she brings him some delight. Can it be? It's love at the first sight? Marriage followed, children came, and time went on. Still he persevered and sang the victory song, laboring earnestly to see God's kingdom come, 1:33:51 never resting till God's work is done. Faithfully he labored as a carpenter, through many varied trials there was no murmur, demonstrating daily how to choose the right by kingdom values, walking in the light. Serving as an elder in the CFC, exhorting many brethren so from sin they're free, 1:34:13 shepherding them patiently with counsel strong back into the fold where they belong. Then sickness struck with suffering his end drew near. The Savior comforted him, saying gently, "Do not fear. Sufficient is my grace for you, and when you're weak, I'll provide the power that you seek." 1:34:32 Absent from the body, he's at home with you. His memory and legacy, disciple true. We believe we'll see him when you come again, to receive your bride without his stain. Ian Robson, thank you, Lord, for giving us this precious brother. 1:34:49 Grant that we may follow him as he had followed you. Hi, this is Clive, Rachel's husband. I call Rachel's father Dad fondly, having spent much time with him. I have known Dad for 17 years. It wasn't all rosy, though, at first, when I married Rachel, me being a Catholic background and all. 1:35:13 But Dad was always a man on a mission, cracking on with God's work, through God's word. He always gave me a listening ear, though, and was always there to counsel Rachel and I, whenever we had differences that we couldn't work through. 1:35:29 Although I suspect he might have been a bit biased in Rachel's favor. Jokes aside, though, he always did turn to scripture, regardless of what the challenges were ahead. I had the opportunity to spend some time with Dad a couple of weeks ago, and he seemed at peace and a person who has completed his mission. 1:35:51 I guess no matter what we achieve in our lives, it still would not hold a candle to his legacy. The church, the following, and all those he has touched in a spiritual manner. I dare say he has fulfilled all that God willed him to do. 1:36:07 We shared many a light moment with the family, and he will be missed, but never forgotten. So on behalf of my son, Kyle, and myself, we thank the Lord for you, Dad. We wish you Godspeed, and au revoir. So grateful to be standing here. 1:36:26 And interestingly, it marks almost 20 years since I came to Bangalore, and I was blessed by the example of two wonderful men. There are those men who leave a mark on you, which is indelible, and it doesn't fade. That's just the kind of people they are. 1:36:47 One man is here, my brother Zach, and one is one I call Dad, who's going to be with the Lord. And it's my privilege to even call him Dad. Some of you may know I lost my father when I was just a month and a half, and I never got to call anybody Dad. 1:37:11 So he was the first one who I actually called Dad. So in his memory and as a tribute to him, I just wrote this poem and shared with you. Almost 20 years to this day, a young Christian made his way, led by the Lord Jesus himself to a blessed and delightful place. 1:37:35 Where many enthroned him in their hearts and loved to talk about the way. Among them, he met a man who left an indelible mark, unblemished to this day. From our first meeting itself, unabashedly speaking about the Lord Jesus to me, 1:37:51 he opened his heart, telling me his own story ever so freely. When misunderstood, he helped me navigate to the paths that were right. When I was saddened, down for the count, he said, "The day always follows the night." 1:38:07 Privileged was I to be granted the hand of his beautiful daughter, Anna, to be my wife. Richer was I to share with them these many years of their wonderful lives. A baptism of suffering were they immersed in in their twilight years. 1:38:22 But they followed the Lord Jesus despite their abundant sorrows and tears. First mom and then dad, they walked together down a winding path of suffering and pain. Always proclaiming the Lord Jesus, declaring, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." 1:38:40 Dad soldiered on, his outer man decayed, becoming undoubtedly weak and frail, day after day. But inwardly he was being renewed, blessing with the good news everyone whom he met on his way. And now, his suffering has ended. 1:38:58 The race run. A new life he now lives with God's only son. Rejoiced over. Received with great joy as the saints and angels shout, "Brother Ian, well done." Earth's loss is truly heaven's gain. Now only memories remain of the best time I ever had. 1:39:18 You are the only one, and it has been my privilege, honor and blessing to call you Dad. And you, my brother, my sister, as we grieve this loss with each other, let's not lose sight of the ever-familiar smiling face of our dear brother. 1:39:34 For he now joins the cloud of witnesses, cheering, as he always did, for us to persevere and run. Following his example, looking unto the perfecter of our faith, Jesus, God's only begotten son. Thank you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to honor the life of a truly remarkable man, Brother Ian Robson, though I've always liked to call him Dad. 1:39:57 He's had a tremendous influence on my life for good, and I'm deeply thankful for the time we've shared and the lessons I've learned from him. One of the things I admire most about him was his heart of servitude, especially to the church. 1:40:10 He was never someone who sought the limelight, but quietly and faithfully served, always thinking of others before himself. His attitude of humility and selflessness has left a lasting impact on me. I recall a moment that stands out as a guiding point in my life. 1:40:24 I once asked him, "Dad, how can I become more useful to the Lord?" He pointed me out to John 12:24, where Jesus said, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much fruit." 1:40:38 That verse became a cornerstone in my spiritual life, and it was a reflection of how he lived his own life. He poured himself out for others, trusting that in doing so, he was sowing seeds for the kingdom. His quiet confidence in that truth changed the way I look at life, service and sacrifice. 1:40:55 Towards the end of his life, he reminded me of a task that meant everything to him. He told me to take care of the church that the Lord had given me responsibility for, to protect the flock. He knew that serving the church involves sacrifice, but his commitment to the Lord and his people never wavered. 1:41:12 And he encouraged me to follow him as he followed Christ in that area. Today, I'm here with a heart full of gratitude for his life, his love for Christ and his devotion to the church. I'm thankful for the fact that he gave me his daughter's hand in marriage. 1:41:27 And I'm grateful for the many moments of wisdom, guidance and love that I've experienced through him. Dad's life was truly like that grain of wheat. He gave himself for the sake of others. And the fruit of his life will continue to grow. 1:41:40 Not just in my life, but in the lives of so many. Thank you, Dad. We miss you, but we know that you are home with the Lord, whom you so faithfully served. Yeah. Thank you, Robson family, not just for what you shared, but as a church, we want to say thank you for sharing your dad with us. 1:42:01 Thank you. We'll sing a song. Let's turn our eyes to the Lord. When peace like a river attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever, my Lord, thou hast taught me to say. 1:42:21 It is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. 1:43:03 It is well, it is well with my soul. When peace like a river attendeth my way. 1:43:26 When sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever, my Lord, thou hast taught me to say. 1:43:47 It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. 1:44:21 Though Satan should bother, though trials should come. Let this blessed assurance control. Let this blessed assurance control. 1:44:42 That Christ hath regarded my helplessness did. And has shed his own blood for my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. 1:45:05 It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. 1:45:26 It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul. 1:45:30 It is well, it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well, it is well with my soul. His glorious thong, my sin not in part but the whole. His veil to the cross, and I bear it no more. 1:45:58 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Lord my soul, it is well, it is well, it is well with my soul. 1:46:28 For me, be it Christ, be it Christ has to live. The sky not the grave is my home. 1:46:56 The angel, O voice of the Lord, blessed hope, blessed reverence of my soul. It is well, it is well, it is well with my soul. 1:47:26 It is well, it is well with my soul. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ, be it Christ. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ. 1:47:46 And we now want to hear from the Punan family. So, we'll hear them in this order. Sister Annie first, and then in the order of sons, Brother Sanjay, Brother Santosh, Brother Sandeep, and then Brother Sunil. 1:48:08 I praise and thank God for our wonderful Savior, who can change lives, mortal lives like us, and make us so different. And the gospel which the Lord gives us, which can make such wonderful changes, human nature is changed to become more and more godly. 1:48:38 That's the example I learned from Brother Ian. The first funeral we had in our home, and the first funeral we had in our CFC family, was when my husband's father passed away and went to be with the Lord. 1:49:00 And I remember very vividly that night, evening he passed away. As soon as Brother Ian heard the news, he rushed and came to our home, and he sat with my husband the whole night. My father-in-law's body was laid out, it was dark, but he sat with my husband, talked to him softly, comforted him, and was there with him like a brother. 1:49:33 And never forget that. That is typical of our dear brother. A brother whom God gave to be a brother to my husband. It's typical of him, not only for us, but for anyone in the church, anyone who's in need, he'll drop everything that he's doing and come to help. 1:49:58 His motto must have been, "Others first, himself last." I saw that in many occasions when he ministered to people and helped people, some of whom I knew were ungrateful, but he didn't mind. He took the risk and he went out of the way to help people. 1:50:21 In his business, he suffered a lot of losses because people took advantage of him and didn't pay him in the end. But he bore it all with a smile. And God chose such a wonderful man to be my husband's co-worker. Anybody who gets a friend, a co-worker, a brother like brother Ian is really fortunate. 1:50:49 And my husband and I, we are really fortunate to have known this wonderful family, brother Ian and sister Vicky. Vicky is the same. However long brother Ian would take in his job and however late he came for meals, she was always there. 1:51:10 I knew she didn't mind because every time brother Ian came and I said, "Isn't it late for you?" She said, "No, Vicky is okay with it." I praise and thank God for this wonderful couple God gave us as brother and sister in our church. 1:51:24 They are an example to us and God chose them to be a support and a friend and a brother to my husband. Even in his sickness and sister Vicky's sickness, they have been an example to us. Sometimes when I used to watch the video when my husband was talking to brother Ian and I could see his body was deteriorating. 1:51:54 He was getting more and more sick. But his spirit was so triumphant. I could see that victory in his eyes, that sparkle in his eyes. And that was a challenge to us. I used to think, "Lord, if ever the time comes when you call me home, this brother is an example to me. 1:52:17 How he faced the end and he looked forward to your coming." He never complained about his sickness except that he prayed, "Lord, Zach, pray for me that I'll have grace to bear this pain." But always there was a spirit of triumph. 1:52:35 I praise and thank God for that example he gives us in the church. And as a brother to my husband. It's a big loss to my husband. I know that. It was the days when Brother Ian was sick. My husband was really grieving. He waited for morning, whether he could call him, or in evening, whether he would call him. 1:52:56 And if he found out that he was sleeping, he'd think, "Okay, I'll call later." And every time he spoke, he just wanted to communicate that love and that unity they had between them. That bond, that brotherly bond which Christ has put in their hearts. 1:53:17 And when he passed away, it was like a relief. God has taken him. How fortunate Brother Ian is that he got called into the presence of Jesus and he's with Jesus now. He's an example for us when our time comes, when the Lord calls us to go in the triumphant way. 1:53:39 And now, dear children of Brother Ian and Sister Vicky, I know you are grieving. And you'll be sensing the loss of your parents. But remember, you have many brothers and sisters who are there for you. Who are like uncle and aunt or parent for you. 1:53:59 We are there for you. We share your grief. We pray for you. And anything we can do for you, just let us know. And we'll gladly come. At least we can uphold you in prayer anytime we need. God bless you. Dear CFC family and the Robson family, 1:54:21 it's a joy to be able to talk to you. I grieve today with the Robson family and with all of you. On the other hand, as many have said, it's a day of joy, a homecoming for a saint. I will miss Brother Ian terribly. He was a second father to me. 1:54:40 He was a parent figure in my life. I will make the godly my hero, and he is my hero. When we get to heaven, I hope instead of all of us, good and faithful servants. Not, you know, educated and successful, good and faithful. 1:54:58 And Brother Ian was faithful. I felt faithfulness in him from my early years. When I was five, six, seven years old, when my dad was out of town, he would come on his scooter. Those days there weren't cars, there were scooters. 1:55:14 And I think Brother Ian must have invented a way to get four boys on a scooter. Because maybe he was able to take six of his children on a scooter. And he was able to do it even before my dad, I think, was able to take four. 1:55:26 Maybe one or two in the front and two in the back. And I have such incredible memories of so many things he did for our family. Faithfulness extended beyond our family. Many of you knew at the church. He was often the person to come in first to the meeting hall and to leave the meeting hall and turn the switch off at the end, light off. 1:55:45 The last to leave. Often, probably many times, a tremendous sacrifice to his own family. But he did that. His handiwork is his fingerprints are all over 42 Costa Square and Paradise Enclave. And his carpentry work was incredible. 1:56:05 The school, Clarence School, you can see all over Bangalore. His faithfulness, God rewarded him for that. The second thing I want to share about him was, it says in 1 Corinthians 14 that all of us should seek to prophesy. 1:56:19 The definition of prophecy is very simple. Be an encourager, be an exhorter, be an edifier. And Brother Ian was an encourager. He would spend hours with young people and teaching them, like a coach, and giving them advice. 1:56:40 Often, there were times I felt more comfortable talking to him than even my dad, because there were things I could express to him. And he knew a way of encouraging. But sometimes an encouragement isn't just the pat on the back. 1:56:54 Sometimes it's an exhortation that's a kick in the past. Sometimes we need that. And when I look at Brother Ian's life, the third thing I would say is you all look at his face, and you can see two things. One is his eyes. 1:57:07 And his eyes are smiling, you don't see it. But when he's serious, his eyes are piercing. And he can see through. When I was young and a teenager, there were times I'm sure he could see through my naughtiness. And that's the time when you need the exhorter, the edifier. 1:57:23 But then the thing that I always remember is this smile, that million-repeat smile, as everyone says. The smile, it was a laughter that was infected. There was joy around Brother Ian. And when he started laughing, we all just laughed with him. 1:57:42 It was incredible. And the joy came from within. The joy came from the Lord. Just incredible, incredible memories. And the final thing I would share as an example, as a father and a husband, I saw the incredible love that he had for Sister Vicky. 1:58:01 Of his faithfulness to her. The way in which we talked about her. Even I was looking back at my WhatsApp messages with Brother Ian. It started in 2020, before Sister Vicky got sick. And I will treasure all those WhatsApp messages I've had with him over the last four years. 1:58:17 Every one of them is precious. But I especially look back at the messages he would pray with me when we were praying for Sister Vicky. And the great love he had for her. And then as he got sick in the last few months, I couldn't communicate with him. 1:58:34 He was not able to type back. So I would send him a song or a video or send it to Sister Betty to play for him. And I will remember every one of the dialogues I've had with Brother Ian. Ian, I will miss him. But I'm looking forward to seeing him in eternity. 1:58:48 To all the Rockson family, we agree with you. We are brothers and sisters. You are not alone at this time. We're with you in spirit. God bless you all. I always considered Brother Ian a second father to me. And I thought I was pretty special. 1:59:08 Until I realized that almost everybody thought he was a second father to them. That's how large his heart was. And that's a picture of the heart of God. Everybody can call God their father and feel special. And that was Brother Ian. 1:59:25 The endearing image of Brother Ian that I will have was the one we saw in the video of him like this. Probably right in this pulpit praying. I pictured it like Aaron and her upholding the hands of Moses. Not just Brother Ian supporting my dad in the ministry, but upholding all of us in CFC. 1:59:52 Upholding this church. Being the pillar in the church. And I believe that's what Brother Ian is doing even now. At the right hand with Jesus. I believe he's close to Jesus. Because that's the life he lived. That's what he always longed to do. 2:00:11 Was to be close to Jesus. And he's joining Jesus in interceding for us now. As he did during his life here on earth. And I want to always remember that. I hope you all who have been touched by Brother Ian. Through the arm around the shoulder and the long conversation. 2:00:35 When you're in a moment of difficulty. In a moment of trial and temptation. That you look up and see Brother Ian's hands still upheld for you. And Jesus' hands upheld for you. I want to just briefly talk about three things. 2:00:52 The first is the example from Brother Ian. And I'll put it this way. God has reserved a very small place for you. In his church. Find that small place and fill it. And then you will see God glorified. There's a poem by Anna Waring that says. 2:01:14 There's one line in it that says. "Content to find a little space if God be glorified." Dear brother, dear sister, dear child. This is the example Brother Ian has set us. There is a little space in God's church. A very little space. 2:01:32 It's not a big one. A very tiny space that God has reserved for you in his church. Find it and fill it. And you will see God glorified. You will see God glorified. A lot of people look for big spaces. Big places. And they miss out on the glory of God. 2:01:51 And I believe the glory of God has been in this church. Something that I can sense when I walk into this building. Not because of the building. But because of brothers like Brother Ian. The second thing is Brother Ian's challenge. 2:02:08 I believe it would be his challenge today. I don't want to pretend to speak for him. But I believe this is what he would say. It will be worth it all. When we see Jesus. One glimpse of his dear face. It will be worth it all. 2:02:27 When we see Jesus so bravely run the race. Till we see Christ. So don't give up. Don't get offended. Don't seek a name for yourself. Whatever circumstance God has you in. If it's a breaking circumstance. If it's a humbling circumstance. 2:02:45 If you're being misunderstood. If you feel like a nobody. It will be worth it all. Find that small place. It will be worth it all. It will be worth it all. When we see Jesus. I'm absolutely convinced. Brother Ian knows. 2:03:02 It was worth it all. Everything he labored for. And all the suffering he went through. Even here. The pain that he went through in his body. It was worth it. He has no regrets today. I believe. And. My dad talked about. 2:03:19 Rejoicing. I'm rejoicing today. But you know when I heard the news. On Sunday. That brother Ian had gone to be with Jesus. I wept. And I'll tell you why I wept. I wept because. I wondered if I'm ready. See this is the third thing I want to share with you is that. 2:03:40 What was the picture in your mind when you heard that. Brother Ian had gone to be with Jesus. Did you picture brother Ian in a distance. Kind of. Riding off into the sunset. And going to be with Jesus. Was a very different picture for me. 2:03:57 Ian was running towards me. Handing me the torch. And saying. Santosh. It's your turn. Are you ready? And I felt unworthy. How can I take the torch from a man like this? And I said. 2:04:17 Lord I want to be ready. He lived a faithful life. And dear family. This is a pivotal point for us as a church. I believe. I knew it would be. Whichever of the two of my dad or brother Ian. He called home first. It would be a pivotal point. 2:04:38 Because the torch is being handed down to us now. Are you ready? If that was your body. In the coffin. Would you have any regret? It's as if brother Ian was running to me. And handing me the torch. Saying. You know how they run the relay. 2:04:58 If you watch the relays in the Olympics. If somebody runs the first leg. And then they're coming up. What do you think is going through the mind of the person. Who's running the second leg? They're about to take the torch from the other. 2:05:12 Take the baton from the other runner. And that runner is coming. Running all the way. Fast. Not slowing down. Brother Ian didn't slow down. Even if his body did. In spirit he was running faster. Where are you today dear brother? 2:05:28 Dear sister? And that's the question I asked myself. Where am I? Have I been wasting my time? Am I sitting on the side? Taken up with the things of this world? Or am I ready? Am I ready to run? The torch is being handed down to us. 2:05:44 In this next generation. Brothers and sisters. Let's be ready. We must run. We shall run. Amen. When I heard that brother Ian had gone to be with the Lord. This is the picture that actually came to me. And I believe it was a gift from the Lord for me. 2:06:01 I had this picture of the Lord Jesus personally. Running around making arrangements. For the party being prepared to welcome brother Ian. And making sure that everything was in order. And what struck me was that the Lord Jesus didn't delegate the arrangements. 2:06:16 To even the archangels Michael or Gabriel. He was personally supervising all the arrangements. Because welcoming brother Ian was personal to the Lord Jesus. And I had this picture of the Lord Jesus welcoming brother Ian with great joy. 2:06:31 The biggest smile. And sister Vicki was standing nearby right to the side. Beaming with her biggest smile. Waiting to greet him too. But she had to wait her turn. Because the Lord Jesus had to be the first to welcome him. 2:06:45 I'm convinced that nobody sacrificed more for brother Ian's ministry than sister Vicki. As we heard. Brother Ian was often the first to come. And the last to leave the building. And spirit too. But the ones who sacrificed their time. 2:06:58 With brother Ian was sister Vicki most of all. So I honor her. And Robson family. All of you. You shared your dad with me to the very end. I will always cherish how you shared your father with me. As if I was your brother. 2:07:13 As if I was his son. I won't forget that. I noticed that brother Ian entered heaven. 3:47 p.m. 3:47. And that reminded me of Psalm 347. Psalm 347. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear him. And delivers them. 2:07:32 I believe the Lord sent the angel of the Lord to encamp. To surround brother Ian. And then finally delivered him from the very presence of sin. Three years ago I remember hearing brother Ian talk about from Daniel chapter 7. 2:07:46 How Daniel kept looking. It's mentioned eight times in that chapter in Daniel chapter 7. And brother Ian was reminding me. When you keep looking. That's when you get to see the face of Christ more and more. Brother Ian you kept looking at Christ. 2:08:00 As if in a mirror the glory of the Lord. Now you see the Lord Jesus shining like the sun itself. And your face is shining too. Brother Ian you turned to face God over and over again. So God removed the veil. And there you are now. 2:08:14 Face to face with Jesus. You see God fully now. A living personal presence. Not a picture on the wall. Not even words in the Bible. I wore the brightest eye I could find. Because you're shining like the sun. And now that God is fully present for you. 2:08:29 A living spirit. That old body is gone. You're free of it. Nothing between you and God. Your face shining like the sun. The brightness of his face. You're transfigured to be like the Messiah. Brother Ian I like to call you Doc. 2:08:42 Dr. Robson. Because you labored and attained a PhD in grace. You can trade in that PhD cap and gown for the shining face. Just like Jesus. Shining like the sun. Now it's my turn. It's our turn. To keep looking at Christ. 2:08:57 And becoming like our Savior. Thank you for everything. Yeah. We call ourselves Christians. But I don't know how many of you know. Where the first place the word Christian is mentioned in the Bible. And it's actually in Acts 11. 2:09:14 Acts chapter 11 verse 26. It talks about the first Christians. After the death of Stephen and the church was being persecuted. The followers of Jesus gathered in different cities. Spread across different cities. And they gathered in a place called Antioch. 2:09:33 And the disciples in Jerusalem heard about that. And they decided to send somebody whom they thought would be the best person. To set up the first church of Christians. Who would call themselves Christians. And they didn't send a great preacher. 2:09:50 They didn't send the greatest prophet they had. They sent the person whom we heard about earlier from my dad. Which was a man named Joseph. Who got renamed Barnabas. Because he could never stop encouraging people. And that's the man they sent. 2:10:04 You can read about this in Acts chapter 11. Where when people were gathering in Antioch. They sent Barnabas to set up the first church. And when the numbers grew. Then Barnabas went and looked for Paul. And then together they built up that church. 2:10:22 And then you see right after Paul comes in. The next verse says. And that was the first time they were called Christians. And I like to think about that as I think about CFC 50 years ago. Starting with an encourager. And then with a prophet and a teacher. 2:10:39 And a Bible teacher. And together creating this wonderful legacy that we have. And that we have benefited from. Brother Ian was truly that encourager to me. Like Barnabas was to that early church. I recall the day I was baptized. 2:10:59 Which also was my last day in India. Before I moved to the US. He scribbled on a piece of paper. A verse. Which was 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 8 and 9. From the Living Bible. Which he loved to read and quote from. And essentially it said. 2:11:16 The Lord will count you blameless from all. Sins past, present and future. Until that day. When he comes back. And it was a great reassurance for me. For one that struggled with condemnation and discouragement in my youth. 2:11:29 To say. The Lord will never expel me. I can choose to drop out or run away from the school of Jesus. But he will never expel me. And that handwritten note. I put it in my wallet. And it stayed in my wallet. I. My wallets fell apart. 2:11:45 I went through three or four wallets. But that paper moved from one wallet to another. Until about four or five years ago. Until it finally disintegrated. Because it was folded a couple of times. And it just fell apart. 2:11:55 And I felt the Lord telling me that. That's now in your heart. You don't need to have it in paper. But that's. How I carried. Brother Ian. In my wallet. So to speak. For. 20 plus years. Here in the US. And. I never had a conversation with Brother Ian. 2:12:11 It doesn't matter what we were talking about. Whether it was. School. Or work. Or. Something setting up for the conference. Where I never left. Being encouraged. I was always encouraged. And not only that. Every conversation I had with him. 2:12:24 I came away feeling like the more important person. Which was quite the opposite. But that's how. Paul taught us. In Philippians chapter two. To have that mind. That was in Christ Jesus. To. Consider others. Is more important. 2:12:36 Than ourselves. And there was no better living example. Than. Brother Ian. I had the opportunity to. Spend some extended time. In conversation with him. Earlier this year. When I was visiting India. And what struck me. In this last visit with him. 2:12:51 When I spent time with him. Was. How fixated he was. On. On. Heaven. And even what he was hearing on Sunday from the meeting. He was fixated on. The idea of seeing Jesus again. The idea of seeing his wife again. The reality of heaven. 2:13:08 Was so compelling to him. He. It was a great challenge for me. And a great challenge for us. Brothers and sisters. To consider what is real. And what's not real. You could not. We. We can speak about these things of heaven. 2:13:21 We can speak of things of eternal value. And they can have. They can make sense theoretically. For some. They can be a fairy tale. But for brother Ian. It was real. And it was a challenge to me. To think about how real it was. 2:13:33 That. The things of this earth. Were not real to him. That's a challenge for us. It was a challenge for me. To think about. My bank account. That's not real. My health situation. I might be dealing with. That's not. Truly real either. 2:13:45 My relationship. With my relatives. Not real. The things of heaven. The things of eternal value. The eternal weight of glory. That these. Momentary light afflictions. Are bringing. That is real. That is what's real. And he had that perspective. 2:14:00 And as a result. I truly believe. When. Brother Ian. Got to heaven. Heaven was not a surprise for him. Heaven was not a surprise for him. That's a good question. To ask for ourselves. Will. Heaven be a surprise for us. Will we get there. 2:14:15 Wishing we had done more. Or. With some regrets. I believe that. Outside of the pain. And the. The suffering. That he suffered. In his body. With his auto man decaying. If you take that apart. He. He had that. He had heaven. 2:14:30 Here on earth. In the spiritual realm. In his intimacy. With Jesus. He really had heaven. Here on earth. For several years. Not just in his last few years. For. For the last. Several years. That we knew him. And. That's why. 2:14:44 I truly believe. Heaven is not a surprise for him. And that's why. I can truly say. Right alongside my dad. My own dad. He's the greatest man. I've met. Hebrews 11. 38. Talks about men. Whom this world. Is not worthy of. 2:14:57 These are saints of God. God wanted them. Sooner than he wanted us. They were. The earth was not. Worthy of them. They needed to be in heaven. Their citizenship was in heaven. But what is our response. Like we heard from that poem. 2:15:10 From Keith. And what we just heard from. Santos. As we read this whole chapter. And we read this whole chapter. Of men of faith. In Hebrews chapter 11. And brother Ian. Is certainly one of those. The very next to us. Hebrews 12. 2:15:24 One. Now that we have. This great cloud of witnesses. These spectators in the stand. Now brother Ian. Is joined as a spectator. In those stands. What do we do? It is not sufficient. For us. To. Just. Weep. Or mourn. Or pay tribute. 2:15:40 Or even be thankful. That is insufficient. Because we have. These cloud of witnesses. Who are cheering us on. We put aside. The incumbrances. We put aside. The sin. That's entangling us. And we run this race. Fixing eyes on Jesus. 2:15:55 Who is not just the author. But he is. The perfecter of our faith. And that's. What. I hope. I. And all of you. Brothers and sisters. Can take away from. The life of this. Man of faith. For whom the earth. Was not worthy. 2:16:09 That. We can. Run. Like Hunter said. We can take that baton. And. Set aside the incumbrances. And entanglements. That might be slowing us down. And run. Run fast. Fixing eyes on Jesus. And. To the family. To. Debbie. David. 2:16:27 Betty. Rachel. Anna. And Susie. As. My brothers have said. Your dad was. Like a father. Like a physical father. To us. Some of you were. Some of. My best friends. My wife's best friends. Growing up. And you continue to. 2:16:43 Remain so. We are with you in this. We. Grieve with you. We. Continue to pray that the. Peace of Christ. The peace of God. That passes all understanding. Will. Guard your hearts. In Jesus Christ. With the assurance. That. 2:16:59 We will. See him again. And we will see. Our savior. Soon. And we can have. That taste of heaven. That taste of eternal life. Right here. On this earth. So that. When our time comes. Heaven will not be a surprise. For us. 2:17:12 Amen. Brothers and sisters. In the light of. What we've heard. We want to sing this song. I think it's good. If we can all stand. Those of us who can. The song says. 2:17:40 How then shall I live. I shall live as one. Who's been forgiven. I'll walk with joy. To know my debts are paid. I am the child of my father. I'm not afraid. The law of love. I will gladly obey. I live as one. 2:18:00 Who's learned compassion. I'll dare to see another's point of view. When relationships demand commitment. I'll be there. To care and follow through. And I want your kingdom. To come. And your name to be glorified. 2:18:22 And Lord. Feed a hungry world through me. Let's. Let's sing. I that shall live 2:18:58 As one who's been forgiven I'll walk with joy To know my debts are paid I know my name 2:19:21 Is built before my Father I am His child And I am not afraid So greatly pardoned 2:19:43 And forgive my brother The love of love I gladly will be I then shall live 2:20:09 As one who's learned compassion I then shall live As one who's learned Have been so loved 2:20:33 I know I know I know I'll be there 2:20:55 Another's point of view And when relationships And when relationships In my commitment And I'll be there And I'll be there 2:21:15 To care and follow through Your kingdom come Your kingdom come 2:21:45 Your kingdom come Around and through Through and in me And in me Your power and glory We let them shine Let them shine 2:22:06 Through me Your hallowed name Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear With honor And may your living kingdom come Oh may I bear 2:22:27 Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear Oh may I bear And may I bear 2:22:40 And may I bear And may I bear The hungry ones Will be Oh may I bear Brother Santosh Can you just come And close in prayer As we were singing 2:23:01 That last song I was Thinking about the prayer That Paul prayed In Philippians 1 I'll just read this one verse Philippians 1 verse 9 This I pray That your love May abound still more We heard about a man 2:23:22 Who loved And grew in love As he grew older And even as his body decayed He grew in love This I pray That your love May abound still more And more In real knowledge And all discernment So that you may Approve or discern 2:23:41 The things that are excellent In order to be sincere And blameless Until the day of Christ Having been filled With the fruit Of righteousness Which comes through Jesus Christ To the glory And praise Of God Maybe we can stand together 2:23:58 As we pray Pray with me Dear Father I thank you For your presence here That's the most important thing Lord Not how the meeting went But we longed For your presence We began by asking For your presence And you are here Thank you for touching 2:24:15 My heart By your life In the life Of this godly man Brother Ian Who's gone ahead of us We give you all the glory And honor and praise You deserve the glory And honor and praise And forever you will be The lamb upon the throne 2:24:29 And you are that Lamb on the throne Of my heart And our hearts This morning May it forever be so Lord And we thank you For your faithfulness Thank you for preserving Examples for us Examples that we've touched And seen And tasted 2:24:43 Of the life of Christ In them We give you glory And honor For brother Ian's life Lord For how you worked In his life How you saved him How you filled him With the Holy Spirit And how you used him In an earthen vessel The treasure that was in him 2:24:57 Lord To be an example for us Thank you Lord And I pray at this time That you will comfort His family The children And the grandchildren Bless them Lord And I pray that they will Know your presence In their marriages In their homes 2:25:11 In their lives In a special way At this time And all of us Lord Even here in CFC And around the world May we know your presence In the comfort of the Holy Spirit And may we be challenged To run faster after you I pray that every one of us 2:25:25 Will lay aside Anything that's holding us back Any laziness Any ease Any encumbrance Anything that's tangling us Lord Anything being taken up With the things of this world I pray that every one of us Will decide today To set it aside 2:25:40 And to run after you Your coming is soon Lord We know it Oh will you pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us Lord And give us grace To run after you We can't do it In our own strength Thank you that Brother Ian proved that That the power of the Holy Spirit 2:25:54 Can take a broken vessel And let that light of Christ Shine through it Oh will you do that In my life And you do that In the lives Of every one of us here That's the longing of our heart We believe you will do it You've heard our prayer 2:26:06 We thank you again For being with us And you will be with us The rest of this day And the days Until you come In Jesus name Amen Amen Thank you.
