0:18 I'd like us to turn to the book of Judges chapter 2. As we come to the end of another year, 0:37 it's good to look back and evaluate how it's been. Now, ideally, we should be doing that every day. Paul 0:52 testified that he was living a life of transformation daily. You read in 2 Corinthians chapter 4. And he had reached such a level of walking with Christ that every day he 1:11 was getting new light on Christ-likeness and un-Christ-likeness in him and was being changed. That is the ideal. You see that even in the very first book of the Bible. Every day God spoke and every day something happened. 1:30 But we may not get there immediately. And that's why I think God has allowed the cycle of a year where you can evaluate. Has there really been a spiritual growth? Have you seen un-Christ-likeness in you 1:48 and seen Christ-likeness more clearly and been changed through obedience? But as we come to the end of this year, it's um it's also been 50 years since the Lord began the work 2:05 that we see now spreading to the large numbers that are here, but also around this state, around this country, around this continent, and around the world. In the last 10, 15 years especially, it's been a tremendous 2:25 growth and an expansion of not CFC as such, but the church that emphasizes the things that the New Testament emphasizes. But because it's been 50 years, it is very easy for 2:45 us to forget. And it's possible that some here may not even really know how it was that CFC started. Um I'm sure all of you have learned heard messages from my dad, Brother Ian, 3:05 but um I think very few of us were actually there 50 years ago. In Judges 2, we read in verse 7, the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua. This is after 3:23 Moses had led them to the edge of the promised land, Joshua had taken them into the promised land, and you read the entire book of Joshua, all that happened, and now we're into the book of Judges, and it says, this is Joshua's time of death. 3:43 The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, as long as he was alive. He knew Moses, and he knew God. And he it says about Joshua that when Moses would go, you think it's in Exodus 33, that when Moses would go into the tent, 4:02 he was the only one allowed. Everybody else would just go back to their house and stand in their tent, but Joshua would wait there. Longing to go in. And God handed over the responsibility to him to lead the people into the 4:18 promised land. But when Joshua died, the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, also. Joshua had done a good job of passing on that vision 4:38 that he got through Moses and from the Lord. The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which he had done for Israel. 4:54 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. And they buried him. Verse 10. All that generation also were gathered to their fathers, and there arose another generation after them 5:12 who did not know the Lord nor yet the work which he had done for Israel. And despite the the anointing and the grace that was upon 5:30 Moses and Joshua by old covenant standards, and the elders that survived Joshua after that, there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord. I believe for us 5:48 uh and that's the majority of us in this building. We weren't there 50 years ago. It's possible that we may It's It's important to know these two things then. Know the Lord and know the work that he has done for his church. 6:08 It's very important to know that. Because I think otherwise CFC has now become more attractive in many ways. And um I've never seen CFC Bangalore as large as it is today. Praise the Lord for that. If it is good 6:28 and if every one of us who are in this building is here for the right reason. And if we know the Lord and know the work which he has done for us. Last year we were here and we looked back and we reflected on all that the 6:47 Lord has done. Now whether we do that or not we're not going to have those kinds of annual celebrations. Um but it's up to each one of us individually. This generation that knows the Lord and knows the work of the Lord is not a 7:05 collective thing. I cannot do that for you. Your elders here, as godly as they are, they cannot do that for you. It's each one of us who has the responsibility to say, "Lord, I want to know you. I want to know, if I am choosing to be a 7:22 part of this church, I want to know the work that you have done here that has resulted in the blessing that I see in this church today." I believe that all of you are here because you sense there's some blessing here. The Lord's presence is here. 7:41 The Lord has blessed this church and preserved it. Not I'm This is not the biggest church. The blessing of the Lord is not in size. Because if that's the case, then um many many other churches that are more blessed than us. 7:56 But there is a blessing of the Lord in this church, I believe, and that fruit of that I experienced thousands of miles away, tens of thousands of miles away, in Colorado. That's why I love any opportunity to come back here 8:10 and taste of that spirit again and be reminded. I want you to know, dear family, why my family and I want to come back here as often as we can. I know the Lord, but I want to be reminded of his work in this church. And I'm reaping the benefit of that. I 8:29 see RLCF as a branch of that, as it were. Even though we have a connection to the head directly, each church and the elders are held by the Lord Jesus himself, you read in Revelation chapter 1. But I recognize that we are 8:46 reaping the benefits of the spiritual blessing that began in CFC Bangalore. I'd like to pull up a picture that my dad recently shared with me. You let me know once it's up there. You read in verse 11 that after that, because they did not know the Lord, 9:05 nor yet the work which he had done for Israel, the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served money. Baal is a picture of money. In the Old Testament, there were two main gods. It was Jehovah and Baal. 9:22 Today, it is God and money. And God forbid the day when CFC starts to chase after money like 99% of other churches. I believe in faith it will not happen, but why is it that these people 9:41 who had who had their roots in Moses and Joshua and godly elders after that ended up just like all the other heathen in Egypt, I don't see that they worship Bale. As far as I know, they worship Jehovah in Egypt. 10:01 But having been having come out of Egypt, out of slavery to sin, that's what a pic that's what Egypt is a picture of, they ended up in a worse condition worshipping idols in the promised land. Why? They did not know the Lord and they did 10:19 not know the work which he had done for Israel. I don't know if you can read that there, but it says at the at the beginning and I thought I would just briefly before I share what Lord laid on my heart, I would begin since this will be the last 10:36 Sunday I'll be here for some time. I don't know when the Lord will bring me back. Um that I would spend a little time reminding us of this. Um and before I read that, um what what's written there, I think some of the memories I have of 10:55 CFC are that this um the church was my home. We've been hearing about that recently. We even have a little bench over there that says the church is my home. And it really was. But it wasn't in an in a feely kind of way. There was a sense as a little 11:14 child. See, you cannot fool children, I think. Children, yeah, they may be innocent, but deep down, they really know whether you're real or not. They can sense. I find that children have a little bit of a sense where something's real or not. 11:32 And as a child, if all I knew was my dad as a preacher and Brother Ian as a preacher getting up here and speaking every Sunday morning or Wednesday evening, I don't know that I would have chosen chosen to follow the way that they went. 11:50 What I saw instead was at home was a life that was even greater than the teaching. Life that surpassed the teaching cuz it started with life and the teaching followed on from that. I saw the life underneath the teaching 12:09 where Brother Even, even though he was not my biological father, was like a father to me. And even into my late 40s until the Lord called him home, I looked at him as a as my second father. And I didn't have to I only saw him 12:28 every few years. And even when he was in poor health, he was a father, a second father to me. As a child, I was excited to come to the church building. Now, it wasn't here. It was the previous building in the Costa Square. 12:46 Um I remember even before that, um I'm trying to think about what the earliest memory I have uh in our home, in our living room where the church started. I do have vague memories of my dad playing the accordion and leading the 13:00 singing. We didn't have as good a team as we have today. Uh sometimes we just sang without instruments. And um and we sang there. There was a few chairs, couple families, two or three families gathered there. Um and as it started to grow, we had to 13:17 open the doors and people would sit in the bedrooms and out in the in the front of the house outside. I remember setting up I don't know where those chairs are, but I think I saw them a few years ago. Those old green steel 13:30 chairs we used to have. Not comfortable to sit in, but they were chairs. And we sat Some were sitting on the floor. Um it was what what what we see today didn't start with luxury and comfort and 13:49 convenience. As you know, it started with rejection and reproach. It started with a a group of people that said, "We don't want the whole truth of God. We don't want this life of taking up the cross and 14:08 being filled with the Holy Spirit. We want to stick to our own personal doctrines, good as they may be, but we don't want all of it. Let's go with a 90% or a 75%. We don't want the whole counsel of God." And we had two men, my dad and brother 14:27 Ian, who said, "No, we want the whole counsel of God. We'll stand for the truth, even if it is just us." And they paved the way, but it wasn't convenient. It was an inconvenient time, and for us, we had to as little boys, we had to make sure we 14:43 got up a little extra early to get the house ready for everybody to come. Imagine every Sunday if the church showed up in your home. That's how the church was built. Now, I really didn't feel the inconvenience as much as my dad and mom probably did. 14:59 And I'm sure my mom faced a good uh significant portion of that burden in preparing the home, and uh I'm sure all wives and mothers like the comfort of their home and the safety of their home. And imagine a whole bunch of kids and some rowdy kids like me 15:17 showing up and scratching the wall and, you know, urinating on the floor and and that was the church. And it was home though because you could be yourself. And as a child I was valued. I wasn't made to feel 15:36 unimportant. Unfortunately, many churches today send the children away and the children are felt like, "Well, the real spiritual things are for the adults, not for you." But what made the church the home was that I was as valued as anybody else in 15:52 the church. Children were important. We had Sunday school. My Sunday school teachers are still here. I thank the Lord for them. Brother Newton, Brother Nithya, Brother Danny invested so much in my life and put a planted seeds in my heart 16:09 that I believe have lasted for a long time. But one of my favorite memories is similar to what you see in this picture and that is of very common for because our house was just around the corner from the church building 16:24 after we moved to 40 Dakota Square, one of my favorite memories is of Brother Ian and Brother Da- my dad walking back home after the meeting. We would go home because they would be staying late probably counseling with one family 16:37 after another. And and then I would see them both walking back fellowshipping together. Not actually holding hands but as close to that. I think they both walked like this with their hands behind their back. That's the memory I have of Brother Dad and 16:54 Brother Ian my dad and Brother Ian walking like this together just slowly uh while Ian would walk my dad back I think to to the home and they would have fellowship together. The Lord was doing something in knitting their hearts together. 17:10 Another memory I have was that they were servants. I was talking about my dad and my mom serving in the home and preparing the home. But, in many churches, the pastors are the important people. They're treated like royalty. They're put on a pedestal. They 17:26 show up late and in a back room, and then they come on stage when it's time for them to preach. They finish their sermon, and they disappear. And their security detail escorts them to some place, and they don't interact 17:39 um with others. And that's not how the church started. Imagine if you lived in a home where dad and mom showed up right before the meal, sat down, had a meal, and then they were escorted out to some private room, and you were a child 17:56 sitting there thinking, "This is my dad. I I see him. Yeah, we have a cordial conversation during the meal, but he disappears, mom disappears. Is that a home?" Yet, that's how many churches are today. My dad, you know, the the the 18:12 the reason so many people are now receiving the truth is through uh um um platforms like YouTube and other audio platforms that have come over the years that have propagated and spread the messages that were preached 40, 50 years ago, 40 years 18:31 ago, 40 40 plus years ago. And what many of you may not know, and many don't know, even though they reap the benefit of it, even some of the YouTube messages and all of that, were many of those messages were recorded in Some of 18:46 them even in that in 16 De Costa Square. Some of them in 40 De Costa Square, but they were recorded. We didn't have the fancy recording equipment that we have today. We just had microphones, and in the original days, it was just a tape 19:00 recorder directly. The tape recorder right there, if I remember correctly. And after that, um during the week, uh I remember my dad would just copy tape by tape because somebody would say and the Lord placed a burden on my dad's 19:16 heart I believe that these messages are going to have some value. He couldn't have seen 2025 and the fruit that God would bear and the witness that God would bear through that faithfulness. But he was just faithful. The Lord planted on him, 19:32 "Make a copy of this tape." And back then we didn't have high-speed copiers, so it was tape to tape. You wanted to copy a 60-minute message, it took 60 minutes. And if you made a mistake, you got to start over. And if the tape was bad, 19:44 throw it away and get another one. And if five people want that message, you got to do it five hours. And this was the diligence of a servant, not employing somebody. He wasn't paid to do it, took no money from the church. 20:01 And that's why there are messages today online and on YouTube. Over the years that ministry budded. Remember Brother Ian overseeing the work of the construction of the church building in 16 in 20 40 to Costa Square and here. 20:18 He was a servant. By the time this building was built, he was already a well-known elder across the world. Everybody knew Brother Ian even around the world. And yet he was here every time. I remember different phases of the 20:33 construction of this building and you could always know Brother Ian would be here overseeing the work cuz he was a servant. Those signs that you see there on the wood planks, those are the same ones we had almost all of them except some of 20:46 them are newer I see. But the ones on the side, I remember him overseeing the carpentry work as his Sometimes even he would do it, but his workers would chisel piece by piece. Today we read it and say, "All things are possible if you can believe." Or if 21:01 you fear God, you need fear nothing else. It is more blessed to give than to receive. But there were pains that went into it. And I wonder how many of you have stopped to notice these verses. And paid attention to it. Why did 21:16 my dad and brother Ian say, "We need to have that." Those are things that should be uh something we stand by and and remind ourselves often. And here we are 50 years later. It's possible that we've forgotten. Let's not forget. 21:34 And now getting to this picture, uh let me let me pull it up here as well so that I can read it uh clearly. But here you see a group of people going on the Broadway and two men leading off to a more rugged, difficult path 21:51 by themselves. You can't see the end. See, that's the thing. When you choose the way to go, you don't see the end. Oh, you cannot see what the end looks like. You cannot see what's on the other side of that hill. But you believe God's word. 22:09 And what God's word says in Matthew 7:13-15, and this is the emphasis that both uh my dad and brother Ian laid and put in the church from the very beginning. Matthew 7:13 through 15. You can turn there with me. The way is broad that leads to 22:28 destruction. And many choose it. But the way is narrow that leads to life, and only a few find it. Beware of preachers who preach to please 22:46 you and lead you astray. Matthew 7: 13-15. 50 years ago, two men chose the narrow way, and that changed our way of life completely. Today we are many families and are blessed by it. And I can testify as one who grew up in 23:05 CFC and saw men who had chosen the way and the fruit from it and then went to went abroad and saw what is out there. For 18 years, this is all I knew. This spirit, the narrow way was all I knew. 23:23 And after I went away, um traveled outside the country and I started to look at all that was around me. I say it like this. For 18 years, I listened to Brother Zac. After that, in my precocious, proud 18-year-old self, I 23:39 thought, "Well, I need I want to listen to somebody else. Anybody but Brother Zac." Any any message except CFC because I'm like, "Well, that's I know that already." And after I fed myself on the diet of what is out there in Christendom, 23:54 and my spiritual life decayed to such an extent. I don't blame the teaching. It was my own fault that my spiritual life didn't progress and decayed and backslid. I full take full responsibility for it, but I realized that what was contributing to 24:11 that was what I was being fed. I was being shown that broad way again. And as a 20 in a young man in my 20s, the broad way became attractive. And the Lord used many circumstances in my life, especially failure and deep 24:28 deep failure, deep uh sin and deep uh times of hopelessness where he allowed me to see my backslidden condition. And I said, "Lord, I want to come back to the narrow way." And almost 25 years ago, 24:45 I decided, "Well, I don't know where there's a church in the US that's preaching the narrow way. So, I'm just going to come back to Bangalore. And at that point, I'll be honest with you, having worked hard to go to the US and study and get a job, I 25:02 was working at that time, it was give that up was a big deal. But, I gave it up. I said, "Lord, I'm willing to give it up." And I really, uh, believe it or not, started to make plans to move back to Bangalore. Around the year 2000 or so, I thought, 25:16 "This is I my eternal destiny is more important than where I live and what comforts I have and what I do for a living." I said, "Lord, I'll do anything. I want to be on the narrow way again." And I think, like Abraham laying Isaac 25:32 on the altar when he when the Lord saw I was really prepared to give it up, he said, "No, I have a purpose for you." I see that now there in the US and the Lord's doing what the Lord is doing there among many churches in the US, I 25:45 praise the Lord for. The message and the life that is here that that has been here is spreading to other people as well, and I praise God for that. I thought I would say that, but I said more than I actually intended to say. But, the Lord 26:01 laid it on my heart and, uh, thought I would show you that picture as well. Dear brothers and sisters, it's not the number of people. There's nothing wrong with a large number of people. The narrow way isn't a small church. 26:14 It's easy to think that. Oh, the narrow way means only house church, no more than five people. Well, then just make it two. Why more than two? If you If it's size, then make it two. So, the narrow way has not an anything 26:27 to do with the number of people because God is not willing that any should perish, but all should come to this eternal life. And if all How many people have lived here on this earth in the history of mankind? 10, 12 billion, 15 billion maybe? Don't know. 26:43 Right now, there's about 8 billion, I think. In the history of time, if let's say there were 10 billion people, if all 10 billion of those people were willing to choose the narrow way, there's room in heaven for all of them, of course. It's 26:57 not a matter of space. It's a matter of the attitude of our hearts and the burden on my heart as I look at this picture is let's make sure that all of us, hundreds of us that are here who call CFC Bangalore our home, are still going the narrow way. 27:15 And let's not be distracted by the fact that there's more activity and there's more people and more friends for our children and more nice things and more comf- comfort and a nicer building and comfortable chairs and wonderful praise times and all of that. 27:29 Let's never lose sight of the fact that what will preserve the presence of the Lord in our midst and will one day lead us to life is the narrow way. There's no other way. If there's if any of us in secret is not dying to ourself 27:49 and taking up our cross, you are walking we are walk- that person is walking the broad way. And I was. And I recognized that even as Zac Poonen's son, you could sit in CFC for many years and in your heart be walking the broad way. 28:05 And I thank God that he allowed crises to come into my life that woke me up and put me on the narrow way. One of the marks of the narrow way is you never get offended when you receive correction. I tell you that is often most often 28:22 where I am tested in the narrow way. When I receive correction from my elders. When I moved to Colorado, it there was really not much there that attracted me from uh an standpoint like friends for my children. I didn't know anybody there. 28:40 But I said, "Lord, I want to be under spiritual authority." I didn't know the two men who were leading the church at that time, and those two men are not even in the church anymore. But for that period of time, the Lord 28:52 was testing me, are you willing to submit to spiritual authority, whoever it might be, as imperfect as they might be. And I said, yes, Lord. Let's turn to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13:17, obey your leaders, your 29:10 elders, and submit to them. I was uh speaking at a meeting earlier this week in which I said, the children are told to obey. Wives are told to submit. And the men are told to do both. And brothers, did you hear it? 29:29 Children are told to obey, Ephesians 6:1. I know you parents are very good at teaching your children to obey. Wives are told to submit, Ephesians chapter 5. I know you husbands are very good at telling your wives that they need to 29:43 submit. And as one who loves your soul, I'm here to tell you, you brothers, we brothers are called to do both. Obey and submit. I'll tell you why I'm saying that with such plain plain language is because the Lord convicted me about it. He said, 29:58 Santosh, you teach your children to obey. Because you tell them, it will go well with you. Child, listen to me. You need to obey me. It's for your good, I'm telling you. Obey me. Now, I never speak like that to my wife to tell her to submit, but I know in my 30:13 heart that and she gladly chooses to submit, and I see it goes well with her because she submit. And the Lord said, Santosh, what about you? Do you think that you're off the hook? Have you seen Hebrews 13:17 that says, obey and submit to your elders? 30:29 Then say, well, if they are if you respect them and if you have confidence in them and all that. Confidence is another thing, sure. But regardless, if you choose this to be your home, obey and submit to the elders that God 30:45 has placed in this church. Now, that doesn't mean if the meeting starts at 10:00, you show up at 10:00, or if they say, um, you know, certain rules, you obey the rules. Submission is an inner thing. Dear brothers, dear sisters, and dear 31:02 children, in your heart, you know whether you are have a spirit of submission to the elders in this church or not. If you have some grievance, some bitterness, something you're not happy with how they handle things in the 31:15 church, or maybe you're one of those that remembers the good old days when brother Zach and brother Ian did everything perfectly, which they'll tell you they did not. And you can compare the elders today to them. Elders who are in their 31:30 uh, much younger than they are. And what would brother Ian tell you if he could speak from heaven? He sees everything clearly now. I think about that often. Brother Ian, whose hand I held, whose lap I sat on as a little boy, he's there in the presence 31:46 of Jesus. What would he tell you now, brother, sister? He would say, "God has given you shepherds after his own heart here. If you're not able to see it, you will suffer loss." Let's continue reading. "Obey your leaders and submit to them, 32:01 for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account." "Let them do this with joy." What does it mean to give an account? Now, I don't believe that they that as an elder, I don't believe that I have to give an 32:17 account for somebody else's life. That only they can give an account. I watch over their soul, but what I have to give account, what we as elders have to give an account is that we watched over their soul. That I did the best according to my 32:33 ability to teach them the truth and to show them the truth. And to warn them if they were going astray and to encourage them if they were discouraged. This was what our response This is what our responsibility is as elders. 32:50 And then it says, "Let them do this with joy and not with grief." Dear family, dear brothers and sisters and children in this local church, this is a command for us who have elders. And this is exactly the verse that took 33:07 me to Colorado where the Lord asked me one day, "Santosh, who are the elders? How are you obeying Hebrews 13:17?" I was attending a church where a mega church, thousands of people, almost 10,000 people uh every Sunday came through by and 33:23 that's pretty big church by what I was used to at least. And and the Lord asked me, "Santosh, who who are the leaders uh uh who you submit to, who are watching over your soul and can give an account of your soul?" And in my conversation with the Lord, I 33:42 said, "Well, I guess it's my dad." And the Lord said, "No, it's not him. He lives in India. He was here still at the time. He doesn't know how you're walking. What's your daily life I've appointed other elders to shepherd 33:56 your soul. Yes, he will always be my shepherd my example, not only my biological father, but my spiritual father, but who are the ones that he has placed to watch over your soul and give an account where if the Lord says, 34:11 "Hey, how is Santosh doing?" Somebody could say, "Yes, Lord, I know he's doing well." Or "Lord, I'm sorry. I don't think he's doing well. I can see it on his face. There's sin crouching in his heart and his face is fallen. Something on his 34:29 face shows something's is right." This is the role of elders to watch over our souls. And that's when I said, "Lord, okay, if it's not my dad, then Lord, where are they? Who are the elders that you called me to submit to?" And I tell you, God is 34:43 my witness that what took me and um take took me from California where I had family and I had my job and anything, and I was willing to even give up that job and put me in Colorado, which I see now what God was doing, but back then, 34:59 what took me was, "Lord, I want to be under spiritual authority." And I want to encourage you all, dear family, to examine your heart. Is that why you're here today? Is that why there's hundreds of us today? Is there really 35:16 hundreds of people sitting in this room that want to submit to spiritual authority? That's what took me to Colorado, and I I'm I still don't say that as a threat or or anything other than an encouragement. My life has been so 35:30 tremendously blessed because of that reason that the Lord took me there, and I said, "Lord, I want to be under spiritual authority." As it turns out, who I thought were the ones that I was going to be submitted to, eventually the Lord took them away 35:48 and brought others, my fellow elders that I work with, and my dad as an overseer for our church there at RLCF. And over the years, the Lord has continually tested me in this area, Santosh. Here you are, 50 years old. You still want to submit? 36:05 We think, you know, in the world we think what the world tells you that after you're 18, you're an adult, which translation, you don't have to submit to anybody anymore. That's the way of the world. The world is going away where children 36:19 can't wait to get out of the house so that they can do whatever they want. Now, God is looking for a people who say, "Lord, your ways are not the world's ways. Yeah, we see that that when you see something filthy in the world like a filthy movie or the 36:36 direction that the world is heading, you say, "Well, look at the world the way it's headed." But, do you know what the world is? The world is the spirit of the world is that spirit that doesn't want to be in submission to spiritual authority. 36:51 And the resisting that authority. And young people can't wait to be out of the house and have their own home. Yeah, that's fine in the world because that's maturity, but in the kingdom of God, it's the other way. It's the way of submission. It's the way 37:09 of going down and and saying, "Lord," which means that really, as a child, when I reach the age of 18, if I've understood the kingdom of heaven, there should be a little bit of a fear in my heart. Lord, now I'm in a place where I'm on my own, 37:27 not under any earthly authority. I need authority. To understand the spirit of Christ is to understand that spirit of submission and being under spiritual authority, like I've been showing you in this verse. And 37:45 it also means that I am I say this in the local church there in Colorado that you can help me. If I'm your If I've God has placed me as an elder, you can help me by coming to me and saying, "Brother, can you give me honestly 37:59 What is your honest opinion of how I'm doing? Be completely honest with me." I wonder how many of you who have been in this church for even 6 months in CFC Bangalore have even once gone up to the I just start with the brothers cuz sisters, 38:15 perhaps you feel uncomfortable doing that, but if you're the head of your home, dear brothers, have you even once come to any of the elders and said, "Dear brothers, you may be They may be even be younger than you. Has nothing to do with age. 38:29 Dear brothers, I recognize that God has given you to me as an elder. Can you tell me how I'm doing, honestly?" And the brother may say, "I don't know. It's the first time you've asked me this question. But now that you've asked me 38:44 this question, I'll pay attention and I'll seek the Lord and let's talk Let's touch base every couple of weeks. And if there's anything you want to share with me, you can share with me. If there's any way in which I can pray with you, 38:56 pray for you, you can do that." Checking with your elders. We have a responsibility as elders to know the condition of our flock. That's something I take seriously. I say, "Lord, I want to know." Now, in my In my church In the church there, 39:11 we're much smaller. Much, much smaller than here. And And I recognize I I pray for each brother, each sister, and I try to discern, not judge. I'm not here to condemn anybody or nitpick or be suspicious about, "Oh, he looks a little 39:27 He's got a frown on his face. He must be backslid." No, not like that. But Lord, show me what is the spiritual condition of this person who calls RLCF their home. And I believe the elders you have here have that same burden. Lord, 39:41 what is the spiritual condition of this church? I sit with them and one of the things I consistently hear is, "Santosh, it is so hard for us to know the spiritual condition of this church cuz there's so many." Praise God, he's raising up facilitators 39:55 and other coordinators who can help. But dear family, dear church family, brothers, sisters, children, one way you can help is you go to the elders and say, "Brothers, I give you freedom to speak into my life. Tell me. Can you give account with joy 40:12 or is it with grief?" The last line in that sentence says, "If they have to give account with grief, this would not be profitable for you." You see how it is even in your best interest as a member of this church 40:31 to ensure that you obey and submit to your elders. And as you obey and submit to them, they give account for your life with joy and not with grief. My life has been tremendously blessed. And over the years, I've been tested in that. And you may 40:50 think, "Well, Santosh, how do you submit to anybody?" I I do. And with my fellow elders, the mark of the unity in our in our eldership is that we don't we are really truly united. And uh in relationship to my dad as an 41:08 overseer for the church, I tell you, if you um if you give elders, true godly elders, the freedom, like I was saying, if you give godly elders the freedom, be prepared, you might hear some hard truth. You might be prepared to get a spanking 41:26 spiritually. And I've had a few spankings from my dad spiritually even in the last few years. I thank God for it all my heart. Maybe you're four in your 40s and 50s. Have you received a spanking lately? Brothers, I know your children probably 41:43 have. How about you? Just turn to the previous chapter, Hebrews chapter 12. Verse five, 42:01 "You have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons." Not children, not babies, sons. That means your relationship with God is no longer Lord, please give me milk. Please give me some candy. Please give 42:16 me this. Please give me that. And and please give me a job. Please help my children get married. Please take care of this. Please all that. Give me enough money. That's childish. Now, the exhortation has been given to you as sons, which is 42:34 don't regard lightly the discipline of the Lord. That was our memory verse a couple of weeks ago, if I believe. Don't regard lightly. Don't take lightly that God wants to discipline you. Now, how does God discipline you? 42:50 God doesn't have some big spanking stick up in heaven that he's um executing discipline or is you know, uh doing discipline from heaven. It's through the authority on earth. How does God discipline little children? It's through their parents. 43:08 It's for their good. How does God discipline you, dear adults, brothers and sisters? Is is does it Is there anybody that God can discipline you through? Otherwise, we're missing out on this privilege. Nor faint when you are reproved by him, 43:25 because those whom the Lord loves Have you been missing out on the love of God in some way because you don't have anybody who can discipline you? This is a deeper aspect of the love of God. For those whom the Lord loves, and I 43:41 tell you uh honestly, I've sat back and said, Lord, am I missing out on your love in some way because I'm I'm avoiding any discipline. And if there's if there's a you know, perhaps a reason why you don't get close to the elders or you don't invite them 44:01 to speak into your life is because you think they they might discipline me. And you miss out on God's love. Those whom the Lord loves he disciplined and he scourges every son or daughter whom he receives. But verse eight, if you are without 44:20 discipline of which all of you have become partakers, then you're an illegitimate children and not sons. You're not really a son of God. This is a very serious verse. We all know the verses that say that all who are led of the Spirit are sons of 44:37 God. But you know what that leading of the Spirit actually means? We're told here in verse eight. One of the proofs that I'm a real son of God, not a fake son of God, is that he disciplines me. If I am without discipline 44:52 It's a good words to take to heart dear brothers and sisters in one of the ways in which that submission to spiritual authority has manifested itself in my life is that what what what what took me there, the 45:09 burden that I had was Lord I want to have spiritual authority. I was newly married at that time. So it was 2006 and early 2007. We moved in 2007. I said, "Lord, here I am. I have a wife now and perhaps you'll give us children. I don't know what the 45:26 future holds, but my authority should be as a husband and a future father shouldn't simply be I'm the dad, so you listen to me. Many fathers think they have authority simply because they are husbands and fathers. And you speak with a loud enough voice 45:44 and you think you have authority. That's not spiritual authority. Spiritual authority has nothing to do with how you speak. One of the best examples of that is a verse that uh uh you I'll show you in John chapter 19. You want to understand spiritual 46:08 authority. We learn it from Jesus who relinquished his position as God. Jesus said, "Learn from me cuz I'm meek and gentle in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Take my yoke upon you." 46:27 This is the secret to have spiritual authority. Jesus has all spiritual authority, but he was given that authority because he learned to submit to authority. In John 19, um he in the in the last part of verse 8, he you know, I want you to get this 46:46 picture. Pilot with all his pomp and royal clothes and the authority of Rome, he's probably got a ring that shows that he's the representative of Rome, got something on his head, and he's sitting on his big throne, and he has Jesus beaten, blood streaming 47:02 down his head, ragged clothes, just weak physically. And Pilot thinks, "I'm going to challenge show you who has who's the authority here." And he says to him, "Where are you from?" Middle of verse 8. Jesus, who has all authority, 47:20 who has real spiritual authority here, doesn't even answer him. When Pilot yelled at him, uh Jesus didn't have to yell even louder and say, "Oh, you don't have authority." He just was quiet. See the quietness of spiritual authority. 47:37 So, Pilot said to him, "You do not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and I have authority to crucify you?" And I imagine Jesus very quietly, literally, Jesus blood streaming down his face and haggard, weak, beaten, 47:57 about to die, saying Pilot, very softly, you have you would have no authority over me unless it had been given you from above. The only authority you have is one that my father has allowed. Quiet. As I meditated on these verses, I 48:16 realized that spiritual authority has nothing to do with how strong I am, how big I am, how loud I yell, and all that. And I said, "Lord, I want spiritual authority. I don't want to have to beat my wife into submission to me. I want I want a 48:29 godly marriage and a home. I don't want to beat my children into submission to me. I want spiritual authority." And then the Lord took me to a verse in Matthew chapter 8. You know the story of the Centurion. And 48:56 his servant was sick. You read in verse 6. And so Jesus says in verse 7, "I'll come to your house and heal him." And the Centurion said, "Lord, I'm not worthy for you to come under my roof." Verse 8. "Just say the word and my servant 49:11 will be healed." What is he saying there? Say the word and my servant who's miles away will be healed. What he is saying there, translation, you have spiritual authority. You're so far, you cannot even yell at my son, my servant, who's miles away. 49:29 Has nothing to do with your voice or even physically being there. Here, miles away, you have spiritual authority. What's even the Centurion, godless as he was, recognized that Jesus had authority over that spiritual realm 49:45 that was causing the sickness in his son servant. And Jesus marveled. It says in verse 10, he says, "This is faith." But the Centurion said something very interesting in verse 9. He said, "I also Now, listen. He's 50:04 telling Jesus, "I recognize that you have spiritual authority." But listen carefully and read carefully what he says. "I also am a man under authority with soldiers under me." So, you see this 50:22 this Centurion is saying, "Lord, I am a man under authority and I have soldiers under me and you are like that. I also I mean, Jesus, I recognize that you also are a man under authority and that's why you have authority. 50:40 With soldiers on him under me and I say to this one, 'Go.' And he goes. And to another one, 'Come.' And he comes. And to my slave, 'Do this.' And he does it." This Centurion had revelation of true spiritual authority from 50:53 from his military life. And I imagined this picture. I I'm going back now uh 25 years ago, or so, when this truth came alive. Um and I imagined this Centurion who's saying this, maybe about my height, 5'7", 5'5", 5'10", or so, like that. 51:13 And he's telling his servant, a soldier, who's 6'3", 300 lb heavy, strong soldier, "Go." Imagine here, I'm standing in front of this 6'3" tall soldier, telling him, "Go." And he goes. Why would he listen to me when he's 51:32 taller, stronger? He could beat me to a pulp at any moment. What was it that gave this Centurion authority over that bigger soldier? Is that that soldier recognized that if I resist this man, this Centurion, I am resisting all of Rome because this 51:49 Centurion has somebody over him who has somebody over him and all the way at the top is Caesar. If I pick a fight with him, I pick a fight with Caesar. I can't do that. That's where spiritual authority comes from. Where the devil knows if I pick a 52:03 fight with Santosh, I pick a fight with all of heaven, with Jesus himself, because he is under spiritual authority. Because he is obeying and submitting to the elders that God has placed over him. Because she as a wife is submitting to 52:18 the husband that God has placed over her. Because they as children are submitting to the parents that God has placed over over them. So, you see that the devil recognizes this of headship authority. And he knows, you can't fool him. 52:36 Wives, if you're not submitting to your husbands, the devil knows. Children, if you're not submitting to your parents, the devil knows. Brothers, if you're not submitting to the elders in your heart, the devil knows. And you can pray all you want, Lord, 52:50 protect my children. Lord, this. Lord, that. Lord, heal them. And your praise prayers could be in vain because the devil knows you don't have spiritual authority. My brothers and sisters, I'm I'm not here to offend anybody. 53:02 I'm I'm here to pour out my heart and tell you how the Lord has blessed me tremendously through understanding the spirit that is in CFC, and it has gone so well with me. I believe God has given me spiritual authority. I don't say that proud 53:16 proudly or arrogantly, but humbly. And in a way that I encourage all of you who are husbands and fathers to go this way. Going down where you have spiritual authority and others around you recognize it. Where your wives will gladly choose to submit. 53:33 I believe sister, you have sisters in this church who want to submit to their head their husbands as head as heads. But what a joyful thing it is when they can joyfully do so because they recognize that their husbands have 53:46 spiritual authority. They see their husbands themselves walking in this way of submission where in the areas in which God places them and they say, "I see you submitting. I know you have spiritual authority. I will gladly submit to you." 54:02 And then setting that example for our children where they say, "Dad, Mom, I see you submitting. Dad, I see how you obey and submit to the elders in the church. I never hear any complaint from your mouth against them." And Mom, I see how you submit to Dad 54:16 gladly. And so I too will submit to you, Dad and Mom. This is exemplifying Christianity, not just telling them. And CFC has always pointed us to life before teaching. Live it first, brother. Live it first, sister. Live it first, 54:33 children. That's what we were told from the very beginning. Let's turn to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians 2 verse 1, "If there is any encouragement in Christ." This is a message of encouragement. I think I've said this 54:48 before many times. Every message you hear in this church, I believe is meant to encourage you and to exhort you and to give you hope, not to to leave you in the same condition that you were before you came to this meeting. 55:03 If you don't go away from this meeting changed, then somehow we as elders have failed you. If you went away saying, "Oh, that was great. I don't have to change anything." Then we have failed. But if you came here and through the 55:15 singing and through the prayer and the memory verse and the teaching, you've seen, "Lord, I need to change." Then it's been a useful meeting. Otherwise, we wasted our time here. "If there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of 55:28 love." "If there is any fellowship." This is true fellowship. Let's have fellowship around this. He's going to tell us what that is. If any affection and compassion make my joy complete by being of the same mind. What is that mind? Maintaining the same 55:46 love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. What is that mind? Doing nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. But having the same mind of humility. All of us want to go down and submit. 56:04 Then we will be a living church. We will be a united church. Everybody having the same mind, the mind of humility, where everyone regards the other as more important than himself. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the 56:22 interests of others. And remember Jesus had this same mind. You believe that Jesus, when he was here on this earth, had that same prayer, "Lord Father, who is it that you want me to submit to?" And the Father said, "Joseph." 56:38 "You mean Joseph who gets angry at Mary every now and then and gets irritated when something goes wrong in the house? That Joseph? My my father whom you've given me?" "Yes, Jesus, that father. Submit to him." "And Mary? 56:52 Sometimes she uh judges me the wrong way. You know, Father, I've never sinned and yet I get accused of things even by my mom." "You submit to her?" "Yes, submit to her." "That Roman Centurion who I'm the king of heaven, Lord, here I am on earth and 57:07 he makes me carry a chest 1 mile and I go 2 miles with him?" "Yes, submit to to them." Jesus had this same mind. Have this attitude which was in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus who, although he existed in the form of God, 57:27 did not regard Now, when Jesus came this earth, he knew this was what his life was going to be like. He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself. What did he empty himself of? Jesus never had to submit to anybody 57:44 before that. He was God. He and the Father and the Holy Spirit were one. Equal with God. He did say, "No. This message of submission to authority, I'm not going to say, 'Well, why do I have to submit? Why me? I'm God.'" 58:01 The example of Jesus is seen in his submission. Emptied himself and chose a way of submission. That's what bond servant means. Taking the form of a bond servant, being made in the likeness of men, having to submit 58:18 to even ungodly authority. Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. And for this reason, God has highly exalted him and given him 58:37 and bestowed on him the name which is above every name. We sang about it. Far above all. How did Jesus receive that authority where now he is far above all? He emptied himself. So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow. 58:53 Verse 11, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. So then, my beloved, verse 12, just as you have always obeyed. Look at this. What a wonderful testimony a church that Paul could give the church in Philippi. 59:06 You've always obeyed this. Obeyed adults. Obeying. Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And 59:24 I'll close with this. If you turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Now Jesus is exalted to the highest place, given a name which is above every other name. 59:43 And you think, "Okay, Jesus has all authority. He's back to equality with God." Look at what it says. Let's read 1 Corinthians 15:22. As in 1:00:02 Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order, Christ the first fruits, for after that those who are Christ's at his coming. Then comes the end when he hands over the kingdom to God 1:00:21 and Father, to the God and Father whom he has When he has abolished all rule and all authority and power, Christ will have defeated all other enemies, all other power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last 1:00:35 enemy that will be abolished is death. For he has put, that is the Father, We read verse 27 carefully with me. For the Father has put all things in subjection under Jesus' feet. And when he says all things are put in subjection, it is evident that 1:00:55 the Father is accepted who put all things in subjection to him. So, all things that are under Jesus' feet is all except the Father himself. And then, you know what the spirit of the devil is? How come you're above me? Why can't I be like God? How come 1:01:15 there's one thing that's above me? I don't like having to submit even to you, God. And he became the devil. And here's Jesus is saying, "You have all All authority is given to you. All things are subject to you." And look at verse 28. "When all things 1:01:33 are subjected to Jesus, then the Son himself also will be subjected to the one who subjected all things, that's the Father, to him, so that God may be all in all." I don't think I could actually describe this. We will see it one day. 1:01:50 But I believe that there's a beautiful picture there of how Jesus says, "I'm content to permanently be submitted to you, Father." You're He's equal. He's given all authority. This is not to diminish his lordship and who his 1:02:03 Godhead. And yet in Jesus, because he's fully God and fully man, we see submission and humility exemplified forever, given an example of. Now, brothers, God has given you as heads of your home, nobody to submit to. What will you choose? 1:02:22 Children, when you grow up and you reach the reach the age of 18 and you can choose whether to submit to somebody or not, who will you Will you say, "Lord, where are the leaders that you want me to submit to? Help me, Lord, to have this spirit of 1:02:35 submission." This is the church. This is why God could use my dad and brother Ian in perfect unity for all those years, 49 and a half years, in building the church. And this is what will preserve the church even until the Lord comes. I pray 1:02:52 that it will be so. May the Lord bless you. Thank you for the way you've opened your hearts to us so richly. I believe the Lord is here. I I sense it every time he's here, and I pray that his presence will be with us in all we 1:03:05 do. Amen. Thank you, dear brother Santosh, for encouraging us and the word the much-needed word that you gave us today. Obey 1:03:23 and submit. This is the essence of Christianity. And this is the spirit of Jesus. He obeyed the Father. He laid aside his 1:03:42 prerogatives, divine prerogatives. Came down. Became a man. And became a servant. And became considered a criminal. Therefore, 1:04:01 it says God has highly exalted him. And given him a name which is above every other name. At whose name every knee shall bow one day. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord indeed. 1:04:19 Because of this attitude, the Father exalted him. You see, the word submission is not well received in in uh humanity. None of us likes that word. 1:04:37 Cuz it makes us feel like we are no, underdogs. And we are servants. That's what we are called to be. We are not called to be masters. Even the disciples at the at the 1:04:55 table where they were breaking bread the last day of Jesus' crucifixion, they were when they came to know that Jesus was going to the cross, they were wondering who will go who is going to be the next leader. They were thinking of becoming a leader, 1:05:14 not a servant. And then Jesus had to tell them, "This is how the world is, but among you it shouldn't be so. He who wants to be great should be least of all and servant of all." 1:05:31 And you see, they fought for position until that day, but after the day of Pentecost, you will never hear that any of the apostles, any of the servant of God, 1:05:48 trying to be somebody great. Even the greatest apostle, Paul, he said, "I'm the least of the apostles and the chief of sinners," he said towards the end of his life. This is the real spirit of submission. 1:06:07 This is the real spirit of Jesus. And none of us likes that. Children don't like it, wives don't like it, husbands don't like it. Because everybody wants to be master. 1:06:25 Everybody wants to be somebody and something. But you know, you sisters, you are only called to submit to your husbands. But you know how many people your husband submits to? In the office, 1:06:45 on the road, traffic police, and government authorities. Every year he has to file his income tax returns. And so many people, his bosses, his you know, 1:07:04 colleagues, the people uh in society. He submits to more people than you do, sisters. And submission is a matter of the spirit. It is not 1:07:24 like we heard uh today, go to your elders and ask them to give a spiritual checkup or I mean, don't come and embarrass us. It is the spirit that matters. Brother Santosh spoke. 1:07:43 He spoke about the spirit of submission. Not that you should go and um There There were some cases earlier. They came and told elders, "Brother, give me some spiritual checkup." And 1:08:01 when a real checkup was given, they got offended and went away. They left the church. So, don't let that happen. Love submission. And love to be under authority. I remember when 1:08:20 I always wanted authorities over me. Even in my office, I remember once there was a time when our office needed renovation. And we gave that renovation job to Brother E.N. Robson. And in one of the 1:08:39 conversations, I was talking to him. My boss was about to go and um I said, "Brother, I would like to have another boss over me." Um I I don't like to be the boss. I I always prefer to work under 1:08:58 somebody. But Brother Ian said, "You see, Charles, one day or the other you have to take up the responsibility. He said but I didn't like that because I always wanted to just report to the boss and then let the boss report to the 1:09:14 headquarters and he deal with whatever consequence is to come. Then it so happened that finally I mean after some years the full load of the branch fell upon me 1:09:32 and the Lord gave me grace. But I even even here when they said you my name was suggested I said brother I'm not for it. I'm I it's not my cup of tea. 1:09:52 I I can be with the elders and help them behind the scenes. You give me any job to do behind the scenes I'll do. I'm good at it but never let me stand before an audience. That itself would shake me to the core. The very thought of it. 1:10:12 Leave alone standing here. But somehow think I was given that responsibility. And now I see the glory of it. I have fellow elders who are 15 20 1:10:31 and more years younger to me. And I submit to them. I say and it's a joy to me to work with them and to listen to their wise advice. Sometimes it is much better than mine. And I always give in and I 1:10:50 respect their advice and we are working in harmony. There's no competition here. So, he's speaking about the spirit and not so much uh action of the word. 1:11:08 So, may the Lord so fill us with the Holy Spirit that we will not fight anymore for position or place or name or fame or popularity. May the Lord fill us with the Holy 1:11:27 Spirit so that we partake of the spirit of Christ which is a spirit of sacrifice which is a spirit of obedience and which is a spirit of submission.
