0:00 Thank you, Nathan. Welcome back. Let's pray and ask the Lord to help us and how he has been faithful thus far and through singing and through memory 0:19 verse and even our children uh sharing their verses. Lord has been so good to us. So we'll pray for his help now. Our dear heavenly father, we thank you and we praise you for giving us good health and to come and to praise you and 0:38 to thank you and Lord to enjoy your presence in midst of your people. Thank you Lord uh for the children you have given to us and we give you all the glory. um what 0:58 the blessing they have been to this church and to the individual families. Lord, as a church, we pray for them they may grow up to be as your disciples as we wait for your word. Lord speak to us clearly and also we bind the 1:17 evil one who comes to steal and destroy and kill who has no room in this place and every distraction Lord we pray for your help and clarity in Jesus name we pray. Amen. family. Uh a few weeks back uh we looked 1:39 at uh an abundant life in doing God's will. how our forerunner the Lord Jesus Christ has continually uh put his own self-fill his self-will 1:54 to death and did the will of God our heavenly father and then how he could enjoy the joy and the purpose and when he finished his race he could hear from our heavenly fathers that well done well 2:12 done So that's uh what I want to build upon today as um this morning I want to go back something uh beneath that what I shared 2:27 uh few weeks back and what foundation uh this doing God's will and pleasing our heavenly father's heart stands upon. So as we read Ephesians chapter 5:1 17, 2:45 do not be foolish but understand what is the will of our Lord is. So today I would request you to please open uh John chapter 8. John chapter 8 verse 31 3:03 and 32. John chapter 31, Jesus says, "If you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples." Truly my disciples. You and verse 32, 3:22 you know that you know the truth and the truth will set you free. So today we are going to look at two things. A meeting started with brother 3:41 encouraging us uh with a song. Anyone remember the first song we sang about a salvation >> bless your assurance. So that's where I want to start with about the salvation 4:00 and that real truth the foundation and every one of us needs to be settled on. And after that the second I would like to speak about what God wants us to build on top of that foundation 4:18 because here is something I want to say plainly at the start. Our goal as a church is not to gather as a crowd. Our goal is to walk as disciples and make disciples. 4:37 We are not building a club. We are building the body of Christ. I just want to keep that phrase in our mind and we'll come back to it later. As I said as a part one, the foundation, the real truth, 4:55 the real truth about us and about our enemy and about our savior. Before we talk about building anything, we have to ask what we are building on. And the Bible is clear about it. There 5:15 is only one foundation that one foundation that holds for eternity. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 11. We read no man no man can lay a foundation 5:31 other than the one which is laid which is Jesus Christ. We build on that foundation which is laid by our savior and lord Jesus Christ. Why? Why do we need to be saved? 5:53 If you read it from the beginning of the Bible, how the Lord has created the stars, trees and later he created human beings, the created beings we are and way before 6:11 that he has created the angels and there was a a lead angel who was called as Lucifer. So evil didn't begin with a man. It began in the heart of that created 6:31 being was called Lucifer. Uh the lead angel. It didn't start with a deed. It start with with a thought, a prideful thought. Interestingly, 6:49 that is how still sin starts working in our lives. It starts in the heart. That's why there are so many verses in the Bible both in New Testament and the Old Testament about the condition of the human heart. Very famous one. It is so 7:08 wicked. Human heart is so wicked. We read it in Galatians chapter 5:2. So, think about it. 7:24 Think about a tree um or a wine. The root doesn't try to be a leaf. It stays out of the sight underground. The root I'm talking about, it's pulling 7:43 in the water, sending a sap up through the branches and to the leaves. The leaf doesn't uh resent being as a uh stuck to the small branch or to the end of that 8:02 branch. It just simply does its job. Catching sunlight, feeding the whole plant. Photosynthesis. No part of this tree or a branch is 8:20 jealous of another part. No part thinks its role is beneath the other part. Every part is content simply to be what is what you made for. And because of that the whole plant 8:37 lives and bears fruit. But in terms of the Lucifer was next to God. He was given such an a powerful position but he was not content. 8:53 the created being with a high and um honored place but he wasn't satisfied being what God made him to be. We read him about in Isaiah 14. Please turn with me. Isaiah chapter 14 verse 12 onwards. Verse 12, 13 and 14. 9:17 I'm reading it from NASB. This is the overthrow of Satan because of pride and rebellion. How have you fallen from heaven, oh star of the morning, son of the dawn? You have been cut down to the earth. 9:36 You who have weakened the nations, but you said in your heart, I will send ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of ma north. I will 9:56 ascend above the heights of the clouds. This is Lucifer thinking about himself. I will make myself like the most high. And that is exactly what he brought to Eve. Genesis chapter 3 verse 5. 10:19 Not something he didn't show that something ugly or anything like that, but the very same discontent spirit. And that had already ruined his life. because he stopped being satisfied with 10:37 the place God gave him. Genesis chapter 3 verse 5. The serpent said to the woman, start with verse four, you surely will not die. 10:56 That's a lie. For God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. That's the oldest lie. 11:15 And it's still underneath almost every sin. Not content with what God-given place, but grasping for a place that is not ours. Every one of us carries that some root 11:34 wanting our own way instead of God's way. Romans chapter 3:23 Paul writes, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Praise God. This 11:57 all powerful and infinitely wise and loving God who is just did not leave us in our folly nature. He waited. He waited thousands of years for waiting that opportunity. Jesus was 12:19 waiting the heavenly father to say now is your time. you go. Even before that, God gave us his conscience. His conscience to warn us when we drift from him. 12:37 Like pain wants our our our body before we get sickness. But conscience alone can't fix what the problem was. The problem was much more deeper. It can't only the conscience can only 12:57 point at the problem and it costed our heavenly father so much than the creation the forgiveness for our sins. God is holy and just and he cannot 13:15 simply overlook sin and that would not be a justice as per God's standards. Even though he loves us, he has to be uh holy and just. 13:33 And he is so sure that the future good what we can do cannot pay our past debt. Even our best efforts fall short of his holiness. Isaiah says very clearly Isaiah 64:6, "All our righteousness, all 13:51 our righteousness acts are like filthy rags." Praise God. So God did something costlier. He became a man in Jesus Christ and he lived a sinless life. 14:10 facing every temptation we face and went to the cross to pay a full debt and the punishment what we deserved 14:27 Jesus heavenly father's only begotten son he paid that's the seriousness of the sin and pleasing our own self. What Christ purchased has to be 14:47 received. The forgiveness with faith we receive through the grace of our heavenly father. Not just we admire, we repent. the genuine repentance 15:06 and genuine sorrow over sin and a sincere turning away from it. That idol whatever it is we make it worshiing maybe 15:24 a certain sport. Don't think always an idol is like a physical form. We already heard a little bit about God's word. The power in God's word when brother was talking about it. One of the powerful thing the Lord has given to 15:43 each one of us his word Bible. I was encouraged this week the generation what we are living in we are spending most time in scrolling scrolling in our mobile devices. [snorts] such a great temptation to even our young people. 16:02 May the Lord help us to see the power in the word of God and less scrolling and more flipping his pages daily having a habit habit of reading a daily scripture portion and asking him to fill us with his power. Even our Lord Jesus Christ himself, we 16:21 read it in uh Matthew chapter 4, when a tempter come to him, he overcame with the word of God. Faith is the hand 16:38 that reaches us up to the up to take hold of what grace extends towards us. believing Jesus died. Jesus died for our sins and rose again and by asking him to become 16:57 our Lord in our life. This is not just a feeling but a decision. Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2 8 and 9. 17:23 For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Brothers and sisters who are sitting here, young people, do you have this experience, 17:40 have we received this free gift which is free for us but it costs a lot to our heavenly father. Just because of you are born in a Christian home and just because of you are in this room today, this gift is not given with faith. 18:00 Faith. The definition faith is total trust in the Lord. No confidence in ourself but a full surrender and confidence in our Lord Jesus Christ 18:18 because what he has done it's not our works. We are talking about still the foundation. Have you ever seen any windows or doors in a foundation? There is no room for our works here. It 18:34 is purely what the Lord has done for us. family, if you have not personally repented and put your faith in what Jesus did for you 18:54 on the cross, that has to be the first. May the Lord help you. And I move to the second part. On this foundation, on our salvation, we build that superructure 19:13 from a saved believer to a disciple. Once the foundation is laid, which is free and by grace, God does not leave us sitting alone, sitting there idle. He called us to be builders. 19:32 He called us to be part of the body. His body which is the church. In the New Testament, the word uses what gets built on top of the salvation 19:48 is not the member or an attender. It is a disciple. You might have been in many other churches or maybe like my children they knew only CFC but for me I've been in few other churches 20:08 my wife as well every church has their own direction but the calling the Lord has given to brother Zach and through his teachings it is very clear I want to show it in Matthew Matthew chapter 28. 20:27 Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 and 20. [clears throat] Matthew chapter 28 19 and 20. Go therefore 20:54 and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And I lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age. 21:14 God will be with us always only if we seek to do all what he commands us. And also when we do his will and we walk as his disciples, you know those three conditions. 21:32 A disciple is someone who follows and who learns and who becomes day by day, year after the year like their follower. If we are the followers of our Lord 21:48 Jesus Christ, year by year, we will transform into his image. This is not a program we join. It is a direction we walk. Day after day 22:05 the goal is brothers and sister what is your goal? Why are you here this morning? Why are you part of this church? What direction you are actually heading? Is your goal is concrete? Are you still 22:27 so vague? 1 John chapter 3. This is our goal. 1 John chapter 3 verse 2. 1 John 3:2. 22:53 Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him because we will see him just as he is. 23:15 This is our goal. When he appears we will be like him. And verse three, what do we do while we are waiting for him is written to come or we go and meet him, what are we going to do is verse three. And 23:34 everyone who has this hope fixed the goal, whoever fixed this goal that will be become like Jesus purifying himself just as he is pure. Not a corporate ladder growth, not a 23:55 financial fire number like you know financial independence, retire early certain goal. Not even the size of our family. Christ becoming like Christ is our goal. Gently, genuinely, honestly, I want to 24:15 ask you, brothers and sisters, are we closer? Are we closer to the Lord? Are we closer to his nature compared with last year, a year ago? 24:37 Without faith, it is impossible to please God. It is again I want to go back. Faith is total moment by moment dependence upon Jesus. Not a self of effort or or in a spiritual language or anything like 24:57 that. It is through faith. Through faith. When we fall we raise up again. Well, we bounce we bounce back. We repent. We ask forgiveness. 25:15 We ask his Holy Spirit to be filled. We ask his encouragement. That's why we meet Fridays and Sundays. If God provides some bandwidth, we meet individual brothers and sisters throughout the week. But 25:33 through faith, we learn that we will not stay back in our fallen nature. We'll get up and lean on him again. Romans chapter 5 verse 3 and 4. Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5 3 and 4. 26:06 [clears throat] But do not and not only this but we also exalt in our tribulations knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance and perseverance 26:24 proven character and proven character develops hope and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy 26:42 Spirit he has given us. In one of the songs we see even the question of a prophet why this warm the answer the Lord's answer is these 27:02 inward trials I employ from self and pride to set thee from set thee free. The Lord allows these inward trials and he will employ them 27:19 to deliver us to free us from self and pride and break thy schemes of earthly joy that thou mayest find thy all in me. 27:36 That is the reason he allows the trials, these tribulations. It brings perseverance and p perseverance brings a proven character. A proven character will give us a hope. Brothers and sisters, this hope will 27:55 never disappoint us, which is the love of God. He loves you and he loves me. With Christ in our wrestle, we will smile at the storm. Luke chapter 22, we read a story, one of my favorite story of Peter. 28:15 Jesus didn't pray for Peter that he may not get into any trouble. Luke 22:31-32. Jesus prayed for his faith may not fail. Peter wept when he realized his sin. He wept 28:35 and came back. And 3 weeks later, brothers and sisters, this own weak Peter who failed terribly, he preached a message in a Pentecost and 3,000 people were saved. I just want to remind you that falling 28:53 is not opposite of faith but giving giving up is opposite of faith but not falling. Lyanna shared better than me. So I believe I'll try my best what the Lord 29:13 has put on my heart. Um and from John chapter 15, John chapter 15 verse 4-5. It was so simple to hear from our little ones in simple there one or two sentences the 29:29 truth. John chapter 15 verse 4 and 5. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it's abide in the vine, so neither can you 29:49 unless you abide in me. Jesus says, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. 30:06 About in the year 2001, um my family we picked a a small budded grape plant similar to this. Yeah. 30:31 uh very similar to this plant uh with nothing special, just a little stick uh with a bud on it uh in a a nursery pot. We planted it and our children and we watered it and we 30:50 let it stay. That's all uh regularly if I could remember that's all we did it and we didn't manufacture a single grape 31:06 we didn't manufacture a single grape uh nor we didn't engineer the sweetness or uh the force of its growth. Our only part was planting it where it could stay connected 31:25 and then watering it. Everything else, the clusters, the leaves, the fruit came from the life already in the vine flowing into a branch that stayed attached. That's uh a whole of John chapter 15 in 31:49 one picture. A branch doesn't grit its teeth and try hard to produce grapes. A branch simply stays attached and the wine does the work. Cut off from the wine that same branch. 32:13 Imagine you see the branch. This is not from that tree. This is from one of our family's tree. Um you see the leaves so green. If I keep it like this, uh in a day or two, I'm sure it's going to 32:30 wither. It's going to dry up. However healthy it may looked in the pot, it's right now because it just cut maybe few hours back. That's why it looks very fresh. In few days, it's going to be withered 32:47 because it's not in connection or in attachment with the wine. Somebody shared verse 8, John 15:8, my father, if you abide in me, my words 33:05 abide in you. Ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. My father is glorified by this that you bear much fruit. That's the will of God in our lives as a church. He expects us to bear fruit. 33:25 So brothers and sisters, let's prove to be the disciples of Jesus. Did you catch that? Fruit is not an extra credit assigned for the advanced Christians. 33:43 Fruit is the proof of a disciple. Not effort, not talent, just connection. Everything we just said about faith and endurance comes down to the one question. Am I staying attached to the 34:01 vine? Because if I am fruit is not something I have to force. It's what happens naturally. The way grapes happen to be on the plant. If you go back where we started, 34:21 Lucifer not connected and not content be what God made him. I just want to bring up this branch again to compare. You see so many things even these small 34:38 uh strings naturally um they grow and tie up with much more stronger support system. So when the fruit comes the branch uh that um grape 34:55 bunches when they come they the branch may not fall down right each one of us has a ministry each one of us in the body of Christ like in our human body has every part some are visible some are 35:14 invisible But it is fair to say that um every body part has its own function. Let's be faithful in performing and be fruitful. 35:33 Um I just want to show uh one video before I move forward and this video has been uh a great help. I have seen this several years ago and anytime I feel like discouraged and 35:50 discouraged and give up uh this video came multiple times to me as a blessing. I hope this blesses you. [music] [music] >> [music] 36:23 [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] 36:47 Heat. [music] Heat >> [music] [music] 37:12 >> up here. [music] [music] >> [music] [music] 37:41 >> Yeah. Fruitfulness begins with willingness to stay connected, not giving up. When we fall down, we'll rise up. we'll bounce back. In Matthew chapter 7, 37:57 we see two people. This is the the message of our Lord Jesus Christ uh called the sermon on the mount. The longest message he has spoken which is in records. At the end of that message, 38:14 um, Matthew chapter 7, two people can start with the exact same foundation. May both of them may be born again. They might have started their journey of disciplehip 38:33 on the same foundation but still they ended up in two different kinds of results. Ma Matthew chapter 7 verse 38:51 26. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell and the floods came and 39:08 the winds blew and slammed against that house and it fell and great was its fall. the other person. Verse 24 and verse 25. Therefore, whoever hears these words of mine and 39:27 asks on them, that means they obey and they follow may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. Rock is the word of God. It's Christ the foundation. We talked about it. 39:47 And the rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house, and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. The wise man's house and the foolish 40:04 man's house stood side by side. They're not a worldly man or a or a Christian. Both of them started with the same foundation as Christians. They both started one didn't start influgerville and the other one didn't 40:23 start in South Padre Island. They both started and built it on the same place. But what tested is the flood. The flood came and tested them. The foolish man 40:41 was focused on outward appearance. The wise man on what nobody else could see. The depth of the foundation. The hidden life. That life what we talk in this church. The Monday to Saturday life. 40:59 Your individual walk with the Lord. The Monday to Friday at your work station. Maybe with your family in the evening. Do we have that hidden life before God? In the book of Revelation, 41:17 we see this continuation of these pictures. Two finished cities. Revelation chapter 21, we see a city called Jerusalem. Jerusalem called as the holy city. 41:37 And there is another city called a great city and its description has mentioned about 11 times in the book of revelation. One example we could see revelation 18 verse 10. Revelation 18 verse 10. 42:03 Oh, oh, the great city, Babylon, the strong city. For in one hour your judgment has come. Babylon is built by human strength and natural gifts. 42:22 Maybe some impressive programs, good music, good activities, the approval of people. It doesn't need the help of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't require the power of the Holy Spirit 42:39 and it may look for natural eyes be successful while carrying none of God's presence. It gathers a crowd around a service. But in contrast, Jerusalem is built by the Holy Spirit. Holy by the 42:59 Holy Spirit's power through a hidden life of holiness lived before God whether or not anyone else is watching. It's not the crowd around the service but its body. 43:16 The body joined and knit together each part doing its work. At the Tower of Babel, we see in the beginning Genesis 11:5, scripture says, "The Lord came down." 43:34 The Lord came down to see what Mad has built. Sadly, he wasn't impressed by the size of the tower, the tallest tower they're trying to build. The Lord was not happy with that 43:51 because he looked at the motives. The motive underneath that tower for whose glory for whose glory this tower built for family. I want to say clearly 44:10 what our goal is. We are not trying to build a club. A club exists for his members benefits. You attend, you get something and you leave. 44:26 A club can build can be built on natural talent and good programs and never need Holy Spirit's help at all. But the body of Christ exists for Christ. It's not for human. from God, 44:44 through God and to God. Here in the body of Christ, every member built in, not just the gifted ones, not just the prominent ones, popular ones, the simple humble 45:02 brothers because that's the requirement. You need to be humble to receive the grace and to be filled with the Holy Spirit power. Every member is growing in the body of Christ and every member eventually be helping 45:20 to build others. That's what walking as disciples and making disciples meant to me. To those of you haven't laid a foundation yet, perhaps some of you young people, maybe the older ones, 45:38 some of you still weighing things before anything else. I beg you in Jesus' name, make sure you have that foundation, the foundation that your sins have been forgiven. when you close your eyes could say that 45:57 I'm a child of God come to Christ first sincerely today everything else this morning what I spoke with an assumption that you have 46:17 already taken this step you don't have to To those of you who are here mainly for community or for comfort, you are welcome. But 46:36 the invitation for you brothers and sisters is to become a disciple. Don't get satisfied. Don't just get satisfied with that comforts the world offers. As we sang in that song that these trials what 46:53 he allow in our lives is to we may find all our joy in him alone. So those of you was walking with Christ already in this 47:13 narrow path. The goal was never simply I got saved. The goal is Christlikeness. A brother spoke a verse in Friday prophecy time. Romans chapter 13, the last verse. 47:30 Romans chapter 13 and verse 14. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its lusts. Flesh wants comfort. Pampering. 47:49 Babies wants pampering. Not the ch, not the grown-ups. Walk as the people who walk in daylight. Night is over. Verse 12. The night is almost gone and the day is near. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of the 48:07 light. Let us behave properly as in the day. Not in corrosing and drunkenness, not in sexual promisquity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. Look at that comparison, brothers and sisters. We look some sins are the 48:25 bigger sins and the some are the small. Jealousy and strife is compared with sexual promiscuity and sensuality. Do we take that seriously? Jealousy and strife. How can we say with the bitterness you come and meet here with 48:40 the jealousy and the strife and say that you are the part of the body part tell me which body part fights against his own body part other body parts fights against his will not stand we're very clear as elders where we are 49:02 heading we want to make disciples. If your decision is like as I said in the beginning, there are many other churches. If you feel thank that will help you to become much more closer to the Lord, please make a better choice 49:21 which can help you in your family. If you think that this is the body the Lord has called you to be part, let us cooperate. Let's run fast. Let's walk as the people walk in the day. The foundation is Christ. He has laid it 49:40 already once. Receive it freely through grace and through faith. What gets built on it's up to us. And God is looking right now. How he looked in the Genesis chapter 11. 49:58 and what we are building and then how we are building and then why we are building to whom we are building. Finally, I just want to remember one verse. 2 Chronicles 16:9. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the 50:12 earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him. Amen. Thank you, brother. 50:48 Yeah, there are two parts in the great commission, right? One is evangelizing in Mark. We see and then we see that in ma Matthew 28 uh David uh helped us to read Matthew 28 verse 19 the other part of the great 51:04 commission that we want to focus on we want to emphasize on because there are a lot of churches in the world which are focusing on evangelism and converting people which is great great ministry that's what that's how we all become 51:19 believers because of someone uh taking that burden and going into the world and preaching the gospel. But after that, what happens? The process of becoming a disciple is not one time thing. It's a lifelong process. Lifelong process. 51:35 That's why Jesus says in Matthew 28:19 [clears throat] and I want to start with the previous verse. All authority has been given to me in heaven and earth. We start there. All authority has been 51:51 given to Jesus in heaven and earth. So go therefore on that authority make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the and the son Jesus Christ and the 52:09 holy spirit teaching them to observe some commandments. Now all all that I commanded you and lo I am with you always even to the end of the age. So we start 52:28 with the Jesus authority and on that authority the calling is to make disciples of all nations. Our church represents many nations and baptizing them and teaching them to observe every single thing Jesus has 52:46 commanded us. There are no suggestions in the word of God. There are commands to obey and there are promises to claim and Jesus promises I am with you always even to the end of the age. A lot of people in the in the Christian homes 53:01 they have this I am with you always even to the end of the age. But this promise is given to those who are teaching and obeying every single thing Jesus is commanding us to do. And that's what in our church we want to proclaim, we want 53:16 to emphasize, we want to um have the laser sharp focus on being a disciple. A disciple for whom every single commandment matters because it's not a big or small. It is about who has given that commandment. If my boss asks me to 53:35 do something big, do this project, I will do. I will also give me some small commandments, okay? With small things that hey, when you send your weekly report, make sure that it is this font and this size. That is also important 53:48 for me. When I send my weekly report, it's not just the content, but even I follow this instructions. If I follow my earthly boss like that, how much more my lord says something I don't want to follow. I want to follow every single 54:00 thing and I want to uh teach others in the responsibility of the being an elder. I want to proclaim those truths. And uh one of the thing that we often come back is from Luke chapter 14. Luke chapter 14 has beautiful verses, 54:19 strongest verses about the conditions of the disciplehip. We can focus on three uh from verse 26. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father 54:33 and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters almost he covered every single human relationship there that we have mother, father, brothers and sisters, wife and children. [snorts] 54:51 even his own life he cannot be my disciple. There's no confusion here. Jesus is very clear about it. He cannot be my disciple if you love all these earthly relationships more than me. If you he says he goes to the extent of hating and 55:11 many times these earthly relationships are the ones that will become a hindrance for us to become a true disciple of Christ. We all anyone who wanted to follow Jesus Christ uh know that one day or other we'll have some sort of hindrance because of earthly 55:29 relationship. uh even Jesus had he wanted to take up the cross and Peter comes and say no no no no don't take up the cross be it far from you like someone will be uh coming in between us and the lord but if I have the clarity I 55:44 want to put my lord first I want to love him supremely more than all these earthly relationships my love for my earthly relationships must be like stars in the daylight where sun is taking over they are there that love is there but it 56:00 it almost disappears. So my love for God should be so uh consuming that the love for our all these earthly relationships should look like hatred. That's the first one. And the second one is about taking up the cross in verse 27. Whoever 56:17 does not carry his own cross all of us when we seek to live a godly life we come. So as David explained, we come to the narrow gate. That's a salvation. We come and be saved. But then there is a narrow way ahead of us. And Bible says 56:36 strive to go through the narrow way. Last week I mentioned that word root word is agonizing painful I mean strive go through the agonizing way of entering through the narrow path taking up the cross. If you deny if you don't want to take up the 56:50 cross you cannot be my disciple. You want to be a disciple. This is another condition. And uh God allows us if you are truly serious about being a disciple he will show the way of the cross in you where we need to take up the cross where 57:03 we need to die to ourselves and we'll have plenty not some plenty of opportunities in our workplace in our day-to-day life at home or mundane life even the church there are so many opportunities God will give us to prove 57:22 Lord I want to be your disciple I want to of all the thing I find this narrow way that not the easy way easy way everyone is taking I want to take this narrow way and I agonize myself I will go through that pain take up the cost 57:37 because you went ahead of me and the third condition verse 33 so that none of you can be me can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions all the things that we value 57:55 value money or honor or anything. Lord, whatever you have given to me, I want to keep it like in the open palm. You give and you take. Um, it could be anything. Anything that is earthly or something that I possess. I used to possess like 58:10 this, but now I I am like this. As long as you give me, I'll be a good steward. But ultimately, you are the owner of everything I own. There is nothing that I have that I did not receive. The earth is the lord's and the fullness thereof. 58:24 Everything is he is the master. He's the owner. Lord, I'm not going to own or I'm not going to possess anything. I give up all these possessions. Lord, the blessed be the name of the lord. He gives and he takes away. And uh so these three 58:38 conditions keep meditating on them and we will make sure that you will never forget that because this is our burden and this is our calling to proclaim the conditions of the disciplehip. First we want to be the disciple and we want to 58:53 encourage others to be disciple and one of the thing brother Zach used to mention in early days of CFC they used to be part of they there are very few families who started who wanted to follow this way of cross want to uh be 59:06 the disciple and make disciples and and one of the condition people come to the church for various reasons I I I don't like this I don't like that in this old churches that's why we come here and u he was mentioning in a way that we want 59:20 people who are sick and tired of themselves who want to who are sick and tired of of their defeated life. We want to be a disciple. That's a that's what exactly happened to us. We were part of many churches. We the churches helped us 59:33 to be born again. We grew after that. We were it [clears throat] was a plateauing. We were getting into a lot of ministries, lot of things. But we missed the whole point of being a disciple. And we were defeated by sin. 59:46 And we realized that this is not the calling of a being a Christian. This must be something higher than what we are uh following. So that's when we um God helped us to uh come across his teaching and challenged us. The standard 1:00:00 of disciplehip is so high. Lord I want to reach there. I want to be there. So that is the calling we also have as ACFC. We want to encourage we want to invite others to become part of this journey to be a disciple. Our goal is 1:00:16 being Christlike. That's it. Not not activities, not lot of things uh that are very attractive in the world. We want to teach the conditions of the disciplehip. We want to follow them. We want to obey them. And we want to 1:00:29 encourage them so that we can become part of that one body. We want to become one with the same goal. And finally, I want to say this verse from Colossians 1 verse 28 and 29. I want to end with these verses. [clears throat] 1:00:48 Colossians chapter 1 verse 28 and 29. We proclaim admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom so that we may present every man perfect 1:01:06 or complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor striving against striving according to his power which mightily works within me. This is Paul's burden and this resonates with us. This is 1:01:24 exactly the burden that we also want to follow as three of us elders here. We proclaim him. We proclaim Jesus. We proclaim his conditions of disciplehip. We proclaim his word with with um we don't want to we want to preach the 1:01:40 whole council of God. Admonishing every man. It's not just encouragement. Admonish. Admonish is like it could be re rebuke reproof. We take when you come and say we want to be part of this church. We want to submit to you. We 1:01:55 take that seriously because we are accountable one day for all of you. So we take this uh with that authority admonishing every man. not not we don't enjoy when we do correction or uh discipline we this is a calling and this 1:02:11 is a responsibility and teaching every man with all wisdom and our goal is to present every man perfect or complete in Christ we want to see okay we are all growing to be Christlike and we want to encourage everyone to go there we want 1:02:28 to follow Jesus and we also want to say follow me as I follow Jesus' um to present every man complete. Obviously, we have gaps. We have long way to go to be Christlike. So, the goal of every meeting, Friday meeting, Sunday 1:02:43 meeting or any other meeting church has a goal is to encourage one another, exalt one another and uh as uh and so that we all become complete in Jesus Christ. And uh the calling of the elders, calling of the leaders is also 1:02:57 to admonish and rebuke and reproof and discipline, train so that we'll reach that goal. No other agenda but to present everyone perfect or complete in Jesus Christ. For this purpose, Paul has this burden. What does he do? He labors 1:03:15 striving is it's it's not easy. It's not easy. you know toilet uh you know whenever we it's easy to encourage someone and it is very very difficult part [clears throat] to even correct but the calling is we got to do it because 1:03:31 we want to present everyone perfect in Jesus Christ and according to his power like we don't want to do it in our own flesh in our wisdom in our earthly wisdom we want to do it according to the power god gives us and which mightily 1:03:46 works within me so first the power of God has to work within us and we want to do this. The same authority God has given all authority in heaven and earth have been given and God has given us the Holy Spirit to do that. So we proclaim 1:04:00 Jesus. We admonish every man teaching every man with all wisdom so that we may present every man perfect or complete in Jesus Christ. And for this purpose we also want to labor and strive according to the power of the Holy Spirit which 1:04:16 mightily works within us. May God help us. And if you u have the burden, similar burden, pray for the leadership. Pray for all of us that Lord your calling, your calling is to be true disciples and we want to be in this 1:04:29 path. This is what we are heading. We our goal is to be Christlike. We don't have any other goal. We want to be like Jesus Christ. We are predestined to be like Jesus. We want to obey every single commandment you have given to us. And as 1:04:43 we learn and grow, we also want to encourage others. and uh exhort others so that we'll all be there. We'll all we'll all be making progress year after year. Half of 2026 is over. Let's examine where we are heading and let's 1:04:58 pray and ask for the Holy Spirit and bear fruit like the picture much fruit the abundant life bear much fruit by being connected to the Lord and um and not for us but for his pleasure. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for 1:05:15 the truths you have reminded us again. Uh Lord, thank you for the calling you have for us, not just being converts, but to be disciples who love you supremely more than any earthly relationship you have given to us. Help 1:05:31 us Lord to love you to that extent that others uh the love for towards others will appear like hatred. Help us to take up our cross daily and follow you and help us to give up our positions all our uh that grip on 1:05:50 those positions. Lord, it's all you. You are the owner of everything we have. There is nothing we have that we did not receive. So we offer it to you with a open hands, Lord, acknowledging that you are the owner. Every good gift and every 1:06:06 perfect gift is coming from you. Uh thank you so much and and I pray that you renew us um uh in our spirit to be the disciple to continue to be the disciple that you want us to be seeking to obey every single thing that you 1:06:21 teach us seeking to follow you in your footsteps Lord and as elders help us to do our part in presenting everyone complete and perfect in Jesus Christ to that extent to do whatever we need to do Lord and to strive and labor 1:06:38 through the power you have given to us so that uh we will be able to present everyone every man perfect. Thank you once again for the calling you have given to CFC uh church and thank you for uh giving us giving brother Zach and 1:06:53 brother Ian the burden and Lord and thank you for the examples they have been and many and thank you for using them in raising many disciples throughout the world. Help us Lord uh to walk in the path you have chosen to chosen for us to be a disciple who loves 1:07:09 you supremely. Thank you once again. Please equip us with your holy spirit and help us to obey all that you are teaching us. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Okay, there comes the end of our uh meeting and we'll break for fellowship 1:07:25 and
