0:00 [Music] [Applause] [Music] 0:20 1 Corinthians chapter 12. We read in verse 28 how God decided to build his church. 0:48 He doesn't do it himself. He doesn't do it with the angels. He uses ordinary believers, but those believers have to have a 1:06 special calling and a special gift. Most churches in the world today are not built according to God's plan. That is because 1:33 more than 95% of believers do not know the Bible. They follow a few things like forgiveness and salvation. When it comes to building the church 1:57 according to the Bible, very few people are interested. For example, almost all churches have a priest or a pastor. No church in the New Testament had a 2:22 priest or a pastor. How many people know that? I tell people, show me in the New Testament which church had a priest or a pastor. Old Testament they had trees 2:44 only men and from the tribe of Levi that's all. If you are in the other 11 tribes you cannot be a priest. In the New Testament all are priests. 3:03 Even the sisters are priests and kings and queens to God. That is very different in the New Testament. Then whom does God give leadership in 3:21 the church? 1 Corinthians 12 verse 28. God, this is God who has done it. God has appointed in the church. What is he appointed? 3:45 First apostles. Those are those who go from place to place planting churches. And after that appoint elders, 4:06 not one pastor. elders and those elders are like fathers to the congregation to the church and the apostle is like a father to all 4:24 the elders. So that is the pattern. And second of prophets, not prophets who predict the future. Even all the Old Testament prophets, all 4:45 of them did not predict the future. The greatest prophet in the Old Testament was John the Baptist. You know, the old covenant finished on the day of Pentecost. Up to that time, the greatest prophet 5:07 Jesus said was John the Baptist. And the greatest prophet never predicted anything about the future. What did he say about the future? Nothing. 5:25 absolutely nothing. But what did he preach all the time? Repent, repent, repent. That's what he preached. So that was the main message of the greatest prophet. And if you read the Old Testament, 5:50 all the prophets preached repentance. The main burden of the prophets was holiness among God's people. [Music] Throughout the Old Testament, 6:09 every prophet told people to turn from their sin to God. Some of them like Isaiah predicted the future also. But not all of them predicted the 6:28 future. But they all preached repentance. Jonah was one of the first prophets. He did not preach the predict the future. He only warned anyway if you don't 6:45 repent God will punish you. Jonah and John the Baptist and all the prophets in between they preached repentance. Elijah Elisha they were great prophets. They didn't predict the future. 7:08 They led people to repentance. Elijah said if God worship him. If Jehovah is God, worship him. Many I'm saying this because there's so 7:26 much of false teaching about prophecy today in Pentecostal charismatic circles. I say they haven't studied the Bible. A prophet is one who speaks to the 7:45 people to encourage them, challenge them and build them up. That is written in 1 Corinthians 14:3. One who prophesies speaks to people for 8:05 edification, exhortation, and consolation. Those are the three things that a New Testament prophet speaks to challenge people 8:23 to comfort them and to build them up spiritually just like we build a building. So that is 1 Corinthians 12:28 prophets. First apostles, then prophets, 8:43 then third, teachers. Teachers are those who can explain the word of God. [Applause] You should not get discouraged if you cannot understand everything in the word of God. That's why it's good to listen to a 9:04 teacher. And nowadays, if you cannot attend a meeting, you can listen to a teacher on a CD or a DVD or the internet. If you don't have any of those, you can 9:25 even read what a teacher writes in a book. When I was young, I did not know much about the Bible. I used to read a lot of Christian books that would help me to understand the 9:43 Bible. Every month I would buy a new Christian book to study. I got a big collection of books. I find so many Christians don't have the 10:03 habit of reading good Christian books nowadays. I want to encourage you to develop the habit of reading good Christian books written by those who can teach you the 10:21 word of God. If you're serious about being a Christian, You can't get everything in three four days in a convocation like only once a year. 10:40 But you can read a book and listen to a teacher 365 days a year. You must do that. teachers. After that number four 10:56 are all put together. Four categories. One apostles, two prophets, three teachers. And four is all these other gifts together in one miracles and healings. 11:19 And most Christians today because they don't know the Bible, they put miracles and healings as first. There are a lot of Christians who will go for miracle and healing but will not go for a teaching meeting. 11:43 See your Bible teaching is more important than miracles and healing. You know Jesus healed many people and did miracles for many people who are in hell today. [Music] 12:07 by Jesus. Do you think they all went to heaven? Nine of those 10 lepers who were healed did not even come back to thank Jesus. You can experience miracles and healings 12:26 and go to hell. Not only you, the people who do the miracles and healings can also go to hell. Matthew chapter 7. Many people don't understand this. 12:46 That's why I'm showing you from scripture because there's a lot of false teaching nowadays and you if you think false teaching is not dangerous, I want to tell you it's like poison. You don't need so much false teaching to 13:06 die spiritually. A false teacher will give you 90% of truth and 10% false teaching. If somebody wants to kill you with poison, he won't give you a glass of 13:24 poison. No. He give you a cup of coffee or something with poison 10% poison inside. A lot of sugar so that you don't taste the poison. And that is how these false teachers 13:46 are. There's a lot of sugar in their preaching. They say nice things to you. You be careful about all these preachers who put a lot of sugar and try to please you. There'll be some poison there. 14:07 A good servant of God will not try to please you. He will only try to please God. Like a good doctor, he will tell you the truth about yourself even if you've got 14:25 cancer. Matthew 7:22 in the last day many will come to the Lord and say this. What will they say? They will call him 14:44 Lord. Lord, Lord, here is what we did for you. We prophesied in your name. It was not real prophecy. It was false prophecy in Jesus name. There's a lot of false 15:01 prophecy today in Jesus name. In Jesus name they cast out demons. See when you cast out a demon it doesn't mean you're a very holy man. It means that they're afraid of the name of Jesus. And it says here in your name we did not 15:29 one miracle but many miracles. And what will the Lord say to these people who did many miracles because there is sin in your life. You can go away from me. So what do we learn there? 15:50 People who do miracles can have so much sin in their life and they will be sent to hell in the final day. If God is not impressed by somebody doing miracles in Jesus name, you should not be impressed by somebody doing 16:09 miracles in Jesus name. Then you say why does God allow such people to do miracles? I will tell you to test you God's people 16:31 to see whether you're more interested in a physical miracle or in holiness of life. God will send a prophet who preaches holiness and he'll allow a miracle worker to come 16:51 and do some miracles [Music] and he will test the people to see who are these people interested in following. If there was only the holiness preacher, 17:09 then there wouldn't be a test. But he allows that other miracle worker also to come. Then people have to make a choice. It's not only now. Even in the Old Testament, he tested people. There were false prophets in the Old 17:30 Testament. Few real prophets were very rare. There about 500 false prophets. There'll be one true prophet. You read in the mount Carmel, Elijah was 17:47 one and there were 450 prophets of Ba 400 prophets, false prophets who worshiped among the trees. 850 18:06 false prophets on that mountain and one true prophet. And Elijah preached holiness. So I want you to read Deuteronomy 18:23 chapter 13. It's a very important passage for the time in which we live. See, prophetic message is a message that is God's word for the time in which we 18:41 live. Every church we need to hear prophetic message which is God's word for this time. And I'll tell you one thing about every 19:03 true prophet in the Bible. They are never interested in money. They have to live. They receive something which people give, but they're not interested in money. Elijah even received food from a poor 19:28 widow. But he blessed her thousand times more than what she gave him. She had only one meal. But Elijah kept on feeding her for so many weeks. So a true prophet is never in debt to 19:52 anybody. You see Elisha when some unbeliever like Neon gave him money, he said, "I don't want it." But a false prophet like went and 20:08 collected that money. Balam was another false prophet who went after money and he died and went to hell. So that is another mark of a true prophet. He's not interested in coming 20:28 to asking you for money. In the first century, the apostles used to teach that anyone who comes to you and asks you for money is a false prophet. It's not written in the Bible, but it is 20:48 written in one of the first Christian books that was written in the second century. A little book called the teaching of the apostles. One of the things they said was this. Anybody who comes and asks you for 21:07 money, he's a false prophet. And you see the television, the radio, and the churches, they're full of false prophets. Ask one way to find out a false prophet. 21:28 and Deuteronomy 13. If a prophet or a dreamer arises and gives you a sign or a wonder and the sign and wonder comes to pass which he said Deuteronomy 13:1 and the sign and wonder comes to pass 21:58 [Music] that means there is a miracle taking place and then he leads you astray from God and his word. He teaches more about other gods. 22:18 Today the biggest other god is money. These false prophets are leading people in that direction not towards Christ but towards money. Lord said, "You shall," verse three, 22:37 "you shall not listen to the words of that prophet." Then why does the God allow that man to preach? [Music] Read verse three and never forget it. The Lord your God is testing you to find 22:56 out if you love God with all your heart and all your soul. It's a test. When you hear see a man doing a miracle, 23:14 this verse says God is testing you. Is he leading you to holiness or asking you for his your money? Jesus healed thousands of sick people. He 23:30 never asked anybody for money. Today people hardly heal anybody and they ask for money. I'm surprised not at them. I'm surprised that so many thousands of believers believe all this rubbish. You must fear God. Verse four, 23:55 keep his commandments and listen to his voice. Serve him and cling to him. Now we turn to Isaiah 48. If you do that, if you listen to his commandments 24:15 and cling to him, Isaiah 48:18, then your peace will be like a river, your righteousness will be like the waves of the sea. 24:32 So dear brothers and sisters, there are very very few true prophets and very many false prophets in the world today. Yeah, there are many gifts in the 24:49 church. What did we read in 1 Corinthians 12:28 apostles? They also will never ask anybody for money. And second, prophets. 25:09 And third, teachers. And then number four comes many other things. It's all from God. Miracles, healings, helps. You know what helps means? Helps means 25:28 people who lay the mat and distribute the song sheets, who fix the microphone and take the video and cook the food where you 25:45 have the chain prayer. Things you don't see, they are also there like miracles and healing, they are also needed in the church. You need to see God puts all of them as 26:02 number four. All these people are only helping in so many ways. They're in the same category as miracle workers and healers. If you read God's word, you will value them. I have learned to value these helps 26:23 because they don't come up in the pulpit and everybody does not see them. Those who secretly send some food for somebody who is sick, that is as important a ministry as 26:43 miracles and administrations. It says after that means those who run the affairs of the church who handle the money and so many things which are needed in a church and then to some God gives the gift of 27:08 speaking in tongues. That is always the last in every gift. We don't despise it. and it is last. But in Pentecostal churches, they have made it first. That is why I say they have not read the 27:28 word of God. So what should we seek for? We're not to seek for all these things. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:1, "Desire spiritual gifts, but especially 27:46 that you may prophesy. Now, prophecy does not always have to be standing in the front like a prophet. See, 1 Corinthians 12:29 says, "All are 28:07 not apostles and all are not prophets." For [Music] that means a person who can stand and speak a prophetic word to the church. There are very few like that. not become prophets. It doesn't say all 28:38 become prophets, but all desire to prophesy. For example, verse 29, two or three prophets can speak. 31, but all can prophesy. 28:56 [Applause] So there is a difference. Prophet is very rare. I've seen very few prophets in my life. Prophesying means speaking something 29:14 that will encourage or challenge or build up somebody. It may not be from a pulpit. It may only be for one minute. Somebody comes to visit you in your 29:33 home. And instead of gossiping and speaking evil about other people, you say something that will encourage them, something that will challenge them, 29:52 something that will build them up. Or you're speaking to somebody on a phone. The other person may be so discouraged. While you're speaking, while you're speaking, you say, "Lord, will you 30:09 please give me a word to encourage this dear brother or sister?" You know, if you love people, you will pray like that. Lord, this person is discouraged. 30:30 Please give me some word from heaven to encourage him. suddenly you will find one word comes into your mind before you're finished your phone conversation 30:47 and you say brothers sister I would like to share a word with you and you share what came to your mind God bless you see that person after one And they say, "Brother, sister, that 31:06 word you shared with me really encouraged me and blessed my heart." What a wonderful thing. You're not a prophet, but for one minute or half a minute, you 31:24 prophesied. You're not in a pulpit, but over a phone. or you were writing a letter to somebody and you added one sentence at the bottom that really blessed that person. That's wonderful 31:47 to encourage that person to build him up. This is something we must always all of us can do. All of us can do that. 32:03 What a person cannot do for himself. You know, for example, if you feel scratchy in your back, you can't do it because your hand is very difficult to reach your back. So, you got to ask somebody else, can you please scratch my back? 32:24 What will he say? No, God has not given me the gift of scratching people's back. What is that? A gift you need to scratch somebody's back. Have you got nails? 32:46 That's enough. Yeah. He scratch his back and he says, "Thank you very much. spiritually. That is the gift of encouragement. Every one of us can do it. 33:06 Just to say to a person, don't get discouraged, brother. God is on the throne. Your sins are forgiven. Praise the Lord. They Satan was defeated 2,000 years ago. 33:24 You stand on that victory. God will help you. He will make everything work for your good according to Romans 8:28. And according to Romans 16:20, Satan 33:41 will be crushed under your feet and you will be an overcomer. It may take a little time, but it will happen. Don't give up. What a word of encouragement. 34:01 How long does it take for you to say that? Have you ever said that to anybody? Do you need to be some great prophet to say that? You don't have to be like these Pentecostals who say, "Thus said the Lord." Don't say all that. Just put your own 34:22 name. I'm saying it, not the Lord is saying I'm quoting the Bible. For example, I'll show you a wonderful verse. It's good for you and good for you to share it with others. 34:40 Habacook chapter 2. Habacook. Sometimes people get discouraged because they are waiting for something and they didn't get it. They say, "Lord, brother, I have prayed so many years to fill me with the Holy 34:59 Spirit. God has not answered. I'm praying for victory over sin. many years it hasn't happened. Here is a good verse to quote. Habacook chapter 2 35:18 verse three. The vision is for an appointed time. It hastens towards a goal. It will not fail. If it carries, wait for it. It will certainly come. It will not delay. For everything 35:42 for everything there is an appointed time with God. And so don't get discouraged. It will come. If God has promised it, it will definitely come. Things which are not promised in the word of God, we can ask for it, but we 36:01 are not sure whether we'll get it. For example, some married people don't have any children. It's good to pray, Lord, give us children. 36:19 But I have to say that in some cases, for some reason, God does not give. If you're sick, it's good to pray, "God, heal me. I want to tell you the truth. Some sicknesses God does not heal. I don't 36:39 know why. Paul had a thorn in the flesh. He never got healed in his whole life. But God said, "Don't worry. I'll give you grace. I don't give you healing, but I'll give 36:57 you grace. And even though you have this sickness, you will do more than all the other apostles with my grace. If you don't get healing, ask God for 37:15 grace. But what God has promised, you will definitely get forgiveness of sins, overcoming sin, being filled with the spirit. These are all promised in God's word. 37:35 Rivers of living water will flow from you if you believe in him. that your peace will be like a river, your righteousness will be like the waves of the sea. Nothing can stop it. Lord, make it like that for me. 37:54 Particularly in the world in which we are living. It's a very difficult time in which we are living and things can become worse in India and in the world. Jesus said things will be so bad in the 38:14 last days. We read in Luke 21 verse 26 216. Men's hearts will faint from fear the 38:36 expectation of the things which are coming upon the world. And this will all be just before the son of man comes in a cloud with power and 38:54 great glory. But much before he comes when these things begin and I want to tell you it's already begun. People are having fear all over the 39:11 world. They don't know what is going to happen next. The cost of living is going up so much. All the vegetables are costing 10 times what they cost. Say, Lord, I'm poor. How will I live? 39:31 Fear. How will I feed my children? The rich people have plenty, but what about poor people like us? God will never forsake his children. It says when these things begin to take place. 39:49 Verse 28. Straighten up. That means don't look down discouraged. Straighten up and lift up your head. The Lord is coming near. He's coming near. I'll tell you something that David wrote 40:09 when he was 70 years old. Most of the psalms David wrote when he was less than 30. It's written in the top when he was running away from Saul somewhere. That was all between the age of 20 and 40:32 30 that he wrote most of the psalms. Can you imagine 25 year old young man writing scripture? You know, you can be a prophet when 40:50 you're 25 if you're wholehearted and you're humble and you don't love money and you don't seek honor from men. David was like that. 41:09 Then when he was 70 after he had fallen and got up, he wrote another Psalm 30 37. And he says this in verse 25. 41:25 I was young, but now I am old. Now I am 70 years old. But in all my life, there's one thing I can say. I have never seen a righteous man forsaken. I have never seen it. And I have never 41:49 seen his descendants begging for bread. See, descendants means not only children but grandchildren also. He says, "I've never seen a righteous man's children forsaken by God. I've never seen a righteous man's 42:12 grandchildren forsaken by God." They don't beg for bread. Means what? It says they didn't beg for bread. That means they got a job. 42:30 We can read it like this. A righteous man's children will find jobs. [Music] A righteous man's grandchildren will find jobs. And everybody else is losing their job. The righteous man's grandchildren will 42:47 find jobs. That is why I say be righteous. Don't cheat. Don't tell lies. Don't take advantage of other people. And don't borrow money and keep it to 43:05 yourself. Return it. Don't deceive anybody. If you do business in the Old Testament, the Lord said your scales must be absolutely equal and your weights must be correct. 43:26 What he means is do your business honestly. The Lord says, "I know those crooked people will make more money than you." One day when those crooked people's grandchildren are drunkards and begging for bread, your grandchildren will have 43:43 a job. Your peace will be like a river. So many of us are worried about our children, grandchildren, who will take care of them. The Lord will take care of them. 44:09 You put God first and his righteousness, all that you need on earth will be added to you. You honor God, he'll take care of you. Some people when they get old, 44:27 they see, "Oh, we're getting old now. Our children don't seem to care for us. Some people children do care for them, but some people's children are so bad they don't care for them. But if you're a righteous person, 44:49 there is a promise for old people. You know, God has got promises for young people and for old people. You won't know what they are if you don't read the Bible. He's got a promise even for those who have heart problems. I'll tell you that 45:07 later. So, here is one for old people. Isaiah 46:4 it says even to your maybe we'll start 45:24 in verse three I have borne you from your birth I've carried you from your womb. [Music] The Lord says, "When did I start carrying you?" When you were inside your 45:42 mother's womb. Before your mother picked you up, I picked you up. Before your mother touched you, I carried you in your mother's womb. And to your old age, I am the same 46:01 person. When your hair gets gray, I will bear you. I have done it. I will carry you. I will bear you and I will deliver you. Do you believe that? 46:24 You say, "I'm not so sure." Then you will not experience it. But if you say, "Lord, I believe it." You will find in your life even if you're 100 years old God fulfills it in your life. You know when brother Bak Singh was old 46:46 he didn't have a family to take care of him. Where was his wife and children but nobody was taken care of as well as he was in his old age. God honors those who honor him. 47:11 He will never let down his servants. If you serve him, he'll take care of you in your old age. And by serving, I don't mean full-time Christian service. You may be just faithfully laying the 47:29 mats and giving out the song sheets. Maybe that is all you can do and speak a word of encouragement on the phone when you speak to somebody. That is an important ministry 47:47 and you say Lord that is my gift. I will do that till the end of my life. I am not an apostle or prophet or miracle worker. I can be a help. That's also a gift in 48:04 the church. I can do that and I'll do that all my life. It's a very important ministry or I will just scratch people's backs. I will encourage them. 48:22 It is also a ministry. God says, "I will take care of you in your old age. And if you have heart problems, here's a promise. Psalm 73. Whenever you feel, "Oh, my heart is 48:43 paining. Older people and nowadays even 40 year old people are getting heart attacks. The world is becoming like that. Psalm 73 49:03 26. My heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart. Isn't that a good promise? In English, it says, "God is the 49:21 strength of my heart. There is a promise for everything in scripture. I remember when 1964, it was the 6th of May 1964. 49:43 God called me to leave my job in the Navy. I went to the office and I put in my resignation and gave it. And the senior officer said, "You have been selected for a very special course. 50:02 Why are you leaving?" I said, "Sir, God has called me. I'm going. You got such prospects. I said sir please forward my 50:21 resignation. I'm leaving. My resignation went to naval headquarters in Delhi. They rejected it. They said we have spent so many lakhs training you freely let you go like 50:38 this. You have served only five years. you have to serve minimum 20 years. So I was discouraged and many believers who said see God hasn't called you that's why it didn't 50:57 happen. I wrote to brother Bak. He said God has called you don't worry. He was in touch with God. So I listened more to him than all the 51:15 other believers. But I was confused. I said, "Lord, if you called me, how is it these people can say no?" And the Lord said to me, 51:30 "What did Moses go to Pharaoh and say, "Let my people go that they may serve me? And what did Pharaoh say? No. What did Moses do? Did he go back to the desert and say, "Lord, I'm I give up. 51:49 That is not So the Lord said apply again. So I wrote another letter. 52:08 Lord Jesus Christ has called me for his service. I have to go. It went to Delhi. They sent it back saying rejected. So like Moses, I wrote again again. It went up there for two years. 52:27 They never said anything. Suddenly one day I got an order you can go. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. In the history of the Indian Navy, they never allowed anybody else to leave like they 52:46 let me go. That assured me of one thing. The God who lived in Moses time is just the same today. The God who can change Pharaoh's mind 53:05 can change anybody's mind. Like it says in Proverbs 21 verse1. That's a wonderful verse. Proverbs 21:1, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. 53:23 He can turn it wherever he likes. It's like the channels of he can turn it wherever he likes. You know, you see a river, sometimes it's flowing this way, then the river is flowing that way. Channels which man makes are always 53:44 straight. But God's rivers are going this way. Here it says God can make a ruler who's going this way to turn his mind and go. Yeah, there's some amazing experiences 54:03 I've had even praying for the government. God can do amazing things. In a time like this when men's hearts are failing with fear, how shall we have peace like a river? 54:22 The Lord says, "Listen to my word." If you had listened to my word, you would have had peace like a river. Here is a word that you can listen to. John 14 54:39 verse 27 14 and verse 27. Peace I leave with you says the Lord. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives I give. Let not your heart be 54:57 troubled and don't let it be afraid. Why should my heart not be shaken or afraid? Because he's giving me his peace. 55:21 Did you read that? My peace I give to you. It's not something I produce myself. It's a gift. It's like somebody builds a beautiful house and says, "You don't have any 55:39 money to build a house. Here is a gift." Somebody says to you, "How did you build such a wonderful house?" I didn't build it. Somebody gave it to me. 55:57 That is God's piece is like that. My peace. Jesus peace. What is that like? Do you ever find Jesus worried? Oh, the devil is troubling me. 56:15 The Pharisees are trying to kill me or what shall I do? Never. Not even in Gethsemane. He asked the soldiers, "Whom are you seeking? They said, "Jesus of Nazareth." 56:33 He said, "That's me. Take me. Let these fellows go." That's peace. Pilate told him, "Don't you know I have power to kill you, crucify you, or release you?" What did Jesus say today? People say, 56:54 "Oh, please, please don't kill me. Jesus never said like that. He's too direct. He's too direct. The crown of thorns on his head, 57:11 clothes all torn, bleeding, but he was a king. He told Pilate, "You have no power over me." Except what my father has given you. That is peace. 57:33 Even when somebody threatens you, saying, "I'll kill you." You say, Isaiah 54:17 says, "No weapon formed against me will prosper. I will die but I will die in God's time 57:56 and in God's way. You are not going to decide that. That is peace. Every one of us must have that peace in the days to come in India. God is my peace. 58:15 We know that we are the apple of God's eye. Nobody can touch us without God's eye. Zechariah chapter 2. Zechariah chapter 2. Zechariah verse 5. I will be a wall of fire round 58:35 about you and I will be the glory in the midst of you. Zechariah 2 verse 5. This is what the Lord says. You know, when people go into the 58:54 jungles and to protect themselves from wild animals, they make a wall of fire around about them with some leaves and dried leaves and all that and they sleep in the middle. They know that in that wall of fire even 59:13 a lion will not come through. They can sleep peacefully in the middle. The Lord says I will be a wall of fire round about you. In the middle I'll be your glory. And verse eight, if anybody tries to touch you, he's touching the apple of my 59:32 eye. You know the apple of our eye. If anybody touches it, you react against it. And the Lord says, "You are the apple of my eye. When somebody touches you, they are 59:51 touching the apple of my eye. There are wonderful promises for children. These promises are not for rich people, businessmen or political leaders. These 1:00:08 are for God's faithful, righteous children. So, let's be faithful and righteous. And we will have peace in the midst of a terrible world. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, 1:00:30 help us to be prepared for the days to come. Not to be deceived by false prophets, but to live without fear in an evil world that have peace like a 1:00:49 river flowing through our hearts. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. I'm ready.
