-
It takes money to buy a house.
-
But it takes wisdom to build a home.
-
Grace and peace to you all children of God, in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ.
-
Before anything else, let us pray together.
-
Lord Jesus Christ, thank You
for the grace to see this day.
-
Lord, we surrender to You.
-
We surrender to Your sovereign will.
-
Oh Lord, let Your Word have
its way in our lives.
-
Let Your Word have its place in our hearts.
-
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
-
If you feel surrounded,
the answer is surrender.
-
Are you surrounded at this moment by doubts, distractions, discouragements?
-
Are you surrounded by a situation
that seems so overwhelming?
-
The answer lies in surrender.
-
Because when you turn to God, there is
no situation He cannot turn around.
-
Right now, receive that
strength to surrender -
-
surrender to Jesus, surrender to His will!
-
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ we pray!
-
Thank You, Jesus, for opening our hearts.
-
In Jesus’ mighty name we pray and the children of God said, “Amen!”
-
Welcome, people of God.
-
Welcome to everyone to this special service.
-
I know that for many of us
connected at this moment,
-
it is a time which is not easy for your flesh.
-
There is a lesson here.
-
I want you to recognise that blessings
are often accompanied by battles.
-
What is a battle to this flesh may
well be beneficial to your spirit.
-
What is hard for the flesh is
often helpful for your spirit.
-
If you serve God only at your convenience, then your service will lack commitment.
-
I'm not saying there will
not be any commitment.
-
There may be partial commitment,
not total commitment.
-
Do you know the problem here?
-
If your commitment to God is partial -
-
you’re serving God only
at your convenience -
-
and you are confronted with a situation where your faith in Christ conflicts
-
with traditional belief,
-
with cultural expectations,
-
with the pressures of position,
-
with the affairs of this world...
-
If your commitment to God is partial
and you face such a conflict,
-
you are likely to remain indifferent,
to try and sit on the fence
-
especially when holding to your faith involves some pain, some sacrifice.
-
But if you try to avoid pain in the flesh,
you will soon invite pain in the spirit.
-
Because what starts with complacency
will soon end with compromise.
-
It's only a matter of time.
-
The road of compromise is never
ending and ever widening.
-
That is why when it comes to the things of God, the service of God -
-
we must be wholehearted.
-
Total commitment, not partial.
-
We don't just serve God when
it's convenient for us.
-
We don't just serve God
when times are good.
-
So I am happy that you are connected
to this service today -
-
a time that may be inconvenient for your flesh will be very beneficial to your spirit.
-
And before I talk about the main subject,
-
the main word of encouragement
I want to share with you today,
-
I have a word of advice.
-
Please, people of God, take this
message to heart. Write it down.
-
It takes money to buy a house.
-
But it takes wisdom to build a home.
-
Think about that for a moment.
-
If you want to write it down, write it down.
-
It takes money to buy a house.
-
It takes wisdom to build a home.
-
What must be built cannot be bought.
-
No amount of money can buy
what must be built.
-
You cannot bypass God's processing.
-
You cannot buy your way
out of God's processing.
-
Do you know why I’m inspired
to share this with you?
-
I'm very concerned about
the young generation.
-
I'm concerned about the
generation that is coming.
-
There are so many people who reach out to us here at God’s Heart TV
-
asking for prayer because they say, ‘My son, my daughter - they are rebellious.
-
They are addicted to their phone, addicted to pornography, addicted to drugs.
-
My son, my daughter - they don’t
respect me. They are rebellious.’
-
And I put it to you today, people of God.
-
Of what value is your money if you are losing your children to the vices of this world?
-
If you don't train your children,
the world will claim them.
-
If you don't discipline your children,
the world will indoctrinate them.
-
I know this is a heavy subject
to begin this message.
-
But I'm concerned, children of God.
-
I'm concerned at what is happening
to the young people.
-
So many prayer requests, concerns, petitions from people -
-
‘I'm worried about my son.
I'm worried about my daughter.
-
I've lost my son.
I've lost my daughter in sin.’
-
What's happening?
-
It takes money to send
your children to school.
-
But it takes wisdom to prepare them for it.
-
Because without discipline, without character, education can soon become indoctrination
-
that shifts people away from God.
-
People of God, this year, 2025, carry your children along in the things of the Spirit.
-
Carry your children along
in the things of God.
-
We cannot afford to continue in the same way and expect a different result.
-
That is a word of warning as we start this message today. Think about it.
-
In the last few days, I have had some time away in a place of nature.
-
And during a time of prayer, there was one word that kept ringing in my heart -
-
and that word was very simply ‘foundation’.
-
Because I realise that there are so many people today who are focused on building
-
but their foundation is faulty.
-
There's a wrong foundation which has given rise to a misplaced expectation on God.
-
And the consequence of that is that
people are very easily disappointed
-
when their expectations are not met.
-
They are frustrated. They are disillusioned. They are discouraged.
-
They can easily fall into the web of doubt and deceit when their expectations are not met.
-
But the problem is that their expectations are misplaced, misguided
-
because the foundation is faulty.
-
There’s a problem with the foundation of their Christian lives, Christian journeys.
-
So, I want to talk about a subject today that has to do with foundational truth, a vital subject.
-
Because look, people of God, no matter how much effort you invest in your building,
-
how big it becomes and
how beautiful it appears,
-
if the foundation is not strong,
it will eventually fall to pieces.
-
Many of us are building on something
that is very insecure, unstable.
-
We need to address this, we need to correct it, so that we shift our focus
-
back to the right foundation.
-
Speaking on a subject like this, I cannot help but turn to the famous words of Jesus
-
at the very end of the ‘Sermon
on the Mount’ in Matthew 7.
-
Please turn with me in your
Bibles to Matthew 7:24-27.
-
Jesus said, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them,
-
I will liken him to a wise man who
built his house on the rock:
-
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
-
and it did not fall, for it was
founded on the rock.
-
But everyone who hears these sayings
of Mine, and does not do them,
-
will be like a foolish man who
built his house on the sand:
-
and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew
-
and beat on that house; and it fell.
And great was its fall.”
-
There is one simple thing that differentiates the foolish man from the wise man in this story.
-
Because both of them heard
the same message.
-
Both of them possessed
the same knowledge.
-
But the wise man was a doer of the Word.
-
Why is it today, people of God,
that so often,
-
there seems to be a barrier
between hearing and doing?
-
Think about that.
-
We hear the Word.
-
We hear the truth.
-
We're inspired by the truth.
-
We are motivated to do what is right
when we hear the message.
-
But so often the translation of what we hear to what we do is a problem.
-
And if you talk of foundation - like I said, there's a problem with foundation -
-
the only solid foundation
is a doer of the Word.
-
Knowledge of God's Word alone
is not a solid foundation.
-
There must be understanding.
-
It takes the brain to know.
It takes the heart to understand.
-
Knowledge of the Word may only
demand for the state of your mind
-
but understanding of the Word demands for the state of your heart.
-
The letters of the Word require
only the state of the mind.
-
But the Spirit, which gives life,
which gives illumination,
-
which brings understanding
and therefore application -
-
the Spirit of God requires
the state of the heart.
-
Think about this, people of God.
-
What is the hindrance between
your hearing and your doing,
-
your acting, your applying the Word?
-
It’s not just a matter of having the knowledge or hearing the truth.
-
What do you do with it?
-
One of the biggest problems we have today that is hindering our acting on the Word -
-
let me put it like this:
-
Many today are spiritually starved yet wondering why they are spiritually weak.
-
What do I mean by spiritually weak?
-
When you succumb to the temptation
you should overcome.
-
When you return to the very road that you know brought destruction.
-
When your weakness seems to
be greater than your strength.
-
These are signs that you
are spiritually weak.
-
Many of us today are spiritually weak
-
because we are spiritually
starving ourselves.
-
Let me try and use this example.
-
You are not connected but you are
still expecting the download.
-
It's like those of us connected
through Zoom right now.
-
Before you joined the service through Zoom, you had to go through a process.
-
You had to make sure you had data, internet - you logged in, you connected.
-
That's why you can be present to hear, listen and receive at this moment.
-
Many of us today - we seem to be content in a state of disconnection,
-
and we are surprised when we are not downloading revelation.
-
We are not downloading instruction.
-
We are not downloading direction.
-
Our connection is disconnected.
-
We maybe receive a good ‘service’ on Sunday when we hear the Word - we get connected.
-
Then Monday - we break connection.
-
Tuesday - we’ve lost connection.
-
Wednesday - we are on our own.
-
And we are unable to download, to receive
-
what God is saying through
His Word and by His Spirit.
-
What happens when you are weak physically if you starve your body?
-
You are wide open to sickness.
-
What happens when you
are weak spiritually?
-
You are wide open to temptation.
-
You are wide open to deception.
-
You are wide open!
-
This is one of the major problems.
-
We receive the Word of God during
a service, during church on Sunday.
-
Maybe there are times as a family
we gather together and read the Bible.
-
But then we expect the nourishment we receive for one day to last the whole week.
-
Don't deceive yourself.
-
There must be daily time with God.
-
There is no shortcut, people of God.
-
There's no shortcut to spiritual maturity.
-
There's no shortcut to
heavenly understanding.
-
You must spend daily time with God.
-
That’s the first thing.
-
We're still going to talk about the way and manner you spend that time.
-
But the first thing you must do is recognise
-
there must be daily time with God
as part of your lifestyle.
-
It's not enough to join a service
every week; it’s not sufficient.
-
You need daily time with God.
-
Why? Because daily time with God demands daily settlement with man
-
and daily reckoning with sin.
-
You keep short accounts.
-
That's why you need to have
a relationship with God.
-
I want to use a portion of Scripture from the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament
-
to detail the attitude of the people
who were receiving God's Word
-
to identify four key ingredients
to understanding.
-
We must receive God's Word - but what is the way, manner in which we receive it?
-
What is the state of our
hearts as we receive it?
-
These are important points to understand how we go from hearing to acting
-
for there to be a firm foundation.
-
Okay, let’s turn to Nehemiah 8.
-
I'm going to highlight four simple ingredients to understanding
-
that we can learn from this passage.
-
And as you hear these things,
examine yourself, examine your life.
-
Because in 2025, my dear
brothers and sisters in Christ,
-
you cannot withstand the challenges
ahead without recognising
-
the importance of daily time with God.
-
I am not talking about something
that's just nice, advisable.
-
I'm talking about something that is necessary, integral, essential for your life.
-
Okay, let's read together and learn from the children of Israel - Nehemiah 8:1.
-
“Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in
-
front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses,
-
which the Lord had commanded Israel.”
-
The people requested that the
priest bring God's Word.
-
“So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women
-
and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.
-
Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate
-
from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand;
-
and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
-
And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above
-
all the people; and when he opened it,
all the people stood up.
-
And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen!’
-
while lifting up their hands.
-
And they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
-
Let me stop there.
-
I'm not reading this to identify a physical pattern which these people adopted. No.
-
I want to talk about their attitude of hearts and the lesson we can learn from this.
-
The first ingredient we read is this -
desire for God’s Word.
-
Write it down:
1. Desire for God’s Word
-
Take note - the people gathered together and they requested Ezra the priest
-
to bring the Word of God.
-
They expressed their desire
for the Word of God.
-
I think it's important to emphasise
here, people of God, that
-
as far as we are living in this world,
-
we will be subject to many pressures
trying to influence our priorities.
-
I speak to many people who say,
-
‘Brother Chris, I really want to spend
more time in the Word of God
-
but I simply don’t have the time;
I am too busy.
-
I'm so busy with this responsibility
and that responsibility.
-
I have this work to do.
I have my kids to look after.
-
I have this to do. I have that to do.
I have this social responsibility.’
-
Look, people of God -
-
if pressures can sway your priorities,
then your principles are pretentious.
-
What do I mean?
-
You will never find the time for the
Word of God; you must create it.
-
Don’t just expect it to be easy
for your flesh. No!
-
But if you genuinely desire something,
-
you will prioritise it in
your time management.
-
It's a matter of desire.
-
No matter how busy you are,
-
no matter how focused you are on your work, assignments or whatever it is,
-
when it’s time to eat physical food,
you create time for it
-
because you recognise how valuable it is.
-
If you can do it for the flesh,
how much more your spirit?
-
Priorities - you will never rise
above the level you prioritise.
-
I'm not talking about something that's merely advisable or nice.
-
I'm talking about something necessary.
-
Your life depends on this spiritually.
-
Take note of this - desire for the Word of God. That’s the first ingredient.
-
The second follows.
It says this in Nehemiah 8:3,
-
“Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate
-
from morning until midday...”
-
2. Time for God’s Word - quality time.
-
Not just when we have finished every
other activity and our body is tired
-
that we say, ‘Let me bring out my Bible.’
-
Many of us only read the Bible
-
when we have exhausted ourselves
from every other activity.
-
Yes, we give time to the Word of God but it’s not our quality time, our best time.
-
It's something we rush into and rush out of.
-
Or we do it to fulfil tradition.
-
‘Yes, I read my Bible today.
I read my one verse.’
-
We rush in, rush out.
-
This is one of the reasons why hearing does not often translate into doing,
-
why we hear without understanding, without applying the Word.
-
We don’t give quality time.
-
And as I said, you may listen to
this message today and say,
-
‘But Brother Chris, it's not easy.
There's so many things I'm doing.’
-
But I’m telling you, people of God - for you to come to understanding of God’s Word,
-
so that you, by the help of
the Holy Spirit, can apply it
-
into your life, work, relationships
and daily circumstances,
-
you must be prepared to
sacrifice quality time,
-
to read the Bible slowly,
attentively, repeatedly.
-
Not to speed-read like you’re reading
a novel, checking the news
-
or looking at the latest football results.
-
You can't compare the precious
Word of God to something fleshly.
-
Quality time in the Word of God.
-
Let’s go to number three.
-
Nehemiah 8:3 - “And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.”
-
3. Attention for God’s Word
-
When you read the Bible,
-
when you listen to a sermon, just like
we're connected here right now,
-
are you paying full attention?
-
Have you disconnected
from every distraction?
-
Is there something troubling your heart before you joined this service,
-
before you open your Bible to read?
-
And your heart is still troubled and you are reading - you cannot give your full attention.
-
Many people today pick up the Bible but our hearts are still full of distractions.
-
We have the Bible here;
we have our phone here.
-
As we read one verse, we receive a message - our focus shifts.
-
We read one verse, we get a phone call - our focus shifts.
-
We are reading the Bible but in front of us, we are watching the television.
-
We are not giving full attention.
-
This is one of the hindrances - what is robbing us from understanding.
-
We may read God’s Word.
What’s the state of our heart?
-
Like I said earlier, knowledge just
demands the state of your mind
-
like you're reading a book in school to learn.
-
Understanding demands
the state of your heart.
-
Your heart must be free, so the Holy Spirit
-
can open the eyes of your understanding to give you revelation that leads to application.
-
Many people open the Bible to read
but there's an unsettled issue.
-
There's an unsettled issue with your wife, brother, husband, sister, colleague.
-
You open the Bible to read but
your heart is filled with hurt.
-
You cannot give full attention.
-
A hurt heart cannot come to
a place of understanding
-
because you filter whatever you read through the lens of your hurt.
-
This is why I said daily time with God demands daily settlement with man.
-
I can't pick up my Bible
to read with full attention
-
if my heart is still harbouring past pain.
-
My heart is still consumed
by that misunderstanding
-
and I pick up my Bible to read -
how can I give full attention?
-
How can I be sensitive to what
the Spirit of God says to me?
-
How can I come to understanding?
-
That means I need to settle issues first.
-
I need to settle my heart first.
-
I need to disconnect from
every distraction first.
-
Attention for God’s Word.
-
When you are spiritually weak,
one of the signals is this -
-
instead of choosing the path of settlement, you choose the path of escalation
-
when it comes to relationships.
-
Let's be real, people of God.
-
There is no relationship in this world
where you will not face the reality
-
of misunderstandings,
disagreements or differences.
-
The evidence of spiritual maturity is how you move on from misunderstanding.
-
There will be misunderstandings.
-
There will be differences.
There will be disagreements.
-
If you are spiritually strong,
you choose the path of settlement
-
rather than the path of escalation.
-
But many people today -
what is happening?
-
When you are spiritually weak,
-
you end up provoking people's weaknesses, escalating existing tensions
-
and your troubled heart robs
you of understanding.
-
Even if you did at that moment try
to pick up the Bible and read
-
or listen to a sermon from a servant of God,
your heart cannot receive that message.
-
This is a problem.
-
Even right now, we're here,
connected from all over the world.
-
Is your heart free?
-
Is your heart settled?
-
Is your heart at a place of peace with God?
-
If you have an issue that is unsettled
with your husband, with your wife,
-
your colleague at work, your mum, your dad
-
and you're here connected to the service, hearing this message -
-
your ears may receive it
but your heart cannot,
-
which is why it's so common for people
to hear the Word and not do it.
-
And then they are still building
on a faulty foundation.
-
I hope you can see what I'm
talking about, people of God.
-
This is a serious issue.
-
We cannot afford to remain the same.
-
Attention for God’s Word -
an ingredient of understanding.
-
How do we know when you are still harbouring that issue in your heart?
-
Because when issues arise in the present, you still refer to the past.
-
I used to get asked this question.
People would say,
-
‘Brother Chris, how can I know
when I've forgiven someone?’
-
When you can remember the pain without reliving the pain in the present.
-
When the memory of the past provokes gratitude to God, not grievance to man.
-
‘Look at what God has seen me through.’
-
Not ‘look at what he has put me through.’
-
I hope you follow what
I'm saying, people of God.
-
How can you know you have forgiven someone, that your heart is settled?
-
When you can remember the past hurt, pain, wrong without reliving it in the present.
-
If you remember it, it is a time to appreciate God for seeing you through it.
-
not a time to reignite grievance to
man for putting you through it.
-
That’s when you know you have forgiven.
-
Many people today claim
they have forgiven.
-
But when they respond to
issues in the present,
-
their words are filled with pain of the past.
-
How can we give our attention
to the holy, living Word of God
-
if our hearts are still bound, burdened with grudges, unforgiveness, bitterness?
-
Let me read the fourth one.
I want you to take note of this.
-
It says in Nehemiah 8:5 that when Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people,
-
all of the people stood up and as he read, they bowed their heads
-
and worshipped the Lord with
their faces to the ground.
-
4. Reverence for God’s Word
-
We don’t read the Bible to try and figure out God with our natural mind.
-
We don't read the Bible to try and
make it say what we want to hear,
-
to suit our philosophy of life.
-
We don't read the Bible to reduce
God to our level of reasoning. No!
-
Understanding comes from
a position of submission.
-
We recognise God's supremacy.
-
We recognise His Word as the standard.
-
We submit to it even when
we don't feel like it.
-
We submit to it even when
our flesh contradicts it.
-
I don't release forgiveness
because I feel like it.
-
I release forgiveness because God commands it of me as a child of God.
-
The people here expressed
a reverence for God's Word.
-
I'm not talking about their physical position,
whether they stood.
-
Some people can stand and
their hearts are sitting.
-
Some people can kneel,
but their hearts are standing.
-
I'm not talking about their physical position.
-
I'm talking about the state of their hearts.
-
There was reverence for the Word of God.
-
And all of these things, these ingredients opened the door for understanding.
-
Some of you may say to me, ‘Brother Chris, I may not read the Word that much
-
but I’m a praying person. I really pray a lot.
I’m a very prayerful person.’
-
It's good but take note - prayer and
Bible reading must go together.
-
One is not complete without the other.
-
Don’t just say, ‘I’m a prayerful person;
I used to pray.’
-
Many people today are prayer warriors
yet still care worriers.
-
What do I mean?
-
They pray over a matter but afterwards still worry about it as if they had never prayed.
-
They go through the motions of prayer,
but they are still controlled by their emotions.
-
Maybe the prayer they offer
makes them feel spiritual.
-
But there's a big difference between feeling spiritual and being spiritual.
-
People of God, I'm not discouraging you.
Prayer is very important.
-
But prayer must go hand in hand with understanding of God's Word.
-
If not, we may fall into the trap
of praying with our lips
-
for something that God has
not promised or decreed.
-
And you must realise, people of God -
-
God’s promises work in line
with His principles.
-
Divine provision will never
violate divine protocols.
-
God can break man-made
protocols to promote you,
-
but His blessings will never go beyond
the boundaries of His Word.
-
That's why we need understanding.
-
We need to have a healthy spiritual diet
-
that will take us to a place of understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit.
-
I want to challenge you, people of God.
-
How do you read the Bible?
-
Is your heart free before you read?
-
Do you ask for the help of the
Holy Spirit before you read?
-
When do you read your Bible?
-
Are you giving time to God's Word daily?
-
Are you opening the Bible to read to give God your best time or the time when you are tired?
-
Why do you read the Bible?
-
Are you reading the Bible as a guide for your life or to solve your problems?
-
These are questions that
call for self-examination.
-
I also want to challenge you, people of God.
-
Are you connected to ministries - your local church, places that you submit yourself to -
-
are you connected to ministries that are building you spiritually
-
or are they just feeding
you spiritual junk food?
-
A diet of spiritual junk food cannot equip you to face life’s trials and temptations.
-
What do I mean by spiritual junk food?
Just as we have physical junk food.
-
If the messages you are hearing only seem to highlight God’s love for sinners
-
but not God’s hatred for sin, be careful.
-
If the teaching you are receiving focuses more on material prosperity
-
than spiritual prosperity, be careful.
-
If the sermons being preached give so much attention to God’s promises
-
without talking about your
obedience, be careful.
-
Some of you may wonder
with what I’m saying,
-
‘Brother Chris, you’re talking about prosperity - prosperity gospel.
-
Are you saying that God does not want me to prosper, to be blessed, to thrive, to excel?’
-
No, don’t misquote me.
-
I'm not saying God cannot prosper you.
-
I’m saying our focus should
not be on material prosperity
-
at the expense of spiritual prosperity.
-
Take note of this - God’s promise of abundance is not a licence for extravagance.
-
God’s promise of abundance is
not a licence for flamboyance.
-
Let's talk about extravagant giving,
not extravagant living.
-
If God prospers you, He has
equipped you to bless others.
-
Let us be careful, people of God.
-
I said earlier that misplaced expectation sets us up for disappointment.
-
If you come to God with an expectation that is solely focused on material prosperity,
-
you will easily set yourself
up for disappointment.
-
Because even if material prosperity comes,
-
man’s wants are unlimited.
-
God has promised to meet us according
to our needs, not our wants.
-
There is no limit to what man wants.
-
Every stage you reach in
material achievement,
-
there's always a higher level to reach for.
-
If that is the basis upon which you view life,
you will never be content.
-
I'm not saying God cannot prosper you, bless you abundantly.
-
It's not a licence for extravagance.
-
No! It's a licence for extravagant giving,
not extravagant living.
-
That's why - be careful, people of God.
-
The messages you are receiving,
the teaching you are hearing,
-
the sermons you are hearing - examine everything in the light of God’s Word.
-
The message I'm preaching today -
don’t just take it at face value.
-
Don’t say, ‘Well, Brother Chris
preached this. I accept it.’
-
No, examine it in the light of Scripture.
-
Search the Scripture.
Seek God for yourself.
-
Be very careful of any pastor who attempts to position himself between you and God.
-
As pastors and ministers of God,
our role is to encourage and direct you
-
towards a personal relationship with God.
-
I hope you understand what I'm saying.
-
Pray about it if you don’t understand.
-
Let us be careful.
-
If you are feeding yourself with
a diet of spiritual junk food,
-
you will soon find yourself
spiritually unhealthy.
-
To withstand the challenges ahead of us,
-
we cannot depend on yesterday's approach to solve today's challenges.
-
You can’t rely on this year's strategies to tackle next year's issues.
-
Look, as the strategies of the enemy
- the enemy of our soul, the devil -
-
as his strategies intensify,
so must our devotion,
-
so must our passion for
God’s Word and His work.
-
We cannot afford to remain spiritually stagnant.
-
The state of this world does not permit it.
-
We have to keep pressing. We have to keep growing. We have to keep advancing.
-
We have to understand God’s Word.
-
Because when you
understand God's Word -
-
you desire God's Word,
you give quality time for God's Word,
-
you pay attention to God's Word,
you have reverence for God's Word,
-
you come to a place of understanding -
-
that is when you become a vessel through which the Holy Spirit can work.
-
It's not enough just to hear the Word,
-
certainly not enough just to
hear the Word on Sundays
-
or Interactive Services - ‘Oh, I join the Interactive Prayer Service every month.’
-
That cannot sustain you.
-
You need to spend daily time with God.
-
May God bless His Word, may God open our hearts to understand His truth
-
in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
-
And the people of God said, ‘Amen!’
-
Now, people of God, I know this message may have provoked some questions.
-
I would like to give an opportunity
for people right now -
-
if you have a question to ask,
-
or there's a lesson you learned you want to share to encourage your fellow believers -
-
let us have some time for that.
-
Questions & Answers
with Brother Chris
-
My name is Pastor Christian from Ghana.
-
I want to ask Brother Chris -
what about the case where as a Pastor,
-
you preach and you teach your congregation to follow God's Word
-
and also spend time with God's Word,
but yet they are not
-
following what you are teaching them?
-
What can you do to help them
as a man of God?
-
Because in the message this evening,
I heard that we men of God
-
are to lead the flock,
the children of God, the church, to God.
-
We must not be a barrier or a stumbling block between them and God.
-
That is the message I heard this evening from Brother Chris.
-
So I want to ask the man of God -
what can I do to help them?
-
Because I have done,
as God knows my heart, my part
-
but yet I am not seeing the fruits in them.
-
Thank you for being very open
with that question.
-
Look, remember our role as ministers of God is not to change someone.
-
It's to direct them to the One
who can change them.
-
The greatest temptation for you is to dilute the truth in your attempt to see a visible change.
-
‘Oh, I'm teaching this message but people don't seem to be receiving it -
-
let me water it down, or let me focus
on this, let me change that,
-
because I want to see people reacting.’
-
That is the greatest temptation for you
as someone in ministry.
-
Because we should never measure ministerial success by external factors.
-
Our role is to sow seed; the seed you sow, you may not know when it grows.
-
To you - you may look at them and say, ‘these people are not obeying’.
-
You don't know what is happening
in their hearts.
-
Remember, the heart of man is very stubborn, very rebellious.
-
But the truth has the power to penetrate
even the deepest and darkest place.
-
Just focus on speaking and preaching
the truth in love
-
and remember - your own life is the greatest sermon.
-
Don't just preach the truth, be the truth.
-
So what must you do as a minister of God?
-
You must play your part to speak the truth, to teach the Word,
-
and also recognise the divine responsibility God has given you,
-
meaning you must mean what you say and back up your words with actions.
-
No one is perfect.
That's why we need the Holy Spirit.
-
It’s the Holy Spirit
who makes the Word work.
-
It's the Holy Spirit who ignites the Word
in people’s hearts.
-
Without the Holy Spirit,
we cannot understand.
-
Without the Holy Spirit, the sermon
I preached today may emotionally move you
-
but will not spiritually change you.
It is not my job to change you.
-
It is not my work to change you.
-
The Holy Spirit converts,
but we must preach the truth.
-
Your concern must be to remain committed to that truth and not dilute it or distort it
-
in an attempt to please man.
-
Thank you for that question, my brother. Thank you very much.
-
I am Joshua from the Philippines.
-
So what I have learned is: we cannot use anything, and I mean anything -
-
no grace, no power - to try to circumvent what God requires of us.
-
And I've learned that we have to
spend time in the Word of God
-
and that our ultimate end
to our Christian journey
-
is to come to know God
at a more intimate level
-
so that He can work through us
even more powerfully.
-
I've also learned that obedience is far more ‘worship’ than any kind of ministry.
-
God is not interested in merely workers in His house, but doers of His Word.
-
That's it.
-
Heavenly greetings to all.
-
Beside me is my beautiful
wife and my daughter.
-
I'm from Jamaica,
but we are living in Canada.
-
If someone is hungry,
they have to make time for food.
-
So it's the same - we have to
make time for the Word of God.
-
And today’s Word - we need more Word for tomorrow and the next day and the next day.
-
I don't know how to put it...
-
Are you going to use that same food
to bring you through the week?
-
You need fresh food every day.
So I will hold on firmly to that one.
-
Yes, blessings to you all
and to Brother Chris.
-
For me, there's a lot that you have said
that resonates with me personally
-
in terms of my life.
-
Everything that you have said,
I confirm it to be true.
-
As you said, we must examine the word.
-
I personally, for my family, believe that this is what we need.
-
As you said, that we must carry our children along.
-
And the desire that you have said
about the young people -
-
wanting the next generation
to be grounded in God.
-
But as you said, a lot of times as parents,
we are praying for our children
-
and asking God for help, even calling pastors and you guys to pray for our children.
-
But many times we are putting up with certain types of things -
-
we are giving them devices and all these things that really and truly are tools
-
for the enemy to use, to infiltrate them.
-
And when we are trying to pray for them or
to get them to read the Bible,
-
we are counteracting that based on the type of things that we are giving to them -
-
just because they ask or desire it.
-
So that's something - for me, knowing how to carry our children along is very important,
-
as I have my daughter here that
I want to carry along in the faith.
-
Madam, you touched on something
very practical when you said
-
it’s not everything that someone desires that you should give.
-
Because not everything you want
may be good for you.
-
It's the same principle with
our Heavenly Father.
-
Our Heavenly Father knows
what is good for us.
-
If we desire something that is bad for us, the evidence of His love is to not give us.
-
So if you now say you love someone and then you give them everything they desire,
-
even if it's bad for them, it's not an evidence of love; in fact it is the contrary.
-
That is why, yes, we must be very careful of... you used the word ‘devices’.
-
It's a reality people of God - we have to
be careful, we have to have discipline.
-
There must be standards in place.
-
Because remember what I said earlier,
that if we do not discipline our children,
-
then the world will very
quickly indoctrinate them
-
and it can happen right under
your nose in your own house,
-
just with what they are looking at
on the internet,
-
if you are not careful - you don't pay attention to their spiritual lives.
-
But what is the reason we don't often pay attention to our children's spiritual lives?
-
Because we are too overwhelmed
by our own problems.
-
We are very overwhelmed by issues here;
we are fighting fleshly battles.
-
We are harbouring resentment
left, right and centre.
-
We are fighting for position etc.
-
Our focus is diverted
and as our focus is shifted,
-
right under our nose the devil
is capturing many young people.
-
This is painful!
It’s a reality!
-
But there is hope, people of God.
-
Because light is stronger than darkness.
-
I don't say this to paint a picture of despair for the next generation.
-
There are many people God is also raising up - mighty young men and women of God
-
who are standing firm in their faith.
-
But as parents, especially,
don't just expect good morals
-
to magically appear in your children.
-
You must be prepared to pay
the price of discipline.
-
Many people today desire to enjoy the benefits of spiritual good health
-
whilst trying to avoid the pains
of spiritual discipline.
-
You cannot have one without the other.
-
So thank you very much
for that practical example.
-
Thank you for being together as a family.
-
Let’s continue. I'm enjoying this time.
-
Hello, I am Philipp with Karin and
our five children from Austria.
-
The lessons we have learned -
-
first of all, you have to have desire
for the Word of God
-
and the second was that
we have to create time
-
because we will never find the time
to read the Bible.
-
I have learned that it's very dangerous
to listen in the church
-
to the gospel that God loves us so much - even though it’s true -
-
but not to hear about being obedient and being serious with the Lord.
-
Thank you very much.
-
I'm happy to see that you are
with your kids as well.
-
You have carried your kids along,
which is very good.
-
Thank you very much for sharing those lessons from Austria. God bless you!
-
Our names are Nancy and
Joseph from Zimbabwe.
-
Thank you, Brother Chris, for the important message you shared with us.
-
I noted you said that we should always read the Word of God.
-
I have got a challenge, Brother Chris.
I need your help.
-
When it comes to reading the Word of God,
-
how do I know the particular
verses or chapters to read?
-
Because at times I just
open the Bible randomly
-
or I open verses which, maybe,
are favourable to me.
-
Please help me.
-
Thank you. I like that question!
-
That’s a good point.
We have not even touched that -
-
how specifically you go
about reading the Bible.
-
So I would say to you, sister,
that there is no formula
-
where you say, ‘Right, you should
read from A to B or from X to Z’.
-
You know, there is no formula when it comes to reading the Bible.
-
I would certainly encourage you -
look, the whole Bible is inspired
-
but I would certainly encourage you to read the New Testament,
-
in particular, the Gospels, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Epistles.
-
They are full of godly
instruction for daily life.
-
A lot of the portions in the Old Testament, while being very important to understand,
-
may focus more on the historical side.
-
I don't mean we should not read it but if you are saying I want to really pay
-
more attention to some areas, I would encourage you to read the Gospels
-
and read the Epistles from Apostle Paul, Peter and James.
-
These are very practical words.
-
Don’t just randomly open
the Bible, pick a verse
-
and say, ‘That’s okay for today;
let me sleep.’
-
But not only that - it’s not
just a matter of reading.
-
This is why we talk about these ingredients - the time, attention, desire, reverence.
-
As you read, stop and ask yourself questions.
-
What does this mean for me?
-
For example, you as husband and wife - this is a good example.
-
As husband and wife, there is no greater way to encourage unity in your marriage
-
than to spend time discussing
the Word of God together.
-
I encourage you husbands and wives connected to this program - make it a habit.
-
Whether it's a time in the morning or when you get back from work, sit down together.
-
When you open a verse and you read it, pause. What does this mean to me?
-
Ask the Holy Spirit for help.
-
Maybe you don't understand - ‘I don't understand this’. You need to go deeper.
-
Pray about it. Discuss together.
-
Maybe you need to watch a sermon from a servant of God on that particular subject.
-
As you watch, that brings understanding.
-
You go deeper. You don’t just
take it at face value.
-
You are not doing this as a tradition.
-
‘Oh, I read my chapter of the
Bible today. I can go to sleep.’
-
If you read the chapter,
did the chapter read you?
-
Did you understand it?
-
To what degree does it
influence your daily life?
-
How does it affect the way you handle day to day life, circumstances, trials and temptations?
-
That would be my encouragement to you.
-
But there’s no formula.
-
There's no shortcut - ‘Read x amount of chapters a day or read from this to there.’
-
I encourage you, of course, give your quality time to reading the Word
-
but it’s about quality rather than quantity.
-
You can read so many chapters
but if your heart is not reading it
-
and you are just speed-reading
to say that ‘I’ve read it’,
-
then of what value is it in your life?
-
This is a quote from Prophet T.B. Joshua.
-
He said, “Read the Bible slowly, attentively and repeatedly - with forgiveness.”
-
That is the path to good success that Joshua 1:8 talks about.
-
So, thank you very much for that question, madam. I appreciate that question.
-
My name is Richard. I’m from Malaysia, living in Kuala Lumpur.
-
I got a very strong encouragement here.
-
The lesson is that we cannot
depend on today’s approach
-
to deal with tomorrow’s issues.
-
That is a very deep, meaningful
and strong warning
-
for our spiritual walk in our daily lives.
-
So you said we must intensify our praying, reading the Bible
-
and building our relationship
with God in our daily lives.
-
Yes, I thank you so much for this word.
-
This is really encouraging me not to depend on yesterday’s approach, methods
-
to deal with today’s problems.
-
So to deal with today's problems,
we must have a strong connection
-
and fresh revelations from God -
by the suggestions of the Holy Spirit.
-
Thank you so much, Brother Chris,
for these instructions for us.
-
May God bless you all. Thank you.
-
Amen. Thank you very much, brother.
-
I appreciate you highlighting that point - we cannot depend on yesterday's approach
-
to solve today's problems, which is
why we need daily time with God.
-
Because the fact that we were
right with God yesterday
-
does not guarantee we are
right with God today.
-
God gives grace for each day which we must tap into through His Word, by His Spirit.
-
So that’s why, as our brother
from Jamaica said earlier,
-
we can’t just expect today's spiritual feast to sustain us for tomorrow.
-
Like today, you have heard a wonderful message. Your heart is full.
-
Your heart is ringing with
the truth of this Word.
-
But tomorrow, when you wake up, another set of challenges will confront you,
-
another set of temptations, another set of blessings, another set of issues.
-
So we must depend on
the grace of each day,
-
and that requires us to maintain that heavenly connection each and every day.
-
Thank you very much for the opportunity.
-
My name is Sialee and we are from
Tuvalu in the Central Pacific.
-
Here is my family, my children.
-
And my question is that - you encouraged us and it’s our duty in the Bible
-
that we have to teach our
children the right way.
-
So my question is - what is happening
if we are teaching our children
-
but our children are not listening or they are not following our teaching?
-
Thank you very much.
So, first of all, my brother,
-
all of us know that growing up, as we mature, especially in our teenage years,
-
every journey is going to
be a little bit different.
-
It's not that being in a Christian home means the journey is 100% smooth.
-
But what I believe with all my heart, which is what we read in that famous proverb,
-
is that when you train a child
in the ways of the Lord,
-
when they grow up, they will not depart
(Proverbs 22:6).
-
It does not mean there cannot be some missteps on the journey.
-
But they will get back on track.
-
Your role as parents - just as
I spoke to the pastor earlier -
-
if you are guiding someone in the right way
-
but they don't seem to be taking the advice, guidance or counsel, what do you do?
-
Don't be discouraged from continuing to show them the right way.
-
And if sometimes you need to shift your strategies to help, you have to do so.
-
Because at the end of the day,
we must fight for what is right.
-
Fight the good fight.
-
Don't just say, ‘Oh, well, I don't think my child is going to change. Let me just give up.’
-
We have to keep pressing in His name,
His time, His way to help our children.
-
Because the world is aggressive in its attempts to disfocus the young generation.
-
The world is very aggressive.
-
There is no shortage of things surrounding us capable of taking our attention, time, focus.
-
So we too must be aggressive.
I'm not talking about physical aggression.
-
I'm talking about determination, resolve
-
to keep laying the right foundation,
to keep showing the right path,
-
to keep engaging them in the things of God, to keep correcting them.
-
Especially when your children
are under your care as parents,
-
when they are still at the age
when they're in your home,
-
you have the voice of authority in their lives. Don't be shy of using it.
-
Don't be afraid of using the voice of authority for good, for correction, in a godly manner.
-
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we talk about application of the Word.
-
Understanding of the Word
leads to application.
-
How do we apply the
principles of God's Word
-
in a society like today,
a generation like today?
-
Sometimes our strategies are
going to have to shift.
-
There's going to have to be new ways, means and methods
-
in which we carry our
children along spiritually.
-
We can't just expect - the way you,
my father, were brought up -
-
you can't expect it to be the same
with today's generation.
-
But the Holy Spirit can give you the means, tactics and tools to use to help your children.
-
Keep pressing. Keep encouraging them. Keep praying for them.
-
There's power in prayer!
-
And even though - what you see
as some rebellion or missteps -
-
look, those principles you have
put in place, they are powerful!
-
They will stand the test of time.
-
The things of God have a way
of standing the test of time.
-
It’s the things that are built on worldly principles that can fade and fail.
-
But the things of God persist despite
the changing times and seasons.
-
So keep encouraging them
in the ways of the Lord.
-
That would be my encouragement to you.
-
But I want to thank you for being open because I think many of us connected,
-
we may have a similar question -
‘My kids, what’s going on?’
-
Look, don't be discouraged.
-
Keep pressing. Keep encouraging
them in the ways of the Lord.
-
Engage them. That's one of the
blessings if you have a local church -
-
to keep them engaged in godly activities.
-
If you don't engage your children,
there are many other activities
-
that the world will try and engage them with.
-
You have to be intentional in prioritising their spiritual well-being.
-
So that is my advice to you, brother.
But thank you for sharing that.
-
Thank you very much.
And thank you for joining from Tuvalu!
-
What a blessing to have you with us today.
-
My name is Isaac; I am from South Sudan.
-
The person next to me is
my wife, Adut Christina.
-
We have learned we need to have quality time with the Word of God.
-
Thank you so much; I will create my time.
-
Especially when I'm coming from work,
or I’m in my free time, I have to read the Bible,
-
praying that I can understand the Word.
Thank you.
-
Thank you so much, man of God.
-
When you talked about people who have a lot of time and then they are too exhausted
-
to have the Word of God,
and they read the Word of God in a hurry.
-
I think I'm one of the victims because
I always tend to rush the Word of God.
-
And today I have learned that it is not good to rush the Word of God.
-
And also, the churches that we go to -
you talked about the churches -
-
so many churches are rising and it is always important to get discernment
-
from the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit will lead us through reading the Word of the Lord.
-
And we cannot pray without reading the Bible - and I used to do that a lot.
-
Most times I pray and then I forget
to read the Bible -
-
maybe three or four days later,
I read the Bible.
-
So I have learned a lot today
in regard to that. Thank you.
-
I'm Tanya. This is my husband Merrick.
-
Our sons Asa and Othniel
are in the backseat.
-
We were driving but we parked to join this service and we are from Jamaica.
-
We live in Jamaica.
-
Alright, so, I'm going to be very transparent.
-
I just want to thank the Holy Spirit for using you to stir something in us today -
-
in myself and my family, because
we are stalwart Christians.
-
But sometimes, with the challenges of life,
-
it’s as if we have to pick and choose to say, ‘Today, we serve God; we read the Bible’.
-
But the Holy Spirit used you to stir something in us today to say,
-
‘Listen, obedience is absolute,
so you have to make time for Me.
-
Just as I make time to lend you My breath, you have to make time -
-
that's your recompense to Me.
You have to make time for Me.’
-
So I’m grateful. You know, many of
us come with our prayers,
-
and we came with our prayer request.
-
However, the message that God has used you to send out to us today,
-
I'm telling you that it has reignited a flame in my life personally as an evangelist.
-
Sometimes things happen
in our lives, in the church
-
and we take our gaze off Christ and place it on the problem instead of the Problem Solver.
-
So I just want to thank the Lord for using you, Brother Chris, today.
-
We are thanking God for the Word
because praying is good
-
but we have to pray the Scripture.
-
We need the Scripture to fortify our minds
so that we can be like Christ.
-
God has used you to ignite the flame.
It's as if we were baptised anew.
-
‘Listen, fix your gaze on Me. Problems are temporary. I am for eternity.
-
And if you're going to be like Me,
you have to fix your gaze on Me.’
-
So I bless the Lord for that.
-
Wow. Thank you very much.
-
We appreciate you sharing this.
-
Just as our sister said - that's the
power of the Word of God.
-
The Word of God shifts our attention off
the problem to the Problem Solver.
-
And ultimately we know, no matter the nature of the problem before us,
-
the fundamental solution lies in God
through His Word, by His Spirit.
-
So if this word today helps us
to shift our attention back to God,
-
that is the right place where
our attention needs to be given.
-
So thank you very much.
-
My name is Edith from the UK.
-
So my question is - Brother Chris, you talked about churches that are feeding us junk food.
-
So this has been a big struggle to me.
-
It's been about maybe a month now I haven't been to church because of these issues.
-
So my question is, if you find yourself in that position in a church
-
where they're feeding you junk food,
-
do you still have to go to the church
or do you have to leave?
-
Thank you for being direct, sister.
-
Look, there needs to be discernment.
-
Because at the end of the day, church is not about the physical structure.
-
“Christ in us, the hope of glory” is what real church is all about (Colossians 1:27).
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Because at the end of the day, going to church is not a social gathering.
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We're not going to church
for physical reasons.
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We're not going there for friendship. We're not going there to make natural connections.
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Those things may happen.
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You can make wonderful
friendships in church.
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You can have great times with
people of God at church.
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But that's not the main reason we are going.
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You don't go to church for your social life.
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You are to go to church
to enrich you spiritually.
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It’s to build you up spiritually,
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to engage you in something that will enhance your relationship with God.
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So if you're going somewhere and you are not enjoying that spiritual dividend,
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then you need to look at where you are going.
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So ultimately attending church
is a thing of God.
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Because I think it's important
to remember this.
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On the last day, the question Jesus will ask is not ‘Which denomination did you attend?
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Which membership are you part of?’
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The question is, ‘Do you worship
in spirit and in truth?’
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Going to church is not the evidence
that you are a Christian.
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It’s the life you live.
It’s the fruit you bear.
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Don’t think that church attendance is the key to a godly Christian lifestyle.
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It’s a blessing. It’s good!
I encourage it.
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Go to church. Get involved with your church!
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But don't go there just for ticking a box - ‘It’s tradition that on Sunday we go.’
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No! If you are to go, it’s to go for a
spiritual purpose - to build you up.
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So I hope you understand what
I'm saying to you, sister.
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It may not be easy but keep pressing.
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God will direct you to the right place.
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God will direct you to a place
that will feed you spiritually.
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So keep pressing. Don’t be discouraged.