Growing in the Midst of Opposition: The Kingdom Way

00;00;04;14 – 00;00;26;21
Unknown
Yeah. Celine and I got back. Let’s see. Just, not quite three weeks ago from our second trip to Greece and Croatia. And I just want to thank the Lord you guys sent us, and we could not go. We certainly could not have any of the impact that is occurring. If you didn’t send us the authority that goes with you.

00;00;26;24 – 00;00;51;20
Unknown
When the body of Christ sends you is immeasurable. It just doesn’t happen with a degree of success, as this has found. And we we we just got back, like I said, and and so I have, a mandate from the different churches we visited and that is to greet our sister church in Miwok village. So, Pastor Paul and Mary Demetrius of the Apostolic Church of Thessaloniki.

00;00;51;22 – 00;01;11;05
Unknown
They send their greetings to you as well as their sons, Yannis and Peter and Bora. That’s the church that Joe and Liz Jones are part of their leadership team. See, Paul, I did it. I greet them for you. Okay? So. So he wanted to make sure to extend his greeting and gratitude for, We went. We were there.

00;01;11;08 – 00;01;25;06
Unknown
We specifically went to Croatia because pastor pastor K, our good friend, passed away this last, last June. And, she that that church is such a parallel to word of life.

00;01;25;08 – 00;01;53;12
Unknown
You know, the church 34 years afterwards, she passes away and and turns it over, passes the baton to her associate pastor, who is in his mid or early 50s, 19 or 2003, Pastor Jacqueline Tom. She found this church passes it on after 34 years to her associate pastor. This one was his early 50s. But I mean so many, so many similarities.

00;01;53;12 – 00;02;18;01
Unknown
God clearly placed it upon our heart to be there for them to lift up their hands to, to encourage him, to confirm them. And pastor, that is love. Pastor. Pastor Marianna, we say hi to you and I bring greetings to Word of Life fellowship from Maranatha Church in Split, Croatia. We had a great time with them and I just I’ve got a lot of more detail to talk to you about.

00;02;18;03 – 00;02;46;18
Unknown
But while we were in Greece, we just had a great time, meeting several people. We got a chance to meet, Pastor Karen Wheaton from the ramp ministry and out of Alabama. Karen, we love you. We got to get you to Miwok Village. Yeah. Yeah. I also have another announcement, on this, November the 4th, we are going to launch a team to Nairobi, Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.

00;02;46;20 – 00;02;56;11
Unknown
Kenya, and do the first voice of God in Africa.

00;02;56;13 – 00;03;37;22
Unknown
The team will consist of Apostle Celina, myself and Prophet Jero by Taxco and his lovely wife, Prophet Michelle. And the four of us are going and we are excited about it. And so we’ve been on the phone with the pastors there, and I know that a lot of the people in Nairobi are watching our services. So for that sake, I want to announce that on the weekend of the 7th of November at Life Point Church in South, be the southern, suburb of Nairobi proper, at Life Point Church, we will be conducting Voice of God, Kenya.

00;03;37;22 – 00;04;00;29
Unknown
So if you’re in the area of that, you know that, town you guys and Kitts Angella Bishop and go, you guys need to be there. It’s going to be very important. And bring your son Joseph with you. Also the following weekend, we’ll be on the north side of Nairobi in a town called me. Get it right, Ruggiero at Gospel Outreach Church.

00;04;01;06 – 00;04;20;13
Unknown
And you’ve met the pastor, Apostle Apollos. And his last name is Githinji. And his lovely wife, Susan. They’re the pastors and founders there. So all you folks there, all over, pastor, all over. Bring your leadership team, the voice of God. And what are you on the weekend of November the 14th? All right. So I’ve I’ve said my.

00;04;20;16 – 00;04;33;14
Unknown
All right, you guys. Thank you. Okay. I am excited to have a a part in this series. The kingdom way. Yeah.

00;04;33;17 – 00;04;55;02
Unknown
The kingdom way. I was I’ve been watching these. I watched, I watched last week because we were at, we were with, with Pastor Ernie and Sandy Tasca last Sunday, and, they send their greetings. We had a really good time. And and they they thank you for sending us, but I got to watch Pastor David’s message.

00;04;55;02 – 00;05;19;16
Unknown
It was excellent. I love specifically his quote. He said he said, we start by grace. We walk by grace. We finish by grace. That’s kingdom I love that. You know, we we understand this from what we’ve been taught. Ephesians chapter two. For by grace are you saved? Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are not our own workmanship.

00;05;19;16 – 00;05;55;01
Unknown
We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, not works to earn your salvation. Works to manifest the life of Jesus that we got in our salvation. Another verse. Oh. Choose me. I can’t lose that. That has got to be around today. Here we go. First Corinthians 1510. Whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his grace on me and not without results.

00;05;55;01 – 00;06;25;13
Unknown
Yea, grace has results when he pours his life into us by grace something starts coming out. The life simply has to come out. He goes on to say, not without results, for I have worked harder than any of the other apostles. Yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. I love that we start by grace.

00;06;25;13 – 00;06;52;08
Unknown
We walk by grace. We finish with grace. Pastor John great, those first two message of this series. Powerful. I love that that the declaration of freedom that you gave was really good. He said the kingdom, the gospel of the kingdom is all about how you build what God has given to us, how you manifest, what God has placed in us.

00;06;52;11 – 00;07;19;05
Unknown
He says we are to arise, to align, and this becomes possible. The moment you are water baptized, we’re saved. We’re born again of the spirit in the water. And when we come up out of those waters of baptism, we are free not just to perceive, but to enter into all, all of the authority and the power of the Kingdom of God.

00;07;19;07 – 00;07;23;15
Unknown
And we’re not just talking about heaven.

00;07;23;17 – 00;07;33;20
Unknown
The kingdom of God is speaking of more than heaven. You know, Jesus said, you speaking to those that followed him, believers. You said

00;07;36;04 – 00;07;38;18
Unknown
the kingdom of God is within you.

00;07;38;18 – 00;07;42;21
Unknown
If you got your hands up, that means the Kingdom of God is within you.

00;07;42;21 – 00;08;07;14
Unknown
the kingdom of God has to be has to have boundaries larger than heaven. Jonathan said, the kingdom is where Jesus is King with supreme authority and dominion. That’s not just in heaven today. It’s in the lives of most of the people I’m looking at right here. So the kingdom of God is here on the earth?

00;08;07;18 – 00;08;22;05
Unknown
Yes. There’s a a full, full measure of the kingdom where every knee will bow and every tongue confess that is coming to this earth. When Jesus comes back to the earth, but the kingdom of God and His power and authority is here now.

00;08;22;05 – 00;08;40;29
Unknown
full measure of the kingdom where every knee will bow and every tongue confess that is coming to this earth. When Jesus comes back to the earth, but the kingdom of God and His power and authority is here now. And, Jonathan, I thought you really hammered that well, but that nail all the way down, that was awesome.

00;08;41;02 – 00;09;01;13
Unknown
So today I’m going to be teaching another segment of this, this kingdom where mine is called growing in the midst of opposition. The Kingdom way. It’s not just growing in the sunshine, just not just growing when everything’s great.

00;09;01;15 – 00;09;45;07
Unknown
But the kingdom was growing in the midst of opposition. And that may sound like this. Ooh, that’s the bad news. No no no no no no. That’s why I’m going to start off this message with this declaration from the apostle John in the book of Revelation. He says revelations 1526. This is in the Passion translation. Now to the one who constantly loves us, unconditional, constantly loves us, and has loosed us from our sins by his blood, and to the one who has appointed us as a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father, to him be all glory, dominion throughout the eternity of the eternities.

00;09;45;10 – 00;10;17;01
Unknown
Jesus is all about his kingdom and his kingdom way. And this scripture, written 2000 years ago, was talking about then. And it’s talking about now, not just some time in eternity, but today we are called to be a members of the Kingdom, servants of God in his kingdom, right here in Miwok village, right here in California. Just so let’s read the assignment scripture.

00;10;17;04 – 00;10;35;14
Unknown
Let’s read the Scripture that is the text of this. We’re talking about Matthew 13, verse 24 through 30. And I’m going to read also the explanation of that. You can follow along. You can read on your phone. Just don’t look at Facebook on your phone.

00;10;35;17 – 00;11;17;15
Unknown
Another parable Jesus spoke forth to them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came. And so tares among the wheat and went his way. And this, this parable is full of amazing detail. It’s telling us that in God’s field the enemy has access and sows weeds.

00;11;17;17 – 00;11;44;11
Unknown
And it’s not God’s fault. You know, if people love to blame God when something doesn’t appear, just God, how can you let that happen? That’s he goes into that. While men slept, the enemy came so tares among the wheat and went on his way. Verse 26 but when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.

00;11;44;14 – 00;12;09;11
Unknown
So the servants of the owner came to him and said to him, listen to the attitude, sir, did you not so with good seed in your field. How then could there be tares blaming God? Here we go again. He said to them, an enemy has done this. Wait a minute. I thought God had control over everything.

00;12;09;13 – 00;12;34;25
Unknown
An enemy has done this. Then the servant said they, the crusader came upon them. You know the the one who’s going to bring vengeance and right all the wrongs says, do you want us then to go and gather them all up? Shoot them all. Let God sort them out. He said no less. While you gather up the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them.

00;12;34;27 – 00;13;05;19
Unknown
God has valid reason why he does and doesn’t do things. He says, let both grow together until harvest, and at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers first gather together the tares. The weeds bind them in bundles to burn them. But gather my wheat into the barn. Don’t forget, we read the end of the book and we win.

00;13;05;22 – 00;13;35;05
Unknown
Let’s read the explanation. Moving over in chapter. Same chapter verse 37 343, Jesus answered and said to them, he who sows the good seed is the Son of man. Jesus said, the field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. Let me see the hands of all those who are saved and born again. That’s you.

00;13;35;07 – 00;13;39;20
Unknown
You’re the good seed.

00;13;39;22 – 00;14;05;24
Unknown
The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. But the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sold them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age. And the reapers are the angels. Therefore, as a tares are gathered in burning the fire. So it will be at the end of the age.

00;14;06;00 – 00;14;33;08
Unknown
The Son of Man will send out his angels. They will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend all those who practice lawlessness. And he will cast them into a furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Verse 43. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. Amen.

00;14;33;11 – 00;15;04;00
Unknown
I like the way this one ends. He who has an ear, let him hear. All right, so begin before we jump right in, I want to see the outcome. The harvest is the end of the age, not heaven. And that throw off. There’s an awful lot of Christians in their doctrines that use this parable to describe getting saved and going to heaven, but the harvest is the end of the age.

00;15;04;03 – 00;15;35;23
Unknown
The wheat is gathered into his barn. The righteous will shine forth as the sun, and the ripe and holy lives will mature. I want you to hear that. The ripe and holy lives, they will mature and adorn the kingdom of their father. The whole point of the seed was to grow and mature. You don’t harvest until it’s ripe.

00;15;35;26 – 00;16;08;24
Unknown
Ephesians four, verse 13. Paul defines what a ripe and holy, complete, fully furnished, mature person is. He call him a perfect man, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. This parable is not about dying and going to heaven and hoping you’re good enough seed to go into his barn and not be burned up. That’s not what this parable is about.

00;16;08;27 – 00;16;43;25
Unknown
This parable is about being born again and being kingdom people, living kingdom principles. The kingdom way, kingdom principles and being, let me say, Kingdom principles in this world. A world full of weeds planted by a devil but remaining faithful until the harvest. This is about kingdom people remaining faithful until the harvest.

00;16;43;28 – 00;17;15;07
Unknown
This parable is about growing to maturity in the midst of opposition. So let’s define the word grow. Let’s get some some definitions here. Grow means to become larger, stronger, more mature. A tiny seed grows into a leafy plant or a giant tree. Babies grow right. Here’s our baby. He’s already grown, isn’t he? Holy smokes, that kid is so long.

00;17;15;09 – 00;17;46;09
Unknown
Babies grow and become adults. The verb grow describes something being greater than it once was. I love what what, What was his name? You’ll remember the name, but he said, God so loves you, that he’ll take you just the way you come. Max Lucado. Thank you. He loves you just the way you are. But he loves you too much to let you stay that way.

00;17;46;12 – 00;18;00;17
Unknown
The whole point of Christianity is to come as seed, but grow, change, be stronger, bigger, better, greater, more mature. That’s the whole point.

00;18;00;19 – 00;18;38;10
Unknown
Synonyms are to advance, to develop, to flourish, to increase, to thrive, to mature. That’s what growing is all about. Opposition is defined as something that goes against or disagrees with something or someone else. It means resistance. We’re going to grow in the midst of resistance. Grow in the midst of hostility, struggle, conflict, contention, and disapproval. That’s the venue.

00;18;38;10 – 00;19;32;08
Unknown
That’s the arena in which we are called to grow. Growing is a standard and inherent part of life. In fact, many people define life because it can grow. All forms of life involve growing from the seed stage to the maturity stage. What’s really cool about life? You don’t have to make life grow. It grows all by itself. If it’s given the right environment, if it’s given the right atmosphere, and it’s the same with human life, with supernatural kingdom life, the illustration remains true.

00;19;32;10 – 00;20;08;14
Unknown
First Peter 123 says, we are born again with an incorruptible seed, good seed. But we start as seed. We didn’t start our Born-Again experience when we were born. We started when we were born. Born again. I’m just saying, if you’re awake out there, we start with being born again. Okay, good, good. I got you all right. Second Peter one verse three through five says, we’re given everything we need for life and godliness to go from seed to maturity.

00;20;08;17 – 00;20;16;12
Unknown
It’s in the seed that nature is inherent in the seed.

00;20;16;15 – 00;20;21;27
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First Corinthians three, verse six and seven. Paul says that some plow, some

00;20;21;27 – 00;20;32;14
Unknown
Paul says that some plow, some plant some water, but God causes it to grow. Who causes it to grow? Right?

00;20;32;14 – 00;20;43;07
Unknown
so we don’t have to make it grow. We have to let it grow. We don’t have to make it grow.

00;20;43;08 – 00;21;07;20
Unknown
We’ll let it grow. We don’t make things grow. God does that. But we have the power and the responsibility to encourage the growth or discourage the growth by creating the proper environment for that seed, that life to grow.

00;21;07;20 – 00;21;19;05

00;21;19;05 – 00;21;20;26
Unknown
That’s the venue.

00;21;20;26 – 00;22;14;24
Unknown
That’s the arena in which we are called to grow. Growing is a standard and inherent part of life. In fact, many people define life because it can grow. All forms of life involve growing from the seed stage to the maturity stage. What’s really cool about life? You don’t have to make life grow. It grows all by itself. If it’s given the right environment, if it’s given the right atmosphere, and it’s the same with human life, with supernatural kingdom life, the illustration remains true.

00;22;14;26 – 00;22;51;00
Unknown
First Peter 123 says, we are born again with an incorruptible seed, good seed. But we start as seed. We didn’t start our Born-Again experience when we were born. We started when we were born. Born again. I’m just saying, if you’re awake out there, we start with being born again. Okay, good, good. I got you all right. Second Peter one verse three through five says, we’re given everything we need for life and godliness to go from seed to maturity.

00;22;51;03 – 00;22;58;28
Unknown
It’s in the seed that nature is inherent in the seed.

00;22;59;01 – 00;23;31;15
Unknown
First Corinthians three, verse six and seven. Paul says that some plow, some plant some water, but God causes it to grow. Who causes it to grow? Right? Who causes it to grow? Good. So far, you’re passing the test so we don’t have to make it grow. We have to let it grow. We don’t have to make it grow.

00;23;31;16 – 00;24;17;04
Unknown
We’ll let it grow. We don’t make things grow. God does that. But we have the power and the responsibility to encourage the growth or discourage the growth by creating the proper environment for that seed, that life to grow. Second, Peter reading verse five through ten, I’m going to read it just to paraphrase. He goes on to challenge us to give all diligence, to make every effort to add to our faith virtue, our virtue, knowledge, so forth and so on to make our calling an election.

00;24;17;06 – 00;24;53;27
Unknown
Sure. It’s really important to understand we aren’t giving diligence and effort to make it grow. We’re giving diligence, effort to build an atmosphere and environment so the seed can and will grow naturally. Second Peter, verse one. Chapter one reading verse eight through 11. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

00;24;53;29 – 00;25;15;15
Unknown
But those who fail to develop in this way, they’re short sighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sin. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove you didn’t say. Work hard to earn.

00;25;15;18 – 00;25;45;29
Unknown
Proving is a manifesting of what’s in you. It doesn’t say work hard to earn your calling an election? Sure. There’s nothing you can do to earn it. Period. But it is our job to work hard to prove it. And we got to work hard because we’re in a field full of weeds. Opposition, resistance. He goes on to say.

00;25;46;01 – 00;26;13;10
Unknown
Work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen sons of the kingdom. Good seed. Work hard to prove that. Do these things and you will never fall away. Anybody want to not fall away? Is that a good thing to not do? We’ve been given a formula. You don’t want to fall away. Do this.

00;26;13;12 – 00;26;34;16
Unknown
Why don’t we do that more? We keep falling away and say. Lord, help me from falling away. He going. All you had to do was the recipe here. All you had to do was get up. Work hard and improve the good. See that you are. So get off your phone and get.

00;26;34;19 – 00;27;06;28
Unknown
He said do these things and you’ll never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the kingdom. Eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That’s what I want. That’s what I want. Every form of life has an optimal environment for growth. That’s why you have pine trees outside, but not in Oakdale. That’s why you have race down in the valley and not at the top of the pass.

00;27;07;00 – 00;27;34;16
Unknown
That’s why you have mangoes in Uganda and you have apples in Shiloh. Every life form has an optimal environment for growth. If and when we if we alter that environment and by any means deprive those, those important elements of that environment, we will hinder the growth. We can stop the growth. We can kill the life.

00;27;34;18 – 00;27;52;09
Unknown
Back. Get a couple pictures. Go ahead and show the first one. This is what happens in the Midwest when they have a drought. You see it? Oh, I don’t get to see it up there. Oh, yeah. There it is. That’s what wheat looks like when it doesn’t get enough water. It’s planted in Nebraska. It’s got all the right of everything else.

00;27;52;15 – 00;28;21;15
Unknown
All you have to do is deprived of enough water, and that’s what you get. But if you provide the water, everything else you get, you get that. But that’s not ready for harvest. But it’s gorgeous, isn’t it? Look at the life. Just thriving. And if you wait and let full ripening and maturing occur, you get harvestable wheat. That’s what it’s supposed to be.

00;28;21;17 – 00;28;54;28
Unknown
And the key to each of those pictures was the environment. The atmosphere that God provided in the natural and in nature. But man has to provide sometimes. The next picture shows an opportunity. This is more like the kingdom in the middle of a field full of weeds. We get to grow. We get to control. We get to create an atmosphere where growth can be its fullest and.

00;28;55;01 – 00;29;08;01
Unknown
So if we want to provide and maintain the optimal environment, we got to find what that optimal environment is. How do you determine that?

00;29;08;04 – 00;29;33;23
Unknown
That’s probably one of the most debated questions on the planet amongst humans for the last several thousand years. What’s the right way for men and women to live? But, you know, I’m a I’m always been a big I was in manufacturing for many years when I had a question about the blueprint. I love the idea, being able to go back to the designer and ask the designer, why did you do it this way?

00;29;33;23 – 00;30;01;28
Unknown
And here’s a why. Because it’s this way or that way. We have access to the designer. We can go to the creator and ask him, what is the optimum environment for us to live? And you know, long before we asked thousands of years ago, he created, provided and has kept. Now in written form. And it’s on your phone in three different versions, or maybe 20.

00;30;02;00 – 00;30;40;16
Unknown
It’s called the The Bible. It’s the manual for the human machine. When you follow the manuals, instructions, you live, the life just comes out of you. You don’t have to make it grow. You are letting it grow. The Word of God has everything we need and provides instructions to everybody who will ask, everybody who will look in every level of detail you need.

00;30;40;18 – 00;31;10;14
Unknown
So are you amongst those that are intimidated by the book? God provided teachers for you. Do you want a place in which to have the teachers teach you? God provided schools for you. Churches for you. Apostles, prophets. Evangelists. Pastors and teachers. Also, we can learn how to create the optimal environment for the seed, the good seed that he gave us.

00;31;10;17 – 00;31;37;10
Unknown
Furthermore, like I said earlier, the Lord has provided everything you need within you to have the aptitude to learn it. Some people say, well, man, I just I want to get the Bible. I mean, I’m not a student, I don’t. No, no, no. If you’re born again, you have the ability to know the debility, to have the desire to please him and the power to please him.

00;31;37;14 – 00;31;58;13
Unknown
He gave it to you. I got good news for you. He said, come to me. I’m going to make your yoke easy. I’m going to make your burden light. When you’re born again, you have that new nature. I’m here to tell you that the yoke is a lot easier. The burden is a lot lighter.

00;31;58;15 – 00;32;17;29
Unknown
But it’s still a yoke, and it’s still a burden. He’s made it light. He’s made it easy. But we still have a responsibility to build an atmosphere for this life to come out.

00;32;18;02 – 00;32;42;17
Unknown
Now we have a choice. We get to do what we like to do. Roll the dice. See how it works for you. Are we going to follow the manual? Provide that optimum environment. Pleasing the father. Growing to maturity. Ripe all the way to harvest.

00;32;42;20 – 00;33;03;20
Unknown
I have been young and now I am old. And the more I follow the manual, the more I experience the benefits. The more I wish I have followed it sooner and the more I wish I had my teens back. Who will leave that there?

00;33;03;22 – 00;33;15;14
Unknown
The more I want to follow the manual. Again, this whole parable is not about going to heaven.

00;33;15;16 – 00;33;27;25
Unknown
It’s about being like Jesus. It’s about kingdom people remaining faithful until the harvest. Even in a field of weeds.

00;33;27;28 – 00;33;59;20
Unknown
So then the question is, ask a burden. Whom yoke? Whom what? Why bother putting up the effort of growing in, particularly in the face of obstacles? Well, you know, I can’t answer that question for you. I can’t tell you why you should, but I’ll tell you why I’m doing it. Because I spent my first 20 years not doing it, and I like the results of the last 53.

00;33;59;20 – 00;34;12;15
Unknown
A lot better. I’m doing it because first and foremost, I. I want to be like Jesus. I’m tired of doing it my way. It doesn’t work that good.

00;34;12;18 – 00;34;37;26
Unknown
Like Paul said, that I might know him in the power of his resurrection. That’s literally available to me on this side of eternity. The power of his resurrection to walk in victory. I can do that now. I want to please the father. I, I don’t want to have to wait to the end. I want to know that I’m pleasing him now.

00;34;37;28 – 00;35;01;12
Unknown
I’ll. I’ll be honest. I am very much looking forward. The Lord’s saying. Well done, Pat, my good and faithful son and servant. I want that, but you know I want that now. Am I being selfish because I want God’s approval? I think it’s a healthy attitude. Why am I doing it? Because I find out the Bible that I have a destiny.

00;35;01;14 – 00;35;31;03
Unknown
Oh, you do too. I’m not just talking about my prophecies. I’m talking about what the Word of God says to you. That you can walk in victory today. We have a destiny to fulfill. I want to fulfill it. I want there’s going to be a people who walk this out in the field of weeds and going to be alive and remain when he comes back, and they’re going to put Satan and sin and hell and death under their feet.

00;35;31;06 – 00;35;54;26
Unknown
And I want to be a part of that. I don’t have to be in front. I don’t have to lead. I’ll keep bringing the baggage up back. I just want to be a part of that. People that put Satan under our feet. I want the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. If Paul can say this one thing I do.

00;35;54;28 – 00;36;26;24
Unknown
Me too. Sign me up. Most important. I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Paul said that this is the only achievement worth giving your entire life for. It’s the only, in my opinion, it’s the only adventure in life. It’s the only one that gives satisfaction and rewards beyond this life.

00;36;26;26 – 00;36;44;28
Unknown
Then a lot of water skiing done, a lot of snow skiing. There are a lot of hang gliding and all that stuff. Let me tell you, that’s not going to satisfy on that side. It’s not satisfying that much now. I want to be like Jesus.

00;36;45;01 – 00;36;53;06
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Growing to be like Jesus is the ultimate adventure and the only one worth giving your life for.

00;36;53;08 – 00;37;30;11
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We start, we walk, we finish by grace. But we have to choose to stay in that grace, lest we take his grace in vain. We must choose to create, maintain, and live in that environment. Titus two, verse 11 through 14 for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. No specialties, no favoritism. He died for the whole world.

00;37;30;19 – 00;37;56;28
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That grace of God appeared to all men. That grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who himself he gave himself for us, that we might that he might redeem us.

00;37;57;01 – 00;38;27;26
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We don’t redeem us. He redeems us from every lawless deed and purifies for himself his own special people. I want to be a part of that. Special people who are zealous of good works, not works to earn, works to manifest, works to prove. The second half of that question, why bother going through the effort to do it in opposition?

00;38;28;02 – 00;38;35;04
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To grow in the midst of opposition? Well, frankly.

00;38;35;06 – 00;38;38;25
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It’s really the only way you’re going to grow.

00;38;38;27 – 00;39;14;04
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Ask any athlete. They’ll tell you. The only way muscle tissue grows is by strain, by resistance, by opposition. Then the fibers in the microscopic level, they tear just a little bit. There’s healing, and the muscle grows, grows bigger, grows stronger, grows greater endurance. But it doesn’t happen without struggle. Second Corinthians 410 through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus.

00;39;14;11 – 00;39;26;18
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Why? Well I suffered. Is a boasting point. This is not some sort of religious initiation. Right to glory.

00;39;26;20 – 00;39;35;06
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It’s so that the life of Jesus can be seen, manifested, proved in your life.

00;39;35;08 – 00;40;17;16
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Baby birds must break through the shell of their egg to come into this world. Butterflies must, must scrape and carve their way out of the cocoon, and the struggle of their escape produces a strength that allows them to fly without the struggle. They don’t have the strength. They never fly. They won’t last long. Second Corinthians 417 says, we see our difficulties as the substance of that produces for us is eternal weight of glory.

00;40;17;19 – 00;40;27;13
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It’s the stuff that produces the glory. You want the glory. You’re going to have to go through the stuff.

00;40;27;15 – 00;41;01;28
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Second Peter to me. First Peter 413. Peter’s talking to them, encouraging them about the trials they’re going through. He says, be very glad. Frankly, that would not have been the answer I would have wanted to hear. I’m going through troubles. Be happy. Really? But he knew better. He said, be very glad. These trials make you. They make you partners with Christ in his suffering.

00;41;02;01 – 00;41;17;26
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I’ve always just focused on being partners with Christ in this. You know. No, no, the trials make me. Going through the trials makes me who I am. Stronger, more resilient, more capable.

00;41;17;28 – 00;41;45;21
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It’s only by resistance and opposition that our souls grow. Oswald Chambers said the strain of life is what builds our strength. If there’s no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty and joy or happiness? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain.

00;41;45;23 – 00;42;00;11
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In essence, that’s what the writers of the Declaration of Independence said. You want life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. You’ve got to commit your lives, your fortune, your sacred honor.

00;42;00;13 – 00;42;29;13
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Once you face the strain, you will get the strength. Athletes don’t cower from practice and from training because they know the value of practice and training. The more you work on the field Monday through Thursday, the better you perform on the field. Friday. That’s football. Whatever. However your schedule is for your sport. You want it. You got to work for it.

00;42;29;15 – 00;42;49;05
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I’m not denying grace. Are you kidding? It is all through grace. We cannot do anything without grace. It’s by grace we receive the Holy Spirit, the power by which we do anything for him. But it’s still something we have to do.

00;42;49;08 – 00;43;24;15
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Strange struggles. Suffering. Opposition. These things are not some sort of initiation, right? No. They are the substance that produces the glory in us. Why grow? Why grow in the midst of opposition? That’s where we are. And that’s the way it works. That’s the kingdom way. The enemy plants weeds. The kingdom people remain faithful until the harvest. In conclusion, let me add a little more expansion on a comment I made at the beginning.

00;43;24;17 – 00;43;38;12
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Matthew 13 verse 28 says, Jesus said to them, an enemy has done this. The servant said to him, do you want us to go and gather them up? The Crusaders, right. You know.

00;43;38;14 – 00;44;13;26
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Yeah, we laugh, but we tend to do that, don’t we? We tend to get distracted by injustice and unfairness. Our response to distraction varies. Some people rise to be the crusader. We’re going to stop that. We’re going to prevent all wrong. Some people say there’s injustice and unfairness. After all that I do, there’s still injustice. What’s the use?

00;44;13;28 – 00;44;21;17
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Why try anymore?

00;44;21;19 – 00;44;53;25
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We must stay true to our assignment as good seed. To continue to grow. That’s our job. That’s our assignment. We must focus on growing and let the Reapers sort out the weeds. That’s what it says. Now, I’m not diminishing justice. On the contrary. No, no, no. Justice is a key part of your nature of righteousness. It is one of the.

00;44;53;26 – 00;45;21;00
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It’s the first of the three things that Micah said when the Lord answered him. He said, how shall I live my life? I showed you, oh, man, what is good and what I require of you. Live justly. Justice is huge. It’s a huge component of our nature and our lifestyle. We absolutely must be known as a people of justice.

00;45;21;02 – 00;45;25;12
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Is that clear?

00;45;25;14 – 00;45;55;28
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Oswald Chambers did a remarkable job at balancing this conflicting perspective. He says, never look for justice in the world, but never cease to give it. And in other time, he says, never demand it from the world, but never miss an opportunity to give it.

00;45;56;01 – 00;46;24;03
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The weeds aren’t going to be taken out entirely until the end of the age. I think that may be what Jesus said as a lady poured a vial of perfume on his feet. A vial of perfume that was that cost her one year’s salary. That’s what the value of that thing was one year salary. That didn’t look smart, that didn’t look consistent with feeding the poor and helping the hungry.

00;46;24;05 – 00;46;50;03
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They gave Jesus a bad time. Then he said, the poor you have with you always. The solution to poverty and all these things. We have a job to play today, to show what’s right, to do what’s right. But the solution isn’t going to happen entirely until Jesus comes back and plants his feet on this planet and puts everything under his feet.

00;46;50;10 – 00;46;56;15
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And who are his feet? You are.

00;46;56;18 – 00;47;31;28
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We must be true to our job and let the harvesters sort it out. Another, another. Oswald Chambers quote. He said, we are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do. We cannot save ourselves. God does that. Anybody disagree with that safe statement? Yeah, but God will not do what we can and should do.

00;47;32;00 – 00;47;58;02
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We cannot save ourselves. God does that. But God will not give us good habits. He will not give us good character. He will not force us to walk correctly before him. He gives us the aptitude. He gives us the power. But we have to do it ourselves. We have to do that ourselves. We must work out our own salvation, which God has worked in us.

00;47;58;05 – 00;48;25;01
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So, in the long and short of this, as I close. It appears to me that God is saying, excuse me, Pat. I’ll take care of the tares. I need you to focus on growing. I need you to focus on creating and living an environment, a right environment where the life can readily flow. Excuse me. Pat, I’ll take care of the weeds.

00;48;25;03 – 00;48;35;10
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I need you to focus on being like Jesus. Question. Can we. Can I stay in my lane?

00;48;35;13 – 00;48;42;01
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Can I can I rightly identify what my lane is and stay in it?

00;48;42;03 – 00;49;07;23
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With the book I can. With your help, I can, because God is saying I’ll take care of the tares. You focus on being like Jesus. The enemy plants weeds, but the kingdom people remain faithful until the harvest.

00;49;07;26 – 00;49;50;02
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Amen. I hope, Pat earned a fan club today. Yeah, that was so good. Apostle Pat. Thank you. I want to invite a man up front, real quick. That really epitomizes this message. So, Kim Blackmore, are you here? Yeah. Ken, come on. Forward. He, He doesn’t know I’m doing this for him. So this is not what he wants, but, I think you’ll all want to stand and give him a round of applause.

00;49;50;04 – 00;50;12;12
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This is, a man that I really love. You know, he’s gone through a tough time here. His dad just died, and, he’s going to be moving across the country to take care of his mom. Now. But.

00;50;12;15 – 00;50;42;20
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This this is a guy that, has been an usher. You know, I want him probably the most faithful usher. He has been doing cleanup for, I don’t know how many years, and he pretty much does everybody’s cleanup. Every Sunday, he, stays after and helps us, take care of this property. He’s been, he he took on a role as a baseball umpire and started running the umpires for the league.

00;50;42;26 – 00;51;18;13
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A job that nobody wants to really do. He took on running, soccer referees, for, I don’t know, he was with us for seven years, something like that. And you guys have no idea. That this guy gives just about every Saturday to our community and to our church. And.

00;51;18;15 – 00;51;50;03
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So, that’s something we love. You can. We want to pray. We’re going to miss you. We’re grateful that you carry that kingdom message. And are willing to do what is needed. Though it’s maybe never what you always wanted. And so we love you. Father, I thank you for this man. I thank you for the example that he has.

00;51;50;04 – 00;52;21;13
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And, Lord, the weight that he has carried, so that we can serve and do what is needed in this hour to bless families, to bless this community, God to now, as he goes to take care of his family, we pray. Blessing. We pray for strength and joy. Father God, just let this be a season of your blessing in his life as we love him and send him with our our, backing.

00;52;21;13 – 00;52;35;00
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And Lord, the the grace that you have poured out unto us. So in the name of Jesus, we thank you for him. Amen. Amen.

00;52;35;03 – 00;53;08;15
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So. Yeah. Yeah. Amen. So can father says. Well done, son, in this place. But I’m sending you. You’re not just going because you think you need to do something. Father says I’m sending you, and I’m going to give you more strength. I’m going to give you more ability. I’m going to open more doors to you, to walk through and to carry on what I have already given you to do.

00;53;08;17 – 00;53;35;22
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You’ve carried it well here. It’s not done. There’s more work to be done. But God says I will help you. I will strengthen you. I’m going to provide for you. You’re carrying my kingdom. You’re carrying the message that you’ve been received here. You’re carrying it there. Pour it out freely. Freely. You have. Receive freely. Give. So be open.

00;53;35;22 – 00;54;03;18
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Be ready. There’s. Don’t let the enemy tell you that you’re not there. It’s in you. And you have the ability. You have the power to change lives where you’re going. You’ve done it here. Continue on, my son. Thank you. Father says thank you. Amen. Amen. Alright. We have fellowship across the way. Food for those who are brave enough to join us.

00;54;03;19 – 00;54;07;19
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We’d love to have you there. Love you guys. God bless.