Living By Christ's Principles by Zac Poonen

I never expected to see so many people here on a working day there are some [Music] distinctive emphases that we have in CFC churches which are not found in other churches we are not here to criticize other churches we are not here to compare ourselves with other churches the Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 10 that those who compare themselves with others are foolish so we will not be foolish God is deeply judge but one of the things that God wants on earth is a pure testimony a light that is not dim and the sad thing is the testimony of many Christian churches is a light that is very dim and that's always happened in the centuries you know even in Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3 you read about churches seven churches five of them the light was very dim they still call themselves churches but the light was very dim so dim that Jesus said to one of them you only got a name that you're alive but you're actually dead but then there were some other two churches that were really strong and powerful so the Lord looks you know he examines each Church you see that in Revelation two and three that the Lord examined every church and he told them this is wrong with you so I believe even today there are today's not seven there are thousands of churches in the world but the Lord examines every one of them and our desire is not to impress people but to please the Lord that's our only desire as a church we're not in competition with anyone we're not trying to say we are bigger or better or any such thing but we want to please the Lord so when we think of pleasing the Lord we want to know how can we please the Lord there are different ways in which people think they can please the Lord many people think that the important thing is evangelism reach out and bring more and more people to Christ but they're just saving them from hell and most of most evangelism is just to save people from hell just take them to heaven is that all is that all that the Lord wants from us no it's lot more than that Jesus said go into all the world and make disciples a disciple is a follower not just one who comes to Christ to go to heaven it's a completely wrong gospel that is only interested in saving people from hell [Music] if you turn with me to John's Gospel in chapter 10 John chapter 10 you see what Jesus spoke of as his sheep and this is the definition of that Jesus gave about his sheep and all all of us should examine ourselves by the definition Jesus came because all of us sitting here we can imagine where is she okay let's see he's the Good Shepherd John 10 jesus said to certain people verse 26 you know these are the Jews verse 24 who were gathered round him and verse 24 certain Jews gathered around him John 10 24 and he told them you do not believe because you're not my sheep he told certain people you are not my sheep or how do we know that Jesus explained it because my sheep hear my voice number 1 and the Lord says number 2 I know them and 3 they follow me the sheep of Jesus are those who follow him and those who follow him he says I give eternal life to them and they will never perish now today's gospel the false gospel is you don't have to follow Jesus you just believe in him my sheep are those who believe in me and I give it on a life to them that's not what he said read carefully he could have said that my sheep are those who believe in me I give them eternal life no my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life what about if they don't follow me then he will say verse 26 you're not my sheep because he did say to certain people you are not my team and then he said if you were my sheep you would follow me then I would give you eternal life so among all of us who are sitting here who are the Sheep of Jesus sitting here now all of us can think as I am I hope so but Jesus definition is my sheep follow me I believe this is where Christendom has failed many people wonder why we have certain emphases in our church and why we don't have certain emphasis for example we sing songs in our church just like other churches but you don't place a great importance on music for some churches music is a very important thing drums and you know very high quality instruments and all that I say well I never see in the New Testament any of that I don't see Jesus going around with instruments or his disciples going around with an instrument so the Apostles going around with instruments they are useful in the sense chairs are useful you can sit on the floor you can follow Jesus by sitting on the floor chairs are useful habit but you can't say you must have chairs the church no it's not essential if there is use it so music is like that if you have instruments you put music use it but it's not the main thing music is as essential to the church as chairs are you know in the village most of our churches in India are in the villages they all sit on the floor shares are not essential the first century music was not essential we are not against it they would sing you read about Jesus also singing but there were no instruments so if there are instruments use them just like if we have chairs use them don't sit on the floor but when you make that a major thing in the importance of music then we are not following Jesus because it was not at all important for him so so we when we try to when he say I want to follow Jesus exactly do it exactly as he did it then when we read the Gospels you see what were the things that Jesus emphasized not in what he did but what he preached for example people have asked me brother sac why don't you preach a sermon on physical healing I say sure I want to follow Jesus show me one sermon in all the Gospels with Jesus preached on healing 1 show me 5 sentences he preached on healing you won't find it I say that's what that's why I don't do it I follow Jesus so all these people are preaching about it you have to say they are not following Jesus because Jesus never preached it they get their sermons from the Old Testament but Jesus actually healed thousands thousands and thousands of people who are miraculously healed blind people lepers and deaf people and even dead were raised so listen to this Jesus never preached one sermon on healing but he preached but he healed thousands today we have the opposite thousands of sermons on healing and hardly anybody really healed a lot of fake healings like the magicians so that's what I mean by if we are not careful we can be deceived by what is called Christianity today I always say compare it with Jesus why is the church called the body of Christ for example here you are meeting here you should be meeting as the body of Christ why is it called the body of Christ there are many titles given to the church like God's people Israel has also called God's people a kingdom and priests you know that Israel was also called a kingdom and priests the Bride of Christ do you know that Israel was called the Bride of Jehovah all these people all these titles given to the church were given to Israel except one title which is never given to Israel body nowhere in the Old Testament you find Israel called a body they were not a body they were a congregation a congregation is a multitude of people who are not connected with each other six hundred thousand men in the in the wilderness many women and children with two million people not connected with each other it was a congregation and we're a church has got people who are not connected with each other it's a congregation it's not a church it's not a body in a body like my body there's no part that's not connected to the other they don't all have the same function for example my hand is doing something else my tongue is doing something else eyes and ears are doing something else so all of us may have different functions but working together that's a body in a congregation you don't have to work together each is a separate individual so why is the church called the body of Jesus Christ because God sent his son to earth in a body that was the first body of Christ the physical body of Christ and the church is called the body of Christ because it was supposed to continue doing what the first body of Christ did you see that particularly in Acts of the Apostles in chapter 1 in Acts of the Apostles now the reason I'm mentioning is this is because this is you got to apply this to yourself if there's a church meeting in Sharjah this is the function of the church meeting in charge if it is to be a representative of the body of Jesus Christ here whether you're three people or 150 people makes no difference so you know Luke was the one who wrote the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles and he wrote it to some Greek man called Theophilus both Luke himself was a Greek man he's the only writer of the Bible who is not a Jew Jobe was probably the other one but apart from Joe the only person who all the others who wrote the Bible were Jewish people descendants of Abraham Isaac and Jacob except Luke so Luke wrote two books the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles so he gives a title to his first book he says in acts 1 1 the first account I composed Theophilus about all that Jesus began to do and teach so what is Luke's title for his gospel narratives all that Jesus began to do and teach really carefully all that Jesus began to do and teach he did and then he taught he never taught what he had not done and we should never teach what we have not done that is hypocrisy if you teach what you have not done it is hypocrisy Jesus did and taught so Luke's Gospel is all that Jesus began think of that word began to do at each I don't want all that Jesus began to do and teach so think of that what began all that Jesus began to do and teach so what is the title Jesus Luke would give to the Acts of the Apostles all that Jesus continued to do and teach that's the title for the Acts of the Apostles so Luke's Gospel is all that Jesus began to do and teach through his physical body Acts of the Apostles is all that Jesus continued to do and teach through his spiritual body in both cases the body of Christ they're a physical body here a spiritual body that's why the Acts of the Apostles begins with the baptism in the Holy Spirit Acts chapter two on the day of Pentecost that was the beginning of the body of Jesus Christ you know just like on Mary the beginning of the physical body of Christ was when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and a baby was born that was the body of Jesus Christ the physical body the same Holy Spirit now came upon 120 people who came upon Mary there and produced the physical body now comes upon 120 people on the day of Pentecost and makes them together into the spiritual body of Christ so that Jesus can continue to do and teach what he began to do and teach through a physical body now 2,000 years have gone by and we claim to be the followers of that original 120 I hope so that's what all Christians claim if so we need to experience the Holy Spirit coming upon us not to make us speak in tongues primarily but to make us one body see the first tongues is a good gift I'm not against it but the first body of Christ which is the physical body of Christ never spoke in tongues you know Jesus never spoke in tongues so it can't be that important but he didn't taught what God wanted him to do so this body now has got the Holy Spirit coming upon them making them when I pictured it like 120 pieces of iron that were put into a furnace and came out as one piece 120 small pieces of wine put into a burning furnace and came out as one piece one body that's what happened on the day of Pentecost people were completely different from each other began to accept one another and work together and what was their aim to you know like Jesus said when Philip once came to Jesus in John 14 and said show us the father that's enough for us and Jesus said you don't need to see the father the father is in heaven is invisible if you have seen me you've seen the father do you know that verse you should know it John 14 John 14 verse 8 Philip said Lord show us the father and it's enough for us and Jesus said what do you mean if you have seen me the last part of verse nine you've seen the father the father is invisible in heaven but jesus said you can see me right if you have seen me you've seen the father what he meant was not his face he wasn't saying the father looks like his because the father doesn't have a body what he meant was you've seen what I do you saw me just now watching your feet that's the father he saw me having compassion on the poor and the weak that's the father he saw me chasing out the people who make money in the name of religion that's the father if you've seen me the way I conduct myself that is the father not physical appearance what Jesus did what he preached that was showing the world the Father so what is the physical body of Jesus do manifest the father then Jesus told his disciples in John 20 and verse 21 after the resurrection he said as the father sent me I sent you why did the father send Jesus no the many reasons but we can think of what we just saw he who has seen me has seen the father so we read here this is what Jesus came while the father sent him so that people could see what the father was like the father is invisible Jesus came on earth so that people could see what God was like now he says exactly like the father sent me I am sending you I hope everybody here who claims to be a born-again Christian I hope you hear that word of Jesus to you as the father sent me so I send you so what what are we supposed to do as a church we're supposed to say to the world if you have seen us you've seen Jesus you see the challenge Jesus said if you've seen me you've seen the father as the father sent me I send you so we are to say if you have seen us you've seen Jesus that is the standard to which he calls us we're not called just to preach messages and tell people how to go to heaven no the reason for the shallow pathetic state of Christianity today is because they haven't seen our calling they think is just to save be able to go to heaven no it is to be able to say to people if you have seen us you have seen Jesus the way we live in the way we relate to one another he said all men will know you're my disciples when you love one another so that is why it's so important for each of us individually to follow Jesus by the way we prove we are a sheep and then when we relate properly to one another we can say if you have seen as you've seen Jesus but can you tell me I'm not asking if you've seen the church which is perfect like that we are also not perfect what I am asking is have you heard of a church which is even teaching that emphasizing that have you heard of a church emphasizing that I mean I I've been a Christian 56 years I've never heard a church emphasizing that no church is perfect not even ours but if he emphasized this truth which God has called us to at least we will come close to it if you know the direction we are supposed to run as we run we'll get closer to it even if we don't reach there but if you don't know the direction you're supposed to run you will never so it's very important to see what we are called for all that Jesus continued to do a ditch through you and me my sheep hear my voice and they follow me that means they look at my example and follow me see Hebrews in Chapter 12 the whole New Testament emphasizes is not just one or two verses Hebrews 12 it says since we have such a great cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every sin and last part of verse 1 let us run with endurance the race that is set before us fixing our eyes on Jesus we can say who ran the race in front of us the forerunner who endured the cross and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God so we ought to look at Jesus and follow that example fixing our eyes on Jesus the way he ran this race that's the way we are to do it now Jesus very often used to say when he was on earth follow me once he told me follow me I'll make you fishers of men follow me follow me follow me he very rarely said believe in me you read the gospel sometimes try and find a place where Jesus said to people believe in me maybe once or twice but follow me so frequently where as today the emphasis is being shifted to believe in me and that belief also we think is just an intellectual belief that Jesus died for me that's why our Christian life is so shallow because that's not what Jesus said he said follow me he was always placing the emphasis on following not intellectually believing in him like most Christians do so I want to ask if all of you my brothers and sisters are serious about following Jesus in your life in every situation to seek to follow him turn with please turn with me to 1 Peter and chapter yeah it's ok 1 Peter in chapter 1 Peter chapter 2 [Music] 1 Peter and chapter 2 verse 21 for you have been called for this purpose now read this carefully you have been called for this purpose Christ suffered for you leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps who committed no sin nor was any deceit found in his mouth I don't know many Christians even take these verses seriously my brother sisters you ask yourself have you taken these words seriously you have been called for this purpose most people say were to go to heaven no you have not been called for this purpose to go to heaven you have been called for this purpose to follow Jesus Christ example to follow in his steps who committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth if you take that seriously you will really long to be free from sin and to have no lying in your mouth ever because it's a result of following in his steps you see his steps and you walk in them very few Christians take this seriously that's why I don't believe there is she Jesus turns around to a lot of people say you're not my sheep you're not following in my steps the way to life is very narrow and very few find it and that's what we preach a way to life is narrow even among the hundreds of people Jesus preached to very few found that way and even I find even in our churches so many people come and join the church and listen to it but very few have found the way of following in his steps so when Jesus said follow me what did he mean there are two things in Jesus his life and his ministry his life he had for thirty three and a half years the same godly humble pure loving life his ministry he had only for three and a half years after he was anointed with the Holy Spirit so who was he telling us to follow him in his ministry or in his life everybody has to follow my sheep hear my voice and they follow me we have to be honest if Jesus was saying that every one of his sheep must follow him in his ministry then all of us not some of us all of us must walk on the water all of us me must be able to feed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread all of us must be able to open blind eyes and heal the sick and raise the dead that's his ministry there anybody here doing it zero does it mean we are not following in his steps he never told us to follow in the steps of his ministry he told us to follow in his steps in his life this is where the entire Christian world has gone astray they say how shall we follow Jesus we've got to heal the same not one or two people every one of his sheep must follow in his steps so if you preach that in a church we don't preach it but a lot of churches preach it then they must preach that every single person here must follow in Jesus steps and open blind eyes and walk on the water and feed 5,000 with 5 rows they are dishonest they pick out certain things and follow that let me tell you my brothers and sisters we can take an example from Paul Paul said in 1 Corinthians in chapter 11 [Music] follow me as I follow Christ or be imitators of me just as I am of Christ in what way did Paul say this is the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul 1 Corinthians 11 verse 1 be imitators of followers of me as I am of Christ how are you and I supposed to follow Paul forget about Christ now just Paul Paul is at a lower level he says I am following Christ do you follow me you know there are two people in the New Testament who said follow me Jesus and Paul Paul said here follow me so how am I supposed to follow up all how are you supposed to follow up all all raise the dead all heal the sick called planted churches Paul wrote scripture are all of you supposed to do all that no always talking about his life you must distinguish it in life and ministry he says in the next chapter 1 Corinthians 12 he says all don't have the same gift this there are many members verse 12 20 but one body one is the eye one is the head so he says you can't be like me in my ministry no but the eye and the year and the hand and may have different ministries but they have the same life so when you read 1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Corinthians 12 together you see that he's not talking about ministries talking about life so we are supposed to follow Jesus and Paul in the way they lived not in their ministry not that all of us have to become apostles or all of us have to raise the dead that's never happened in any church but we are all supposed to follow Jesus and Paul in the way they live by the principles by which they live that's what it means to follow Jesus for example when people harmed Jesus physically spat on him slapped him he forgiven what does it mean to follow Jesus if anybody in the world hurts you you have to forgive first learn to forgive your wife and your husband before we reach out to other people you remember Jesus said you must first be a witness in Jerusalem then Judea then some area then the uttermost parts of the earth very easy to be a witness in the uttermost parts of the earth and not be a witness in your own Hall when you are hurt by the words or actions of your wife or your husband you must do what Jesus did forgive that is what it means to follow Jesus if you are not doing that it's coming to church and boasting that I believe belong to a good church is absolute nonsense you're fooling yourself one day when Christ comes back and you stand before him you'll get the surprise of your life when you discover that he says I don't know you Lord but i sat in CFC says so what I don't know you you didn't follow me they don't know you're not going to get any marks for belonging to a CFC Church you have the opportunity here to hear perhaps the strongest truth being preached but that doesn't make you a part of his body that you have to individually follow him in your daily life that's your choice it means that when people call you they called Jesus Prince of devils Beelzebul you know what he said you spoke a word against me it's forgiven and that's what I have to say too if somebody speaks something evil about me forgiven you heard that so-and-so somewhere spoke evil against you or forgiven that is what it means to follow Jesus it means to have the same attitude Jesus had towards those who hurt him is to have the same fearless fear less attitude towards people who try to harm you you know Pilate once turned to Jesus and said to him in John chapter 19 when Jesus was standing before Pilate Pilate tried to threaten him you know like the way maybe you have experienced some human being trying to threaten you maybe your boss or your landlord or brother-in-law or anybody trying to threaten you frighten you Pilate tried to frighten Jesus saying John 19 verse 10 Pilate said to Jesus you don't speak to me don't you know that I have power authority to release you or crucify you how would you react if somebody threatened you like that in a court a judge looks down on you and says don't you know that I have a part of hanging you tomorrow or release you [Music] Jesus was not bothered you know what he said you have no authority over me unless my father gave it to you from above do you know that that's what you're supposed to say when somebody threatens you sorry you can try that with other people but not with me I'm a servant of Almighty God you have no power over me except what my father gives you if he doesn't give you a power you can't maybe he allows you to army they allowed and father allowed people to kill Jesus and they the father may allow people to kill me that's ok but they don't have any power over me except for the father gives them and if the father does not permit them to kill me I will not be killed even have a hundred people gang up against me you read that in the beginning of Jesus ministry how how people did try to kill him in Luke chapter 4 so many people they took him out of the synagogue and the water is thrown down the cliff but they didn't succeed because father didn't give them that power so this is what it means to follow Jesus to be fearless the Bible says cursed said are those who lean upon the arm of flesh but blessed is the man who trusts upon trust in the Lord now most Christians when they are in difficulty they lean upon the arm of flesh they look around saying which man can help me now that's the mark of the children of Adam a child of God looks up and says God you're gonna help me here you may use men but I won't trust in men God uses men to help us but we don't trust in them trust in God and the other thing I find is in Jesus attitude to money especially what should be our attitude as a church towards money that's very very important because in Luke 16 in Luke 16 and verse 13 Luke 16:13 this is a very very important verse for all who want to follow Jesus no servant can serve two masters so now you you test this out sometime you go and ask any Christian not those who have heard me in CFC but outside ask any Christian in any denomination who are the two masters in the world I guarantee that every one of those Christians will tell you God and Satan but that's not what Jesus said jesus said the two masters are not God and Satan Jesus said the two masters are God and money money means property wealth everything you see there no servant can serve two masters he will hate one and love the other hold on to one and despise the other you cannot serve God and wealth Mammon is another word for money property real estate shares or whatever it is your earthly wealth is called Mammon he says you got a choice serve God or so for earthly wealth and money and we know that Jesus never served for money he never promised a salary to any of his apostles where did this salary system come in christendom where a pastor gets a salary that's Babylon in Babylon they pay salaries his Old Covenant in the Old Covenant the old car Israel was like a government with God as the head of the government and you know in most governments not in Dubai but in other governments there to pay income tax because it is only with income tax in India for example that you can pay the government servants the income tax is collected from all the people and that is how the government runs itself in all countries in the world most countries anyway they pay the government servants Israel was exactly like that all the people in Israel had to bring 10% not their money they had no money those days they were not working in offices and factories and all like us they were all farmers and shepherds say what they would bring 10% of their grain 10% of their cattle sheep etc and give it to the Levites who were the government servants in Israel that was their income tax type which they called tithe is actually income tax God gave a standard income tax in the Old Testament called 10% you must pay income tax to pay the government servants who are the Levites who are taking care of the temple work they were not allowed to have property they were not allowed to do any other work they had to do every one of the material temple work and the income tax paid their salary that's Old Testament today who are the priests everybody is a priest you know that you are a priest if you are born again he has made us kings and priests there's no such thing as income tax today why because God is not our master today he's a father does a father collect income tax from his children no a master a king can collect income tax so all this Old Testament has been brought into the New Testament by covetous pastors if you follow Jesus you find certain things about him in relation to money never once in his life did he ever ask people to give money never never never never once in his life did he pass a offering bag around saying I have preached people now please put money into the offering bag whether you see that even once but today's present him 99.9% of churches today do it where did they learn it from not from Jesus Paul did not pass a background after he preached not even after he healed never where did they learn it from not from Jesus not from Paul where of all these habits come from from a corruption of true Christianity now some of the corruption in true Christianity you've already got light on and given up for example many of you were baptized as little children why did you take baptism again I was baptized when I was a baby it wasn't really baptism a christening because I grew up in an Orthodox Church and my father took me to the priest and they gave me the name Zechariah and sprinkle some water and said okay he's a Christian I rejected it when I was 21 years old many of you rejected it why why did you reject it it was some Christian priest who sprinkled water on your head because you saw that is not taught in the New Testament where is it taught that we must pass the bag around in the New Testament why is it we have rejected one practice but accept another [Music] we are willing to take water baptism but we are not willing to reject the offering bag that is the tragedy because they love money Jesus did not I remember now you know we have practiced what Jesus the way Jesus did ISM for 40 years in cities among fairly rich people and in the poorest villages in India in all our 75 churches for 40 years we practiced never once passing a bag around reason because Jesus didn't do it that only reason not reason is not we are more spiritual than others not at all reason is we want to follow Jesus Jesus never did it so we don't do it in his life and he never ever why don't we tell people our in financial need we need this we want to put up a building we need this why because jesus never said it we don't say it either money is the alternate master to God so if you recognize that God and money are the two masters and look around at all the churches in the world today tell me what who are they following which master are they following that's why we have been very strong in this area in CFC churches as I said we don't claim to be better than any Church but we say if we see that Jesus did it a certain way we want to do it that way in his life we can't claim to follow the Ministry of Jesus of walking on the water I have never met anybody in my life who can walk on water I've never met anybody in my life who can feed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread that is ministry and if that is what Jesus meant by following then we have to say nobody is following Jesus but that's not what he meant he meant that we must follow him in his life but I have met lots of people in our churches who forgive those who hurt them who have no bitterness against anybody who never take money never never asked for money never tell people about their needs I've seen lots of people like that in their life I've seen and many people who follow in Jesus footsteps who do good and do it secretly just like jesus said don't let anybody know don't let your left hand know what your right hand does so if you want to be a part of the body of Jesus Christ you personally forget about the rest of the church you individually must really be gripped by saying Lord I want to as I read the Gospels I want to see how you lived and I want to live exactly like that I won't reach there in one day I'm running a race Jesus is far ahead of me but I'm running the same race it's something like this let's say climbing Mount Everest which is 10,000 meters we can say that Jesus reached the top Paul saw the footsteps of Jesus going up to that mountain and he's walking Paul did not reach 10,000 meters maybe he reached 5,000 meters now I am following Paul as he followed Christ maybe I have reached 500 meters still a long way to 10,000 meters but I'm following in the same part think of people climbing Mount Everest in the snow you see the footsteps you see the footsteps of Jesus going all the way to the top and then you see the footsteps of Paul who is putting his feet into the footsteps of Jesus he hasn't reached all the way to the top he is part of the way and then you and I can see the footsteps of Paul and Christ and say okay we are also following following does not mean we have reached the top we're going the same direction and if we continue like that we'll reach the top that means we live by the same principles that Jesus lived by forgiveness goodness love humility no boasting a right attitude to money no jealousy no competition even if you can't heal the sick or do miracles no more even if you can't reach it doesn't matter you can't play any musical instruments it doesn't matter we don't read about Jesus playing musical instruments don't think of ministry think of life the principles by Jesus live forgiving everybody who hurt you not 99% you know for example the Bible teaches certain things about okay let's talk about money giving in the New Testament are we supposed to give money of course but how does God want us to you see 2nd Corinthians in Chapter 9 and verse 7 this tells us is a clear verse that tells us how we must give let each one do just as he has decided in his heart 2nd Corinthians 9 verse 7 not grudgingly or under compulsion did he hear that nobody must give even one dirham to God grudgingly oh I have to give this to God no but I don't want it if that's the attitude with which you're giving brother keep it go and buy something for your children with it don't give it to God because he does not want anything given grudgingly and not under compulsion don't give because some preacher said God you give otherwise God will curse you that's the last person you should give money to because God says not under compulsion how many Christian churches are practicing this you tell me cheerfully God loves a cheerful Giver cheerful Giver so in the Old Testament it was how much you gave 10% in the New Testament it is how you give cheerfully not how much how quantum amount is not important how you give and so when we look at it like that there are certain rules Jesus said about giving money 1 it was be cheerfully given the other Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6 Matthew 6 and verse 3 when you give don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so if you think of the body of Christ what it means is another member of the body of Christ should not know what you are doing it must be given secretly so we are understanding certain principles of giving money to guard one cheerfully second secretly another principle Jesus said in Matthew 5 verse 24 when you come here out with your offering and then you remember that your brother has got something against you don't give your offering don't give it you're just going to put your money in the offering box and you suddenly remember somebody's got it something against you put it back into your pocket it says go first and settle matters with your brother then come and put the money in the bar these are certain principles but the Old Testament is not like that you ought to assume and even if you're fought with your brother you've got to pay your tithe do you see how most Christian churches today are following the Old Testaments and you cannot follow the Old Testament and be a New Testament church that's impossible there was something else that Jesus said in about giving the Matthew 22 another principle about giving verse 21 the render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are gods is another principle on giving now Caesar represents another human being or the government both so let's take the government don't cheat the government of taxes and give that money to God God says I don't want it I don't want money which is given out of cheating I doesn't apply to you here because you don't need access but whenever they do the other thing is look at Caesar as a human being any human being you borrowed money from somebody now should you put money in the offering box no because you're putting somebody else's money there supposing that fellow whom I borrowed from knows that I am putting money in the offering box he'll say hey listen before you give to God give me back my money you're putting my money into into that box that's not your money no anything that's righteous and supposing the Lord comes and you still know that fellow money he will have every right to tell the Lord Lord you can't take him he's got to return my money first before you take him to heaven don't you think so we render to Caesar first then give to God I'm often people asked I've often asked people this question supposing you owe money to a man and you want to give to God which should you do first most people say God first I say no man first that's what he said he didn't say first give to God he said first give back to Caesar what belongs to you borrow money from somebody you cannot give that money to God because you're giving his money not your money which church teaches this we do these are certain principles I'll give you another example the words of Jesus always mark chapter 7 we are talking about being the body of Christ following in Jesus footsteps mark chapter 7 and verse 10 this is Jesus quoting Moses saying Moses said and that is a principle that applies even today honor your father and mother it is quoted in Ephesians 6 it's a New Testament principle also honor your father and mother and if somebody speaks evil of father and mother in the Old Testament they had to kill him do you know that a child who spoke evil of father and mother had to be killed in the Old Testament you read that Jesus saying that but you say if a man's father and mother is in financial need okay the old father and mother they have retired they don't have enough money to take care of themselves because they spent their money educating their children and the children are well off now and your father and mother are in need and you don't give money to them to help them for their financial need you say anything I could have given to you I've given to God verse 11 did you hear that what I could have given to you to help you to have to pay your rent and to take care of your food and to have a blanket to cover yourself I'm sorry dad and mom I can't give it to you because I have given it to God aha such a holy man Jesus said you don't permit him to do anything for his father and mother because he's given money to God you're cancelling the Word of God with your tradition so what was he saying that if your father and mother are in me don't give to God take care of your parents which preacher preaches is I preached it all my life because I'm preaching what Jesus did that's what I'm trying to say that most Christian churches do not preach what Jesus taught if you come to our CFC building in Bangalore we don't take an offering bag we've never done that for 40 years we keep an offering box because we read Jesus sat next to the offering box and Mark chapter 12 we saw the widow put in two coins so we believe in an offering box anybody can give secretly cheerfully but on top of the offering box we have put a little notice with five conditions [Music] number one are you born again God will not accept money from those who are not his children do you know that is in the Bible in case you don't know it see the third episode of John third episode of John verse 7 he's talking about full-time workers full-time workers verse 7 who went out preaching for the sake of the name of Jesus accepting nothing from the non-christians accepting 0 from unbelievers we've sometimes had people who are nominal Christians not born again send a donation to CFC bangalore we return it we say dear sir we cannot accept this if you're not born again [Music] some of them get offended okay you can be offended but we have to obey the Word of God accepting nothing from non-christians sometimes if we can't return it we buy some books with the same amount of money and give them a gift so that we don't touch that money we cannot take money from a non-christian and use it for God's work it's against the Word of God so that's the first notice we have put on top of our offering box are you born again second do you have a grudge does somebody have a grudge against you don't get third do you Oh Caesar or anybody some money don't give forth does your father or mother or your children need help financially don't give if are you giving in order to get some reward from God you know like some people preach if you give tithe God will reward you are you doing business with God like you give money in the bank from interest you give money to the bank bank will give you seven percent four or five percent more don't give like that don't give in order to get a reward don't do god is not a businessman so we say if you full if you fulfill these conditions then give I remember once I was preaching in a Pentecostal Church he was a god-fearing man that passed him and he said brother Zach I agree with everything you say except this why do you preach so much against all these rules about giving don't give money if you do this he says with all those condition nobody will give anything as it is they give so little after hearing you they'll give nothing I said I have preached the same message in my church for 40 years and we have never asked anybody for one cent till today and we have conferences for 38 years at least maybe a given food accommodation freely to people in the poorest villages in India and in cities and we have built meeting halls all without asking people for money all without sending reports to America or anywhere else to prove that even in a poor country like India the God who lived in the days of the Apostles is still the same today can you prove it of course we proved it for years it's because of unbelief that people depend more upon men than upon God see God taught me this through stages I left my job in the Navy 50 years ago exactly 50 years ago I was not married then and the Lord told me when I left my job even when you have nothing give people the impression that you have plenty then nobody will give you money like some beggar you know that most people give to full-time workers like beggars they give some money on this poor man this beggar give him some money this poor full-time worker give him some money the Lord said My servants are not beggars what he told me my servants are not poor people I am their father nobody should give to you out of charity so give people the impression that you are plenty and that's what I did I was single those days I said Lord all my life I will follow this I will never in my life give anybody the impression that I am in need and even when I had nothing I gave people the impression I had planted so I proved it through my life and God took care of me then I got married then the needs increased here children can God take care of her family and I said Lord I will not go into reach in rich churches I preached among villagers and I preached among students can God take care of her need yes if you can live simply if you want to live in grand style impossible but if you are willing to live simply like Jesus live possible you don't have to buy certain things if you can't afford it my wife and I decided when we got married we were very very poor we decided we'll never buy anything we cannot afford and that's why we've been married 48 years we have never been in debt for one rupee to any human being in the beginning we couldn't afford many things we didn't buy them we didn't buy clothes we just were the same old clothes that were repaired it and Stitch they've repaired it instead said Lord coz we could we didn't have the money to buy new clothes fine the same thing for our children we didn't have money to buy new clothes for our children we just repair and stitch and clothe them what do they lose by that they're all following the Lord today you don't lose if you teach your children simplicity and principles of Jesus why is it so many children of parents who've got such a lot of money where are those children today wayward following the world and the parents are wondering why because you've not taught them Christian values from childhood you've got plenty of money and just give it to them give it to them good and then they go right out into the world and then say oh brother please pray for my children but you spoil them learn to follow the principles of Jesus in your home so we decided we're gonna trust the Lord and be proved in our family now I said I've got to prove it in a church and I proved it in my life that we can trust God for our financial needs I proved it my family now I have got to prove it in a church so that was the third stage when we started the little meeting in our home 40 years ago in our house I said now we got to prove not Church that will never take an offering we just keep a box and then there are so many needs we used to have conferences he'd never ask anybody for money everything provided free and we found little by little even though we were a small Church God provided our need we needed a building because a number of people increased God provided us he never asked anybody for money we were as the offerings increased we could buy a land we could put up a building I proved it in a church stage for sorry yeah in my life and my family and then in my church church Stage three but then I said Bangalore is a rich city so it's easy to trust God in Bangalore because people earn a lot of money they were put in the offering box now number four I want to prove it in the poorest villages in India that they're also to work so we went into the villages to the poorest villages in India in two villages where there were no churches for 2,000 years he said I want to prove that they're also God is the same as he was in the days of the Apostles and we proved even there with poor people some of those people the offerings they used to bring to the church were one chicken few potatoes this is their offering there were farmers some rice didn't have money to give and God met our need I proved it again and again in all these four areas that's what gives me such confidence today to say God is a living God if you trust him you will experience miracles in your life but you have to decide I will not serve money I will not live here to make money I'm gonna live here to glorify God your life will change tremendously if you do that see it says in the last days 2nd Timothy chapter 3 what is going to happen in the last days a lot of people talk about Israel there's gonna be Wars rumors of wars earthquakes famines these are the things most people think about well let me tell you something else second Timothy three in the last days difficult times will come difficult in what way not persecution that is another type of difficulty here it says the difficulty will be that men will be lovers of self and lovers of money did you hear that lovers of self and lovers of money yet verse five holding to a form of godliness without its power so this is I mean the world is full of people who love themselves and love money but what are you saying is in the last days it will be very difficult living Bible says it will be very difficult to be a Christian because there'll be now Christians who love themselves and love money but still pretending to be wholehearted Christians we find lots and lots of people like that today who claim to be wholehearted Christians but in their heart they are lovers of money therefore it's going to be very difficult to be a Christian in the last days have you ever thought of that not because of persecution from outside but because in the church are going to be people who pretend to be very wholehearted but God sees their hearts are lovers of money and that's why they don't progress in their Christian life they never come to a godly life of overcoming sin and they are never able to build the body of Christ so Paul warns Timothy he says in 1 Timothy 6 listen to this 1 Timothy 6 verse a it learned to be content 1 Timothy 6 verse 8 learn to be content if you got food clothing and a shelter over your head because if you want if your aim is to get rich now I'm reading the Bible these are not Jack Coonans opinion is the Holy Spirit is saying if your aim in life is to get rich verse 9 number one you will fall into temptation number two you'll fall into a trap number three you'll fall into many foolish desires number four you will fall into many harmful desires number five this will plunge you into ruin number six this will front you into a destruction number seven the love of money it'll lead you to all sorts of evil and number eight you will wander away from the faith though you'll still come to church but you won't have a living faith number nine you will pierce yourself with many sorrows do you believe it you believe these nine things can happen to any Christian whose aim in life is just to make more and more money there's no partiality with God we must earn our living but if that becomes your idol these nine things can happen to you God is not against your earning money I'm not saying that if you have poor your godly I don't believe that we have umpteen thousands of poor beggars in India Bangalore itself none of them are godly so that it's all proof that poor people are not godly and I've seen rich people who are godly so it's not a question of what your income is what your salary is but you have a house of your own what is your bank account what is your savings it's got nothing to do with these things this is got to do with what is your attitude towards money is your aim in life to become rich you'll love it then these nine things will happen to you so it's not a question of looking at a rich person and saying he loves money and looking at a poor person and saying he doesn't love money no because God sees the heart so what I'm trying to say is to be the body of Jesus Christ means to have the same principles that Jesus had in his life now Jesus happened to be born to a poor family Joseph was not a millionaire but let's suppose that Jesus was born in a millionaire's family then he'd have had a very comfortable upbringing that would not have been a sin that would not have been a sin of Jesus mother got him some expensive clothes now that's not a sin it's a question of your attitude towards it it's not what you have but your attitude towards what you have and that's what I'm trying to emphasize but so many people misunderstand this matter of love of money they think every rich man is lover of money or anyone who goes to the Gulf is a lover of money and anyone who stays in India is not a lover of money this is absolute nonsense I know lots of people who live in India who are lovers oh man you don't have to go to the Gulf to love money you don't have to go to the America to love money it's in the heart you can be in the poorest country in the world and love money and you can live in the richest country in the world and not love money it's not got it so you've got to understand what I'm trying to say the attitude that Jesus had towards all these things Lord I want to be a living part of the body of Jesus Christ as I said money is just one area your attitude towards people who hurt you I mentioned that earlier who people call you the devil people who try to harm you people who hurt you your attitude towards poor sinful people not that you don't look down that you don't look down upon them you know like the Pharisee said lord I thank you I'm not like other men I'm not like these people out there do you know that that attitude can be found in you for example my wife and I don't wear any earrings or gold at all we don't believe in it but if I say Lord Lord I thank you but we don't wear any ornaments and we're not like those people who were honorable do you know that I become a para see very easy and the Christian world is full of people who are like that in certain churches they emphasize very strongly that you must not wear any earrings or jewelry but they don't realize that that's fine if you don't want to wear it that's fine like I said my wife and I have never bought used it but if we dare by saying lord I thank you I'm not like people in that church you wear a lot of jewelry then you have become evil that can happen right in this church maybe some of you don't wear jewelry but inwardly you look down on somebody who does then you're the Pharisee not there jesus said that sinner went home justified but this person who compared himself with another was condemned do you know that many people who don't wear jewelry are condemned and some people wear it are not condemned because it's not a question of jewelry so put your attitude now my wife and I don't wear it out of conviction but some people may not have conviction on that for example in our church we encourage sisters to veil their heads because the Bible says that a woman will spoil her head but we have some sisters who don't wail their head I don't judge them I don't say Lord we thank you we've got more light than those sisters wrong with it maybe they don't have light or look down on them it's very easy to do something yourself and then judge another person for not doing it I've seen this for example I've seen this with some sisters who don't wear jewelry and they look down on some poor sister was wearing a 800 rupee uring 800 rupees artificial gold earring while they themselves are wearing a 15,000 rupees sorry and then and they think I'm not very hearings absolute hypocrisy they've got bathroom fittings that cost twenty five thousand rupees they don't even see it they're judging a poor sister for wearing it and repeating this is the type of hypocrisy that is going on and Christendom today and this morning in the moment you looked down on somebody they are not following Jesus if you have a conviction keep it not asking you to be like them keep it but don't look down on somebody who does not see it the same way as you do even for example baptism I believe there's only one type of baptism you must be born again and baptized but I know some believers who don't have light on it in Mar Thoma Church or CSI there's some really god-fearing people who are really baptized as children I don't look down on them okay they don't have light on it why should I judge them I'm not going to follow them I follow what the Lord shown me but I don't look down on them and judge them I can't work with them because I can't work with those who baptize children but I don't despise them I'm just trying to protect you from having attitudes that are completely contrary to Christ very easy my brothers and sisters very easy and I find a lot of this in Kerala particularly looking down on others who don't have all these convictions we have a conviction hold it to yourself before God I find another habit that is very common among Christians and that is what I call curiosity to find out things about others asking questions to find out this information and that information and the other information about other people for what purpose I was recently saying this in Bangalore in our church I said we have some older sisters who go around asking young younger sisters all types of curious questions what for as soon as somebody is married within one month they'll go and say have you become pregnant what for this is called curiosity can you imagine Jesus going to someone who's married one month ago and saying and sister have you become pregnant can you imagine Jesus asking such a question the girl was married early last month have you become pregnant sister is this Jesus or is it the devil who are you following [Music] curiosity Kerala is full of it curious about this and that how much are you earning how much salary are you earning how much is your husband learning what for only for jealousy of a pride do you see how so many people who talk about New Testament pattern don't have anything of the life of Christ the imagined because they come to CFC oh we are in such a church we don't baptize children we don't have pastors we have elders but what about all these new curiosity that's worse I'd rather have pastors then have curiosity anyway without without a doubt let me have a pastor but no curiosity you know for example there are people who despise some sister who wears a little lipstick my wife has never wanted lipstick in her life and I'll never buy it either but they despise someone who wears lipstick or a little Dew up their face or a few more powder whenever it is once or some sister who wears jeans Oh terrible so I once said in our church I said give me a sister who wears jeans who's got short hair cut up to the shoulder who wears lipstick but who never gossips who's not curious who's generous who helps the poor who prays for the church but she wears jeans and she's got short hair and she wears lipstick and mascara also but she prays she loves people she is humble she doesn't compare herself with anybody give me 10 people like that rather than these holy people who cover their heads and gossip at home don't submit to their husbands at home who backed by it and I'm curious about this and curious about that any day give me one of those other people who wears jeans and mascara and lipstick and all who are godly man looks on the outward appearance God loves of the heart of course she can be modest on the outside and have these qualities but if it's a choice any day I would choose a sister who's got godly values instead of this outward superficial religiosity what does it mean to be like Jesus we need to be gripped my brothers and sisters let us have the values of Jesus Christ as we seek to go forward in the Christian life the time is up thank you for listening let's pray Heavenly Father help us to really judge ourselves and nobody else we're not called here to judge others you are the judge of all men help us to understand the principles of Jesus and seek to follow him in our daily life to walk the way he walked in humility Lord Jesus you said when you were on earth I judge no man we want to walk like that we want to judge ourselves and seek to see where we can follow you better bless this church make it a living example the principles by which you lived on this earth thank you in Jesus name Amen [Music] you [Music]

Channel: SermonIndex.net

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Keywords: Revival, Character Of God, Free Sermons, Video Sermons, Jesus Christ, What Is The Gospel, SermonIndex, What Is The Truth, Zac Poonen

Id: qq1pyVHSHzA

Length: 82min 44sec (4964 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 24 2016