vinecast

While There is Still Time | Trenton Tombs | Oct. 04. 2026

**Opening 

Lord Jesus, I want to pray that you touch every brother and sister’s heart today, God, that we can be reminded that we are not servants, God. We are sons and daughters, Lord. You call us friend, Jesus. You call us your friend. You call us your bride. And we are here, God, to make ourselves ready for this glorious wedding day, to be a bride that can grow from glory to glory, God. A bride that can understand that you are coming back for a spotless bride, one that has understood that there is a bridegroom to take care of her. So Lord, we pray that more than anything else that you can have your way today in this word and that God confidence is produced in us, God. That hope is produced in us, God. That expectation is produced in our hearts. Holy Spirit, I pray that as I speak today that you move me out of the way. I pray Holy Spirit that as the head of the church, you speak to our hearts today in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. Hallelujah. Amen and amen.

All right, so Pastor Raphael is up in the mountain as well, serving our church, serving the brothers, and he gave me the privilege to share with you today. And we're going to have some slides. I want you guys to first put your phones on airplane mode. Amen. Like you're about to step into a movie theater. We silence our phones for a movie, but when the word of God comes, we get distracted. Come on, that doesn't make any sense. Let's silence our phones. You don't literally have to put it on airplane mode, but I want you to be focused. The reason I'm saying to do that is because I need you to use your Bibles today, and a lot of times our Bibles are on our phones. So let's make it a smartphone and use our Bible. Amen. It's only a smartphone when we open the Bible app. That's the only time it's really a smartphone.

**Confidence for the Day of Judgment**

So what we're going to talk about today is a topic that I've been studying for many years. And as I've studied over the years, I've realized that the goal of understanding the return of Christ is to produce confidence. Amen. Marcus, if you can put up, this is the only verse I did not give you, it is 1 John 4:17. While I was worshiping this morning with you guys, this was a verse that the Lord put on my heart. It says, "To have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is in this world, so are we." The verse before that tells you how you can have confidence. It says we love because we have first been loved. So what is so powerful about this is the Bible tells you to have expectation, to have confidence for the day of judgment. You know, just to set the record straight, if you've been born again, if you've put your trust in Jesus, fully received him as the Savior and Lord of your life, and the Holy Spirit now dwells inside of you, I got good news for you. You will never have to give an account for any sin you've ever committed. That's good news. Can someone say amen? Hallelujah. I know I don't have a British accent, but I want to hear amen, too. Hallelujah. And this is so powerful because it says love perfected in us, we may have confidence for the day of judgment. And why? This word judgment here is not talking about judgment in the sense of sin. It's talking about rewards for believers. Amen.

**Discerning the Times: The Days of Noah**

Now if you are not in Christ, today is the day to give your life to Jesus. Amen. And God wants us to have confidence for the day of judgment. And this is something so powerful. And Jesus teaches in Matthew 24, this is where we're going to be opening up a lot today, how to understand and discern the times. Can you poke your neighbor and say, "We need to discern the times." Amen. And in Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus teaches us that the return of Christ is going to be very similar to how it was in the days of Noah. This is what it says in verse 37: "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark. And they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away. So will be the coming of the Son of Man." What is Jesus emphasizing? Jesus is emphasizing that people were in the routine. They were in their normal life, and judgment came unexpectedly for them.

**Living with Urgency in the Last Days**

What's amazing, though, is we know that God leads us from glory to glory, right? And Jesus himself instructs us on how to prepare for the end times, how to prepare for his return. And Jesus teaches us what to do. Now, just a few parallels between the days of Noah and the return of Christ, the end times that we're living in now. And how do you know you're living in the end times? Well, every single prophecy that needed to be fulfilled has already happened. We are in the last days, actually the last seconds. Apostle Peter says that at that time, they were in the last days, and that was 2,000 years ago. So we are living in the last generations before the return of Christ. That's a privilege. Shout amen. Come on. Jesus is counting on you. Amen. Jesus is counting on us. He's empowering his church. And the only way that we can really walk in our purpose is to understand the instructions that he gives. And something interesting about the flood. You know, I love to share the gospel with people, and oftentimes there's been a lot of atheists that will use this argument and say, "Well, why would God flood the earth? If God is good, why would he wipe people out of the earth?" Well, if you really take time to study Genesis, we're not going to get into all of it right now, but I'm going to give you a parallel of what's coming.

**Preserving the Bloodline of Christ**

If you think about this, in the times of Noah, there was this breed that was being born in Genesis 6. It says, "The sons of God slept with the daughters of men, and the Nephilim were born." Now, I'm not going to spend this morning speaking about giants with you, but it's in your Bible. You guys don't remember? David killed Goliath, right? He had a few brothers. If you want to know why David brought five stones, did you know Goliath had four brothers? David didn't think he was going to miss. He was just ready to wipe them all out. And sometimes God will put a giant in your life, and God will always give you everything you need to wipe out the giant in your life. Amen. So there were giants that came from this original act of sin and immorality in Genesis 6. And right after Genesis 6, God begins to have remorse over creation. Well, why was this even a thing? Why did the fallen angels from past eternity want to sleep with the daughters of men? Well, because only man can have dominion over the earth. In Genesis 1:26, God gave man dominion over the earth. So for the demonic to have real influence in the earth, they needed to possess people. That's why when you cast out a demon, you have authority in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to cast out unclean spirits. Why? Because they are illegal spirits. Amen. And this is something interesting because the devil came into this Genesis 6 moment where the fallen angels began to sleep with humanity, and these Nephilim were born. And one of the reasons that this also was the strategy of the enemy was to corrupt, to defile the bloodline of Christ, the promised Messiah. Because the devil knew in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, we see the fall of man. And what happened? God promised the serpent that he would bruise the heel of the child, the promised child. So he thought, "I need to corrupt the bloodline." And that's one of the reasons why we see giants in the Old Testament. The devil tried to corrupt the bloodline of Christ, and this is why God flooded the earth. So as much as you may have been taught God is this angry tyrant God, that's a Luciferian philosophy. God is good. God flooding the earth actually preserved the bloodline of Christ. That's why it says that Noah found favor in the eyes of God. Thank you, pastor. And this is why Christ comes from all the way back to Noah's lineage. Amen.

**Modern Parallels and the Warning of AI**

Why is that important? That's just some fun facts of the day, right? But why is that important? Because I'm not going to go through all the statistics of what is being spoken about today, but I want to just challenge you to be aware and be conscious of what's going on today. I'll give you just a little summary of what's happening right now. There's a few owners and founders of different AI companies right now that are openly saying that they are expecting the possibility between 10%, if you ask one, or Elon Musk will say 20%, of AI growing so quickly and so out of control of human control that there is a 10 to 20% chance within the next 10 to 20 years that 10 to 20 percent of humanity will be wiped out. And now, is this to create fear? No, but it is to create urgency. Say urgency. Urgency. And what I think is interesting is the same way that the devil in the old covenant tried to contaminate the human race is the same way that we see now AI beginning to have chips being put in people's brains. And this same hybrid race is being formed. And the Bible says that the beast will be like a man, 666, which means completely man, man-made, right? And we see that AI is pushing towards this. You may say, "I love my AI. It gives me all the answers I need." That's not AI, my friend. That is called ChatGPT or Claude. AI is something far different that most of us have never had the access to yet, okay? AI is artificial intelligence that has its own will, okay? And it will be used to deceive many people in the last days.

**Point One: Guard the Truth**

So I want to focus on three points of how we can prepare ourselves for the return of Christ. And let's look at what Jesus says in Matthew 24. You guys with me? Hallelujah. So this is what it says in Matthew 24:3. It says this, Jesus is sitting on the Mount of Olives and the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" So Jesus could have said a million different things. What does he start with? He says this, the first instruction he says, "And Jesus answered them, 'See that no one leads you astray.'" This is the first instruction of Christ. This is where I want to start, is to understand that there will be a great deception. Amen. But who knows that we have the privilege to know the Word of God and abide in truth. Amen. I want you to look to your neighbor and say, "Guard the truth." We need to guard the truth. You know, we need to understand that God has entrusted us oracles and riches in His word, that who knows for sure how much longer we will have access to this amazing paper copy. I was on Instagram the other day, and one of these guys that I follow, he's a preacher, and he basically shared something that I thought was interesting. There was a post, and almost over 5,000 believers had re-shared it, and it was a verse that said, "Luke, na-na-na-na-na." And it was not a real verse. It was a fake verse. And people were sharing it. People were saying, "I love this verse. This verse, you know, changed my life." And it was not a real biblical verse. And what I thought was interesting—I know that this is something that seems maybe harmless—but when this could be taken... because there's a lot of countries where you're not allowed to have this, right? We're very privileged. When that's taken, how much of the word have we allowed to go into our hearts? To stand in truth, to guard the truth. That's why I'm going to be at my life group on Wednesday. Who else is going to be at their life group on Wednesday? Amen, because we need to guard the truth. We need to grow in truth. You know, the Bible says you can grow in grace, and Jesus was not only the personification of grace, but he was also the personification of truth. Jesus didn't just go around singing kumbaya. He went around loving people and also preaching the truth. Amen. And we need the truth. This is the first instruction of Christ. There is a danger that we need to be aware of, that there could be a deception coming. Not that there could, that there will be. And we need to be wise.

**Knowing the Shepherd's Voice**

If you can open up to John 10:27, this is what Jesus says. He says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." Why do I like this verse? Because he's speaking about intimacy, knowing his voice. Amen. There could be a million kids running around the church building and screaming and crying, but I know my kids' voice. I know when my daughter or my son needs me because we have something so in tune as parents where we can recognize the voice of our children. And guess what? Jesus knows your voice. Amen. He knows your voice. He's the good shepherd. And we need this foundation built up as we approach the end times because what did Jesus say in verse 28? "They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." So all we need to do is be sheep and follow Him. Amen. Hallelujah.

**The Parable of the Ten Virgins: Preparing for the Bridegroom**

So we need to know, how did Jesus teach about the return of Christ? I want to stay in this point, guard the truth, but I want to take you right now into the following chapter. I'm going to give you guys very quick summaries. We're going to speed read, but I want you to pay attention and try to get what I'm speaking about here. There are two parables that we see that Jesus breaks down the end times into. It's the parable of the ten virgins and the parable of the talents. Now we teach as a church, we believe that there will be a rapture coming. Amen. Why do we believe that? It's all over the Bible. Way back to Enoch's days. Something so interesting about Methuselah, who came before Noah. Methuselah was the one who lived the longest life out of everyone in the Bible. And Methuselah, his name meaning, means "God is patient." And you know if you get into the New Testament you'll see that God does not desire that anyone should perish, amen, but that all would come to repentance. So God desires the world to be saved, but that's why it says, how can they hear the gospel if we are not sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. Amen. So yes, God wants people to be saved, but he empowers his church, as Chris shared this morning in Acts 1:8, that the Holy Spirit comes upon us to do the work of ministry. What is the difference between the Holy Spirit dwelling in you and upon you? The Holy Spirit dwells within you for your good. He dwells upon you for the good of the world. Amen. And God wants to use you in your family. God wants to use you in downtown Fort Myers. Come on, somebody. God wants to use you wherever you go. But we can only have this if we have urgency. We need to understand the end times. I don't know where my beautiful wife is. She's probably running around helping the kids or something. But I know that when I was getting prepared for my wedding day, it was the only thing on my mind, right? It was mainly her mind, which is why it was on my mind, right? She had a million things to do. I just paid for it, right? And Jesus, He calls us His bride. A wedding is something beautiful, it is something intimate. And that's where you see these ten virgins are taken, waiting for their bridegroom. Let's go into Matthew 25, and I'm going to read this very quickly. It says, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom." They didn't go to meet this harsh man. They went to meet their bridegroom. And just like me, even though I'm not perfect, Christ is perfect, I did whatever I needed to do to prepare so that my wife could have this beautiful day together with me. And Jesus is working on your behalf. You know, Romans 8:28, it's a very loved verse for most of us. It says that all things will work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. All things will work together. Why is this important? Because Jesus is working on your behalf. Even when you may not see it, you say, "How could this work for me?" This is something that seems horrific. But guess what? He's such a good bridegroom. He's such a good husband that even when the wife is there not understanding, He is providing for you. He is taking care of you. He is protecting you. Amen. He is the perfect bridegroom. Hallelujah.

**The Difference Between the Wise and the Foolish**

But we need to make ourselves ready. This is something so beautiful. Five of them were foolish and five were wise, verse 2. This is pointing to something very interesting. I do not have time to talk about this, but if you have questions, please let me know. Okay, but I don't want to open a can of worms, but that's sometimes what we have to do when we read the Bible when we're talking about the return of Christ. It's not that I want to, but it's the Bible. So let me ask you, what is a virgin? A virgin is someone who's pure, who has not broken covenant. So a virgin is something that points to the church. Amen. How could someone in the world who is lost in darkness and completely separated from God be called a virgin? And I'm not trying to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but this is just the Bible. The virgins point to the church, okay? How could the world be wise if they don't even know who Jesus is? The Bible says that true wisdom is winning souls for eternity. So wisdom, biblically, is always likened to something that has eternal significance. And they don't have eternity. They're not saved. They don't have eternity with God yet. So we know that when you read Matthew 25, this is pointing to the church, to the global church. So 50 percent in this scenario will be foolish. And what does it say is the difference between the foolish and the wise? It says this in Matthew 25:3, "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept." This is speaking about a believer who sleeps, which means that their life on earth ended, right? Because the apostle Paul says that we would not die, but we would become asleep. So this is also pointing to Christians. What's so powerful is there is a moment when they go to meet the bridegroom. And this is what I want to focus on with you right here. Verse 5, "But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready"—can you say ready? "Those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." One more interesting thing. Who was Jesus speaking to? Was he speaking to the multitudes? Just out there with the 5,000, the same 5,000 that he multiplied the fish and the bread for? No. If you guys remember the first verse that we shared. He took his disciples privately and explained to them. So this is for the disciples. Amen. Who here is a disciple of Christ? Somebody say, "Amen!" Come on, we are disciples of Jesus. We are disciples of Christ. We have discernment. We will not be deceived. Because you came this Sunday, you will not be deceived. Amen. We get to guard the truth. Guard the truth. Now does this mean that those 50 percent, those five that were unwise, that they're not saved? Well, let's look at what was the other introduction to the conversation. He says, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like." He's not speaking about heaven. He's speaking about the kingdom, okay? We're going to touch on it a little bit today. I don't want to talk about this and not give you some resources here, but you know this is why we have the spiritual maturity course. This is why we have LTC. Come on somebody. If that's not a teaser to get you in our courses, I don't know what will. But there's more. God wants us to grow in wisdom, to grow in revelation, from glory to glory. The kingdom of God is a thousand-year period where Christ will return, and he will reward the church for their obedience, their faithfulness. So these other virgins are saved. They just will not reign with Christ in the millennial kingdom. We're going to touch on that today. We're not going to go deep into that, but we will in the future. Amen.

**Growing Intimacy Through Attention**

So let's go now into the next parable. This first one, before we get into that, this first one speaks of intimacy. Okay, weddings and the husband and wife relationship is all pointing to intimacy, our relationship with Christ. Amen. And I believe that the Lord is going to lead you deeper into his heart. And that's really what we need. We need to know the heart of our bridegroom. Because intimacy, the way I like to look at it, intimacy grows through attention. What you set your mind on is what will grow in your heart. If you set your mind only on building a big business and retiring, and your whole purpose in life is just to get a paycheck, that's what you will have. You know? And it can be a snare sometimes because we do need to provide for our family. We do need to do these things. But just because we're doing things and being responsible and taking care of what we need to take care of, it does not mean that that needs to be where your heart's attention is. You can be working. You can be doing the things that you need to do as an employee, as an owner, as a husband, as a parent, as a wife, as a child, and still have your heart set on the return of Christ. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah. So we need to understand that there is a bridegroom who's coming for his church.

**The Parable of the Talents: A Call to Faithfulness**

Let's go now into the second parable. I want to open up now into Matthew 25:14. This is the second parable that Jesus gives to prepare for the return of Christ. This one's a lot longer, so I'm going to summarize this. We're not going to read this whole one. This is also speaking to servants. The second parable is called the parable of the talents. What's interesting here is every single one of the people in this parable were given at least one talent. Now you may say, "Well, that doesn't sound like a lot," but a talent was a lump sum of money equivalent to one year's wage. It was a lot of money. He entrusted to them something. Now what's important to understand here is that God did not leave any of us empty-handed. God did not leave you empty-handed. You may think, "I don't know my talent. I don't know my gift." And this is why the first parable comes first. We know what we're called to do out of the intimate relationship that we have with Christ. God will speak to you, he will lead you, he will give you a prophetic direction for your life. Amen. And ultimately we all share the same great commission, which is to make disciples and preach the gospel to all of creation. Now this is what it says here in verse 14. "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property." Now without going too deep into all the verses, Jesus already sets the foundation for this parable. It's his property, right? And this is something that can be very subtle in our hearts, you know. I have three beautiful kids, but they're more than my kids. They are the Lord's kids. Amen. It's good I put them in sports, but it's even better I live a godly life so they can want to serve the Lord. Amen. So the world may say, "Put them in this, put them in that," but I'm going to give my kids my legacy, pass down to them so that they can carry on serving the Lord and growing the kingdom of God. Because the world will try to imprint on you what is important. It's going to say you should do this with your time. You should do this with your money. You should do this with your energy. But the Lord wants you to understand that even our lives, our very lives, is a gift that He's given us to give back to Him. Amen. This is important to understand. And look at what it says in verse 21. "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'" So what is the Lord looking for here? He's looking for faithfulness. Say faithfulness. Faithfulness means that you don't have to have all the answers. Faithfulness means that you don't have to be charismatic. Faithfulness means that you can have your own personality, and God is going to use you as you are faithful to him. Amen. Faithfulness is sometimes something that cannot be judged, especially in this generation with social media where we think that God is rewarding us based on our followers, our subscribers, or retweets or whatever. God is not looking the same way that man looks. Man looks outside, God looks at the heart. Amen. We are a faithful church. God is calling us to be faithful. We may not have thousands, but God had 12 disciples. God entrusts things in seed form. And when you're faithful, as he says, over a little, he will entrust you with much. Hallelujah. Amen and amen. You guys good? So far so good. Amen.

**Rejoicing in Sufferings and the Comfort of the Holy Spirit**

So I want now to go into Romans chapter 5. We're going to read a couple of verses here. We're going to read Romans 5:1-5. It says this, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Now, why is this important? Because there is sometimes this illusion of Christianity that, as believers, we will not face trials and tribulations. Now God wants you to be healthy, blessed. This is all true. But the devil doesn't, and we need to know how to stand in our identity. And this is the next warning that Christ gives. The first one, we guard the truth. Amen.

**Point Two: Abide in God's Love**

The second point is we abide in God's love. Let's go back into his instruction to his disciples. I want to read with you now Matthew 24:11-12. "And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." Why is this important? Because the word that you see here is an English word called love, but in the Greek, there's different words for love. Now, the word that's used in this context is agape. Agape is also only available for Christians because agape is God's love. It's perfect love, right? You've read this in 1 Corinthians when you see that love is patient, kind, it does not seek its own interest. This is agape love, right? You can have all spiritual gifts, but without love you have nothing. So God gave us, as we saw before in Romans 5:5, that the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. So what is the warning here? What is the warning of Christ here? You know, one of the names that God gives the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is the Comforter. He's the helper, but he's also the Comforter. Why would—think with me—why would he be called the Comforter if every situation, every trial, every tribulation that comes is comfortable? Trials and tribulations are not comfortable. That's why he's here to comfort us. Amen. And we need to learn as believers to walk in step with the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit. Pastor Giles has been inviting us to go downtown, and I have not been with him every single time. But let me tell you, these past two weekends, I have seen the Holy Spirit move in such a powerful way. Amen. And it is not comfortable right away. But before you know it, the atmosphere changes and the Holy Spirit comes, and then you have the comforter. And before you know it, you are bold. Amen. You're bold as a lion because you understand greater is He who's in us than He who's in the world. Yes, there are some demons out there, but let me tell you there's only one-third compared to the two-thirds of the angels. Amen. And the devil is a defeated foe. The devil is defeated. It says in Colossians that he has been disarmed. All of his authority has been taken from him, and Christ gave all authority to the church. But that's why point one, we need to guard the truth. We need to understand who we are. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah. So next time we do Maba, I know we're going to pack that place out and we're going to see more and more salvation. Amen. Hallelujah. And this is the warning that Christ gives. Do not allow your love to grow cold. Well, how could love grow cold? If you read this context here, what does Jesus do? He lists a lot of things that are going to happen. And what is the devil going to want people to think? The devil is going to want people to think that these things are happening because God is trying to destroy the world. No, the same way that that was the picture that was painted about the flood, that there's this angry evil God. He does not exist as God; he is called Lucifer. Okay, he deceives people into thinking that God is this angry tyrant. God already poured out his wrath on Christ. Amen. God is good, only good, always good, and nothing but good. God is love. Does this mean that there is not going to be a day of judgment? There is, but the judgment is for the antichrist and his army. And up until the very last moment, God has this open invitation: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart." The only time that you see Jesus describe himself is gentle and lowly. He's given a lot of names, a lot of titles, but this is how he describes himself. Gentle and lowly. There is a day of judgment that's coming to the earth, but not for the church, amen. Not for the church. We've already been hidden in Christ, and we need to proclaim the gospel, the good news of the gospel, until the return of Christ. This is why Jesus, he says in the New Testament, you see his apostles speaking through the Holy Spirit say that God does not desire that anyone should perish. This should give you boldness. If you want to see someone saved in your family, much more does our Heavenly Father want to see them saved. So when you open your mouth, you open your mouth boldly because you know that the Lord will speak through you. The Lord will use you. Amen. Hallelujah.

**Point Three: Carry the Gospel from Glory to Glory**

And this is leading us to our last point, is to understand that God is forming a glorious church. In 2 Corinthians 3:18 it says this, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." So how are we being transformed? From worse to worse? Is the church going to go from worse to worse? No, we're going to go from glory to glory. Say glory to glory. But what do we do? What do we do? What do we do with our time? What do we do with our resources? Well, it sounds simple, but I believe that God is going to equip you in this upcoming season to learn how to be a proclaimer of the gospel. The gospel is simple. Jesus says to understand the kingdom of God, we need to be like children, but the world, it's been hit with so much religion. So much atheism, so much doubt, so much evil and deception that the enemy has come to try to captivate as many people as he can with a false reality. "Hey, just live your best life. All roads lead to heaven. Jesus is just a prophet. Jesus is actually just an angel." There's a lot of religion out there that is keeping people away from Christ. And we, I believe our church through great men of God like Pastor Giles and Pastor Raph, are going to teach us and equip us how to do the work of ministry. Amen. And what is the purpose of the fivefold ministry in the first place? It's not to have just some great men and women of God. It's for the church, the body of Christ, to be equipped. And this is why we are not a church with life groups. We are a church of life groups because we want people to understand the Bible's truth that you are a minister of the gospel. You may not use a pulpit, but guess what? Our life is a pulpit. This is just two hours a week, the service. But you can show people through your kindness, through your compassion, by lending an ear, praying for someone, asking them, "How can I pray for you?" Such a simple question, but it opens such a great door. Amen. How can I be praying for you? How can I pray for you? I want to encourage you, text someone today. If there's anything that I want you to do after this service, it's make yourself available for the Lord to use you. Amen. You don't need to go to Bible school. You don't need to have all the answers. It's those that are available for the Lord that will be used greatly in the end times. Amen.

**The Church Has the Final Word**

Well, if the Lord is leading us from glory to glory, what does that look like? Now, we're sometimes wired to think that as it gets darker, that the church is going to grow weaker. Now, this is also a Luciferian doctrine as well. This is all demonic. It's not true. It's not biblical. Can you turn off the lights real quick, Chris? All the lights? I just want you guys to see, there's still going to be windows, so there's still some light in here. But what does light do? Does light battle with the darkness? Do you see light struggling so hard to come against all the darkness out there? No, light just needs to be turned on—if you could turn it back on—and darkness will flee. And the Bible says we are one body with many members, and where there is a member, God wants us to reach out and help them and bring them back into the church. And this is something that's important as a believer, is for us to run our race together. Amen. There is no such thing as a lone ranger Christian. Unbiblical. There is no such thing. So open yourself up with your pastor, with your leader, with your spouse, pray and protect one another because we need to carry the gospel. This is the last point, is to carry the gospel. So the first one, guard the truth. The second one, abide in God's love. And finally, to carry the gospel, to be faithful. And this is what we see in that parable in Matthew 24, is to be faithful. Now, there is a very interesting wording that the Lord uses when he talks about the end. He says this. Let's go back to Matthew 24:12 so we can keep the context. "And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold," the agape of many. Many believers, unfortunately, are going to look at the circumstances happening in the world and, rather than heeding and taking heed to the warnings that Christ gave and realizing that this has to happen, they're going to say, "There is no God, because if God was really real, if Jesus really loved us, this would not be happening." No, he loves you so much that he tells you what is going to happen. So what is happening in the future will not deceive you, but it's to show you that the end is near. Amen. Look at what it says in Matthew 24:13. It says this, "But the one who endures to the end will be saved." And verse 14, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." So who has the final word? Is it the enemy or is it the church? It's the church. It's the church. The church has the final word. Once the gospel of the kingdom is preached to all nations, then the end will come.

**Loving His Appearing**

Let's stand to our feet. Let's pray. God is going to use our church and all the believers in this city to turn Southwest Florida upside down for the kingdom of God. Amen. I'm going to pray for you. There's one verse that I want to close on. If you can go to 2 Timothy 4:8. Let's see if the Holy Spirit is reminding me of the right verses, if I got that right. Hallelujah, amen. Let's look at this verse together. "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness." We are not righteous because of what we do. We're righteous because of what Jesus did. I don't care what mistake you might have made. God does not see your sins. When you've given your life to Christ, the Bible says you are hidden in Christ, hidden in God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ"—who here is in Christ? "He is a new creation." Not slowly, little by little, becoming a new creation. You are a new creature in Christ. So because of faith, we've been given the gift of righteousness. So it's not saying that we're righteous because of what we do, but because of what Christ has done. "...which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day." This is Apostle Paul teaching his young disciple Timothy, who became the pastor of this amazing explosive church called the Church of Ephesus. And he said, "And not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing." Now, there's these three points that we spoke about, guarding the truth, abiding in God's love, and preaching the gospel. Let me tell you the most important one. The one that ties all of them together is loving his appearing. And guys, I'm human. I'm just like any other man. I allow the things in my life to distract me from this. This is the most important instruction of all. It's to say, "Lord Jesus, I want you to come back. Lord Jesus, I need you to come back." Right now we're going to take communion. Pastor Giles is going to lead us in communion. If you guys can come forward, the ushers. What is communion? He's going to teach you right now. But Jesus said to do this until he returns, amen. Until he returns to not forsake the assembly of the saints, which is why we're here, and to not forget that he is coming back. Hallelujah.

**Closing Prayer**

Can I just pray and then we'll start the communion. Holy Spirit, thank you so much for your word. Your word never returns void, God. We are so grateful, God, that regardless of what's going on in the world, Lord, you've given us, God, signs of the end times, God. Not to paralyze your church, God, but to equip your church, to equip your bride, to teach us how to live our lives wisely. God, we saw in these two parables that true wisdom is to be a bride, to love you, Jesus, to abide in truth, God, to abide in your love, God, and to proclaim the gospel. And we pray, God, that we can be these wise virgins who get themselves ready for your return, Lord. We pray, God, that our hearts, God, are expectant of your return. We love you so much. You died for us, you gave it all for us, Jesus. And Lord, we declare that we are a church that is growing from glory to glory. And the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed to Southwest Florida. The gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the United States. And the gospel of the kingdom will reach all nations, and then the end will come. And we will be with you forevermore. We thank you, Lord, for what you are doing in our life, God, and we make ourselves available for you, God. We ask God that you teach us, Lord. Anything that we were feeling, God, any fear from judgment, God, we place it at your feet because we are not servants, but children of God. There is no more judgment for us, God. Only reward. So God, we prepare for this glorious day to stand before you, and we know that you will say, God, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come enter the joy of your master," in Jesus' mighty name. And everyone said, amen! Come on, somebody.

Images of grace

God works with images. Throughout Scripture, you see God trying to paint an image in our hearts so we can expect his goodness at all times.

AI technology revealed Rembrandt's original 1642 “The Night Watch," vivid under-drawing and hidden compositional choices. AI-reconstructed missing side strips and restored colors were finally revealed to the public; viewers saw a completely transformed image that changed their entire understanding of the artist's original intent.

Over time, the "soot" of human anxiety, doubt, and daily distraction obscures that divine intent, making goodness feel hidden or distant. God wants you to see his preexisting plan for you. You must perceive what was previously invisible.

When everything appears gloomy, we must never forget that above the clouds, the sun is still shining. Eventually, the clouds will give way to the light's brilliance.

Perhaps you are reeling from a painful diagnosis. For some, the distance from a loved one leaves you estranged and aching. For others, it is the daily reality of a physical limitation or a long-term chronic illness. 

Remember: above the clouds, the Sun of Righteousness is shining upon you, and you will see His gracious intervention.

(Malachi 4:2) "But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.

The rising sun, with its "rays" or "beams" of light stretching out like wings across the horizon.

 You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall."

Young cattle cooped up in dark, constrained stalls during winter or night, suddenly released into the blinding, warm, life-giving freedom of the morning sun.

God desires for you to do more than merely exist; He wants you to truly live. 

A person in a hospital bed may be breathing; however, depending on the illness, they may not be experiencing the fullness of life. Your Heavenly Father wants you not just to survive, but to live joyfully as His beloved child.

What should you do if you find yourself stuck?

When we do not know what to do, we should always pray.

James 5:16 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Do not stop praying.

Maybe you just came out of a prayer campaign or fasting commitment. Don’t stop praying yet.

Our prayers have the power to open the clouds of heaven, not because of our intense effort, but instead because of Christ's finished work, which grants us confident access to the Father.

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

Whatever brings joy to your heart, your Heavenly Father knows it and wants to give it to you.

Matthew 7:11 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The feeling of giving is what moves so many philanthropists. I was reading about Larry Stewart (April 1, 1948 – January 12, 2007), better known as "Kansas City's Secret Santa.” He gave away more than $1.3 million. What moves God’s heart is His loving heart for you.

For some, it is improved sales in business. For others, it might be a simple phone call from a beloved son or daughter.

For me, as a pastor, the greatest joy is seeing salvation, church growth, and families completely restored by grace.

A Future and a Hope

Whatever it is, our Father delights in the welfare of His servants. He has good plans for us.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. "(Jeremiah 29:11)

Taken out of context, this verse can lead you to believe faith should bring easy, trouble-free living. Yet God’s plan for His people, especially during exile, involved enduring seventy years of foreign domination before experiencing restoration. 

Many times, God’s shalom comes through perseverance, not instant relief from suffering.

(No projection)

John 16:33 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

2 Timothy 3:12 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

This means we must wake up every single day with the right perspective of God’s heart of love toward us. He is unconditionally fighting for us, even when we are under great trials.

You wonder, "I experienced this trial, this financial hardship, this marital disagreement when I was young. Now, at my age, I am still going through this. Doors are closed. What is wrong with me? Why have I been betrayed again? Why am I not multiplying my LifeGroup?"

It is scientifically proven that living in a constantly overcast, rainy city can lead people toward depression. Nevertheless, winters are not meant to last forever. 

If you have grown accustomed to bad news as a normal part of your daily experience, remember: above the clouds, the shining light of the Sun of Righteousness is ready to usher in a new season of multiplication.

God Loves Multiplication

There is a vast difference between knowing that God is able to multiply and knowing that God is able and does love to multiply.

Think of the difference in flavor between a meal prepared by someone who merely knows how to cook and a meal prepared by someone who truly loves to cook. It is completely different.

Let’s look at some pictures of the multiplication of grace to fill our hearts today.

Isaac - Blessings the enemies envy.

Genesis 26:12-15 12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. 14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him.

And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him. (Genesis 26:12).

That was a test for Isaac. There was famine there. He could be tempted to move out from God’s place.

(No projection)

Genesis 26:1-2 1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 

2 And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you.

This defies logic. It is not naturally possible for a man to sow and reap such a miraculous, outrageous harvest in the very same year. That level of abundance can only result from divine intervention.

Isaac sowed in the land he was already in.

The place of multiplication is where God has placed you. It did not seem like the right time to sow. There was famine in the land.

You are exactly where you are called to be. The promise of multiplication is meant to happen right where the Lord has called you, not somewhere else. 

What’s truly staggering about Isaac’s story is that a hundredfold harvest in a single year is like gathering a hundred years’ worth of normal harvests all at once.

Imagine starting a new job and, in your very first year, receiving a salary advance equivalent to working there for a century. Would that change your life? I know it sounds almost too good to believe. Yet, that is exactly what happened to Isaac.

Because we believe in Christ, we are the spiritual offspring of Abraham. The same God who multiplied then, in Isaac’s life, is able and willing to multiply now in your life.

Psalms 35:27-28 Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, 

“Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare [shalom] of his servant!”

28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.

Throughout the psalm, the enemies "delight" in calamity, but verse 27 inverts that delight. That belongs to God and those with His righteousness. Those who receive His divine shalom.

Isaac's prosperity had nothing to do with his management abilities, his personal merit, his deserving behavior, or his family background. The sole reason he prospered so abundantly is that "the Lord blessed him."

Elisha and the Empty Vessels

"When the vessels were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not another." Then the oil stopped." (2 Kings 4:6)

The question for us today is: Do you have more space for God's blessings in your life? Are you providing enough room in your ministry for His multiplication? Are there empty vessels waiting for multiplying grace in your marriage and your family?

Do your dreams provide enough space for His multiplication? 

Regarding your giving, is there space for God to multiply your generosity? 

We must be clear: God's acceptance is never tied to our financial giving. He does not love us more when we give. But the truth is, there is no prosperity without giving. They are interchangeable in Scripture.

The Catching of Fish - Your one catch can change your story

"And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking". (Luke 5:6)

Fish come in different sizes and hold different values in the marketplace. During Jesus’s earthly ministry, He directed three distinct miraculous catches of fish.

The first happened through a massive number of smaller fish—what scholars believe were tilapia, later known as "St. Peter’s fish." The catch was so large they had to request help from other boats.

"And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink." (Luke 5:6–7)

After the resurrection, there was another miraculous catch. This time, it was a specific number of large fish—153 to be exact. 

"So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn." (John 21:11)

A catch of this size and quality would have been immensely valuable in the market.

However, one catch was incredibly unique and involved only Peter. The Lord sent Peter to catch a single fish, promising that he would find a coin in its mouth to pay the temple tax for both of them. That single fish, carrying a coin worth a substantial amount, was undoubtedly the most valuable individual fish any disciple ever caught. 

"Go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself." (Matthew 17:27)

One coin paid the entire tax. [One biblical shekel of gold is worth approximately $1,572.30 in US dollars in 2026]

It does not matter exactly how God chooses to provide multiplied resources. Stop asking God, "How can this possibly happen?" 

Instead, rest in the promise of His Word and prepare to experience His grace. Perhaps provision will come through many small fish—one minor sale here, another small opportunity there; one new member joining your LifeGroup here, another new family there.

I once heard a story of a real estate broker who went nearly an entire year without a single closing. Before I began to feel pity for this salesperson, he testified that his one and only closing that year was a commercial property that yielded a commission of over two million dollars. One single fish provided far more than he needed.

God did not become less resourceful after granting those miracles. He did not drain His savings account, leaving Him with insufficient grace for you today. He is God, the possessor of heaven and earth, and His resources are absolutely limitless.

Remember Your Miracles

Do you have miracles you can remember? Interventions of grace that are part of your personal story with God?

We need to remind ourselves of those past kindnesses. You are not at the same level where you started. You are not the same person. Your marriage is not the same as it was in the beginning. You have already experienced so much of God's increasing, multiplying power. You have seen His hand move time and time again. Why not remember His joy in multiplying you then, knowing He still finds joy in multiplying you now?

God is calling us to growing measures of faith. 

"

"Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes." (Isaiah 54:2)

For every new season of breakthrough, there is a season of increased vision. 

This happens in every single area of your life.

Think about the first time you traveled. You found the means to leave your hometown and visit a nearby city, and that brought immense joy into your life. After returning from that experience, your dreams naturally expanded. You began dreaming of traveling out of state. Next time, why not dream of traveling internationally?

What is happening? The Lord is giving you new dreams and visions. It is time to see them coming to pass. Let those images of grace fill your heart today.

"And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17)

Double Portion

Two very famous prophets appear in the Old Testament.

Elijah, whose stories appear mainly in First Kings, and Elisha, whose stories appear mostly in Second Kings.

They seem to have started a school of prophets in the Old Testament.

Samuel originated the prophetic bands in the 11th century BC. However, the formal, school-like communities known as the "sons of the prophets” were institutionalized and brought to their prominence under the leadership of Elijah and Elisha in the 9th century.

Their relationship exemplifies how you can expect increasing favor in your life.

In this story, Elisha, as Elijah's successor, experienced a double measure of miracles.

1. Causing a drought (1 Kgs 17:1)
2. Provision of flour and oil for the widow of Zarephath (1 Kgs 17:14)
3. Resurrecting the widow’s son (1 Kgs 17:22)
4. Calling down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18:38)
5. Bringing the drought to an end with severe rain (1 Kgs 18:45)
6. Calling down fire on Ahaziah’s captains and their fifties (2 Kgs 1:10–12)
7. Parting the waters of the Jordan River with his mantle (2 Kgs 2:8)

(Note: Divine provisions, such as ravens feeding him or angelic sustenance, are typically acts of God upon the prophet rather than miracles mediated by the prophet's agency).

Elisha records the following supernatural events:

1. Parting the waters of the Jordan River (2 Kgs 2:14)
2. Healing the contaminated waters of Jericho (2 Kgs 2:21)
3. Pronouncing a curse resulting in bears mauling forty-two youths (2 Kgs 2:24)
4. Providing water for the allied armies in the desert (2 Kgs 3:20)
5. Multiplying the widow’s oil (2 Kgs 4:6)
6. Prophesying the birth of the Shunammite woman's son (2 Kgs 4:16)
7. Resurrecting the Shunammite woman's son (2 Kgs 4:35)
8. Neutralizing poisonous stew in Gilgal (2 Kgs 4:41)
9. Multiplying twenty loaves of barley bread to feed a hundred men (2 Kgs 4:43)
10. Healing Naaman the Syrian of leprosy (2 Kgs 5:14)
11. Transferring Naaman’s leprosy to Gehazi (2 Kgs 5:27)
12. Causing a borrowed iron axhead to float (2 Kgs 6:6)
13. Striking the Aramean army with blindness (2 Kgs 6:18)
14. A dead man resurrecting upon contacting Elisha's bones (2 Kgs 13:21)

There is a path we need to walk to experience that increase.

From Priesthood to Prophets

Moses established the Tabernacle and the role of the high priest. They were appointed to lead the people spiritually and civilly.

The Israelites had no king in those early days, so the high priest guided them.

Not long after, the high priesthood failed. Aaron's sons offered unauthorized fire before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2), and we see later, in the days of Eli (1 Samuel 2:17; 3:13), his sons profaned the sanctuary and brought God’s judgment upon themselves.

God established a monarchy, with kings leading Israel and the high priest assisting them. But even great kings like David sinned.

God then introduced the prophetic ministry, starting with Samuel, the first prophet.

Unlike kings and priests, the prophet's role was not hereditary.

No succession was guaranteed; God simply raised up a prophet wherever He chose.

The primary word for "prophet," occurring over 300 times in the Old Testament, נָבִיא (naví). Meaning "one who calls/proclaims”. Or "one who is called [by God]”.

(Acts 2:17-18)"'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18.even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”

1 Peter 2:9 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Corrupt Age

During the most corrupt era in Israel's history, the nation split into two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

During that time, God raised Elijah to speak over the northern kingdom, which had reached unprecedented corruption.

Ahab was king, and he had married a wicked woman named Jezebel.

She was ruthless and entirely given over to darkness. She tried to force the Israelites to worship Baal, the false god of rain.

Here we have the stories of Elijah and Elisha starting in 1 Kings 17.

1 Kings 17:1 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”

Baal worship involved fertility rites filled with rampant sexual promiscuity. Worse still, people sacrificed their own children in the fire as offerings to Baal.

Elijah came to expose that corruption and bring judgment over the false gods.

That is why the most notable miracle of Elijah is his calling fire from heaven over the sacrifice. A battle against the prophets of Baal.

Remember that we are looking for Christ.

Elijah points us to John the Baptist, while Elisha points us directly to our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as Elijah came before Elisha, John the Baptist, under the spirit of Elijah, preceded Jesus.

Elijah and Jesus

The name Elijah combines "Eli" (my God) and "Ya" (Yahweh). His name means "my God is Yahweh.” Or "my God is the LORD."

The name Elisha, however, means "my God is Yeshua"; Yeshua means "Yahweh is salvation."

That is the Hebrew name of Jesus, Yeshua, meaning "my God saves."

In contrast, these prophets point to different dispensations.

Elijah represents the Old Covenant and judgment. It is God as the lawgiver, ready to punish.

Elisha, by contrast, represents the New Covenant, the time of grace.

If Elisha’s ministry foreshadows Christ's, one of the most remarkable events in Elisha's life is the resurrection power of the incident with his bones.

2 Kings 13:20-21 20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

Jesus' death is what brings ultimate life to the world. Life flows abundantly. The Cross, the very place of death, now brings life to whoever believes.

All who listen to the message of the cross can receive eternal life.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

(1 Corinthians 1:18)

We must throw those in our family who are dead into "Elisha's grave," so to speak.

It is the power of Christ's death that can give life to those who are dead. Only by touching the cross will they receive resurrection life.

The message of the cross either confuses or enlightens, either offends or empowers.

(1 Corinthians 1:23-25) "But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

During the 1988 Yellowstone National Park fires, millions of acres burned, drawing horror from the public and media as flames engulfed ancient forests. To many, it appeared as pure tragedy and destruction. Yet, forest ecologists understood a hidden purpose: Lodgepole Pines, accounting for nearly 80% of Yellowstone's forests, produce cones sealed with a thick resin. These cones won't release seeds under normal weather conditions; they require the intense heat of a fire (113° to 140°F to melt the resin) to open. The very fire that destroys is essential for releasing new life. Within just a few years, millions of new lodgepole saplings had sprung from the ashes,

The Path to the Double Portion

Towards the end of Elijah's ministry, he journeyed with his disciple Elisha through four different locations. These places represent four stages we pass through to grow in grace and receive a double portion of the Spirit.

We will look at the first appearance of those places in the story of the people of God.

(2 Kings 2:1- 9)

Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel …So they came to Jericho. … Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you."…

When they had crossed [the Jordan River] , Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me."

Gilgal

2 Kings 2:1 Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.

When the people of Israel entered Canaan, Gilgal was their very first stop. The word Gilgal means "to roll away." What exactly was rolled away? The spirit of shame.

The Lord completely removed their reproach.

It was also in Gilgal that the new generation of Israelites born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. Gilgal, therefore, also represents the cutting away of the flesh.

And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day. (Joshua 5:9)

Forty years had passed since they left Egypt, yet the shame of Egypt still clung to Israel.

A mentality of slaves prevents us from believing God for great things.

Whenever a spirit of shame operates in our lives, it hinders our ability to receive abundantly from God. The Bible notes that Israel crossed the Jordan River on a very specific date.

(Joshua 4:19) The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.

These dates have significance. 

The first month is Nisan, the spring month of Passover. The tenth day of Nisan was the exact day the Jewish people set apart the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:3-6). They would bring the lamb into their home and examine it for five days. Then, they would sacrifice the lamb on Passover.

Jesus also made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, on the very same tenth day of the first month. 

He arrived in Jerusalem the exact day the Passover lamb was meant to be selected.

For five days, the religious leaders continually examined Jesus in the temple. They found absolutely no fault in Him.

On that tenth day, Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem.

The children shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (Matthew 21:15), and God's people rejoiced, crying out, "Glory in the highest!" (Luke 19:38).

How can you get a double portion?

Let Christ come and be exalted where you used to have shame.

Bethel

2 Kings 2:2 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

The name Bethel (בֵּית־אֵל, Beth-'el) literally translates to "House of God.”

Jeroboam I made Bethel the main place for pagan worship in the Northern Kingdom and built a gold calf to compete with the Jerusalem temple. (1 Kings 12:28–33).

Although Bethel began as a holy place for divine messages in the patriarchal period, it became the main center of idol worship.

For Elisha, Bethel is where his faithfulness to his prophetic calling is tested.

The world opposes Bethel.

The world resists our closeness to the Lord.

(Genesis 12:8) From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.

Bethel is a place for an altar to the Lord. But when we go down to Egypt, there is no place for an altar.

(Genesis 12:10)"Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land."

The same thing happened with the people, Israel. But for many, many years.

Exodus 8:25-26 25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?

Over three million Israelites lived there for centuries, but not a single one was allowed to build an altar.

Where there is no altar, there is no speaking of God.

Romans 12:1-2 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The world views our devotional life as an ‘abomination,' considering it a waste of time and money.

No matter where you go in your daily life—whether at work, school, or home—you should maintain a mindset of worship.

As you go through your day, make it a Bethel. An altar to the Lord. Call upon the name of the Lord and see the Spirit of God come upon you at a new level.

Jericho

2 Kings 2:4 4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.

The next city the two prophets passed by was Jericho. It was the first city the Israelites conquered in Canaan.

At the time of the conquest, the Lord commanded that all the gold and silver from that city belonged exclusively to Him because it was the first fruits of their victory.

Joshua 6:19 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.”

This principle of "first" is so important in the Bible.

Everything that is first belongs to God.

Only from the second city onward were the Israelites allowed to divide the spoils among themselves.

First fruits are holy and consecrated. No man has the right to take them for himself.

However, when the people conquered Jericho, a man named Achan took for himself part of what was meant for the Lord (Joshua 7:1). The whole people suffered because of that.

Jericho symbolizes our first fruits to the Lord.

Giving our first fruits is a tangible way we place the Lord first in our lives.

God never told Joshua, "After you conquer ten cities, give me one." Instead, He declared, "The first is mine."

Do you want a double portion? It is time to practice this principle in your life.

(Proverbs 3:9-10) Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Matthew 6:33-34 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The Jordan River

Finally, Elijah and Elisha arrived at the Jordan River. That is a very particular place. In the story we read

2 Kings 2:7-8 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

Once again, the Jordan River dries up, becoming a passage.

A passage, a transition of seasons.

A new era is beginning.

When the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, they moved from slavery to freedom, from a subjugated people to a nation in pursuit of the new land.

They also crossed the Jordan River at the end of the 40 years in the wilderness.

Joshua 1:11 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”

From a nomadic people wandering in the desert, they were conquerors of a promised land.

The distinction between the Red Sea and the Jordan River crossing is that, at the Red Sea, armies were coming after Israel, which speaks to a situation forced upon us, pressing us to a single decision (Exodus 14:10-14). The Israelites had no other alternatives.

The Jordan River, by contrast, represents a personal choice. The people of Israel had no Pharaoh coming after them.

These crossings point to how we relate to the Cross of Christ. In one aspect, we were saved from sin and death by the power of the cross. That points to the Red Sea. But now, we have a choice between living under the law or under grace. A life of a conqueror or a life in the desert.

The Israelites escaped Egypt by the blood of the lamb. They crossed the Red Sea and reached the other side safely. As they began their wilderness journey, God desired to bring them quickly into Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey.

Yet their journey turned into forty years of aimless wandering.

Why did this happen?

Because of their stubborn unbelief, they failed to enter before the 40 years. They failed to enter His rest.

"And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3:18-19)

The Israelites experienced two miraculous crossings. The Red Sea is a picture of Romans 6.

"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him." (Romans 6:6-8)

We died to sin.

The crossing of the Jordan River pictures Romans 7, illustrating our deliverance from the life under the law. It is time to die to the law.

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. (Romans 7:4)

But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. (Romans 7:6)

For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. (Galatians 2:19)

The Red Sea speaks of being dead to sin. The Jordan River symbolizes our deliverance from a life under the demands of the law.

A crucial difference exists between the two events. The Ark of the Covenant was not present at the Red Sea; however, it went ahead of the people as they crossed the Jordan.

The Red Sea signifies rescue.

The Jordan River stands for relationship and maturity.

The Ark leads the way into the Promised Land.

God's presence goes ahead to fulfill His promises.

From fleeing refugees guided by a leader to a nation led by a tangible relationship with God.

A major spiritual shift: from guidance out of Egypt to God's leadership into the Promised Land.

Do you want a double portion? Go to Gilgal. Forget shame and your past. Change your view of yourself as a sinner and live in Christ. Instead of shame, there will be a double portion; instead of dishonor, you will rejoice. The lord has a double portion and everlasting joy for us (Isaiah 61:7).

Do you want an increase in favor? Come to Bethel. Cultivate a place of relationship with God. Move towards Jericho. Put God first; acknowledge Him in all ways, and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:6). The next place is the other side os the Jordan. When we are set free from the mentality of religion and debt, we experience the double portion of God's favor.

The Promises as a Blessing

Remembering the promises of God.

Fasting periods are an excellent opportunity to reflect on God's promises in our lives. 

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)

Fasting helps us detach from distractions that can divert us from God's calling.

Hold to the Promises

Anchor your life in God's Word and His unchanging promises. 

It is easy to let temporary hardships dictate our ultimate reality.

We stare at concerning lab results, check our shrinking bank accounts, or receive devastating personal news, convinced that the story is over. However, we are called to live by what God has spoken rather than what our eyes can see.

Jacob received the crushing news of his beloved son Joseph's death. Do you remember how that story unfolds in Genesis 37?

Driven by bitter envy over their father’s favoritism, Joseph’s older brothers sold him to passing merchants as a slave. 

They covered the truth from Jacob. Taking Joseph's famous colored robe, they drenched it in goat’s blood and carried it back to Jacob.

Jacob had all the facts, so he concluded: My son is dead.

It was factual. All the evidence pointed to that conclusion. However, it was not the truth. But because all he could see were the facts, a lie became the grievous reality for Jacob. 

Genesis 37:34-35 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

This very sad scene I have experienced myself through my personal experience of losing a son. Unfortunately, I have also been present to comfort families such as mine. It's a devastatingly sad moment.

In Jacob’s case, however, there was no real death. But he accepted the only evidence he had as the final truth. That was the only news Jacob had. 

A lie that became Jacob’s permanent truth. 

Jacob believed Joseph was dead for 22 years.

Are you doing the same now with the last news you received from your doctor? Is the report from your family permanent, devastating news? 

Maybe you have been hovering over the loss of that broken relationship for years. But these facts are not meant to be your final truth.

In the story, the same sons who had brought false news of Joseph's death years earlier returned from Egypt to tell Jacob that Joseph was still alive.

Jacob was so accustomed to living with the undeniable pain of loss that he could not believe it.

Genesis 45:26 And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. The good news of Joseph being alive has always been the real truth. 

But Jacob got so used to the pain and grief that when the good news was revealed, his heart was numb.

Perhaps you are like Jacob now, with a numb heart from positive and hopeful words. You no longer believe, exhausted from confessing, praying, and declaring for that miracle. Maybe you are close to giving up.

You have spent weeks, months, or maybe even years trying, feeding your faith, saying the right words, and forcing a breakthrough through your own spiritual willpower. 

You are exhausted.

Genesis 45:27-28 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

It is time to believe God's old promises again.

To beleive He is able and willing to do far more abundantly than all that you can ask or think.

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20)

Only when Jacob saw the wagons that Joseph had sent did his heart revive again.

Today, God will open your eyes, and you will see his promises afresh.

(2 Corinthians 5:7) "for we walk by faith, not by sight."

Do not give up yet. Hold on to God’s promises. He knows how to turn our devastation into a miracle story.

An entrepreneur spent over a year working late nights in a cramped apartment, building an online business with zero traction.

Exhausted by mounting debt and dead-end analytics, he decided to quit, hovering their mouse over the button to shut down the server and delete the store forever.

What he couldn't see was that a major industry influencer had just featured their product as a hidden gem, and thousands of orders were already quietly queued up to hit their site the very next morning.

(Hebrews 10:23) "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."

If you were considering giving up, today is another opportunity to try again. The strength you need doesn’t come from your own motivation; it comes from God's promises.

(2 Corinthians 1:20) For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Genesis 46:30 30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.”

Jacob did not die. 

The truth revealed, the promise unfolded, the real good news sustained the old Jacob alive for more than 17 years.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.God's promises can accelerate the multiplication of His grace in your life.

Genesis 48:3-4 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’

That promise did not fully come to pass with Abraham. It did not fully happen with Isaac either. Jacob reminded God of the promises. He was passing on the promise not as a hopeful desire, but as a blessing.

For Jacob, after he learned that even after the facts of death and hopelessness, God is faithful and will fulfill his promises, he declared the promise as a blessing. 

Genesis 48:15-16 15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,

16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Learn to declare the promises of God as an inevitable reality upon your children and upon your business and ministry.

(1 Thessalonians 5:24)"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

The Grace Adoption

Jacob called Joseph's sons to his side to impart his blessing. What a father spoke over his children in his final days carried immense weight and would affect them for the rest of their lives.

(Genesis 48:5) "And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are."

Jacob surprised everyone in the family, saying, 

"Joseph, I am adopting Manasseh and Ephraim as my own sons. They will receive the exact same inheritance as my other children." 

The boys’ mother was Egyptian. That means her family did not know or serve Jehovah; they were idol worshipers.

You might think you are disqualified from God's blessings because you come from a family with a terrible history. Maybe you are the first to beleive in Christ, and all the others are still in false religions or atheism. You may have many reasons why you feel you do not deserve His goodness.

God adopted us into His own family. 

"Despite your past, despite your mistakes, and regardless of what your family has done, I am adopting you as My own son, as My own daughter."

Be free from every fear of generational curse. 

God chose you to begin a blessed generation. He is establishing a generational blessing through you.

We believe that even from a young age, children can understand important values. 

Recently, a brother shared that his partner received a call from his 4-year-old child while he was working. The child was proudly showing off himself riding his new bicycle. The dad told him, “I love you, son." The son replied, “I love you too, Dad, but I love Jesus more." 

When asked if he attends church regularly, the partner said, "Not often, but my son is a student at Vine Christian Academy. And man, They really teach these kids to know Jesus." 

You will positively affect all your descendants.

Accelerated blessings

When Jacob surprised the entire family, he ignored the boy's mother's heritage. But also, as grandsons, these boys naturally would have had to wait an entire generation to receive what Jacob was giving them.

Normally, the blessing would flow first to their father, and then Joseph would pass that inheritance down to them much later. Instead, these boys received an inheritance way earlier in life.

Breakthroughs that would normally take years of human effort to accomplish can come quickly. It can take years to get out of debt, years to break free from an addiction, and years to establish a new standard of living. If you believe, God will do for you exactly what He did for those two boys: He will propel you years ahead of schedule.

You will see things happening much faster than you could ever imagine, because you have honored God. Because you have declared, 

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," 

things will accelerate in your life. 

What might normally take a lifetime to achieve through striving will happen in a fraction of the time by His grace.

When Joseph's brothers saw his sons receiving the exact same blessing they were receiving, they certainly did not understand it. From a human perspective, it did not seem fair. These were mere grandsons receiving the blessing of the sons.

Grace is never fair.

Because of the favor of God resting upon your life, expect persecution. Some will say it is just luck, but we know it is the favor of the Lord.

Grace bypasses human scorecards, and when God favors you with blessings you didn't earn, you don't need to apologize for it or waste time trying to win over the critics who refuse to understand it.

Romans 4:4-5 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

You do not need to convince people to like you. Some people simply cannot accept your success. If they walk away from you, it is because they are not part of your God-given calling.

Do not waste your time trying to appease people who refuse to celebrate the Lord's victories in your life. Never apologize for the favor you have received. You didn’t earn it; God simply chose you to display His goodness.

When God Crosses His Arms

Joseph serves as one of the most vivid types of Jesus Christ in the entire Old Testament.

He was the beloved son, rejected by his brothers, sold for silver, descending into humiliation/prison, counted as dead, ultimately elevated to save both his own people and the Gentile world.

In that symbolic parallel, Jacob points to God the Father, and Joseph points to Jesus Christ.

In that case, you and I are related to Manasseh and Ephraim.

We were born far off, in the Egypt of this world’s system, strangers to the covenants of promise, with no natural claim on the household of God, but because we were brought by “our Joseph,” the Father looks at us and says, “They are Mine.”

But even among the two sons of Jacob, there is an elevated blessing that one received, and the other did not receive.

That speaks of the increased measure of grace for those who believe. of God

In Christ, God’s grace crossed cultural and ethnic lines and granted us an inheritance we never could have achieved.

Genesis 48:15-16 “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Or

Genesis 48:16 … let them be like fish for multitude

That speaks of you and me. 

"And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'" (Matthew 4:19)

We will experience the Father’s multiplications in Jesus.

But here comes another twist.

During that blessing moment, Jacob summoned his grandchildren, Manasseh and Ephraim, once more, astonishing everyone.

In biblical tradition, the eldest son traditionally received a double share as the "son of the right hand."

Joseph positioned his firstborn, Manasseh, at Jacob's right hand, and Ephraim at his left.

Jacob crossed his arms. 

When Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48), he deliberately crossed his hands, putting his right hand on the younger brother (Ephraim) rather than the older (Manasseh), declaring that Ephraim would become a "multitude of nations" (melo ha-goyim, literally "the fullness of the Gentiles”).

Genesis 48:19 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

Why would Jacob do that?

(Hebrews 11:21) “By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, ‘bowing in worship over the head of his staff.’”

He placed his right hand upon the second-born, Ephraim, and his left hand upon Manasseh, proceeding to speak the blessing over them.

When Joseph saw this, he objected, saying, "No, my father, Manasseh is my firstborn." Jacob responded, "I know what I am doing. Manasseh will be great, yet Ephraim will be greater. Multitudes of nations will come from him."

Ephraim was not next in line. He was not qualified, and he certainly did not earn the primary blessing. Nevertheless, God ignored any tradition just to teach us how grace works.

God delights in elevating those who are in the back.

He takes those who lack the proper position and those who feel entirely left out, moving them straight to the front. If that is you, you are a great candidate to beGod's showcase of favor.

God often chooses those the world considers unqualified, and I testify to that. 

As a missionary pastor in the United States, I've repeatedly heard colleagues say I would never be a full English-speaking pastor reaching nationals and native people, citing my heavy accent and my struggles with speaking and communication.

Do not believe the lies that hold you back. You may have made many mistakes, or you might feel you lack natural talent. Still, God loves to lavish His grace on people exactly like you.

God is crossing His arms and placing you in a position you could never earn. He will put you in a place you weren’t qualified for and weren’t next in line for.

You are about to experience unexpected favor, unexpected promotion, and unexpected breakthroughs.

You might think that where you are right now is where you will always be. You may feel you have already reached your limit. Well, if you consider your own strength, that might be true.

However, if you trust God's process, He will cross His arms and release favor over your life. Keep resting in Him, and He will open doors for you that you never even dreamed of.

If you think, "I do not have the training, the talents, the temperament, the connections, or the necessary confidence." Know that God decided to cross His arms and favor you. If you heard, "You will mount for nothing.", maybe that was true in the natural; nevertheless, God crossed His arms.

Jacob knew the economy of grace

I think one of the inspirations for Jacob to go that way of blessing was his very experience, as he was blessed by his father Isaac. Esau was Isaac's favorite. He was a good son, the firstborn, and the one who technically deserved the blessing. But God crossed His arms and blessed Jacob. How was Jacob portrayed in the Bible? He was the supplanter who deceived his own family many times.

And about David? His brothers were older, stronger, and more talented (1 Samuel 16). Yet God crossed His arms and favored the youngest, the smallest of them all. 

When Gideon was chosen (Judges 6), he acknowledged that his tribe was the weakest in Israel, his family the least in the tribe, and himself the least in his father's house. However, the Lord told him, "Go in this might of yours!" What looked like weakness to Gideon was his strength, simply because God crossed His arms.

When God crosses His arms, He takes you from the back of the line and places you in a position of leadership. From a place of obscurity, He grants you influence you never imagined.

You may have a thousand logical reasons why your dreams cannot be achieved or why there is no way out of your current problem. The Lord is telling you today that He is about to cross His arms. He will show you unexpected, overflowing, unmerited favor. You were not qualified, and you were not next in line. Yet, unexpectedly, God will show His favor by crossing His arms upon you.

Double Fruitfulness

Ephraim is a beautiful symbol of grace. In Hebrew, the name Ephraim literally means "doubly fruitful." 

When God crosses His arms and chooses you—the unlikely one—He releases a very special blessing. He will cause your fruitfulness to be doubled.

God doesn’t always bless the way we expect. Ephraim was not next in line. He wasn’t qualified, and he didn’t earn it. Nevertheless, God bypassed human tradition and did something extraordinary: He chose the second-born.

You may think that your current situation is your permanent destination because you have exhausted all your human effort.

That may be true in your own strength. However, a higher truth remains: God will cross His arms and release His favor upon your life. Rest in His finished work on the Cross, continue to honor Him, and He will open doors for you that you never dreamed were possible.

The children of grace are chosen

Now we have two sons. Ephraim and Manasseh point to the early church believers: Gentiles and Jews.

One came first, Manasseh, but is the youngest, the latter born, who receives the blessings, which speaks of the church. That speaks of us. The gentile church. The children of grace. 

How can you place yourself on the right hand of God? Be a child of grace. 

(Matthew 20:16)"So the last will be first, and the first last."

Hebrews 7:18-19 18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 8:13 13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Why People Give Up.

Recently, as we’ve been preparing for the mountaintop on October 1st, I have been in meetings every single morning at 5:30 AM.

The Christian life was always intended to be intense, intentional, and passionate.

Why do some give up? Why do some let discouragement take over?

First, know there is a difference between giving up and surrender.

It is ok to surrender.

"Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55:22)

"but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

We are not called to just go through the motions, punch a spiritual timecard, and coast. 

If it is not to live a passionate, purposeful, meaningful life—it’s honestly not worth it. 

Christ did not give His life so we could live lukewarm lives.

How to overcome discouragement? How can we keep a burning heart?

I know that life happens. Disappointments come. Our expectations get shattered, and the passion we once had can quickly cool off into apathy or discouragement.

How does that happen? How to overcome hopelessness?

Read Luke 24:13-35

The right place

The two disciples were actually a husband and wife: Cleopas and Mary.

They are walking away from Jerusalem. Later, Jesus would make it clear that Jerusalem was the specific place they needed to stay to wait for the Holy Spirit—the place they would be filled with power. 

"And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)

There is a specific place you need to be to stay encouraged. Many believe it's about finding a new place or leaving God's designated place, but in reality, doing so often leads to discouragement instead of encouragement.

The right place brings Multiplication.

A hundredfold multiplication is ahead. Just stay in the right place. Genesis 26:1 1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines.

Genesis 26:2-3 2 And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.

Because Isaac chose to settle in Gerar, Genesis 26:12 tells us that he planted crops in that land and "the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him." He experienced supernatural multiplication of favor, precisely because he decided to stay where God planted him.

Genesis 26:12-13 12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.

For Isaac it was Gerar. For the disciples it was Jerusalem. Do not walk away from your Jerusalem.

There is a specific place where you must be in order to stay encouraged.

This is beyond a geographical location. This speaks of the people you are connected with. You may even move to another place, but your heart remains connected to the correct, godly, purposeful group of people who are part of the purpose of God for you now.

However, if you don’t set your heart correctly with the people God has placed in your life, and you don't make a deliberate decision to honor that, you can be taken prematurely from where God wanted to bless you abundantly.

May the lord open our eyes today. May our ears be discerning today.

Many, when they feel spiritually dry, look for a new place, a new job, a new church, or isolate themselves entirely. But moving out opens you up to discouragement instead of encouragement. 

When the pressure at work gets too heavy, or when family dynamics break your heart, the temptation is to pull away from the Church, to stop going to your LifeGroups, and to walk that seven-mile lonely road to Emmaus.

How is your hope?

The couple listened to the good news of resurrection. But it had no effect in their hearts.

Luke 24:21-23 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive

You are here today listening to the good news of Jesus’s complete work.

Let your hope be in the right person. In the case of these two disciples, they were hoping for a “different Jesus.” A political leader. A revolutionary. A prophet. Have you ever been there? 

I had hoped this marriage would go more smoothly. 

I had hoped my finances would be stable by now. 

I had hoped having children would be simpler. 

I had hoped my kids would be walking with the Lord. 

I also imagined other results by pursuing ministry.

Unmet expectations are the breeding ground for a cooled-off heart. These two disciples had a very specific framework for how God was supposed to act. When the cross shattered that framework, they couldn't even see the Jesus walking right beside them. 

It seems all the disciples had the same attitude with the gospel message.

Luke 24:10-11 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them 

Fear and doubt dominate. Their hopes have been crushed. Their leader was crucified. Their hearts were cold and heavy. 

The news of an empty tomb didn't matter to them. The tomb was empty, but Rome was still in charge, so as far as they were concerned, God had failed them.

You think, “If I can just fix this. If I can just get my finances to this specific number, if I can just control my family, then I will have peace…”

You sit in the service, and the pastor preaches the gospel. It is the greatest news in the universe! But you walk out to your car feeling just as heavy, just as anxious, and just as discouraged as when you walked in. You wanted Jesus to fix, balance the budget, and change your boss.

A customer relationship that will always frustrate you and an unsatisfiable heart attached to things, time and worries.

May the Lord open our eyes today. 

The risen Christ, the resurrection and life, the joy of heaven, the peace that exceeds knowledge, is here speaking and rekindling our hearts again.

Exhort one another every day

Hebrews 3:12-13 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

I asked my son to take care of the lawn, which he was supposed to do weekly. Grass grows quickly, so it needs to be mowed regularly. However, he decided to mow a week early, thinking, “Let me cut the grass as short as possible because it will grow back anyway, and I’ll have less work next week.” When I saw the lawn, I was very frustrated. The grass was sparse and bare in places. I knew what was coming—improper pruning weakens the grass. Weeds tend to grow faster than grass, choking it and stealing nutrients from the soil. 

So he had another brilliant idea. He used a heavy dose of fertilizer and applied it at the wrong time of day. It burned the weeds and any other grass buds. 

As a result, I now have neither healthy turf nor grass, as it is all dead.

Weeds appear. No matter what. Naturally, you will be drawn to an unbelieving heart. That is why you must be surrounded by other believers. Weekly pruning. Weekly mowing. That is how we grow.

If you don’t do the daily work of "exhort one another every day” eventually the good news will not sound like good news to you.

Hebrews 4:2 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

Have you met brothers who, when we try to speak the good news to them, seem almost offended? They think, “Pastor, what are you talking about? Jesus takes care of me. What do you mean? Don’t you see the immigration situation? Don’t you know the cost of gas? Have you made groceries recently? And about the “snowbirds…” they are already here, getting on our nerves…”

I have a problem with believers who, instead of being inspired by the invitation to lead a group, serve on the encounter or the mountain track with us, reply that we have crossed a line of disrespect by challenging them. I will tell you, if you don’t like to be challenged, you will have to choose another God to follow.

Let the Scripture reveal Jesus

In the coming days, we want you to see Jesus Christ every single day. If your eyes and ears are open, you are certain to see Jesus Christ through Scripture; your heart will burn again.

(Luke 24:27) “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

For years, historians and scholars had stared at ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on tombs and monuments. They had all the facts in front of them, but the language was dead. It was a mystery to the world. 

In 1799, French soldiers in Egypt discovered a heavy slab of black basalt that we now know as the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone contained the same decree written in three scripts: hieroglyphs, Demotic, and ancient Greek. Because scholars could read Greek, they finally possessed the key to unlock the entire Egyptian language. Suddenly, everything that was confusing made perfect sense.

Jesus Christ is our Rosetta Stone.

When we look at Scripture to see Christ, everything changes. The entire Old Testament points directly to Him.

"In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:6)

Not only Scripture, but your conversations, your life events, your delays, your new opportunities. Consider the Lord in all your ways.

From Separation to Fellowship

As they continue down the road, we see that they were treating Jesus like a transactional, political Savior. They wanted to crush Rome, fix the economy and find some way to change their social status.

When He died on the cross, they thought the transaction had failed. 

Luke 24:30-31 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.

Jesus invites us into communion. He offers us His presence. When He breaks the bread, He reminds us that His broken body is the ultimate, final provision for humanity.

The parallel story happened in Genesis chapter 3. There, another couple ate, and their “eyes were opened.” But in this case, they ate the wrong tree. 

They wanted to understand naturally. They wanted to seize control. 

Genesis 3:6-7 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

They were drawn by the appearance of what was attractive, famous, enticing.

Eating the wrong fruit opened their eyes to their shame and drove them apart. Took them away from the fellowship. No access to the garden anymore.

They hid. They covered themselves with fig leaves of human effort. 

But here, in Luke 24, the couple eats from the right tree, the tree of life. They eat of Jesus himself. Breaking the bread made them participants in Jesus’ life. And that also opened their eyes. 

The cross is the Tree of Life.

Lately, I’ve had to admit defeat and reach for my reading glasses. It’s not that I am completely blind without them.

When your vision is blurred like that, you don't just struggle to read—you actually start reading the "wrong" things. You skip a crucial word. You misinterpret a sentence.

Is this also happening in your homes and in our marriages? You can be in the same room, looking at the same situation, but without the right lenses, you completely misread your spouse. 

The husband looks at his wife and says, "I love you." But because her vision is blurred by a past betrayal or rejection, she misreads the message entirely. She understands, "You don’t really care about me." Or the wife says, "I really need you to help me with this." The husband, looking through the blur, hears, "You are a failure, and I have to pay for yet another expense.”

The text is right in front of us, but we are misreading each other. We read criticism instead of connection. We read rejection instead of an invitation.

They are looking at the exact same reality, but their natural vision is completely distorting the message. 

You need better vision. You need Christ. When you look at your spouse through the lens of Christ's broken body and shed blood, you stop reading judgment where there is mercy. You no longer have to constantly defend yourself.

When did their eyes finally open? When did the blurriness fade? It wasn't just during the walk. It was at the table. It was when Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and broke it. You need to get back to the table. You need the bread and the wine.

When Christ sits at the center of your table, He becomes the lens through which you finally read each other with grace, with clarity, and with a burning heart.

In Genesis, taking from the wrong tree made them participants in sin and death. But here, eating of the broken bread made them participants in Jesus’ life.

In the garden, eyes were opened to shame, and the couple ran to hide. In Emmaus, eyes were opened to grace, and the couple ran to share the good news.

Burning to be on Fire

Jesus gave this couple a sample a teaser a prelude of what was about to come. They were the first to expereince before hand the burning of the Spirit that would later come in power and authority, enabling the church for the mission.

Acts 2:1-4 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

In the next 21 days, the Lord is preparing us for an empowerment. An increase of anointing that would enable us for the ministry. 

After this time, I can see a great explosive growth in our lifegroups. People getting saved in our services. All that out of our prayer, scripture and communion. 

The Bible calls us sheep because we are ruminating, cud-chewing animals. That means you eat here, but you need to keep eating later on. Amen, everybody.

Now, you need to keep meditating on the word of God. So I don't want you to just come here, you know, receive a word, some sort of religious lecture, and you go home, put this in a drawer of your memory, and forget about it. You have to meditate.

And I believe the Lord today will feed you with fresh nourishment and food. I am literally taking this word fresh from the oven for you, and you are not going to leave this place the same way you came in.

Amen. Close your eyes, bow our heads. Let's pray for the Lord to open the eyes of our hearts.

Father, I pray that you speak to your children in a personal way that only you can do. Answer their individual needs, God, and their concerns, cares, and worries.

Lord, speak to us. We bring our minds captive to your obedience, Jesus. We surrender our hearts as we sang today. Speak to us, Lord, breathe your spirit over us again to remind us of your promises, so we can leave this place confident in your promises. We pray in Jesus' name. Everybody said, amen! Are you guys ready for the word of God, everybody?

Amen. Ask somebody close to you, "Are you ready for the word of God?" Pastor Simon shared with me a story about his daughter, Jessica Jasmine, studying at Oral Roberts. She was with us here for a couple of months. She was coming back from the grocery store when suddenly a stranger's car made a U-turn and came in her direction. She was using her AirPods, and a lady inside the car shouted, "Come in! Come to my car! Right now! Come, come, come!"

And she was super scared. She said, "What do you mean? I don't know you." The lady said, "Come right now to my car." Then she noticed there was a Bible on the top of the dashboard of the car. And she just trusted, thinking, "Because there is a Bible, I can get into that car."

Now, you can imagine a father listening to this story, how he became so anxious just hearing it. I myself here, got, you know, breathless just now.

And then the lady drove Jessica to her door, and finally, Jessica asked, "But why were you in such a rush to put me in your car?" And she said, "I saw you walking distracted back to your door, but there was a man, probably with either a gun or a knife, right behind you. And he was up to do something very evil against you. So I rushed to pick you up in the car." She added, "My husband works here in the security system of this college, and I'm going to call him right now to take care of your safety."

And then Pastor Simon looked at me and said, "Pastor, my friend, I know that the Lord protects my children." And that consciousness of the walls of grace around us is what allows us to have confidence to dare, to believe bigger and greater. It is when we are reminded that we have God as our shield. El Elyon fights our battles. When we are conscious of that, when we are firmly grounded in this truth, you go back to your ministry with confidence. Despite your weaknesses and failures, you can give yourself a chance again because the Lord is a wall of fire all around you.

In 1937, before World War II, in San Francisco, a man-made wonder of the world was being built: the Golden Gate Bridge. The challenge was to cover a 4,200-foot span. And the project budget surpassed $27 million in the first half. Now, $27 million is nothing now, but back then it was more than a fortune.

The reason why the work was so expensive and slow is because nobody wanted to work on that bridge. It was known that more than 23 men had fallen into the cold bay waters and lost their lives, until the engineers understood they had to stop the construction and build a safety net. It cost a lot—at the time, $100,000. But that cost was quickly surpassed because the workers were now 25% more effective. And they saved money for the builders, because now, nobody was worried about losing their lives. The knowledge that they were safe gave them the sense of security they needed to finish the job.

Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works." The Lord has a ministry, a calling, a purpose, a divine assignment over your life. Say a good amen!

But you are afraid. "I may not be able to sustain myself. I may slip and fall. I don't think I can. I don't think I should get involved with this." But the Lord has prepared beforehand all the resources we need so we can walk in them. God desires us to live a life of purpose. But while we are in sheer terror of God, with the feeling that at any time he is ready to strike us down because of our mistakes—because we fail to keep our motivations pure—now our relationship with God is fear-based. Not the reverent fear of God; it is dread, it is concern, it is terror.

So that's why today I want to start first by dealing with your eternal security. If we are talking about security and safety in the walls of grace, first I need to speak over your eternal security. Serving out of fear hampers our best efforts and robs us of joy. True service springs from a grateful, loving heart, knowing that we are always under God's protection. Like that safety net I just mentioned.

But if you die today, do you know where you would spend your eternity? Or would you agree with those who say, "I don't think we ever know where we spend eternity until we actually die"? Well, I believe you can know where you will be in eternity.

Let me speak about four types of people that exist everywhere. (I put a slide up there, Skyler.) An old proverb says: He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; shun him. He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is simple; teach him. He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep; awaken him. But there are the ones who know, and know that they know, and they are wise; follow them.

All of us fall into one of these four categories. Some don't know and don't know that they don't know. Therefore, they are lost. They are separated from God. The message for those people is in Romans chapter 3, verse 10: "None is righteous, no, not one," or Romans chapter 3, verse 18: "There is no fear of God before their eyes." They cannot see. Or Romans 3, verses 22 and 23: "The righteousness of God is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All men without Christ stand sinful before God, condemned, separated to an eternity without his presence.

Some, however, don't know, and know they don't know. The message for these people is 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." It is a matter of just explaining, because they are in the search, they are seeking. Or we can also read part of Romans chapter 3: "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe." It's a matter of showing the message.

But the most tragic category includes those who know, but don't know that they know. They are believers who are saved, and whose destiny is certain, but who do not know they are saved and are not sure of their eternal security. And the consequence of that is that they keep hiding themselves in the corners of the church building like bugs, trying to run away from the pastor. As soon as the service ends, they run away, because they know the pastor will always come with a challenge: "It is time for you to stand as a disciple-maker. God is calling you as a minister. There is an opportunity, a calling upon your life." And they say, "No, me, pastor? Not me. Poor me." Because they don't even know where they're going to be in eternity.

No one has more peace and rest in this life than the person who knows God the Father through God the Son, and knows that he knows him. This isn't about being presumptuous or overly confident. It's about the truth.

You know, the Lord is moving in our church in such a beautiful way. Mainly through this—like the most, for me, distinctive way is this Holy Spirit-led move over adopting kids, fostering kids in our church. Such a beautiful move of God. No one can convince a young family to bring this stranger child into their home to literally disrupt their schedule so hard. But now the Holy Spirit is moving and bringing these children from all the places in Southwest Florida to be fostered and adopted among us.

And one element is so clear: some of them come to us in such a fearful place of insecurity. Some of them, in the beginning, don't stop crying. They are afraid to give their little arms to anyone who tries to approach them. But in very few days, suddenly, their little faces change from crying to a continuous smile. You can see that once they really understand they are adopted, and without any deserving it, they feel secure. And now they can rest, they finally can rest and enjoy peace.

When a parent adopts a child, no matter how many rules the kid breaks, they are still part of the family. That permanent relationship can never be undone. However, bad choices may ruin the closeness and the perception of the closeness. The kid might face discipline or lose some of their privileges, but they never lose their identity. They are forever adopted.

John chapter 1, verse 12: "But to all who did receive him..." Raise your hand and say, "I have received him." "...to all who did receive him, who believed in his name..." Say, "I believe in his name." Come on, church, say, "I believe in his name." God gave the right to you to become a child of God. And you are not born out of the desire of any man, nor of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but you were born of God.

Your eternal security depends on God's unconditional love, not on you being perfect. And if you make a mistake, you do not lose your spot in heaven. That is why the element of confessing your sins is not a matter of obtaining greater forgiveness. You are already completely forgiven. Say a good amen!

"But Pastor, where does confession come into place then?" It is just a matter of repairing our conscience and our fellowship with God, not that we lost our position and our identity as children.

Years ago, a man walked into my office and told me that he was leaving our church. He said that he was looking for a place that preached more heavily on repentance. He wanted his family to hear more about judgment and hell. In his mind, the only way to live a truly committed, godly life was to be constantly reminded of his sins and failures. What they misunderstood is that the fear of the Lord, the reverent fear of the Lord, is not terror of God. It is not being in a state of being terrified of God. But for that family, that was their misunderstanding.

So they left to join a legalistic church. And because they were one of our leaders, I had to rearrange the life group, and I had to fill the gap. So I put a leader in training in his place. I raised the leader in training to be the new leader. And over the years, these two families contrasted right before my eyes: two ways of living out their faith. The new leader stepped into their role grounded in the freedom and security of God's grace, knowing there were the walls of grace that were safeguarding his godly life. And because of this, this new leader grew his ministry out of gratitude and relationship with God; they flourished. Today, I follow this young leader—now not under my ministry, and he's still in the Vine, but in another vine—and he became a discipler, an overseer over at least 15 other life groups.

Meanwhile, the family that left seeking a heavier hand found exactly what they were looking for, but it did not produce the fruit they expected. From what I know, that family is still wandering, trying to find their place and purpose in ministry. They became quick to condemn others. Which you all know, is the psychological problem of projection: whatever you condemn in others is usually the very thing you struggle with the most. Those who are fast to judge others usually live a secret life in the very areas where they are condemning others. And because they continue believing that living under that cloud of condemnation would do anything, the result is that now they are barren and unfruitful.

God doesn't want us to walk on eggshells, terrified that one slip-up will get us kicked out of his family. When you know you are completely safe and loved, you don't do good things out of fear; you do them out of freedom, out of joy, gratitude, and real love. That's what we need. That's the standard we want to have in every ministry developed in this house. That's why you all need complete certainty of your eternal destination.

Let me press on more on the second layer of security: Job chapter 1. I want to talk about a hedge around your life. A hedge of protection around your life.

The book of Job is right before the Psalms, because under the rabbinical tradition, Job is considered a poetic book as much as Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Proverbs. It's part of this collection of books. And if you can see, the whole book is a huge poem. Most of the words there are written in stanzas. Because of that, the book of Job was never intended to be doctrinal. Listen carefully. The book of Job was never intended to be instructive in terms of doctrine. You should not take doctrine of our belief system from Job.

However, in this beautiful poem, this long parable, we find this scene where Satan comes and challenges God in his relationship with Job. And in that conversation, chapter 1, verse 9, we read this: "Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Does Job fear God for no reason?'" Verse 10: "'Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side?'" The question of Satan is, it's evident to him from the heavenly perspective that Job has this shield around him, this protection that he cannot ever cross over his life, over his assets, over his family. There is nothing he can do. Look at it more: "...You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land."

Now, then we read the rest of the story, and you wonder, "Okay, so God took away the protection, and now Satan had the permission to intervene in Job," just for us to find in the very final chapter that Job got what Abraham learned: that God himself was his shield. God, El Elyon, was his shield.

Let's speak more about this later on, because Psalm 3, verse 3 says, "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me." Come on, somebody. "You are my glory, the lifter of my head." Whoever came today downcast, depressed, and wondering what they are going to do tomorrow, today the Lord is lifting your head! He is your shield. Verse 4 says, "I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill." Say a good amen, everybody.

So the hedge here means this protection. Now, I don't know if you noticed—put the image of the message today, just the big wall. I know it's hard to notice, but when I called this message "The Walls of Grace," you see the wall, but maybe you didn't notice I placed a little tiny AI lady underneath the tree. And maybe you're wondering, "This wall is protecting from this side." No, no, no. This is the inside of the wall. This is where you are. You are on the inside protected area. And that's why you can rest. And that is you surrounded by this hedge of protection as the Lord is our shield.

Satan thought Job reverently feared God for protection, but he learned that Job had God as his protection, and from that relationship, he feared the Lord.

Abraham desired to deliver his nephew Lot from bondage. So he entered into a war that was not his problem. It was his nephew's life problem, but he loved his nephew, and he wanted to rescue him. But Abraham was not a general or a captain; he was at best a peasant, a good farmer. And he gathered 318 of his best workers to fight against kings that had trained, armed armies. And the Lord delivered Lot with the intervention of Abraham.

And Abraham is coming back now afraid, because probably one of those kings that lost the battle said some threatening words: "You did that to me, Abraham. Now get ready, because I'm going to come after you. I know your address. I know where you live, where your relatives live," just like mobsters blackmailing people. So Abraham probably had that shadow of fear going around him as he's trying to come back home.

Then this mysterious character in the Bible shows up. His name is also strange: Melchizedek, which means he is the King of Righteousness. I know a man that also has this title. And he was reigning over Salem, Shalom, the City of Peace. I also know a man who reigns over the City of Peace. So Melchizedek clearly is a picture of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, and he brings some relief to Abraham. Curiously, he brings bread and wine. I also know a man who also offers us rest through his body and through his blood, the bread and the wine that refreshes us, reminding us of our forgiveness and our acceptance in Jesus Christ.

Melchizedek approaches Abraham and blesses him. Genesis chapter 14, verse 19: "And he blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High.'" The Hebrew word here is El Elyon, Possessor of heaven and earth. "'And blessed be God Most High, who has...'" listen, "'...who has delivered your enemies into your hand!' And Abram gave him a tenth of everything."

Now, Melchizedek showed up basically to bring relief and a conscience of security. "Look, Abraham, you thought you fought the battle, but it was El Elyon, the God Most High, that delivered your enemies into your hand." And the same God is on your side continually. Say a good amen, everybody.

This needed to sink into Abraham's heart. He was still afraid. The Bible continues telling us the story that after this encounter, the King of Sodom showed up and tried to make a deal with Abraham, so he got a little bit distracted. But in chapter 15, the following part of this story says that in the night, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. And the Lord himself told him, "I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."

Say with me, "The Lord." Say with me, "El Elyon." The God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth. Take a deep breath. Say with me, "He is my shield." Say amen, everybody. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus.

Psalm 34 promises us in verse 7 that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him. Listen, we don't need to fear anyone because we already fear the Lord, but it's not a fear of terror; it is reverence. It is this awe, this being mesmerized, this amazement feeling you have with his endless, sheer love. And the Lord delivers us from all our troubles. Verse 8: "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Romans is going to tell us that it is God's goodness that leads us into repentance. So taste and see that the Lord is good.

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. If you can close your eyes, say today, "I take refuge in my Lord."

It is impossible to overstate the goodness of God. Some argue, "Hey, Pastor, stop with this preaching because this is so unbalanced. You are exaggerating the goodness of God. You are always preaching about his grace here. We need some alignment, some balance. We need to combine a little bit of grace with religion, a little bit of salvation with condemnation, so people will have a balanced Christian life."

This is not true. I don't know about you, but every time I open my news app, I don't hear or read any good news at all. There is always something terrible happening all around me. Throughout the whole week, the only thing I am bombarded with is bad news. So if I'm speaking about alignment, what I'm doing right now is exactly that: I'm feeding you with good news. Because you are being so unaligned, unbalanced with bad news and expectations of worse things in your life, that today you are being balanced.

This week something funny happened. A sister asked for help because the tire of her car exploded and broke apart. And the reason why was not that a nail or she passed through a wrong path; it is because the car was driving for many miles unaligned, unbalanced. And the result of this is that you're going to wear out the tire. I don't know if you ever drove an unaligned car. The steering wheel pulls you in the wrong direction. Do you guys follow me here? So you need to keep that continuous effort to keep yourself on the right track.

Let me align you today. The Lord is your shield. He is fighting your battles. We don't need to worry or carry this anxiety heavily laden upon us. Let me align you today: the Lord is going before you. He is your shield. Say a good amen, everybody! And if you try to keep yourself holding on, eventually you're going to burn out and get tired.

Psalm 34, verse 9: "Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!"

You might be wondering, "Okay, Pastor, if the Lord protects us all the time, why do bad things happen to good people? Even yourself, Pastor, in your own story, you had to endure a painful tragedy with the loss of your son 10 years ago. How do you explain that?"

Well, I don't explain that. I stand strong because I know I am surrounded by God's protection. In the same Psalm, Psalm 34, verse 19. Listen carefully there, Skyler. Verse 19 now, sir. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." So the Bible does not deny the facts of this life. We are not in denial. We are simply confessing the truth over the factual realities. The Lord is still delivering the righteous from all our afflictions. We face afflictions. We do have hardships, unexpected tragedies, but the Lord delivers us from them all.

The kids were playing around the ladies yesterday night, Friday night for the prayer night. Kids being kids. One very known child of the house, a boy starting with L and finishing with I. He was running around when he fell and bumped his head on the ground. He looked around and found no adult paying attention. So he contained his cry. He held his cry until he found my wife running her errands for the meeting. So he went toward her, hugged her legs, and he gave himself the right to cry after, I don't know, maybe one minute after the hurt had happened. So he cried for a couple of seconds. And in a few seconds, he was running again, fearless again. Carefree again, unworried.

We can come before our Father when we are hurting. We can come to his lap, and we can cry and find comfort. The Lord tells us, in this world we may face tribulations, but in all of them, we as the righteous people of God, we are delivered from all of them with his comfort. That is my answer for my tragedy, and that should be your answer in the middle of your afflictions.

Second Corinthians chapter 1 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction..." That is the Lord delivering us, comforting us, "...so that we may be able," verse 4, "to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." Say a good amen, everybody.

Are you receiving something this morning? Because the Lord is reminding you he is for you, not against you.

I love this moment of conversation between the devil and the Lord. You know, the father of lies only lies, but a few moments in scripture, you find him stating truth. And what he said in Job is truth: the Lord has put a hedge around us, around our house, around all that we have. The Lord has blessed the work of our hands and our possessions will increase. I declare this over your life in Jesus' name.

A couple of days ago, I received a call in the middle of the night from a family. Very worried, because their children were nowhere to be found. And later it was revealed they were using a toxic substance, not to say drugs, alcohol. The family was very anxious because they didn't know what to do. I had to care for that family and give some guidance. But in the same night, when I thought I could go back to sleep, I received another message. It was from my son. He sent me pictures from Brazil. But he was sending pictures at a very inappropriate time: 3:00 AM in the morning. He was sending me videos, video clips of this crowd of young people on fire for Jesus in a vigil. In a vigil that probably started at 9:00 PM and finished at 6:00 AM. And in the middle of the vigil, my son sent me those pictures.

I do not take for granted the protection of the Lord around my house. I think because I'm a pastor and I hear so many stories, I know the Lord is protecting my family. And I know it's only because of his hedge of protection. He is a wall of fire all around my sons so that I can rest. I know that right now, he is seeking the Lord. It is not a fruit of my godliness, my pious life; it is only his love, his goodness, and his favor. It is totally unmerited. I don't know if you need this faith today, but the Lord wants to set us free from every fear.

Now, that's why I need to speak over the root of fear. So please don't get anxious; I'm heading to the end of my message. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham, those who believe." Verse 17: "Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest, a representative in the service of God, to make propitiation"—the payment—"for the sins of the people."

Our greatest enemy is death, along with the devil who holds the power of death. But here we are learning that Jesus destroyed the one who has death's power. Now, the word "destroy" here—I know it seems that he is completely destroyed in the sense of missing and disappearing. That's not the original word. The word is katargeo in Greek. That means he was voided, deprived of any power, any force. He was unplugged from the power. So right now, it is useless. The devil in your life, in my life, he is jobless. Do you follow? He has no power anymore to threaten you with the fear of death.

Because the worst thing, listen, the worst thing that can happen to the believer is that you're going to go to heaven. That's the worst thing. So I know it sounds strange what I'm saying, but that's why his power now is powerless over your life. And you can see every fear in the world, and maybe every anxiety that surrounds you, that hovers in your mind. If you peel it off, you're going to get to this root of all fears: that you may die. You may lose everything and die of hunger. You get so sick that now you die. "I cannot drive. I'm anxious to drive because I may hit my car and die." So you can see that every fear, every anxiety, when you take all the layers off, you're going to find the root is the fear of death.

But not for you anymore. The one who held the fear of death is now jobless. He is powerless. He has nothing against you. When you think about a bomb squad, they come inside of a building where it's said there was a bomb inside. So these very smart people, they come, and they cut the right wires, and they deactivate it. They unplug the power of the bomb. They bring the bomb out, and everybody sees them, seized with fear. They are afraid because they think that the bomb still has some power in it. But the guys are juggling the bomb in their hands, because right now that bomb has no power at all. It was made powerless. That's the image. The Lord is your shield, and therefore, the devil is powerless to threaten you with any fear.

I'll tell you why the devil wants us so much under the bondage of fear: he wants to stop your calling. He wants to hinder your divine purpose. He wants you so afraid that now you hide yourself from the voice of the Lord in your life. But if you know there is a safety net, that you can walk boldly, confidently, that you can—yes, you still stumble—but you are still surrounded by the hedge of protection, now you can rest. Now you can try again. You can dare again.

Psalm 27. Would you stand on your feet? Let me pray for you. Psalm 27, verse 1: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life"—a strong tower that the enemy cannot ever cross—"of whom shall I be afraid?" When David wrote this psalm, he did not say, "My perfect obedience is my light. It is my perseverance that is my stronghold." No, he said, "The Lord is my stronghold. The Lord is my shield. The Lord is my protection."

Psalm 125, verse 2: "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people." Hallelujah. "From this time forth and forevermore." And finally, I love this one. Zechariah chapter 2, verse 5. Zechariah is trying to encourage the people of Israel to rebuild the city and saying, "Don't give up. Don't feel discouraged because of the threats." Because the Lord says, "And I will be to her a wall of fire"—picture that: a wall of fire all around—"declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst." Hallelujah.

Raise your hand as you are right now. Maybe you are afraid. You came here anxious, you came here tired, holding the steering wheel of your life, gripping it with all that you could throughout this week, and now you feel exhausted. Today, the Lord brings rest over you.

So Father, here are your people. Here are your children, Lord God. Some of them were on the verge of giving up on this idea. Some of them were almost, Lord God, forgetting their calling. Maybe thinking of the shortcuts of running away. But today, Lord, you are reminding us: you fight our battles. You are our shield. You are a wall of fire all around us, Lord. Come on, picture this. You are like the mountains that surround Jerusalem, Lord God. Who can trespass it? If the Lord is for us, who can be against us? Greater is the one who is with us than the one who is with them. Lord, you go before us, Lord God, and we rest in your promises today.

So, Father, I pray over your children: peace. Peace to their hearts. Come on, take a deep breath where you are. Let the Lord breathe over you the wind of the spirit that blows away every anxiety, every care, every heavy burden on your shoulders today. Lord, I prophesy over your children that the best is yet to come, Lord. Father, we will fulfill our calling. This is still the year of multiplication, and we believe your promises upon our lives, Lord God. Oh, you have so many good things in store for us, God, and we rest in your promises, in Jesus' mighty name.

Thank you so much, my dear brother. I always love being with you all. I am especially thankful for this church; whenever I come to the USA, I love being here because I feel completely at home. You are my true brothers and sisters. I am also deeply grateful for the hospitality of my dear brother and his wife; for the last few days, I have been staying in their home and thoroughly enjoying the meals she has prepared for me.

Before sharing the Word of God, I want to clarify something: I normally preach in my native language, Urdu. Since most of you are from Brazil, English is neither your first language nor mine. If I use any English expressions incorrectly, please forgive me. I believe that even if I make a mistake, the Holy Spirit—our Helper—will ensure you understand everything I am trying to say.

Today, I came here to encourage the church with one specific word: obedience. Whenever I read the Bible, I am deeply inspired by the story of Abraham because his obedience unlocked God's promises in his life.

In Genesis 12:1-4, the Lord tells Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father's household to go to a land God would show him. God promises to make him into a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, and to bless all peoples on earth through him. Verse 4 simply says, "So Abram went, as the LORD had told him". Later, in Genesis 22:18, God reiterates that all nations on earth will be blessed through his offspring specifically because he obeyed.

When God called Abraham, he was 75 years old and likely the richest, most well-settled person in his area, with livestock, servants, and an established household. It is not easy for a 75-year-old to leave a comfortable zone. However, Abraham obeyed God. He did not rely on his current wealth or resources; he trusted God's call and took a step of faith, knowing that obedience would unlock greater promises.

God initially released the promises of blessing and protection, but He did not immediately reveal Abraham's final destination. Despite the unknowns, Abraham trusted God to provide a better place. God does not usually call extraordinary or highly intellectual people; He calls ordinary people to do extraordinary jobs. God can do the same in your life if you are willing to obey Him.

I have experienced God's extraordinary favor in my own life. I was born into a very poor but deeply committed Christian family in Pakistan, where the life expectancy is generally only 60 to 65 years. My given name is Simon Peter Kaleem, and I am the only one in my extended family without a traditional Pakistani name. Because of my name, I faced intense persecution and discrimination in school. I was treated as "untouchable" by my classmates and was not even allowed to drink from the communal water cooler.

During those difficult early years, I made a promise to God. I told Him that for the first twenty years of my life, I would focus on my studies. For the second twenty years, I would work hard, earn a lot of money, and establish my family. And for the last twenty years—or however many more He would give me—I promised I would serve Him. As I grew up, I forgot about that childhood promise, but God remembered.

God granted me incredible favor during my first twenty years. I graduated with top honors in microbiology, zoology, and biochemistry. Earning a gold medal as a poor Christian boy was not a normal achievement; it was God's direct favor. Although I initially wanted to pursue a Ph.D. and become a doctor, circumstances required me to move back to central Pakistan, where I took a basic entry-level job at the multinational pharmaceutical company, Novartis.

God blessed me tremendously in the corporate world. As my second twenty years were coming to a close, I had achieved the second-highest position in the company, managing 75% of the marketing and sales teams across Pakistan. I enjoyed a six-figure salary, a company car, and a very comfortable lifestyle.

Eventually, a new boss joined our company who was a Muslim Imam. When he realized I was a Christian enjoying high-level corporate privileges, he began to actively persecute me. He set completely unrealistic targets designed to make my life miserable. Believing I could easily find a parallel position elsewhere, I resigned.

However, for six or seven months, I could not find another job. I drained all my savings and lost all the company benefits. It became incredibly difficult to even pay my children's school fees or put food on the table. I began to complain to God, asking why this was happening when my family was so committed to the church and to studying the Bible.

One day, I was sitting alone in my bedroom reading the Bible. When I came across John 21, reading the conversation between Jesus and the apostle Simon Peter, it felt as though Jesus was speaking directly to me. When Jesus asked, "Simon Peter, son of John, do you love me?" I felt the fire of the Holy Spirit burn within my body. I began to cry like a child.

Then, I heard the audible voice of Jesus Christ. He said, "Your first twenty years have passed. Your second twenty years have passed. Do you remember the promise you made to me? Now, it is my time. According to your promise, you must serve me".

Filled with the Holy Spirit, I asked how I could possibly serve Him since I had no seminary education and was not a pastor. God told me not to worry, promising to teach and lead me. He instructed me to leave my comfortable home in Lahore and begin teaching children in the rural villages. When I worried about how I would feed my family without a car or an income, God promised He would provide everything we needed. Since 2009, I have been serving the Lord in those villages, and He has never let us lack anything.

Following God’s call always carries a cost. It requires leaving behind comfort zones, ambitions, and sometimes financial security. But while the cost is temporary, the reward is eternal. Every sacrifice made for God's kingdom—whether it is finances, musical talent, knowledge, or influence—is never wasted.

God blesses us so that we can become a blessing to others. God’s blessings are not meant to stop with us; they are meant to flow through us. Consider the Dead Sea: water flows into it, but there is no outlet, resulting in a body of water with no life. In contrast, the Sea of Galilee takes in fresh water and continuously gives it out, allowing it to remain vibrant and full of life. When God's blessings flow through us, we experience more life and receive even greater blessings from the Lord.

When we walk in obedience, we also receive the immense blessing of divine protection, just as God promised Abraham. God's presence is our greatest security. Just as God promised to be with the disciples until the end of the age in the Great Commission, He promises to be with us today.

This call is for everyone. Revelation 7:9 gives us a glimpse of God's ultimate vision: a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before His throne. This mission is not just a program for the church; it is the final call for every believer. You can participate by going to the nations, by sending and supporting those who go, or by dedicating yourself to praying for those suffering in places like Pakistan, Nigeria, and Cambodia.

God is doing amazing things in Pakistan. Through the faithful obedience and financial support of people like Pastor Rafael and the wider church, we have seen tremendous growth. Since planting our first church in 2019, we now have twelve brand new branch churches in Pakistan. We recently completed a brand new school building to provide biblical education for our children.

We are also reaching unreached tribes who have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ, and we have established schools right in the middle of brick factories where Christian families are essentially enslaved. Even Muslim families in those factories have started sending their children to our schools, resulting in them learning the Word of God and receiving miraculous healings through prayer.

All of this is happening because ordinary people chose to obey and share their blessings. As we conclude, I urge you to ask God what His specific purpose is for your life. Ask Him how you can use your time, talent, and treasure to bless others and fulfill the Great Commission. Your obedience today can literally change eternity tomorrow.

Beyond the Crowd: True Intimacy with God

Introduction

Many believers fall into the trap of a false intimacy, going through religious motions, attending services, and sitting in a crowd without truly knowing God or being known by Him. This sermon explores Jesus' warning against superficial religion and calls us into a vibrant, individual, and transformative relationship with our Creator.

Main Points

1. The Danger of False Intimacy and Religious Routine

• Superficial Religion vs. Real Relationship: Sharing the same physical space, attending church, or partaking in traditions does not equate to knowing Jesus. He desires a genuine connection, not empty rituals or performance-based salvation (drawing from Luke 13:25–27).
• Hiding in the Crowd: God does not view us as an anonymous mass; He knows each of us individually. Relying on "going with the flow" or hiding behind cultural Christianity leads to spiritual stagnation and a dead routine.

2. The Path to Being Known by God

• Loving Because We Were Loved First: True Christian life flows from first understanding and receiving God's unconditional love for us. As 1 Corinthians 8:3 notes, “If anyone loves God, he is known by God,” and we love Him because He first loved us.
• Obedience as an Expression of Love: Genuine love for God naturally translates into keeping His commandments (John 14:15), moving us away from legalism and self-reliance.
• Rejecting False Teachings: Believers must remain steadfast in sound doctrine, heeding Paul's warning in 2 Timothy 4:3–5 against those who accumulate teachers to suit their own passions rather than enduring sound teaching.

Conclusion

Our ultimate purpose is to know Jesus and to be known by Jesus. By moving past religious pretense, embracing His grace, and allowing His love to renew us daily, we step out of stagnant routines and live fully as transformed disciples—true "little Christs" empowered to impact our families, workplaces, and communities.

Supernatural Rest

How can we experience the power of multiplication? The place of power is the place of rest in God’s word.

Here is the logic. Grace is the opposite of striving. 

If one feels a sense of debt and strives to pay God a price that is already paid in Christ, you miss the point of grace. 

God is calling you and me to enter the rest. That is the only striving we are encouraged in the Bible. 

“9. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10. for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 11. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience." (Hebrews 4:9–11)

Grace is multiplied when we rest in Him. 

There is a principle of biblical interpretation called the principle of first mention, which teaches us that the first time a major theme appears in Scripture, it establishes a foundational principle. And curiously, the word "favor" or "grace" that appears in the Bible is related to the very well-known character Noah.

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6:8)

The Hebrew name Noah literally means "rest." That conveys this idea: "Rest finds favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

I'm curious about this connection, especially with Noah. 

Have you ever worked on something that consumed all your time for days or even months? What about a project that might take 100 years to complete? (Genesis 5:32; 7:6, 11).

Only those who learned to rest in the Lord can go that far. 

Ahead of us there are about 40 weeks of the academic year. We drive, we lead, we study, we buy and sell, we pray, we fight, we rise every morning and put in and put out kids in the car. We build, we clean, we share, we wake up again. Oh Jesus, we need Your rest.

This week, as I was having my meeting with the disciplers, one of them had one little head popping out to see what dad was doing.

She came in. Said, “Hello, pastor.” 

Stayed there, as she knew everything we were discussing about the church and the semester. But ultimately she was saying, "Daddy, I just want to sit with you."

There was nothing she could add to the father’s job. There was no contribution. But her joy made our meeting have another color. Why? Because she was at rest with daddy.

It is time to rest completely in the finished work of Christ. The more you rest in His provision, the more His grace overflows. 

An inward rest that produces outward favor.

seated

"Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number." (John 6:10)

In the Bible, sitting is always a symbol of rest. It speaks of a position of authority, once you are seated in your royal position to reign in life in Christ Jesus.

"And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…" (Ephesians 2:6)

But now, in the miracle, we learn that, before it happens, we must rest in the Lord. Rest allows the multiplication to take place. It is a permission for Jesus to do His way. 

Many of us question, "How will multiplication happen? Where will the provision come from?" Sitting is our answer to say, "Lord, I don’t know how you will do it. But, not my way, not with my useless help, not with my strength. Do it in your way.”

Imagine if everyone had rushed forward to grab a piece of bread and fish for themselves; chaos would have damaged the moment. The Spirit of God moves in an atmosphere of order and peace.

Most of us, when we are seeking a solution, instinctively try to work harder to make things happen. We grip the handle a little tighter, trying to push through the exhaustion, and force a solution. What if the solution is to accept God’s ways? 

The problem here is our pride. "I know how to handle that complicated child. I know how to convice my spouse. I can grow my ministry…I need no help. I need no one." What if you can sit down at Jesus’ feet today and say, "Lord, not my way, but yours"? 

A foster parent once shared they met the biological mother of their foster child at a hospital where the sick child needed medical care. 

When the mother arrived, the child stayed on the foster parent's lap, without showing any recognition or affection towards the biological mother. Due to severe family negligence, the child was entirely dependent on these foster parents for safety and care.

These foster parents carried no malice. They genuinely desired to see restoration and told the mother with deep compassion, "Do you know that we are on your side? We want to help you be permanently together with your child." only to receive a contemptuous look. Instead of receiving grace, the mother responded only with disdain and pride

 What makes this story so sad is that pride prevented the mother from regaining her guardianship, and the only one truly affected was the young child who could not return home. All because the other wanted to do it her way.

How often do we respond to God with resistance? The very things we clutch onto out of self-reliance are often what we ultimately lose, simply because our pride keeps us from receiving His help.

The Lord looks at our frantic striving, our anxiety, and our desperate attempts to manage our own lives, and He whispers, "Do you know that I am on your side? I have a good plan for your future. Trust Me. Rest on me. What you cannot manage, I can resolve for you. Sit down.” 

Rest is not laziness. It is an act of absolute trust. It is stepping back from our own exhausted efforts so that His grace can take over.

Before Jesus made the miracle, He was sitting down.

Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. (John 6:3)

Today, take a moment to enjoy the feast. The Lord invites us to sit at the table to receive His provision, a measure that our efforts could never reach.

Today, my parents called to wish me a "Happy Father's Day, son.” Why? Because in Brazil it is Father’s Day. There’s always a special day for you somewhere.

Have you heard the saying, 'It's 5 o'clock somewhere, so relax'? That applies to you today.

With 24 time zones worldwide, there is always at least one place on Earth where the local time is 5:00 PM at any moment. 

Grass in the desert

Mark 6:31 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”

The KJV says, “a desert place”. The invitation is to rest in the desert. There, in the desolate place, the Lord finds us grass.

And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. (Mark 6:32)

Jesus was with His disciples when a large crowd gathered around them. To give themselves some rest, He told them to get into a boat. The crowd followed their move and arrived before them, waiting. Jesus then started teaching. Later, the disciples told Jesus, “It’s nearly night, and we’re in the desert with no food. Send the crowd home.” 

Jesus responded, “You give them something to eat.” They replied, “How? We’re in the desert, and we have no food for all these people.”

Jesus asked them for what they had. They gave Him two fish and five loaves of bread. And then you read something really odd in the story.

Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. (Mark 6:39)

Three times in this passage it says they were in a desolate place. Now Jesus is telling the crowd to sit on green grass.

"And he said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.' For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves... And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, 'This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late.’" (Mark 6:31–32, 35)

Scholars note that the Greek word translated as "deserted place" or wilderness (erēmos) does not necessarily mean a scorched wasteland devoid of all life; rather, it speaks of an uninhabited, lonely region. 

However, the explicit mention of green grass is a deliberate theological echo under the pen of Mark.

The people were tired, hot, hungry. He actually led them to green pasture. How not to connect that with Psalm 23? 

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”

(Psalm 23:1–2)

Jesus lightened their load without stopping them from entering the desert. We all face desert places—problems, giants, bad breaks—which should overwhelm us, but amidst the challenges, His grace will sustain us. We will find strength and courage to endure.

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

If you reflect on your life, you probably have moments that you wonder how you overcame that loss, that sickness, that difficult challenge. It was God's grace—giving us grass in the desert and easing hard times—that helped us endure. 

Without His favor, sickness might have defeated us, and breakup could have broken us.

He didn’t stop the trouble, but He kept it from stopping you. You could have fallen apart or had a breakdown, but God gave you green grass in a desolate place, sustaining and feeding you when you felt overwhelmed. Despite stress, there’s grass in the desert.

God has not done yet. 

You haven’t seen the promise fulfilled, so stay trusting for healing, promotion, a spouse, a child. 

The good news is on its way. 

While you wait, God is inviting you to green grass. 

You might not notice it, but without God's goodness, sickness could have overwhelmed you. Without His favor, trouble could have defeated you. Without His mercy, addiction could have taken you down.

No matter what you go through because you’re a child of God, there’s going to be green grass in your desert.

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…"(2 Corinthians 4:8–9)

God is going to do things that don’t make sense. It is supernatural. He’s going to give you strength that you can’t explain, courage that you didn’t know you had, favor that you didn’t see coming.

You may be in a desert place now. The right attitude is, “Lord, I want to thank You for the green grass. Thank You for sustaining me. Thank You for what couldn’t take me out. Thank You that I’m still standing.”

During tough times, God provided relief. At those moments, you might not have recognized that it was God's grace supplying strength and favor. Today, take time to acknowledge that God's goodness was there then and is over you now.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalms 23:5-6)

Always come back to Jesus

"And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all." (Mark 6:41)

The Lord broke the bread and handed it to the disciples so they could distribute it. I think that whenever their baskets emptied, they had to return to the Lord for more. 

This is how He chooses to bless us: He desires that we continually return to Him to receive. 

Every time you come to the Lord, you never walk away empty-handed. 

The hands of the Lord are always full to supply our every need.

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

The loaves were multiplied in the hands of the Lord. How? The text says, "And he divided…” 

You don’t need to be a mathematician to know that “division" does not result in “multiplication.” 

In math, division and subtraction decrease things. But that is why God’s multiplication is supernatural. 

It is entirely counter to the economy of this world.

In a moment of crisis, the last thing we want to hear about is giving, dividing, or letting go. 

Yet, for this miracle, subtraction brought multiplication, and division brought increase. 

Learn that in the upside-down principles of heaven, you never lose by giving something to the Lord.

There was one time that Peter was on the shore of Lake Gennesaret after laboring all night and catching nothing (Luke 5:1-11). Jesus requested permission to use Peter’s boat for a while. After teaching the crowds from the seated position, the Lord instructed Peter to let down his nets for a catch. 

Peter said they had worked all night without success, but at the Lord's command, he would cast the nets again. This time, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear, prompting them to signal their partners in the other boat to assist. It was the same sea, the same boat, and the same fishermen, but what changed was the divine power that was now at work.

Whenever the Lord requests something from you, it’s not because He needs it, but because He wants an opportunity to bless you. When God asks for your time, money, or talents, He plans to bestow greater favor upon your life.

Our empty boats, ur weariness is all that we can give. But the Lord provides out of our emptiness. 

The thoughts of God are always higher than our thoughts. We think merely of a job, while He thinks of a position of influence. We think of finding a spouse and getting married, while God thinks of establishing a generational legacy. His plans for us are always marked by generosity.

Surrender your life, your gifts, and your resources to the Lord, and watch Him multiply and prosper your offering. In His hands, everything is multiplied.

We tend to look at the limitations of our education and experience, settling for a modest job when He wants to grant us lasting influence. May the Lord expand our vision.

Thank Him for what He has done in the past, the green grass in the desert, for what He has placed in your hands, but believe in His increased provision.

With God, there is never a lack, nor is there ever waste. 

In the multiplication of bread and fish, the disciples gathered twelve full baskets at the end. 

They may have initially doubted whether enough food would stretch to feed them all, yet in the end, each disciple walked away with a full basket of his own.

The Lord never forgets what you do or what you give to Him.

"Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:25)

A generous soul will prosper.

In the divine economy, when you give, your offering returns to you pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

The Surpassing Power of God

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

On this side of heaven, life can include periods of hardship. In Ephesians, Paul refers to "evil' or "bad' days—times when we face a sequence of challenging events.

Ephesians 6:13 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

 It's important to recognize that in every battle and hardship, Paul emphasizes that our victory comes from God's presence within us, as he operates through a surpassing power. This is the power we need today.

There are many things that are not God’s will in this life. It is not by chance that Jesus taught us to pray.

(Matthew 6:10) “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

The treasure

Just one verse prior, Paul describes this treasure as the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). It is the glorious gospel of grace and the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ Himself.

This leaves no room for human boasting or self-improvement rhetoric. The treasure is the finished work of Jesus Christ deposited into our spiritually bankrupt vessels, providing an inexhaustible supply of unmerited favor. Grace is not theology. It is not a doctrine. Grace is Christ.

A jar of clay cannot manufacture its own contents; it can only receive what is poured into it.

(John 12:24) “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

We are a seed that needs the shell broken in order to have the life manifested. The problem is that many waste the opportunities of brokenness to go into self-indulgence, overeating, overscrolling, oversleeping, overspending, instead of turning that pressure into an experience with the surpassing power available for the one who cries for His presence.

God Hears Our Cry

Often, we find ourselves without words to pray, overwhelmed by pain and confusion. When shock hits, we seek words to comfort one another. 

Today, I want to remind you that God hears our cries and listens to our prayers. He desires to rescue us from all challenging circumstances.

Exodus 2:23-25 23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

Notice that God did listen to the groaning and the crying out for help. The Israelites were crying out for rescue from their bondage, and their plea reached God. And God heard.

There are different kinds of groaning. Some people groan out of a sense of entitlement, laziness, or unwillingness to do the hard work required of them. Some individuals are accustomed to being spoiled. 

But there is another kind of cry: a deep, personal desperation born of genuine oppression that truly moves the hand of God.

God explained to Moses the plan of deliverance and redemption, emphasizing that he was moved by the cries of the people of Israel and was rescuing them.

Exodus 3:7 7 Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,

Exodus 3:9 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

Different Brokenness, same surpassing power

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

Affliction: For Paul, it was the daily friction, suffering, and opposition faced while carrying out the ministry of Christ.

For you, it is the long-term chronic disease, addiction, financial tribulation; these unchanged circumstances that are taking longer than you hoped. 

That is not God's will for His children. Yet this life has so many fallen things that we may face these kinds of afflictions. Please do not waste the brokenness.

The meaning of the word evokes squeezing, or being compressed. It pictures an object placed under a heavy weight or grapes being pressed in a winepress.

I understand that the first illustration about the wheat seed involves breaking the seed. However, in winemaking, producers carefully control the pressure so that the seeds stay uncrushed. That’s the point Paul makes: our core, our true self—our new inner spirit—remains never crushed.

The way to access the surpassing power is turning to your inner man.

Perplexity: 

perplexed, but not driven to despair;

Being "perplexed" points to those moments when our minds are bewildered. When we find ourselves without answers or solutions.

That state connects with verse 9: struck down.

2 Corinthians 4:9 struck down, but not destroyed;

It’s natural for the clay jar to feel unsure. In unfamiliar situations, we often feel perplexed. 

Many of us felt thrown to the ground a few days ago.

The image here is a physical contest or a wrestling match. Moments where we are knocked off our feet by adversity or spiritual attack. 

Should I despair or lose hope? When we reach the end of our human wisdom and resources. We pray. 

Wisdom is always available for those who seek it.

James 1:5 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Your future is defined by the Treasure, not by your current confusion. You are not destroyed because the Treasure inside you cannot be destroyed.

Being struck down is simply an event that happens to the earthen vessel; it is not a reflection of your spiritual worth, nor does it mean God is judging you.

Persecuted:

2 Corinthians 4:9 9 persecuted, but not forsaken

Persecutions are misunderstandings. The suffering caused by lies and slander. People spreading false information.

The word “Dioko" carries the meaning of to be pursued, chased, or harassed. Here I like to remind myself that if there is one third of fallen angels against me, I still have two thirds fighting for me.

Mark 15:34 tells us that on the cross, Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” So now, like Paul, you and I can also say: 2 Corinthians 4:9 9 persecuted, but not forsaken;

Paul closes this passage with astounding affirmations.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

There are brokenesses that are the way to victory.

The brokenness that leads to victory

The Bible says in the book of Judges, chapter 7, that the people were oppressed by the Midianites.

The Midianites were a terrible people, and in the Bible they represent the work of evil spirits. Historically, the Midianites were a nomadic group of raiders. They did not conquer cities or set up governments; instead, they waited for the Israelites to do all the hard work of planting and cultivating crops. Right when the harvest was ready, the Midianites would sweep in like a plague of locusts, devouring the provisions. The Midianites did not attack Israel's army directly; they attacked their food supply.

God then calls Gideon while he was beating out wheat in the winepress, that is, beating wheat in the place meant for treading grapes. He was hiding there. And then the angel arrives and says to him, 

Judges 6:12 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

God never mocks you. God never gives you bad nicknames to tease you and provoke you. 

When God gives you a name, it is because that is your real identity. The Bible says that Gideon thought he was so small, but the angel says, "You are strong." If it were me, I would look to the side and say, "But who are you talking to? Is it really to me? No, my clan is the weakest, and I am the least in my father's house."

And the Lord said to him, "Go in this might of yours and save Israel."

God uses the improbable. This is to show His surpassing power. Hell must be perplexed to see how a weak, broken vessel like us can be used.

You know, there is no glory if the big guy defeats the small one. If Goliath had defeated David, there would be no honor at all for the giant. But when it is the small David who defeats a giant, then there is glory.

Goliath was David's glory. The size of your problem, of your enemy, is also your glory.

"Oh, pastor, I am going through a struggle, you have no idea, it is very big.” The bigger it is, the greater your glory will be.

Those who know you will have jaws dropped, astonished, saying, "What is this that is happening?" Because the Lord chose you.

Gideon makes the call, and 32,000 men show up to fight. (Judges 7:3) God says, "It's too many people. We are not going to war with this many people. 

Judges 7:2 2 The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

 Gideon said, "Now let's go to war." God said, "It's still too many people, lest Israel boast, saying they won the war because they had a large army.”

God doesn't want you to think you won the battle because you are smart, because you are capable, because you are strong, because you know strategies, or because you had your mind unlocked. 

Then God tells him to test them, and only 300 remain. By the way, Gideon lived roughly around 1200 B.C. The legend of Sparta is around the 1st century B.C. [a millennium later]—that is, 1,000 years earlier, God was already doing it. By the way, all the 300 Spartans died, not Gideon’s warriors.

The instructions were very clear.

Judges 7:20 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”

The torches were in the jars; the fire was in the jar. You are this jar of clay. There is a fire burning in your heart. 

It is the Holy Spirit of God moving in our lives. 

Judges 7: 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled.

Trumpet: The trumpet was a Jewish horn made from a ram's horn, called a shofar. 

To have the shofar, the ram’s horn, the ram has to die. And when you take the horn of the dead ram and blow the trumpet, you are announcing: the ram already died and defeated the enemy.

The horn in the Bible symbolizes power. Do you need the surpassing power of God? It is time to blow the trumpet. 

To blow the trumpet is to release the word. It is to speak. We need to open our mouths and proclaim the ram died, and by His death, we are more than conquerors.

2 Corinthians 4:13 13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak,

But not only must you blow the trumpet, but you also have to break the jars.

Judges 7:19 19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands

They didn't have to do anything. They shouted for the Lord! I am for the Lord. Say this in your house. Say this out loud in your house. If the devil is trying to steal your children, say: “My house is for the Lord.” That is the sword that is released. A sword of victory.”

"But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” God did not give me children for slavery. God did not give me children who will not live out their days. My children are blessed by the Lord; they are taught by the Lord, and my house and I will serve the Lord. 

They have just shattered the jar and sounded the trumpet. Speak out boldly and take hold of your victory with energy and enthusiasm. Declare the triumph of Calvary. God delights in disrupting human reasoning.

2 Corinthians 12:9 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God will show His power on the day you are weakest. When you cannot even pray. 

There were many occasions when I couldn't even speak. The voice wouldn't come out; only sobs came out, only anguish, affliction. 

You might think: "God is not pleased with me. How can God be pleased? Look at my condition.” The devil says, "Your faith is very weak. Look at how you are.” Ignore the devil. On the day you are weak, that is the day you are strong.

Broken jars are weak. But it is on this day that the surpassing power of God wants to manifest. On the day you don't know how to pray, I will give you a suggestion: just sing.

The Power in the Presence

Psalms 84:1-7 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!

2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.