True discipleship requires seeing Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away sins, pursuing Him constantly rather than settling for occasional encounters, and serving others immediately after finding Him, regardless of position or prominence. Andrew, the first disciple, exemplified this by bringing his brother Simon to Jesus and consistently bringing people to Christ throughout his life, demonstrating that genuine discipleship is marked by constant pursuit and service rather than seeking recognition or position.
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24th-May-2026 | Sunday Morning Worship Service (7:30am)Added:
Heat. Heat.
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Good morning, church.
And welcome to our Sunday service this morning. We are so happy to have you all today in God's house. There's no better place to be than in God's presence. You know in Psalms 122:1 it says, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go where? Into the house of the Lord." Turn to your neighbor and ask him, "Are you glad to be in the house of the Lord this morning?"
And I hope I'm seeing smiling faces because you know the psalmist David, it wasn't by chance. He stated that because you know what? It wasn't an obligation to him. It was a burden for him to come into God's presence. It was a privilege.
And you know the word glad, the word glad, it means full of joy, excitement, you know, satisfaction.
And this morning, you know, many of us, we are glad for different things.
Sometimes you are glad when you go to a concert and you see your favorite gospel artist. You are excited and you are glad when you go to your favorite shopping place, a mall. You are excited and glad when you travel around the world and you go to a famous place. But this morning, I want you to know the only place that you can find and be glad in it, truly glad, is in God's presence. This morning, I want you to clap your hands, stand to your feet, because you know in the presence of God, there is fullness of joy. Only when you're in God's presence, you will truly be joyful this morning. Let's just lift our hands all over this place. Let Jesus know how glad you are to be in his presence this morning. Hallelujah. Jesus makes us smile. And I want you to smile this morning as you think about Jesus.
Hallelujah. If God has been good to you, let him know that he has been good to you. Hallelujah Jesus. Lord, hallelujah.
Lord, we are so glad here in jail, Lord, to be in your presence, Jesus. We are happy, Lord. We are joyful, Lord. We are satisfied in your presence, Lord.
There's no place we'd rather be, Lord.
And in your is in your house, God, on a Sunday morning, Jesus. And we consider it, Lord Jesus, a privilege, not a burden, Lord Jesus. Not a headache, Lord. Not an obligation, Lord Jesus, but a privilege, Lord, to stand here in your presence to lift up our hands and worship the creator, the one who made us God. The one who died on the cross for our sins, Lord. The one who loves us, Jesus. And Lord, we want you to know today, Lord. And we declare, Lord, that we love you, Jesus. Hallelujah, Lord. We worship you, Lord, in spirit and in truth, Lord. And today, God, Father, Lord, as we stand in your presence, Lord, we commit, God, this service into your hands, Lord Jesus, on this Pentecost Sunday, Lord, we thank you, Lord, for what you did over 2,000 years ago, Lord. The outpouring of your Holy Spirit in that upper room, Lord Jesus.
And even today, Lord, we pray, God, for the outpouring of your spirit in our service here today, Lord. I pray God for the anointing Lord of your power Lord upon each and every person standing here Lord as well as those who are online Lord Jesus. I pray God today that we will feel your presence Lord that lives will be transformed Lord that your people Lord will be empowered today Lord Jesus. So take divine control Lord as our worship team Lord leads us in a time of worship Lord as your man's servant preaches the word Lord. And I pray God that even from now God that hearts will be convicted Lord Jesus and you will do a work God in each and every soul here today Lord. So we commit this service once more into your hands Lord and take divine control Lord. We thank you father in no other name but in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen and amen. You know turn to someone give them a high five and let them know how excited you are to go into a time of worship as I turn over to the worship team. God bless.
>> Good morning, church. Come on, clap your hands unto the Lord. The Bible says, "Who the Son sets free is free indeed."
Come on.
Come on. Clap your hands.
I'm shaking out the heaviness.
I'm dancing out of my regrets.
I'm throwing caution to the wind.
No, I am not ashamed to praise like this. Some say it's foolishness, but I say it's worth the race.
I can't forget what Jesus said.
No, I am not ashamed to praise. Come on, sing. Where are those chains that want to tell me? I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. My sin is gone. How can it be? I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. And look at what the Lord has done. I'm never going back to the way I was. I'll sing. I'll dance. Cuz I believe I'm free. I'm free. Thank God I'm free.
I found a friend that never quit.
No one loves as good as this. Thank you, Lord. And I don't care what anyone says.
I'll never be ashamed.
Come on, sing it out. Where are those chains that wants me? I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. My sin is gone. How can it be? I'm free. I'm free.
I'm free. I'm free. And look at what the Lord has done. I'm never going back to the way I was. I'll sing. I'll dance cuz I pray. Where are those strains? Come on.
Where are those strings that help me?
I'll pray. I'm free. I pray I'm free. My sin is gone. How can it be? I'll pray. I pray. I'm free.
>> And look at what the Lord has. I'm never going back to the way I was. I'll sing.
I'll dance cuz I believe. I'm free. I'm free. Thank God I'm free. You took the cross and you broke your body. You shed your blood. Now the sinner gets it. My debt is paid and my record is clean. I couldn't do it. So you did it for me.
You took the cross and you broke your body. You shed your blood. Now the sinner can't see. My de is f and my record is I couldn't do it. So you did.
>> You took the cross. Yes, Lord.
>> You took the cross and you broke your >> You shed your blood.
>> You shed your blood. Now the sin is >> my is my >> I couldn't do it.
>> I couldn't do it. So you did it for >> only God can do it.
>> So you did it for >> only God can do it.
>> So you did it for >> Only God can do it.
>> Only God can do it. Only God can do it.
>> Come on, sing. Where are those chains that?
>> Have you been set free?
>> I'm free. I'm free. My sin is gone.
>> I'm free. I'm free. I'm >> Look at what the Lord >> Look at what the Lord has done.
>> I'm never going back to the way I >> I'll sing.
>> I'll sing. I'll dance cuz I I'm free.
I'm free. I'm free.
>> Where are those chains? Where are those chains that want to tell me? I'm free.
I'm free. I'm free. I'm free. My sin is gone now. Hallelujah. I'm free. I'm free. My friend, >> look at what the Lord >> Look at what the Lord has done.
>> I'm never going back to the way I >> sing.
>> I pray I'm free. Thank God.
>> Come on, declare. You took the cross and you broke your body. Thank you, Lord.
>> Now the sinner can't see. My debt is f and my record is clean. I couldn't do it.
>> You took the cross. Yeah.
>> You took the cross and you rose.
>> You shed your life.
>> You shed your blood. Now this is >> my death is fading.
>> My head is in my >> I couldn't do it. You took them on.
>> You took the cross and you broke your body. You shed your blood. Now the sin of it. My debt is paid and my record is clean. I couldn't do it.
>> Could have only been Jesus.
>> Do it. So you did it for >> Could have only been Jesus.
>> So you did it for >> only God could do it.
>> Do it. So you did it for >> only God could do it.
>> So you did it.
>> Sing and look at what the Lord has done.
I'll never go in the way.
>> Look at what the Lord has done. I'm never going back to the way I >> look at what the Lord has done.
>> What the Lord has done.
>> I'm never going back to the way.
>> Look at what the Lord has done.
>> What the Lord has done.
>> I'm never going back to the way I was.
>> Let's go. I thank God.
>> Come on, give me a dance.
>> Let me see you dance.
Come on, sing. One way into the night.
Wanting a place to hide this song, this bag of bones.
And I tried. It's on my mind.
But I just can't win a fight. I'm slowly drifting about the bar. Thank you for your grace, God.
And just when I went out, I'll never >> His name is Jesus.
>> He told me that I was not alone.
He picked me up. He turn me around. You place my feet on the side of God. I thank the master. I sing. Come on.
Because you heal my heart. You change my name. Forever free. I'm not the same. I master. I say.
>> Come on.
Oh, come on. Sing a second verse.
>> I cannot deny what I see.
Got no choice but to believe. My doubts are burning like ashes.
So long.
>> Come on, sing it out.
>> You can just keep moving.
Now you are welcome here cuz I'm a changed person.
I sing you save my soul. This way would sound this way back. Oh.
He picked me up. He turned me around. He placed my feet on the ground. I master.
>> Yes, Lord.
>> Because you heal my heart.
>> Heal my heart.
>> Change my name.
>> Change my forever free. I'm not the same. I master.
>> I praise God.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh.
>> Come on, sing.
Hello another one.
>> I am her voice going. I am free. I am free. Hello another one. I am free.
>> Tell the person the next.
>> I am free. I am free. Hello another one.
I am free. I am free.
I am free.
>> Hell no.
>> I am free.
>> Let's go.
>> I am free.
>> Another one. Hell no.
>> I am free. I am free. Oh, >> I am free.
>> Lost another one.
>> I am free. I am free.
>> Hell another one.
>> Thank you for your saving grace.
>> I am free.
I am free.
>> Hello.
>> I am free. I am free. Come on.
>> Say because because he picked me up. He turned me around. He placed my feet on solid ground. I thank the master.
>> I thank the savior >> because he heal my heart. He changed my name. Forever free. I'll never say I master. I thank you.
>> Oh, I thank God.
>> Thank you, Lord.
Come on, give him a shout of praise.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah.
We bless your name, Lord.
Thank you, Jesus.
Are you grateful to be free this morning?
>> Amen. There's no other name but the name of Jesus. And you know this morning we're going to do a new song. It's called Jesus Be the Name. And Philippians 2:9-11 says, "Wherefore God had highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every other name.
That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of he of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." There's just something about the name of Jesus. You know, this morning I shared a testimony about my grandma. My grandma came to faith in Jesus about 40 years ago and she was and she still is sold out for Jesus.
She has a sharp memory. She owned a business so she could do mental maths quickly. She had seven children. She would remember their names, the names of her in-laws, the names of her 18 grandchildren, her 18 greatg grandandchildren. She knew all of our names, our birthdays, our phone numbers by heart. But then over time, she's 8 around 87 years right now. Her memory is fading. And last week, I got the opportunity to be with her. But she didn't know me. She couldn't recognize me. She couldn't recognize my aunt. She couldn't recognize my dad or my siblings. But there is one name that she knows, and that's the name of Jesus.
Cuz when we ask her to pray, it just something inside her memory just clicks and she knows to call upon the name of Jesus. Because at the end of the day, it's not my name that matters to her.
It's not anybody else's name that will matter for eternity, but the name of Jesus.
And there's something in her brain that remembers that name to call upon the name of Jesus. And that's the name that has power. It has healing. Demons tremble at the mention of the name of Jesus. Sickness has to flee. Death has to flee at the mention of the name of Jesus. So even as we sing this new song, just think about how important that name is because there's just something about that name that makes us cry holy, that makes us cry worthy, that we could sing about from here to eternity. So the words will be on the screen. can swell out the woods, but we could follow along because we're singing our Jesus this morning.
I could sing your name for all my life and still find more to love each time.
Jesus be a name ever on my lips.
sweeter every time that I call it.
There's just something about your name.
There's just something about your name.
There's just something about your name that makes me cry holy.
There is no other name.
There is no other name.
There is no other name.
Jesus, you're worthy.
You have been the friend who never left.
I won't forget your faithfulness.
Jesus be a name ever on my lips.
Sweeter every time that I call. Come on, sing to your savior. There's just something about your name.
There's just something about your name.
There's just something about your name.
It makes me cry. Oh, there is no other name. There is no other name. I know.
There is no other name.
There is no other name.
Jesus, your word. There's just something about me. There's something about There's just something about There's just something about your name.
It makes me cry. Holy.
There is no other name.
There is no other name.
There is no other name.
Jesus, you're worthy.
Come on. In your own words, just worship him. Oh, we worship you, Jesus.
There's no other name by which we can be saved.
We cry holy still with our praise.
Oh, we give worship to you.
So we pray today.
Come on, let's declare this morning.
Jesus, your name is like the morning light. on the darkness can deny your resurrection and the life. Jesus, Jesus, your name can sing. Your name can heal. Your name can make your song.
You never fail. You never will. Jes, the bread of life. Jesus the bread of life broken for us. The rule, the lamb, the worthy one, the first, the last, the soon to come. Jesus.
Jesus the king, the overwhelm, the great, the one who will forever.
The name above all other names, Jesus.
Oh, Jesus name.
Jesus name.
Jesus name.
Oh Jesus name. Jesus we Jesus be.
Oh Jesus be all. Come on give him all the glory.
Jesus Jesus name.
Jesus your name.
Oh Jesus name is all the glory.
Oh Jesus be the name.
Jesus be the name.
Oh Jesus be the name that gives all the glory.
Jesus, your name is like the morning light. The ones the dark skin tonight.
The resurrection and the life. Jesus.
Jesus. Your name is save. His name can heal. Your name can make the stormy. You never fail. You never will.
Life broken for us. Jesus the bread of life. Your king for us. The wounded and the worthy one. The first and last is soon to come. Jesus the king overwhelmed the great. The Lord will forever Jesus.
Jesus your name is the one yet the resurrection and the life of Jesus Jesus name your name will Jesus who came for us the world and the world the first to go Jesus.
Jesus the king. The one who will forever.
Oh Jesus name. Jesus we Jesus we name.
Oh Jesus we get.
Oh Jesus.
Jesus in the name.
Jesus in the name.
Jesus in the name.
It's all in Jesus name. Oh Jesus be the name.
Jesus be the name.
Oh Jesus be the name that gets all the glory.
Oh Jesus be the name.
Jesus be the name.
Jesus be a name that gets all. There's healing in his name.
There's healing in your name.
There's healing in your name.
There's healing in your name.
It makes me cry holy.
There's freedom. There's freedom in your name. Sets the captives free. There's freedom in your name.
There's freedom in your name.
It makes me cry.
There's salvation. There's salvation in your name.
Salvation in your name.
Salvation in your name. name. It makes me cry. Come on church, sing Jesus be the name. Oh Jesus be the name.
Jesus be the name.
Jesus be the name.
Get all the glory.
Oh we worship you.
I give praise the ocean. Oh we worship you. you.
We call on the name Jesus. There's no other name I know I worship.
Be exalted now in the heavens as your glory fills this place. You alone deserve our praise. You're the name above all names. Be exalted now in the heavens as your glory fills. You alone is the name above all names. The name above all.
Be exalted now in the heavens. As your glory fills this place, you alone deserve our praise. You're the name above all names. Be exalted now in the heavens. As you glory fills this place, you alone deserve our praise. is the name above all names.
>> Be exalted.
Be exalted now in the heavens as your glory fills the you.
You're the name above all.
Be exalted now in the heavens as your glory fills this place. You alone deserve our praise.
Your name is worthy is your name, Jesus.
You deserve the praise.
Worthy is so worthy is your name. Worthy is your name, Jesus.
You deserve. Worthy is your name. Worthy is your worthy is your name. Worthy is your name, Jesus.
You deserve. Worthy is your name. Worthy is worthy is your name. Worthy is your name, Jesus.
before is your exalted exalted now in heavens as your glory fills his face. Your glory praise. You're the name of our praise.
He exalts and the heavens as your glory is his face. You alone deserve our praise. You're the name above all.
He exalts as glorious you.
You're the name above all. He exalts as your glorious place. You alone deserve our praise.
The name above is worthy is your name.
Jesus, you deserve the praise.
Worthy is your name.
>> We sing. Worthy is your name.
>> Worthy is you Jesus.
You deserve the praise.
Worthy is your name.
>> In the book of Acts 4 12, Acts 4:12, it tells us that salvation is found in no one else. For there is no other name given unto mankind by which we are saved, but that name that is Jesus today. And I want us to know that salvation isn't found in any good works that we have or could do. It's not found in any rituals. It's not even found in religion. It's found in the person of Jesus Christ. And in that name and that name alone, we must call upon to receive that forgiveness and that salvation today. And you know, Christ is our only means of salvation because he died on Calvar's cross for us. His body represented by this bread and his blood represented by the cup. And every time we eat and partake of it, we proclaim that he is the only name that we call upon for salvation today. Amen. And so as the emblems will be shared around at this time, it's available for all those who would have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior. Feel free to receive at this time. If there's anyone who wishes to pass for whatever reason, that's quite fine. You know, do so. But as we receive and as we sing, let's search our hearts and find ourselves right and worthy of receiving today.
>> And what can my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing more. Nothing more of Jes.
Nothing of the blood of the blood of Jesus once can make me whole again.
>> Nothing but his blood.
>> Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh, precious is the glory that makes me white as snow.
I know.
Nothing but the blood of Jes. Nothing but the praises.
Oh, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
With >> all heads and eyes closed, let's lift our emblems to God as we pray today.
Dear God and heavenly father, we thank you, God, for that name that has been given to us, God, that we can call upon for salvation today. And we declare today that salvation is found in no one else, God, but you. And today, we thank you for this bread that represents your body broken for us. We thank you for this cup that represents your blood that was shed for us, God. And today, God, we ask, God, that if there's any sin found in us, cleanse us, make us pure, holy, and worthy so that we can partake with you in a worthy manner. So, we give you praise and thanks in all the name of Jesus. Amen. And amen. At this time, let us partake of the bread.
And now let us partake of the cup.
Amen.
You may have a seat at this time.
Amen. Pleasant. Good morning everyone.
How are you all doing this morning?
Sounds really really good. Yeah, you all are having a great day. How are you all doing?
>> Great. Okay, turn your person next to you. Tell him something nice.
Yeah. Tell him, "Hey, I would have been the most good-looking guy here today if it wasn't for you."
All right. So, all right, guys. So, welcome. Welcome. I hope that you all will be blessed by our service this morning. And, you know, I hope that God really speaks to you as we often do every single week at our church. We would hear an object lesson. It's a practical lesson with a spiritual meaning. Uh we have Sister Chelsea who is going to give that lesson. Let's put our hands together for her as she comes at this time.
Good morning church. It's so lovely to see you this morning as selling the first service. It's so lovely to see you in person.
So how many of us has found oursselfves in a situation where we want to take back the words that just left our mouth?
Yes. If your tongue have ever gotten you in trouble, don't worry. You are not alone. The truth is, even though we cannot see our words after being spoken, they don't just disappear. They leave a mark. They have an impact. James compares our speech to a bit in a horse's mouth. To a small rudder behind a large ship, to a small spark that sets an entire forest ablaze.
All small things but with massive influences.
Though your tongue is a small muscle, the words that we choose have significant ripple effects.
Your words have great meaning. The Bible is very clear that our words can be used to bring to bring life or death to bring blessings or curses. It can be used to encourage or destroy, to heal or to wound, to build someone up or tear them down.
And it amazes me that James goes on to say, "If any man does not stumble in what he says, then he is a perfect man."
It truly shows us the weight of our words and that our shortcomings can be found in the way that we speak.
Thankfully, James also acknowledges the reality of the situation. We all struggle in our speech. For some, it may be cursing, others gossip. We may find ourselves always complaining, always having negative things to say, judging, snapping, always being pessimistic, using God's name in vain. And all of these things hurt relationships and poison our environments. It makes our homes a place filled with tension. It makes our workplace and our schools filled with unease. It can even make our church be filled with hate rather than with love. And Matthew warns us for that. Every idle word a man will speak, he will give an account of it in the day of judgment. But I have a cure for you today. And it's simply not willpower.
Because I know there are a set of us here that acknowledge that our issue may be our speech. And we start our day and say, "Yes, today is the day I'm not giving that person a piece of my mind.
Today I'm not going to snap. today are not letting out and that lasts for about two hours and then a stressful situation comes along and everything just slips out. So no, it is not just a matter of willpower for Matthew 12:34 says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. You see, our snapping mouth comes when our patience runs thin. And gossip becomes very tempting when our heart is filled with insecurity and jealousy or complaining flows out when our gratitude runs dry. Therefore, to better our speech, we must ask God to help us change our hearts first. So, we all understand the impact of toxic words, of negative words. We have all experienced being spoken harshly to. We have all dreaded an environment that is just toxic just due to the way that people speak to us or to others within it. We've also met people that always just have negative things to say.
But I want to tell you that rather than just staying silent, you also have the ability to use your words to transform that negative environment to that of a positive one. So as we continue to walk as disciples of Jesus Christ, let us ask God, what is the source of our ill words in our hearts and asks us and ask him to give us the wisdom and the courage to use our words to transform our environments. But we could look to the Bible for godly speech and a way in which we should structure our words.
Let's do everything without grumbling.
Let's think before we speak. Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth, but that which is good and necessary for edification.
Let us be gracious and let it be gracious and seasoned with salt. Let us respond softly than giving a harsh response. Let our words be like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healthy to the bones. Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to rat.
And let us encourage one another, and build each other up.
We can use our words to build or destroy. And when we choose to use our words to build, we can take a step back and look at what we created. Godly speech builds and creates homes that are secure, unifying, and stable. It creates workspaces and schools which are uplifting, peaceful, and encouraging. It makes our community welcoming, restorative, and creates cooperation, growth, and belonging. And you, parent, spouse, child, sibling, coworker, friend have the ability to build these spaces.
When we allow God to shape our speech and reflect Christ in what we say is, after all, what a true disciple would do. Amen.
>> Thank you very much, Chelsea, for that powerful object lesson. And I want to remind you that every word that we speak is like placing one of those blocks. So this morning, I want to encourage you to build blocks or build bridges of love and kindness rather than hateful and hurtful words that tear down relationship and tear down others. Let's speak words that honor God. Amen. Do I have your commitment that we are going to do that as a church? Amen. All right.
So, we want to welcome all of you again to church this morning. I hope that you've enjoyed service thus far. But we also want to give a warm jaw of welcome to anyone who's visit visiting with us for the very first time.
We are happy that you have chosen to fellowship with us. We hope that you've enjoyed service and you are going to come again. All right. So at this time we have what is called J love moments where we pause service for a few minutes just to meet and greet each other and also partake of coffee and tea at the back. So you will see the countdown on the screen and we hope that you will take your seats 30 seconds before you know the time is true. All right. So God bless and meet a new friend.
Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.
>> Good morning and welcome to J Love Ministries. Thank you for being with us here, J Love Moments.
>> Thank you for being here to all our digital disciples. It's a pleasure to have you online with us.
>> That's right. We are so blessed and lucky to have you with us this morning.
This is Brother Steven. I'm Sister Chelse and we love you so much and we're so happy that you're with us.
>> How many of you all um have been with us here when she used to call me Ryan?
>> That was one time.
>> A couple times. I remember I think it was a couple times.
>> Two times. Two times.
>> Yeah. So, brother Ryan who um who did jail moments this morning for the morning service sometimes she used to mix me up with him. I think it was the size. We both kind of have the same size. Yeah. Yeah.
>> So, yeah, I think it was that >> guys drop a comment, drop a heart, let us know that you've been watching us since worship.
>> And, um, you are happy to be here with us because we are surely and truly happy to be here with you. We definitely are.
>> Um, brother Steven, how you feeling this morning?
>> I actually am a little bit under the weather. However, I'm just really, really excited because something very, very important and exciting is happening this afternoon. Well, can you do the honors and tell us?
>> Well, guys, so this afternoon the J love cricket team is taking part in the semifinals of the Southern Division 4 League.
>> Um, it's taking place at Moises Road Recreation Ground and it starts at 12:30. So, when you finish with service here, you know, you could probably grab a little bite and then head down to Moes Road and come and show the support.
>> Guys, you don't want to miss it. Our team has been performing well so far and we at the church are really excited and happy for them. But this morning at this moment we are really happy and excited for one thing and that is Jesus. Um this morning in the comment section we want to encourage you. Tell us you know why are you feeling blessed this morning?
How has God shown up for you this week?
Tell us something amazing that happened for you. Share it in the comment section this week.
>> Talk about that. Sister Chelsea, there are a couple people who have already commented on our um post on our live stream and um how about we give them a little shout out, you know.
>> Yeah.
>> Uh we see Sister Kerry here who's our online usher, guys. Anyhow, any questions you all have, anything you all need to find out. Um feel free to message in the comments or private message and she will get back to you.
Sister Carrie, >> definitely. We want to say good morning to Sister Lissa Muhammad, Sister Christina Ramsaran.
Um your hands moving quickly there boys.
>> Um, sister Virginia Ramjet Singh, Sister Camille, Sister Lana, and brother Jason Dulu.
>> Jason always locked on. Jason always good morning to you as well.
>> Sister Gita Lman, um, brother Rahul Kana always locked on.
And um Sister Chelsea, we have a lot of love sharing. A lot of love sharing. A lot of hearts. A lot of love.
>> Brother Sheldon, Sister Virginia, um Sister Yvonne. Oh my gosh, we have a lot of love.
>> Sister Razia. I think I saw Sister Raza here this morning.
>> Good morning, Sister Raz.
>> Yeah. Sister Trisha, >> Sister Lyanna Sudin, always locked on.
Sister Lena, Brother Carlos. Yeah.
Sister Lisa, always showing that love.
Sister Crystal, you know, you're always locked on as well. Guys, we are so happy and blessed to have you with us. It's such a privilege to share this moment with you. We know that you can't be in person here. But you know what? It's such a privilege that we could stand here and speak to you through the camera. And that's why we want to remind you, you know, whatever season that you are walking in, whatever you're going through, we want to let you know that we are love you. We are praying for you.
And um I just can't wait till the day comes that you could walk up the stairs and me and Steven we could hug you real tight or we could do our handshake.
Let's show them our handshake.
>> Like that. Like that. Yeah. Can I make this happen? You know when we in person.
However, >> no disadvantage to you guys. You know we love you all. We'll probably try to do a virtual handshake, do a little video and send it out for you all.
>> So guys, we want to give you some announcements. Jay Love always bubbling with excitement and activities and we have some great things coming up. So, let's start with that first.
>> First of all, let's start with Sunday morning again. Sunday morning again, guys, is our services. Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. and at 10:00 a.m. we have our Sunday morning services, guys. You all know that. Share the word, share the information so that maybe if you can't be here, you might invite someone to come and be part of this with us. And also on a Sunday at 8:30 a.m. we have our Crown Jewels Kids Ministry, we have Sunday school and I am one of your Sunday school teachers. Kitties, I love you and I want to see you in church. Um, also this coming Sunday, we have a special event for kids. So friends, come on down at 300 p.m. at J Love Ministries. Kitties 14 years and under, we have a special special surprise for you. As pastor also mentioned when he made the announcements this morning feel free to invite someone as well. So it don't have to be because you attend Crown Jewels, you come alone, you can invite your friends, invite your family to come and be part of >> and maybe to our digital disciples. If you've never been to church um in person and you have a kid, Sunday is the day to bring them at 3:00 p.m. We have a packed afternoon with plenty activities and a wonderful gift at the end. So we want to see you. Moving on with the announcement, guys. On Friday, every Friday at 6:00 p.m., unless noted, we will be having our remnant crosswalk youth group. That's for our teens ministry from the ages of 12 to about 20 or so. Every Friday at 6 p.m., feel free to send out the teens. Feel free to send out those um young adults who want to make that transition from being teenagers into that young adults ministry. Let them be part of that on a Friday evening from 6 p.m.
>> And guys, that ministry is growing. so much. We've seen the change in the hearts and the lives of many youths and we don't want your son or your daughter to miss out.
>> So, this is just a little comparison and I know we're not supposed to be doing that. However, Sister Chelsea, I am so amazed to know that these kids have this avenue and this space where they can learn and they can grow in Christ amongst their peers with with vibrant young leaders as well leading them into that path, taking them as stewards into that kingdom.
>> Yeah. And it's also a safe space for them, for us their leaders to help them, you know, do life together, to walk with them, to help them understand and to live um, you know, as true disciples.
>> So guys, on that note, on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. we have our prayer faith service. Come on down. Come join us.
Prayer, faith, deliverance. This is the place to be. at 10:00 a.m. Also on Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. we have the men's nightly prayer. Steven's going to tell you a little more.
>> That's the nights at the round table, guys, is where men can come together and be those powerhouses within the homes, within the communities. The um the link can be shared to you. Just say in the comments and if not, you can either contact brother Labrad or any one of the guys from the men's ministry and they will get you logged on to that.
>> Yeah. And on Tuesdays, I'm sorry, Saturdays at 5:00 a.m. we have our intercessory prayer. We have a group of people here at church meeting together on Zoom praying for our nations, praying for the needs of our church, our people, our country. And um we want to pray for you too. So let us know if there's a need. Message us inbox.
>> Sorry to cut you off there, Sister Chelsea. However, I see we have about a minute again left in our timer and we want to get settled to hear the word of God and hear the message from God's um God's chosen person to bring the word to the Pastor Eron Ramdas. Right. However, guys, we have a big big big event is coming up. It's going to take place on the 7th of June, guys.
>> Wait, pause, pause, run, get your pen quickly. Okay, let's say that date again.
>> So, on the 7th of June, guys, we are going to have our remnant car rally. You don't want to miss it.
>> You don't want to miss it, guys. It's going to be >> scavenger hunt >> and and scavenger hunt. It's going to be to raise funds so that we can have a subsidized cost for our camp which takes place on the 7th to the 10th of August at GDM ministries.
>> And this is for our youths, guys. So, it's really important that you support us and show us some love.
>> If you guys want to find out more about this, just ask in the comments. We'll send the online link to you all. You can register online and then come out and be part of that event with us >> or drop a drop a drop a message in the chat. But guys, we got to go now.
Brother Steven and myself, we want to remind you to begin as we receive service for the word from the man of God himself, Pastor Eron Ramdas. We are so excited. Are you excited? I'm excited. Let >> you guys, >> we love you.
>> Love you.
All right.
Thank you very much. All right. I hope that you had a wonderful Gil love moment that you felt the warmth and love of our church and it's my privilege as always to introduce our wonderful pastor, Pastor Eron Ramdas. Could you please give him a warm welcome as he comes.
>> Thank you. Good morning everyone. How are you all doing in the second half of today's service? Better than the first.
>> Okay, you're still not convincing. All right, but welcome. If you're here with us for the first time, we want to give you one round of applause. Again, let's give them a clap. Thank you all for coming, visiting our church. And if you are online as well, we're going to give you one round of applause as well, too.
Let's give them a round of applause, guys. We hope that we can see you all very soon. All right, so welcome to our church. And if you're here with us for the first time, we love to make people feel just a little bit awkward because we do this love thing where we turn to each other and we tell them three magic words. I love you. So turn to the person next to you and say I love you.
>> I love you.
>> Turn to the person on the other side and say I love you. So you know we know many people, you know, they haven't heard I love you for the entire week. Some some wives haven't heard I love you since the wedding day and some husbands said the same. Some parents have never heard I love you from the kids and you know some kids you know they just want to hear that I love you sometimes and not just the sound of belt on back you know licks you know but guys you know we always want to share that love and we don't ever want you all to come here and not feel that love that comes from our church because we are Jay Love Ministries at the end of the day. Amen.
So um you know today we're going to jump into our sermon you know um this year we have been dealing with you know such a important word that you know really forms the identity of who we are as Christians as believers in Christ and every single year our church is guided by a vision and that vision is usually wrapped up in a single word. Two years ago that word was anybody remembered.
>> Ahava. Yes. Very good. And last year it was renom. So aava was the word for love. Regnum, the word for kingdom. But this year, for some reason, we can't just get English words and make it simple. We have a Latin word called >> H.
I feel some of you all had a switch service in the morning service. You all, let's get the extra hour sleep and come like, you know, we still want to sleep away. The word is what?
>> Decipulus, right? So, the word is decipulus or as we would pronounce it as well, disciple us. So, why this word is so important, guys? You know, as I always share, um, you know, for most of my life, if I have to define myself, I may have never described myself as a disciple of Christ. You know, for all my life, I would identify as a Christian, which is good. I identify as blessed, which is good. Chosen, which is good.
You know, um, all these nice Christian jargon we've identified with. But to say that when someone asked who are you, that I ever answered and said, I am a disciple. I can't say that I've ever done that. And it's so strange because the true identity of who Jesus wanted us to be had always been to be a disciple.
Not that being a Christian is bad. But now when I understand the true definition of what it means to be a Christian, I realize that I haven't been Christian in well. Anybody has been Christianing really well all their life?
No. Because I thought that once I come to the altar and I gave my heart to Jesus, I immediately became a Christian.
And maybe yes I became a Christian on the basis of title based on what he will give. But on the basis of definition Christian means to be like Christ. Being like Christ means I think like Christ, I live like Christ. I love like Christ. I look like Christ. Then you can call me a Christian or a Christian. But I realized even after coming to Christ, I didn't immediately start to look like Christ.
We still said the same things we used to do. We still go to the same places at home. we're still, you know, not a nice person and we don't really look like Christ. So, in essence, can we really call ourselves Christians if we're not looking like Christ? No, we should not.
We're not worthy of that name. And that's why Christ understood that men, we are so flawed sometimes that we don't immediately start to look like him as we come into church. And that's why his encouragement or his call for us was always to be a disciple. And that's where we start. Because when we look at the Bible, the word Christian was only mentioned three times in the Bible. The word disciple was mentioned 260 plus times. It was always Jesus and his 12 Christians. No, it was Jesus and his 12 disciples. His call to us was, "If any man wants to be my disciple, deny self, pick up cross, follow me." The great commission call was, "Go ye therefore into all the world, preach the gospel, and make disciples. By this shall all men know you are my disciples that you love one another. And so Christ would have been trying to insert or instill in the hearts of his followers that the true heart of a follower is really to be a heart in in their heart to be a disciple. It's our identity. So maybe you've been in church all your life.
Maybe you've always called yourself Christian. I'm not saying don't call yourself it. That's good. We are Christians by nature of label. But at the heart of who we are, we must go back to being a disciple of Christ. Because you see, when we're a disciple of Christ, true disciples follow Christ.
Because you see, Christians could just be a fan of Christ. Christians believe in God by definition. But a disciple obeys God. A disciple learns Christ. And when a disciple learns Christ, he will begin to live Christ. And when he lives Christ, he will begin to look like Christ. And when a disciple looks like Christ, then the world around them will look upon him and say, "Hey, that guy, he's acting like Christ. He's speaking like Christ. He's talking like Christ.
He looks like a >> a >> Christian or a Christian." Amen. So, our hope this year, our job this year is to be a true disciple of Christ. And that's why our prayer for the year is Lord, disciple us. So, we've gone through a couple sermon series. for this year, you know. Um, we had fun with the first sermon series, which is the cipulus, where we really explain all of what I just explained. If you missed it, what you do, go back and listen to. If you still can't pick it up, then something wrong, right? Um, maybe go and get some ging or something, right? Um, but the cipulus is what we did at the first um sermon series. Then we moved on to ectus. Then from us, we did three days.
And then from 3 days uh our last sermon series would have been the disciple DNA.
We understood what it meant to have the DNA of our God because you know we were all born in sin. We were shaped in iniquity. And so the DNA of this world of this flesh of this carnal nature was so instilled in us that we had to undo that DNA and allow Christ to reinsert his spiritual DNA into us so that we can look like him and reflect him. So, we did that last couple of weeks and we're moving on today to a new sermon series called the chosen the 12. Anybody excited for this sermon series?
>> Chosen the 12. Yeah, we are. So, which 12 are we speaking about? Anybody could guess?
>> All right. So, the disciples. So, we're going to talk about the disciples themselves. I mean, of course, if we're doing a series this year on the cipulus, which is disciples, makes sense how we talk about the 12 disciples, right? But what I love about, you know, these 12 disciples is, you know, when we think about, you know, Jesus in heaven coming to earth in human form, what I've come to accept or even understand and recognize is that, you know, Jesus could have done it all on his own. You know, Jesus didn't need us. You know, Jesus didn't need me to come and pastor this church. Jesus didn't need 12 disciples. Yet, he still chose them. And I find that is so beautiful because at the end of the day Jesus could have done it all on his own because he is God. He is all powerful.
He is all knowing. He is all present.
Yet he still chose 12 men to be around him to share in his glory to have relationship with. He gave them a part of his story. And I find that is so beautiful that when we see how God operates on earth, I want you to know God wants to partner with his church. He wants to partner with me and he wants to partner with you. He wants to give us a share of this story that he's building here in J Love and even in Trinidad. He wants to give us a share of his glory.
And that's why in the same way that he partnered with his 12 disciples, he wants to partner with me and with you.
And the funny thing is, I don't know about you, but if I had the chance to choose from anyone in the world, I would go and look for the biggest and the brightest and the smartest. Anybody here ever, you know, long time when we had to choose teams? Uh, you know, we would come, anybody ever, um, was there when you had to choose teams and it was last pick.
>> Yeah. You'll have the whole crowd there and they'll pick two captains and, you know, they'll say, "Okay, Labrado." And the next man will call, "Hey, Petal, and next person will call Trisha. Next person will call Irish. Next person will call Kim." And you just there waiting. I going to be last pick boy. Because of course, when they have to choose, they're going to choose the people who could sing a little bit. You understand?
So, we could pick um sister Kim. We had to choose like say we had to choose the church team of course the pick is between Trisha and Kim there right to start with I pick in Trisha you pick Kim then I'm going to pick me for leading worship then they look okay who going on MC by sister petal or sister Marlin you understand they pick that choosing me for MC and either then when I come to pastoring or preaching they might choose pastor Sandra I'm going down the road and when you think about it people in this world we choose based on we choose based on position we choose based on who looks like they could do a job well we choose based on status we choose based on education. But look at it. When Jesus came to choose who he's going to choose as his 12 disciples, I often ask myself, would I have been chosen? Cuz when you look at how Jesus chose, it's so amazing that Jesus chose ordinary men living ordinary lives with ordinary homes with ordinary families doing ordinary things.
And he chose them to do extraordinary thing. And maybe you might think, hey, I'm just an ordinary person here. I maybe I'm just a I'm just someone who doesn't have anything going for me. I don't have education. I don't have a background. I want you to know you're just the kind of person Jesus is looking for to be a disciple. He's looking for the nobodies to make them somebodyodies, the zeros to make them heroes. Because you see our God, he goes after those low things in the world and bring them to confound those things that are high in this world. He takes the foolish things of this world, the Bible says, to confound those things which are wise.
And so maybe you think that you've had it all figured out because you have the knowledge of the world. God is looking for someone who is just open, obedient, and who understands that, hey, God just wants to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things. There's a word we learned a couple weeks ago for ordinary.
You all remember what that word was for ordinary?
>> Idiot. Yeah. And we learned that that word idiot. We might think idiot sounds like a bad word. Anybody would like to be called idiotized? No. Right. But idiot was actually a good word because idiot meant ordinary men. And what I love is that when Jesus came, he didn't go to the palaces. He didn't go to the politicians. He didn't go to the philosophers and he didn't go to the priests. He went for the idiot. Those ordinary men doing ordinary things. And through them he did extraordinary things. So does anyone want to be an idiot for Christ? Just me alone. Yeah, I see some hands. Yeah. We want to be idiot. Turn to your neighbor and say, "Do you want to be an idiot eye?" Tell them, "I'm an idiot." Ei. So, next time someone calls you, "Hey, you idiot."
Just add Tai to the end and say, "Yeah, thanks. Thanks very much." Right. So, guys, today we're going to look at chosen the 12. And I'm going to go through each of the 12 disciples over the next 12 weeks. And, you know, we're just going to learn from their lives.
We're going to learn different dimensions of them. And, you know, in in in planning this, I I didn't know how to really split them up. you know, um uh I decided, you know, maybe I could have gone with, you know, the brawlers, those who were just loud and ecstatic, you know, people like Peter, um or people like Simon the Zelots, who just wanted to fight. I thought about having calling another group the bold ones or the brave ones, which was like Peter, James, and John. I thought about labeling an except the BTS guys, which is the behind the scenes guys. That's like people like, you know, like BMI and Tadius, um who we know nothing about. I don't know what we're going to preach at those sermons.
When that time comes, we will see if I could pull something out. But those are guys we don't know nothing about.
They're behind the scenes. And of course, there's the betrayers, which is like, of course, Judas. And I often ask myself, you know, if I have to identify myself with one of them, who would I identify myself with? Is there any Peters in the house? You could you think you could identify with Peter?
>> Yeah. Any Judases in the house?
>> Nobody. You want to hold the money?
Right. But I always I often like to identify myself and realize that at the end of the day, these guys were 12 real people. They were real guys who had wives, who had children, who lived just like us, who had jobs and God called them, you know, nonetheless. And they all had flaws about them. And I think that each and every one of us, we could relate to them. And so, as we go through this series, I want you to just examine each of them and see how you can relate to them. See how they overcame whatever flaws that they had. And today what I chose to do in presenting it, I'm going to go based on chronology. I'm going to start with the first disciple who came to Christ and then go down the line. The second, then the third, then the fourth, then those who we believe to be the sixth, 7, 8, 9, 10th. And we're going to talk about them. So today we're talking about the very first disciple who came to Christ. And his name is, anybody knows who was the first disciple to come to Christ? It was Matthew, right?
Because Matthew, Mark, Luke, Matthew came first, right?
>> No. Yeah. It was Andrew. Yeah, you're listening to this morning. All right. So, Andrew, guys, Andrew was the very first disciple. And so, today we're going to talk about Andrew. First come, first serve. That's the title for today. First come, first serve. And I will explain what first come first serve mean. But let's read about Andrew as the first disciple. So, John 135-42, it outlines about Andrew. Is there anyone who could tell me three things about Andrew? You'll get $200 from Brother Labrado. Any two things about Andrew?
>> Three things. He what?
>> He tall. Andrew was tall. Oh, just plain. All right. Yeah. Yeah. So, we don't know much about Andrew, but that's what I love about him. He was one of the BTS guys, right? Behind the scenes, you know nothing about him. But thankfully, John 35-42 tells us a little bit about Andrew. So, at this point in time, John chapter 1 starts off where John the disciple of Christ is given an account.
And John starts off this uh this uh chapter very very beautifully. We all know John 1:1 starts off with in the beginning was the word. The word was with God and the word was God. I want us to appreciate one of the beautiful things from a Bible study point of view about John 1:1 is that what John tries to do uh John is a bit difficult from the other three gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke. That's why John is classed um as a whole different type of gospel because John does something different where John actually tries to parallel the very first book of the Bible which is Genesis 1:1. The first book of the Bible starts off in Genesis 1:1 with what? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And then now John, he wants us to think about Genesis when he starts the book of John because he wants us to know the true identity of who Jesus Christ is. And that's why John starts off with the same line. In the beginning was the word. So in the same way Genesis 1:1 was in the beginning God created. John starts off in the beginning was the word. So what John wants us to know is this word that I'm going to talk about. He's the same God from the beginning. Just make sure and keep that in mind. And then he goes on to describe who is the word. He said in the beginning was the word. The word was with God and the word was God. And then he said the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. Who became flesh and dwelt amongst us? Jesus. So here is John saying Jesus is more than just another prophet that has come online. He's more than just a teacher. He is God himself incarnate in human form. Same God from the beginning. And then John goes on to share a little bit about Jesus that he is the light of the world that he is the life of all mankind. And then he switches after John um chapter 1 14. And then he begins to introduce another man called John. And the other man called John that we know is called what? John the >> John the Baptist. And I give a nice little you know thing this morning. What does John the Baptist and We need a Pooh have in common?
>> Hey, you listen to first service and come and spoil all my jokes. Boy. Yeah.
John the Baptist and we need a Poo. They have the same middle name. You might catch it when you're going home. Right.
For those who are catch it this morning.
They really caught it. John the Baptist, Winnie the Daddy say middle name. Let go on boy.
Tough crowd, boy. Tough crowd. Tough crowd.
We got to make some extra coffee and little drink. All right. So, let move on. So, you're going on to John the Baptist. So, now John the Baptist. John introduces a guy called John the Baptist. And John the Baptist, he has disciples around him. John was the big boy at that time. John was the man who was baptizing people before Jesus came.
The Bible describes him as the forerunner of Christ. The Bible says that you know um you know um he had the spirit of Elijah within him and he was so prophetic and John has hid the his disciples as well before Jesus came and so John and and his disciples was standing one day and this is where verses 35 came and it says the next day John was there again with two of his disciples. So we're talking about John the Baptist. John the Baptist, he has his own disciples who he's teaching. And John was there and when he saw Jesus passing by, he told his disciples, he said, "Look, there is the lamb of God."
In an earlier verse, he said, "Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the entire world." And then again, the other day he sees Jesus again, same Jesus walking by. He says, "Look, there's the lamb of God." And when his two disciples heard him say this, they left him and they followed Jesus. So imagine two men is following Jesus.
Jesus is walking down the road. Two men following him. The Bible says Jesus turns around and he saw he sees two men following him. If you see two men following you in Trinad, what are you going to do? Pull out a cutlass, right?
Jesus turns around.
What do you all want? Basically the two men they said well we want to know where are you staying? So basically they asked Jesus where is your address? Should Jesus give them his address? Anybody will give anybody address who's following you? No. But Jesus is all knowing. Jesus knows what these guys want. So they say, "Hey," Jesus says, "What do you all want? Why are you all following me?" The men say, "Where are you staying?" And then Jesus says, "Come and you will see." So they follow Jesus and they went and they saw where he was staying. And what did they do? They spent the day with him. And it was about 4:00 in the afternoon. Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two. So now we are introduced to a guy called Andrew. So Andrew was one of the two disciples who used to follow John the Baptist. It says now Andrew who was Simon's preacher's brother was one of the two who heard what John had said and who followed Jesus. And the first thing Andrew did was find his brother Simon and tell him Simon we have found the Messiah that is the Christ and he brought him to Jesus. So he brings someone to Jesus. the very first thing he does and Jesus looked at him his brother and said you are Simon Barjon or Simon son of Jonah and you will be called Keas which is translated Peter.
So here it is we see Peter is brought to Christ on account of Andrew. So the first disciple who accepts the call of Jesus is who? Andrew. And we're going to talk about first come first serve. First come first serve. Why I'm calling it first come first serve is because in our world today when we hear that line first come first serve we expect that if I come first if I appear first there should be some privilege that is attached to coming first. Agreed?
There's some privilege or some prestige.
If I'm here first I should be seen first. If I'm here first I should be served first. If I'm here first I should get the best of the pick. If I'm here first I should get what I want. and whoever comes after hard luck for them.
And so we live in a mentality in our world where first come is first served.
But what I love about Andrew is that he came first. But the reality of it is there was no preeminence given to Andrew. There was no prominence given to Andrew. There was no prestige given to Andrew. All Andrew cared about when he came to Christ first was Christ. How can I serve? And so whereas in the world first come first serve means there's a privilege or a prestige or something provided for you. If you come first, Andrew understood the heart of a disciple. If I come first to Christ, I must begin to serve immediately. And the very first thing that he did was what?
He went and bring other people to Jesus.
And what I want us to understand, it's just a kingdom paradox as we always speak about where in the world first come, first serve means there's some prestige attached to coming first. But in the kingdom, first serve means, hey, I need to jump into ministry. I need to jump into what God is calling for me.
Because just like Jesus, he didn't come to be served. He came to serve. And sometimes we come to church and we think just on account of me being pastor or someone being leader, we should be served all the time. And that's why you have churches where pastors could sit on a throne like a king and we have to wash his feet. But Jesus said, "Nope, that's not how we do it in the kingdom of God."
We think that hey when we come if I get to sit on up in front I am the best Christian around. If I get to stand on the stage I'm the best Christian. I was here in this church the longest and if I'm here in church the longest how other people could come and be pastor before me. You have people like that in church.
Yeah. If you were just because them was there when the church start them have to be the next pastor of the church. Them had to be the youth leader or them. Not in our church. Niger 11 guys. Right. But no there's no privilege attached to it.
And that's why I love what Andrew does where he understood it's not about him being served, but it's about, hey, how can I serve? I'm here first, guys. I want to serve more. I want to serve bigger. I don't want to be greatly served. I want to be the greatest server. And so, that's what Andrew teaches us even behind the scenes. And don't get scared by this, but I have four points for you all very quickly.
It's kindergarten points, guys. As a disciple, Andrew saw, Andrew searched, Andrew stayed, and Andrew served. If you're going to be a disciple today, we need to see something. We're going to search for something. We're going to stay in something, and we're going to serve someone. Let's talk about saw.
John 1:35 says, "The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.
And when he saw Jesus passing by, he says, "Look, the lamb of God." As I said, a verse high up said, "Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the entire world."
What I love about it is that Andrew's encounter with Christ, it did not start with just coming to church and experiencing a nice sermon or coming to church and experiencing a nice worship experience because many times that's what we come to church for. When statistics are done, what do you like about church? Most people they like the music in the church. They like the worship in the church. Some people come to our church, they like the communion.
I like the communion. It says good. One person say sometime they visit I say boy pass but I can't go back on the communion in my church again after I taste that bread some people come they like the communion I don't know about you but when I was growing up I used to go and it's bad to say this boy and tiff the communion when they done boy cuz as a child and I can't come I see plate passing in front of me it's like we boy nice nice bread as soon as they put it in the kitchen whatever left over bam I grab that and I put it in a pocket and not easy at all I wasn't easy and I chewing like if it's ching gum you understand. But we come to church for so many different reasons. And the reality of it is if you're going to be a disciple of Christ, it must start with who do you see Jesus as? And that's so important in your life. It sounds like very a very simple point, but what we have to do, what we have to ask ourselves, who do you see Jesus as?
Because you see, this is the most important question that every single man, woman, and child has to answer in the world. And as I always say this so many times this year I said everyone in this world believes in Jesus Christ. Do you all know that?
>> Everyone in the world no matter what religion they came from, no matter what background, everyone believes in Jesus Christ. I've never met one person who does not believe in Jesus Christ. The problem with the world is that they believe different things about Jesus Christ. Some believe he was just a prophet. Some believe he was just a great teacher. Some believe he was a god. Even the skeptics and the atheists, they believe that a man called Jesus Christ did live and walk this earth.
They all believe in Jesus. The problem is who they believe Jesus to be. And I want you to know the identity of Jesus in your heart and in your life is going to be the defining thing or the defining answer that is going to shape your life.
Because us as Christians, we don't see Jesus as just another prophet. We don't see Jesus as just a teacher. We don't see him as just a great man. We don't see him as just a pastor. We don't see him as a guru. We see him as the only God, the only way to heaven. He is the only way, the truth, and the life. No one comes unto the father except through him. He is the mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Salvation is found in no one else. For there's no other name given unto mankind by which we are saved but the name Jesus.
Last year we learned that more than being creator and savior, Jesus had to be what? King of our life.
>> And I think the problem many times with the church is that we accepted Jesus as the creator of heaven and earth. We accepted him as savior but we didn't we didn't accept him as king as yet and we don't treat Christ as king. I I I I told the church this morning just imagine king Charles visits Trinidad and you have that opportunity to see him. Are you going to wear short pants and a wife beat us to to see King Charles?
>> You going to wear that peps?
>> You understand?
>> Going to dress up in your nicest outfit.
>> And when you meet when King Charles is passing by, all of a sudden you turn British, you understand? Hi, good day.
Would you care for a cup of tie? You know, and all kind of I don't even know how British talk. I hope that's how they talk, right? And all of a sudden, the girls I'm curtsying for the first time and the men them you will go and see King Charles pass and say by Charlie boy or is he seen by Charlie? You know, you're not going to talk to King Charles like that. You're going to reverence him differently. You're going to respect him differently. You're going to act differently around him. You're not going to act like a Triny cuz, you know, we we have no conduct, right? You're going to act so differently around him because you reverence that he is king. You respect who he is and you're going to treat him different. He walks into the room, if King Charles is talking, you feel anybody could carry on little conversation in corner there? You're afraid to even pull out your phone and take a picture with him, right? And I'm saying to fear God. But what I'm saying, the same reverence, the same respect, the honor that we're going to give to human kings, how much more honor are you going to give to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords in your life? Amen.
When King Charles speaks, when the kings and the queens of long uh you know olden days would speak, their word is gold.
Their word is sealed in the hearts and in the constitution of their country.
When our God speaks, we use his words as though they are optional. We read the Bible and God is so clear in his Bible.
Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
He is so clear. Thou shalt not. And we still act as though those things optional.
>> That's because we haven't seen God for who he is cuz we haven't made made him king of our lives. And that's why I'm saying if you're going to be a disciple, you're going to bring a little bit of renum from last year into this year and begin to see God for who he is. Yes, he is creator. Yes, he is king. Yes, he is savior. Yes, he is uh the the everlasting lord. But he has to be king of your life because when you make him king and you see him as king over your life, you're going to act a little differently towards him. Yeah. You're gonna you're going to treat him differently. You're going to give him the reverence he deserves. His word isn't just going to fall on deaf ears anymore.
>> And what I love is where Andrew started in terms of being a disciple. It started with him seeing the true nature, the true identity of who Jesus was, the lamb of God who is going to take away the sins of the entire world. He saw that Jesus was not just another prophet, another teacher, another guru, another minister. He saw that Jesus was the answer. You want to know that old song?
Jesus, he's the answer. Old people sing for the world today. Teach your young people something. Above him there's no other. Jesus is your former old time voice. So Jesus is the answer for the world today. Above him there's no other.
Jesus is the way. Yeah. So when you see Jesus as the answer, not just another, you're going to you're going to approach him differently. Amen.
>> Real disciplehip always begins with revelation.
>> Who Jesus Christ is in your life. Maybe you've come to church and maybe you've loved the pastor. Maybe you've loved the worship. Maybe you've loved the leader.
Maybe you've loved the community. Maybe you've loved the coffee or the communion, but I want you to know today if you're going to be a true disciple, you're going to have to love the Christ because that's where it starts. A true revelation because church cannot change you. Only Christ will. And when you see Christ for who he is, that's where disciplehip begins. That's why you know John 10:14, the problem of the world was this. John chapter 1 10 this was the problem of the world. The Bible says Jesus he was in the world and though the world was made through him the world did not recognize him. That's why sin abounded and that's why sin abounds in our life not because God is absent you know it's because we are not recognizing him and that was the problem with the world and that's why verses 14 said that word became flesh and made dwelling amongst us and as a disciple we have seen his glory the glory of the one and only son who came from the father full of grace and because they saw and they experienced the glory of God they became disciples And that's what I hope for today. It starts with a revelation.
Guys, if we're going to be Christians, if we're going to be disciples, you can't reveal a Christ who you have not truly seen.
>> Only when you truly see, then you'll begin to truly serve. Maybe you want to truly serve and jump into ministry one time and start to preach or start to sing or start to dance or start to get involved. But I'm telling you, unless you truly see Christ and know Christ, you're going to serve and you're going to serve badly. That's why so many times us as leaders, as pastors, sometimes we have messed up church so much because we did not have a true encounter with Christ and then we want to lead people to Christ. We start to lead them to the wrong Christs.
>> Yeah. And that's why before you start to serve, begin to see Christ as as he really is. See him as king, see him as Lord, see him as master, everything.
Amen.
>> I've come to learn that no matter how many church conferences we could go to and how many times we could sit down and learn from books how to build a church and how to make a church impactful and how to make a church effective. I've learned today that the modern church don't need any new ideas. We don't need fresh ideas. You know what we need is a fresh revelation of who Jesus Christ is.
Cuz I feel as though the church we have lost the true revelation of Jesus Christ. We have created forms of Jesus within the church that is in the true Jesus. You know Paul had that same problem. That's why Paul would have told the church um you know the early church uh it was either acts or Galatians he said if anyone comes to you and preach another Jesus from the one we have preached. So you realize that even in those days people was creating Jesus who wasn't real and in our world in our modern church have realized that even us as Christians we try to create an imaginary Jesus in our mind a Jesus who don't step on nobody toes. Jesus so nice and meek. You know the kind of Jesus that we like. We still like baby Jesus.
The little baby Jesus who don't tell nobody nothing. We like Jesus on the cross who just take elix and go on.
Yeah, we like that Jesus. But you know what we don't like? We don't like the Jesus who is going to come back and judge the world. And we create in our mind, no Jesus will never correct somebody. No, Jesus will never step on anybody toes. Let me tell you something.
Jesus will step on people toes. That's why the religious people hated him. And you got to love the fullness of who Jesus is. The church, guys, we don't need fresh ideas. We need a fresh revelation of who Jesus is. And with fresh revelation comes a fresh fear of who God is. And I think that the church is lacking a true fear of who God is.
That's why we can come to church this morning and this evening, we walk back into a life of sin. That's why we could hear the word of God preached with fullness and authority. I I I'm so certain that there's nothing that I could preach from the stage here that someone does not know already. Yet we still go back and we do exactly what God tells us not to do. It's not because his word has changed. You know, it's because we have lost our fear of who God is and we we are not afraid of him anymore. And that's why I would tell you today that the fear of God is going to be the beginning of knowledge. The fear of God is going to be the be the beginning of wisdom. And when we have that fear of God inserted back into our hearts, and when I say fear for the young people who might be confused, I'm not speaking about being afraid of God. I'm not speaking about being fearful of God.
It's never God's intent for us to fear him. That's why he say I haven't given you a spirit of fear. That's why the angels will say fear not. It's not that type of fear to be afraid. It's the fear where you acknowledge and you reverence and you respect the full authority of God in your life.
>> And so today, if we want to be an effective church, we need a fresh revelation of who Christ is and let that invoke some fear back into our lives.
Amen.
>> Into our lives. Amen. Thanks, Sister Pepe for that clap. I appreciate that it reached to you.
>> Yeah, everybody else had it already.
Only you needed to hear that word, right? Search. I know they taking it.
They taking it in. I know that, right?
Let's go to searched. Right. Very, very quickly. Searched. I love that he saw Jesus Christ. John is here. His pastor is here. Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the entire world. Does Andrew and his friend, his other disciple just looks, wow, that the lamb.
Okay, cool, cool, cool. And they go there. merry way. What does what do they do? They leave John behind and they go in search of Jesus Christ. Maybe Christ has been presented to you at some point in time. Maybe you know a lot about Jesus. Maybe your Christian life is marked by just hearing about Christ, sitting in the seats and hearing from the stage about Christ. But the question is, are you leaving your life behind and going in pursuit searching for Jesus Christ? The Bible says you will find me.
You will seek me and you will find me when you search for me with all your heart. When you search for me, I think that as a disciple, our disciplehip should be marked by a continuous pursuit of who Jesus Christ is.
>> Did the disciples ever stop following Christ? Did we ever hear in the word of God where Peter and James and John told Jesus, "Yeah, not Jesus, I'll come by on Sunday, but during the week, let me go and see about my walk and take now." You know, one time Jesus was so dread with a disciple. Bible said a disciple came to Jesus and say hey Jesus I have a relative a father died go and bury them now and take care of the business you know Jesus tell them Jesus say hey stay here let the dead bury the dead if Jesus that's what that's the call of Jesus he's saying hey you need to be on a constant pursuit of me that's why the the psalmist would have written as the deer panteth for the waters so my soul is longing after you are you in a constant pursuit of Jesus or are you satisfied? Or are your is your Christian walk marked by just hearing who Jesus Christ is? Hearing the testimony of others. Oh, he's the lamb of God. Oh, he's the creator. Oh, he's the king of kings. Or have you committed your life to a constant pursuit now? I want to know more about Jesus. I want to read his word more and find out more about him. Young men, you understand it well.
You see a girl that you like. Girls, you understand. You see who you like. What do you do? Do you stay here and say, did I stay on Facebook and say, "Yeah, boy.
That girl in that picture look nice boy.
You know what I do? I pursue her. Add she on Facebook like a little stalker.
Thank God she ad. And then of course we began relationship. We began to speak. I began to pursue. I want to know more about you. I want to know what you like.
I know I want to know what you don't like. I want to know what's your heart's desire. I want to know what you don't like. And I pursue that relationship.
Our Christian life must be marked just like that. Because your life, your Christian walk isn't a religion. It's a relationship. And relationships are built when we pursue them.
>> Amen.
>> It does not happen by chance or by coincidence. It does not happen that way. Andrew left his life behind and he went in search of the true king, the true one, the true master, the true lamb. That's why Paul said, Paul said, I pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling. Paul said, "I count all things as lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, who I will suffer the loss of all things so that I might just win Christ." Do you long for Christ in that way? Do you search for Christ? Are you in a constant pursuit that it just draws you? I want to read my Bible more every day. I want to pray every day because I want to communicate with my God. I can't wait for Sunday mornings to reach because I just want to come and dwell in the presence of his people where his presence just falls in a different way or does Sunday morning tick you off? We have to go to church. Children, how you feel on a Sunday morning? Mommy and daddy really making me come to church.
If that's how you feel, let me even talk about the children. Sometimes the children want to come to church more than the parents. Yeah, parents, you know, adults, how do you feel about Sunday morning? Is Sunday morning a task?
Is 7:30 service a task? Is 10:00 service a task? If pastor preaches beyond 12:00, is that a task? Or do you do you wait in expectation that I wish we could have church every single day for the week? Is there anybody who feels that way besides Sister Pepe?
>> Right. Let me get some amen. Oh, really?
Well, we'll have some, right? We'll start it soon, right? I'm kidding. But how is your pursuit? Are you longing for more of Christ or are you contented once a week? A true disciple goes in search of Christ. And that's why the Bible said when the two disciples heard John, what did they do? They followed Jesus. They followed, followed, followed until Jesus turned around and he saw them following.
I want Jesus. I mean, I know this is just an analogy. I want Jesus every time he look over his shoulder, who he seeing? Seeing me. I want to be that little young puppy who only just scrolling up on the heel. I want to jump up on him. Yeah. Think about all of you all who have animals. Anybody have animals here? When you walk in a house, how the animal reacts? Do they just look up and say, "Okay, cool. You reach home." What if if the animal really like you? What is do they just run after you?
They want to jump on you. They want to lick you. They want to do all kind of things. Why? Because they acknowledge my master is home. And I'm excited to meet my master. They understand that, hey, that master that the source of my provision. If I sick, that's the source of my healing. If I want anything, that's the source. When I had a bait, I can't even bait myself. That master had a bait me. You understand? They understand who their master is. In the same way, why we can't understand who our master is? Why can't we long after our master? Why can't we be excited to be in the presence of our master Andrew?
He left everything behind and he search for Christ. That's why some people maybe you've experienced church, but you've never encountered Christ as yet. Want you to yearn after encountering Christ, not just experiencing a nice church service. Disciplehip, guys, it's not about performance. It's not about position. It's not about popularity.
Andrew as a disciple we know nothing about him. Did Andrew become prominent because he came first? No. No one hears about Andrew. Imagine Andrew's brother became one of the more prominent disciples. Did Andrew get any big position? Andrew could have called ranks and say, "Well, you know, Jesus as you're handing out, you know, who going to be on the right and who going to be left and who going to get the gift of healing and this?" You remember I was first. Did Andrew do that? No. No position. We don't even know what is Andrew's real purpose in life. We don't know. No position. any popularity? No.
No one knows about Andrew, anything about him. Andrew doesn't even get a book in the Bible. Matthew comes further along as a tax collector. He gets a book. Mark wasn't even a disciple and he gets a book. Luke was a friend of a disciple and he gets a book. John was maybe the person with him. John got a couple books. His brother Peter who he brought to Christ got books. Andrew got any books? No. Yet his disciplehip, his life was not marked by prominence, position or popularity. It was marked by a constant pursuit of Jesus Christ. I want to challenge you, change our hearts today. I've seen so many times people will come to church and if they don't get a position in church, if they don't seem to become popular, they think, well, let me go another church. How many times would people come to church? I remember one time somebody came to the church and um you know very early on and they was like hey I I I play this instrument real good you know I could play this and I could play that I could play everywhere and I was like okay cool no problem as as they reach here first service I say okay cool that's real real good I real glad come now let me talk a little bit and we get to know each other never saw them after that >> because people don't want people don't want a an altar anymore people want a platform >> and that's why what I'm saying is when you come to Christ maybe God is going to say Hey, this is a season where you're going to sit and you're going to receive. I'm going to speak to you during this season and in due time I will exalt you. In due time, you know, God, you're going to realize that I actually didn't even want position. I just wanted an altar to serve on cuz maybe God just needs to do something.
So, what I want to say is don't let your disciplehip be marked by how prominent you became, how popular in the Christian world you became, or what position you held in church. Some of the greatest people, they were just people working in the backgrounds just pursuing. I asked this morning, everybody here knows about Morcai Ham.
Modi Ham. Modi Ham. Yeah. Some of us know, anybody knows about Billy Graham?
>> Right. Morai Ham was the guy who brought Billy Graham to Christ. Yeah. Look at that. Morai Ham knows nothing about him.
He just faded out into history. Right.
But he was the guy who was just obedient to the word of God. Hey, let me just go and evangelize and invite someone.
Morcai Ham invites young Billy Graham into I think it was a 10th crusade.
Billy Graham comes, he gets saved and Billy Grahamham begins to become the biggest evangelist that the world has ever seen. Just because Morcai just did.
He didn't care about the popularity, no position, no prominence, just a constant pursuit of Jesus Christ leading others to Christ. And look at what happened.
Amen. So guys, search of Christ. The third point stayed.
I love this question because many of us, we would love Christ to ask us this question. What do you want? In a nice way. How many of us are always so fascinated when we look at Aladdin and the genie has to give three wishes? And I don't know about you, but I used to be digging up in my backyard looking for a lamp. You know, I just want to find a lamp. I want to find a genie and I want to get three wishes. And I want to see how I could outsmart that genie to have one of the wishes to wish for a million other wishes. Right? And we we like to we we like that idea of a genie that we can speak to. And in the same way many times we treat Jesus as though he is a genie in a bottle. We have no time for him. But when we do want something, Jesus, can I get this? Our prayer is marked by can I get? Can I get can I get? Can I get can you supply? Can you provide? Can you do this? And then when we do get it, we forget about him and we treat Jesus like a genie. So what I love is that Andrew and this other disciple, possibly John, they follow Jesus, but their pursuit of Jesus was not on the basis of what they could get from Jesus.
It wasn't on what could be provided for them. That's why when Jesus turns around and say, "Hey, what do you guys want?
You want $5, you want $10. What it is exactly you want?" What do they ask?
They say, "Jesus, all we want to know is where you staying." Why do they want to know where Jesus is staying? They ask for an address rather than an assignment. They ask where are you staying rather than some accolade with Christ. They wanted to know where Jesus was staying. Why? Because they wanted to go where Jesus was going. They wanted to be where Jesus were. They wanted to dwell in his presence. And for them, proximity and presence was more important than anything that could have been provided for them. Any prestige, any prominence, any position, proximity and presence was much more important to them? And I want to ask you the question, how important is proximity to Christ for you? How important is dwelling in the presence of God important to you? That's why I love David. David said, Lord, >> create in me a clean heart, oh Lord.
Renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence because you see David understood that when he was in the field as a shepherd boy he experienced the presence of God but when he was exalted to the palace the world crept in and he realized I didn't have the presence of God here and that's why he sinned over and over again and what I want you to know as a disciple yearn for presence yearn to stay in Christ Moses and Joshua would have said it this way when God would have given them instructions Moses and Joshua they would say Hey, if your Holy Spirit isn't going there, me, I want to go there either.
>> I only want to be where the Holy Spirit of God is going to be. And the same way, live your life in such a way where, hey, I don't ever want to leave the presence of God.
>> For far too long, we dwell in the presence of God in church on a Sunday and Monday to Saturday. We walk outside the presence of God, living our lives the way we want to live. A disciple is marked by staying in the presence of God. When you stand in the presence of God, you're going to stand in the power of God. You can't get the power without the presence. You can't stand in the power of God if you don't stay in the presence of God. And so today, Andrew, he stayed in the presence of God. The Bible said, turn around. Jesus saw them, what do you want? They say, master, where are you staying? He says, come and you will see. So they went and they saw where they saw where he was staying and they spent that day with him. Are you spending time with Jesus? Disciplehip guys is not about occasional encounters.
It's not about once a week encounter with Jesus Christ here in church. It's about an abiding presence where your home now becomes a church. Where your home becomes an altar. Let let your home begins to feel like what church feels like. When your children wake up in the morning, what should they hear? Gospel music, worship music, right? When they see you early in the morning, what should they see? Oh, the word of God is being preached and spoken. Kim started this thing. She killing two birds in one soul. She going on AI and she putting in Bible verses and she asking them sing chap sing John chapter one in uh in yeah she wants a a genre in a worship genre or in an alternative rock style genre.
So I sleep in there and I hearing um blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly not standeth in the way because she like funk right punk punk music right and I like but what song is this and I I like Kim who sing that song she was like a just AI singing the Bible so she killing two birds in one stone where the word of God is being spoken and worship is taking place at the same time she bringing church to home in the same way if you want to abide in the presence of God wants to come in that's why he said I stand at the door and If any man would just hear my voice, open the door, I will come in and s with you. When he met Zakius, big tax collector, what does he tell Zakius? Come down. I'm going to your house for tea. It wasn't just about getting a nice cup of Lipton. It was about staying and spending time with Zakius. Because Jesus understands the more people spend time with me, the more they are going to look like me, the more they are going to live like me, the more they're going to love like me. and then they can really call themselves Christians. So disciplehip is not occasional encounters. Some of us we have settled for that occasional encounter once a week, once a month or once a year. But being a disciple is going to call for an abiding presence in your life. John 15:4 says, "Abide in me and I in you."
>> One thing I desired, the book of Psalms 24 says, "That I may where? Dwell in the house of God."
>> Andrew stayed loyal without leadership status. People who stay with Jesus, they start to sound like Jesus. Amen. Let's go to the last point and we close with this. Andrew, he saw his disciplehip journey started with a true fresh revelation of who Jesus was. He saw Jesus for who he were. Who he was. He did not stop there. He went in pursuit.
He searched for Christ. When he found Christ, he stayed. And he didn't only stay. He served. Look at what John 141:42 tells us.
Andrew, he experiences Jesus. He finds Jesus. He search for Jesus. But then it says the first thing Andrew does is what? He goes into evangelist mode. He finds his brother called Simon and he tells Simon, "We have found the Messiah." That is the Christ. And he brought Simon to Jesus. And when he brought Simon to Jesus, as we know Simon, he became renamed. He he became known as Peter. and he became one of the greatest church leaders in the early church. Here it is. As soon as Andrew finds Christ, as soon as he experiences Christ, it plunged him immediately into service. True disciple is going to truly serve. The first thing Andrew does, he goes and he brings people towards Christ. And you know what the lovely thing about Andrew is? Andrew is mentioned about three times in the Bible. And every time Andrew was mentioned, guess what Andrew was doing?
Anybody knows? Andrew was bringing people to Christ. This instant was the first time he brings his brother Peter to Christ. The next time there was a big problem. 5,000 people was hungry. They don't know what to do. What does Andrew do? Andrew finds a little boy with five loaves and two fishes and he brings a little boy to Christ. There was another time where I believe in the book of John again where um the Greeks wanted to meet with Jesus. They go to Philillip. Philip as I say Philip was a rowdy kind of guy.
Philip say go and ask Andrew. Somehow Andrew had a knack for bringing people to Christ. Philip directs the Greeks to Andrew. Andrew brings the Greeks to Christ. Andrew just had a knack for service. He worked in the backgrounds, but he brought people for Christ. And that's why, guys, let me tell you something. Some of you all in this church, you all have such a mantle. And you all have such a a a strong conviction and a strong calling just to be evangelists. And evangelism just looks like so many of you all just bring people to church. And that's so applaudable. You are bringing people to church. Maybe you don't have the right words. But hey, I'm bringing people to church. That's what Andrew was. I don't know what to say. I can't talk like my brother Peter. I can't sing. I can't clap. But you know what I could do? I could bring people to Christ. I could bring them to church. That's what Andrew did. And he served, served, served in his small way. Some disciples make a lot of noise. Some people make a lot of nonsense, but others make impact. What type of disciple you're going to be? one who makes noise and just talks louds and sings the loudest and clap the hardest and dance the wildest. You know, church have plenty of that. Yeah, trust me. I remember it had it. My whole church guys, it it has some real moves and thing like the whole church was a dance leader, a dance group. Sometimes sometime you must have a tanty running up and down with that kind of Yeah.
That's quite okay. all your feeling to do. That's real good. You know, um you know, there's some who, you know, when prayer taking place and the and you know, supposedly, you know, the Holy Spirit falling, sometimes the pastor can't get back the mic to preach because people only screaming and balling and all kind of thing. Some people are not putting down what was what and but I just know the Holy Spirit moves in order, right? Sometimes we think Christianity is about being the loudest, being the most ecstatic. We think it's about knowing the most. But sometimes guys, the guys behind the scenes are the guys who make the impact. And so today, Andrew teaches us that I don't have to be visible to be valuable. I can serve right where God has placed me. Some people changed the world from the spotlight. Andrew, he changed the world from the shadows. The world celebrates fame, but heaven celebrates faithfulness. Jesus was the greatest disciple who taught us disciplehip. It says, "For even the son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister to others." Amen. And so Andrew, he didn't change, he didn't chase stages. He changed stories. I want the life of Andrew to change your mind about what you see ministry as as a disciple. Maybe you thought, and this is how I thought growing up, maybe you thought the highlight of ministry is when you get up on stage here and you hold a mic. It was inconceivable in my mind that you could do ministry off a stage. You all know that. I thought you can't do ministry off a stage. I thought in order to be important in church, important in in order to to to to make an impact, I need a stage and a mic to do that, right? And what I've learned is that guys, church run on the backs of those who work behind the scenes many times.
people who no one sees. Our ushers who no one sees. The cleaners who come here and no one sees. The intercessors who meet and pray and no one sees. Our song guys or multimedia or media team who no one sees. The planning that goes into events that no one sees. Sometimes we have more meetings to plan than the actual event itself. Sometimes you spend about 20 hours to plan a 1-hour event no one sees. That's behind the scenes. And that is so valuable even though it's not visible. And Andrew teaches us that you can have impact if you stop chasing stages and begin to change stories in the life of people. And that's why, you know, when I became a pastor, I I told myself, I want to be committed to changing the stories of others. Even though, yes, I'm saying this and yeah, I'm standing on a stage. I people know my heart. My leaders, they know my heart. I always say this. I wish we could get a senior pastor in church sometimes and I could just go and be like a youth leader or you know just work with you know kids them kind of stuff because sometimes having to prepare and being senior pastor sometimes you just lose that connect and that relationship that you want and I prefer that guys you think I want to preach two services could have finished by 10:00 and me and Kim they're eating lunch somewhere nice or annoyant ask him why you want to eat something nice you understand enjoying life you understand I really want to have two services but we're being obedient into the call of God. And the stage, let me tell you something. The stage and leadership is look very enticing is look like you want it until you get it. And I hope you still continue to want it. But I want you to know there's a responsibility attached to it. And that's why when you do get into leadership, you'll realize that this stage is not the important thing. It's a sacrifice that has to be given. It's more about obedience rather than coming up here and doing all these things. The easiest part of my job, guys, is actually standing on stage and preaching a message. That's the easiest part. If we have to have a third service next half an hour, are you ready to go again? Because this is the easy part.
The hard part of leadership is what takes place behind the scenes. And that's why I'm saying don't chase stages. It looks enticing. It looks beautiful. Look to change the stories of the lives around you. When I, you know, when when God really began to work in my life, even as a pastor, I only learned this even after being a pastor because I thought pastoring was all about preaching. But then, you know what? God really laid. He said, "Every single person that I sent to your church, every single person that I sent to his church, sorry." Yeah. Every single person I send here, you you just had to make some impact in their life. It doesn't matter what their background look like. As long as they're here, you are to care for them. You have to shepherd them, try to change their story. And that's why, you know, I just felt that strong call that all I want to do in life for the rest of my life is that I want to meet with people and they don't leave the same. I want the testimony of my life to be that when people met with me, they saw Christ in me and I introduced them to Christ and it changed their entire story. How many of you all want to change some stories today? Yeah. The beautiful thing about the Bible is that the Bible always gives us the problem which was the wages of sin was death. There's this nice threeletter word called, you all know what came after that. The wages of sin was death. But God always adds a butt to his story. I want us as disciples to begin to add butts to people's story.
Someone comes in here, yeah, they were an alcoholic. Yeah, we know their past.
It might be a neighbor who came to church, add a butt to their story so that they can testify on baptism day.
Hey, I was a drunkard. I was an addict.
I was I I came from a broken home, but my neighbor invited me to church, but I saw how my neighbor lived, but my brother showed me Christ. I want us to add butts to people's stories. That's not going to take place from the stage guys. It's going to take place within the stories of lives that is around you.
So take that to heart and be like Andrew. Change lives not from the stage but from behind the scenes. So the question today is and we close with this. The question is not are you shining for Christ but the question is are you seeing who Christ truly is?
Don't allow the light of the platform that you are on that spotlight to blind you from seeing who Christ is. Sometimes if you stand on the stage too long and if you live in the limelight and in the spotlight, you're going to get blinded from seeing who Christ really is. That's why it's not about if you are shining, but it's about are you seeing clearly.
It's not about are you seeing, but it's are you searching and pursuing Christ.
It's not about are you settling and I'm just joining a church community. It's about are you staying in the presence of God and church coming to church and being part of this fellowship. It's not about are you being served well, but it's are you serving well. And so today, I hope that the life of Andrew will speak to us from behind the scenes. A guy with no popularity, a guy with no prominence, no position, yet he constantly pursued Christ. And so today, I'm just going to ask you to stand with all heads bowed and eyes closed.
I'm not going to make an altar call in the front, but I think that the life of Andrew can speak to so many of us in one form or fashion. And maybe you're at that place where maybe you aren't seeing Christ clearly. You haven't seen him as king and accepted him. Today might be that day where you need to make him king of your life. Maybe you accepted him but your life was not marked by a constant pursuit of searching Christ. Today I want to ask you to just lift your hands and say, "God, I want to search for you.
God, I want to find you." Maybe you have not been dwelling in the presence of God. Maybe your life has been marked by oneoff occasions where you met with God, but it's so unstable, but you want to live in the abiding presence of God. You lift your hands and say, "God, you come into my life and abide in me and I in you." And most of all, maybe you've been abiding in Christ and you say, "Hey, I need to be plunged into service." You lift your hands and say, "God, simply use me." As we pray, all heads bowed and eyes closed. Lift your hands if that's you. Dear God and heavenly father, Lord, we thank you God for your word today, God. We thank you, God, that we can learn, God, from the lives of the disciples you've chosen, God. Simple men, ordinary men, men with flaws, God.
Yet, what they were marked by was just obedience to following you. And today, God, we've learned from the life of Andrew that Lord, we just need to see you. I pray God that you'll remove God the lens of this world and sin God from our eyes so that we can see you clearly more than just creator more than just provider healer. You are the king of kings, the lord of lords. God, you are the alpha, the omega, God, the author of our salvation. And I pray today that we see you for who you truly are God in our lives. I pray today God that Lord we will constantly pursue you God as they dare with pan for the waters God. So our soul will long after you. I pray God that you will just give every person here a fresh zeal in their heart. Lord maybe God their hearts have burned cold God. Maybe God they don't feel that fire that they felt that first time they accepted you. I pray that Lord you'll just pour upon them a fresh zeal to want more of you God. Let them return to their first love, God, and just search and pursue you, God, intently, God, intimately, God, today, God, Lord, I pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, God, Lord, that when we find you, God, we will stay in your presence, God, and we wouldn't want to go anywhere else, God. Lord, God, I pray today that when we find you, we will understand that we have everything, God, and we will not want to leave where you are, God. And like Moses and Joshua, we will say, God, if your spirit isn't there, we don't want to go up from here.
Lord, most of all, God, give us the ability, give us the boldness, the courage by your spirit, God, to serve and to serve well. Not from stages, God, but from the from the shadows, God, not with position, God, but help us to serve through proximity, God. Not with prominence, God, but help us to serve from your presence, God, where you are, there we want to be, God. So, Lord, just help us to do it right God, so that we can be true, authentic disciples for you. Help us, dear God. If there's anyone who is sick amongst us, bring healing to their bodies. Anyone God who is maybe having a difficult time at work or even at home, God, you bring peace to their lives, Lord. And I pray that you'll provide, God, and be all things to all men, every woman, every child. We give you praise and thanks in no other name, but Jesus. Amen. And amen. Amen.
Let's put our hands together for God. As you have your seat at this time, just going to ask the ushers to come pick up today's tits and offering as I give some announcements.
Let's just pray for the offering. Dear God and heavenly father, we thank you for today's tits and offering. Pray it will be used for the furtherance of your kingdom. Bless those who would give and even those who may not have. Provide for them and their families. We give you praise in all the name of Jesus. Amen.
And amen.
So I hope that you are blessed by our service today. Just a couple of announcements, all the usual ones.
Tuesday is prayer faith service. We're going to start a new baptism class. See Pastor Sandra if you'd like to be joined to that class. Men's prayer meeting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. See brother Labrado if you'd like to join that men zoom meeting. Our intercessory prayer will be meeting this Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in church and our young people meets on Friday at 6 p.m. So all our young people teens remnant youth meeting would be this Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday intercessory prayer as usual. So two announcements upcoming events. Next week, Sunday, guys, our kids ministry, they are having a special special event for all of our children. It starts at 300 p.m. in the evening. So, next week, Sunday evening at 3:00 p.m., please bring your kids out. There are going to be gifts for them. Yeah. And much more.
Can they bring friends? And bring friends. We are asking you to bring friends. So, um, kids, bring friends.
There might be a prize for who brings the most friends. Yeah. So I will make sure they have a price for you all for that. Bring your friends, come out, tell your friends that we giving out gift in church and they will come, right? Tell them we giving out gift and it's a food and bring them 3 p.m. Yeah, I I I I believe you. However, however you can get somebody to come to church, let them come, right? Cuz we really giving out the gifts and we really have food. So we not lying, right? So 3 p.m. next week Sunday, all our kids come out to that special meeting. And this car rally the 7th of June 2026 guys it's a Sunday at 12:30 uh midday. It's something we do every year. You know you all know the culture of our church. We don't ever beg for money. Um you know that's not our style. What we do is that we plan an event that we can ask you all to support so that you can get something. You can get value for your cash. This goes towards subsidizing camp for our young people. that is that is going to be in August. So, every year we carry our young people to camp and the cost of carrying them to camp is normally around $1,000 per person. We have this event to try to bring that cost straight down to 450 for them so that more kids could go and we could sponsor a couple as well.
So, that's why, you know, I just want to ask you all to just support, you know, this car rally. Um, it's a lot of fun.
First prize is going to be 2,000. Second prize is 1,200 if you win. Third prize is 800. And you will have fun even if you lose. It's not about how fast you drive. It's just about figuring out clues and challenges along the way. And you're going to have lots of fun. So, please support it. Our leaders may be at the doorways with a clipboard if you'd like to give them your names and register. It's only two weeks away. So, we need you to register yesterday. Amen.
All right. And we also share that link on our page so you all can join there as well. All right. So, that's it for announcements. As we all stand, guys, cricket is going to start in about half hour. Our boys, they are into the semi-finals. Yeah. Woohoo.
So, we are in the semi-finals of the Southern Sports Premier League. Um, it's not a church league. It's a normal country league, you know, in South Cork ball crickets. And, um, you know, the guys, we have reached the semi-finals.
We'll be playing in Moes Road Recreational Ground. Come out and support them cuz when we win the semi-finals today, we'll be playing in the finals on Saturday. All right. Um, at 4 p.m. in Brian Lara Stadium. Um so we won't be able to announce that in church but you know um let's be humble about you guys you know provided that God wants us to win today you know um Saturday we will be playing in Brian Lara so I may not be able to announce it on stage but just keep your ears and your eyes open if you see anything sharing around just know we we got to the finals and it's Saturday at 4 p.m.
Come out with your flags, whatever. Make something. Come out with signs. Go Jay Love your chance. What you call those things? The church leaders have >> pom poms. Yeah. Girls are there. Guys, nah, don't guys don't get in that, right? I don't want people questioning, you know. Right. Um, come out and support the boys. Um, you know, for that finals on Saturday will be a nice time, you know, just to come out and have fun together. Amen. So, we're looking out for that. for today 12:30 at Moes Road and then Brian Lara on um Saturday at 4 p.m. Right. So let's close in a word of prayer. Dear God and heavenly father, we thank you God for today. Thank you for all that would have been said and done and even as we go to our various homes, take us there safely. Bring us back at the next appointed time. We give you praise in know of Jesus. Amen. And amen.
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