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Double Portion Two very famous prophets appear in the Old Testament. Elijah, whose stories appear mainly in First Kings, and Elisha, whose stories appear mostly in Second Kings. They seem to have started a school of prophets in the Old Testament. Samuel originated the prophetic bands in the 11th century BC. However, the formal, school-like communities known as the "sons of the prophets” were institutionalized and brought to their prominence under the leadership of Elijah and Elisha in the 9th century. Their relationship exemplifies how you can expect increasing favor in your life. In this story, Elisha, as Elijah's successor, experienced a double measure of miracles. Causing a drought (1 Kgs 17:1) Provision of flour and oil for the widow of Zarephath (1 Kgs 17:14) Resurrecting the widow’s son (1 Kgs 17:22) Calling down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18:38) Bringing the drought to an end with severe rain (1 Kgs 18:45) Calling down fire on Ahaziah’s captains and their fifties (2 Kgs 1:10–12) Parting the waters of the Jordan River with his mantle (2 Kgs 2:8) (Note: Divine provisions, such as ravens feeding him or angelic sustenance, are typically acts of God upon the prophet rather than miracles mediated by the prophet's agency). Elisha records the following supernatural events: Parting the waters of the Jordan River (2 Kgs 2:14) Healing the contaminated waters of Jericho (2 Kgs 2:21) Pronouncing a curse resulting in bears mauling forty-two youths (2 Kgs 2:24) Providing water for the allied armies in the desert (2 Kgs 3:20) Multiplying the widow’s oil (2 Kgs 4:6) Prophesying the birth of the Shunammite woman's son (2 Kgs 4:16) Resurrecting the Shunammite woman's son (2 Kgs 4:35) Neutralizing poisonous stew in Gilgal (2 Kgs 4:41) Multiplying twenty loaves of barley bread to feed a hundred men (2 Kgs 4:43) Healing Naaman the Syrian of leprosy (2 Kgs 5:14) Transferring Naaman’s leprosy to Gehazi (2 Kgs 5:27) Causing a borrowed iron axhead to float (2 Kgs 6:6) Striking the Aramean army with blindness (2 Kgs 6:18) A dead man resurrecting upon contacting Elisha's bones (2 Kgs 13:21) There is a path we need to walk to experience that increase. From Priesthood to Prophets Moses established the Tabernacle and the role of the high priest. They were appointed to lead the people spiritually and civilly. The Israelites had no king in those early days, so the high priest guided them. Not long after, the high priesthood failed. Aaron's sons offered unauthorized fire before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2), and we see later, in the days of Eli (1 Samuel 2:17; 3:13), his sons profaned the sanctuary and brought God’s judgment upon themselves. God established a monarchy, with kings leading Israel and the high priest assisting them. But even great kings like David sinned. God then introduced the prophetic ministry, starting with Samuel, the first prophet. Unlike kings and priests, the prophet's role was not hereditary. No succession was guaranteed; God simply raised up a prophet wherever He chose. The primary word for "prophet," occurring over 300 times in the Old Testament, נָבִיא (naví). Meaning "one who calls/proclaims”. Or "one who is called [by God]”. (Acts 2:17-18)"'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18.even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” 1 Peter 2:9 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Corrupt Age During the most corrupt era in Israel's history, the nation split into two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. During that time, God raised Elijah to speak over the northern kingdom, which had reached unprecedented corruption. Ahab was king, and he had married a wicked woman named Jezebel. She was ruthless and entirely given over to darkness. She tried to force the Israelites to worship Baal, the false god of rain. Here we have the stories of Elijah and Elisha starting in 1 Kings 17. 1 Kings 17:1 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” Baal worship involved fertility rites filled with rampant sexual promiscuity. Worse still, people sacrificed their own children in the fire as offerings to Baal. Elijah came to expose that corruption and bring judgment over the false gods. That is why the most notable miracle of Elijah is his calling fire from heaven over the sacrifice. A battle against the prophets of Baal. Remember that we are looking for Christ. Elijah points us to John the Baptist, while Elisha points us directly to our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as Elijah came before Elisha, John the Baptist, under the spirit of Elijah, preceded Jesus. Elijah and Jesus The name Elijah combines "Eli" (my God) and "Ya" (Yahweh). His name means "my God is Yahweh.” Or "my God is the LORD." The name Elisha, however, means "my God is Yeshua"; Yeshua means "Yahweh is salvation." That is the Hebrew name of Jesus, Yeshua, meaning "my God saves." In contrast, these prophets point to different dispensations. Elijah represents the Old Covenant and judgment. It is God as the lawgiver, ready to punish. Elisha, by contrast, represents the New Covenant, the time of grace. If Elisha’s ministry foreshadows Christ's, one of the most remarkable events in Elisha's life is the resurrection power of the incident with his bones. 2 Kings 13:20-21 20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet. Jesus' death is what brings ultimate life to the world. Life flows abundantly. The Cross, the very place of death, now brings life to whoever believes. All who listen to the message of the cross can receive eternal life. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18) We must throw those in our family who are dead into "Elisha's grave," so to speak. It is the power of Christ's death that can give life to those who are dead. Only by touching the cross will they receive resurrection life. The message of the cross either confuses or enlightens, either offends or empowers. (1 Corinthians 1:23-25) "But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." During the 1988 Yellowstone National Park fires, millions of acres burned, drawing horror from the public and media as flames engulfed ancient forests. To many, it appeared as pure tragedy and destruction. Yet, forest ecologists understood a hidden purpose: Lodgepole Pines, accounting for nearly 80% of Yellowstone's forests, produce cones sealed with a thick resin. These cones won't release seeds under normal weather conditions; they require the intense heat of a fire (113° to 140°F to melt the resin) to open. The very fire that destroys is essential for releasing new life. Within just a few years, millions of new lodgepole saplings had sprung from the ashes, The Path to the Double Portion Towards the end of Elijah's ministry, he journeyed with his disciple Elisha through four different locations. These places represent four stages we pass through to grow in grace and receive a double portion of the Spirit. We will look at the first appearance of those places in the story of the people of God. (2 Kings 2:1- 9) Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel …So they came to Jericho. … Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you."… When they had crossed [the Jordan River] , Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me." Gilgal 2 Kings 2:1 Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. When the people of Israel entered Canaan, Gilgal was their very first stop. The word Gilgal means "to roll away." What exactly was rolled away? The spirit of shame. The Lord completely removed their reproach. It was also in Gilgal that the new generation of Israelites born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. Gilgal, therefore, also represents the cutting away of the flesh. And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." And so the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day. (Joshua 5:9) Forty years had passed since they left Egypt, yet the shame of Egypt still clung to Israel. A mentality of slaves prevents us from believing God for great things. Whenever a spirit of shame operates in our lives, it hinders our ability to receive abundantly from God. The Bible notes that Israel crossed the Jordan River on a very specific date. (Joshua 4:19) The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. These dates have significance. The first month is Nisan, the spring month of Passover. The tenth day of Nisan was the exact day the Jewish people set apart the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:3-6). They would bring the lamb into their home and examine it for five days. Then, they would sacrifice the lamb on Passover. Jesus also made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, on the very same tenth day of the first month. He arrived in Jerusalem the exact day the Passover lamb was meant to be selected. For five days, the religious leaders continually examined Jesus in the temple. They found absolutely no fault in Him. On that tenth day, Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. The children shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (Matthew 21:15), and God's people rejoiced, crying out, "Glory in the highest!" (Luke 19:38). How can you get a double portion? Let Christ come and be exalted where you used to have shame. Bethel 2 Kings 2:2 2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The name Bethel (בֵּית־אֵל, Beth-'el) literally translates to "House of God.” Jeroboam I made Bethel the main place for pagan worship in the Northern Kingdom and built a gold calf to compete with the Jerusalem temple. (1 Kings 12:28–33). Although Bethel began as a holy place for divine messages in the patriarchal period, it became the main center of idol worship. For Elisha, Bethel is where his faithfulness to his prophetic calling is tested. The world opposes Bethel. The world resists our closeness to the Lord. (Genesis 12:8) From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. Bethel is a place for an altar to the Lord. But when we go down to Egypt, there is no place for an altar. (Genesis 12:10)"Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land." The same thing happened with the people, Israel. But for many, many years. Exodus 8:25-26 25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the LORD our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? Over three million Israelites lived there for centuries, but not a single one was allowed to build an altar. Where there is no altar, there is no speaking of God. Romans 12:1-2 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. The world views our devotional life as an ‘abomination,' considering it a waste of time and money. No matter where you go in your daily life—whether at work, school, or home—you should maintain a mindset of worship. As you go through your day, make it a Bethel. An altar to the Lord. Call upon the name of the Lord and see the Spirit of God come upon you at a new level. Jericho 2 Kings 2:4 4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The next city the two prophets passed by was Jericho. It was the first city the Israelites conquered in Canaan. At the time of the conquest, the Lord commanded that all the gold and silver from that city belonged exclusively to Him because it was the first fruits of their victory. Joshua 6:19 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD.” This principle of "first" is so important in the Bible. Everything that is first belongs to God. Only from the second city onward were the Israelites allowed to divide the spoils among themselves. First fruits are holy and consecrated. No man has the right to take them for himself. However, when the people conquered Jericho, a man named Achan took for himself part of what was meant for the Lord (Joshua 7:1). The whole people suffered because of that. Jericho symbolizes our first fruits to the Lord. Giving our first fruits is a tangible way we place the Lord first in our lives. God never told Joshua, "After you conquer ten cities, give me one." Instead, He declared, "The first is mine." Do you want a double portion? It is time to practice this principle in your life. (Proverbs 3:9-10) Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. Matthew 6:33-34 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. The Jordan River Finally, Elijah and Elisha arrived at the Jordan River. That is a very particular place. In the story we read 2 Kings 2:7-8 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. Once again, the Jordan River dries up, becoming a passage. A passage, a transition of seasons. A new era is beginning. When the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, they moved from slavery to freedom, from a subjugated people to a nation in pursuit of the new land. They also crossed the Jordan River at the end of the 40 years in the wilderness. Joshua 1:11 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’” From a nomadic people wandering in the desert, they were conquerors of a promised land. The distinction between the Red Sea and the Jordan River crossing is that, at the Red Sea, armies were coming after Israel, which speaks to a situation forced upon us, pressing us to a single decision (Exodus 14:10-14). The Israelites had no other alternatives. The Jordan River, by contrast, represents a personal choice. The people of Israel had no Pharaoh coming after them. These crossings point to how we relate to the Cross of Christ. In one aspect, we were saved from sin and death by the power of the cross. That points to the Red Sea. But now, we have a choice between living under the law or under grace. A life of a conqueror or a life in the desert. The Israelites escaped Egypt by the blood of the lamb. They crossed the Red Sea and reached the other side safely. As they began their wilderness journey, God desired to bring them quickly into Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey. Yet their journey turned into forty years of aimless wandering. Why did this happen? Because of their stubborn unbelief, they failed to enter before the 40 years. They failed to enter His rest. "And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3:18-19) The Israelites experienced two miraculous crossings. The Red Sea is a picture of Romans 6. "We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him." (Romans 6:6-8) We died to sin. The crossing of the Jordan River pictures Romans 7, illustrating our deliverance from the life under the law. It is time to die to the law. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. (Romans 7:4) But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. (Romans 7:6) For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. (Galatians 2:19) The Red Sea speaks of being dead to sin. The Jordan River symbolizes our deliverance from a life under the demands of the law. A crucial difference exists between the two events. The Ark of the Covenant was not present at the Red Sea; however, it went ahead of the people as they crossed the Jordan. The Red Sea signifies rescue. The Jordan River stands for relationship and maturity. The Ark leads the way into the Promised Land. God's presence goes ahead to fulfill His promises. From fleeing refugees guided by a leader to a nation led by a tangible relationship with God. A major spiritual shift: from guidance out of Egypt to God's leadership into the Promised Land. Do you want a double portion? Go to Gilgal. Forget shame and your past. Change your view of yourself as a sinner and live in Christ. Instead of shame, there will be a double portion; instead of dishonor, you will rejoice. The lord has a double portion and everlasting joy for us (Isaiah 61:7). Do you want an increase in favor? Come to Bethel. Cultivate a place of relationship with God. Move towards Jericho. Put God first; acknowledge Him in all ways, and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:6). The next place is the other side os the Jordan. When we are set free from the mentality of religion and debt, we experience the double portion of God's favor.

The Promises as a Blessing Remembering the promises of God. Fasting periods are an excellent opportunity to reflect on God's promises in our lives. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23) Fasting helps us detach from distractions that can divert us from God's calling. Hold to the Promises Anchor your life in God's Word and His unchanging promises. It is easy to let temporary hardships dictate our ultimate reality. We stare at concerning lab results, check our shrinking bank accounts, or receive devastating personal news, convinced that the story is over. However, we are called to live by what God has spoken rather than what our eyes can see. Jacob received the crushing news of his beloved son Joseph's death. Do you remember how that story unfolds in Genesis 37? Driven by bitter envy over their father’s favoritism, Joseph’s older brothers sold him to passing merchants as a slave. They covered the truth from Jacob. Taking Joseph's famous colored robe, they drenched it in goat’s blood and carried it back to Jacob. Jacob had all the facts, so he concluded: My son is dead. It was factual. All the evidence pointed to that conclusion. However, it was not the truth. But because all he could see were the facts, a lie became the grievous reality for Jacob. Genesis 37:34-35 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. This very sad scene I have experienced myself through my personal experience of losing a son. Unfortunately, I have also been present to comfort families such as mine. It's a devastatingly sad moment. In Jacob’s case, however, there was no real death. But he accepted the only evidence he had as the final truth. That was the only news Jacob had. A lie that became Jacob’s permanent truth. Jacob believed Joseph was dead for 22 years. Are you doing the same now with the last news you received from your doctor? Is the report from your family permanent, devastating news? Maybe you have been hovering over the loss of that broken relationship for years. But these facts are not meant to be your final truth. In the story, the same sons who had brought false news of Joseph's death years earlier returned from Egypt to tell Jacob that Joseph was still alive. Jacob was so accustomed to living with the undeniable pain of loss that he could not believe it. Genesis 45:26 And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. The good news of Joseph being alive has always been the real truth. But Jacob got so used to the pain and grief that when the good news was revealed, his heart was numb. Perhaps you are like Jacob now, with a numb heart from positive and hopeful words. You no longer believe, exhausted from confessing, praying, and declaring for that miracle. Maybe you are close to giving up. You have spent weeks, months, or maybe even years trying, feeding your faith, saying the right words, and forcing a breakthrough through your own spiritual willpower. You are exhausted. Genesis 45:27-28 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” It is time to believe God's old promises again. To beleive He is able and willing to do far more abundantly than all that you can ask or think. "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20) Only when Jacob saw the wagons that Joseph had sent did his heart revive again. Today, God will open your eyes, and you will see his promises afresh. (2 Corinthians 5:7) "for we walk by faith, not by sight." Do not give up yet. Hold on to God’s promises. He knows how to turn our devastation into a miracle story. An entrepreneur spent over a year working late nights in a cramped apartment, building an online business with zero traction. Exhausted by mounting debt and dead-end analytics, he decided to quit, hovering their mouse over the button to shut down the server and delete the store forever. What he couldn't see was that a major industry influencer had just featured their product as a hidden gem, and thousands of orders were already quietly queued up to hit their site the very next morning. (Hebrews 10:23) "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." If you were considering giving up, today is another opportunity to try again. The strength you need doesn’t come from your own motivation; it comes from God's promises. (2 Corinthians 1:20) For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. Genesis 46:30 30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.” Jacob did not die. The truth revealed, the promise unfolded, the real good news sustained the old Jacob alive for more than 17 years. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.God's promises can accelerate the multiplication of His grace in your life. Genesis 48:3-4 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’ That promise did not fully come to pass with Abraham. It did not fully happen with Isaac either. Jacob reminded God of the promises. He was passing on the promise not as a hopeful desire, but as a blessing. For Jacob, after he learned that even after the facts of death and hopelessness, God is faithful and will fulfill his promises, he declared the promise as a blessing. Genesis 48:15-16 15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” Learn to declare the promises of God as an inevitable reality upon your children and upon your business and ministry. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." The Grace Adoption Jacob called Joseph's sons to his side to impart his blessing. What a father spoke over his children in his final days carried immense weight and would affect them for the rest of their lives. (Genesis 48:5) "And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are." Jacob surprised everyone in the family, saying, "Joseph, I am adopting Manasseh and Ephraim as my own sons. They will receive the exact same inheritance as my other children." The boys’ mother was Egyptian. That means her family did not know or serve Jehovah; they were idol worshipers. You might think you are disqualified from God's blessings because you come from a family with a terrible history. Maybe you are the first to beleive in Christ, and all the others are still in false religions or atheism. You may have many reasons why you feel you do not deserve His goodness. God adopted us into His own family. "Despite your past, despite your mistakes, and regardless of what your family has done, I am adopting you as My own son, as My own daughter." Be free from every fear of generational curse. God chose you to begin a blessed generation. He is establishing a generational blessing through you. We believe that even from a young age, children can understand important values. Recently, a brother shared that his partner received a call from his 4-year-old child while he was working. The child was proudly showing off himself riding his new bicycle. The dad told him, “I love you, son." The son replied, “I love you too, Dad, but I love Jesus more." When asked if he attends church regularly, the partner said, "Not often, but my son is a student at Vine Christian Academy. And man, They really teach these kids to know Jesus." You will positively affect all your descendants. Accelerated blessings When Jacob surprised the entire family, he ignored the boy's mother's heritage. But also, as grandsons, these boys naturally would have had to wait an entire generation to receive what Jacob was giving them. Normally, the blessing would flow first to their father, and then Joseph would pass that inheritance down to them much later. Instead, these boys received an inheritance way earlier in life. Breakthroughs that would normally take years of human effort to accomplish can come quickly. It can take years to get out of debt, years to break free from an addiction, and years to establish a new standard of living. If you believe, God will do for you exactly what He did for those two boys: He will propel you years ahead of schedule. You will see things happening much faster than you could ever imagine, because you have honored God. Because you have declared, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," things will accelerate in your life. What might normally take a lifetime to achieve through striving will happen in a fraction of the time by His grace. When Joseph's brothers saw his sons receiving the exact same blessing they were receiving, they certainly did not understand it. From a human perspective, it did not seem fair. These were mere grandsons receiving the blessing of the sons. Grace is never fair. Because of the favor of God resting upon your life, expect persecution. Some will say it is just luck, but we know it is the favor of the Lord. Grace bypasses human scorecards, and when God favors you with blessings you didn't earn, you don't need to apologize for it or waste time trying to win over the critics who refuse to understand it. Romans 4:4-5 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, You do not need to convince people to like you. Some people simply cannot accept your success. If they walk away from you, it is because they are not part of your God-given calling. Do not waste your time trying to appease people who refuse to celebrate the Lord's victories in your life. Never apologize for the favor you have received. You didn’t earn it; God simply chose you to display His goodness. When God Crosses His Arms Joseph serves as one of the most vivid types of Jesus Christ in the entire Old Testament. He was the beloved son, rejected by his brothers, sold for silver, descending into humiliation/prison, counted as dead, ultimately elevated to save both his own people and the Gentile world. In that symbolic parallel, Jacob points to God the Father, and Joseph points to Jesus Christ. In that case, you and I are related to Manasseh and Ephraim. We were born far off, in the Egypt of this world’s system, strangers to the covenants of promise, with no natural claim on the household of God, but because we were brought by “our Joseph,” the Father looks at us and says, “They are Mine.” But even among the two sons of Jacob, there is an elevated blessing that one received, and the other did not receive. That speaks of the increased measure of grace for those who believe. of God In Christ, God’s grace crossed cultural and ethnic lines and granted us an inheritance we never could have achieved. Genesis 48:15-16 “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” Or Genesis 48:16 … let them be like fish for multitude That speaks of you and me. "And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'" (Matthew 4:19) We will experience the Father’s multiplications in Jesus. But here comes another twist. During that blessing moment, Jacob summoned his grandchildren, Manasseh and Ephraim, once more, astonishing everyone. In biblical tradition, the eldest son traditionally received a double share as the "son of the right hand." Joseph positioned his firstborn, Manasseh, at Jacob's right hand, and Ephraim at his left. Jacob crossed his arms. When Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh (Genesis 48), he deliberately crossed his hands, putting his right hand on the younger brother (Ephraim) rather than the older (Manasseh), declaring that Ephraim would become a "multitude of nations" (melo ha-goyim, literally "the fullness of the Gentiles”). Genesis 48:19 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” Why would Jacob do that? (Hebrews 11:21) “By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, ‘bowing in worship over the head of his staff.’” He placed his right hand upon the second-born, Ephraim, and his left hand upon Manasseh, proceeding to speak the blessing over them. When Joseph saw this, he objected, saying, "No, my father, Manasseh is my firstborn." Jacob responded, "I know what I am doing. Manasseh will be great, yet Ephraim will be greater. Multitudes of nations will come from him." Ephraim was not next in line. He was not qualified, and he certainly did not earn the primary blessing. Nevertheless, God ignored any tradition just to teach us how grace works. God delights in elevating those who are in the back. He takes those who lack the proper position and those who feel entirely left out, moving them straight to the front. If that is you, you are a great candidate to beGod's showcase of favor. God often chooses those the world considers unqualified, and I testify to that. As a missionary pastor in the United States, I've repeatedly heard colleagues say I would never be a full English-speaking pastor reaching nationals and native people, citing my heavy accent and my struggles with speaking and communication. Do not believe the lies that hold you back. You may have made many mistakes, or you might feel you lack natural talent. Still, God loves to lavish His grace on people exactly like you. God is crossing His arms and placing you in a position you could never earn. He will put you in a place you weren’t qualified for and weren’t next in line for. You are about to experience unexpected favor, unexpected promotion, and unexpected breakthroughs. You might think that where you are right now is where you will always be. You may feel you have already reached your limit. Well, if you consider your own strength, that might be true. However, if you trust God's process, He will cross His arms and release favor over your life. Keep resting in Him, and He will open doors for you that you never even dreamed of. If you think, "I do not have the training, the talents, the temperament, the connections, or the necessary confidence." Know that God decided to cross His arms and favor you. If you heard, "You will mount for nothing.", maybe that was true in the natural; nevertheless, God crossed His arms. Jacob knew the economy of grace I think one of the inspirations for Jacob to go that way of blessing was his very experience, as he was blessed by his father Isaac. Esau was Isaac's favorite. He was a good son, the firstborn, and the one who technically deserved the blessing. But God crossed His arms and blessed Jacob. How was Jacob portrayed in the Bible? He was the supplanter who deceived his own family many times. And about David? His brothers were older, stronger, and more talented (1 Samuel 16). Yet God crossed His arms and favored the youngest, the smallest of them all. When Gideon was chosen (Judges 6), he acknowledged that his tribe was the weakest in Israel, his family the least in the tribe, and himself the least in his father's house. However, the Lord told him, "Go in this might of yours!" What looked like weakness to Gideon was his strength, simply because God crossed His arms. When God crosses His arms, He takes you from the back of the line and places you in a position of leadership. From a place of obscurity, He grants you influence you never imagined. You may have a thousand logical reasons why your dreams cannot be achieved or why there is no way out of your current problem. The Lord is telling you today that He is about to cross His arms. He will show you unexpected, overflowing, unmerited favor. You were not qualified, and you were not next in line. Yet, unexpectedly, God will show His favor by crossing His arms upon you. Double Fruitfulness Ephraim is a beautiful symbol of grace. In Hebrew, the name Ephraim literally means "doubly fruitful." When God crosses His arms and chooses you—the unlikely one—He releases a very special blessing. He will cause your fruitfulness to be doubled. God doesn’t always bless the way we expect. Ephraim was not next in line. He wasn’t qualified, and he didn’t earn it. Nevertheless, God bypassed human tradition and did something extraordinary: He chose the second-born. You may think that your current situation is your permanent destination because you have exhausted all your human effort. That may be true in your own strength. However, a higher truth remains: God will cross His arms and release His favor upon your life. Rest in His finished work on the Cross, continue to honor Him, and He will open doors for you that you never dreamed were possible. The children of grace are chosen Now we have two sons. Ephraim and Manasseh point to the early church believers: Gentiles and Jews. One came first, Manasseh, but is the youngest, the latter born, who receives the blessings, which speaks of the church. That speaks of us. The gentile church. The children of grace. How can you place yourself on the right hand of God? Be a child of grace. (Matthew 20:16)"So the last will be first, and the first last." Hebrews 7:18-19 18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 8:13 13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Why People Give Up. Recently, as we’ve been preparing for the mountaintop on October 1st, I have been in meetings every single morning at 5:30 AM. The Christian life was always intended to be intense, intentional, and passionate. Why do some give up? Why do some let discouragement take over? First, know there is a difference between giving up and surrender. It is ok to surrender. "Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55:22) "but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31) We are not called to just go through the motions, punch a spiritual timecard, and coast. If it is not to live a passionate, purposeful, meaningful life—it’s honestly not worth it. Christ did not give His life so we could live lukewarm lives. How to overcome discouragement? How can we keep a burning heart? I know that life happens. Disappointments come. Our expectations get shattered, and the passion we once had can quickly cool off into apathy or discouragement. How does that happen? How to overcome hopelessness? Read Luke 24:13-35 The right place The two disciples were actually a husband and wife: Cleopas and Mary. They are walking away from Jerusalem. Later, Jesus would make it clear that Jerusalem was the specific place they needed to stay to wait for the Holy Spirit—the place they would be filled with power. "And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (Luke 24:49) There is a specific place you need to be to stay encouraged. Many believe it's about finding a new place or leaving God's designated place, but in reality, doing so often leads to discouragement instead of encouragement. The right place brings Multiplication. A hundredfold multiplication is ahead. Just stay in the right place. Genesis 26:1 1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. Genesis 26:2-3 2 And the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. Because Isaac chose to settle in Gerar, Genesis 26:12 tells us that he planted crops in that land and "the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him." He experienced supernatural multiplication of favor, precisely because he decided to stay where God planted him. Genesis 26:12-13 12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. For Isaac it was Gerar. For the disciples it was Jerusalem. Do not walk away from your Jerusalem. There is a specific place where you must be in order to stay encouraged. This is beyond a geographical location. This speaks of the people you are connected with. You may even move to another place, but your heart remains connected to the correct, godly, purposeful group of people who are part of the purpose of God for you now. However, if you don’t set your heart correctly with the people God has placed in your life, and you don't make a deliberate decision to honor that, you can be taken prematurely from where God wanted to bless you abundantly. May the lord open our eyes today. May our ears be discerning today. Many, when they feel spiritually dry, look for a new place, a new job, a new church, or isolate themselves entirely. But moving out opens you up to discouragement instead of encouragement. When the pressure at work gets too heavy, or when family dynamics break your heart, the temptation is to pull away from the Church, to stop going to your LifeGroups, and to walk that seven-mile lonely road to Emmaus. How is your hope? The couple listened to the good news of resurrection. But it had no effect in their hearts. Luke 24:21-23 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive You are here today listening to the good news of Jesus’s complete work. Let your hope be in the right person. In the case of these two disciples, they were hoping for a “different Jesus.” A political leader. A revolutionary. A prophet. Have you ever been there? I had hoped this marriage would go more smoothly. I had hoped my finances would be stable by now. I had hoped having children would be simpler. I had hoped my kids would be walking with the Lord. I also imagined other results by pursuing ministry. Unmet expectations are the breeding ground for a cooled-off heart. These two disciples had a very specific framework for how God was supposed to act. When the cross shattered that framework, they couldn't even see the Jesus walking right beside them. It seems all the disciples had the same attitude with the gospel message. Luke 24:10-11 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them Fear and doubt dominate. Their hopes have been crushed. Their leader was crucified. Their hearts were cold and heavy. The news of an empty tomb didn't matter to them. The tomb was empty, but Rome was still in charge, so as far as they were concerned, God had failed them. You think, “If I can just fix this. If I can just get my finances to this specific number, if I can just control my family, then I will have peace…” You sit in the service, and the pastor preaches the gospel. It is the greatest news in the universe! But you walk out to your car feeling just as heavy, just as anxious, and just as discouraged as when you walked in. You wanted Jesus to fix, balance the budget, and change your boss. A customer relationship that will always frustrate you and an unsatisfiable heart attached to things, time and worries. May the Lord open our eyes today. The risen Christ, the resurrection and life, the joy of heaven, the peace that exceeds knowledge, is here speaking and rekindling our hearts again. Exhort one another every day Hebrews 3:12-13 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. I asked my son to take care of the lawn, which he was supposed to do weekly. Grass grows quickly, so it needs to be mowed regularly. However, he decided to mow a week early, thinking, “Let me cut the grass as short as possible because it will grow back anyway, and I’ll have less work next week.” When I saw the lawn, I was very frustrated. The grass was sparse and bare in places. I knew what was coming—improper pruning weakens the grass. Weeds tend to grow faster than grass, choking it and stealing nutrients from the soil. So he had another brilliant idea. He used a heavy dose of fertilizer and applied it at the wrong time of day. It burned the weeds and any other grass buds. As a result, I now have neither healthy turf nor grass, as it is all dead. Weeds appear. No matter what. Naturally, you will be drawn to an unbelieving heart. That is why you must be surrounded by other believers. Weekly pruning. Weekly mowing. That is how we grow. If you don’t do the daily work of "exhort one another every day” eventually the good news will not sound like good news to you. Hebrews 4:2 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. Have you met brothers who, when we try to speak the good news to them, seem almost offended? They think, “Pastor, what are you talking about? Jesus takes care of me. What do you mean? Don’t you see the immigration situation? Don’t you know the cost of gas? Have you made groceries recently? And about the “snowbirds…” they are already here, getting on our nerves…” I have a problem with believers who, instead of being inspired by the invitation to lead a group, serve on the encounter or the mountain track with us, reply that we have crossed a line of disrespect by challenging them. I will tell you, if you don’t like to be challenged, you will have to choose another God to follow. Let the Scripture reveal Jesus In the coming days, we want you to see Jesus Christ every single day. If your eyes and ears are open, you are certain to see Jesus Christ through Scripture; your heart will burn again. (Luke 24:27) “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” For years, historians and scholars had stared at ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on tombs and monuments. They had all the facts in front of them, but the language was dead. It was a mystery to the world. In 1799, French soldiers in Egypt discovered a heavy slab of black basalt that we now know as the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone contained the same decree written in three scripts: hieroglyphs, Demotic, and ancient Greek. Because scholars could read Greek, they finally possessed the key to unlock the entire Egyptian language. Suddenly, everything that was confusing made perfect sense. Jesus Christ is our Rosetta Stone. When we look at Scripture to see Christ, everything changes. The entire Old Testament points directly to Him. "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:6) Not only Scripture, but your conversations, your life events, your delays, your new opportunities. Consider the Lord in all your ways. From Separation to Fellowship As they continue down the road, we see that they were treating Jesus like a transactional, political Savior. They wanted to crush Rome, fix the economy and find some way to change their social status. When He died on the cross, they thought the transaction had failed. Luke 24:30-31 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. Jesus invites us into communion. He offers us His presence. When He breaks the bread, He reminds us that His broken body is the ultimate, final provision for humanity. The parallel story happened in Genesis chapter 3. There, another couple ate, and their “eyes were opened.” But in this case, they ate the wrong tree. They wanted to understand naturally. They wanted to seize control. Genesis 3:6-7 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. They were drawn by the appearance of what was attractive, famous, enticing. Eating the wrong fruit opened their eyes to their shame and drove them apart. Took them away from the fellowship. No access to the garden anymore. They hid. They covered themselves with fig leaves of human effort. But here, in Luke 24, the couple eats from the right tree, the tree of life. They eat of Jesus himself. Breaking the bread made them participants in Jesus’ life. And that also opened their eyes. The cross is the Tree of Life. Lately, I’ve had to admit defeat and reach for my reading glasses. It’s not that I am completely blind without them. When your vision is blurred like that, you don't just struggle to read—you actually start reading the "wrong" things. You skip a crucial word. You misinterpret a sentence. Is this also happening in your homes and in our marriages? You can be in the same room, looking at the same situation, but without the right lenses, you completely misread your spouse. The husband looks at his wife and says, "I love you." But because her vision is blurred by a past betrayal or rejection, she misreads the message entirely. She understands, "You don’t really care about me." Or the wife says, "I really need you to help me with this." The husband, looking through the blur, hears, "You are a failure, and I have to pay for yet another expense.” The text is right in front of us, but we are misreading each other. We read criticism instead of connection. We read rejection instead of an invitation. They are looking at the exact same reality, but their natural vision is completely distorting the message. You need better vision. You need Christ. When you look at your spouse through the lens of Christ's broken body and shed blood, you stop reading judgment where there is mercy. You no longer have to constantly defend yourself. When did their eyes finally open? When did the blurriness fade? It wasn't just during the walk. It was at the table. It was when Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and broke it. You need to get back to the table. You need the bread and the wine. When Christ sits at the center of your table, He becomes the lens through which you finally read each other with grace, with clarity, and with a burning heart. In Genesis, taking from the wrong tree made them participants in sin and death. But here, eating of the broken bread made them participants in Jesus’ life. In the garden, eyes were opened to shame, and the couple ran to hide. In Emmaus, eyes were opened to grace, and the couple ran to share the good news. Burning to be on Fire Jesus gave this couple a sample a teaser a prelude of what was about to come. They were the first to expereince before hand the burning of the Spirit that would later come in power and authority, enabling the church for the mission. Acts 2:1-4 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. In the next 21 days, the Lord is preparing us for an empowerment. An increase of anointing that would enable us for the ministry. After this time, I can see a great explosive growth in our lifegroups. People getting saved in our services. All that out of our prayer, scripture and communion.

The Bible calls us sheep because we are ruminating, cud-chewing animals. That means you eat here, but you need to keep eating later on. Amen, everybody. Now, you need to keep meditating on the word of God. So I don't want you to just come here, you know, receive a word, some sort of religious lecture, and you go home, put this in a drawer of your memory, and forget about it. You have to meditate. And I believe the Lord today will feed you with fresh nourishment and food. I am literally taking this word fresh from the oven for you, and you are not going to leave this place the same way you came in. Amen. Close your eyes, bow our heads. Let's pray for the Lord to open the eyes of our hearts. Father, I pray that you speak to your children in a personal way that only you can do. Answer their individual needs, God, and their concerns, cares, and worries. Lord, speak to us. We bring our minds captive to your obedience, Jesus. We surrender our hearts as we sang today. Speak to us, Lord, breathe your spirit over us again to remind us of your promises, so we can leave this place confident in your promises. We pray in Jesus' name. Everybody said, amen! Are you guys ready for the word of God, everybody? Amen. Ask somebody close to you, "Are you ready for the word of God?" Pastor Simon shared with me a story about his daughter, Jessica Jasmine, studying at Oral Roberts. She was with us here for a couple of months. She was coming back from the grocery store when suddenly a stranger's car made a U-turn and came in her direction. She was using her AirPods, and a lady inside the car shouted, "Come in! Come to my car! Right now! Come, come, come!" And she was super scared. She said, "What do you mean? I don't know you." The lady said, "Come right now to my car." Then she noticed there was a Bible on the top of the dashboard of the car. And she just trusted, thinking, "Because there is a Bible, I can get into that car." Now, you can imagine a father listening to this story, how he became so anxious just hearing it. I myself here, got, you know, breathless just now. And then the lady drove Jessica to her door, and finally, Jessica asked, "But why were you in such a rush to put me in your car?" And she said, "I saw you walking distracted back to your door, but there was a man, probably with either a gun or a knife, right behind you. And he was up to do something very evil against you. So I rushed to pick you up in the car." She added, "My husband works here in the security system of this college, and I'm going to call him right now to take care of your safety." And then Pastor Simon looked at me and said, "Pastor, my friend, I know that the Lord protects my children." And that consciousness of the walls of grace around us is what allows us to have confidence to dare, to believe bigger and greater. It is when we are reminded that we have God as our shield. El Elyon fights our battles. When we are conscious of that, when we are firmly grounded in this truth, you go back to your ministry with confidence. Despite your weaknesses and failures, you can give yourself a chance again because the Lord is a wall of fire all around you. In 1937, before World War II, in San Francisco, a man-made wonder of the world was being built: the Golden Gate Bridge. The challenge was to cover a 4,200-foot span. And the project budget surpassed $27 million in the first half. Now, $27 million is nothing now, but back then it was more than a fortune. The reason why the work was so expensive and slow is because nobody wanted to work on that bridge. It was known that more than 23 men had fallen into the cold bay waters and lost their lives, until the engineers understood they had to stop the construction and build a safety net. It cost a lot—at the time, $100,000. But that cost was quickly surpassed because the workers were now 25% more effective. And they saved money for the builders, because now, nobody was worried about losing their lives. The knowledge that they were safe gave them the sense of security they needed to finish the job. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works." The Lord has a ministry, a calling, a purpose, a divine assignment over your life. Say a good amen! But you are afraid. "I may not be able to sustain myself. I may slip and fall. I don't think I can. I don't think I should get involved with this." But the Lord has prepared beforehand all the resources we need so we can walk in them. God desires us to live a life of purpose. But while we are in sheer terror of God, with the feeling that at any time he is ready to strike us down because of our mistakes—because we fail to keep our motivations pure—now our relationship with God is fear-based. Not the reverent fear of God; it is dread, it is concern, it is terror. So that's why today I want to start first by dealing with your eternal security. If we are talking about security and safety in the walls of grace, first I need to speak over your eternal security. Serving out of fear hampers our best efforts and robs us of joy. True service springs from a grateful, loving heart, knowing that we are always under God's protection. Like that safety net I just mentioned. But if you die today, do you know where you would spend your eternity? Or would you agree with those who say, "I don't think we ever know where we spend eternity until we actually die"? Well, I believe you can know where you will be in eternity. Let me speak about four types of people that exist everywhere. (I put a slide up there, Skyler.) An old proverb says: He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; shun him. He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is simple; teach him. He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep; awaken him. But there are the ones who know, and know that they know, and they are wise; follow them. All of us fall into one of these four categories. Some don't know and don't know that they don't know. Therefore, they are lost. They are separated from God. The message for those people is in Romans chapter 3, verse 10: "None is righteous, no, not one," or Romans chapter 3, verse 18: "There is no fear of God before their eyes." They cannot see. Or Romans 3, verses 22 and 23: "The righteousness of God is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All men without Christ stand sinful before God, condemned, separated to an eternity without his presence. Some, however, don't know, and know they don't know. The message for these people is 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." It is a matter of just explaining, because they are in the search, they are seeking. Or we can also read part of Romans chapter 3: "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe." It's a matter of showing the message. But the most tragic category includes those who know, but don't know that they know. They are believers who are saved, and whose destiny is certain, but who do not know they are saved and are not sure of their eternal security. And the consequence of that is that they keep hiding themselves in the corners of the church building like bugs, trying to run away from the pastor. As soon as the service ends, they run away, because they know the pastor will always come with a challenge: "It is time for you to stand as a disciple-maker. God is calling you as a minister. There is an opportunity, a calling upon your life." And they say, "No, me, pastor? Not me. Poor me." Because they don't even know where they're going to be in eternity. No one has more peace and rest in this life than the person who knows God the Father through God the Son, and knows that he knows him. This isn't about being presumptuous or overly confident. It's about the truth. You know, the Lord is moving in our church in such a beautiful way. Mainly through this—like the most, for me, distinctive way is this Holy Spirit-led move over adopting kids, fostering kids in our church. Such a beautiful move of God. No one can convince a young family to bring this stranger child into their home to literally disrupt their schedule so hard. But now the Holy Spirit is moving and bringing these children from all the places in Southwest Florida to be fostered and adopted among us. And one element is so clear: some of them come to us in such a fearful place of insecurity. Some of them, in the beginning, don't stop crying. They are afraid to give their little arms to anyone who tries to approach them. But in very few days, suddenly, their little faces change from crying to a continuous smile. You can see that once they really understand they are adopted, and without any deserving it, they feel secure. And now they can rest, they finally can rest and enjoy peace. When a parent adopts a child, no matter how many rules the kid breaks, they are still part of the family. That permanent relationship can never be undone. However, bad choices may ruin the closeness and the perception of the closeness. The kid might face discipline or lose some of their privileges, but they never lose their identity. They are forever adopted. John chapter 1, verse 12: "But to all who did receive him..." Raise your hand and say, "I have received him." "...to all who did receive him, who believed in his name..." Say, "I believe in his name." Come on, church, say, "I believe in his name." God gave the right to you to become a child of God. And you are not born out of the desire of any man, nor of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but you were born of God. Your eternal security depends on God's unconditional love, not on you being perfect. And if you make a mistake, you do not lose your spot in heaven. That is why the element of confessing your sins is not a matter of obtaining greater forgiveness. You are already completely forgiven. Say a good amen! "But Pastor, where does confession come into place then?" It is just a matter of repairing our conscience and our fellowship with God, not that we lost our position and our identity as children. Years ago, a man walked into my office and told me that he was leaving our church. He said that he was looking for a place that preached more heavily on repentance. He wanted his family to hear more about judgment and hell. In his mind, the only way to live a truly committed, godly life was to be constantly reminded of his sins and failures. What they misunderstood is that the fear of the Lord, the reverent fear of the Lord, is not terror of God. It is not being in a state of being terrified of God. But for that family, that was their misunderstanding. So they left to join a legalistic church. And because they were one of our leaders, I had to rearrange the life group, and I had to fill the gap. So I put a leader in training in his place. I raised the leader in training to be the new leader. And over the years, these two families contrasted right before my eyes: two ways of living out their faith. The new leader stepped into their role grounded in the freedom and security of God's grace, knowing there were the walls of grace that were safeguarding his godly life. And because of this, this new leader grew his ministry out of gratitude and relationship with God; they flourished. Today, I follow this young leader—now not under my ministry, and he's still in the Vine, but in another vine—and he became a discipler, an overseer over at least 15 other life groups. Meanwhile, the family that left seeking a heavier hand found exactly what they were looking for, but it did not produce the fruit they expected. From what I know, that family is still wandering, trying to find their place and purpose in ministry. They became quick to condemn others. Which you all know, is the psychological problem of projection: whatever you condemn in others is usually the very thing you struggle with the most. Those who are fast to judge others usually live a secret life in the very areas where they are condemning others. And because they continue believing that living under that cloud of condemnation would do anything, the result is that now they are barren and unfruitful. God doesn't want us to walk on eggshells, terrified that one slip-up will get us kicked out of his family. When you know you are completely safe and loved, you don't do good things out of fear; you do them out of freedom, out of joy, gratitude, and real love. That's what we need. That's the standard we want to have in every ministry developed in this house. That's why you all need complete certainty of your eternal destination. Let me press on more on the second layer of security: Job chapter 1. I want to talk about a hedge around your life. A hedge of protection around your life. The book of Job is right before the Psalms, because under the rabbinical tradition, Job is considered a poetic book as much as Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Proverbs. It's part of this collection of books. And if you can see, the whole book is a huge poem. Most of the words there are written in stanzas. Because of that, the book of Job was never intended to be doctrinal. Listen carefully. The book of Job was never intended to be instructive in terms of doctrine. You should not take doctrine of our belief system from Job. However, in this beautiful poem, this long parable, we find this scene where Satan comes and challenges God in his relationship with Job. And in that conversation, chapter 1, verse 9, we read this: "Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Does Job fear God for no reason?'" Verse 10: "'Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side?'" The question of Satan is, it's evident to him from the heavenly perspective that Job has this shield around him, this protection that he cannot ever cross over his life, over his assets, over his family. There is nothing he can do. Look at it more: "...You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land." Now, then we read the rest of the story, and you wonder, "Okay, so God took away the protection, and now Satan had the permission to intervene in Job," just for us to find in the very final chapter that Job got what Abraham learned: that God himself was his shield. God, El Elyon, was his shield. Let's speak more about this later on, because Psalm 3, verse 3 says, "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me." Come on, somebody. "You are my glory, the lifter of my head." Whoever came today downcast, depressed, and wondering what they are going to do tomorrow, today the Lord is lifting your head! He is your shield. Verse 4 says, "I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill." Say a good amen, everybody. So the hedge here means this protection. Now, I don't know if you noticed—put the image of the message today, just the big wall. I know it's hard to notice, but when I called this message "The Walls of Grace," you see the wall, but maybe you didn't notice I placed a little tiny AI lady underneath the tree. And maybe you're wondering, "This wall is protecting from this side." No, no, no. This is the inside of the wall. This is where you are. You are on the inside protected area. And that's why you can rest. And that is you surrounded by this hedge of protection as the Lord is our shield. Satan thought Job reverently feared God for protection, but he learned that Job had God as his protection, and from that relationship, he feared the Lord. Abraham desired to deliver his nephew Lot from bondage. So he entered into a war that was not his problem. It was his nephew's life problem, but he loved his nephew, and he wanted to rescue him. But Abraham was not a general or a captain; he was at best a peasant, a good farmer. And he gathered 318 of his best workers to fight against kings that had trained, armed armies. And the Lord delivered Lot with the intervention of Abraham. And Abraham is coming back now afraid, because probably one of those kings that lost the battle said some threatening words: "You did that to me, Abraham. Now get ready, because I'm going to come after you. I know your address. I know where you live, where your relatives live," just like mobsters blackmailing people. So Abraham probably had that shadow of fear going around him as he's trying to come back home. Then this mysterious character in the Bible shows up. His name is also strange: Melchizedek, which means he is the King of Righteousness. I know a man that also has this title. And he was reigning over Salem, Shalom, the City of Peace. I also know a man who reigns over the City of Peace. So Melchizedek clearly is a picture of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, and he brings some relief to Abraham. Curiously, he brings bread and wine. I also know a man who also offers us rest through his body and through his blood, the bread and the wine that refreshes us, reminding us of our forgiveness and our acceptance in Jesus Christ. Melchizedek approaches Abraham and blesses him. Genesis chapter 14, verse 19: "And he blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High.'" The Hebrew word here is El Elyon, Possessor of heaven and earth. "'And blessed be God Most High, who has...'" listen, "'...who has delivered your enemies into your hand!' And Abram gave him a tenth of everything." Now, Melchizedek showed up basically to bring relief and a conscience of security. "Look, Abraham, you thought you fought the battle, but it was El Elyon, the God Most High, that delivered your enemies into your hand." And the same God is on your side continually. Say a good amen, everybody. This needed to sink into Abraham's heart. He was still afraid. The Bible continues telling us the story that after this encounter, the King of Sodom showed up and tried to make a deal with Abraham, so he got a little bit distracted. But in chapter 15, the following part of this story says that in the night, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. And the Lord himself told him, "I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." Say with me, "The Lord." Say with me, "El Elyon." The God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth. Take a deep breath. Say with me, "He is my shield." Say amen, everybody. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Psalm 34 promises us in verse 7 that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him. Listen, we don't need to fear anyone because we already fear the Lord, but it's not a fear of terror; it is reverence. It is this awe, this being mesmerized, this amazement feeling you have with his endless, sheer love. And the Lord delivers us from all our troubles. Verse 8: "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Romans is going to tell us that it is God's goodness that leads us into repentance. So taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. If you can close your eyes, say today, "I take refuge in my Lord." It is impossible to overstate the goodness of God. Some argue, "Hey, Pastor, stop with this preaching because this is so unbalanced. You are exaggerating the goodness of God. You are always preaching about his grace here. We need some alignment, some balance. We need to combine a little bit of grace with religion, a little bit of salvation with condemnation, so people will have a balanced Christian life." This is not true. I don't know about you, but every time I open my news app, I don't hear or read any good news at all. There is always something terrible happening all around me. Throughout the whole week, the only thing I am bombarded with is bad news. So if I'm speaking about alignment, what I'm doing right now is exactly that: I'm feeding you with good news. Because you are being so unaligned, unbalanced with bad news and expectations of worse things in your life, that today you are being balanced. This week something funny happened. A sister asked for help because the tire of her car exploded and broke apart. And the reason why was not that a nail or she passed through a wrong path; it is because the car was driving for many miles unaligned, unbalanced. And the result of this is that you're going to wear out the tire. I don't know if you ever drove an unaligned car. The steering wheel pulls you in the wrong direction. Do you guys follow me here? So you need to keep that continuous effort to keep yourself on the right track. Let me align you today. The Lord is your shield. He is fighting your battles. We don't need to worry or carry this anxiety heavily laden upon us. Let me align you today: the Lord is going before you. He is your shield. Say a good amen, everybody! And if you try to keep yourself holding on, eventually you're going to burn out and get tired. Psalm 34, verse 9: "Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!" You might be wondering, "Okay, Pastor, if the Lord protects us all the time, why do bad things happen to good people? Even yourself, Pastor, in your own story, you had to endure a painful tragedy with the loss of your son 10 years ago. How do you explain that?" Well, I don't explain that. I stand strong because I know I am surrounded by God's protection. In the same Psalm, Psalm 34, verse 19. Listen carefully there, Skyler. Verse 19 now, sir. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." So the Bible does not deny the facts of this life. We are not in denial. We are simply confessing the truth over the factual realities. The Lord is still delivering the righteous from all our afflictions. We face afflictions. We do have hardships, unexpected tragedies, but the Lord delivers us from them all. The kids were playing around the ladies yesterday night, Friday night for the prayer night. Kids being kids. One very known child of the house, a boy starting with L and finishing with I. He was running around when he fell and bumped his head on the ground. He looked around and found no adult paying attention. So he contained his cry. He held his cry until he found my wife running her errands for the meeting. So he went toward her, hugged her legs, and he gave himself the right to cry after, I don't know, maybe one minute after the hurt had happened. So he cried for a couple of seconds. And in a few seconds, he was running again, fearless again. Carefree again, unworried. We can come before our Father when we are hurting. We can come to his lap, and we can cry and find comfort. The Lord tells us, in this world we may face tribulations, but in all of them, we as the righteous people of God, we are delivered from all of them with his comfort. That is my answer for my tragedy, and that should be your answer in the middle of your afflictions. Second Corinthians chapter 1 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction..." That is the Lord delivering us, comforting us, "...so that we may be able," verse 4, "to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." Say a good amen, everybody. Are you receiving something this morning? Because the Lord is reminding you he is for you, not against you. I love this moment of conversation between the devil and the Lord. You know, the father of lies only lies, but a few moments in scripture, you find him stating truth. And what he said in Job is truth: the Lord has put a hedge around us, around our house, around all that we have. The Lord has blessed the work of our hands and our possessions will increase. I declare this over your life in Jesus' name. A couple of days ago, I received a call in the middle of the night from a family. Very worried, because their children were nowhere to be found. And later it was revealed they were using a toxic substance, not to say drugs, alcohol. The family was very anxious because they didn't know what to do. I had to care for that family and give some guidance. But in the same night, when I thought I could go back to sleep, I received another message. It was from my son. He sent me pictures from Brazil. But he was sending pictures at a very inappropriate time: 3:00 AM in the morning. He was sending me videos, video clips of this crowd of young people on fire for Jesus in a vigil. In a vigil that probably started at 9:00 PM and finished at 6:00 AM. And in the middle of the vigil, my son sent me those pictures. I do not take for granted the protection of the Lord around my house. I think because I'm a pastor and I hear so many stories, I know the Lord is protecting my family. And I know it's only because of his hedge of protection. He is a wall of fire all around my sons so that I can rest. I know that right now, he is seeking the Lord. It is not a fruit of my godliness, my pious life; it is only his love, his goodness, and his favor. It is totally unmerited. I don't know if you need this faith today, but the Lord wants to set us free from every fear. Now, that's why I need to speak over the root of fear. So please don't get anxious; I'm heading to the end of my message. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham, those who believe." Verse 17: "Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest, a representative in the service of God, to make propitiation"—the payment—"for the sins of the people." Our greatest enemy is death, along with the devil who holds the power of death. But here we are learning that Jesus destroyed the one who has death's power. Now, the word "destroy" here—I know it seems that he is completely destroyed in the sense of missing and disappearing. That's not the original word. The word is katargeo in Greek. That means he was voided, deprived of any power, any force. He was unplugged from the power. So right now, it is useless. The devil in your life, in my life, he is jobless. Do you follow? He has no power anymore to threaten you with the fear of death. Because the worst thing, listen, the worst thing that can happen to the believer is that you're going to go to heaven. That's the worst thing. So I know it sounds strange what I'm saying, but that's why his power now is powerless over your life. And you can see every fear in the world, and maybe every anxiety that surrounds you, that hovers in your mind. If you peel it off, you're going to get to this root of all fears: that you may die. You may lose everything and die of hunger. You get so sick that now you die. "I cannot drive. I'm anxious to drive because I may hit my car and die." So you can see that every fear, every anxiety, when you take all the layers off, you're going to find the root is the fear of death. But not for you anymore. The one who held the fear of death is now jobless. He is powerless. He has nothing against you. When you think about a bomb squad, they come inside of a building where it's said there was a bomb inside. So these very smart people, they come, and they cut the right wires, and they deactivate it. They unplug the power of the bomb. They bring the bomb out, and everybody sees them, seized with fear. They are afraid because they think that the bomb still has some power in it. But the guys are juggling the bomb in their hands, because right now that bomb has no power at all. It was made powerless. That's the image. The Lord is your shield, and therefore, the devil is powerless to threaten you with any fear. I'll tell you why the devil wants us so much under the bondage of fear: he wants to stop your calling. He wants to hinder your divine purpose. He wants you so afraid that now you hide yourself from the voice of the Lord in your life. But if you know there is a safety net, that you can walk boldly, confidently, that you can—yes, you still stumble—but you are still surrounded by the hedge of protection, now you can rest. Now you can try again. You can dare again. Psalm 27. Would you stand on your feet? Let me pray for you. Psalm 27, verse 1: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life"—a strong tower that the enemy cannot ever cross—"of whom shall I be afraid?" When David wrote this psalm, he did not say, "My perfect obedience is my light. It is my perseverance that is my stronghold." No, he said, "The Lord is my stronghold. The Lord is my shield. The Lord is my protection." Psalm 125, verse 2: "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people." Hallelujah. "From this time forth and forevermore." And finally, I love this one. Zechariah chapter 2, verse 5. Zechariah is trying to encourage the people of Israel to rebuild the city and saying, "Don't give up. Don't feel discouraged because of the threats." Because the Lord says, "And I will be to her a wall of fire"—picture that: a wall of fire all around—"declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst." Hallelujah. Raise your hand as you are right now. Maybe you are afraid. You came here anxious, you came here tired, holding the steering wheel of your life, gripping it with all that you could throughout this week, and now you feel exhausted. Today, the Lord brings rest over you. So Father, here are your people. Here are your children, Lord God. Some of them were on the verge of giving up on this idea. Some of them were almost, Lord God, forgetting their calling. Maybe thinking of the shortcuts of running away. But today, Lord, you are reminding us: you fight our battles. You are our shield. You are a wall of fire all around us, Lord. Come on, picture this. You are like the mountains that surround Jerusalem, Lord God. Who can trespass it? If the Lord is for us, who can be against us? Greater is the one who is with us than the one who is with them. Lord, you go before us, Lord God, and we rest in your promises today. So, Father, I pray over your children: peace. Peace to their hearts. Come on, take a deep breath where you are. Let the Lord breathe over you the wind of the spirit that blows away every anxiety, every care, every heavy burden on your shoulders today. Lord, I prophesy over your children that the best is yet to come, Lord. Father, we will fulfill our calling. This is still the year of multiplication, and we believe your promises upon our lives, Lord God. Oh, you have so many good things in store for us, God, and we rest in your promises, in Jesus' mighty name.

Introduction and Gratitude Thank you so much, my dear brother. I always love being with you all. I am especially thankful for this church; whenever I come to the USA, I love being here because I feel completely at home. You are my true brothers and sisters. I am also deeply grateful for the hospitality of my dear brother and his wife; for the last few days, I have been staying in their home and thoroughly enjoying the meals she has prepared for me. Before sharing the Word of God, I want to clarify something: I normally preach in my native language, Urdu. Since most of you are from Brazil, English is neither your first language nor mine. If I use any English expressions incorrectly, please forgive me. I believe that even if I make a mistake, the Holy Spirit—our Helper—will ensure you understand everything I am trying to say. The Power of Obedience: The Example of Abraham Today, I came here to encourage the church with one specific word: obedience. Whenever I read the Bible, I am deeply inspired by the story of Abraham because his obedience unlocked God's promises in his life. In Genesis 12:1-4, the Lord tells Abraham to leave his country, his people, and his father's household to go to a land God would show him. God promises to make him into a great nation, to bless him, to make his name great, and to bless all peoples on earth through him. Verse 4 simply says, "So Abram went, as the LORD had told him". Later, in Genesis 22:18, God reiterates that all nations on earth will be blessed through his offspring specifically because he obeyed. When God called Abraham, he was 75 years old and likely the richest, most well-settled person in his area, with livestock, servants, and an established household. It is not easy for a 75-year-old to leave a comfortable zone. However, Abraham obeyed God. He did not rely on his current wealth or resources; he trusted God's call and took a step of faith, knowing that obedience would unlock greater promises. God initially released the promises of blessing and protection, but He did not immediately reveal Abraham's final destination. Despite the unknowns, Abraham trusted God to provide a better place. God does not usually call extraordinary or highly intellectual people; He calls ordinary people to do extraordinary jobs. God can do the same in your life if you are willing to obey Him. A Childhood Promise and God's Faithfulness I have experienced God's extraordinary favor in my own life. I was born into a very poor but deeply committed Christian family in Pakistan, where the life expectancy is generally only 60 to 65 years. My given name is Simon Peter Kaleem, and I am the only one in my extended family without a traditional Pakistani name. Because of my name, I faced intense persecution and discrimination in school. I was treated as "untouchable" by my classmates and was not even allowed to drink from the communal water cooler. During those difficult early years, I made a promise to God. I told Him that for the first twenty years of my life, I would focus on my studies. For the second twenty years, I would work hard, earn a lot of money, and establish my family. And for the last twenty years—or however many more He would give me—I promised I would serve Him. As I grew up, I forgot about that childhood promise, but God remembered. God granted me incredible favor during my first twenty years. I graduated with top honors in microbiology, zoology, and biochemistry. Earning a gold medal as a poor Christian boy was not a normal achievement; it was God's direct favor. Although I initially wanted to pursue a Ph.D. and become a doctor, circumstances required me to move back to central Pakistan, where I took a basic entry-level job at the multinational pharmaceutical company, Novartis. God blessed me tremendously in the corporate world. As my second twenty years were coming to a close, I had achieved the second-highest position in the company, managing 75% of the marketing and sales teams across Pakistan. I enjoyed a six-figure salary, a company car, and a very comfortable lifestyle. The Trial and The Call to Ministry Eventually, a new boss joined our company who was a Muslim Imam. When he realized I was a Christian enjoying high-level corporate privileges, he began to actively persecute me. He set completely unrealistic targets designed to make my life miserable. Believing I could easily find a parallel position elsewhere, I resigned. However, for six or seven months, I could not find another job. I drained all my savings and lost all the company benefits. It became incredibly difficult to even pay my children's school fees or put food on the table. I began to complain to God, asking why this was happening when my family was so committed to the church and to studying the Bible. One day, I was sitting alone in my bedroom reading the Bible. When I came across John 21, reading the conversation between Jesus and the apostle Simon Peter, it felt as though Jesus was speaking directly to me. When Jesus asked, "Simon Peter, son of John, do you love me?" I felt the fire of the Holy Spirit burn within my body. I began to cry like a child. Then, I heard the audible voice of Jesus Christ. He said, "Your first twenty years have passed. Your second twenty years have passed. Do you remember the promise you made to me? Now, it is my time. According to your promise, you must serve me". Filled with the Holy Spirit, I asked how I could possibly serve Him since I had no seminary education and was not a pastor. God told me not to worry, promising to teach and lead me. He instructed me to leave my comfortable home in Lahore and begin teaching children in the rural villages. When I worried about how I would feed my family without a car or an income, God promised He would provide everything we needed. Since 2009, I have been serving the Lord in those villages, and He has never let us lack anything. The Flow of Blessings and The Great Commission Following God’s call always carries a cost. It requires leaving behind comfort zones, ambitions, and sometimes financial security. But while the cost is temporary, the reward is eternal. Every sacrifice made for God's kingdom—whether it is finances, musical talent, knowledge, or influence—is never wasted. God blesses us so that we can become a blessing to others. God’s blessings are not meant to stop with us; they are meant to flow through us. Consider the Dead Sea: water flows into it, but there is no outlet, resulting in a body of water with no life. In contrast, the Sea of Galilee takes in fresh water and continuously gives it out, allowing it to remain vibrant and full of life. When God's blessings flow through us, we experience more life and receive even greater blessings from the Lord. When we walk in obedience, we also receive the immense blessing of divine protection, just as God promised Abraham. God's presence is our greatest security. Just as God promised to be with the disciples until the end of the age in the Great Commission, He promises to be with us today. This call is for everyone. Revelation 7:9 gives us a glimpse of God's ultimate vision: a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language standing before His throne. This mission is not just a program for the church; it is the final call for every believer. You can participate by going to the nations, by sending and supporting those who go, or by dedicating yourself to praying for those suffering in places like Pakistan, Nigeria, and Cambodia. God at Work in Pakistan God is doing amazing things in Pakistan. Through the faithful obedience and financial support of people like Pastor Rafael and the wider church, we have seen tremendous growth. Since planting our first church in 2019, we now have twelve brand new branch churches in Pakistan. We recently completed a brand new school building to provide biblical education for our children. We are also reaching unreached tribes who have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ, and we have established schools right in the middle of brick factories where Christian families are essentially enslaved. Even Muslim families in those factories have started sending their children to our schools, resulting in them learning the Word of God and receiving miraculous healings through prayer. All of this is happening because ordinary people chose to obey and share their blessings. As we conclude, I urge you to ask God what His specific purpose is for your life. Ask Him how you can use your time, talent, and treasure to bless others and fulfill the Great Commission. Your obedience today can literally change eternity tomorrow.