Living The Church Life Part 1

[0:00] Thank you for choosing to listen to today's message by Rev. Dr. David Entry. We know you will be blessed as you seek and serve God. We believe that this message will stir up a desire for more of God even as you listen.

[0:13] Be blessed. Romans chapter 12. I'll be talking about living the church life. Living the church life. When someone says, I attend church.

[0:30] There is a difference between a church goer and a Christian. Most of us here, before we became born again, some of us, I believe a large number of us, before we became born again, we were going to church.

[0:49] And you were not anything different from any other person practicing any form of religion, Buddhism, Islam. Shintoism.

[1:05] I mean, Judaism and the rest. We are all the same. Okay, because we are trying to reach, religion is a way, man's way to try and reach out to God.

[1:17] And so most of us were in church. How many of you were in church before you became born again? So, you can be in church.

[1:29] A church goer does not make you a Christian, but a Christian makes you a church goer. So, if you tell me you are not a Christian, but you don't go to church, it's another way of saying that you are just religious.

[1:40] You are not a Christian. Because you know what? Because you know what? When you become a Christian, there is something that David said, I was glad when they said, let us go to the house of the Lord.

[1:52] There is something about God's house that attracts you. Any time people start backsliding, one of the things you begin to see is their joy, their determination, desire to be in God's presence begin to wane.

[2:06] It's a sign of, clear sign of backsliding. It doesn't matter how you put it. It's a sign of. If someone is in a relationship with the wife or the husband or intended and they've been in a relationship, let's say, three years.

[2:20] But first year, the guy was always bringing car. I mean, even if his car breaks down, hire another car, to go and pick her to cinema and all that. Now, second year, third year, he forgets that it's even her birthday.

[2:33] And then he claims, I love you just the way I loved you from the beginning. Amen. I know you respect me. You like being with me. But that passion you had for me is different.

[2:44] Because that passion, when you see a ditch, when we walk here, you see maybe a paddle. You tell me, oh, darling, can I carry you on my back? Now, when he sees, hey, watch out, watch out, watch out.

[2:56] He can't tell me it's the same. Can't you see? Don't you have eyes? You can't tell me it's the same. All right. Your intentions may look the same, but your feelings are different. So when people begin to backslide, they begin to show in their, listen to this.

[3:12] I always, this is what I discovered. Every genuine Christian, one, when you become a Christian, there's something about God's word. You get attracted to God's word. You just tend to like it.

[3:25] You like it. I don't know how many of you have felt this before. Sometimes you're reading a Bible and you feel, whoa. You feel something sweet inside. You can't explain it. Right.

[3:36] Secondly, when you become a genuine believer, you have a desire for God's word. And your desire for fellowship increases. Sometimes you can't wait for you to be where the Christians gather. Sometimes you are away or out of church or something and you miss it.

[3:49] When you are absent from church, you feel so uncomfortable. Am I talking to someone? Yeah. It's a sign that you're actually spiritually alive. So, and then thirdly, prayer.

[4:05] Prayer doesn't become as daunting and it doesn't become a chore. It just becomes a delight. So, when people begin to backslide, it doesn't show in the things they think or the things they do.

[4:23] But it begins to show in what they are passionate about. These three things. Fellowship, the word, and prayer. And then possibly can add the fourth one.

[4:34] They really are not bold enough to tell someone about their Christian stance. It's a clear sign of backsliding. If someone is backsliding. No, see, most of the time when we hear the word backsliding, we think that someone has just now begun.

[4:45] Start drinking alcohol. Going around sleeping with prostitutes. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's not backsliding. That one is something else. I've forgotten the word.

[4:57] Repubit. You are gone. You are gone. Beating your wife. Don't sleep at home. Roaming everywhere. Partying.

[5:07] You are gone. Right? That one is you become repubit. But then backsliding is, most of us in church have backslided. Comfortably.

[5:19] And we have to, we polish it with wise words, like wisdom, you know. Backsliding. Just that you are trying. You are trying. That's why when you come to church, I mean, sitting in front is a problem for you.

[5:31] You always want to hide at the back end. Always in a hurry. You have to go. You know what I'm talking about. I'm not saying anyone who sits at the back has backslidden. But it's true. It's true.

[5:42] When you go for a function, like a big show, concert, whatever. The front seats are the hot seats.

[5:54] So don't tell me that, oh, me, I just like at the back. Back benches tell a lot. Being a naturally, if you are naturally predisposed towards back benching, it tells a lot. Pastor, what do you mean?

[6:06] Any question, just ask. Okay, I will explain. Because we are talking about the church life. So there's a difference between being a Christian and a churchgoer. Now, watch this. What is church life?

[6:18] Church life is not like just what people go out and go to church. Church life is actually when you become born again. Watch this very carefully. When you become born again, you become, Bible says that we being many are one member.

[6:30] Sorry, we being one are many members. So we are one body. But many members. Romans chapter 12. And so we are, sorry, I think it's first Corinthians.

[6:43] No, it's Romans chapter 12, yeah. So we have many, just like you are, one body. But how many members do you have? How many? Many. Many members.

[6:54] Name one of your members, body members. Hands, hair, shoulder, knees, and toes. My hair, my shoulder, my knees, and toes. They all be. So you have many, many members.

[7:07] In the same way, watch this. When you become born again, in the first Corinthians, Bible says that we were all, or the second Corinthians, we were all baptized by one spirit into one body.

[7:19] Say body. What body is he talking about? The body of Christ. What's the body of Christ? The church. Thank you. So the church is the body of Christ. So as soon as you become born again, you are naturally, by default, a member of the body of Christ, which is you are a member of the church.

[7:37] Christ said, I'm coming back for the church. You remember Ephesians chapter 5 says that husband, love your wife just as Christ loved the church. That church is talking about the body of Christ, universal church.

[7:50] So as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. All right. And so when we talk about the church is different from a local church.

[8:01] We are a local church. We are all part of the church, but you can be part of the, okay. Every part, every member of your body is part of an organ.

[8:15] Every member of your body is part of an organ. Some of you don't really understand it, but as you like, just take it like you understand, okay.

[8:27] So it's part of the organ. All right. So then what I'm trying to say is that you can't have a member of your body that is not part of any organ.

[8:38] Or when we talk about the senses, the five senses, every part of your body plays a role. Some way.

[8:50] Do you understand what I'm saying? You know that your ears cannot smell. Your ears can smell, but your ears can hear. So it's part of that sense, the auditory sense, but it's not part of the olfactory sense.

[9:08] Smelling. All right. So then if you are part of the member of, if you are a member of the body of Christ, that means that you must be part of one of the organs of the body of Christ, which is a local church.

[9:20] So you must be somewhere. Where do you belong? Who knows you? You know there are thousands and millions of Christians you don't know. You don't even know they exist.

[9:32] Some of them, you see them in town. They are part of the body of Christ, but I didn't know. So you begin to have common interactions with them. All right. But then if you are part of a local church, we will know you. So every Christian must belong to a local church.

[9:45] That's where it starts from. But when we talk about the church life, it's not talking about just the local church activities. The church life is actually the life of Christ that plays out in the body of Christ in us.

[9:58] In other words, so the life of Christ in you, how you live that life of Christ to be part of the whole body of Christ, to contribute and to glorify God and the purpose of the body of Christ, that life in you that you live, that's what we call the church life.

[10:12] And the church life is not an individual life. What do I mean? You can't be just by yourself and living it. The church life is a corporate life.

[10:23] In other words, if I decide to chop my toe, guess what? Possibly my eyes would be crying. I didn't do anything to the eyes.

[10:35] No, it's the toe. But the eyes. How many of you have been so badly wounded? Let's say your little toe. And you lose appetite. Actually, there was a time I got somewhere, scratched somewhere, and you begin to feel it's in your leg, but you feel the pain somewhere in your groins.

[10:55] It's a swelling or something. But it's there. Because it's part of the body. So Bible says that anything that happens to the leg affects the whole body. Anything that happens to the eye affects the whole body.

[11:07] Why? Because the eye is not stand alone. The eye cannot operate just by itself.

[11:20] And then when you walk the cartoon, you see the eye going around it. No, no, no. The eye only functions as a part of the body. I know some of us, you can remove your hair and put it on the side.

[11:32] But. And put yourself in later on, you comb it and then put it back on. No. No. May I submit to you, that is not part of your body.

[11:45] It's called aesthetics. Decoration. I can take off this, my jacket comfortably and go anywhere without having any impact on me. But if I try to take off my hand.

[11:57] Because the hand is part of the body. And so the aesthetics are not necessary. The cosmetics are not necessary. But the actual body is made up of the body parts.

[12:08] Your members. And now, there is no body member that is a stand alone or that is in isolation because it is a corporate body. Does that make sense?

[12:19] Why are you saying all these things? That means that you need me and I need you. That sister sitting beside you. That brother sitting beside you. You need her and she needs you.

[12:31] You need him and he needs you. That is called the church. And one of the, I remember word of truth. One day I was teaching, I said that the church is Christ in you, Christ in me, Christ in her, Christ in him, Christ in them.

[12:48] That is the church. So the church has no got to do with you are turned Methodist, Catholic, this. No, no, no. That has no got to do with the church. That's just denominations and all those things are human boundaries and human barriers.

[13:02] But in the spirit, there are no boundaries, there are no barriers. Christ in you, Christ in me, Christ in him, Christ in her. That is what? The church. And so when we talk about the church life, it's talking about the Christ in you and the Christ in me living together for the building of the whole body of Christ and the accomplishing of God's own eternal purpose.

[13:26] Say amen. Amen. So say the church life. The church life. You say it. The church life. A friend of mine asked me about, I remember, I think about eight to ten years ago.

[13:40] Pastor, you keep talking about, I think about ten years or more ago. I keep talking about church life. Church life. What do you mean by church life? Pastor. He said, what do you mean by the church life?

[13:50] When we talk about church life, as I said earlier on, it has to do with Christ living in all of us and we making sure that the living of Christ, the life of Christ is clearly demonstrated, actualized in our lives.

[14:04] Let us not reduce church. Let us not reduce church to receiving miracles. All right. Permit me to go back a little bit to talk about the two major aspects of the church life.

[14:20] Who is a member of the church? Who? Okay. We are. So who are we? What makes you and what the other person?

[14:31] What differentiates? What qualifies a person to become a member of the church? Sorry? Faith in Christ Jesus.

[14:43] Okay. That's as simple as that. I mean, the best you can ever think of. Faith. We are saved by grace through faith. And the Bible talks about how we are justified by faith.

[14:54] We are in, based on faith. Okay. In Christ. No faith anywhere. Faith in Christ. Okay. So what makes a person a member of the body of Christ is your faith in Christ.

[15:07] As you all may know, it's not what you do that makes you a member of the body of Christ. But it's who you are in Christ or your faith in Christ.

[15:18] So it says that Ephesians, how many, who can tell you what's in Ephesians chapter two verse eight? Quick, quick, quick, quick. You can't remember Ephesians two, eight. Let's not read it together.

[15:28] Let's go. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourself. It's the gift of God. Okay. So that one, not of yourself, is the gift of.

[15:40] Look at verse nine. Did you see that? Let's read verse nine together. Not of works, but let anyone should watch you. That's a serious one. It's a lot of works, not of what you do.

[15:53] Lest anyone should also watch this. By grace are you saved, not of works. Not of, you are not saved based on what you do or what you've done or what you did or what you're going to do.

[16:04] You are saved based on grace. By grace are you saved. And how does he apply to us? Through faith. So your faith in Christ is just what makes us saved. So what makes you a Christian? Now what I'm talking about, that's saved there.

[16:16] You're talking about what makes you a Christian. So the fact that your mama used to go to church does not make you a Christian. The fact that your daddy used to go to church does not make you a Christian. Let's get it. The fact that you were a Christian as a child does not make you a Christian.

[16:30] Christian, like Christianing. Mean Christian. There's nothing like that. You only become a Christian based on your faith. All right. And so what makes you a Christian is your faith in Christ.

[16:43] Not of works. Less anyone can say, okay, yeah, I did it. I did it. Not of works. No one can boast because you didn't do anything. No one did anything. All of us came in free. We all came in free.

[16:57] So you can't come in. And then I came into church. I became born again. And I used to know this lady. She was very wild. Like an armed robber in town. And I used to be the bank man.

[17:08] I used to rent the cars to her. But he was top criminal. She was top criminal. And I became born again. And guess what? I see her too in church. I say, huh. Then I begin to think, at least I'm a better Christian than her.

[17:19] Because there's no God to do with what I did. And there's no God to do with what he did. All of us are on the same platform. Clap for Jesus.

[17:34] Amen. So now going back to what I'm saying. We have two aspects. First one you should understand is called justification. Now justification, you don't have to do anything.

[17:47] But we have sanctification. Which means what you do. Okay. Let me put it this way. So I explained this one over the TV broadcast some time ago. Ephesians and Romans and most of Paul's letters are divided into two major sections.

[18:04] The first section, Ephesians. So Ephesians, let me use Ephesians because that's what I use. Ephesians chapter, Ephesians is six chapters. Six chapters, sorry. The first three chapters has to do with justification.

[18:17] Sanctification. The last three chapters. Did I say first six? First three. And the last three has to do with sanctification. Okay. What do I mean by sanctification?

[18:27] Sanctification. The first, watch this. The first three chapters has to do with what we are saved by. The second three chapters has to do with what we have been saved for.

[18:41] Is it coming home now? Why am I saved? Okay. I've arrived. So what? What am I going to? What am I supposed to do? First three chapters has to do with God saving us.

[18:55] Why he saved us. So remember, I think there's a place where it talks about work out your salvation. So the first three chapters, watch this, has to do with salvation worked in.

[19:06] So God worked salvation into your life. You didn't have to do anything. But the second three, the second chapter, three, the second chapter, the last three chapters has to do with salvation worked out.

[19:21] So if something has been worked inside you, you have to work it out. Not like mass calculate, but thank you very much.

[19:32] Exercise it out. All right. And so the first salvation worked in is called justification. Salvation worked out is called what?

[19:44] Sanctification. And the two always go together. Yeah. Justification and sanctification go together. And in that order, they never go the other way.

[19:58] Every religion puts sanctification before justification. What does that mean? You have to do something so that you can be accepted by God. No. So you have to do something, sanctification, so that you can be accepted by God.

[20:09] Justification. You have to do something so that you can be in. No. Christianity said that you are in and empowered to do something. It's always the other way around. In first to do.

[20:21] In first. And then once you are in, you receive the strength and the empowerment. Like Ephesians chapter 3 verse 16, there talks about that you will be strengthened with might by his spirit in your inner man.

[20:33] So the strength comes from the inner man through the spirit of God in you. So don't think you can do it by yourself. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

[20:46] The Bible says that Christ in you, the hope of glory. So it's the Christ in you that makes the difference. Christ in you that makes the difference.

[20:58] Christ in you that makes the difference. That's where it starts from. But the problem is, so when we come to church, we are talking about miracles. We are talking about breakthroughs. We are talking about in the name of Jesus.

[21:09] I see a testimony coming. All those things are said based on the Christ in you. So then if you don't have a Christ in you, it's really going to give us a major problem.

[21:23] We can't work that thing into you. Because you are actually not part of us. Or not part of... It's for household people.

[21:36] Okay, so it's for household... It's just like you are a male. And you are going to the midwives. For them to help you become like your pregnant wife.

[21:50] Or you are going to see the gynecologist a man. What for? I have an appointment with a gynecologist. What for? You must be born a woman in order to begin to enjoy these privileges that women have.

[22:07] Women can say amen. Amen. It's a blessing to be a woman. Is it not true? Yes. Yes. Life is very rough without women.

[22:21] Brothers who are yet to find one. At least you keep your mom like that. And enjoy your mom until a replacement comes.

[22:32] All right. So the point is that justification goes before sanctification. I'm going somewhere. So when you read Ephesians, first three chapters is justification.

[22:44] Second three chapters is sanctification. What's sanctification? Do you know how Ephesians chapter three verse one starts? Sorry, chapter four. The last three. Chapter four verse one starts. It's very interesting.

[22:55] Ephesians chapter four verse one starts. I therefore be suppliced and beseech you to walk. To do what? To wear. To do what? To walk. No, no. To walk. To do what? To walk. To do what? To walk.

[23:06] What does that mean? Do something. Do something. But when you read Ephesians chapter one from verse three. Verse three is a very funny one. I love it so much. Ephesians chapter one verse three.

[23:16] It says, blessed be God. Who has blessed them with all spiritual blessings? Before he asked you to walk, you've already been blessed. Say I'm blessed. I'm blessed. Say I'm blessed. I'm blessed.

[23:27] So from that standpoint of the blessed person, you begin to walk. Walk the walk and talk the talk. Right. So the point here is that Christianity is not only how, what he has made in me, but also how I am living it out.

[23:41] That's the church life. And so much of your life is based on the church life. How you live this thing out. But you know what? We have made it the other way around.

[23:51] Much of our, most of the modern day Christians, much of our Christian life, is what we are still receiving. God, what you are doing for me? What miracle you are doing for me? Or what's the next breakthrough?

[24:02] What's the next? That's how much of our Christian life has to do with that. And so that's why I can, on one hand, be praying that God bless me, bless me, bless me. And on the other hand, I say you, I don't like you.

[24:13] You are Christian, but I don't like you. I can't talk to you. I can't forgive you. Get out of my face. And feel very comfortable and keep the two together. Think about it.

[24:25] That's how come a husband and wife can fight both Christians and can't stand each other. And a Christian woman can be abusing and beating the husband.

[24:38] He said, if you're a man, come. Stupid man like you. When we are talking about men, you, shame. Then spit on his feet. And the man said, hey, am I the one you're talking to? Do you know who you are?

[24:48] You are a foolish woman. And Christians. And when they finish, I'm going to pray. I just finished praying. I want to. You let me finish praying. I'll come and deal with you. You understand what I'm saying?

[25:07] When we are talking about Christianity, the two should go together. Don't take one and leave the other one. Religion takes the works bits. So, the work. Oh, you have to do this so that God can let you in.

[25:19] You have to do this. So, they are also always concerned that if they're sick, you are not doing what you are supposed to do. They begin to think, you are evil. Get out of here. You are evil. They even feel you don't have to come to church.

[25:30] Because you are too evil. The things you have been doing. You can't come to church. The skirt you have been wearing. It's too short. You can't come to church. I'm not going to say go and wear anything. Because if you are also born again properly, you will be concerned about the way you present your bodies.

[25:44] He said present your bodies. Hallelujah. That's a living sacrifice. Present your bodies. And the members. They don't present your members as instruments of unrighteousness. Leave the people alone.

[25:54] Stop troubling. We know you have a chest. Cover it up. La, la, la, la, la, la. Hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah.

[26:11] Hallelujah. And so people, when religion, watch this. That's why people in the name of some God who can kill other people because you are not part of this religion.

[26:25] Religion can be very devastating. Religion creates enemies. I know some people who actually don't want to go around church because some born again Christian sister of theirs was always attacking them and hateful in the house.

[26:40] The most hateful person in the house. And then you hear speaking in tongues. La, la, la, la. This is step here. If you go and tell, please. We want to sleep. Come, come, come. You want to tell?

[26:51] You want to sleep? Hey, the devil is here. Hey, the devil is here. And so, and so you find certain people who say that I don't even want to go close to church.

[27:03] Or because mom, my mom was, my dad was always dragging us to church. But when we finish church, they are gossiping about church members from their car, from church to the house. They will gossip and gossip and gossip.

[27:14] No wonder your son, your daughter grew up and they didn't want to go to church. Because what, the thing you have been preaching, they realize that you are different. You don't actually believe it. So, people like that are religious.

[27:29] Religious people tend to put people who are looking for God off. Because religious people are not merciful. You have to play according to the books.

[27:40] Other than that, and so, some people see other Christians and they think, hey, I can't meet up to this standard. I can't match up to this standard.

[27:51] So, they see some Christians and the way they, when we're in secondary school, there are some guys called krife guys. They are kind of, some of them are good, like myself. We were kind of good.

[28:02] But, there are other ones who are like the holy adal. The holy adal. If they see you, I remember one day a friend of ours was wearing jeans.

[28:14] Jeans with, I think, you know, the stone jeans with the faded years ago. So, it wasn't too popular. And something was started. This, one of the brothers saw this, he said, my friend, look at what you are wearing.

[28:27] You are backsliding. And he hit you on the back. Hit you on the back of his head. And so, sometimes, we become overbearingly religious and overstretched.

[28:42] But, godliness is sweet. Godliness is attractive. Now, coming back to the point I'm making. So, when you are born again, the same thing happened in Romans. Romans, from Romans chapter 1, he was talking about we are justified.

[28:55] He was talking about how all I've seen, but we are not by works. It's Christ and everything. Romans chapter 8, one of the most colorful chapters in the Bible. Talking about now there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

[29:10] And went on. If God be for us, who can be against us. And went on to talk about how in Christ Jesus we are more than conquerors. For nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.

[29:23] Romans. Say Romans. He kept talking from chapter 1 to chapter 11. And then chapter 12, it says, I beseech you therefore. Romans chapter 12, verse 1. I beg you therefore, beloved.

[29:35] I beg you. Beseech means I implore. I entreat you. I beseech you therefore. What's the meaning of the therefore? On the basis of the things that we have in Christ. On the grounds of that, I beseech you by the mercies of God that you do what?

[29:48] Present. Huh? Present. Now he has brought, he has started bringing responsibility in. All along, never mentioned responsibility. All along told us our rights.

[29:59] Our rights. Our enjoyment. Who we are in Christ. All that. Then chapter 12 said, please, based on who you are, present your body. Do something. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.

[30:13] Holy and acceptable to God. Then the next one, he went on to verse 2. Went on. So first one presents what? Number two presents. Number two, he went on to say that transform, be transformed by the renew of your mind.

[30:27] That's your soul. So body, soul, and then you find out in the, as we do the studies, somewhere he brought the spirit in. Very interesting.

[30:38] But all your own responsibility. See what he says you do. You should do something so your mind will change. When it comes to your body, he says present your body as a living sacrifice.

[30:48] So that's responsibility. He didn't say let God present it for you. He said you have to present it. All right. So the responsibility of the Christian life, the responsibility of the church life, how to live this church life, is necessary.

[31:05] Other than that, guess what? Oh, oh, oh. This is a very fearful thing to say. Other than that, guess what? You may get all the kind of blessings, most of them on earth. But when you go to heaven, you realize that you have lived a cheap life, a cheap life, and there's not much for you.

[31:19] The church life. The church life is beautiful. Now, the church life, as I said earlier on, actually, when you look at Ephesians, in Romans 2, it did the same thing. But when you look at Ephesians, it talks about, when it started talking about what we have to do, it starts by Ephesians chapter 4.

[31:36] It starts by talking about our relationship with one another in Christ. Okay. Our relationship with one another. Sorry. Very interesting.

[31:47] Some technical bit that you find in the Bible. In Ephesians chapter 1, from 1 to 3, it talks about who we are in Christ. From chapter 4 to chapter 6, it talks about relationship in the Lord.

[32:01] In the Lord. So he is the one who governs the way we relate to other people. That's when he spoke about we should endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians chapter 3, verse 4.

[32:12] Keep the unity of the self as one God. Then he went on to talk about how, so our relationship, the way we relate in the church, the way we behave in the church. Then after that, he goes to Ephesians chapter 4, from verse 1 all the way down.

[32:28] That's when he talks about we have the apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers. Then he says that he's given to us for the perfecting of the body of Christ, for the saints and all that. Then he spoke about in verse 16, you not being tossed through and fro by every wind of doctrine.

[32:43] It says that we will be able to comprehend with the saints. No, no, not comprehend with the saints. The saints, yes. It says that from whom the whole body, watch this. This is a very interesting point.

[32:54] From whom the whole body joined and knits together by what every joint supplies. When I was doing the teaching on that, I got something. First of all, knits.

[33:04] What does it mean to knit something? To join. But he used the word joined and knit. Interwoven.

[33:15] To knit. It means, that's a very good, intertwined, interwoven. And when you come to, in carpentry, to knit something together, you have to make sure that you chop some things off, drill some things out.

[33:27] And when you go to Ikea and you buy the flat pack, you have to put it together. But they have prefabricated it such that you can easily knit them together. And join them together.

[33:38] Because some things have been chopped out. So you can't live the church life if you don't chop some things out of your life. You always have problems with other Christians. Because people are people.

[33:51] Haven't you discovered that people are funny? Haven't you noticed that everybody is funny apart from you? Didn't you realize that you just really don't like the way we do it?

[34:03] And then the friends you choose, you select, are those who are at least, they are similar to you. But those you don't like as friends, I've also got, they are very good friends who also think that you have a problem.

[34:15] And now we all gather in the church as one body. If you don't do some chopping off, so we can be knit together.

[34:25] And guess what? It says that the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies. Every joint. By what?

[34:36] What? Everyone supplies. Everyone supplies. So me on my own, I can't supply anything building the body of Christ. My koinonia, the joint, is what supplies the building.

[34:51] Did you get that? By what every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every path does is there. Everyone has got, thank you, Pastor.

[35:03] Everyone, it's your joint. So you can't say, I can't stand that sister. If you say you can't stand that sister, one of two things. You either are not born again.

[35:13] Or if you are born again, you have a spiritual problem of understanding. Particularly you are a babe. It's the children who say, I guess that is my toy.

[35:26] It's my toy. It's my toy. It's my toy. It's my toy. So the Christian life now, I'm going to focus on living the church life. Living the church life means that you have to suffer some stuff.

[35:38] When I say stuff, I know somebody is killing you, but swallow some pride. Deal with something just to accommodate somebody for the building of the body of Christ. So Romans, say Romans.

[35:52] Say Romans. So after he spoke about all that Christ has done for us, all that God has worked into us, then Romans chapter 12, he begins to throw the ball in our courts, telling us that you have to be responsible for how you live your life.

[36:07] You have to be responsible for the building up of the body and the establishing of the body. Then he went on I, verse 9. That's where the text is all. So all these things I've said is introduction.

[36:20] I'm one of the pastors with the longest introductions. Did you see that? Let's all read it together. Oh, oh, oh.

[36:31] I can't hear you. One more time. Louder. Let love be without hypocrisy. For the last time. Let love be without hypocrisy. Now, but before then, I discovered some in chapter 13, verse 8, that look at what chapter 13, verse 8 says.

[36:47] Romans chapter 13, verse 8. Huh? Did you see that? So credit card. Instead, any credit card you should have, it should rather be the credit card of loving someone. Say, oh, oh, no one, no, no one, anything except to love.

[37:05] One another. One another. See, is it one another there? One another. Bible says that to love people, you don't have a choice. As a Christian, unless you are not one of us.

[37:16] I'm not talking about parish church. I'm talking about Christian life, which many people have lost sight of. They are in church, and they are trying.

[37:29] All their focus is how people see them. They are dressing. The way they look. How nice they look. And the car they are driving. The house they live in.

[37:39] The kind of job. So someone comes, can you imagine, someone comes to church and brings all that with him to church. And when you are treating yourself, these are not my kind of people. It's not my class. I only deal with this kind of people.

[37:51] I don't need this one. We will find out right now. So people bring that in. Whilst we come to church, we are all of the same class. Same class.

[38:03] There are only two classes of people on earth, so long as God is concerned. The Gentiles and we, the spiritual Jews. The children of God and the children of the devil.

[38:20] Now, I didn't say it. If you are not a child of God, you are by default a child of wrath. You belong in the devil's camp. That's what the Bible teaches.

[38:31] Now, we don't need to go around telling them. They know it. They will find it. If they don't, they will find it. But what we have to do is to live the children, the church life, so that they begin to see that we have something they think they want.

[38:45] If you have the life of God in you, Zoe is the highest and the greatest thing anyone can have. In this country, to be a royal is bigger than being a child of a politician or being a politician or a superstar.

[39:00] Because when you are voted into power, you will go out of power. But when you are a royal, you are born a royal, forever a royal. Did you see that?

[39:11] So that is what we are in. So it's not so much as to what we are getting, but the kind of life we have been born into. And so we have to accommodate one another. Now, Romans chapter 13 verse 8 says that, Oh, no one, nothing except to love one another.

[39:29] So in other words, loving someone, you are not doing a person a favor. You are not doing a trying for a, you don't know. Okay, you let me try on him. No. He said you owe. If you are a Christian, then you owe me love.

[39:41] Even if I go and gossip about you and I don't like you and I'm not, I'm a backsliding Christian, a troublesome Christian, you owe me love. It's mine.

[39:53] It's not yours. It's mine. How can you owe something that you own? You can't owe when you own it. Okay. So if he said you owe me love, that means that that love, you have love that you're supposed to extend towards me.

[40:08] That is my right in Christ. It's mine. Tell someone you owe me love. All right. Let's put it this way. No. All right.

[40:19] It's okay. It's okay. Hello. Let's put you on. Hey. Someone is proposing already.

[40:35] You know what? As soon as I said that someone talked, I wish I was sitting here. I should have sat here. So I will sit. I will say to that brother, you owe me love. Tell someone, I owe you love.

[40:51] I owe you love. But then I wanted to have to see this. So it will lead into the next thing I was about to say in Romans chapter 12, verse 9.

[41:03] It said, the love you owe me. Let love be without dissimilar. Let it be without hypocrisy. Don't pretend that, don't behave like you love me, but you know you can't stand me.

[41:16] Don't be good. Look at that. Don't. Anupokritos is the Greek word. Anupokritos. I think we have to use it in this church. Anupokritos.

[41:27] Contritus Anupokritos. Let your love be without Anupokritos. Dissimulation. Fake. Like someone wearing a mask. So I see Pastor Charles.

[41:38] Hello. That's what they did to Jesus. They betrayed him with a kiss. That kiss was a sign of affirmation. But it was fake. It wasn't genuine. So it's like you pull a wool over someone's eyes.

[41:54] I'm making you. I'm deceiving you to think that. As for me and you are like this. Oh my sister. Come. Let me give you a lift. Let me give you a ride. Okay wait for me.

[42:04] I'm coming. I'll just pack and come. Quickly come. By the time you come. You're gone. Oh I forgot you were coming. You knew exactly. You're trying to show that I love. But you know you are lying.

[42:16] Jesus said as a Christian. Let the love be without hypocrisy. But without hypocrisy is the actual. What is like. I am making you think I love you.

[42:27] But in my heart I know I'm lying. I'm deceiving you. See. That what is with a deceptive intention. That's what it is talking about. Deceptive intention.

[42:38] To pull a wool over the person's eye. And Bible says that. Let love be without that. So Bible said love. So don't we try and just. Oh you know I love you. I love you so much.

[42:48] Meanwhile you have a dagger behind you. I love you. When they turn the back. You met. You met him. You met that thing you love. So we began to relax in your company.

[42:59] Like the one Deborah. Deborah. Who killed Cicely. The Cicely. Cicely. Cicely. In the Bible. The man. An army general. He was running from the enemies.

[43:11] Came to her tent. He said. Oh come. Come and sit down. Come and lie down. What to drink. Get people to drink. And he relaxed. And said sleep. And he was so tired. Fell asleep. And this woman went and took. A spy.

[43:23] Peg. And then nailed it. Through his head. To the ground. So when the. The heroes came looking for him. I said. Oh are you looking for him? Come. Come. It's in my tent. I've killed him for you. Because.

[43:34] The guy thought. He's come to a place. Like something. He went to put his head. On Delilah's lap. Thinking Delilah's lap. Delilah's lap. Oh Samson. You know I love this so much. That wasn't love.

[43:46] She was lying. She's trying to get something from him. Babo said. Let love be without dissimulation. Get something. God bless you. We thank God for using a servant.

[44:02] Reverend Dr. David Entry. To share this awesome word. If this message has blessed you in any way. Please spread the word by sharing it. And send us an email. To amen. At karis.org Remember to stay connected with us.

[44:15] On Facebook. Instagram. YouTube. And Twitter. For regular updates. On what God is doing here. At Karis Ministries. Stay blessed. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[44:25] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.