[0:00] Welcome. Thank you for listening to this wholesome word by David Entry. The words you catch will change your world. May your story change from this message. Be blessed.
[0:12] Colossians chapter 2, reading from verse 1 to 4. For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you and for them at Laodicea.
[0:31] And for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh. That their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love.
[0:43] And unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding. To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God. And of the Father and of Christ.
[0:55] In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And that I say lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
[1:08] Here in the reading of God's word. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much. Thank you for bringing us together.
[1:19] Thank you for the privilege to hear your word. We pray that as your word is taught. Eyes will behold wondrous things in your word.
[1:30] Holy Spirit, feed us with Christ. That we will attain to the full assurance of understanding. And the riches thereof.
[1:42] Heal the sick. Convict the sinning. Save the lost. Encourage the despondent. And let your name be glorified. Father, I submit myself under your influence.
[1:54] Holy Spirit, let my speaking be influenced by your speaking. That my speaking will be your speaking. Prophesy through me, Lord. Speak your word through me.
[2:05] And let me speak forth Christ. As I teach in Jesus' name. Amen. Hallelujah. Praise God.
[2:16] Now, Colossians, as I told you, is such a very strong book. It's so strong. And every believer must be a Colossian.
[2:27] You know, the quality of your Christian life, it's purely dependent on how much of Christ you have grasped through his word.
[2:43] How much of Christ. A lot of people think the quality of Christian life has to do with how much you are praying. Kabo, shabo, shabo. No. It starts from somewhere before it gets there.
[2:55] You know, so even the effectiveness of your prayer is dependent on your knowledge of God's word. A lot of people are praying, hoping it might work.
[3:13] A lot of people are praying, thinking as they express their wishes to God. God is obliged to help. Many people think the basis of answered prayer is just offering of prayer.
[3:30] So, asking. God, I need a job. But why hasn't he answered? No, the fact that you ask doesn't mean it's effective prayer. Effective prayer is not based on the asking in the prayer.
[3:45] Effective prayer is based on how aligned it is with God's word and for that matter, God's will. So, your Christian life that does not afford you a proper understanding of God's word is a very weak and unfruitful and unproductive Christian life.
[4:09] Which after a while, you might even be tired and be cursing God. So, it's necessary now. Colossians is so important in that among the books believers must know.
[4:22] Because Colossians is focused on the sufficiency and the supremacy of Christ. So, Christ is enough.
[4:36] And Christ is above all. So, Christ is enough. He's sufficient. Having Christ is not Christ plus something. The Christian life and true life is not Christ plus something.
[4:51] It's Christ plus nothing. Christ is enough. That's the purpose of Colossians. And also, not just that, that this Christ who is enough is above all.
[5:04] And if you have him, there's nothing that compares to him. In fact, we just read, in him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
[5:16] Wow. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom. The treasures of knowledge are hidden inside him. So, that's why Colossians that help us to appreciate the supremacy and the sufficiency of Christ is such an important book for a Christian.
[5:37] And every now and then, every Christian must keep going to read Colossians. And Ephesians helps us to appreciate the full gospel. Because the more you know Christ, the more you can understand what this whole church thing is about.
[5:55] So, you don't have a comprehensive gospel, a full gospel, or a complete gospel if you don't know what church is about.
[6:06] Ephesians chapter 1 verse 9 talks about how God has made known to us the mystery. So, it's that having made known to us the mystery of God's will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself.
[6:24] Can you imagine? He purposed, there's a good pleasure he has purposed in himself. And this is, this is, the unfolding of this purpose is what is called the mystery of his will. But the mystery of his will hasn't, is not something that has always been plain to humanity.
[6:41] You can't know it. That's why you can't do a research and know God. And I said this some time ago, the knowledge of God is available to all.
[6:54] So, as long as you're alive, you don't need to be taught God exists. In fact, you need to be taught God doesn't exist. It has to be an intellectual exercise.
[7:09] Because the knowledge of God, the existence of God is so common, it's common sense. It's just like you don't have to teach a child how to sack when you put the feeding bottle in the mouth.
[7:21] An infant. An infant. You know, when a baby is born, you don't have to teach the baby, sack. They just, even when you put your finger, little finger, they will sack. Because it's, it's the sense of life.
[7:33] It's the sense. It's the kind of, it's natural. It's not, it just comes with life. It's not actually giving, it comes with life. If you have life, some things are just natural. You don't have to teach your intestines to digest food.
[7:47] It just comes, it's natural. You know, in the same way, it's just the knowledge, the general, the general knowledge of God is natural. That's why people everywhere, based on anthropology, people everywhere worship.
[8:04] One way or the other. Even those who say they don't worship, there's something they are worshiping. So the knowledge of God is natural. So you have to be intellectually intimidated and butchered and bullied to think that God doesn't exist.
[8:19] So atheism is like reverse education. Now, so the knowledge of God, the general knowledge, let me be quite specific.
[8:30] The general knowledge of God is obvious and available to all, according to Romans chapter 1, verse 18 and 19. For the invisible attributes of God, the invisible, sorry, verse 19, let's go to that.
[8:49] The invisible, I think I'm looking, 20 right now, sorry. For since creation of the world, God's invisible attributes are clearly seen.
[9:00] It's not hidden. The things that cannot be seen about God are clearly many because his fingerprints are on everything natural, everything physical.
[9:12] So when you look at everything physical, in fact, the more you want to do research, the more you realize that there is a God somewhere. So you have the general knowledge of God is available to all, so you can't say, I didn't know God exists.
[9:27] So enough to be condemned. Nobody can say, I didn't know, because the general knowledge of God is imprinted and reflected on everything natural.
[9:41] That it's enough. You know enough about the existence of God for you to be condemned. But the saving knowledge of God to be saved and to know this God is not just available to the eye.
[9:57] It's revealed in the text of Scripture. You cannot be saved outside of Scripture. Let me even clarify it more.
[10:10] You cannot be saved outside of the Bible. Anything that promises you salvation outside of the Bible is not salvation. How can you say that?
[10:23] Live long enough and die and you'll find out that it's an absolute. You cannot be saved outside of it. So the point I'm making is that you can know about God.
[10:34] But to know God to be saved, you need to get to know the God of Scripture. You need to know Him in Scripture. Savific knowledge is based from Scripture. It's not general.
[10:45] It's not general. It's not, you can't say, I'm just doing a general research to find out how to be saved. Everything. Jesus puts it this way. The guys said the Scriptures, thinking that in them they have eternal life.
[10:56] He said the Scriptures are pointing to me because inside the Scriptures are signs pointing to Christ to be saved. He said, and yet you will not come to me so you might have eternal life.
[11:08] John chapter 5 verse 39 and 40. So we need to know the Scriptures. Now when you become a Christian, the rest of your life is developing.
[11:21] Watch this. Because I'm about to say some of the things that I normally say that are not generally common to a lot of people's spiritual and Christian understanding. I used to think, when I got born again many years ago, I used to think that, you know, spiritual maturity is more about how now your behavior is in shape.
[11:43] You are behaving better. Behaving better is not equal to spiritual maturity. That's what I'm trying to say. Behaving better or good behavior is not equal to spiritual maturity.
[11:57] Even though it's good. Please, good behavior is very good. It's good. It's good. And it saves you a lot of drama in your life.
[12:09] It escapes you. It bails you out from a lot of endemic drama in life. But true spirituality or spiritual growth is primarily based on our knowledge of Christ in Scripture.
[12:26] So that's why I said that I may know him. Christ, a preacher who God was using so much. Can you imagine? They could sink in prison for the whole foundation to shake.
[12:36] The whole foundation of the prison shook. And their chains fell off. What an amazing experience. That's in Philippi. Afterwards, he has left Philippi.
[12:48] And the church has started. He was in prison. He was away from Philippi. He was writing to the Philippians. And he's saying that everything that is gained to me, I count them as done. That I may know him.
[12:59] You mean you don't know him? After all this, you don't know him? That I may know him. And not just know him, verse 10, 3, 10. I may know him and the power of his resurrection.
[13:12] What? And the fellowship of his suffering. Being made conformable to his death. He said, this is my aim. So this is the measure of Christianity. The measure of your spirituality.
[13:24] Your spiritual growth. The more you are knowing Christ, the more you are growing. The more you are becoming, you are knowing the power of his resurrection, the more you are growing.
[13:36] The more you are knowing the fellowship of his suffering. That tells you Christianity. Real spiritual growth will come with certain inconveniences and challenges and sacrifices.
[13:48] But it does not start with actions. It starts with some internal knowledge. Internal revelation. That is why teachings in church and in churches are very important.
[14:06] Now Colossians chapter 2, as we found in the last teaching. How? He said, verse 2, verse 1. Let's look at verse 1.
[14:17] For I would that ye knew what great agonizomaya. That's conflict. Striving.
[14:27] I'm having great, great striving. Great conflict within me. Great, great contest. It's like, you know, as I explained. That's where we get the, that Greek word, that's where we get the word agonize.
[14:41] To agonize. Agonize. Agonize. Someone is in agony. Pain. You need the strongest painkillers to deal with it.
[14:54] And Paul said that, I'm going through so much pain. Pain. Struggle. Sleepless. The pastor's sleepless nights.
[15:05] If you are a pastor and you sleep comfortably, when people are not growing in church. You should never have comfort as a spiritual leader.
[15:21] When the people's hearts are not comforted. When the people are not knit together in love. When they haven't attained to their riches.
[15:35] That comes with their full assurance of understanding of the mystery of God. He said, I strive. I'm striving. It's not about your money.
[15:46] It's not about your job. It's not about your marriage. It's not about your, your, um, business. It's not about houses you are buying. No, no, no, no, no, no.
[15:57] Those things. People can attain it. Unbelievers can get that. But this one, I strive for you. Unbelievers can never attain it. Why have we started pushing Christians towards what you can get outside of Christ?
[16:11] Why should we come to church? And the main thrust of our church fellowships and our teaching is pushing people towards what unbelievers can get without Christ.
[16:25] That's why a lot of people get frustrated because you don't have a job. What it takes to get a job is to upgrade yourself, not just prayer. But we have, especially those who call themselves prophets, we have made ourselves solution givers.
[16:46] And the solutions are just mundane solutions. Natural attainments and human achievements. We have replaced spirituality and church culture to helping people to just attain things that people are getting in without Christ.
[17:00] They are getting in without Christ. There are things you have which others don't have, but you had them before you came to Christ. Example, your degree.
[17:12] Some of you have degrees. You're not in Christ and you got, you had a degree. You are not in Christ, you had a degree. Just that your degree, let's say you only have a first degree. But the money you want to make in life requires maybe a master's or PhD.
[17:28] But now you have come to church for us to pray so that what's the PhD? The church prayer will bring you to what natural responsibility should bring you.
[17:44] It's not many marital problems are not because of the devil. It's because of selfishness, irresponsibility, and the lust of man.
[18:00] So what I'm saying is that people have this mindset that God is somewhere like Superman. And when someone is in trouble, just tell God, God, you have to do something.
[18:13] Then he will do it for you. When you are in need, that's why people can ask a question like, if there's God, why are people suffering? It's the bad theology. It has made you think that.
[18:27] Bad representation of God has made people think that he doesn't have anything doing. He's just there to help people who are sick, to help people who are sad, to help people who are suffering.
[18:38] He keeps moving. Where there are problems, he will be there. So when we gather here, the way you look peaceful, he will be here. He has to go somewhere. That's why some people can say flipping things like, when Christ comes, he will go to the streets.
[18:49] People who are homeless, lying there, he will go and be feeding. Please, that is not Christianity gospel. Please. I'm not saying that helping people don't matter. It comes naturally, being walking with God.
[19:00] When you walk with God, it comes naturally. You are not a mean person. You become a merciful person. You become a good person. You become a nice person. So those some of you who have been coming to church for a while now, and you are so mean.
[19:11] You are still so mean. We have to just question what kind of Christ you think you have encountered. When you are walking with Christ, you become interested in helping people.
[19:23] All right? But when Christ comes, he is not going to help people. He will use those who are walking with him to go and help people and also introduce Christ to them.
[19:34] So that they can also be helpers. The purpose of God and the purpose of church is not to make your life better. Depending on how you define better.
[19:47] Betterment. Living standard. Yeah, your life. So the truth is, God has an agenda which has always been hidden in him.
[19:59] And it's now been unfolded after the death of Christ. And when we get born again, the rest of your spiritual life is to pursue, to grow in the knowledge of this will and this agenda of God.
[20:14] Not just for your life because the agenda of God is bigger than a generation. It's bigger than a generation, lest alone you. The agenda of God is cosmic.
[20:30] It's before the foundation of the earth. So, okay, look at the scripture I quoted earlier on. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 9 and 10. You see what the 10 has got to say.
[20:40] But Ephesians chapter 1, verse 9. Having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. Look at verse 10.
[20:52] That in the dispensation of the fullness of time. So it's not stopping with you. It's working towards a bigger plan. In the dispensation of the full, in the climax of the, the plan is towards a fullness of time.
[21:07] In the dispensation of the fullness of time. He might gather together in one of all things in Christ. So that is his ultimate agenda.
[21:18] So all of us, when we come in, we are part of the plan. We are part of the plan. And you can't effectively play your role if you don't know Christ well.
[21:28] Else, natural things and human systems will keep distracting you. Natural concerns, normal concerns, wise, good concerns will keep distracting you from the agenda and the plan and the program of God.
[21:49] And watch this. His reward to us is based... When you go to Olympics, the medals, it's not giving to fans. It's not giving to...
[22:03] If I went to GB camps and we are celebrating them, we celebrate them because of their achievement. They have actually honored us. So it's not just everybody. No. In the same way, the reward God gives has everything to do with what you have done in relation with his eternal plan.
[22:20] Know how nice you have been. If you being nice has not played out into filling his eternal plan, he can't reward you for that. Are you getting what I'm saying?
[22:31] Yeah. It's like you've been employed to do a job and you are doing some extra things. Okay. You are employed to come and let's say fix the building.
[22:44] Fix the building. But when you came and you were doing the job, you realized that people were not having chairs outside. So you go and buy chairs for them to sit there. Then when you finish, you bring the bill to the one. I did ask you to do that.
[22:58] I just brought you in this building to come and fix... Come and do some building works here. And that is what I'm going to pay you for. The reward of God is not based on purely good behavior.
[23:12] Good behavior that does not promote the agenda, the eternal agenda of God cannot be rewarded. So then, for us to be rewarded effectively, there's the need to be aware of God's plan.
[23:31] Aware of what God is doing. Aware, Bible calls it the mystery of God. In Colossians, he talks about how I've been striving for you.
[23:44] It says that, I would that you knew how greatly I strive, I agonize for you. And for those at Laodicea, Laodicea is quite not far from Colossae.
[24:00] Laodicea, and for us, many as have not seen my face in the flesh. That includes us. How many of you have seen Paul?
[24:11] So, as many have not seen my face in the flesh. He said, I'm striving. So, Paul's striving was not even only for the congregation.
[24:23] He was striving for the bigger body of Christ. Those who later on received his ministry. He was covering them. And he said, I don't want to do ministry. When people get exposed to me, they are not growing.
[24:34] So, even if I'm writing books, if I'm recording messages, so that years after I'm dead and gone, people are still receiving something from it.
[24:44] I'm striving to this end. I'm striving that when they get into contact with what I'm producing, it's also producing something in them. So, the reason why I produce what I produce is so that something can be produced in my audience and in the people I'm teaching.
[25:04] So, now, look at what he said it wants to be produced. I told you. He says that, verse 2, that their hearts might be comforted. And I took so much time to talk about comfort. Comfort.
[25:16] Their hearts might be comforted. So, then everyone needs some level of encouragement and comfort. The Greek word translated comforted, as I told you, para keleu.
[25:28] It's like comfort. It's to comfort you. To strengthen you. To help you to be able to. It edges you to be able to do more. As I said the other time, some people, if you want to do something not so nice in line with God's plan.
[25:43] Some people, you better not talk to them. You better not talk to them. When people are on their way backsliding, you should be a redirection personnel.
[25:56] That when they are, they can comfortably backslide through you. Comfort them. Comfort means strengthen them to do what is right.
[26:08] Even though sometimes the emotions are all over the place. Sometimes, as a pastor, someone who can come and tell you what their husband is doing against them or their wife is doing, almost cutting their throat.
[26:19] And you feel like, no, divorce him. Or divorce her. This is a devil. Naturally, you might feel like that. But I can't tell you divorce your wife because she says she won't let you serve Christ.
[26:33] I can't say that. That divorce her. I can't say that because it's not right. I can't say that. Do you understand what I'm saying?
[26:44] And I will never say that. So what I'm saying is that you say you want to fight your, you want to imprison your father. Because of the way. I can't tell you go ahead. I know too much about how scripture teaches us to honor our parents.
[26:58] I can't, I, even though situations look so bad, I can't be part of cutting your father off. Do you understand what I'm saying? I can't tell you cut him off. I can't tell you cut him off.
[27:10] I can't do that. So the point I'm making is that when you say comfort somebody, encourage somebody, you are becoming the reason why they are doing what is right. Even though they are so close to doing what is wrong, because they are so tired, it's not likely and it's not natural that they will do what they have to do.
[27:27] You are the one to comfort them. So if you are comforting somebody, my brother, somebody who has gone through a problem, don't take advantage of them.
[27:40] Especially when you are going through difficult times as a man and a woman wants you, that's when they come and cook for you. That's when they show you niceness, but it's not to comfort you to do the things of God.
[27:51] Be careful when you are eating people's food. Be careful when you are, when you are resting on their lap. You put your head, you are so tired, you put your head on a woman's lap.
[28:06] Meanwhile, she's behaving like she's comforting you. But her dreamy life is you. You. Say comfort.
[28:20] So it says that the pastor said I'm pushing. This is, it preoccupies me. It makes me strive that you'll be, your hearts will be comforted. And not just that, that you'll be knit together in love.
[28:33] Ah. Ah. Church, Christians. Being knit together in love. That's a very big phrase.
[28:45] Knit. You know how to knit things. It's intertwined. So it says that we Christians, being knit together. Knit together. It's the love factor.
[28:56] This love is not feeling love. It's a decision, agape love. A love of decision. A love of choice. I might not like the way you behave, but I've decided that, you know what?
[29:09] I'm going to love you. Anything I have to do, I wish you well. Everything I have to do to help you, I will do it. If it's within my power, I will accept you. Because we are family. 1 John chapter 5 verse 1 talks about that.
[29:22] You cannot say you love God and hate the one who God has begotten. Whoever believes that Jesus, whoever believes that Jesus is Christ is born of God.
[29:34] And everyone who loves God, okay, or loves Jesus, who begot, also loves him who is begotten of him you love.
[29:45] The one you claim you love, automatically you end up loving what the person is begotten. Pastor, you know I love you, but you are not helping the church. That's why Jesus said, you love me.
[29:56] This is the whole thing that I came with. Feed my faith. If you love me, it will affect the way you treat the things that I care about. So, it says that when you are a Christian, this is what that text is actually saying.
[30:12] When you are a Christian, you tend to like Christians. It does not mean you get on with everything they do. But they become your preference. When it comes to association, when it comes to favoring, when it comes to help, they are your primary preference.
[30:31] So, it says that their hearts might be knitted together in love. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 15.
[30:43] Ephesians chapter 3 verse 17. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 2. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 15. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 16. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 2.
[30:55] They all tell us about this love for one another. That the human is agape love which we extend towards others. Ephesians 1 verse 4.
[31:06] Very nice text. It says that according as he, God, chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him were in love.
[31:22] When it comes to this subject of love, you are blameless. You are blameless. That we should be holy and without blame before him. That is our development, our maturity.
[31:36] Without blame before God. Without blame before God. In love. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 15. It says, since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love for all the saints.
[31:49] Genuine spirituality comes with automatic love for the spiritual ones. Wow. It comes. So the more you are backsliding, the more you are getting tired of these church people.
[32:03] And the more your love is cold, the easier you find problems with the people. Sometimes someone needs to work on you and remind you there are problems there.
[32:15] Before you notice them. Before you notice. Because it is okay to you. Yes, yes, yes. When you love something, you hardly find problems easily. Yes, yes.
[32:26] When you, when people are in church for a long time, that's when their love starts growing cold. They find a lot of problems easily. This pastor, when he's preaching, he's holding microphone.
[32:37] He should be holding teacup. Teacup. I'll put it like a chain. You know, and sometimes it doesn't even make sense.
[32:49] But you don't realize when love is missing from your life. It becomes your judgment, your cynicism, your criticism, your skepticism become so reasonable to you that nothing else matters apart from what?
[33:05] The point you're standing on. Yes. Thank you. You, we, we easily find problems with others. Yes. But it's, that's why pastor couldn't sleep.
[33:17] Oh. So I'm striving. I'm striving that this sister, this brother, this church people, their hearts might be knit together in love. So when I, we say when I, when I heard of your faith in the Lord and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not isolated.
[33:34] It always goes together with love for the saints. You can never see someone who is genuinely growing in faith and is depleting in love. Or declining in love.
[33:45] No. So, sis, bro, when you start declining in love, you should know that your faith is really low. Not just love for God, but love for his people.
[33:57] Love for his people. Ephesians chapter 3, verse 17. It talks about that Christ who dwells in the hands by faith, that you've been rooted and grounded in love. It's not like something you go and come.
[34:08] You are rooted and you are grounded in it. Rooted and grounded in it. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 2. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 2.
[34:19] With all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another. How? How? I can't hear you. I know some of you would not say it. Bearing with one another.
[34:29] How? In love. How? In love. Then you can be telling me how spiritual you are. This is part of the program of God.
[34:41] Bearing with one another in love. Stop gossiping about hair. Hey, hey, hey, hey. What you said might be true, but the one you are telling doesn't need to know.
[34:55] You see what I'm saying? What you know might be true, but what are you telling somebody? What are you gaining? And how much are you helping the one you are telling? What would they even do with that information? Why are you destroying somebody's reputation?
[35:11] Because I know the truth. I know the truth. I know the truth. So I have to make sure. That's scandalous. So it's important that we grow in love.
[35:25] In love. In love. Ephesians chapter 4, it says that we will grow. Verse 2, we just read it. It's talking about how being with one, sorry, bearing with one another in love.
[35:36] Look at chapter 4, verse 15, and verse 16. Chapter 5, verse 2. Chapter 4, verse 15. It says, but speaking the truth, how? In love. Tell someone, speak the truth in love.
[35:47] Speaking the truth in love. Yeah. Speaking the truth in love. You know what I mean? I will tell you. I will tell you as it is. You know, sister, I have to tell it. I have to say. Are you speaking this thing in love?
[35:58] Are you trying to help the person? Or are you trying to damage somebody? We know it's the truth. But if it's you, would you want someone to say the truth about you? There are a lot of truth you don't want people to say about you.
[36:12] I think I'm talking to somebody. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. There's so much truth about you. You don't want someone to know. You, my brother, and you always have to be thankful that people don't know the whole truth about you.
[36:29] Yes. Yes. And God has kept some things and forever will keep some things classified about you. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.
[36:40] Even in heaven, I don't know whether we will get to know it, even though everything will come to light. But God has determined to keep some things about you very private.
[36:50] That is why it takes a long time for God to expose a Christian. God doesn't expose your sin. God doesn't easily expose your sins.
[37:06] Yeah. Look at what's happened to you last night. Look at it. Look, look, yes. And us, as far as when we see something little about somebody, we allow ourselves to be so shocked.
[37:22] How could this be? Hey. Hey. Ha. So she liked him. She liked him. Somebody said, this woman, hey, hey.
[37:34] Then we start taking the phone and then telling, and taking screenshots of what they have said, sending it to people. Okay, let's go to the verse 16.
[37:46] Look at the 16. Very interesting text. Very strong text. From whom, that's talking about Jesus. From the whole body, join and knit together by what every joint supplies.
[37:56] According to the effectual working by which every joint does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
[38:10] The body edifies itself. So, listen. If blood circulation is not going on well in your body, you know, it's an emergency. If when you...
[38:23] When you eat and you visit the restroom and the rice has come back out... It's a big...
[38:44] No, no. At least it's good to understand what that is. It's a big problem. Why am I saying that? Because the body is not working well.
[38:56] The church, the reason why the church can lose its influence, can lose its impetus, its impact, is when love in the church, love among believers, begin to be compromised.
[39:11] Because then the body cannot build itself. It only builds itself in love. The love I'm talking about is not the love others must do for you.
[39:22] No, no, no, no. No, no, no, no. Let's get it right. This love is personal. It's you. What you owe the body. So, stop thinking about what others owe. I can't even be preaching and be expecting to tell...
[39:35] saying that what you owe. As I'm preaching, this love, when it comes to the subject of love, it's a personal instruction. It's a personal instruction.
[39:47] So, stop thinking about if this guy could have done this. That's what Pastor was saying. If this guy could have done. No, what I'm saying is if you can't even stop thinking about that person that way. You. Yes.
[40:00] Love! Love! Love! In the book of Colossians. We are in Colossians. Colossians chapter 3, verse 14. It's such a strong one.
[40:12] Colossians chapter 3, verse 14. Above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. What? You wear it like a jacket.
[40:26] Most of us have different types of winter coats and shoes, which we wear based on how we want to look. I said, you have left your coat of love, your shoe of love, your hat of love, your wig of love that can cover a multitude of sins.
[40:48] Yes. Bible says, love covers a multitude of sins. Love covers. Love covers. Above all these, have fervent love for one another.
[41:02] Why? Because love covers. Why are you exposing people like that? The reason why you are talking, you don't have love. You don't have love.
[41:12] And you don't have love because your faith is very low. And that's why God can't do a lot of things for you because without faith, it's impossible to please God. Faith is not a walk alone. It's not stand alone.
[41:23] Faith goes together with love. Yeah. Bible says that faith worketh by love. Galatians, I think, 5, 6 or so. Yeah. But faith which worketh by love.
[41:34] And so, if there's no love in your heart, don't talk about where there is love. Please. I'm not talking about where there is love. I'm talking about you should have love.
[41:44] That's all. Because if you start judging where there is love, what you might be defining as love may not be love. Because you want someone to give you one of his shoes.
[41:56] So you say they have not given you, so they don't love. No, please. You want someone to give you, let rent his house to you. And then maybe it's 500 pounds and you want them to do it 250 because they said I can't do it.
[42:13] You say they don't have love. So sometimes we punish people for not doing what we want them to do and we claim they don't have love. So when it comes to this subject of they don't love, they don't love, most of it is so lustful from the demand of the love.
[42:32] So we have to focus more on we giving love than we expecting love. This love we are talking about is the love we are supposed to give as Christians, not the love we are supposed to expect as Christians.
[42:44] Amen. So we should be able to, based on the dictates of scripture, as believers, our hearts must be knitted together in love.
[43:06] The weight of what I'm teaching is more pointing to the next one, which I probably have to take next week. that's a very, and unto all riches of the full assurance of, what's the meaning of that?
[43:22] That's very, all the riches, all riches of the full assurance of understanding. But that cannot be in place when love is not in place.
[43:36] Love comes, and that kind of love helps us, let me just summarize this so that I'll go deeper next week. It helps us to grow in our knowledge.
[43:49] Yeah. because that spirituality that is an isolated, insulated journey will not bring growth to you.
[44:02] You can grow, watch this, no Christian grows spiritually unilaterally. Wow. No spiritual growth can ever be unilateral.
[44:12] No. Your arm cannot grow on its own in spite of your, so your, your body maybe, you know, they say sometimes a child has stunted growth or something, and the arm say, no man, I can't wait.
[44:24] The arm begins to grow and leave the rest of the body. It's an abnormality. The body grows together.
[44:35] The body grows together. So in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 17, that's so strong a text which I'll pick up from next week. But it says that, that Christ will dwell in your hearts by faith.
[44:49] That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend on your own now.
[45:01] You comprehend with the saints. We grow to good. together in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 13. So we all come to the unity of faith. We all, this growth thing, we grow together.
[45:15] So he said, so you come to the, verse 18 again, Ephesians chapter 3, says that, may be able to comprehend with the saints. When love is in place, we can do it together. We can do, that's what it's called.
[45:26] Fellowship, when the Bible mentions the word fellowship, the Greek word translated fellowship is koinonia or koinonia. And koinonia in its genuine translation or depiction is what Siamese twins are like.
[45:40] Some Siamese twins grow like that throughout. They are not, the medical science can separate them. And when we say we have fellowship together, we are so knits together in love.
[45:51] You remember, the knits together. Intertwined together, what affects my blood, Siamese twins, is going to affect him. So even if, let's say, we are Siamese twins attached on the shoulder like this, and something is coming from here to attack him, I won't say, where is him?
[46:09] Because if you inject him, you have injected me. Because we are sharing the same blood. Siamese twins, that's the imagery behind the word koinonia.
[46:20] It's like we are Siamese twins. And now he says that we can, Christ will, watch this, you people tell, me ask for me, it's Christ I love. Christ will dwell in your heart by faith.
[46:32] Verse 17, that Christ will dwell in your heart, in your heart through faith. That, that is one way, sometimes, if Christ is not you, you can't live this Christian life properly.
[46:44] You can't live this fellowship life. Christ will dwell in your heart by faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, now we comprehend together. Then that's where we can come to the riches of the full assurance of the knowledge or the understanding to be able to comprehend the mystery of God, which is Christ.
[47:06] And so, Christian growth can never be unilateral. That's why staying at home and just doing your own thing, listening to preachers, is not a healthy Christian journey.
[47:19] You are listening to preachers, you are staying at home. Who are you fellowshipping with? You can't grow. You might grow in mental understanding, mental knowledge, but the spiritual knowledge we are talking about will come to it.
[47:33] That one, it doesn't come you by being, by yourself. It comes by you being parts, part of them. It comes through fellowship. And that's what next week, God willing, we'll be picking up on.
[47:45] Did you receive something? Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. You're welcome to connect with David Entry on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
[47:56] You can also find more Spirit-filled messages from Karis Church on YouTube and all relevant streaming platforms. Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share the message.
[48:07] Be blessed. 11 Jungs Jungs Jungs Jungs