Marks of a Living Church: Song, Healing, and Prayer

Auto-generated transcript of this service.

foreign [Music] [Music] Army foreign [Music] thy meaning [Music] Vietnam [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] uh I did tell us it's no idea foreign foreign sport foreign foreign foreign foreign [Music] foreign foreign tibia this is foreign of adage is foreign [Music] production first I want to say I'm sorry I'm just coming from work it's never know when you're going to be relieved yeah so uh brother Nikola was talking about singing Pastor Nicholas and you know the Christian church at the first century was a singing Church like the circle of uh uh I wanted to open up First Corinthians Chapter 14 verse 15. First Corinthians Chapter 14 verse 15. so what shall I do I will pray with my spirit but I will also pray with my understanding I will sing with my spirit and I will also sing with my understanding so we can sing with my our mind and we can sing with the spirit foreign [Music] [Music] David also prophesied about the Gentiles it's in Romans 15 9 um Romans Romans 5 59. it's a apostle Paul said I'm sorry and moreover at the the Gentiles my glorify God for his Mercy as it is written therefore I will praise you among Gentiles I will sing the Praises of your name actually this is a reference to the psalm of David yeah but the most Curious Thing the thing the scripture in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 19 says that Christian talked to each other resp songs you know we talk to each other how do you speak to each other's response I don't know and even more puzzling to me yes the passage written in Colossians chapter 3 verse 16. Colossians let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms hymns and songs from the spirit singing to God with gratitude in your hearts no okay talking but how do you admonish is other results that's the I think this first church knew something we we forgot we don't know Mali is I read this passage before but I never thought about it but when you think like how do you teach each other admonish each other singing the early church as I said was a singing church when Pliny governor governor of bethenia wrote to Trojan the Roman Emperor um [Music] and he was giving a report about the early Christian the new sect Christians [Music] he wrote in this report they are in a habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it is light uh when they sing in alternate verses A Hymn to Christ as God Hospital and you know the uh [Music] totally opposite the Jews after the Romans seized Jerusalem in 1870. [Music] so in Jewish synagogues there was no singing they wanted they worshiped there was no songs because of they remembered what the tragedies of what happened but a Christian Church from the beginning until now there has always been music and praise if you remember even like uh the first Christian were thrown to the Lions during the emperor nearer is what they were doing and people were amazed how they were about to be turned out by the lion and they're saying [Music] um that's that's amazing you know I don't know if I will be able to sing in that kind of circumstances maybe that's a special when you get in this circumstation the circumstances you get a special Grace from God is Holy and the next verse I would like to read it says the early church was not only a singing church but it was a healing Church um so is anyone among you sick verse 14 let him call for the Elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord foreign [Music] and the rabbi also anointed them with oil and prayed over them [Music] and there was a Greek doctor named Galen and he said it was the best medicine [Music] and in the second century the tertullian wrote he was a Christian historian he wrote in the third Century sorry um in this territory was in the third century and he wrote that Roman Emperor Alexander seraros was healed by anointing of the hands of the Christian named torpis tarpasion Christian and the the Christian's name was tarpasion Christianity [Music] and guess what happened to him he was allowed to live in a palace of the Roman Emperor until the day he died he was a guest of the emperor special guest of the emperor until the day he died and I think he just not did not just live the life of Luxor in that Palace imagine all the Senators Emperor and his family all the emperor's servants and he had freedom to preach because he healed the emperor I mean God threw him healed the emperor uh it was a hippolytus he was one of the bishop in the second end of second beginning of the third century [Music] and he wrote to as the command to the church to investigate who has a gift of healing and anoint them to be pastors and the actions the duties of the deacons at that time is find out who is sick in church let them know that the church body so they can pray for them and you know uh I heard this story when it happens in China the Christians over there is not as a persecuted Church in China right now uh how they survived and preached the gospel name the group of them goes to the province you and they found that find out who is the governor in that Province and they find they want to find out who in his family or friends is sick [Music] and they go to him and say let us pray for him God will can heal him and usually especially if the sickness is terminal there is no other choice but this even though the etis they say okay pray is [Music] if it's not going to help at least it's not gonna hurt so as they pray for that person even the monitors and God heals that person and the governor says actually let them to be in that Province and he actually protects them yes and they preach the gospel there and they they built a church and he tells his Police Service not to bother them of course there is a federal police there when the federal police gets a here is something's going on that Province so Governor sometimes even warning them hey guys this is the federal police is unto you just leave so they go to the next Province and they do the same thing and they they are there until federal police catches up to them and they go to another Province gets the center of them try to investigate them so the Christ said if they persecuted the one city flee to the other cities so that's that's what they do it that's how God's save them and we go to the verse 16. confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed the effective fervent prayer of the righteous man avails much is you know here it says about the confession is in Catholic and Orthodox Church confession is mandatory um and even if you come to the to the confession the priest will ask you like when was the last time you confessed with and this is for them it's a very important thing to confession is and you know sometimes it plays both ways you know the Orthodox Church you know when the special Russian Orthodox Church was uh during right after Revolution was persecuted and almost all the priests Bishops everything was either killed or in prison camps yeah foreign but about in the 1930s Stalin figured out that he could this Orthodox Church he can use it [Music] um and he renewed all the monasteries all the seminaries everything is but he sent his own kgp agents to be priests and it's very very easy because people have to go to confession practice KGB knew everything what happened everywhere [Music] every village every town every city whoever went to the confession the KGB knew everything is [Music] in Protestant churches the confession is not mandatory the Protestant is and sometimes it's the the actually the confession I mean confess your sins against in front of each other sometimes it means if you offended somebody confess that you offended them um and also sometimes even confess confess your confession uh before the Pastor or or minister is also very beneficial you um and you don't have to be afraid they're not the Agents of KGB is one time when I was in the Bible College we had a bishop when I was going to a yeah and he was you know he was in prison for more than 20 years for for the testimony of the Lord and he was sharing was was one time one story from his life is that one time they went to the church that had a lot of problems and there was no like a freedom in spirit everybody was like kind of stiff is and they had a Brother's meeting with a board of this church and he actually uh did a proposition [Music] let's do a confession is and just tell the people that they're not going to be part of whatever sins they committed this time they're not going to be punished yes um you know almost the whole church went for that confession it was so much Revival in that church it was so much tears cry and freedom is [Music] that the God was really really working in that church at that time you know it's not always that we okay we confess but there's going to be no no consequences because Apostle Paul also thought it has to be sometimes for certain sins has to be consequences because people have to know that sin is not something trivial something ah not important but at that time I think it was a revelation from God to those people to those particular churches you know this is there is no limit to the power of prayer [Music] the Jews said that they had a saying that who praise surrounds his house with a wall stronger than Iron Man [Music] and they also said that patience can do something but prayer can do everything is pray with faith that God can do anything anything about how to pray but this is stopping for another time [Music] and verse 17 says Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months and 18 and he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the rain at the Earth produced its fruit images Elijah was a prophet of the Old Testament and sometimes we think he was a prophet like God was very close with him who are we to compare's name is the Bible says that he was just like us with his passion with his human nature he had his own doubts winter course [Music] one time he wanted he laid under the bush he said God I want to die [Music] after this Victory against the prophets of Baal eclipse is when the rain came and when we heard the Jezebel wanted to kill him he just laid out on that he just gave up I mean God just take my soul I'm done but God was not done with him and the read verse 19. brother If anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back let him know that who turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins foreign we can read it in John chapter 18 verses 37 38. [Music] so your kingdom said Pilate then Jesus answered you said that I am King in fact the reason I was born and came into the world that is testified to the truth John 3. John 3 18. no no John 18th I'm sorry look at you sorry yes and came into to testify to the truth everyone on the side of the truth listens to me is and verse 38 that's a famous question of the pilot what is the truth is and then he didn't even listen to the answer he just turned around and went went away [Music] so this verse tells us actually so it is possible to wander away from the truth is so people can be know what the truth is and just turn away from it is so that that's another like the first a lot of American churches say that oh once saved saved always [Music] and all you need to do is just invite Jesus into your into your heart confess and be baptized and that's it is but here that James says if somebody turns anyone from the the from the air of his ways that there have two benefits two rewards first one he saved that person from from from Eternal fired and the second one multitude of his own sins will be forgiven address so God values so much the life of the Christian who's putting a silky sin is so he even forgives us our trespasses if we are instrumental in somebody turned it back to the truth is truth what is the truth another question [Music] the truth it is something that we have to love Eastern is second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 10. second Thessalonians 2 10. can you open up please and all the ways that wickedness deceive those who are perishing they perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved is they didn't love the truth and they perished we have to obey the truth Galatians chapter 5 verse 7. Galatians 5 7. you were running a good race who cut on you to keep you from obeying the truth we have to speak the truth in love is Ephesians chapter 4 verse 15. instead speaking the truth in love we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head of it that is Christ OS the truth has to be maintained in in a life of Love is maintained uh [Music] first John chapter 3 verses 18 and 19. dear children let us not love his words or speech but with actions and in truth is in verse 19 this is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence truth also liberates is the Gospel of John chapter 8 verse 32. then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free you know sometimes also one more passage I would like to read in Daniel chapter 12 verse 3. the vitamins those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever yeah so those people who actually bring people other people to Christ is the Bible says even in Daniel that they will be shining us Stars it's not just their sins going to be forgiven it's not going to be shining they're going to be big in the Kingdom of Heaven one woman asked Wilbur will available for now is your soul saved and he was a very famous preacher at the time he preached tens of thousands of people tens of thousands were saved by his ministry he says following the words Madam I have been so busy to save the souls of others that I have no time to think of my own soul it's because he was not busy doing something like sinful is he was busy foreign God take care of your own soul he fills us up when we share it when we pour it out God fills us up you know there is a scene of the Dead Sea yeah and the the reason it's that it doesn't the rivers come into it but there is nothing comes out of it is [Music] and it's over time it's so salty it's dead there is nothing lives in there this foreign and that's the end of chapter five if you have any questions uh practitioner mystery and personal crashes um I think it's two different places one it talks about when it comes to taking out your eye or your hand it talks about you personally having desires to do something that is being uh foreign over your neck for you to be drowned or not to be born if you uh become a stumbling block for someone then that's that's also um value um you know I think this passage really confirms how God is values everyone's soul s and if you become an instrument a blessing for somebody to be saved then it becomes a blessing for you because God is going to forgive him but if you become an instrument for somebody to stumble Bible says it's better for you not to be born because life to end because of the stone being hang on your neck for you to drown S I think it's very important and to show how God values everyone's soul and for everyone to be extremely careful because we can be instrument in it as a blessing an instrument that is not a blessing gone back to verse 20 and the soul from death and covered multiple of sins can it be that if you save a sinner what it's talking about here going forward you save him for love you know because he is saved he his sins he will not commit sin meaning you save that person from continue multiple of sins in that aspect of it can you translate that uh the English translation says covers multitude of sins not prevents from sinning but covers my understanding is God only forgives you know so my anything that I do I cannot well if I re if I get the sinner out of hell then multiple of my sins are forgiven so meaning you know what I could save 100 people from sin and then you know from sin and then all of my sins are forgiven or is it saying that if you save that person his life is changed and his sins are not committed anymore could be that too but I think if you are instrumental of saving people from sin God it's not like you can sin whatever do whatever you want and God will forgive your sins because you saved somebody but God will lead you help you not to sin could be that part too okay um foreign Hollywood foreign [Music] he protects us he gives us this like a barrier in our life that prevents us from because of the work that we do for Christ that are translated correctly okay so when it says covering it's not like uh um okay so did young people did you guys understand the conversation here all right let me rephrase one more time so make sure you understand the question was it says if you preach to other people and you bring him to Christ in in James chapter 5 verse 20 it says the multitude of your sins will be covered so the question was what does it mean do you get like points that you can just use it before God when you commit a sin no the the point is is that every sin is forgiven by the grace of God and we have to confess it before him to be forgiven when it says about covering sin it talks that God because you Minister and you work for God God gives you Grace so therefore you don't sin in your life or prevents you from sin he gives you uh Power uh anointing not to commit sins in your life that's what it means it's not you getting just points that you can just use like lifelines it's not like that you still need to get you still need God's grace in your life do you guys understand now good anybody else is foreign it says when you confess your sins and but before that it says invite ministers and uh for them to pray for you do you open to only Ministries are you open to confess your sins to one another do they understand it correctly okay yeah the Bible says yes the invite ministers to every pastors to pray and anoint for you it's actually safer my opinion is safer to to call the pastors because you know if you confess a sin the pastor is obligated not to tell anyone this is a secret of confession is uh you can I think you can you confess to it to your friend like spiritual friend too it's okay as long as you trust him yeah and it's as a the point the benefit of confession is also accountability is uh booty bits because later on when you have a Temptation if you have this accountability you know that the the pastor or or other believers they will ask you how did you do is foreign [Music] but it's the button um [Music] [Music] for me brother Stephen mentioned his testimony they had a uh one of the ministers in the church who had was very very sick but then they asked for the minister to come over to pray and when he did God showed mercy and Grace and what he's pointing out that you know the power of God was among upon those Ministries when they did pray God show Miracles so we definitely need this power in our life today man but sometimes it doesn't it's not the ministry issue sometimes it's the faith sometimes it's God's will there's a lot of factors that play into that [Music] um foreign foreign never know so brother vaseli pointed out in Translation when we read this it says whoever turns a sinner from the um from the air of their way will save them from the death and cover or melted a multitude of sins when it doesn't talk about the person who preaches that gets their sins covered but the person that turns away from sins have their multitude of sins covered so when you read that that's you could be interpreted that way but we all agreed on one fact that it's not points it's the grace of God for both of us from sins yes anybody else okay let's see yes donations and donations [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] so [Music] see foreign [Music] me show my name is [Music] foreign [Music] I have four pages we need to make it in 15 minutes I would like to make an introduction next is the the latter two of apostle Peter um we will not be going deep into that but I encourage each every one of you read it at home we will just begin but before I'd like to share a few words with you you know when sins are covered they are covered by the blood by the the sacrifice of Jesus Christ it is a very interesting topic that's been brought up in this uh book of James the more sins are covered the more precious becomes its sacrifices when we read the word of God when the when the sin it multiplies the grace is Multiplied I'm not saying for us to send more so we can have more Grace no uh but the covering the of sins and if we draw people to Christ and the person repents before him two great things that taking place first the person is receiving salvation and their sins are covered therefore their sacrifices being more precious uh you know it's been quite for some time now and I will share a testimony with you and on my heart this topic has been on my heart [Music] it's not just laying in my heart I believe it's from God and I'll share the circumstances under which they that this topic became in close to my heart remember he mentioned that we went to this one church and they gave him a list of 40 Ministries that are in that church that's a lot is 3000. yes oh I thought there's only a thousand people there but I think it was three thousand he mentioned so I think based on the size of our church we are in a much better shape than they are yes [Music] because if it was a thousand people that means of each 100 people they would only have four four minutes only four percent of people minister in church even with that big list foreign [Music] [Music] and if we have 150 members and we have eight Ministries then we may be doing much better than that church the topic of ministry you know I was praying one time here on the front and I was praying for this man then never visited our church before but he was present that Sunday he was an older gentleman um I say when you were praying you asked me a few questions and you know as normally after the service there's a lot of Rush that's taking place kids are running around but he started to ask very deep questions and he uh was pushing me for a very serious conversation to have more deeper yeah and I told him you know what um because of lack of time maybe you can come to my home it wasn't nice to you know to tell this man to cut a conversation short but I wanted to continue and I say here's my telephone number let's call you each other okay the nicest way to say no okay this is and I was very surprised after four days he calls me yeah and I remember that I promised him that I'll meet him yes I told him you know I have eight children very busy trying to see if I can get away from this but he was insisted and we yeah the nicest way to say no and I wanted to see get out of this situation so when you he calls again and he was very serious this coming Saturday we'll make some clothes he came he brought a cake for children and we started to have a conversation and he started to to speak on the topic of ministry that got me to think and I started to think and I realized that this information is from the Lord a specific reason for the church and each and every one of us individually people it should be a true church and it says you are a living stones that are the purpose is to to to make a building out of yourself but many times in reality those stones they're just laying around with no purpose or plan and I've been thinking about this for quite some time [Music] you also like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus Christ every single one of us we need to find its place everyone needs to find an opportunity to minister in order for us to build this spiritual house not like in that church where there's a 40 but it's only one and a half percent of people involved but it needs to be 99 percent and 100 of people that's a challenge for us to be involved in Ministry every single one of us we need to uncover God's will for for Ministry in church and for each and every one of us and Ministries are given for every person to be to find its place that the person will be able to to realize its calling is and take its place and when the person brings those uh spiritual sacrifices and that's how God's name is going to be glorified and that's how the person will be uh uh rewarding its price this is hello foreign foreign [Music] and this kind of actions you know having the sword in his hands or to be able to challenge the authorities it tells the character he was willing to go to the end with Jesus but the answer that he received from Jesus was kind of uh awaken him and he was getting this turning point in within him that come to a point where he rejected Christ he was on fire he starts to evaluate Jesus Christ and Jesus was telling him and says the devil was asking to uh huh sift sift you as as the the grain but when he was going through this process of cleaning something needs to is becoming to be born in him something is re-evaluated Jesus was seeing that change and he asked him three times who is very hard and the harder it is the more work it requires but when it's all shaped up in the right way it's used for a very specific reason because it can withstand the pressure and Jesus says you would be the stone that'll build my church upon and he says here here uh Shepherd my sheepi here when the time comes make sure you encourage and straighten the brothers when time comes uh um you know the better the qualities the better the material it has or the building material is a human material is it becomes excellent when it's used for good and also becomes something that is a stumbling block when it's used for something that is not good and Peter he was this very good material he was very hard materials but this material did not realize what God was calling him for um that's why he was doing those different actions then lady Jesus needed to fix after him and he writes this letter foreign [Music] but the letter has been addressed to the church in Babylon is and this this letter has been written during the the rule of uh Emperor if Christian and church was experienced tremendous persecution during that time Apostle theater on uh friends of Peter they invited they insisted for him watching watching uh Christians while here in Rome it's not safe Christians are being persecuted and killed there were being accused falsely in order for you to save your life just move somewhere else and Bible tells us that he listened to advice of his friends I'm sorry the oh story whatever the the historical evidence shows that he listened to his friends and he went away and when he is traveling from Rome the historical uh uh evidence says that on the way from Rome he meets Jesus Christa he saw him and he says Lord where are you going you say I'm going to encourage those who believe in me because you are going away but they need me did anybody read the book of I don't know uh where are you going uh I recommend this book it's very good one yeah and it's information is from there and it's some has some historical back into this information and when Peter was had a meeting which which quit Christ on on her on the road he realizes he needs to go back we need to encourage Believers in those difficult moments when he returns stolen and it's the the it's been said that he was arrested when he came back and he was crucified uh head down because he found it not worthy to be crucified as Jesus Apostle Paul yes he had cut off by the Apostle Peter he was crucified upside down even though this ladder talks that it's uh talking to the church in Babylon is the the location of him was him personally located in Rome uh referencing this this sinful world around verse 13 chapter First Peter chapter 5 verse 13 it says and being that the church was very persecuted at the time they could not you know get it together freely so it it suggests that it's referencing the the church or the world around at that time and a few words I would like to share before a prayer this evening it is said that this lap of Peter will in the business it is written very shortly after Apostle Paul's was died and by beheading obviously the Apostle uh um he writes from this point of view of suffering and encouraging the brothers around the consequences of how the uh Paul died encouraging Trojan says to carry the burden of suffering shortly after writing this letter Apostle Builder Buddhist Peter is being crucified himself and we accept this murders death movies we see the churches went through difficult moments and they continue to do so but throughout our in light of everything through the gospels the letters of John Peter and James regardless of their circumstances you know same thing for us we might not be going through some visible persecution maybe that's where our trouble is of course we give praise to our lord for a peaceful time always is warning Believers in the Old Testament in the New Testament those that belong to Gods being chosen people says when you're gonna eat and and celebrate and when you're going to be using and exercises all those blessings that you did not even work for um do not forget the Lord in different circumstances than we encounter groups into this ladder next Wednesday if God Wills but now I would like to invite you to pray for anything um or maybe you already have questions in regards to this introduction that was already done I think we'll pray today foreign [Music] idiotic babies [Music] um foreign foreign foreign